Chapter 1250: 7. Seductive Bitch

"Lord Muen!"

Annabawei.

After transforming into one of the rare Dragon Knights seen in the past thousand years and riding around on Miss Dragon's back for a while, the first place Muen arrived at was still this familiar barren land.

When he climbed down from the black dragon's back, many people were extremely surprised. Some even found it difficult to believe their own eyes...... After all, the sight of Muen being brutally beaten by the dragon before had left a very deep impression on them.

However, a figure within a mirror-like screen of light was not affected by this at all and happily waved at Muen.

"Pero?"

Muen looked with slight surprise at the girl he had not seen for some time, who had already matured considerably. In particular, dressed in that magnificent papal robe and holding a scepter, she truly carried a trace of a Pope's majesty.

"You look like you've grown quite a bit. You've worked hard."

"Hmph. There are so many believers now, and all five branches in the royal capital are resting on my shoulders alone. How could I not be working hard? It is all because a certain being we worship is nothing but an absentee ruler." Pero's little face was full of resentment.

"Ahem. What god personally handles everything?"

Muen coughed dryly. "Besides, I haven't been idle. I've had other matters to deal with."

"Does dealing with other matters mean flying around on the back of a giant dragon?" Pero secretly glanced at the fiery-red figure and muttered under her breath, "So Lord Muen really does have that kind of preference. You like humans and beasts......"

"Go, go, go. Stop imagining nonsense. What exists between Miss Dragon and me is pure. And aren't you being far too disrespectful toward me?"

"The one I should respect is Lord Black Sun. What does that have to do with you?" Pero made a face at Muen.

"Where is your dignity as Pope?"

Muen pretended to be angry and casually flicked a finger toward Pero's forehead......but the instant it drew close, it turned into a gentle caress.

Since she was only an image projected through magic, Muen did not truly touch her. Yet merely stroking the air above her head so gently caused Pero's little face to freeze slightly.

"Forget it. No matter what, you did well."

Muen smiled in praise. "I will temporarily forgive your crime of disrespect."

Although they were separated by a great distance, as the "object of worship," Muen had still faintly sensed what had happened here before.

During the period when he lost control, if Pero had not reacted quickly and worked hard to help all the believers seal off their perception and sever their faith in Him, then in that instant, all their minds would likely have been completely polluted by Him.

After all, no matter how "young" He was, He was still a true Evil God. The reverse erosion of the mind was not something ordinary humans could resist, much less while they were connected so closely.

"Hmph!"

Pero proudly raised her head. "Now you know to thank your Pope?"

"I have always been grateful to you. Be good. Once I return, I will give you a reward."

"What is it?" Pero blinked, her face full of excitement.

"That......" Muen put on a stern expression. "A secret."

"Tch."

Her excitement instantly turned into disappointment. Pero even began wiping away nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes.

"What secret? You clearly just haven't thought of anything. Who would have imagined that I, the dignified Pope, would one day be fed empty promises? Is there any justice left in this world...... Boohoohoo......"

"......"

Muen rolled his eyes and directly ignored this little actress. Reaching out, he grabbed another little brat hiding nearby and lifted her up.

"What kind of outfit is this, Marcie?"

Muen's expression became peculiar.

At this moment, Marcie was wearing a long black robe sewn from torn burlap. The robe completely covered her, with only two holes cut into the face to reveal her bright, lively eyes.

She looked quite like the follower of some evil religion preparing to go somewhere and set a great fire.

"This is......"

"You're not allowed to bully her."

Before Marcie could answer, Pero began shouting. "She is the first Archbishop of our Black Sun Cult!"

"Archbishop......"

Muen's cheek twitched as he looked at Marcie. "You were fooled by her too? Becoming this so-called Archbishop means nothing but working yourself to death for her. And what about your trees? You're not planting them anymore?"

"What do you mean, fooled?"

Pero said unhappily, "Do you know how many people want to become Archbishop right now but cannot? Being invited by me to become an Archbishop of the Black Sun Cult is entirely her honor, understand?"

"She said she would construct a teleportation formation and send necessary supplies to Annabawei. She also promised to give me a batch of the finest saplings for research."

Marcie smiled awkwardly. "I originally wanted to refuse, but she simply offered too much."

"......"

She had even brought out a teleportation formation...... Muen glanced at Pero. On the surface, this fellow seemed to be recruiting Marcie, but in reality, she probably wanted to nail Marcie firmly into the Archbishop's position so she would not compete with her.

When it came to schemes, an innocent girl like Marcie truly could not outplay a treacherous former princess.

"Lord Muen, you are saying bad things about me, aren't you? I can feel it."

Pero put on a stern little face.

"How could that be? You are the Pope I value more than anyone else. I could speak badly of anyone, but never you."

Muen sighed.

"Still, a teleportation formation really is useful. But how are you planning to construct the formation on this side?"

On the continent, teleportation formations were actually rather impractical devices and were rarely used outside emergencies. Extremely long-distance spatial teleportation carried a certain risk of tearing a person apart, and even when it did not, the sensation of traveling through space was hardly pleasant.

Muen had considerable authority on that subject. He had been teleported through space several times before, and each time had nearly killed him.

Therefore, in most circumstances, such formations were used to transport supplies.

Yet even when used to transport supplies, teleportation formations were so expensive to construct and could move so little in a single trip that the expenditure and return were unbalanced, making them unprofitable.

Aside from churches that controlled spatial power, few factions would employ teleportation formations on a large scale.

But......things were different here.

Annabawei lay deep within the Shattered Sea, an unknown distance from the continent. In the near future, a teleportation formation could be considered the only way to establish contact between the two sides. Even if people found it difficult to cross, merely sending the supplies Annabawei desperately lacked would be priceless to this incomparably barren place.

But the problem was......

A teleportation formation required identical formations to be constructed on both sides. Yet in the current Annabawei, who was still capable of constructing one?

"That is exactly what is giving me a headache."

Pero sighed. "Such a vast region, with so many people, yet there is not even a single Transcendent-Rank mage. We cannot even guide them remotely through carving the formation."

"Is there no other way?"

"No. The teleportation formation is temporarily at a dead end. We have to wait until someone on that side cultivates to a sufficient level before we can continue...... Even the matter of materials is difficult. They do not even know what magical materials are. It makes me wonder where you found this group of primitives."

"......"

Muen turned his head. The surrounding Pioneers all scratched their heads and smiled bitterly at him. Although they were brave people who dared to venture deep into the mist, faced with this situation, there truly was nothing they could do besides cultivate diligently as Pero had instructed.

During those centuries of endless Long Nights, the magical system here had been lost far too severely. Forget mages—there were barely even a few people left who could use basic magic.

"How about......trying to open a road through the mist?" one person asked tentatively.

"No."

Muen rejected the idea immediately. "The Shattered Sea lies within the mist. Putting aside whether crossing it is even possible, many filthy things that have not been purged for a thousand years are hidden inside. If you enter recklessly, you could easily be polluted again."

At the mention of Pollution, everyone's expressions turned solemn once more. Now that they could live freely beneath the sunlight, none of them wanted to return to those former days of darkness.

"We still need to construct the teleportation formation."

"Lord Muen, rest assured. We will cultivate diligently and strive to accomplish it within ten years......"

"There is no need."

Muen suddenly smiled. "Speaking of someone capable of constructing a teleportation formation, isn't there already someone right here?"

Muen stepped aside, revealing Miss Dragon behind him.

In truth, he did not need to move aside. Miss Dragon's presence alone was far stronger than his. Whether it was her tall figure, the interwoven black and red colors, or the invisible pressure she released merely by standing there without doing anything, she was impossible to overlook.

"Can......she really do it?"

Marcie was somewhat nervous. She still remembered how miserably Muen had been beaten by this dragon before, so she instinctively held little goodwill toward her.

"Of course she can. Don't forget, in a certain sense, Miss Dragon was the most important person responsible for helping all of you escape the threat of Pollution this time," Muen said.

If Miss Dragon had not beaten him back to his senses, then no matter how long the people of Annabawei could have sealed themselves away with Pero's help, they would never have escaped the fate of becoming His food.

In this incident, she had always been the true savior.

"Am I right, the gentlest Miss Dragon in the whole world?"

Muen turned around.

"I am not gentle."

Hamreign's face remained expressionless. Since Pero and Marcie had been staring at her uncovered face for too long, she turned it slightly to the side.

Her tone remained as cold as ever, but the content of her words made Muen smile knowingly.

"But I can still help with such a trivial matter."

......

One minute later, the formations were complete.

Not one, but two.

Hamreign then instructed Pero to close her eyes, picture Hamreign's appearance in her mind, release her aura, and call out her name.

After Pero followed her instructions, Hamreign actually used spatial magic to send one of the formations directly before her.

"Injecting magical power will activate the formation. The amount of items that can be transported depends on the amount of magical power supplied. I do not recommend that humans below the Crowned level use it to teleport themselves carelessly. The weaker the body, the greater the risk of being torn apart."

Hamreign quickly gave her instructions as the blazing light in her eyes gradually faded.

"S-so incredible."

Pero stared dumbfounded at the formation before her. "How did you do that?"

She was currently in Saint Blancfazesiya, the royal capital of the Kingdom!

"It is similar to how calling an Evil God's true name immediately draws the Evil God's gaze. It uses certain mediums to lock onto a position in reverse. However, I have not reached the level of an Evil God, so I require more mediums and cannot accomplish it through a name alone," Hamreign said indifferently.

"......Gulp."

Pero swallowed. As a former princess and current Pope, her knowledge was no longer shallow. She could roughly understand just how terrifyingly powerful someone had to be to accomplish such a thing.

Her gaze swept over Hamreign, then shifted toward Muen beside her. She suddenly waved secretly and beckoned Marcie, who was standing nearby, to bring her head closer.

"This is bad, Your Grace."

"What is wrong, Your Holiness?"

"I smell a seductive bitch."

"Hm?"

Marcie looked completely bewildered. "A seductive bitch......who are you talking about?"