Amber Sword

Chapter 1181: Chapter 297: News from the North

As one precious auction item after another was snatched up, the auction gradually approached its end. During this time, Brand acquired a piece of refined gold valued at three hundred thousand Thor, one of the primary materials for Full Steel Armor. With this refined gold, and adding in the relic of White Knight Albton and part of Anman’s life savings, he could soon begin crafting this Battle Armor. Nun Princess Magdalene also symbolically acquired a silver ornament from the Wind Elf Clan, presenting it as a gift to Antitina.

The last grand auction item was a round shield passed down from the Kanov Dynasty of the Cruz Empire, but the minds of both of them were not on it at all. The undercurrents in Ambeser made it impossible for peace of mind, and Brand and Princess of the Andobruo Duchy soon reached a final agreement before both left the booth early.

Magdalene had to return to the Holy Temple immediately to avoid suspicion, and afterward, she had to find a way to explore the true intentions of the Flame Temple and what unsavory dealings existed between the new Great Priest Moros and the nobles of Erune.

Brand was quite satisfied with this meeting. Although the information obtained was limited, he did secure a solid ally within the Holy Temple and gained insights into the attitudes of the Cruz people. Brand had great trust in Princess Magdalene’s character, as in another history, she was known for her integrity and kindness, being even praised as ’inner beauty surpasses the outer.’ It is known that Princess Magdalene was not unattractive at all; her beauty was on par with the half-elf Griff, being dubbed the ’Queen Aines of humanity’ (the Elven Queen who was active a generation after the Saint War, known for her beauty).

Brand left Antitina to settle the auction earnings with the auctioneer and to collect the refined gold he had won while he himself left the auction venue. He flagged down a carriage at the gate, saying, "74 Scorpion Shell Street!" The carriage quickly departed from San Pino Square, winding through some twisting alleys—even in such a bustling trade port like Ambeser, slums existed beneath the shimmering gold. The carriage stopped in a suburban shantytown area, most of which had been bought by Su, and Brand walked straight to a house backing onto Ambeser Bay. As he reached the door, the dull gray wooden door creaked open.

A feminine face appeared behind it, though fins grew on her chin and ears, and her skin resembled green jade. She cast a wary glance at Brand with her pale yellow crystal pupils. "Lengdesi, hello." Brand offered a slight smile, addressing the female Flash Scale Naga named Lengdesi. Lengdesi nodded, finally stepping aside to let Brand in.

"Lord." Inside the house, there were also two male Flash Scale Nagas, one of them being Sani’er. He had been injured in combat with other clans a few days ago and could not return to battle for a short while, so he was sent here to serve as the liaison officer for the newly minted Lord of Tonyger. Brand had become a most important ’friend’ to the Flash Scale Naga, partially for curing Her Majesty with Holy Water No.1, but mainly because the discerning Queen Hanlu saw his potential might—being able to casually produce Holy Water No.1 was not common in the Human World.

However, the first to speak was not these Nagas but rather Su, standing behind them. The innkeeper’s daughter wore a worried expression, as if something terrible had happened: "Lord, something has happened."

"Oh?" Brand was slightly taken aback, pondering on what could have transpired in his few hours of absence. Could it be that Princess Griffeyn had been confined by the nobles? "What’s going on? Is it related to the princess?" he asked, frowning.

Su shook her head and took out a letter. Brand took the letter and upon seeing its contents, his expression turned peculiar. He had previously instructed Su to gather information from the North to verify why the Flame Temple’s attitude had changed, and the letter contained exactly such intelligence—a message stating that the Golden-maned Lion-men of Tuokui Ning had knocked on the door three days ago, and the Earth Temple had completed mobilization for war half a month ago. In other words, unlike in history, the Earth Temple had commenced the war about three months early, because... well, the Earth Temple demanded the Flame Temple and the Erune Kingdom return the long-lost Holy Sword... the Earth Sword Halangea.