Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

As time passed, the tarot gathering drew to a close, and all the members stood up, bowed to the head of the long bronze table, and took their leave.

This time, Leonard didn't seem so slow to react.

The crimson light faded, and he returned to the real world, where a red glove, which he had not yet put on, lay before him.

Just then, a slightly aged voice suddenly rang in his mind:

"Whose dream did you just visit?"

The old man is awake? Leonard was initially delighted, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Leonard considered for a moment before speaking:

"Old man, do you remember when Amon came to your door two days ago?"

In his mind, a slightly aged voice said softly:

"I only lost the extraordinary properties of Sequence 1, not my brain."

Leonard coughed lightly and changed the subject:

"When you threw me out of the Church of Bones, I didn't know I had your clone inside me. I mistakenly thought you were in grave danger and chose to pray to Mr. Fool. Because I remember you once said that Fool and Amon were destined enemies."

"Because you fell into a deep sleep not long after that, old man, I didn't have time to explain it to you."

"Mr. Fool... well, He has established an organization that holds a divine meeting every Monday afternoon, a real divine meeting, and I am now a member of it."

After hearing Leonard's explanation, Pallas Zoroaster remained silent for a moment, and then sighed after several seconds:

"Your choice back then wasn't wrong. Amon came to me because he couldn't do anything about that 'fool'."

"Amon had it all planned out. He knew that 'The Fool' would interfere, which is why he chose that method."

Leonard lowered his voice and said:

"Old man, are you regretting it?"

"Regret? Not at all."

Palez Zoroaster sighed and said:

"In hindsight, if I had held on a little longer, the help of 'The Fool' and the Seven Gods could have arrived. But the situation was extremely critical at the time, and I couldn't place all my hopes on a complete stranger like 'The Fool.' Your prayer to 'The Fool' was also unexpected, so there's nothing to regret."

Leonard nodded as if he understood, then picked up the red gloves on the table and walked out.

"Are you going to church?" Pales asked, somewhat surprised.

"No."

Leonard shook his head and said softly:

"I need to verify some things."

Leonard left the house, glancing at number 6 Pinster Street next door, where Benson and Melissa lived.

The captain and his group lived in number 5, while he and Old Neil lived in number 7.

Leonard kept wondering if Klein was still alive, could he really completely abandon his brother and sister?

Looking back now, it's clearly impossible.

The bombing two days ago is the best example.

The airships of the Fussac Empire had only just arrived over Baekland, and the bombing had not yet begun, yet Melissa and Benson had already reached St. Samuel's Church, which was clearly illogical.

Pinster Street is not far from Saint Samuel, but it is by no means close either.

From the time the incident occurred until they arrived at the church, less than two minutes had passed.

There are only two possibilities for arriving at the church in such a short time—

Either someone informed them in advance that Backlund would be bombed, so they didn't actually arrive at the church within two minutes, but rather ten minutes or even half an hour in advance, which is why they were able to reach the church for shelter before the bombing began.

Either someone had been secretly protecting them, and the moment the Fussac Empire's airship appeared, they used a special ability like 'teleportation' to bring them to the Church of St. Samuel within two minutes.

Of the two speculations, Leonard undoubtedly leans towards the latter. And the person who could have taken the ordinary siblings, Benson and Melissa, to the church for refuge so quickly could only be Klein!

North District, Pesfield Street.

The Hall family's luxurious carriage was parked on the street outside the church. Audrey placed her hand in the hand of her personal maid, Anne, and slowly stepped down from the carriage.

As she was about to enter the church, she suddenly saw a newsboy waving a newspaper and running quickly through the streets and squares.

"Breaking News! Breaking News! Fenerbahce has brazenly invaded Remnburg!"

Audrey's expression shifted slightly, and Anne, who was standing nearby, immediately understood. She stepped forward, stopped the newsboy, took out a penny coin, bought a newspaper, and handed it to Audrey.

Audrey flipped through the newspaper, her heart growing heavier as she thought:

"Perhaps it won't be long before the South also becomes a battlefield."

The Kingdom of Feneport has always been on good terms with the Empire of Fusak. Six hundred years ago, during the War of the Oath, the Kingdom of Intis and the Kingdom of Rune seized the opportunity to wage war to protect freedom of religion. At that time, the only country that chose to help Feneport was the Empire of Fusak.

Although the final result was the successive independence of countries such as Lenburg, Massi, and Segal, and the defeat of the Kingdom of Feneport and the Fussac Empire, this actually strengthened the ties between Feneport and the Fussac Empire, while also making the two countries more hostile to the Kingdom of Rune and the Kingdom of Intis.

Since the end of the War of the Oath, no large-scale war has broken out for more than 600 years.

But everyone knows that if war breaks out, the Kingdom of Feneport will stand firmly on the side of the Fussac Empire.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Rune was actually prepared for the invasion of the Kingdom of Feneport.

That is the kingdom of Masi, which is sandwiched between the kingdoms of Feneport and Rune, and the kingdoms of Lenburg and Segal, which are sandwiched between the kingdoms of Feneport and the Republic of Intis.

Whether the Kingdom of Feneport marches north to attack the Kingdom of Intis or east to attack the Kingdom of Rune, it must first deal with these three small kingdoms that were once separated from the Kingdom of Feneport.

If the Kingdom of Feneport chooses to wage war directly against the Republic of Intis or the Kingdom of Rune on the front lines, these smaller countries will inevitably take the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the rear. At that time, whether they take the opportunity to advance deep into Feneport City or cut off the supply lines of the front-line troops from the rear, the Kingdom of Feneport will be caught in a crisis of being attacked from both sides.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Fenerbah will prioritize dealing with the three small neighboring countries.

This would give the Kingdom of Rune some buffer time, which could be used to mobilize troops to consolidate the defenses and provide subsequent support to countries like Masik – all standard operating procedures.

Of course, the Kingdom of Rune is currently preoccupied with the attack from the Fusak Empire and it will be difficult to organize enough forces to help countries like Lunburg in a short period of time. The only help in this regard can come from the Republic of Intis.

Under normal circumstances, Intis would choose to help these three small countries fight against the Kingdom of Fennepot.

After all, Intis played a part in the War of the Oath, which split the Kingdom of Feneport and led to the independence of the three kingdoms of Remburg. Therefore, even if the Republic of Intis does not help the Kingdom of Loen against the Fusak Empire, it will certainly help the three kingdoms of Remburg against the Kingdom of Feneport.

But this is only in theory!

The problem now is that the war has been going on for two days, but the Republic of Intis has not taken any action so far—they have neither strengthened their border defenses with the Fussac Empire nor sent troops to garrison countries like Remburg to deter the Kingdom of Feneport!

This wait-and-see attitude actually reveals, in a sense, the stance of the Republic of Intis—they may not stand firmly on the side of the Kingdom of Rune as the upper echelons of Rune believe.

Audrey overheard her father and brother arguing more than once, and each time Hilbert would complain that the Republic of Intis didn't understand the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," even though it was Emperor Roselle who first proposed this principle.

Count Hall has not yet commented on this, but it is clear that he is also worried about Intis's attitude—because judging from the current situation, since Intis did not choose to stand on the side of the Kingdom of Rune immediately, it means that they are very likely to side with the Fusak Empire!

If this were to actually happen, the Kingdom of Rune would be in real danger!

Because if it were just the Fusak Empire, the Kingdom of Rune wouldn't be afraid at all. After all, if the Kingdom of Rune didn't have sufficient strength, its upper echelons wouldn't be constantly plotting to start a war.

While the addition of the Kingdom of Feneport would make the war more difficult, the Kingdom of Rune could still manage to stabilize its front with the help of the three kingdoms of Lenburg. If they could seize an opportunity presented by a miscalculation in the enemy's command, they might even be able to launch a counter-offensive.

But if we add the Republic of Intis to that list...

Audrey felt incredibly heavy-hearted. If this were to actually happen, she could already foresee the fate of the Kingdom of Rune.

The reason why Hibbert could not believe that the Republic of Intis would side with the Empire of Fusak was because the Republic of Intis had completely broken with both countries during the War of the Oath, and there was no way that they could reconcile.

If the Kingdom of Loen and Lenburg were truly destroyed, the Republic of Intis would inevitably face the reckoning of the Fussac Empire and the Kingdom of Feneport, just as Emperor Roselle once famously said—"How can I allow others to snore on my bed?"

The Republic of Intis was fully aware of these things, yet it still chose to wait and see. This indicates that the Republic of Intis believed it could protect itself from the attacks of the two countries, and even had the possibility of a counterattack.

Moreover, the animosity between the Republic of Intis, the Fusak Empire, and the Kingdom of Feneport may not be as deep as the people of Rune imagine.

The three major wars that broke out in the more than one thousand years of the Fifth Age were the Twenty Years' War, the White Rose War, and the War of the Oath Breaker.

The Twenty Years' War was fought between the Kingdom of Rune and the Empire of Fusak. The war ended with the defeat of the Kingdom of Rune, which ceded the island of Sonia and a large territory in the north.

The main protagonists of the White Rose War were the Kingdom of Rune and the Kingdom of Intis, which ultimately ended with the Kingdom of Rune defeating the Republic of Intis.

The War of the Oath-Breaking involved all nations and was the largest war since the return of the Fifth Age.

The problem is, it's the Kingdom of Intis that's involved in this war!

More than a century ago, Emperor Roselle's coup overthrew the original Kingdom of Intis, transforming it into a republic. Although it was later renamed an empire, the Soren family failed to regain its former status after Emperor Roselle's death, and the republican system has continued to this day.

In other words, the newly formed Republic of Intis actually had no conflict with the Kingdom of Fennepot!

What does what the Kingdom of Intis is doing have to do with the Republic of Intis?

Moreover, the reason why the Republic of Intis chose to stand aside and watch is actually related to the country's system. The other three countries, whether empires or kingdoms, are centered on kings and nobles, while the Republic of Intis is dominated by bankers, factory owners, and merchants!

Unlike nobles, these merchants didn't care about the inheritance of honor; they only cared about profit. For over a hundred years, the Republic of Intis had always done just that—wherever there was profit, there they were.

Those who only pursue short-term gains are unlikely to see the consequences of the fall of the Kingdom of Rune, or they may simply not care, because even if the Republic of Intis is destroyed as a result, they can still continue to pursue their interests in the Kingdom of Feneport and the Empire of Fussac!

Such values ​​are completely different from those of the nobility who pursue honor, swear to fight for the country, and live and die with the country!

"What should I do if something like that really happens?"

Audrey pursed her lips, suddenly looking somewhat bewildered. Given her parents' personalities, whether out of a desire to uphold family honor or out of their devout faith in the goddess, they would certainly refuse to surrender.

However, to avoid the destruction of the family, Father would definitely pass the title to Hibbert in advance, so that Hibbert would surrender to Intis. After all, compared with the Fussac Empire and the Kingdom of Fennepot, the Republic of Intis would treat these noble relatives better, although their shrinkage in status and wealth was still inevitable.

What can she do then?

She could take her parents away from the Kingdom of Rune to the Southern Continent, to Bayam, to stay with Mr. "Sun" and the residents of Silver City, but she could not save her family, nor her country, nor the Church of the Night.

"There's nothing I can do..."

A bitter smile appeared on Audrey's lips. Sequence 3 strength looked impressive, but what she could do was still too limited.

Therefore, one must at least become an angel!

Audrey's professional instinct as an "audience member" allows her to see further than others, and her perspective on the future is naturally more pessimistic and negative. However, it is precisely because of this professional instinct that Audrey is able to quickly adjust her mindset.

The girl took a deep breath, her thoughts racing:

"Things might not be as bad as I think. The Kingdom of Rune still has a goddess, the Lord of Storms, and even the Ember and the Fool. In addition, there are the gods of knowledge and wisdom worshipped by countries like Lunburg. At least at the level of gods, the Kingdom of Rune has a total of five gods."

"In contrast, the Fusak Empire only has four gods."

"Of course, if Adam became a god, he would probably side with Fursac, but even then it would only be a draw. And based on the agreement between the Ember, the Fool, and the True Creator, this evil... well, god might also side with Rune."

"Compared to wars fought by mortal armies, wars at the level of gods are the true key to determining the future!"

Thinking about it this way, Audrey suddenly felt that the situation was not as bad as she had imagined—in fact, they even had the advantage!

No, I can't make a promise!

Audrey shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind.

Although Emperor Roselle has long since passed away, his famous sayings have been passed down through generations in the Northern Continent and regarded as truth.

Audrey was no exception.