After leaving the castle, the three did not go far.

They sat down at a tavern at the foot of the hill, passing the afternoon before nightfall.

Catherine tried the butterbeer there.

However, after just a small sip, her face turned black instantly, and she never touched this rather popular beverage among sailors again, turning instead to chat with Ronald:

"Ronald, you don't seem to be in a good mood right now?"

"You're asking the obvious." Ronald glanced at Catherine, "Even if you didn't jump onto the window—standing outside, you would definitely have heard what happened inside, with your abilities."

Catherine chuckled and put her arm around Ronald's shoulder.

"Isn't it just two hot-headed guys who got into a fight and then lost control? With their temperament, such problems are bound to happen sooner or later."

As she spoke, Catherine's gaze drifted to her cup, and she naturally placed it in front of Ronald, inviting him to take a sip too.

Ronald instinctively took the cup and tasted it.

"..."

The taste was almost tasteless, like water barely mixed with alcohol. Moreover, Ronald himself was never particularly fond of alcohol.

He glared at Catherine.

Amid the girl's mischievous smile, Ronald voiced what was really on his mind:

"Catherine, small problems can often reveal bigger ones."

"The conflicts we are encountering now are indeed just local power struggles and interest disputes. But before? How was it in Hammonde? It was also drawn into war. You might dismiss this, but I have already..."

Ronald was interrupted before he finished speaking.

While the three were chatting, a burly man sat down beside them:

"Hahaha, young man, you're overthinking it!"

"It's always been like this in the South Sea, even if it stabilizes for a few years, it'll soon revert to this state. We who live on the edge, why bother with these things?"

In a few words, the man's gaze fell on the cups on the table.

"You don't seem to like this much, do you?"

"Feel free." Catherine didn't mind the man's attitude, smiling as she pushed the cup over.

The man then downed the free drink in one go.

Without staying long, he left and went back to where he had been sitting, starting to brag to his companions about his cleverness in getting free drinks.

Seeing this, Catherine elbowed Ronald:

"See, even the locals don't seem to find any problem with it."

Ronald remained unaffected, quite certain of his own judgment:

"Catherine, just take these words with a grain of salt."

"Think carefully, one or two places might be fine, but if every place you go to you see scenes of such battles and chaos, do you think that's a good thing?"

"The world is not made up of isolated entities, but rather interconnected human societies. If this chaos continues, I fear it could ultimately lead to an unimaginable disaster!"

Upon hearing this, Catherine pondered.

But Costate, who had once read Ronald's memory, reacted and found a striking example on Earth:

"Sir, are you referring to a world war?"

"Exactly." Ronald nodded seriously, "While the countries in this world haven't reached the point of widespread industrialization, the presence of casters provides the necessary conditions for starting a major war."

"Originally, a dominant country like [Grid] might maintain stability due to colonial interests and the like. But they just dealt with the attack on Barrier Mountain, and the capital was attacked by the Dust Behemoth."

"Under such circumstances, the biggest rivet maintaining world stability has begun to loosen. Especially now, the whole machine is creaking, as if every part is being hammered."

Hearing this, the smile disappeared from Catherine's face.

She began to talk seriously with Ronald:

"The situation might be unfavorable, but there's no reason to conclude so decisively. Ronald, maybe you're just being overly worried!"

Ronald retorted:

"Catherine, your spellcasting is better than mine for such predictions."

The head of the Astronomy Tower raised an eyebrow slightly and quietly uttered the spell of [Psychohistory], then leaned over the table to enter a predictive state.

Involving world structures, Ronald thought it would take Catherine quite some time.

But this time, the computation speed was fast.

In just a few breaths, Catherine emerged from the calculation state, her eyes more serious than ever.

"Ronald, you were right."

"Conflicts and animosities among the various national powers will escalate under this backdrop, ultimately triggering an unprecedented and terrifying war!"

Ronald had anticipated this result.

He was not surprised at the moment, only curious:

"When dealing with the [Quadrant Heaven] issue, didn't you notice this?"

Catherine even rarely bitterly smiled:

"When I handled the [Quadrant Heaven] matter, I hadn't even seen what the real world looked like, of course, I wouldn't predict such things."

At this point, Ronald thought the two were on the same page, and the discussion was nearing an end.

But unexpectedly, after finishing her words, Catherine suddenly stood up from her chair.

At the same time, the girl unfastened the Saint Catherine Sword from her back, and handed the weapon back to Ronald.

"But since that's the case, Ronald, I'm probably going to break my promise to you."

Ronald grabbed Catherine's wrist, becoming serious:

"Catherine, what are you planning to do?"

"Of course, to prevent this from happening." Catherine's tone was natural, her eyes showing no hesitation or doubt, "The problems erupting worldwide stem from two major changes in reality space. At the root, it is due to my interference with spatial stability."

"I have an inescapable responsibility for this."

Ronald found Catherine's idea somewhat incomprehensible, even foolish:

"Catherine, this isn't something personal power can influence!"

However, the head of the Astronomy Tower did not think so.

Before leaving, she bent down and whispered into Ronald's ear:

"Ronald, let me tell you a secret."

"Compared to individual skirmishes, my archetype abilities are actually more suited to large-scale actions. This operation is not some fanciful act of personal power."

——[Galactic Empire]!

Thinking of Catherine's archetype, Ronald was momentarily speechless. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Ronald, at the [Nine Commandments Secret Meeting], you must be careful. When I predicted the future before, I knew you would face unknown dangers this time. Originally, traveling with you, I intended to save you at the last moment."

"But given the current situation, it seems I can only offer this half-hearted warning."