Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 304 The Funeral (Part 1)

After closing the shop door, Chen Xuan followed Malena into the long street, traversing the gray city. The place appeared to have numerous buildings and a grand scale, but there were very few pedestrians on the street. Even when one or two passersby occasionally passed by, they would show fear and lower their heads to avoid her when they saw Malena's black robes.

This is clearly not French territory.

"Where is this?" Chen Xuan asked.

“London,” Malena replied. “The entire upper echelons of the Witches’ Guild are searching for you, and I never expected to meet you here.”

That's because you're a customer of the shop, while the other witches aren't.

The last time he came here was during the great counter-offensive launched by the allied forces of East and West. He crossed the English Channel on an airship to see the troops off to war. A few months later, the witches can now roam freely in London?

How many years have passed in this period?
“Tell me… what happened while I was away.” Chen Xuan wasn’t worried about the other party doubting his identity, after all, Malena was clearly getting older, while he remained the same as before. Unaffected by time… that alone was enough to convince people of his extraordinary nature.

"Yes," Malena replied respectfully. "Thanks to you, we have won."

Thirty years have passed.

The French army, in cooperation with the monks of the sect, eventually conquered the English mainland and drove all the demons back into the sea. The British monarchy collapsed, and the surviving royal army fled to the primeval forests of Ireland, completely losing control of Britain.

Despite the significant cost, the threat from across the strait disappeared completely for the first time in history.

According to the Allied forces' next plan, the French army and the Eastern sects would divide England, establishing a bridgehead to monitor the sea. France would continue to mop up the remaining English troops in Ireland, while the monks would use this base to search for ways to venture deep into the sea and eliminate demons.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan finally understood why this seemingly prosperous city was so deserted at the moment.

Because the Kingdom of Great Britain was destroyed.

The city's inhabitants welcomed a new ruler—a change of order that brought panic and unease, which would take time to heal. It was perfectly normal for people to fear Malena; she belonged to the ruling class and was also a witch who had been widely persecuted—no one wanted to get involved with such a figure.

Chen Xuan did some quick calculations and discovered that Joan of Arc was already seventy-five years old this year. While not exceptionally long-lived, compared to her original fate of being burned to death at the age of nineteen, she had already lived a completely different life.

"So who is the King of France now...?"

“Your Majesty Louis,” Malena continued.

That much hasn't changed; he should be the Louis XI of later generations, Chen Xuan thought to himself. However, at this point, only the name matched; the situation on the European continent had changed drastically afterward, and the history he knew was no longer of any reference value.

Arriving on the outskirts of London, Chen Xuan saw a warship floating in mid-air.

Compared to the fleet that set out on the expedition, this airship was clearly a complete upgrade. Not only was it larger in size, but its outer surface also shimmered with a pale blue glow, as if it were wrapped in a layer of magical armor. Its keel was about a hundred meters long, and its hull resembled a building. Such a colossal object looming overhead certainly gave people a strong sense of oppression.

Below the warship was a military camp.

Before even entering, one could see that the tops of the hundreds of flagpoles erected in the camp were all adorned with white ribbons.

Even the sect's cultivators were mourning the passing of Joan of Arc.

But the camp was clearly too small for the scale of the funeral she deserved.

Just as Chen Xuan was wondering, Malena took the initiative to introduce, "We're almost there. By crossing this Magpie Bridge No. 5, we can get back to Paris immediately."

"Magpie Bridge No. 5?"

"Yes, it's a teleportation array set up by the Lotus Cloud Sect. Each Magpie Bridge can cover a range of nine hundred miles. Our army solved the logistical problem of cross-sea operations precisely because of these teleportation nodes."

Chen Xuan was taken aback.

Ji Yun and Ji Lian have both been able to research and develop such a miraculous magic array? "It can move anything?"

“Yes, but the larger the item, the more magic power it consumes… Of course, they call that spiritual energy.” Malena smiled, just like she used to when she traveled. But when she turned her head and saw the scenery of white ribbons fluttering in the wind, her smile was quickly replaced by solemnity.

No one from the military camp stopped them, and they didn't even check their identities.

Chen Xuan could see the gazes of those around him sweeping over him, whispering amongst themselves. When he returned their gazes, everyone turned their heads away, seemingly afraid to meet his eyes. Chen Xuan also took the opportunity to observe his surroundings using the Heavenly Glow Technique, discovering that all these "soldiers" dressed in various colored robes possessed spiritual energy, and at a considerable level—at least the level of former core cultivators of the Immortal Alliance.

This shows that slaying demons is indeed a great shortcut to increasing spiritual energy.

Regardless of how high their ultimate achievements may be, the overall strength of cultivators has undoubtedly increased significantly after absorbing the spiritual energy of demons.

Of course, Chen Xuan was not surprised by this change. In the past, the secret realms could only be enjoyed by a few people in a few sects. Now, the demons from the West have poured out and there are too many to kill. It is equivalent to everyone having resources. As long as they do not die on the battlefield, they can continuously improve their power. It would be strange if their growth speed did not take off.

He was just curious... why were these people, who shouldn't know him, focusing all their attention on him?
After asking Malena this question, she sighed softly, "How could the cultivators not recognize you... The sect leader of the Lotus Cloud Sect has printed your and Master Liu's portraits on the front and back of the jade coins. As long as they pay, they can see your face."

"Me?" Chen Xuan was taken aback. "The jade coin seal portrait?"

That's a bit of an exaggeration!
"Yes... On one side is His Excellency the Divine Envoy, the spokesperson of God; on the other side is the master of the most talented monk in history. Even Lady Joan of Arc said... the reason why the relationship between the East and West has not yet collapsed is entirely due to your influence."

Malena looked at him with an expression that said, "So you know nothing at all." "At least... pay more attention to us."

I'm really sorry.

He hadn't expected the flow of time to be so unstable.

It's not like that on Liu Shuyue's side.

Could it be because they are short of a staff member here?

Upon entering the center of the camp, Chen Xuan saw the "Magpie Bridge No. 5" magic array, which closely resembled the Temple of Heaven. It was entirely carved and constructed of white jade, covering an area of ​​approximately one thousand square meters. Steps led upwards, culminating in a circular platform six or seven meters above the ground. The platform was covered with densely packed talismans, with shimmering light between the characters; a single glance was enough to tell that this was no ordinary object.

A cultivator quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Chen Xuan, saying, "An Ran, a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect, pays respects to the Ancestral Master!"

As Chen Xuan was pondering how to answer, Malena came to his rescue, "Activate the magic circle, Your Excellency wishes to return to Paris as soon as possible."

"Yes!" The latter immediately directed a group of cultivators to get to work.

When the streams of light on the platform converged into a pillar of light that stretched straight to the sky, Malena was the first to step into the pillar of light.

Then she vanished without a trace.

Chen Xuan took a deep breath and followed.

In an instant, the world spun around him, and his body seemed to be pulled into a void. The next moment, he appeared in front of another magic array. This experience was somewhat similar to when he first passed through the intrusion point, and he quickly regained his footing.

Clearly, the distance covered by a single teleport is far from sufficient.

Heaven knows how many bridges the Lotus Cloud Sect built between the British Isles and the European continent. He teleported four times before finally arriving at his destination.

After the news spread, even more people came to greet him... Chen Xuan first entered the palace and met with King Louis, then received the cardinals and a group of nobles in turn, and finally the delegation from the witches' council. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether these people were holding a funeral for Joan of Arc or organizing his own meeting.

After much fuss, he finally saw Joan of Arc—she lay quietly on a wooden bed in Versailles Cathedral, covered with snow-white silk, surrounded by roses.

(End of this chapter)