However, a millennium ago, an Arcane Surge swept across the heavens and earth, changing everything.
Degenerators raised the banner of revolt, and bloody civil wars erupted among the angels. In the end, the Royal City shattered in a fierce counterattack, consumed by a Magic Power explosion. The entire airspace was permeated with an extremely high concentration of Magic Power, forming the eternal Magic Cloud that shrouds these ruins.
The mighty angels were nearly wiped out, with the few survivors degrading due to the erosion of the Arcane Surge. Their wings became mottled and withered; their former nobility was no more, ultimately reduced to Winged People who lived off plundering.
As time passed, this ruined celestial Royal City seemed to have been forgotten by history.
However, in recent years, something strange has begun to occur quietly in these ruins, located in the Western Realm and untouched for years.
The millennium-old Magic Cloud began to spread along the wind currents, silently invading the airspace of the Kingdom, leading to the disruption of all air routes.
To investigate this phenomenon, the current Saintess—one of the strongest among humankind, personally set out.
However, her tracks completely vanished in these undercurrents, plunging the vast Church into unprecedented turmoil.
Everything is shrouded in a mysterious fog; no one knows what exactly happened within the Royal City, nor does anyone know what kind of force triggered this phenomenon.
But ancient texts record:
In the center of the angels' Royal City, stands the crystallization of their faith, a Gate to Heaven that transcends all Cleric's imaginations.
The Gate was not destroyed; the Gate remains firmly closed.
—That Gate, awaits us to open.
[What should we do with this information?]
1. Hand it over to the King♛
2. Hand it over to the Pope
3. Keep it secret for now
4. Announce internally
9. Hand it over to the Knowledge Hunter
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
[Hero's Luck (affects the smoothness of the return journey, 5+ nothing happens)]
After leaving the library, the Fourteenth Princess's materials increased rather than decreased, and they thickened considerably.
The Sergeant's intelligence and the Cruising bishop's recent investigations pieced together, lifting a corner of the veil of mystery that had troubled the Kingdom for a long time, gradually unveiling the truth of the Magic Cloud Undercurrent.
The Gate to Heaven... no need for an in-depth investigation; just by hearing this name, it's clear that the True Saint Disciples, those fanatics, won't miss the chance to open it.
The Fourteenth Princess very cautiously handed the neatly organized materials to the Demon Hunter waiting outside.
"Paper documents are too many, they might get damaged on the road, take these back to the Count Mansion and process them with a transcription spell."
Mages have naturally developed ways to preserve books and knowledge beyond simple writing; they can condense vast amounts of information into small carriers, such as Magic Crystal Stones or specialized scrolls, and then interpret them using specific spells.
Moreover, the Border has developed Arcane Apparatus capable of performing similar functions, processing information without the need for Spellcasters to intervene, and can send it quickly to other places through the Communication Array.
"If the opportunity is right on the way, we can also send the intelligence directly back to the Capital, letting the King make the final decision," the Fourteenth Princess added.
It's not that she didn't want to send the information directly back to the Capital, but the distance from the Border is too far; the Communication Array cannot reach directly, and several relays are needed en route.
And relaying means there might be accidents along the way, there must be consideration of the risk of information leakage, especially when the opponent is the secretive Black Gate.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the Cruising bishop bowed his head and thanked, his tone carrying a hint of embarrassment.
Now the Pope stays reclusive and unclear about his stance on the next Saintess; he also doesn't know whom among the Archbishops within the Church can still be trusted, so he can only seek help from the Royal Family.
"The Church is ultimately a part of the Kingdom, and the contributions of the Saintess need not be mentioned further. This is our duty, no need for concern."
The Fourteenth Princess nodded calmly, indicating him not to worry.
If the Saintess had simply disappeared, it would still be manageable to entrust the Church to deal with it, but now with the conspiracy of the Black Gate and the undercurrent of the Magic Cloud in the Ancient Royal City involved, this has long surpassed what the Church can handle alone, nor should they bear the burden single-handedly.
"Speaking of which, you previously detained a Black Gate... Bishop, didn't you?"
Unsure of how to address that prisoner, the Fourteenth Princess hesitated slightly.
[Sufferer's Cooperation]
"As far as I understand, Black Gate doesn't have a clear hierarchical system like the Church, but they assign teams based on the 'Gates' that need to be opened, with different 'Keys' acting as team leaders."
Upon hearing the Fourteenth Princess's inquiry, the Cruising bishop's expression became somewhat subtle, and after a moment, he spoke:
"However, in terms of level, she can indeed be said to be a Bishop-level individual."
The Hero, whose impression of the Black Gate is definitely not good, and who is completely uninterested in their internal structure, couldn't help but inquire upon hearing this:
"Didn't you get some intelligence from her?"
She recalled that while in the Highlands, it was through a Cultist of the Black Gate that she obtained many critical pieces of intelligence, triggering a series of events that followed.
And her contact within Black Gate was at most team leader level; since the Sufferer is Bishop-level, she ought to have even more intelligence.
"Although this is the Border, since the Magic Cloud Undercurrent has already affected the entire Kingdom, she must know something," the Hero said.
"You're right, Hero, but..." the Cruising bishop hesitated for a moment, wanting to speak but stopping.
Most of Black Gate's main forces had already perished in the Highlands; they were first cleaved in two by the Sergeant, then used as Sacrifices for the Bomber's ritual, while the Bomber himself was slain by the Undead of the Martial Princess.
And the remnants within the City, led by the Sufferer in cooperation with the Nightmare Sage, tried to escape the Border City but were eventually caught all at once.
The tough-minded Border city showed no mercy towards these Cultists; ordinary Apprentices were all dealt with, those that should be imprisoned were imprisoned, those that should be executed were executed. Including those in the city who had colluded with Black Gate, all had been cleared.
But there was still one person unhandled, their leader, currently imprisoned in the Church Dungeon, the Sufferer.
After a silence, the Cruising bishop shook his head and with some helplessness began:
"She indeed knows some things, but—"
[Sufferer's Cooperation Extreme Failure!]
1. She thinks we are not trying hard enough
2. She was under Prohibition
3. She's merely being stubborn
4. She has performed Self-sealing♛
9. You need to find the right Key
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure