Chapter 1412: Chapter 888: The Resistance (Additional Update)_2

"Where are the guards?"

"Gone, already gone."

The tavern owner said fearfully.

"Gone?"

The mercenary was taken aback.

And then, somewhat puzzled:

"Could those bastards leave so calmly after the conflict?"

"Who knows... and when will these worrying days come to an end..."

The tavern owner sighed.

"Hey, unless we get rid of the noble pigs and church dogs, it’ll never end!"

The mercenary sneered.

The tavern owner was stunned, seemingly surprised that the mercenary before him, who was rumored to often accept official Imperial commissions and had good relations with the Maniya City Guard, would also talk this way.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, upon leaving the tavern, the guard turned left and right, quickly entering an inconspicuous alley in Maniya.

He went deep into the alley and knocked on a door.

"Who is it?"

A voice inside asked cautiously.

"It’s me, Bowen."

The guard said in a low voice.

The door quickly opened, and a young man emerged, pleasantly surprised:

"Captain Bowen, you’ve come!"

The guard named Bowen nodded slightly.

"Has the mentor arrived?"

He asked.

"Already here, waiting inside for you, and there’s also a new guest today."

"A new guest?"

Bowen raised an eyebrow.

Finished speaking, noticing the other’s somewhat excited demeanor, he thought:

"Could it be someone from the southwest?"

Seemingly realizing he had let something slip, the young man exaggeratedly covered his mouth, then slowly lowered his hand, smiling mysteriously:

"You’ll know once you see the mentor."

Seeing the young man’s secretive expression, Bowen laughed.

He shook his head lightly and walked through the door.

Once Bowen entered, the young man cautiously looked around and then quietly closed the door.

Entering the door, going through the living room and corridor, Bowen reached the innermost room.

"Mentor, Captain Bowen is here."

The young man knocked on the door, saying respectfully.

Soon, a voice full of vigor came from inside:

"Come in."

The young man stepped aside, while Bowen took a deep breath, tidied his armor, and pushed open the door.

It was a small conference room, with a small, beautiful statue of the Goddess placed at the front, and a middle-aged man in a white Priest Robe sitting at the conference table.

Bowen knelt on one knee, drawing a standard scepter sign on his chest, solemnly saying:

"Bowen, Deputy Commander of the Empire’s Seventh Guard Corps... greets the mentor!"

"Don’t be so reserved, we are all Believers of the Goddess, comrades fighting for ideals."

The middle-aged man smiled gently.

After speaking, his expression turned serious, as he earnestly asked:

"Bowen, any news from your side recently?"

Bowen sighed softly:

"Since the implementation of the new law, chaos has increased. Before I came here, I almost had a conflict in the tavern simply because I’m a member of the Guard Corps."

"The people’s anger is becoming hard to suppress..."

Upon hearing his words, the middle-aged man sighed deeply:

"No way, nobles and the Eternal Church have never truly regarded ordinary people, especially the vast lower classes, as kin, which is the Empire’s sorrow and humanity’s sorrow."

After speaking, he further asked:

"By the way, how is the Corps?"

Bowen’s expression turned solemn:

"Apart from the commander’s loyal troops, 70% of the soldiers are willing to join the side of justice at the critical moment, to resist the decadent Empire!"

"Excellent! With your alliance, we will surely defeat the darkness and welcome the light!"

The middle-aged priest was delighted.

After hearing him, Bowen sighed:

"You also know, most of us tasked with guarding the Seventh Guard Corps are selected from commoners, and we’ve long been dissatisfied with the Empire’s actions in recent years."

"All for the future..."

The middle-aged priest gently sighed.

Bowen thought for a moment, then said worriedly:

"But... Mentor, our Seventh Guard Corps is too weak. Even if we all join the resistance, it’s hard to defeat the power of the nobles and take control of the council."

"Therefore, we must seek greater strength!"

The middle-aged priest said firmly.

Bowen was moved:

"Mentor, I heard Ruo Fulei say a guest arrived today? Is it related to this?"

The middle-aged priest smiled lightly:

"That’s precisely what I wanted to talk about next. Haven’t you always been curious about from whom I learned the teachings of the Goddess’s guidance? Today, I will introduce you to my former mentor..."

After speaking, he stood up and headed toward the rear door of the meeting room.

Curious, Bowen hurried to follow.

The rear door of the meeting room led to a small courtyard, where a lush oak tree was planted.

Under the oak tree, a tall elf with red hair stood with hands behind their back, admiring the fountain not far away.

An elf?!

Bowen’s eyes widened, then he felt invigorated.

"Lord Dema, Bowen is here."

The middle-aged priest said respectfully.

Dema...

Upon hearing this familiar name, Bowen was slightly taken aback.

He vaguely felt he’d heard of it somewhere, but couldn’t quite recall at that moment.

Until the middle-aged priest reminded:

"Lord Dema is one of the authors of the ’Life Scripture’, with high expertise in Life Church theory research, and it was him who recorded the legendary story of Lord Saint John, enlightening us all!"

So it’s him!

Bowen realized, then solemnly respected him.

He knelt on one knee, respectfully and excitedly saluting Dema:

"Life believer Bowen... greets Lord Dema!"

"Haha, no need to be so formal or nervous, as believers under the guidance of the Goddess, we’re all family."

Dema said with a smile.

In all honesty, when this easygoing guy acts serious, he can be quite persuasive.

Feeling the refreshing attitude of Dema, Bowen felt even more respect.

The middle-aged priest also saluted respectfully:

"Lord Dema, I had discussed with Bowen earlier that although we’ve decided to resist, our strength is too weak. Even with the guard unit Bowen turned, it’s hard to defeat the nobles with higher-level or even legendary figures..."

"You mentioned you’d bring us new power, does that mean the Elf Forest will send the Elf Chosen One Army?"

The middle-aged priest and Bowen looked expectant, but Dema gently shook his head:

"No, the crisis of the Human World, the history of the Human World, ideally should be resolved and rewritten by humans themselves."

"Ourselves?"

Both were slightly stunned.

"Are you suggesting we still have some power to strive for?"

The middle-aged priest’s eyes lit up.

"More accurately, they’ve already been won over. What needs to be done now is to liberate them and let them join us."

Dema answered with a smile.

"Liberation?"

The two exchanged glances, showing confusion.

Dema smiled faintly, asking meaningfully:

"Tell me, where is the greatest number of transcendent beings in all of Mania?"

"The Imperial Council? Most of the nobles are formidable transcendent beings."

Bowen pondered.

"No."

Dema shook his head.

He turned, looking in a specific direction:

"In Mania, the place with the most transcendent power is not the council, nor the Imperial Palace, but there."

They followed his gaze and saw a towering, sinister castle.

There was the castle imprisoning political prisoners and heretics of the Holy Mania Empire, a fortress claimed to be invulnerable, and the highest symbol of the authority in the Holy Mania Empire—Dorolia.