Chapter 6: All Because of Misunderstandings

Disregarding the divine is a sin punishable by being placed on the wooden rack and enduring the flames on the continent of the gods!

Disregarding the gods of their own country's beliefs is an even graver sin, and their own beliefs do not allow them to disrespect the Great Earth God!

Duke Rhein couldn't quite grasp what was happening at the moment, but on the level of faith, the person before him seemed to truly embody the presence of the Great Earth God. There's a saying—better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!

He couldn't afford to be labeled as someone who disrespected the gods!

"In the presence of the Great Earth God!" Duke Rhein exclaimed, kneeling down: "Your humble servant, Kevin Pitt Yucaine Mercedes Rhein, pays homage to my lord. May the divine light shine upon you, eternal and unending!"

"May the divine light shine upon you, eternal and unending."

Duke Rhein kneeling down, there was no reason for Captain Carno and his guards not to follow suit.

Even the lion, Randall, bowed down, lowering its proud head.

Seeing this scene, Gilbert's stiff expression twitched for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. Unfortunately, Duke Rhein and the others were all bowing their heads, too afraid to meet the gaze of the "Great Earth God," and didn't notice this subtle change in expression.

"I sense the presence of those with pure faith praying for my divine light in this place. I had intended to bestow my divine light directly, but I sense that those with such pure faith are now few and far between. Therefore, I have decided to descend through this person's body and manifest my divine miracles! Henceforth, you must be even more devout, allowing the divine light of the Great Earth God to shine upon the earth! Furthermore, I have a connection with this individual, so I will appoint him as my representative in the mortal realm. You must take good care of him, entertain him with wine and song whenever possible, and fulfill his every desire! He must not be put in any danger, do you understand?"

"We will obey my lord's teachings faithfully."

Though Duke Rhein and his companions sensed something peculiar in Li Xie's words, when it came to the Great Earth God, the highest deity in the Tudor Dynasty's faith, they dared not harbor any doubts. If it were indeed true, doubting the divine might would mean risking the protection of the gods in the future.

It was better to believe than to doubt!

Especially when they saw Li Xie's severed palm miraculously regenerate. How could such a miracle occur if the Great Earth God had not descended?

The god had truly descended!

Li Xie chuckled inwardly, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing for a moment before sitting up with a bewildered expression. "What's going on? What just happened? I felt like someone entered my body! What did you do to me?"

The onlookers couldn't help but marvel: with the Great Earth God's presence, this person would be as extraordinary as Emperor Mercedes!

Duke Rhein approached and helped Gilbert up, clasping his fists and smiling. "Kevin Rhein, Commander of the Tudor Dynasty's Lion Legion, pays his respects to Your Highness."

Li Xie also made a polite fist salute and smiled, saying, "This humble one is called Li Xie."

"This rat tide started because of me. Now that Randolph has advanced, there's no trouble here. But Lord Xie has shown me great kindness. How about accompanying me back to the Tudor Dynasty? It will give me a chance to repay your kindness."

"Sounds good, let's go to your kingdom then."

Li Xie's face nearly bloomed with a smile, feeling quite pleased with himself. From Lord Lain's attitude, Li Xie felt that his identity as a legendary summoner seemed to have been accepted, especially with the stunt of the Earth God's descent. Heh heh, he was sure he could easily deceive these believers!

While Caron, the small fish, was leaving, he couldn't let go of Lord Lain, the big shark! How could he miss the opportunity to enjoy the good life with him?

"Bring the Lord's carriage for His Excellency."

Li Xie was served into the carriage by the guards, with the carriage leading the way while Lord Lain and his retinue followed behind.

Caron had been summoned by Lord Lain and whispered lowly, "Not a word about Randolph's advancement or the Earth God's descent must be leaked! Once we're back in the kingdom, leave no one behind!"

Caron was taken aback; was this an order to silence them permanently?

But understanding the political significance behind it, Caron realized why Lord Lain had to resort to such measures. He silently apologized to his fellow guards in his heart, while also feeling touched that Lord Lain didn't intend to kill him. It showed that he held a trustworthy position in Lord Lain's heart.

"Sir, what about Lord Xie? Does 'leave no one behind' include him?" Caron didn't dare to make assumptions. If it did include Lord Xie, the Tudor Dynasty might not have the capability to retain a legendary summoner.

"Lord Xie?" Lord Lain chuckled. "He's just a fake. He's not a legend at all!"

"Not a legendary summoner?" Caron was utterly perplexed. In fact, Caron had harbored some doubts earlier, but when Lord Lain addressed Li Xie as 'Your Highness,' it directly confirmed Li Xie's identity as a legendary summoner in Caron's mind. Now, with Lord Lain saying otherwise, Caron's mind was in disarray.

"Of course not." Lord Lain's gaze shifted to the carriage ahead, his eyes filled with confidence. "Legends may have extraordinary power, but they wouldn't render me, an eighth-tier summoner, completely unable to sense any magical or martial energy fluctuations!"

"So you mean, he truly doesn't emit any magical or martial energy fluctuations? He's not a legendary summoner...?"

A sole smeared with yellow sand flashed in Kano's mind, making him unable to suppress a retch.

The Marquess of Léon furrowed his brow. "What's wrong with you?"

"N-nothing, just had too much pig trotter," Kano choked back his discomfort, but harbored inexplicable anger. He spoke in a low voice, "My lord, if that bastard kid needs to be silenced, let me handle it personally!"

"No!" The Marquess narrowed his eyes. "This man must not be harmed. We must protect him at all costs! Remember, even though he's not a legend, treat him with the courtesy of one. Don't let him know we've seen through him!"

"Why is that?" Kano couldn't make sense of it now. Why spare a counterfeit? And especially when he knew about Randolph's advancement, shouldn't he be silenced? Even if not killed, why protect him so vigorously and treat him with the etiquette reserved for legends?

The Marquess patted Kano's shoulder. "Sometimes, relying on your strength and sincerity is enough, and I never doubt your martial prowess. But sometimes, wisdom can offer more help! Think about what just happened."

"What just happened? Could it be..." Kano jolted, finally realizing something.

The Marquess of Léon chuckled darkly. "The divine power of the Earth God may indeed be beyond my humble abilities to perceive, but I couldn't detect even the slightest magical or martial energy fluctuations during the Earth God's supposed descent! That man is just an ordinary person, or even worse, a worthless one! How could he withstand the divine power of the Earth God?!"

"Ah!" Kano exclaimed in disgust. "The miracle just now was fake too! He's despicable! First pretending to be a legend, and now using fake miracles to deceive! Heretic! My lord, I must execute him!"

"Fool!" The Marquess hammered Kano's head with frustration. "If the miracle were fake, how could Randolph have advanced? How could his hand have grown back if it weren't for the descent of the Earth God? By the grace of the Earth God, grant this poor servant a bit of wisdom!"

Embarrassed, Kano rubbed his head and grinned foolishly. His limited intelligence finally grasped the true meaning of the Marquess's words. "He has no magical or martial energy fluctuations, and he's completely worthless! Even an ordinary person couldn't withstand the divine power! Could he be the legendary vessel of divine descent? Blessed by the Supreme God, capable of direct contact with the divine?!"

The Marquess nodded approvingly, pleased that his most valiant subordinate had gained a bit of insight under the blessing of the Earth God.

"To explain all this, he must be the vessel of divine descent!" The Marquess's eyes glittered. "Even if he's worthless, as the vessel of divine descent, he'll undoubtedly become the highest rank of the clergy—a divine summoner! His significance to the kingdom is immense! We must keep him within the kingdom at all costs! So, do you understand why we treat him as a legend, not letting him know we've seen through him?"

Kano nodded vigorously. "Understood! Tricksters are the most cowardly and suspicious. If he knew we'd seen through him, he'd definitely try every means to escape!"

"Good," the Marquess nodded, then instructed, "Now, quickly ride back to the kingdom and report this matter to His Majesty. Remember, no one else must know!"

"No! Wait! You go to see the Prime Minister first and inform him of the situation here. Let the Prime Minister report it to His Majesty! Go now!" Realizing the shortcomings of his pitiful subordinate's intellect, the Marquess quickly changed his order, opting to let the Prime Minister from the same faction know about the matter first before reporting it to the Emperor of Tudor, a more prudent approach.

"Yes, sir!" Kano responded, immediately formulating his words in his mind before galloping towards the kingdom.

The Marquess of Léon gazed meaningfully at the carriage, then retrieved Randolph and mounted the guard's horse, following behind the carriage. Inside, however, the sound of snoring could be heard. It turned out that after ten days of walking in the desert, along with the exhaustion from having his hand gnawed off, Gilbert was physically and mentally worn out, and now he had fallen into a deep sleep, unaware that the gears of his fate had quietly begun turning under a misunderstanding, heading towards an unpredictable unknown.

The Marquess didn't disturb Gilbert; he let him sleep like that. A smile remained on the Marquess's face, a smile for the future.

...

In the secret chamber of the Imperial Palace in the capital of the Tudor Empire.

Seventh Emperor Mercedes, the youngest and most ambitious monarch in Tudor history, had lost his usual composure. His handsome face was now filled with excitement and exhilaration, almost bordering on madness. "Randolph has advanced? Ninth-level magical beast! Ninth level! The four great empires combined have only seven ninth-level magical beasts!"

Emperor Mercedes VII clenched his fists and rubbed his hands together alternately. For him, for his empire, a ninth-level magical beast meant so much more!

Most importantly, it meant that Mercedes could now consider doing things he had only dared to think about before, but never dared to do!

"Your Majesty." In the chamber, there was another person, an old man with a wise look despite his age, with white hair and a full beard that couldn't hide the wisdom in his eyes. He was the Left Prime Minister of the Tudor Empire, one of the most trusted individuals by Emperor Mercedes VII, Harry Yintell. He spoke, "There is one more thing. The Marquess's magical beast was able to advance this time all thanks to the help of a legendary summoner. This legend, at this moment, is with the Marquess, on their way to the imperial capital!"