Chapter 118: Journey to the Royal Capital

Beyond the matter of the two direct heirs, various factions within the capital were becoming restless. Among them, the collateral relatives of the Star-Shattering Dynasty also had their eyes fixed on the throne. Coupled with the scourge of the space-time rifts, the once-thriving Star Kingdom seemed to be on the verge of a massive upheaval.

Under these circumstances, the capital, Star-Glitter City, was a powder keg ready to ignite at any moment. Getting involved did not seem like a wise choice, and it was impossible that Lothar was unaware of this. Why, then, would he insist that Link go to the capital now? Was there some malicious intent?

Don't be ridiculous. Lothar was now a fanatic follower of Link; to say he wanted to harm Link was even more absurd than claiming he was actually a woman. Thus, the situation must be as the letter stated: Lothar had realized that treating Princess Sylvanas would bring immense benefits to the Father God Church, which was why he had lobbied Link to provide the treatment.

Thinking of this, Link summoned his high-ranking officials to discuss the matter. Some supported Lothar's proposal, while others opposed it—the latter group primarily worried about Link's safety. After all, the last trip to Bass City had nearly ended in disaster; heaven only knew what might happen in Star-Glitter City.

However, after careful consideration, Link ultimately decided to make the trip. He understood clearly that divine authority was not the same as state power. In its future development, the Father God Church could not detach itself from secular governance. Even the Catholic Church, the first church on Earth, had grown through cooperation with the political institutions of various nations. A religion divorced from the secular world ceases to be a religion; after all, as a faith, it cannot manage and rule the populace like an official government. Religion requires only faith and believers; the business of ruling remains the state's domain.

As the rift catastrophe continued, major religions would inevitably rise to action, but they certainly would not aim to become rulers themselves. At most, they would support puppets to assist them, or more likely, cooperate with ambitious and powerful individuals. Such were the rules of the game in a religious world.

In this situation, the Father God Church could not remain above the rules. Link had originally intended to treat Count Lothar as a partner, and the Count surely knew this—both sides understood it without needing to speak. Who would have thought Count Lothar would send such a letter? He certainly held no ill will toward Link, so there was only one possibility: Count Lothar wanted to tell him that cooperating with Sylvanas would be far more advantageous than cooperating with a mere regional lord like himself.

Thinking carefully, if Sylvanas's talent and wisdom were as legendary as rumored, she would certainly perceive that religious turmoil was an inevitable trend. In such a case, sponsoring a religion for her own use or cooperating with one that posed no threat to her rule would be a necessary course of action.

This was Link's conjecture, and it was shared by the clever minds within the church. Thus, he finally decided to head to the capital, Star-Glitter City.

Once the decision was made, Link did not hesitate. He ordered his men to prepare for departure, intending to set off the next morning.

The outcome of this journey was unpredictable. After reflecting, Link returned to his room and took out the Goddess of Luck Roulette he had obtained previously, hoping to see if this high-level item could bring a pleasant surprise to his trip.

Though called a roulette, it displayed no names and had no pointer. According to the instructions, it would only display the names of women around the user once spun, temporarily increasing their luck.

After injecting holy power, the roulette began to spin. When it stopped, two names appeared, both of which caught him by surprise.

Reimu and Lin Xi!

"It's actually them? Can they really bring me good luck?" Link couldn't help but feel skeptical. Lin Xi was fine, but while Reimu was not lacking in strength, her personality was a fatal flaw. Keeping her at home as a mascot to lighten the mood was one thing, but taking her out felt like a recipe for disaster.

However, since the Goddess of Luck Roulette had already taken effect, Link didn't want to waste it. He immediately sought out Lin Xi and Reimu, asking them to accompany him to the capital. Lin Xi naturally had no objections; she was overjoyed to be of help to Link and would never refuse. Reimu, as expected, complained for a while—to her, traveling was far less appealing than staying home to drink tea and daydream. Of course, she eventually agreed, on the condition that she be given one thousand Sola afterward.

Incidentally, Reimu seemed to have over two thousand Sola in savings, bringing her one step closer to her goal of one hundred thousand—or so she claimed.

Link did not intend to bring many people; he preferred to travel light. Aside from himself, Reimu, and Lin Xi, only Altair would accompany them. As for spirit pets, he brought along White Spirit and Phantom. If they encountered danger, White Spirit could carry them to safety, while Altair and Phantom could scout the situation.

Although the group was small, their overall combat strength was not weak. Even if they encountered a Sky-Shattering Dragon, they could easily escape or even counter-kill it. Even facing a seventh-tier powerhouse, they could retreat unscathed—it was said that Lin Xi carried a sacred heirloom of the Heavenly Spirit Sect. Though he didn't know exactly what it was, the three Cardinals had mentioned that once activated, its effect would multiply Lin Xi's strength, allowing her to put up a fight even against seventh-tier masters.

The next morning, the four of them departed on White Spirit, arriving at Bass City. After obtaining the token prepared by Count Lothar, they boarded a ship at the Bass City port for the capital.

Bass City was built along the Star River, the largest grand canal in the Star Kingdom. This river ran through the entire kingdom and was one of its most vital transportation arteries. Countless transport ships plied its waters, serving as a major source of commercial tax revenue. Traveling to Star-Glitter City via the river was far faster than by land—taking only three days compared to over ten days by road.

Link and his group could have flown directly to the capital on White Spirit, but Count Lothar had noted in his letter that the capital was crawling with experts, so it was best to keep a low profile. He had arranged for people to meet them at the port, from where they would head directly to the palace.

Link did not want to be too conspicuous. White Spirit was different now; while more powerful, its massive size and striking appearance made it easy to expose during the day. Flying low would inevitably alert experts along the way, and flying too high was unbearable for the group—the effects of high-altitude flight were not something one could endure just by being strong. At ten thousand meters, the thin air and high-speed winds were enough to knock them unconscious. Usually, when riding White Spirit, they kept the altitude below five thousand meters.

Therefore, Link and the others took the ship while White Spirit flew at ten thousand meters, allowing it to enter the capital unnoticed. Given their complete lack of information on the capital's situation, this was the better approach.

The ships used by the Star Kingdom were quite primitive wooden vessels, suitable only for river travel; entering the open ocean would mean certain sinking. However, the Star Kingdom had no sea, so these ships sufficed. One didn't need to worry about speed; what felt like a turtle's pace to Link and his group was actually among the fastest modes of transport available.

The ship Count Lothar arranged for them was named the *Star Spirit*, one of the most luxurious passenger vessels in the kingdom. It was a rare "automated" ship powered by magic stones. In addition to wood, it incorporated small amounts of metal and stone. It could carry over eight hundred people, measured over fifty meters long and fifteen meters wide, and spanned four decks. With its impressive load capacity, it was known as the "Titan of the Star River."

In the interest of maintaining a low profile, they naturally could not charter the entire ship. As per Count Lothar's arrangements, they traveled with other guests. There were over thirty sailors and crew members, along with more than three hundred passengers. While it could carry over eight hundred in an emergency, it usually carried around three hundred.

Such a ship, of course, did not force everyone into crowded quarters. There were plenty of luxury suites, which were quite expensive and not always available for purchase. Thanks to Count Lothar's arrangements, they easily secured two top-tier suites—perfect for the four of them, one for the two men and one for the two women.

After settling their luggage, the four stayed in their rooms, staring blankly. They looked nothing like people on a long journey. There was no helping it: Altair, as a top-tier assassin, had seen every situation imaginable and had long since experienced boat travel. Link had lived in a coastal city before his transmigration and had ridden ships many times. Lin Xi was a seasoned traveler, and for Reimu, it was even simpler—she was too lazy to move and found daydreaming in her room more interesting than admiring the scenery.

In this situation, the four simply chatted in the room. The problem was that Altair was a quiet soul who maintained a strict master-servant distance from Link, and Reimu was naturally indifferent. Both were the type to barely squeeze out a sentence in half a day. As a result, it ended up being just Link and Lin Xi chatting, while the other two acted as audience members and third wheels.

Eventually, Link and Lin Xi were influenced by the others and lost the interest to talk, leaving the group in silence.

Faced with this, Link felt it was necessary to come up with some simple entertainment. When he was busy every day, he hadn't noticed, but it was quite uncomfortable not to have something to pass the time when bored. However, being away from home without tools, he couldn't put his ideas into practice. After thinking for a while, he simply went outside to walk around.

Lin Xi and the others wanted to join him, but Link declined. He wanted to walk because he was bored; having this group tag along would hardly relieve his ennui, especially Altair, who could double as a refrigerator.

Thus, Link appeared on the deck alone. There were many other tourists wandering about. Link observed that, aside from the crew, everyone was a tourist. The massive deck was large enough for dozens of people to stand without feeling crowded.

Link wore simple cloth robes, looking no different from an ordinary person, and naturally drew no attention. He strolled leisurely and soon arrived at the bow. But when he reached the front, he discovered a strange sight.