Chapter 309: The Imperial Capital's Transformation (Part 2)

Chapter 309: The Imperial Capital's Transformation (Part 2)



Anna's heart couldn't help but clench at this thought. The first thing that came to her mind was, 'Flashgold Town seems to have been attacked, so as the Deputy Officer of Public Security, Ryan might be injured, or worse...'

One of the main reasons she had come back was to check on Ryan and Mint.

Anna's graceful figure sprinted towards Flashgold Town, but after taking only a few steps, she suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks.

A crisp, short incantation sounded, and a cluster of starlight flashed across her face, transforming her slightly pointed ears into ones indistinguishable from a human's.

Her fair and clean face now had freckles, and her skin tone had also paled significantly.

This made Anna look no different from an ordinary human girl.

After completing the spell, Anna continued towards Flashgold Town.

This time, she didn't choose to transform into a Great Antelope, as it would be too conspicuous to transform into an animal in a human settlement.

Soon, Anna arrived at the outskirts of Flashgold Town.

Indeed, her eyes had not deceived her.

Inside Flashgold Town, although some time had passed since the attack by the Black Flame Cult, the streets had been mostly cleaned up.

However, due to the significant population decrease, many houses remained in a state of collapse, seemingly abandoned.

The entire town exuded a desolate atmosphere.

Anna's expression changed, and she quickly ran towards the location of Ryan's new home in Flashgold Town, according to her memory.

After several minutes, she stood dumbfounded before a large pile of ruins, her mind numb. She muttered to herself, "How is this possible?"

"It can't be."

"Ryan is so strong; nothing should have happened to him."

But the scene before her seemed to tell her that the world was full of unforeseen dangers, so even if something unexpected had occurred, it wouldn't be surprising.

In reality, when the Black Flame Cult attacked, the town's administrative building was one of the main targets, and many surrounding houses had been damaged.

Ryan's new house, located next to the administrative building, was no exception.

After a brief moment of panic, Anna calmed herself and decided to ask the people around for information.

However, when she looked around, she noticed that there weren't many pedestrians on the street, and most of them were strangers with hurried expressions.

Fortunately, she soon spotted a team of three patrol officers and approached them with a slightly anxious tone, "Hello, I'm looking for Ryan, the former Deputy Officer of Public Security in Flashgold Town." Anna didn't finish her sentence but instead pointed to the ruins, indicating the subject of her inquiry.

The leading patrol officer's face in a state of bewilderment as he scrutinized Anna.

He wondered why she didn't know that Ryan had already moved out of Flashgold Town.

However, seeing the clarity in her eyes and the neighborly charm in her demeanor, he didn't think she was a spy for the cult and replied, "Ryan? He hasn't lived here for a while."

"What? He doesn't live here anymore? That's good." Anna breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, nothing had happened; it seemed he had just moved.

"Then, do you know where he moved to? I'm a friend of his." Anna asked again after some thought.

Another young patrol officer, who seemed to idolize Ryan, spoke with admiration, "Ryan is amazing now. I heard he moved to the provincial capital, Minster. But I think the Baron has a mansion in the county town; you can try asking there."

"Baron?" Anna's eyes widened, and her mouth hung slightly open in astonishment.

Had she heard correctly?

Baron?

A wave of shock washed over Anna.

Although she had witnessed Ryan's rapid strength growth, she never expected that in just three months, he would become a baron.

Ryan's promotion was incredibly fast!

"Yes, you haven't been back for a long time, have you? Don't you know that Ryan was promoted to Baron a while ago?" The young officer looked at Anna with surprise.

"Um, I haven't been back for quite some time," Anna explained, feeling a bit embarrassed.

However, despite her explanation, she was a bit confused inside. Was three months considered a long time?

"Thank you so much." Anna expressed her gratitude to the three patrol officers.

Now that she knew Ryan's whereabouts, Anna was no longer anxious and instead asked about the situation in Flashgold Town.

"Yes, you've been away for a while. Flashgold Town..." The officers were happy to answer her questions.

After a lively conversation, Anna finally understood the series of events that had taken place in Flashgold Town during her absence.

Hearing the familiar names, some of whom had sacrificed themselves, and others who had gone missing, Anna's heart tightened.

"Thankfully, Ryan and Mint are safe."

"No wonder Aunt Delanna strongly opposed my going out, saying that the situation outside was unstable, and I had just entered the formal Druid rank, so my combat strength wasn't strong."

In fact, this time, after Anna successfully advanced to the rank of a formal Druid, she hurriedly rushed from the Druid Circle in Ferdinand Forest to Flashgold Town, thinking that she should be able to help Rain now.

Back then, she had watched with great envy as Laguna and Rain went together to the Night Song Forest to root out evil.

Now, she also possessed the strength to be by Rain’s side.

Moreover, she had another important matter to attend to this time.

When Aunt Delana was away on a trip, Anna had been tidying up the study and stumbled upon a secret letter.

The contents of the letter were actually related to her missing mother.

Unfortunately, the letter was vague, only indicating that her mother’s disappearance might have something to do with the Axon Auction House, a powerful organization that had influence throughout the empire.

This made Anna feel both excited and anxious. After much contemplation, she decided to leave the Druid Circle quietly.

She didn’t know why Aunt Delana hadn’t told her this news.

Perhaps, Aunt Delana was worried that if she knew about this, she would be unable to resist coming to investigate.

Of course, before leaving, Anna also left a letter for Aunt Delana.

In the letter, she briefly mentioned that she was returning to Flashgold Town and planned to stay for some time, asking her not to worry.

“First, I should go to Mayorst City and find out where Rain has moved to.”

“I should be able to see Rain and Peppermint soon.” Anna gazed into the distance with a smile.

This time, she felt much more confident than before.

After undergoing Druid training at the Druid Circle, her entire presence, including her figure, was no longer that of a slim and frail young girl.

Now, her figure was well-proprotioned, with curves where they should be, exuding a youthful vigor.

Combined with the unique charm of a Druid, if Anna revealed her true appearance, most of the opposite sex would likely be unable to look away.

An even more important point was that Anna had managed to advance to the rank of a formal Druid within about three months. According to Aunt Delana, her Druid talent was rare even among pure-blooded elves.

“Perhaps, the current Rain is no longer my match.” Anna couldn’t help but clench her small fists and laugh.

At the thought of Rain’s surprised expression at that time, a faint blush appeared on her fair face.

After leaving the flashgold town area, the graceful young girl quickly crouched down. Less than two seconds later, a tall and robust great antelope appeared on the spot and quickly started running.

Soon, the great antelope vanished at the end of the road.

---

Mystra.

Inside the Swordbearer Division.

At this moment, Rain was checking the system notifications:

【Congratulations, you have defeated a powerful enemy and earned 13 Golden Skill Points!】

【 Congratulations, your Will (Hidden) attribute has been enhanced!】

【 Congratulations, your Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) class level has increased!】

The Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) class level increased by one, reaching lv9 (380/10000).

The Beast Shaman (Legendary) class, which was at lv 5, also increased by one level during this battle, reaching lv 6 (1022/3000).

In total, this was equivalent to a two-level increase, which earned Rain 2 more attribute points and 2 more skill points.

Adding to the points he had left over, Rain now had a total of 8 remaining attribute points, 2 remaining skill points, and 16 Golden Skill Points.

Rain glanced at the attribute panel:

Strength: 47

Agility: 47

Spirit: 55

Will (Hidden Attribute): 7

"Huh? Will has increased by 3 points?" Rain’s face showed surprise!

"No wonder, I’ve been feeling that the influence of the black flame mark on me is decreasing, and my attack power has slightly increased."

With thishappy thought, Rain focused his attention on the talent points again.

After witnessing a fragment of the higher-order projection, Rain felt that he should expedite his class change. Currently, the most likely epic class he could change to is 'Thousand Blades King'."

He believed that the strength increase from an epic class would surpass that of the Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) class.

In the last two instances, if Rain hadn’t relied on the core skill of the Warhammer Wizard, 'Soulbreaker Warhammer,' he would have found it difficult to overcome these challenges.

This made Rain’s desire for a class change more urgent than ever before.

As for the prerequisite for the class change, 'Master nine different secrets,' Rain’s progress was currently at (6/9).

Based on previous experience, with 3 skill points, he could master an Extraodinary combat skill to the level of understanding a secret within a week, such as 'Shadow spear throw.'

However, the issue now was that his skill points were insufficient. 3 points were only enough to upgrade one extra odinary combat skill."

On average, each extraordinary combat skill could only be allocated 1 skill point.

After level 9, if one cannot use skill points for advancement, it will take at least several months to achieve.

As for switching to a subsequent profession and grinding for skill points?

This method is something Rain has considered.

Perhaps the Royal Alchemist Association's Minster branch could provide some clues for a class change, but how long will it take to trigger it?

This is hard to predict.

It's not that Rain lacks patience.

But with the consecutive attack incidents and the current tumultuous state of the Empire, he might not have much time!

However, after upgrading the passive skill 'Basic Extraordinary Insight' to the intermediate level, how much can it speed things up? This is still unknown.

Based on the 30% increase from the 'Basic' level, Rain estimates that 'Intermediate Extraordinary Insight' will likely boost his speed by over 60%.

"Knock knock knock!"

The sudden knocking on the door interrupted Rain's thoughts.

When Rain opened the door, Olenna stood outside.

Unlike her usual smart and capable demeanor, she now looked anxious and dejected.

This surprised Rain. Was it because of the recent attack incident?

"Lady Olenna."

"Lord Rain, Admiral Edward requests your immediate attendance at an emergency meeting," Olenna forced a smile and said.

"Alright, let's go." Rain nodded, his expression turning solemn.

Apparently, the Swordbearer Division had received some important, or rather, not-so-good news.

As they walked, Rain couldn't help but ask, "Lady Olenna, what is the main topic of the meeting?"

"Admiral Edward just received a Red Crystal Communication," Olenna said after some deliberation.

"Red Crystal Communication?" Rain was surprised, as he wasn't clear about the significance of this level of communication.

"Yes, it's the highest-level communication method in the division."

"It's also a means to receive real-time communications from the capital, Temryel, but it requires a special crystal and is usually not activated lightly."

"As for the content, I'm sorry, Lord Rain, but the Red Crystal is set up in Admiral Edward's office, so I don't know the specifics either, but it's definitely not good news." Olenna apologized.

Rain nodded.

Apparently, this Red Crystal Communication was similar to the concept of the Central Red Phone in the office of the provincial governor in his previous life.

This made his heart tremble, and he had a very bad premonition.

"In addition to Swordmaster Captains like yourself, the meeting will also include leaders from various departments within the division," Olenna said as they walked.

Soon, the two arrived at the large conference room on the top floor of the administrative building.

The oval conference table was almost full.

In the center sat Admiral Edward, flanked by department heads including Yuma, the leader of the Mission Hall, and Stanley, the admiral's secretary and a colonel.

Everyone had a solemn expression, and the atmosphere in the room was heavy.

When Rain entered, Admiral Edward nodded slightly to him.

Olenna guided Rain to sit next to a burly, tall man.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're almost all here, so let's begin the emergency meeting," Admiral Edward said, scanning the room.

"I just received news from the capital, Temryel. It's very bad news." Admiral Edward paused after speaking.

"Our great Emperor, at the critical moment of his ascension to demigodhood, was ambushed by several avatars of foreign deities. Despite the efforts of the Imperial Guardians, the Emperor was severely injured.

"The Dragon Empire has now entered a state of Level One Combat Readiness!"

As Admiral Edward finished speaking, the conference room fell silent for several seconds.

But then, it erupted into a buzz of voices.

"What!"

"The Emperor was injured?"

"This..."

Apparently, the few sentences spoken by Admiral Edward contained a vast amount of information.

Although everyone present was a mid to high-ranking member of the Swordbearer Division in Minster, the news of the Emperor's injury was no less than a thunderbolt from the blue!"

"Emperor's injury?"

"This..."

Apparently, the few sentences spoken by Admiral Edward contained a vast amount of information.

Although everyone present was a mid to high-ranking member of the Swordbearer Division in Minster, the news of the Emperor's injury was no less than a thunderbolt from the blue!

Rain was also shocked by the news, but he quickly calmed down and made a connection.

'No wonder, Lady Meynia suddenly abandoned the situation with the heavily injured three-headed sea dragon and returned to the capital.'

'So the Emperor was about to ascend to demigodhood.'

"The attackers were avatars of foreign gods?"

Although Rain didn't quite understand the difference between avatars and projections, he knew they were much stronger.

But upon further thought, to be able to injure the Emperor, who was even more powerful than Lady Meynia, these avatars must be at least Epic-level, or even stronger!

'It seems I need to speed up my strength enhancement even more. I must accelerate my class change to the Epic-level 'Thousand Blades King'!'

'When I return, I'll allocate talent points to 'Extraordinary Insight'!'

'If the situation deteriorates further, the Empire, which is already in turmoil, may not be able to provide shelter like a towering tree.'

"At that time, I can only rely on myself!"

"Order!" Admiral Edward shouted, his voice carrying authority.

Amidst the bustling conference room, a gradual calm settled.

"My lords, fortunately, the Imperial Emperor has reached the semi-godly realm before sustaining severe injuries."

"Additionally, news from Temriel reveals that several Divine Avatars of the deities have also fallen within the Imperial Palace. Even against such high-ranking beings, losing an avatar is not a trivial matter."

"So, the situation isn't as dire as we imagined."

"However..."

"His Majesty's recovery will take time, and although these Demon Gods are gradually reviving, their restoration will also require time."

Upon hearing this, many of the attendees breathed a sigh of relief.

But Rain's expression remained grim.

He understood that Admiral Edward's speech was a strategic move, emphasizing the bad news first before revealing a glimmer of hope.

The Emperor's severe injuries were undeniable.

In the short term, the Imperial Capital would likely be unable to provide support to the various provinces, which was also true.

"The news from Temriel has been communicated to all Swordbearers in the provinces. Unlike the Administrative Hall, which is responsible for relocating town residents to the county seat..."

"The primary tasks assigned to the Swordbearers by the Empire are twofold. First, all Swordbearer Divisions in the provinces must thoroughly inspect existing and undiscovered Sealed Gateways, ensuring that no hostile forces can open them."

"Second, eradicate all Cult Organizations within your jurisdictions!"

As he spoke, Admiral Edward glanced slightly in Rain's direction.

Rain's seats represented the Diamond Rank Swordmaster Captains, the most formidable combat force within the Swordbearer Division of the Minster Province.

Rain immediately thought of a question: Was his plan to visit the Bius Assembly School now impossible, or at least not feasible for the time being?

'It's not appropriate to ask today. I'll try again tomorrow,' Rain thought, glancing at Admiral Edward, who appeared both exhausted and still recovering from his injuries.

The meeting, hastily convened, concluded swiftly.

Minutes later, the conference ended.

Upon returning, Rain wasted no time and immediately invested a Talent Point into 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive).

He intended to observe the effect.

If the increase was minimal, it would prove that this rapid advancement method was impractical.

In that case, he could consider other options.

At least he still had 3 Talent Points left, which he could allocate to other talents, serving as a backup plan.

Rain focused his attention on the talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive)' and mentally added the Talent Point.

Instantly, a cool breeze seemed to blow through Rain's mind, leaving him with a sense of heightened clarity and sharpness, akin to the feeling after a deep sleep.

A system prompt appeared:

[Congratulations! Your talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive)' has advanced to 'Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive)'!]



Rain eagerly examined the intermediate talent 'Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive)'.

The text description read:

【Weapon Master (Legendary) Exclusive Talent: Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive)】

Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive) Effect: The Weapon Master effortlessly grasps various combat skills, increasing the speed of learning any Extraordinary Combat Skill by an additional 80%.

"80%!" Rain's eyebrows rose in surprise and delight.

"This is much higher than expected! I thought it would be around 60%."

"If the original experience gain for Extraordinary Combat Skills was +10, now it's +18!"

"Impressive! This means the time required to train combat skills can be almost halved!"

"More importantly, I still have Talent Points to further enhance this talent to an advanced level!"

After a quick thought, Rain's eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, Rain added another Talent Point to the talent 'Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive)'.

The same effect occurred, and the system prompt appeared again:

[Congratulations! Your talent 'Intermediate Extraordinary Insight (Passive)' has advanced to 'Advanced Extraordinary Insight (Passive)'!]



Advanced Extraordinary Insight (Passive) Effect: Weapon Masters effortlessly grasp various combat skills, increasing the speed of learning any Extraordinary Combat Skill by an additional 200%.

"200%!"

"If the original experience gain for Extraordinary Combat Skills was +10, now it's +30!"

"Based on the estimated time to level up from lv1 to lv2, I can now complete the promotion in just one-third of the original time!" Rain quickly calculated the increase in speed.

"Knock knock!"

"Sir Rain, there's a Master Extor from the Imperial Capital who wishes to meet with you." At that moment, a guard's voice sounded outside the door.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end