Green Monster Epic

After traversing the central plains, the bustling scenery gradually faded, replaced by shades of green and inky black – ancient primeval forests that had stood for countless years.

A modest-sized convoy traveled along a man-made trade route. Leading the way was a squad of several dozen knights clad in ornate, dark-red armor, their sharpness barely concealed. Their strong hands never strayed from the hilts of their weapons, making them appear formidable.

Close behind were a dozen or so spellcasters in blood-red robes, their pointed, brimless hats atop their heads, wisps of magical energy emanating from their various accessories.

A spacious carriage, draped in white gossamer veils that obscured its interior, was closely guarded by these well-equipped, sharp-eyed warriors. Clearly, the person or object within was of great importance to them.

If a keen observer with extensive knowledge were to witness this scene, they could likely deduce the group's origins. They made little attempt to hide their affiliation, as a holy symbol was faintly visible on the left breast of the spellcasters' robes: a hand wielding a scimitar, not quite forming a circle – the emblem of the priests of the God of War.

This was indeed a delegation from the War Church, hailing from the distant Crying Wind Peninsula, en route to Lionheart City for the coronation ceremony of the new king. They had been traveling for over a month.

Given Li Si's personal strength, the hundred or so members accompanying him to ensure his safety were, in truth, more of a hindrance, slowing his eastward progress.

However, as the Pontiff of the War Church, a certain degree of pomp and circumstance was unavoidable to demonstrate the Church's power and authority. Even this display was already significantly pared down. After all, the journey to Lionheart City spanned over ten thousand miles, nearly bisecting the territory of human influence. Bringing too many people would not only complicate supply logistics but also significantly prolong the journey.

"Your Holiness, once we pass through this forest, we will reach the Surica Mountains bordering the Lionheart Kingdom. In three more days, we should enter Lionheart Kingdom territory."

Spencer, the vice-captain of the accompanying Knights, lightly nudged the flanks of his magnificent unicorn mount and steered it to the front of the carriage. His upright figure bent slightly as he leaned towards the window beside the carriage, reporting in a deep voice to the Pontiff within.

"Dispatch a team to reach the kingdom's border ahead of us. I suspect Saint Zachariah won't simply wait for us to arrive in Lionheart City. Have them investigate the movements of their group."

Li Si drew back the light纱, revealing his wise and serene face. He gazed at the dense coniferous forest around them and spoke slowly, issuing instructions.

"Understood."

Spencer nodded slightly. Even if the Pontiff hadn't instructed him, he would have done so anyway.

"Fortunately, Bishop Glinton has sent a team to meet us at the Kansar border fortress. We can contact them in advance."

Throughout the journey, Li Si's mind remained active, constantly analyzing the potential scenarios he might encounter upon arriving in Lionheart City and how he should respond.

Now that he had decided to attend the ceremony, offending the Church of the Afflicted was inevitable. Therefore, Li Si and the War Church behind him needed to gain something in return.

The God of War had been stuck at the threshold of Weak Divine Power for tens of thousands of years without significant progress. If his authority and divine power could advance even further, the War Church's influence and dominance in the secular world would not be so weak.

Of course, this was also partly due to the infrequency of large-scale wars between human nations. After all, Karrigan, who controlled the authority of war, needed to launch wars to increase his divine power quickly, in addition to preaching and gathering believers.

The War Church had secretly plotted numerous conflicts between nations, attempting to incite wars, but all were thwarted or suppressed by other churches, preventing them from succeeding. These actions by members of the War Church had aroused the resentment of other churches and kingdoms, leading to their expulsion to the harsh environment of the Crying Wind Peninsula, with only a small number of War God's Shepherds allowed to preach and establish churches in some kingdoms.

Now, the Lionheart Kingdom had suddenly shown goodwill towards the War Church, allowing and even supporting their church to preach and establish temples in a powerful kingdom only a step away from the Empire. This was a golden opportunity for the War Church, one that came once in a millennium.

Although they knew that the other party's motives were not pure – they hoped to use the power of the War Church to counter the deeply rooted Church of the Afflicted, which had been operating in Lionheart Kingdom for over ten thousand years – the War Church's leaders still made their choice without hesitation when faced with the olive branch offered by the Lionheart royal family.

As for the Lionheart Kingdom's invitation to attend the new king's coronation ceremony, its purpose was self-evident. According to the information Li Si currently possessed, the Church of the Afflicted did not seem to have yielded, so the coronation ceremony could not proceed.

This was an opportunity for Li Si and the War Church behind him. If they could gain more favor from the Lionheart royal family at the coronation ceremony and obtain their greater support, then the War Church could, after ten thousand years, once again have a base in the mainland of the Xilan Continent, allowing the church's influence to extend further.

Moreover, the air above the Ferman world was currently filled with the scent of war. Once the Civilization War broke out, it would inevitably be a long and fierce journey. As the controller of the authority of war, if he could seize the opportunity of this war, then breaking through the Weak Divine Power would be an easy task for the God of War.

However, if the Civilization War broke out, then the War Church, whose power base was entirely in the West Wind Peninsula, would inevitably be relegated to a supporting role in the war once again. Achieving the God of War's goal of authority and divine power advancement would most likely be missed once more.

Therefore, it was after listening to Li Si's prayers that the God of War decided to send Li Si to the Lionheart Kingdom in person, all in order to prepare for the war that would inevitably break out in the coming decades.

Li Si, who had been constantly turning his mind and figuring out all of this along the way, felt even more the importance of his mission this time. For the sake of the Lord he had served all his life, and for the future glory of the Church, he had to gain something from this coronation ceremony, even if it meant confronting the Church of the Afflicted head-on, it would be worth it.

After finally passing through the primeval forest, a series of undulating mountains rose on the distant horizon, which were the natural dividing line between the two kingdoms.

Rumble rumble rumble!

A faint tremor came from the ground. Before Li Si could stick his head out to ask, Spencer, who was responsible for the Pope's safety, had already approached him and said with a solemn expression, "Your Excellency, a cavalry brigade has appeared in the mountains ahead. Judging from their attire and organization, they should be the Rose Thorns Knights of the Church of the Afflicted."

"Heh heh heh, as expected, they still couldn't hold back!!"

A gleam of light flashed in Li Si's eyes, and he said leisurely.

"For Your Excellency's safety, I think it's necessary to ask you to retreat to a safe distance and let my people test their intentions first!!"

Spencer's tone was a little heavy. According to the reports from the scouts in the sky, the scale of the Knights was not small, with at least a thousand people. Moreover, as members of the Church's direct Knights, each warrior was an elite among elites. Even Spencer, who had the strength of a legendary high-level, would find it very difficult to deal with.

"No need, I also want to see how Saint Zachariah plans to stop me from going to Lionheart City."

Li Si shook his head lightly, rejecting Spencer's suggestion. After all, he himself was the strongest in this team. Looking at the powerhouses in the entire Ferman world, there might be those stronger than him, but to say that someone could definitely take his life, that was really not the case.

Although there were not many people accompanying him on this mission, each member was carefully selected. Li Si was confident that these children were definitely not inferior to the knights who were about to arrive in the distance. In addition, with powerhouses like himself and Spencer guarding the formation, even if the entire Rose Thorns Knights were dispatched, he was confident that he could guarantee the safety of himself and the team.

"But…"

Spencer tried to persuade him again.

"There's no 'but'. Meeting is a matter of time, we can't avoid it."

Li Si said decisively.

"Understood, I'll have the team prepare now!!"

"No need, Saint Zachariah will definitely not be in this Knights. If you act too cautiously, it will only make us look afraid of them."

Soon, figures appeared at the end of the trade road, and trails of yellow dust rose from the ground, gradually approaching the War Church envoy team that had temporarily stopped.

"Halt!!"

With a loud shout, the neatly arranged Knights slowly stopped their advance, with only a few mounts sneezing and panting heavily.

"Is that the War Church delegation ahead?"

A heavily armored knight with a tigerish back and a bear waist slowly walked out of the Knights. The earth dragon mount he was riding, which was more than four meters tall, was very eye-catching. When the earth dragon mount's heavy footsteps approached the front of the War Church team, a high-pitched voice came from under the knight's steel helmet that covered most of his face.

"Indeed. May I ask if something has happened? Why are you blocking our way forward?"

Spencer lightly kicked the belly of his elegant and pure white unicorn mount. The close animal partner tacitly paced forward, walked to about fifty meters away from the other party, and responded in a deep and solemn voice.

"I am Staphon, the current leader of the Rose Thorns Knights. I am ordered by His Holiness the Pope of my Church to invite you and your delegation to stay here for a while."

"Are you kidding me? My envoy team is invited by the King of the Lionheart Kingdom to attend the coronation ceremony in twenty days. How can your Knights make us stay without giving any reason!!"

"Not to mention, His Holiness the Pope of my Church is personally on this mission and is in this team. Unless the Pope of your Church comes to meet him in person, you are not qualified to ask us to stay here!!"

"Get out of the way!!"

"I'm afraid I can't comply!!"

The two knew each other's intentions. After only a few words, they became a little angry, and their tones gradually became cold.

"Your Excellency Li Si, for the sake of friendship between our two Churches, please allow me to meet you once and convey the meaning of His Holiness the Pope of my Church."

Seeing that Spencer would not give way, the human knight named Staphon simply shouted loudly towards the luxurious carriage that was being guarded in the middle of the team from a distance.

"Humph!! Is the Pope of my Church someone you can meet just because you want to?"

Spencer glared and moved his body forward, blocking the other party's gaze, and roared coldly.

Now is not the time to fall out with the Church of the Afflicted. If His Excellency Li Si were to meet with the leader of this Knights, it might be a little difficult, so Spencer very cleverly pushed back the other party's invitation.

Staphon frowned slightly, his eyes gradually becoming unkind. Just as he was about to open his mouth and shout again, he suddenly sensed a strange aura rapidly approaching from the distant horizon. He and Spencer looked towards the sky in the direction they came from at the same time.

"Leader Staphon, the War Church envoy team is a distinguished guest personally invited by His Majesty. I wonder why you are making things difficult for them?"

A knowledgeable and kind voice floated from afar. Soon, a human elder dressed in a snow-white robe floated over. After seeing the true face of this elder, the face of the human knight Staphon, who had just arrived, became even more gloomy.