Firefly Journey

Chapter 138 Battlefield Chrysanthemums (5)

"Old man, want some too?"

Wind Chime handed over the half-eaten apple, which Bennett could hardly bear to look at. What kind of saintess would steal offerings from the ancestral god and even try to recruit others?

Seeing that Bennett didn't respond, Wind Chime thought maybe he just didn't like apples, so she started eating them again.

"Holy lady, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to swagger into the church like that?"

"What's wrong with that? Hantina keeps urging me to go to the temple to learn how to be a saintess. I think that day will come soon."

Bennett's pupils widened slightly. Ever since he discovered that the girl's magic was perfectly compatible with the Dark Temple, he had reported it to the temple master and, through various means, had managed to abduct her.

However, Fengling is also a person with her own ideas. She said that she can be a saintess, but her freedom cannot be restricted.

At the time, Fengling was young and still needed her family's care in many ways, so the temple master agreed. Anyway, she wasn't that old and could hold on for a while longer.

If it weren't for Wind Chime's amazing performance, Hantina wouldn't have wanted to accept her; the Dark Temple's standards are very high.

In fact, as one of the seven major ancestral god churches, the Dark Temple has a very high status. Being chosen as a saintess is a great honor and a prestigious achievement, even for a noble family like a duke's family.

But after Bennett contacted Wind Chime, the little girl Wind Chime didn't want her family to know, saying that she would naturally return to the temple when the time came, otherwise she wouldn't be a saint.

The Temple, not wanting to let go of this rare genius, had no objections. Even now, with Wind Chime saying she'd be returning to the Temple soon, Bennett should be happy, but he just couldn't feel any joy.

The reason for this is simply that this saintess is too willful; who knows if what she said is true?

Suddenly, the wind chime asked, "Old man, have you ever been married?"

Bennett frowned: "I have given my whole heart and soul to the goddess, of course I have never married her."

Wind Chime persisted: "Have you ever had a girl you liked? As far as I know, you joined the Temple halfway through your life."

“A girl I liked…” Bennett recalled for a moment, it was impossible to say there wasn’t one, “I guess I could say one, I was still quite young back then, living in the countryside of the duchy, back then…”

Bennett seemed completely lost in memories, talking about his childhood and the little girl next door he had missed.

Wind Chime smiled slyly: "Oh, so you were heartbroken by a woman, which is why you chose to embrace the goddess. Hehe, I don't think you're sincere at all."

Bennett's face darkened as he realized he had been tricked by the saintess. "How dare you set a trap like this?"

"Your Holiness, please don't make fun of this old man. It's normal for someone my age to have some memories."

The wind chimes clicked their tongues and said, "You old man, you're really boring. You can't even take a joke."

Bennett said, "If it's convenient, I'd like to know why the saintess said that, and why she suddenly decided to return to the temple?"

It should be noted that Fengling is only 16 years old now, which can no longer be described as young, and can even be described as immature.

Although the Duchy stipulates that 16-year-old citizens are adults, they are generally still too young and not suitable to be too far from home. The handover of the Dark Temple is not in a hurry either; the current Temple Master, Hantina, has only been in power for a little over twenty years, and has a long time to spare.

During this period, the wind chimes had absolute freedom.

“I am a saintess, isn’t it normal for me to return to the temple? If I have to give a reason, it’s that I’m tired of staying in Yicheng, bored, and it’s meaningless.”

Fengling never tells the people of the temple about her family affairs, just as she didn't want to tell her family when the temple chose her as a saintess.

Bennett smiled slightly: "The Palace Master will surely be very pleased. With her personal guidance, you will definitely make rapid progress, and perhaps in a while you will be able to challenge for the demigod realm."

Wind Chime's memory of Hantina is stuck a few years ago, on the day the temple found her.

At that time, Hantina followed local customs and dressed like a noblewoman from Ilham, and she was gently guided and persuaded.

After that, they only corresponded by letter.

"Do you think she'll hit me if I make a mess of the temple?" Wind Chime asked.

Bennett previously worked at the Dark Temple headquarters before being transferred to Eden as a missionary.

"No, she'll kill you."

Feng Ling laughed: "Old man, how come I never noticed you were so humorous before?"

"I am not kidding."

Fengling said, "I was just saying that. Actually, I'm not someone who likes to cause trouble."

Bennett thought to himself, "You're already troublesome enough."

……

……

On the third day of their stay at the Black Mountain Tribe, the little mud figure that Lin Yuanran had thrown away earlier returned, bringing with it a reply from the Nell brothers.

"Your guess is correct. This was most likely done by the Duchy. This isn't the first time something like this has happened; war correspondents or bards have disappeared suddenly before."

The northern tribes have always been friendly to them, so why would they harm them? The only thing they don't like is the Empire, but they can't deal with it openly, so they're causing trouble in secret.

Finding that reporter will be difficult, and we don't even know if he's alive or dead. But don't worry, you're Mr. Cassius's student, and we'll do our best to help. Gathering information will take some time, so please be patient.

The teacher has a lot of influence.

Lin Yuanran's original intention was to ask about the situation in the Northern Territory, but he didn't expect the Nell brothers to offer to help directly. This was perfect, as it would be extremely difficult for him to find someone on his own in the tundra where he had no foothold.

The Nel brothers are different. Although they have only been in the tundra for half a year, they have managed to organize several tribes into an alliance, so they must be quite capable. In any case, their resources are better than his.

……

……

In the valley, the cold wind howled.

Inside the animal-hide tent sat two orc brothers, Nel and Nelm.

Beside them stood a man wearing a felt hat, and if Lin Yuanran were there, he would have noticed that the man's features resembled those of the traveling merchant Piero.

Neil said, "Mr. Cassius said that if his students encounter trouble, we should do our best to help them, but this matter is a bit difficult to handle now."

Nem, the younger brother, said, "Hmph, the Empire is so domineering that it even blocks information. Has it ever thought that it might suffer a backlash one day?"

Neil said, "We've long been disgusted by the Empire's practices. Those journalists and poets who disappeared were, in the end, kind people. We have an obligation to do something for them. Hugh, what do you think?"

The human man named Hugh is a member of a tribe that has been integrated by the orc brothers. Because of his outstanding talent, he has caught the eye of the two brothers, and they often discuss matters together.

In his letter, Lin Yuanran said that the Empire had captured Viktor, and it was highly likely that they intended for him to live. Therefore, his whereabouts were crucial, as knowing where he was was essential for a rescue operation.

Hugh said, "Think about it, what is the Empire's purpose in arresting war correspondents?"

The Nell brothers both shook their heads; they were good at chopping people with axes, but they were really bad at deduction and puzzle-solving.

Hugh added, "It's nothing more than wanting to use the power of the media to beautify the empire's image. In other words, the empire keeps those journalists to use them for its own purposes."

The safest place to hold hostages is undoubtedly the city of Seriol, Debasa's military center in the north, and its defenses are extremely tight. If I'm not mistaken, the person Cassius's student is looking for is there.

The Nell brothers found this very reasonable and immediately began replying.

At this moment, a guard came in to report.

"Three leaders, we found a woman lying unconscious in the Yara Valley today. She has magical energy fluctuations, so she should be a superhuman of a high level."

We dare not be careless, for we fear it might be spies from the Imperial Army or other hostile tribes who, unsure of what to do, brought the person back. We have come to report this."

The three exchanged glances, and Hugh said, "Something's not right. Shall we go check it out?"

Neil and Nem nodded: "Let's go take a look."