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Chapter 743 A Dangerous Area, a Place the Pope Once Visited! (Please Subscribe, Please Vote!)

The southern frontier of the Eternal Day Empire is a vast region bordering an uncivilized, ancient, and dangerous land.

Legend has it that this place was one of the final battlefields of the ancient war between gods and demons. The spatial structure is fragile and unstable, with cracks that often collapse and twist. The laws of heaven and earth also appear chaotic and disordered, with flames sometimes burning the sky and ice covering the ground at other times.

However, danger often coexists with opportunity. This chaotic land also nurtures rare treasures, mineral veins, and mutated spiritual plants, attracting countless outlaws, explorers, and speculators to seek their fortune.

On the edge of this land live many unique ethnic groups formed due to historical reasons.

Among the more common groups are the mixed-race descendants of humans and elves. They typically possess the pointed ears and some affinity for nature of elves, while also having the resilience and reproductive ability of humans. They are one of the minority groups officially recognized by the Eternal Day Empire.

They mainly lived in an ancient city called "Silver Glow City".

Silvershine City gets its name from the special stone used to build its walls, which glows with a faint silver light under the moonlight, like that of an elven kingdom.

The city blends the grandeur of human fortresses with the elegance of elven architecture. Towering towers and glowing vines entwined around them complement each other beautifully. The streets are paved with polished white boulders, and the buildings on both sides feature exquisite reliefs and arched windows.

Besides elven hybrids, one can occasionally see a very small number of human-demon hybrids in the city. Their features are often less distinct, but their eyes often carry a subtle hint of arrogance and loneliness. They are few in number and usually well hidden.

At this moment, a figure wearing an old but very clean dark gray cloak, bathed in the afterglow of dusk, arrived at the magnificent city gate of Silvershine City, which was carved with elven patterns and human battle axe designs.

The hood of his cloak was pulled low, obscuring most of his face, but the collar and cuffs peeking out beneath revealed that he was wearing a simple, dark-colored papal bishop's robe underneath, devoid of any ornate decorations.

This person was none other than Li Chen, who had changed his appearance and concealed his aura. He used his superb disguise skills to disguise himself as a reclusive ascetic bishop who traveled far and wide.

The pure, divine power simulated within him flowed naturally, carrying a reassuring aura of orthodox papacy.

The city's guards were a mixed force of elf half-bloods and human soldiers.

When they saw Li Chen's attire and felt the pure, sacred aura emanating from him, they skipped even the routine checks.

The squad leader simply nodded slightly, touched his left chest with his right hand, performed a simple salute, and then signaled to his subordinates to let them pass.

In the Eternal Day Empire, clergy of the Papacy, especially bishops who appear to be practicing asceticism, enjoy a transcendent status and are usually not easily stopped or questioned.

Li Chen returned the greeting slightly and silently entered Silvershine City.

The scenery inside the city was quite different from other places.

The streets were wide and bustling with people of all races. Pointy-eared elf-mercenary merchants hawked enchanted crafts and rare herbs.

Tall, loud-voiced human mercenaries drank freely outside the tavern, boasting about their spoils on the edge of danger.

You can even see some short, braided mountain dwarves helping out in the blacksmith's shop, the clanging of their hammers filling the air.

The air was filled with a unique aroma of spices, ale, metal, and a faint scent of magic.

Prosperity is the outward appearance here.

But Li Chen keenly sensed the undercurrents beneath.

Different ethnic groups may seem to coexist peacefully, but their eyes occasionally meet and a hint of alienation and wariness can be seen.

In the shadows of the street corner, a sharp-eyed fellow was scrutinizing every passerby, as if searching for easy prey.

Some ornately decorated carriages hurried past, escorted by knights, their windows tightly shut, exuding an air of mystery.

This is a vibrant city, but also a place rife with countless deals, conspiracies, and dangers. Li Chen chose this city as his first stop in infiltrating the Eternal Day Empire because, according to intelligence he had previously obtained, the Pope had secretly visited Silvershine City some time before his disappearance.

Although this was just one stop on the Pope's itinerary, Li Chen would not let go of any clues that might be related to the Pope's disappearance.

Silvershine City is also one of the few cities in the Eternal Day Empire where the Papacy's influence is relatively weak.

The diverse ethnic structure here determines the diversity of beliefs. Most of the elf hybrids retain the worship of nature spirits or ancestors, while other ethnic groups also have their own religious totems.

Given the Pope's prestige and power, he could have easily forced the Holy Light faith to be promoted in this area, but he did not do so. Instead, he showed considerable leniency and respect, acknowledging their right to retain their own faith.

Li Chen understood that the Pope's actions were not merely acts of benevolence, but rather a display of exceptional political wisdom.

By showing respect and tolerance, we can gain these minority groups' sense of identity and belonging to the Papacy and even the Eternal Day Empire as a whole. This is a more sophisticated and long-term approach to "missionary work."

In other words, these minority groups are only a minority and do not make up a large proportion of the Eternal Day Empire, but they are very determined. If they are forced to submit, it may lead to resistance.

After all, these races are not the core of power in Eternal Day. Humans make up 90% of the total population of Eternal Day, so the Holy See only needs to establish absolute prestige among humans, and other races will naturally not dare to cause trouble.

Thinking about this, Li Chen was also somewhat puzzled. Perhaps some ethnic groups have powerful figures like Saints, after all, these ethnic groups have very strong bloodlines.

According to the intelligence, these groups don't seem to have any reason to target the Pope, do they?

If you think that way, you're wrong. Li Chen actually thinks these groups might really have a chance to make a move.

If I were Charles, I would promise the strong members of these tribes that they would help me fight the Pope, and after the success, I would support their tribes.

This provides minority groups with more living space, allowing them to expand their populations.

For Charles's royal family, the continuous expansion of these small groups, because they did not believe in the Papacy, naturally weakened the Papacy.

Therefore, these ethnic groups still have opportunities to take action against the Pope.

Li Chen pulled down his hood, his figure blending into the bustling crowd, and began his secret investigation in this border city.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Li Chen knew that in this chaotic border city, the place with the best information was the tavern where mercenaries and adventurers gathered.

Instead of going to the clean and tidy inns catering to business travelers, he went straight to the busiest place in town, "Broken Axe Tavern," with a crooked wooden wine glass sign hanging at the entrance.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, which was dilapidated from years of neglect, a strong stench, a mixture of cheap beer, sweat, barbecue grease, and the odor of some wild animal, hit me.

The tavern was dimly lit, with only a few flickering oil lamps on the walls and the dancing flames in the fireplace providing illumination.

The air was noisy, a cacophony of rough laughter, clinking glasses, rolling dice, and conversations in various accents.

The hall was very spacious, and all sorts of people sat around the rough wooden tables.

A human mercenary with scars on his body and weapons casually placed on the table.

A half-elf ranger with sharp eyes and slightly pointed ears.

There were even a few guys wrapped in thick cloaks, their faces obscured, exuding a chilling aura.

(End of this chapter)