True Solution of the Sword Dao
Chapter 399 - 370: A Shocking Appearance 1

Chapter 399: Chapter 370: A Shocking Appearance 1

"Sullivan, or Hannas as Griffin called him, made it clear—the Metal Scepter would be a bargaining chip in his hands. The Dark World Alliance? A laughable rodent organization..." Lin Fei sat in the cabin, a cold smirk appearing on her face.

Beside her, white clouds floated by slowly. The distinctive humming of the airplane was very faint, almost inaudible.

This time, she was on a small plane; there were no more than fifty people in the entire cabin.

Lin Fei was seated by the window, with a young girl in a red, fitted shirt beside her. The girl wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she had dimples on each cheek that made her look as if she were smiling even when she wasn’t, giving off a sweet impression.

Lin Fei sat in her seat, looking out the window sideways, while the girl beside her occasionally stole glances at Lin Fei, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

The plane was very quiet; apart from the sound of the engine, everyone was calm. Some were asleep, others were reading magazines, and a few were chatting softly.

A flight attendant pushed a cart by.

"Sir, what drink would you like?" the flight attendant asked softly.

"A cup of green tea, thank you," Lin Fei turned her head.

"I’ll have a green tea too," the girl next to her also spoke up.

The flight attendant provided a cup of green tea to both of them.

Lin Fei glanced at the cup; it was that quick-brew type made from a teabag. Although cheap, the color looked soothing—a light jade green. The white paper cup containing the jade-green tea looked quite pleasing to the eye.

After the flight attendant left, the girl in the red shirt seized the opportunity to start a conversation.

"You drink green tea too?" She quickly latched onto the common ground.

Lin Fei glanced at her. "It’s okay."

"You’re going to study in the Capital City, aren’t you? It’s just the time for the Capital City schools to begin, right?" asked the girl with a smile, her dimples becoming more prominent.

"Yes. You too?" Lin Fei replied casually.

"Yeah, I’m at Capital City Commerce and Trade Si Hua College," the girl said with a slightly embarrassed expression. "You might not have heard of it. It’s a Tier 3 college."

"Oh," Lin Fei responded.

"..."

"..."

After a while, the smile on the girl’s face became a bit stiff.

"By the way, which school are you attending?"

"Yan Capital University," Lin Fei said nonchalantly.

The girl looked visibly stunned. "That’s one of the top universities in the Capital City. I didn’t realize you were such a top student."

But Lin Fei remained indifferent.

The girl was getting a little angry. She felt that Lin Fei, because he was a top student from Yan Capital, looked down on her from a mere Tier 3 college. She decided not to speak anymore.

At first, she had initiated the conversation because Lin Fei was attractive, but after a few words, she realized that appearance was just a business card; one had to interact to know the true essence of a person.

She reigned in her smile and sat quietly in her own seat, not speaking anymore.

Lin Fei didn’t mind at all. He and the girl beside him were from two different worlds, and he had neither the mood nor the time to waste on her.

There wasn’t much time left.

Lin Fei looked at the watch on her wrist.

"Forty-five minutes to go."

******************

Rome—Ancient Roman Square

Ruins of stone columns, partially collapsed stone buildings, and solitary pillars stood amidst the green grass on the ground, highlighting the desolation of the place.

The gray-white rough surface was full of marks from weathering.

Sunlight spilled down, casting irregular shadows across the entire square.

Tourists in blue clothing and white hats added modern color as they weaved through the ruins on the square, making it seem even more desolate.

Among a group of tourists, a tall, gold-haired man wearing a white travel hat and Prada sunglasses stood out. His white T-shirt highlighted his strong upper body and muscular lines. Like a silent lion, he exuded a sense of danger poised to erupt at any moment.

The man stood with his arms crossed, looking around, checking his watch from time to time.

Amidst the surrounding noise and clamor,

Two people approached him slowly.

A young black woman with at least three earrings on her ears.

And a bald muscle man with a white bandage still wrapped around his arm, his upper body bare.

"We’ve been waiting. Let’s start," the black woman whispered in a very authentic local Italian accent.

The other two nodded.

The gold-haired man led the way to a shadowy area of the ruined square, with the other two following closely behind.

After a moment, only the gold-haired man with the sunglasses emerged, looked around quickly, and swiftly went against the flow of people to leave the Roman Square.

**************

An unknown region in Russia

Inside a secret church unknown to the populace.

Numerous dense candles burned, resembling countless dense, golden-yellow eyes, scattered throughout the entire church interior.

The church was empty except for five people standing in the center. On both sides were numerous unoccupied seats covered in thick dust, clearly undisturbed for a very long time.

All five were clad in black robes and wearing hoods, obscuring whether they were male or female.

The countless candle flames illuminated the church almost as if it were daylight.

"Following the Supreme Pontiff’s directive, we must secure control this time," said one.

"Yes, that is our purpose for gathering here," a person in a black robe said solemnly. Although they were in Russia, they spoke in perfect German.

"Then, let us begin. This marks the beginning of our redemption..."

***************

In the Vatican, a dazzling beam of light suddenly shot up into the sky.

Bang!!

The beam exploded, turning into fireworks that scattered countless white dots of light which slowly fell like rain, quickly dimming.

When the people within the Vatican saw the fireworks, they paused what they were doing, turned around, and began to pray softly. Everyone closed their eyes in devout prayer.

Below the fireworks, in the square,

a tall man dressed in gold armor and draped with a white cape decorated with delicate patterns stood silently, gazing at the sky.

"Have they left?" a voice asked from behind him.

"Yes," the man in armor nodded slightly. "Elisa’s Gate is also quite important to us, even though we already possess one. However, nobody is sure where this newly appeared gate leads to. It could be the wilderness, an unknown region, or possibly... the heartland of the major powers..."

"They took the only remaining Holy Artifact here; aren’t you worried about losing it?" the voice continued.

"If it’s lost, we just have to retrieve it," the man in golden armor replied casually. Slowly lowering his head, he turned and left the square, his white silk cape billowing as he departed.

****************

The Golden Base

Inside a vast, dark underground cavern, five towering stone pillars each supported a person’s silhouette.

On one of the stone pillars,

Lin Fei stretched out his right hand, within his palm a tiny gate was floating and rotating continuously.

"The mark of Elisa’s Gate in my hand allows ten people to enter the battle together. However, according to the information we’ve collected, once inside, the mark’s power will be divided among those who entered. Each person will have an equal share. Thus, having more people isn’t necessarily a good thing. Ultimately, gaining control depends on which camp obtains the most Mark Aura. Therefore, those who enter must be absolutely powerful, or else it would simply be handing over a chance to others," he said.

"We understand that part. If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s impossible to take Aura from our own faction, I would want to enter first and then transfer the Aura to our strongest member," the Serpent Woman said with a smile.

"Victory for the faction is our victory; this is very clear. If the mark’s Aura is full, there should be one-tenth on each person. The total number of participants is theoretically fifty, so that makes fifty parts. If the number of participants is less than ten, how is the Aura then distributed?" Griffin asked.

"It’s still divided equally, but each person will carry slightly more," Lin Fei replied. Since the mark had slowly merged with the Energy Core inside him, he had come to understand the information contained within it very well. Besides some ancient Aura, the mark mainly pertained to the rules of the competition for control.

"So, the fewer the people, the more Mark Aura each carries, and killing such a person would clearly be very profitable," Logan spoke.

"Indeed. This is somewhat disadvantageous for us, as both the Holy See and the heretics are far stronger than us. It’s not difficult for them to find ten Cardinals willing to enter," the Night King said in a grave tone.

"So what? Do you think ordinary A-rank Psychics mean anything to us?" the Serpent Woman said disdainfully. "We Dream Eaters are naturally superior to Psychics. This is a difference in the very essence of life."

"Then it is decided, the five of us will enter together. The competition for control lasts only one day and won’t interfere with other matters," Griffin said calmly.

"Let’s go with that, after all, anyone else entering is just seeking death," agreed the Night King, nodding.

Lin Fei also nodded slowly.

"I will project directly to your positions. My subordinate has already reached your locations, right?"

The other four nodded slowly.

"Then, let us begin," Lin Fei said as a slow golden glow emerged in his eyes.

Whoosh!!

All five silhouettes vanished simultaneously.

*******************

Elisa’s Gate — The Mark Battlefield

The sky was gloomy and oppressive, as if a vast grey cloth was draped over it.

It was like being in a modern city ravaged by war, with ruins everywhere, skewed skyscrapers, some collapsed on the ground. Steel rebar protruded starkly from the concrete, like branches in a forest.

The ground was littered with charred, unknown substances clumped together. In some corners, black smoke was still rising.

A wrecked plane lay among the buildings on the ground, grey-black vines wrapped tightly around it like hands emerging from the earth, refusing to let it fly away.

The white surface of the plane was covered in scratches and dents, signs of violent impacts.

Near the plane, amidst the rubble of stone and concrete. Five silhouettes slowly materialized. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it with your recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest strength.)