Pando Port.
After submitting the application and undergoing a rigorous inspection, Bishop Zuo Na and her party were finally permitted to enter the port. They were housed in a structure that looked hastily assembled.
Though it was built with wood and stone bricks, Zuo Na could still see the clumsy handiwork of the natives. Yet compared to the thatched-roof huts on either side, it stood out like a crane among chickens.
"A port under construction?"
Zuo Na recalled the marketplace they had passed along the road earlier. Honestly, it couldn't even compare to the commercial streets of a small city back on the continent. It was just a collection of street vendors selling simple pottery and clay pots, their trade still stuck at the barter stage. They hadn't even developed a basic currency. In Zuo Na's eyes, it was almost an affront to her goddess!
"These wretched natives, so lazy! So filthy!"
Her attendants grumbled, but Zuo Na didn't see it that way. In just a brief encounter, she had already grasped the immense vitality of Bankes Island. "By the Goddess! These natives are so humble and weak, yet their jewelry is made entirely of gold... If we could fully develop this market..."
For a priestess of the Goddess of Wealth, seizing every opportunity to obtain gold coins was practically instinctual.
"Who would have thought... that alongside this exploration, there would be such gains. It's just that the ocean currents and waters nearby are far too dangerous..."
Zuo Na silently furrowed her brow.
Dinner was a curry rice dish with a distinct native flavor, served directly on enormous banana leaves as plates. The fiery taste left Zuo Na quite astonished.
After enjoying the hearty meal, Zuo Na summoned the few high-ranking rogues in her entourage within her room.
A layer of golden light enveloped the entire room. Though Zuo Na didn't really believe in the natives' detection abilities, she had still taken the precaution to set up the barrier.
"Well? Did you find anything?"
Zuo Na looked at the tall, slender figure standing before her, one that seemed to wish it could melt entirely into the shadows.
"Only one day? How could we possibly gather that much information? But thankfully, the Goddess is with us. Those natives have no concept of secrecy at all... Though they use a lot of myths and poems, we did manage to extract some information..."
The rogue's voice was dry, like a hoarse vulture.
"Speak!" Zuo Na's brow furrowed.
"First... this place used to belong to the Zacatecas Empire. It seems there was a war, and they were defeated by a group of 'white-skinned god-men' coming from the west—that is, from the direction of our continent. The entire empire was destroyed..."
"What surprised me even more was that the number of 'white-skinned god-men' seemed to be extremely small — no more than twenty thousand!"
The rogue added afterward.
"Twenty thousand?" Zuo Na found it rather absurd. "But at the scale of the Scarlet Tiger pirate crew, that does sound about right... an empire conquered by twenty thousand people, ha ha..."
Zuo Na let out a laugh she could barely contain, clearly assuming the Zacatecas Empire was nothing more than some large native tribe.
"If you knew the true strength of that native empire, you wouldn't be laughing right now!"
The rogue cut in coldly from the side.
"How many people did they have?" Hearing the gravity in his voice, Zuo Na quickly composed herself.
"According to them, walking from one end of the empire to the other takes fifty sunsets. Each city holds a population equivalent to several tribes combined, and moreover, the ruler of the empire is blessed by the Sun God — Akhban, who governs all!"
The rogue's expression grew increasingly solemn. "A conservative estimate puts the population of this native empire at somewhere between five hundred thousand and one million, with territory as vast as an entire kingdom — and they even had the protection of a false god!"
"To be able to defeat such a powerful empire, with fewer than twenty thousand pirates in hand — heavens! Even five hundred thousand pigs wouldn't be that easy to round up!"
Zuo Na exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yes! Exactly! Now comes the key point I truly want to discuss!"
A tremor of emotion entered the rogue's voice — a mixture of horror and fear. "Do you remember the holy water that was sprinkled on us the moment we came ashore?"
"That was just ordinary water, possibly mixed with some kind of drug — it wasn't holy water!"
Zuo Na corrected him. In matters of religion, this distinction was taken very seriously, and she could hardly acknowledge being blessed by another deity's favor — unless she was resolved to defect.
"Fine... that potion..." The rogue quickly realized his slip of the tongue and immediately corrected himself.
"In the early stages of the war, a massive plague apparently broke out here, and vast numbers of natives died. Then the two-winged serpent with healing powers descended from above and granted the natives this holy water..."
"The serpent?" The moment she heard those words, Zuo Na thought of the Goddess of Wealth's oracle and the Serpent Church she had been instructed to investigate thoroughly.
"That's right! This holy water possessed astonishing power — its effectiveness in treating the plague was extraordinary. Because of this, those white-skinned god-men were seen as heroes sent by heaven to save the natives, and they won widespread support. That was how they defeated the original Zacatecas Empire..."
"I see..."
Zuo Na lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, before turning to the thief, her voice heavy with gravity. "Do you think... the plague here is connected to that Lady of Plagues?"
"I don't think so! I've fought plague priests from her church before. They can spread disease, sure, but nothing with this level of contagion... Besides, their priests only know how to kill — they can't heal..."
The thief pondered for a moment, then answered bluntly.
"Good... Keep gathering intelligence, especially anything about that Serpent Church..."
Zuo Na let out a long sigh, dismissed the thief, then sat staring at the oil lamp on the table, sinking into deep contemplation.
"The Crimson Tiger pirate crew, the legendary mage of the Faolan family, and that winged serpent capable of curing disease... what exactly is the connection between these three?"
At first, Zuo Na had assumed all of this was some prank orchestrated by Linley, but now things were growing ever more tangled and bewildering.
"My lord... please grant me your guidance!"
Zuo Na clasped the holy symbol in her hands and began to pray devoutly... A layer of dark golden light descended, enveloping the entire room in a hazy, shimmering glow.
……
"The Goddess of Wealth herself... well, that does make sense. I've had the most dealings with her, and Morningstar Port even has the only cathedral dedicated to the Bishop of Wealth. It's only natural that my aura would be recorded..."
Linley was not particularly surprised — after all, Bankes Island's exchanges with the outside world were necessary.
Only through trade could Bankes Island, still reeling from devastation, recover its vitality as quickly as possible.
From that perspective, being discovered by the Goddess of Wealth was far better than being discovered by the Church of Helm.
After all, the former was at least neutral.
With the abundant resources of all of Bankes Island and the consumer market of an entire empire, Linley had no doubts about the appeal this held for the gold-cleric priests.
But for Zuo Na and her companions to risk their lives and come all this way based on that alone — it clearly wasn't enough.
The only one who could drive a Gold Bishop to action was the Goddess of Wealth herself — Waukeen!
"Regardless of what motives they're harboring, Bankes Island is now fully self-sufficient and has nothing to fear from any blockade or threat... Of course, if we could win them over, having the support of an entire continent's commercial network would naturally be quite beneficial..."
Linley waved his hand. "Pass down the order — receive them with the highest protocol. Present vessels inlaid with gold and agate gems, lay out carpets of cashmere, and escort them into my palace..."
At this time, Linley was already the king of this nascent empire, and also its guardian deity — his orders were naturally carried out without the slightest hesitation.
Meanwhile, Zona and her party received a large number of gifts from the natives, their eyes nearly dazzled by the wealth on display here. They stopped frequently along the way before finally arriving at Faolan City, which was currently undergoing renovation.
This had originally been the capital of the Sacatcaz Empire, with the widest roads and grandest buildings. Now it was being expanded — the broadened carriage lanes were wide enough for twelve fine horses to gallop abreast.
"Just from the layout of the capital, you can tell that this 'Conqueror King' harbors grand ambitions..."
Zona mentioned Linley's name among the natives.
Clearly, in their eyes, this conqueror named Linley represented nothing but bloodshed, conquest, and slaughter!
But Zona had seen more.
Due to the natives' limited understanding and the communication barriers between the two sides, Zona still did not know the Conqueror King's true identity. Yet she could already be certain that he possessed tremendous courage, overwhelming military might, and a mind even more cunning than that of a devil!
This enormous gap and the sense of powerlessness it brought left Zona sighing deeply. If not for the goddess's radiance on her holy symbol still sustaining her, she would have long since fled Bankes Island.
"News about the Serpent Church is also quite vague, but it's confirmed that their priests possess divine magic without a doubt — which means the figure behind the Serpent Church is at least a [Demi-God]..."
Whenever anything touched even the fringes of the divine, it inevitably became a source of deep trouble. Zona felt her headache growing worse, sharp stabs of throbbing pain radiating through her skull.
"We've arrived! This is His Majesty's palace. Only you alone are permitted to enter!"
At the magnificent golden palace gates, elite native [Devil Hunters] blocked the path of the Wealth delegation.
As the personal guard charged with protecting Linley's safety, these natives were not only unquestionably loyal, but their individual strength was elite-level, even approaching the hero tier. After specializing as [Devil Hunters], the potential they unleashed was so formidable that even Zona was secretly alarmed.