Beyond the Century Gate lay an unremarkable little garden. In the center of a patch of green grass stood a half-meter-tall stone, into which was embedded a longsword completely entwined with vegetation.
This was the Divine Artifact of the Paladins that Tide had pulled out three centuries ago, though he had uprooted it along with a large chunk of the stone beneath.
Tribios had replanted the stone and sword in the ground. Over the past three centuries, many had tried to draw the sword, but all had failed. Thus, it had remained there to this day.
Looking at the scene before her, Aria felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It reminded her of when she was a child, trying to pull out the "Hero's Sword" in her village.
The key difference was that the Hero's Sword in her village had looked gleaming and brand-new, sparkling brightly.
Her father had meticulously maintained and polished the old longsword he'd bought, then summoned Aria at dawn, just as the sun was rising, to attempt to draw it, making it appear dazzling and beautiful.
But the sword before Aria now exuded an aura of ancient decay. She even spotted an ant crawling among the tangled vines that clung to its blade.
Tribios couldn't resist giving Aria's head a gentle pat. "Go ahead and try," she said softly. "See if you can pull the sword out."
Aria felt the warmth on her head and glanced at Tribios, a little puzzled. Even she hadn't expected this Demigod, whom she had only just met, to show such affection.
Then, Aria approached the overgrown sword. She had to manually clear the vegetation around the hilt before she could grip it.
With a light tug, accompanied by a crisp click, the sword—which had been embedded in the ground for three centuries—came free with astonishing ease.
Tribios showed no surprise at the sight. If this lifetime's Aria couldn't draw the sword, she couldn't imagine who else could.
Aria, however, remained completely unaware of how extraordinary her feat had been. She looked at Tribios, who promptly explained, "This is a nameless longsword, left here for ages, waiting for a destined one to draw it."
"Since you've managed to do this, the sword naturally belongs to you. Don't let its current tattered appearance fool you—as a weapon, its quality remains quite remarkable."
Tribios deliberately avoided calling it a Divine Artifact. For Aria, whether she could draw the legendary Hero's Sword was irrelevant. It wasn't the sword that conferred the title of "Hero" upon someone; rather, it was a person's heroic deeds that earned the sword its glory.
In other words, if Aria were to achieve great things in the future, Tribios hoped people would discuss Aria herself, not merely say, "The wielder of the Divine Artifact, so-and-so, did this or that."
Thus, with her mind still swirling with questions and doubts, Aria swung the weapon briefly. Whatever else could be said, the sword felt remarkably comfortable in her hand. Since she currently had no other weapon, she nodded. "Thank you very much for your gift. Then... I'll accept this sword?"
Even as she said this, her tone remained questioning.
Tribios patted Aria's head again and said, "Alright, hurry back now. Your friends are waiting for you."
It was already late, so Aria and her companions naturally returned to their lodgings to rest for the night. They would report back to their respective Teachers the following morning. As they walked, Feidric eyed the worn longsword in Aria's hand with curiosity. "What's this?"
"I don't know," Aria replied. "Lady Tribios just gave it to me."
Feidric paused, surprised. "A gift from an Ancient God? It must be something extraordinary. You should treasure it."
When they reached the foot of the building where they were staying, Cipher finally rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a peacefully sleeping Little Squirrel. Hadn't this creature fainted in the cafeteria earlier? Yet it had remained nestled in Cipher's pocket all afternoon.
Cipher shook the Little Squirrel gently, then turned to Aria and the others. "I've arranged a school for Eve too. She doesn't need to rush to improve her strength like you all. Just a regular school to help her overcome her social anxiety will do."
Eve, just shaken awake, felt as if the sky was about to fall. Cipher could actually discern such palpable fear from the face of a tiny squirrel!
However, her protests were futile. Aria, Feidric, and Douglas all agreed. Aria chimed in, "Eve really needs to make more friends. She can't keep isolating herself like this."
This meant that during the day, Cipher would have to care for the Little Owlbear and Little Puppy. After finalizing their plans and dropping off Aria and the others, Cipher waved goodbye. "I'll be off now. See you tomorrow~"
Aria immediately wore a look of disappointment. "Huh? Sister Cipher, you're not staying here?"
"Uh..." Cipher scratched her head. "I'll go stay with the Seamstress for a few more nights, then come back in a while."
Feidric nodded understandingly. "That's perfectly normal. You haven't seen each other in ages. Don't worry about us—come back whenever you're ready."
"Uh... yeah," Cipher nodded, though the truth was entirely different from what Feidric assumed.
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to the All Nations Alliance. Grey, a Catfolk girl, knocked on the door before her. A moment later, a voice called out from inside, "Come in."
Grey pushed the door open and entered a parlor. A small round table stood between two plush sofas, upon which sat two teacups filled with the Alliance's newest blend. Two figures occupied the sofas, seemingly deep in conversation.
One was an elderly Catfolk man with slightly graying fur and ears that no longer stood erect but drooped wearily.
The other was a half-elf man with verdant hair and slightly pointed ears. Had Cipher been present, she would have immediately recognized him as Dio, the Gold-tier Bard and the Alliance's diplomat.
The two men ceased their discussion as Grey entered. The elderly Catfolk man spoke first: "What is it, little Grey? Is there something you need?"
The All Nations Alliance operated under a parliamentary system, governed jointly by the 36 members of the Upper House and the 347 members of the Lower House. Normally, passing a policy required approval from more than half of the members in both houses.
The Upper House had a fixed membership of no more than 36 members. A new member could only be appointed if a seat became vacant. For example, the All Nations Alliance consisted of many races; half-elves, for example, held two seats. If a half-elf member died, all half-elves would vote to elect a new Upper House member.
The Lower House, on the other hand, was more like a council of "City Lords." As mentioned earlier, if the Grand Duchy of Kandela were to unify and join the Alliance, its king would automatically gain a seat in the Lower House.
However, upon the king's death, the people of that region would elect his successor to the Lower House through popular vote.
The elderly Catfolk man currently present was a member of the Upper House, making him one of the most influential figures in the Alliance. Grey had originally been one of the Councilor's many maids, responsible for household cleaning.
But the Catfolk Councilor soon discovered Grey's exceptional intelligence and mathematical aptitude. Having worked diligently for four or five years, she had proven herself trustworthy. He then assigned her to manage the household finances and maintain the accounting ledgers.
Another four or five years passed, during which Grey continued to work diligently, never making a single mistake. The Catfolk Councilor grew increasingly fond of the young girl. Coincidentally, his son was also very fond of Grey, and since their ages were "similar," the Councilor gradually began treating her as his future daughter-in-law, showing her great kindness.
Therefore, even when interrupted during a serious discussion, the Catfolk Councilor showed no irritation. Instead, he asked Grey gently what she needed.
Grey bowed slightly and began, "Lord Perseus (the Catfolk Councilor's name), and Sir Dio, you were discussing Okhema, weren't you?"
Perseus was taken aback, clearly not expecting Grey to bring this up. "Yes... that's right. What about it?"
To be precise, Dio had been recounting to Perseus the details of Mydei's single, devastating blow that annihilated the Imperial Army long ago. He was trying to persuade the Upper House Councilor to take Okhema's existence seriously and launch a thorough investigation.
In truth, this wasn't the first time Dio had raised this issue with other councilors, but most of them simply listened as if hearing a story, showed no real engagement, and offered no meaningful response.
Compared to the enigmatic Okhema, the Empire's threat was clearly more pressing.
Wasn't the Kandela Incident a harbinger of the Empire's impending invasion of the Alliance?
Because Dio had only met Mydei and never encountered Castorice, nor did he know about Chaos City, his information remained at a very rudimentary stage. He couldn't determine whether Okhema was friend or foe.
So he continued to speculate. If Okhema were hostile, gathering intelligence beforehand would be crucial for defense. Conversely, if Okhema proved friendly, establishing early ties and alliances would be equally advantageous—a win-win situation regardless.
But to Perseus, this so-called Okhema remained utterly mysterious. Their only clue was Mydei, and nothing more. How could they possibly find it? Where should they even begin looking?
For all they knew, Mydei had simply made up the place on the spot—it might not even exist!
As they continued their discussion, Grey arrived and cut straight to the point: "Okhema has no intention of opposing the world or destroying it. On the contrary, this world harbors many hidden dangers, and Okhema is safeguarding against them. We are protectors."
"We... we?" Perseus froze, his gaze fixed on that word in Grey's statement. Dio beside him looked equally bewildered. "Wait, what the hell? What does that even mean?"
Grey calmly replied, "Lord Perseus, I apologize for concealing this from you for so long. I am indeed from Okhema. I'm not speaking to you now as your maid, but as Okhema's diplomat."
Grey was one of Okhema's many spies operating abroad. Catfolk generally age very slowly. For example, Perseus, who looked like a man in his fifties or sixties by human standards, was actually over 240 years old.
Grey looked like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old human girl, but she was already in her fifties. This explained why she remained indifferent to the advances of Perseus's son—they struck her as childish, given her true age and experience.
After hearing this utterly absurd truth, Perseus froze for a long moment before realizing its implications: a foreign agent had been lurking at his side for a decade, and he hadn't noticed at all?!
Did this mean that if Okhema wanted him dead, he could be eliminated at any moment?
Perseus's expression turned serious as he looked at Grey. "So you're saying you've been hiding malicious intentions by my side for so long, yet now you claim to be a good person?"
Grey replied calmly, "Lord Perseus, I have never acted against your interests, nor have I ever stolen any intelligence related to you. My mission was simply to gather general information about the Alliance and report it back to Okhema—nothing more."
"In fact, I could have completed this mission selling steamed buns by the roadside. It was you who brought me here and gave me the job as a maid."
When Grey first entered the Alliance, she had indeed been selling steamed buns at a roadside stall. As she said, her mission was merely to gather general information about the Alliance's recent developments. It was Perseus who happened to see her and, perhaps finding her young and beautiful, decided she would make a suitable maid. He then asked if she would be willing to take the position.
Of course, Grey readily accepted. After all, he was Lord Perseus, a Councilor of the Alliance!
However, even after becoming a maid and later managing the household finances, Grey's mission remained unchanged: to gather basic intelligence. It wasn't until Tribios decided to reveal Okhema's existence that Grey's position was deemed one of the most suitable among the spies for this disclosure.