Black Wood Forest Outpost.

A common outpost belonging to the Monte Territory, situated on the long border between the Vilt Kingdom and the Rosenia Kingdom.

Eleven years had passed since the border war that swept through the Northern Territory.

Both sides had suffered heavy losses and were utterly exhausted. The possibility of a large-scale conflict in the foreseeable future was minuscule.

Peace shrouded the land where blades once clashed, allowing the soldiers stationed here to relax their frayed nerves.

Today, however, an unusual solemnity hung over the outpost, both inside and out.

Under the Governor’s orders, all the soldiers were conducting intensive patrols, as if on a routine inspection.

Meanwhile, inside the Governor’s private quarters within the outpost, a fire crackled in the hearth, dispelling the mid-spring chill of the Northern Territory.

Murphy sat behind a wooden table inside, his back to the fireplace.

He was still dressed in his dark blue Knight’s uniform, a longsword at his hip, his posture relaxed.

Across from him stood a visitor, his posture respectful.

The man was tall and thin, wrapped in a dark gray traveling cloak. His hood was down, revealing the face of a man in his thirties, his complexion somewhat pale, with the frail air of a scholar.

A pair of exquisite crystal lenses rested on the bridge of his nose. Behind them, his light brown eyes were sharp and cautious.

An inconspicuous badge was pinned to his chest.

It was the design of an eye contracting inward, its pupil inlaid with a minuscule black crystal.

This was the symbol of the Eye of the Profound.

"Honorable Lord Melfield, thank you for taking the time to meet with me." The visitor’s voice was low as he bowed to Murphy. "I am an Observer from the Eye of the Profound. You may call me Selas."

The Eye of the Profound was famous for observing the stars and the tides of Elemental Energy, but its intelligence network was not to be underestimated.

Furthermore, Selas was a senior Third-Class Wizard Apprentice. An ordinary Great Knight would likely be slain by his various methods before even getting close.

However, he was facing Murphy—a powerhouse who had already proven his status as a warrior at the "Peak of Mortality" to their circle with a single, sharp blast of Sword Qi during the celebration at Taymer Palace in the Southern Territory.

Thus, Selas displayed a level of respect befitting his station.

"Observer Selas," Murphy returned the gesture with a slight nod, forgoing any pleasantries. "Duke Temeris’s letter mentioned that the Eye of the Profound has made some discoveries regarding unusual tidal movements, possibly related to the proclamation from the Iron Ridge Mountain Range."

"Yes, my lord." Selas took half a step forward and retrieved a roll of parchment, carefully wrapped in waterproof oilcloth, from the lining of his cloak. He unrolled it and spread it on the table.

It was not covered in text, but was instead a hand-drawn, simplified map of the Continent, marked with a great number of complex symbols and lines. It encompassed regions such as Vilt, Rosenia, Castile, and the Albion Islands.

"Since the incident at Taymer Palace, the organization has intensified its cross-verification of related Energy Fluctuations and intelligence."

Selas’s finger pointed to several spots on the map that had been specially circled.

"First, we can confirm that Marquis Alonso’s proclamation at Taymer Palace was by no means an isolated incident. It might not even be the main event." Selas’s voice grew lower. "In roughly the same period, we detected—or confirmed through reliable channels—that the Tower of Secret Silver, or forces clearly associated with it, carried out public provocations against the local Truth Church Court in at least five other kingdoms or major regions."

His finger first tapped a spot off the Western Coast of the Continent. "The first location: Freeport Lothern in the Albion Islands. A high-tier member of the Tower of Secret Silver, at a public hearing of the Wise Council, not only displayed a new type of lighthouse core but also openly declared, ’The stars of the Old Gods have dimmed; the light of knowledge for the new era shall be lit by us.’"

Next, his finger slid to the southwest of the Continent. "The second location: the Hot Sand City State in the Desert Nations Alliance. Supporters of the Tower of Secret Silver incited local tribes, who were dissatisfied with water distribution, to storm and briefly occupy the Small Sanctuary of the God of Truth in the city center. They proclaimed, ’The dry wells have revived, so where is the true God?’"

Then, he pointed deep into the northeast, within the Rosenia Kingdom. "The third location: the Frost Speech Tribe on the edge of the Rosenia Permafrost Tundra. After the Ancestral Spirit Stone was destroyed, an agent of the Tower of Secret Silver appeared. This agent publicly accused the local diocesan Bishop of being ’powerless to protect an object of faith.’ They then claimed that only the ’power to understand the essence of all things’ could protect the tribe’s traditions, attempting to interfere in the conflict between the tribe’s primal faith and the faith of the God of Truth."

Selas’s finger moved to the southern coast of the Continent. "The fourth location: the trade hub of Siren Harbor, within the Marine Commercial City-States Alliance Jade Coast. A Wizard from the Tower of Secret Silver used some form of Illusionary Magic on the port’s busiest trading day to project a blasphemous declaration over the harbor district. It lasted for a full half-hour and caused tremendous chaos."

Finally, his fingertip landed on the northwestern part of the Castile Kingdom, on the border it shared with the mountain kingdom of Ernest. "The fifth location: the border fortress of Black Rock Pass in the Ernest Kingdom. An emissary from the Tower of Secret Silver went directly to the local garrison’s castle and delivered a strongly worded notice to the commander. The notice declared that if the Royal Family of Ernest continued to allow the Church Court to persecute ’those who seek the truth,’ it would be considered an act of hostility toward the Tower of Secret Silver. It also hinted that Castile ’understands and supports’ their position, in an attempt to stir up trouble between Ernest, its neighboring kingdom, and the Church Court."

Selas looked up, his eyes behind the crystal lenses meeting Murphy’s, and summarized, "These five incidents, along with the proclamation at Taymer Palace, took place in the Albion Islands, the Desert Countries, Rosenia, the Jade Coast City-States Alliance, the Ernest Kingdom, and the Vilt Kingdom. They practically form a semi-circle around the Continent."