Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 271 Invitation Letter
Vivian never imagined that she would return here so soon after escaping, let alone as a phantom thief.

And...

She always felt that Ethan's understanding of phantom thieves was somewhat different from hers. In her eyes, phantom thieves were charismatic characters who could enter and leave the kingdom's restricted areas as if they were nothing, and who could leave behind criminal notices even when surrounded and intercepted by the royal guards. They were not like them now, who had their necks buried in the mud and were sneakily digging holes underground.

“Princess, you have been staying in the palace for too long. There are many kinds of thieves in this world.”

Hearing Vivian's beautiful, even girlish, imagination about the phantom thief, Ethan explained helplessly.

Another young girl poisoned by novels.

He did recall that before the arrival of the Golden King, Sivarantin was once hailed as the land of art on this continent, having nurtured many classic novels and plays. The nobles of the capital would also periodically extend invitations to Sivarantin theater troupes, spending huge sums of money to invite them to perform in the capital.

Now, this former art capital has been completely reduced to an arsenal for the King of Gold.

The people wearing golden masks had no concept of day or night. After sunset, the "hunter" assembly line in Oak City continued. To help Princess Vivian understand the true meaning of the phantom thief, Ethan said to the little green potato in the group, "Let her see what a real phantom thief is like."

Feng Yuansu nodded, her expression no longer blank, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

She climbed the stairs of the material storage factory. The control room was located at the top of the factory, where a worker wearing a golden mask was operating a machine to sort and select the materials for making "Hunters".

He didn't notice the head popping out of the factory floor, or the approaching literary girl.

With a loud bang, the door to the control room was pulled open.

Before the operator inside could react, Feng Yuanyuan grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out, not forgetting to give him a kick at the end, helping him lie on the ground and enjoy a baby-like sleep.

Having accomplished all this, the wind element casually entered the control room, closed the door, and sat in the operator's seat.

This series of actions was so smooth and seamless that Vivian stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"This is a basic skill that every phantom thief must possess."

Ethan described to her his understanding of the phantom thief: when you see a particularly cool sports car on the street, you can walk up to the car, open the door, pull out the original driver and kick him, and then sit in the driver's seat yourself.

The wind element has once again mastered this skill without being taught.

However, what she stole wasn't a sports car, but the raw material factory for the "Hunter". Next, she would add some mysterious formulas developed by Old Forest Magic Technology Shop to these bio-weapons. During the development of the formulas, Old Ba provided them with important technical guidance.

Vivian stopped dwelling on her identity as a phantom thief and, as the control room was activated, she gained a clear view of the entire factory.

As a princess of Sivarantin, she had never truly appreciated the city; before this, she had only heard of this place called Oak City from her servants.

It is said to be a beautiful place and one of the trading centers of Sivarandin. You can see citizens of other countries in the city, and even many demi-humans have settled here. As such, it is also a metropolis formed by different customs and cultures. Almost every few days, you can encounter singing and dancing performances in front of lively taverns after sunset.

People who have had a busy day gather together, drink ice-cold beer, and enjoy their time off from work.

Vivian still remembers how the servants from Oak City would light up whenever they talked about their homeland.

However, not long ago, when the Golden King descended, they wore identical golden masks, and several of them disappeared without a trace.

She finally saw with her own eyes the Oak City night that the servants had described, but it was as quiet as if it were dead.

The people they depicted from all corners of the world were stored in warehouses as material for "hunting soldiers," and soon their bodies and souls would become nourishment for life-giving weapons.

Those "Jackals," some several stories high, were patrolling the city. It seemed the atmosphere had become even more oppressive since she fled to the Empire.

On her way there, she witnessed the "hunters" breaking down residents' doors and storming into their homes to conduct forced searches.

"You want to integrate a shadow lamp into the 'Jet Soldier'?"

Vivian looked up at the direction of the control room. She had learned about the technology called "Shadow Lamp" from those who called themselves followers of the Father of War, which was also the reason why she was able to get rid of the golden mask.

She also learned that the rule of the Golden King was not as secure as she had imagined. In Sivarantin, there were many beings who were unwilling to submit to the will of the Golden King. They were gathering strength and trying to help more people get rid of the effects of the Golden Radiation, which greatly encouraged her.

And now, she has finally seen the being that the believers spoke of, the one who created the "shadow lamp."

They styled themselves as rebels, regarding Ethan as the leader of the rebellion against the rule of the Golden King.

but……

Vivian always felt that Ethan was a rather peculiar person, quite different from any image of a leader she had imagined.

"No, I am not the King of Gold."

Ethan shook his head. He didn't have the ambition to conquer several planes, nor did he intend to create a group of reverse "hunters" to push back to the capital of Sivarantin.

Because the letter Rattlesnake sent mentioned some of the production principles of "Hunter Soldiers," which are veritable biological weapons. Although she didn't know where the Golden Kingdom scholars' technology came from, she was quite certain that souls and biological samples were indispensable raw materials for "Hunter Soldiers." They also discovered that the Golden Kingdom scholars were hunting high-level flying monsters everywhere, trying to use their biological samples to create more flying war weapons.

Her knowledgeable familiar believed that the "Jackals'" intelligence came from the souls that were infused into them.

Although it is hard to admit, those scholars were far more adept at developing and utilizing the soul than the creations of the Old Gods. Compared to them, the sacrificial rituals of the Abyss seemed to be still in a primitive society.

"We are phantom thieves, and we must use the methods of phantom thieves to solve problems."

"The methods of a phantom thief?"

“Find the Council of Six, and overthrow them.”

According to Rattlesnake's investigation, although the Golden King is the supreme ruler, almost all daily affairs are handled by his Council of Six. The social system that exists in dependence on the Golden Radiation means that once the Council of Six and the Golden King are overthrown, all wars can be nipped in the bud.

According to reliable intelligence, two members of the Council of Six are currently overseeing the battle in Oakwood.

This was the only plan that met Vivian's expectations of a phantom thief.

but……

This is probably the distance between novels and reality.

All those who dared to defy the Golden King failed, even the believers who infiltrated the palace. In the final "battle," all the fugitives were wiped out by the "hunters." She hid in a hollow by the lake until the "hunters" brought all the captured fugitives back, and she escaped. But that was just a "hunter."

If you listen carefully now, you can still hear the sounds of the "hunters" patrolling outside the warehouse.

That was a monster that no human could withstand.

Vivian had already accepted this fact in her heart, which made her feel confused.

Even if they temporarily escaped the control of the Golden King, what difference would it make? The Empire and Ophira are destined to fall. The moment these weapons of war are activated, everything in this world will submit to the will of the Golden King.

"Can it be done?"

"How will you know if you don't try?"

During the conversation, the wind element had already completed its work. As expected, a series of abnormal operations triggered the alarm. The footsteps outside the warehouse became clearer and clearer. As the "Junion" approached, the ground began to tremble slightly.

The gathering of biological weapons was mixed with the sound of human footsteps. A person wearing a black robe and a crying mask moved through the golden light and headed straight for the warehouse the moment the alarm sounded.

The wind elemental scurried back to the pit in the ground. Before the "hunter" could break down the door, she burrowed into the ground, leaving only her head sticking out. Her blush deepened, and she could no longer contain her excitement at her successful prank. At Ethan's signal, she took out the letter she had prepared beforehand.

The phantom thief's advance notice will also be an indispensable tradition.

The letter was written by the element of wind.

She was the most learned of the elemental spirits. When she had nothing to do, she liked to stay in a quiet corner and read. Ethan believed in the writing of the wind element and entrusted her with the important task of writing the proclamation.

Only by informing the other party of the time and place of the "crime" beforehand can one demonstrate the audacity of a master thief.

Before long, the warehouse door was pried open by sharp forelimbs, and a round object that was both a head and a torso crawled in from outside, its eyes gleaming with golden light.

A figure wearing a sorrowful mask followed behind the "Jackal".

A gentle breeze brushed past him, bringing a letter that had drifted down with the wind to his side.

His right hand, clad in golden gauntlets, took the envelope. His sharp index finger tore it open, and he stood there, carefully studying the words on the letter.

This line of text is very short and can be read at a glance:
Tomorrow night at midnight,
In front of Oakwood City Hall,
Be careful of getting hit by a car.

His clenched right hand crumpled the parchment into a ball. It was undoubtedly a provocative letter. He immediately checked the warehouse and found that all "Hunter" production had stopped. An unknown error had occurred on the production line, and a worker who had been kicked unconscious was lying at the door of the control room.

However, the alarm was not due to operational error. The person who wrote the letter could have left unnoticed, but deliberately created a disturbance to lure him here, with the aim of having the letter delivered to him.

The letter informed him of the specific time and place, and even specified the method of the crime.

As a member of the Council of Six, he had never received such a provocative letter.

Previous conquests had been too easy; all the resistance forces would crumble within three days, and his homeland was no exception.

The images of those wars have now become distant memories; in the long course of his life, he has forgotten too many details.

However, this time, the war is developing in a direction they could not have predicted.

He sensed a seed that was sprouting.

Princess Sivarandin who successfully escaped, the believers of the Old Gods unaffected by the tolling of the bells, and the people who sent out this provocative letter...

This seed is germinating hope. Does that mean their king will taste defeat for the first time in his life?

"False hope? Have you been infected by Cynthia too?"

A cold voice pierced through the mask, reaching his thoughts. A figure wearing an angry mask appeared behind him out of nowhere, taking the crumpled parchment from his hand. "Don't you understand? This is just the king's way of amusing himself. He's finally found an interesting toy, so why would he let this game end too quickly?"

His companion's reminder made him put the unrealistic thoughts that had just surfaced out of his mind.

A long and boring life.

Even war is nothing more than a routine process for their king; he doesn't need to lift a finger, and the rebels will succumb to the influence of the artifact one after another.

"Don't forget where you are."

The same voice echoed in my mind again.

Sivarandin, an art capital with a long history, is nothing more than a newly risen upstart compared to the empire. At the end of the Second Age, the Galog dynasty was split in two, and Sivarandin inherited the Galog surname, which symbolizes glory and status, and has continued to this day.

The person wearing an angry mask holds a book that describes the history after the Second Age.

The capital of Sivalandin had a more beautiful name in the Second Age—the Land of Gold, the homeland of Merlin and the birthplace of the legends that the inhabitants of the Garlog dynasty relished.

On the day the fleet arrived, the Golden King made Sivarandin the center of this war of conquest.

This is no coincidence.

Every decision made by the King of Gold was guided by destiny.

The glorious Garg dynasty, the king's mentor, the invincible warriors of the dynasty, and... Merlin, the traitor executed by the guild.

The King of Gold remained silent, but history has already provided the answer.

All traitors will die.

The goddess will withdraw their undying blessing and unleash world-destroying wrath.

The heads of the traitors will be severed and hung before the city gates.

The flowing blood will serve as the key to unlocking the apocalypse.

(End of this chapter)