The giant Black Dragon, with a wingspan of several tens of meters, issued a deep roar as it swiftly swept through the sky, creating strong currents of air.
Atop the broad back of this Dragon-type Demon Beast, a seductive woman in a red dress leaned against a cushion, her delicate, fair fingers idly playing with her black, lustrous hair, lost in thought.
"Your Highness, the entrance to those ruins in the mountains is up ahead, and the Sealed Object mentioned by the Duke is likely hidden in the deepest part of the labyrinth."
A small black cat suddenly jumped out beside the lady in red, speaking human language.
Hearing Aphia's words, Ivyst composed herself and responded faintly.
At this moment, aside from her, the subordinates from Augusta Manor had also gathered on the other side of the dragon's back.
They seemed to be on the brink of undertaking a formidable task.
As Ivyst looked down at the continuous mountains and dense forests rapidly receding below, she remained silent.
Except for the days when battles were needed, her subordinates seldom spoke to her, limiting their daily conversations to questions like "What would Your Highness like to eat today."
Somehow, the image of Lynn unexpectedly surfaced in Ivyst's mind.
If he were here, it surely wouldn't be this boring.
Ivyst mused silently.
It was her third day away from the manor.
And as for the deadline agreed upon between Lynn and Duke Tierus, a full five days had already passed.
She wondered how things were being handled.
With his capabilities, he should have already gathered tens of thousands of Gold Coins by now.
For some reason, a slight smile curled the corners of Ivyst's lips.
Lamonta hurriedly ran towards his work cart.
Followers of the War God Cathedral were known for their sense of duty, believing that a man should be the pillar of the home.
And as one of them, Lamonta had indeed lived up to this.
Though not wealthy, working as a cargo unloader at the cart service from dawn till dusk earned him only a few silver coins, but he provided the best life he could afford for his wife and children.
At this moment, dawn was just breaking.
As a devotee of the War God, he took a slight detour just to pass by the City Square.
He had been doing this quite often lately.
He had no particular reason other than to satisfy a slight curiosity in his heart.
He wanted to check if the twelve donation boxes were still empty.
He assumed the City Square would be as deserted as it had been the previous days at this hour.
When Lamonta arrived at the City Square, he saw from afar that it was packed with diverse groups of people, completely surrounding the area.
With a trace of curiosity, Lamonta, who should have been in a rush to unload goods, suddenly stopped and headed towards the square.
There were many people, and the area was filled with chaotic and strange murmurs.
This further piqued Lamonta's curiosity.
Fortunately, being strong, he managed to push his way through to the front of the crowd after some effort.
Lamonta wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked toward the donation boxes in the center of the square.
At this moment, the expected sight of the empty glass boxes had vanished.
Instead, a different scene had unfolded.
The donation box that just yesterday sat relegated to a corner adorned with the "Slan Sect" insignia had somehow moved to the center of the room.
Not only that, it seemed like a victor's podium, supported by a high pedestal.
This elevated the Slan Sect's donation box a head above the other eleven glass boxes.
It was particularly conspicuous.
It was as if, in competition with the other churches, it had gained a striking advantage.
However, that was not what surprised Lamonta.
What truly shocked him into silence was that the formerly empty Slan Sect glass donation box now contained a pile of glittering coins.
Each coin bore the portrait of Saint Laurent I, signifying that they were indeed genuine gold coins.
What kind of lavish wealth was that?
Lamonta, in his life, had never seen such a massive pile of gold coins gathered together, and could not even begin to estimate its value.
But the glass donation box was labeled with the amount.
Twenty thousand Saint Laurent gold coins!
Why was it the Slan Sect in Orn City, which had low visibility and even had long been suppressed and oppressed by their War God Cathedral?
Lamonta was utterly perplexed.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the empty donation box of their War God Cathedral was placed, quite "coincidentally," next to the Slan Sect's, right beside it.
Due to the high pedestal of their opponent, the War God Cathedral's box appeared particularly shabby.
Lamonta faintly felt a sense of embarrassment.
Just then, under the distant official notice board, another burst of cheers suddenly erupted.
Catching bits of the conversation, Lamonta barely made out the content of the newly posted announcement on the wall.
"Be it known, starting today, all devout followers of the Earth God who have been with the Slan Sect for over three years will be granted the title of 'Honored Good Citizens' by the city council in recognition of the Slan Sect's contribution to the veterans' disability fund, and will enjoy benefits such as tax relief..."
Lamonta's mind exploded.
The feud between the War God Cathedral and the Slan Sect was almost public knowledge throughout Orn City.
Yet today, these followers of the Slan Sect, who had been at the lowest end of the faith's pecking order, had suddenly turned the tables and taken charge?
Looking at the small crowd cheering in the distance, Lamonta recognized several people who he had publicly ridiculed, colleagues who were followers of the Slan Sect.
At this moment, the banner above the donation box seemed particularly glaring.
"Let us see which faith is the kindest and most generous."
Had this been a few days ago, that question would have remained unanswered.
But from today, it became a glaringly obvious fact.
The Slan Sect was the kindest and most generous faith!
At a time when all other churches chose silence, it was them who stood out and d generously!
To the public, who could not see the deep implications like the nobles could, these superficial pieces of information were all they could grasp.
Thus, from this moment on, that conclusion would gradually spread and ferment among countless citizens.
It wouldn't be long before it swept the entire city.
Looking at his own church's empty donation box, Lamonta suddenly felt a bit ashamed.
So he lowered his hat brim and hurriedly left the chaos.
Similar scenes were occurring all over the City Square.