On the streets of Aurora City, four people were walking briskly, almost in perfect sync.
Their steps seemed to possess a magical quality, allowing them to move smoothly through the crowded streets, filled with people and carriages, as if they were walking on flat ground.
Anyone with a keen eye could tell that these four were not ordinary and not to be trifled with easily.
The leader of the group, a girl with light blue long hair and a youthful appearance, looking about sixteen or seventeen years old, raised her head and squinted slightly at the sky—not at the sun, but at the purple crescent moon hanging high above.
Despite the sun’s presence, which dimmed the purple glow of the Undying Moon, for a star crystal beast like her, sensitive to magic, it was impossible to ignore.
Not to mention, the sudden appearance of the Undying Moon had trapped them in Aurora City.
Eternal Day Magic.
That was the name of their organization.
A group that denied the gods and revered magic to the extreme.
Unlike the church believers who thought faith in the gods could bring salvation, the members of Eternal Day Magic believed that magic was the ultimate remedy.
Intelligent beings could rely on magic to save themselves in times of disaster, without having to humbly beg the gods for redemption.
Therefore, in the theocratic nation of Milcandis, Eternal Day Magic was considered heretical among heretics.
However, since Milcandis and Eternal Day Magic did not share a border—the former being in the northwest corner of the continent and the latter’s base in the southeast—the Holy Nation could only verbally condemn them, unable to eliminate them.
Moreover, the members of Eternal Day Magic were extremely devoted to magic, frequently exchanging new magical knowledge among themselves, making their individual strength quite formidable.
Compared to the trouble the Holy Nation caused Eternal Day Magic, it was usually the latter causing disturbances for Milcandis, which often couldn’t handle them—by the time the paladins arrived, the members of Eternal Day Magic had already left, sometimes even leaving graffiti to mock the devout believers.
Unfortunately, the situation had reversed with the appearance of the Undying Moon, trapping them in Aurora City, which was the worst possible scenario.
“Kalista, what’s wrong?” the tall man behind the blue-haired girl asked softly.
The girl called Kalista withdrew her gaze from the Undying Moon and shook her head gently.
“Nothing.
I just didn’t expect to encounter this on our way back.
Luckily, we didn’t cause any trouble in Aurora City, or the paladins running around the streets wouldn’t be looking for the elven princess, but for us.”
Kalista and her group were tasked with documenting the battle between the Elven Kingdom and the Holy Nation and bringing the process and results back to Eternal Day Magic.
So, as the Holy Nation redirected part of its main force back to Aurora City, Kalista’s group followed them away from the front lines.
As a result, they witnessed a massive explosion, like an apocalyptic catastrophe, on the edge of the desolate desert.
As a member of the magic-centric Eternal Day Magic, Kalista didn’t believe it was related to the elusive gods.
She was more inclined to think it was a magical disaster.
As for who caused it and why, even if she didn’t know, it didn’t stop her from bringing this exciting news back to Eternal Day Magic.
For Eternal Day Magic, this magical disaster, with power comparable to ninth-tier magic and possibly touching the threshold of tenth-tier magic, was like an earthquake.
The reason Eternal Day Magic hadn’t replaced the major churches as the mainstream ideology on the World Tree Continent was that their belief in “magic is omnipotent” wasn’t truly omnipotent.
Legend had it that the messengers sent by the gods could use tenth-tier magic, while the strongest in Eternal Day Magic could only barely use eighth-tier magic, and that too at the cost of burning their life force.
This limitation prevented them from becoming mainstream.
People believed in gods because they were omnipotent, capable of bringing happiness and hope, while Eternal Day Magic wasn’t omnipotent, so no one wanted to believe in them.
But now, tenth-tier magic was right before their eyes.
If Eternal Day Magic trusted the news Kalista brought back and found the top-tier magic caster who used tenth-tier magic, then the status of Eternal Day Magic on the World Tree Continent would undergo a dramatic change.
It would prove that intelligent beings could reach the realm of gods without relying on divine power.
In comparison, the war between the Elven Kingdom and the Holy Nation was just child’s play.
“At this rate, when will we be able to leave Aurora City?”
“We can only hope the elven princess gets captured by the Holy Nation soon, or that she uses her seventh-tier magic to force the Holy Nation to withdraw the Undying Moon.”
Kalista sighed helplessly.
“But you and I both saw the elven princess being pierced by the Undying Moon.
It’s a miracle she’s still alive.
To fully recover, it would take months of rest and recuperation.
If we could meet the elven princess, we could lend her a hand.
After all, she’s the top genius of the Elven Kingdom.
Not yet at the age of elven adulthood, she’s already reached the seventh tier.
She will surely grow to the eighth tier in the future.
Investing in goodwill now is a wise choice.”
“That’s assuming we can meet her.”
Kalista’s subordinate’s addition made her sigh again.
Even the paladins scouring the city couldn’t find the elven princess, let alone the four of them, who couldn’t act openly.
Offering goodwill wasn’t easy.
“It’s because of their existence that the Dark Ones have survived until now! The Dark Ones that appeared in the city yesterday infiltrated the slums through these traitors!”
“Kill them!”
“Grant them divine punishment!” The sudden shouts made Kalista stop in her tracks.
She looked up towards the crowd ahead.
At the end of the street was an open-air square, where a platform about a meter above the ground had been set up.
On it, a priest was using exaggerated expressions and gestures to incite the crowd’s emotions.
Behind the priest were three people, guarded by soldiers, bound with ropes and wearing only shorts.
Beside the three stood a guillotine, reflecting blinding light under the sun.
The high-hanging triangular blade made people instinctively avert their gaze, avoiding its sharpness.
“They’re executing people infected with the Dark Ones’ disease,” the tall man behind Kalista explained.
“Should we ignore it?”
“Let’s get closer and take a look.”
“Alright.”
