The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

Charlotte closed her eyes in pain and shook her head weakly.

Ryan hasn't appeared at the Papacy for a long time.

Even Phil didn't know his location.

Where is that bastard?!

The outspoken priest immediately exploded: "If Ryan doesn't come back, I'll have to take the necessary measures!"

“I don’t care what his unspeakable difficulties may be. You only know a person’s true character in times of crisis. Right now, the Holy See is in a time of crisis, and Lady Orina may even have to leave the Holy See permanently.”

"If Ryan doesn't show up by now, he's a traitor to the Holy See!"

“That’s right!” another priest echoed.

"If he doesn't show up now, there's no point in him returning to the Holy See later!"

The priests chimed in, expressing their dissatisfaction with Ryan, but Charlotte remained silent, her index fingers interlaced under her chin, deep in thought with a serious expression.

"Lady Charlotte!"

"Please say something!"

"Lady Orina is leaving the Holy See. As a high priest, you must step forward and make the decision!"

"Lady Olina, you cannot leave the Holy See!"

The surrounding priests gathered around, expressing the same sentiment, but there was very little Charlotte could do.

Although others are unaware of Orina's current situation, as a high priestess, she naturally knows many unknown secrets.

For example, Orina is not in a good state right now.

During the previous battle against the Hermitage, Orina fought the Corruptor alone. In the process, she was struck by the Corruptor's magical artifact and seriously injured.

Fortunately, at the last moment, Olina relied on Olivena's burst of power and the black light after the fusion to suppress the Corruptor.

However, the damage still seeped into Orina's body, causing her considerable harm.

These days, just surviving is already a struggle for Orina.

The so-called departure from the Vatican is nothing more than an excuse for outsiders.

After all, if the people of the Vatican knew that Olena was seriously injured and could die at any moment, then the Vatican would not be far from disintegration.

Therefore, the truth Charlotte was concealing was that Olena needed to find a way to treat her injuries, otherwise, given her current condition, she would not be able to survive for even a month.

Charlotte let out a long sigh.

"never mind."

"We can't find Ryan's location, so we have nowhere to vent our anger. And, most importantly, Lady Olina has already left the Holy See."

"According to the decree of the Holy See, if the chief priest is absent from his post for more than three months, he will automatically step down from his position."

"Before that, let's get everything in the Vatican running smoothly."

"For example, there's the restoration of destroyed buildings and the funerals of fallen members. There are so many things waiting for us to handle; we don't have any extra time to waste."

“Perhaps…” Charlotte looked at the stained glass on one side with a complicated expression.

The image above depicts God's mercy on humanity.

"I hope that once Lady Orina has figured everything out, she will be able to return to the Holy See smoothly."

------

This world is full of legends.

Some of these stories are fabricated by people during their leisure time to pass the time and for entertainment.

Others are drastically altered versions of facts.

For example, there's a legend that Ryan is currently searching for.

In the far north of the Auguston Empire, there lies a hidden aurora route leading to paradise.

To access the Aurora Passage, one must board a Skyship.

What Ryan is looking for is the Sky Ship.

"Olina..."

"Hold on a little longer."

Amidst the wind and snow, Ryan rode in his lightship straight towards the northernmost part of the empire, to the land where the aurora borealis flowed like ribbons, dazzling and radiant.

There, lies something that can heal Olina's injuries.

However, Orina was so weak that even her eye sockets were black. She shivered in the wind and snow, her face pale, relying solely on Ryan's body heat for warmth.

"Ryan..."

"I can feel my life slipping away... Please put me down."

"If this continues, I'm afraid you'll be implicated as well."

"Furthermore, the so-called skyships and the aurora borealis routes are all baseless legends..."

"Instead of spending time chasing legends... I'd rather be with you."

Ryan held Orina's hand tightly and pulled the frail beauty into his arms.

His gaze was more resolute than ever before.

Orina.

Perhaps you're thinking of making the most of the last moments of your life and creating beautiful memories with me.

But I must let you live.

Orina.

I will find the Aurora Passage...

Chapter 281 A Diary

One month later...

The Empire of Augustus, in the far north.

The wind and snow howled, and the earth was covered with silvery snow, a vast expanse of white.

Occasionally, pedestrians wearing thick cotton-padded clothes would appear, their faces covered with warm wool scarves, their hands constantly tightening their collars as they hurried along on the thick snow, making a series of crunching sounds as they walked.

Finally, the pedestrians arrived at their destination, the Bion Tavern.

Pushing open the door, the wind and snow blew into the warm room. Pedestrians brushed the snow off their bodies and stomped their feet a few times, leaving clear, footprint-shaped snow marks on the mottled floor.

The pedestrian placed the long, narrow cloth bag aside and took off his heavy leather hat, revealing a neat, short buzz cut.

He was a young man with freckles all over his face.

"Boss, a pot of hot wine!"

The young man pulled over a chair and sat down, resting one hand on the bar counter.

"Two more packs of beef and some dried fruit, please."

The boss smiled wryly as he brought him drinks and food: "You, after all these years, are you still having those unrealistic dreams?"

"I've told you so many times, there is no such thing as a sky ship in this world."

"The so-called aurora route is nothing more than a rumor made up by our predecessors during their leisure time."

"You're so young, there's no need for you to gamble your life on a baseless rumor."

The young man took the hot wine, gulped down a large mouthful, let out a satisfied sigh, and grinned.

"Haha, uncle, don't try to persuade me."

"Although you all say that the aurora route doesn't exist, I've always felt that it really does!"

“My father told me that when he was a child, he saw a sky ship sailing on the aurora route, a spectacular sight.”

At this point, the young man's eyes lit up.

It's clear that he really likes and longs for the magnificent and dreamlike aurora route flowing through the sky.

Legend has it that at the end of the waterway lies a paradise free from disease and suffering.

Some say that the end of the aurora route holds a treasure unknown to anyone.

The young man's yearning for the aurora route wasn't because of treasure or paradise, but simply because he loved adventure and the breathtaking scenery his father described.

"Hey, your stubbornness is just like your dad's."

"But you should know that your father died because of this stubbornness."

"You mustn't repeat your father's mistakes."

The young man downed the hot wine in his glass in one gulp, picked up the food, and casually tossed it over his back.

"Don't worry, uncle, I know what I'm doing."

"In this era, disasters and dangers are everywhere: monsters, mysterious disappearances, even creatures falling from the sky. There are just too many things that can take people's lives. Who knows, I might die in the next second."

"So, I will pursue my dream! I will definitely find the aurora route."

"And today is different from before."

The young man gave himself a thumbs up: "Today, I met a very wealthy customer. After hearing that I was looking for the Sky Ship and the Aurora Passage, he didn't say anything and gave me 20,000 gold coins on the spot!"

"If I can build a sky ship and carry him to the sea route, he will give me another 20,000 gold coins."

After hearing this, the owner frowned and watched the young man leave the tavern, then hurriedly shouted.

"Hey!"

"Stinky boy!"

"You haven't been scammed, have you?!"

"Willing to part with 40,000 gold coins for a non-existent legend! You'd better watch out!"

The young man dismissed this, and instead burst into laughter.