Rock of Bral subtly adjusted its orientation as it flew, causing day and night to shift naturally with the movement.
Beyond the sky, silver mists drifted along the edge of Wildspace, forming a dazzling river of stars beneath the daylight—a breathtaking sight.
Many members of the Magic Research Society looked up at the sky with longing in their eyes.
No spellcaster could resist dreaming of a free and mysterious journey through the Astral Plane, yet for most, such an opportunity would never come in their lifetime.
The residents of Bral, however, had long since grown accustomed to the view. They cautiously stepped out into the streets, only to discover that the military standoff had vanished. The city watch was patrolling the streets while soldiers were arresting people everywhere.
"Is it over?"
"Who won...?"
People hurried around asking questions, while even more chose to stay inside their homes, afraid of getting caught up in the aftermath.
Power struggles weren't children's games. It was only natural for the victors to purge the losing side.
Anser, Nefis, Brunhilde, Osborn, and the others arrived at the city gate, only to find it already sealed off.
The towering gatehouse, surrounded by imposing walls, served as the entrance to the Upper City. It also functioned as the Royal Guard's reserve barracks and a high-security prison.
Beside it lay Bral Lake. Calling it a lake was actually misleading—it was a massive chasm that cut straight through the asteroid's gravity plane, filled with water that supplied most of Bral's daily needs.
According to legend, the lake completely dried up every few years. Whenever that happened, Bral's navy launched an expedition to capture a nearby ice asteroid and tow it back to the Rock of Bral to replenish the water supply.
But now, both the gatehouse and the stone bridge had been sealed off by the military, completely isolating the Upper City.
"The royal family moved quickly," Anser said, his eyes turning cold.
Earlier, the Royal Guard had surrounded the stone tower in support of the Second Prince. Now they were suffering the consequences of their own actions, and no one pitied them.
In fact, one of Anser's earlier contingency plans had even involved using Bane's Chosen to eliminate the royal family amidst the chaos. As far as he was concerned, none of them were good people anyway.
The Cozar royal family had originally been pirates, and Bral was, in every sense of the word, a city of crime. More than half of its revenue came from sources that could hardly be called legitimate.
He stepped forward, only for Nefis to grab his arm.
"Try contacting Evan again."
The Magic Research Society had always kept a low profile. It rarely clashed with anyone and generally stayed out of political conflicts.
Just as Anser was about to speak, the massive gates of the city gatehouse suddenly swung open, and several Royal Guard soldiers hurried over.
"Please come in, sir. His Highness specifically instructed us that you will always be a friend of the Cozar royal family."
The captain leading the group bowed deeply, the plates of his armor creaking loudly under the strain.
"Thank you."
Anser gave him a slight nod before stepping onto the stone bridge.
Nefis and the others followed close behind as they headed straight for the Temple District.
Only after a long while did the captain straighten up. He unfolded the scroll clenched in his hand.
It contained a remarkably lifelike black-and-white portrait of Anser.
Beyond the gatehouse lay the Upper City, and the first district was the Temple District.
Temples of every shape and size stood there, dedicated to countless gods and revered figures, each representing a different faith.
Temples generally didn't engage in commerce. They survived primarily through donations, and in return, their priests were willing to provide beneficial spellcasting services for donors.
For example, a donation of 150 gold pieces earned you a casting of Lesser Restoration. Donate 250 gold, and you could receive Remove Curse. Two thousand gold would buy a casting of Raise Dead.
They were clearly selling spells, yet by calling it a reward for generosity and devotion, it somehow sounded far more noble.
Unfortunately, those "rewards" no longer existed.
The priests' spellcasting abilities had become pitifully weak.
Had the appearance of the Chosen not changed things, they might have continued sinking into decline, growing ever more confused and doubtful of both their gods and their faith.
It was Anser's first visit to the Temple District, but the Church of Selûne was impossible to miss.
The tallest and most magnificent structure, built from pale moon-white stone, was its grand temple.
Evan was already waiting for them at the entrance.
Dressed in long robes, he stood there with an unhurried, composed demeanor and a faint smile on his face.
He looked to be in an excellent mood.
"Welcome."
Evan took the initiative to greet him, spreading his arms and pulling Anser into a tight embrace.
There was no graceful way for Anser to dodge it. Catching the look of surprise on Nefis's face out of the corner of his eye, he gently pushed Evan away.
"We won a complete victory. That's worth celebrating. Come with me—I have a surprise for you."
Evan didn't seem to mind in the slightest and quickly ushered everyone inside.
As they passed through the entrance, Anser noticed Kristin leaning against the staircase.
Her gaze followed him, but she didn't come with them.
...
The second-floor reception room.
No sooner had everyone taken their seats than Evan handed Anser a stack of documents.
"The Royal Chamberlain just left. The Crown Prince originally wanted to visit you personally, but he's tied up with too many matters at the moment, so he sent these gifts and an invitation ahead of time..."
Anser picked them up.
The document on top was an invitation to attend the coronation ceremony three days later. The Crown Prince would officially become the new master of the Star Palace.
"They settled it that quickly?"
He thought the Crown Prince was being a little too eager.
Beneath it was a royal trade license specially approved by the crown, granting commercial rights for every category of goods throughout Bral. It bore the royal seal, and any business under Anser's name could use it after simply filing advance notice.
"I heard from Osborn that the two of you had a business partnership, so I mentioned it to the royal family," Evan explained with a smile.
Anser's heart stirred.
It seemed Evan had already reached an agreement with the new king.
At the end of the day, neither the royal family nor the church could do without the other. Now that the real culprit had been driven away, the two sides had once again tacitly returned to the same negotiating table.
He offered no comment and continued reading.
The final document was a property deed for 2173 and 2174 Central Avenue, listing the total floor area and every previous owner.
The current owner's name was Anser.
The ink was still fresh.
Running his fingers along his staff, Evan said, "The old king was misled by the Second Prince and failed to see the situation for what it was. This is the Crown Prince's apology and compensation for the Royal Guard's reckless actions last time."
Anser chuckled.
"They were trying to kill you that night. If you don't mind, I certainly don't have any objections."
Evan looked slightly uncomfortable.
Relations between the Church of Selûne and the royal family had never been particularly close, but the attempted assassination had essentially been a conflict between Chosen. The royal family had already shown considerable sincerity by allowing the deceased old king to shoulder all the blame. Evan had no reason to keep pressing the matter.
"I'm very satisfied with the compensation," Anser said.
Of course he understood. As long as the benefits were good enough, that was all that mattered.
Both the Bral trade license and the properties were immensely valuable. They weren't the sort of things money alone could easily buy, but he accepted them with a perfectly clear conscience.
Without him opening the Teleportation Circle, issuing bounties, spreading information everywhere, and even bringing in the Magic Research Society to tip the balance, Evan's side alone would never have been able to drive off Bane's Chosen.
"I'm glad you're satisfied."
Evan finally relaxed.
"I heard... you killed Mask's Chosen?"
"I did. Around the same time you were attacked."
Anser put the documents away, intending to inspect the properties later.
"How did you kill him?" Evan asked curiously.
Central Bral wasn't very large. The previous night, countless people had witnessed the brilliant rainbow lights illuminating the sky as beam after beam streaked hundreds of meters through the air, leaving devastation in their wake and even bringing down wooden buildings.
He had already heard descriptions of what happened, but he wanted to know the details.
"Nothing special. He tried to ambush me, but I noticed him first. I trapped him inside a Forcecage, then finished him off with a few casts of Prismatic Spray. Before he died, he triggered some kind of unusual teleportation spell, but he couldn't escape."
Anser kept the explanation brief because, in truth, the battle hadn't been particularly dramatic.
"Huh?"
Evan was visibly astonished, feeling that Anser had glossed over it far too casually.
"...Perhaps every Chosen is simply different."
Anser wanted to ask what kind of blessing the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon him, but it felt too personal, so he held his tongue.
Just then, Kristin pushed open the door and walked in. Looking at Anser, she said, "You're famous now. Rumors are spreading all over the city that you killed a Chosen."
"They're calling you... the Chosen Slayer."
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