Child of Destiny

...…

Shin appeared at the capital of the Storm Empire, the Hurricane City. It was a Capital Rank City just like the Holy City of the Saint Heaven Kingdom. Since the empire had more resources than a kingdom due to the larger territory that it covered, an empire's capital city was much larger and more advanced than what the latter had.

Right after stepping out of the luxurious teleportation hall, Shin quickly swept his gaze at the surroundings. He saw more advanced carriages, taller and larger buildings, and busier streets and bursting shops.

Even though the shops here were not as big as the branches of the Hand of Midas, the business was quite good. Given the number of customers, Shin could tell that they were profiting quite a lot.

He wondered when the Golden City would become like this.

He walked down the streets of the city, aimlessly wandering around and closely observing the situation of the city.

He came here first to observe the state of the city, and to see if the Emperor's Palace had any strange movements. But after observing everything for quite a while, it seemed like the higher-ups of this city had no idea that the enemies were currently setting up a base just beyond their borders.

Aside from that, he was also planning to see if they could set up a good spot where they could set up their temporary base. If a war broke out between the two nations, the Storm Empire would be the main hub for the players, who would be participating in it.

Since Shin was one of the main instigators of the quest, he had to participate in war whether he liked it or not. It was natural for him to see if the place would be good for the activities of their adventurer team.

"I guess there is no need to look around for more. I should head to the Dark Cloud Kingdom now," he mumbled after his aimless walk.

The other reason he came here first instead of heading straight to the Dark Cloud Kingdom was to avoid the prying eyes of the people there. If that kingdom was really in cahoots with the Demonic Churches, then it would not be strange for them to station some scouts to watch over their teleportation hall.

Any suspicious individual by their standards would be instantly noticed by their people, making it harder for Shin to move and gather more evidence.

Aside from recovering a video of them building their dark forces, Shin was also planning to capture a few of the high-rank officials of the kingdom with his prison prims before handling everything to the Storm Empire.

He was going to be monitored by those people, his movements would be greatly impacted. Having that in mind, he was planning to cross over the borders of the two nations to avoid any unnecessary attention.

After leaving the gates of the city, Shin activated his stealth before sprinting straight in the direction of the Dark Cloud Kingdom. He also summoned Whitie in his tiger form when he reached a secluded location. He then mounted on the white tiger and ran toward his destination as fast as he could.

Traversing the borders of the two nations would not be easy, especially when there was a neutral map filled with powerful monsters between the borders of the said empire and kingdom.

Normally, Shin would have to transfer to the most secluded city or town on the outskirts of the empire, which was also the nearest at its borders.

This was one of the uniqueness of the Storm Empire since their capital was situated near its borders unlike the other empires and kingdoms, which had their respective capital placed at the heart of their jurisdiction.

It was to prevent any invading nations from reaching their main base. The forces of their invaders had to penetrate multiple layers of defenses before they could reach the heart of their kingdom or empire.

The Storm Empire, on the other hand, did not follow this tradition since right behind them was a sea of mountain ranges, which acted as a natural barrier for them. All they had to was to build a tall, solid, and enormous wall stretching the entire mountain range, which would protect them from their enemies beyond their borders such as violent monsters.

They had also built an impenetrable fortress on top of the tallest mountain, which would act as their main shield for the invading forces.

Given the terrain advantage, any invading force would have a hard time attacking such a fortress, especially when the walls spreading the entire mountain range were connected to it. There were also main points connecting the walls, which made it easier to support each post and supply them with enough people during a time of need.

Aside from this, there was also a heavy storm that was repeatedly striking the land beyond these walls. It was another natural barrier that was protecting them from hostile forces.

This storm was going on all year long as if it was protecting the empire, hence the empire was named as such.

If Shin wanted to cross the borders of the kingdom, he had to go through this fortress, which was not going to be easy. There was also a special formation that would detect anyone approaching, who would be approaching it.

Taking a detour around the mountain range would take too long. Moreover, there was also a deep valley separating the two nations, which he could only cross if he used the sole bridge connecting them.

Getting there would take a long time, especially when there were no teleportation points connecting the posts of the two nations stationed to guard that bridge.

At the same time, it would also require him to register his name if he wanted to use that bridge, which could alert the scouts of the Dark Cloud Kingdom, especially when he was branded as one of the main 'obstructions' of the Demonic Churches due to his repeated clashes with them.

It would be better to cross the stormy mountain range than risk exposing himself to the enemy.

When he arrived at the foot of the Storm Fortress, he could not help but admire how majestic it was. It was not luxurious or anything, but the atmosphere enfolding the entirety of the fortress was giving him chills that could pierce through his bones.

"Halt! This is the Storm Fortress! No one can enter without permission!"

Right after Shin reached the gates of the fortress, he was immediately blocked by a pair of bulky knights, crossing their spears to prevent him from going further.

Shin observed them for a moment before using his True Sight out of habit. He then became shocked as he saw that both knights were quite high-level. Both were level 185 Special Elites, indicating that they were very powerful.

Seeing that he would not be able to cross the border unless he stated a decent excuse, Shin removed his hood to reveal his mask that signified his status.

Given his Fame Stats and Reputation Points, it would be hard for these NPCs not to recognize him. Even if only those with higher rankings could tell his status within the Church of the Sun and Moon, his current achievements were more than enough to make ordinary NPCs recognize him.

"Sir Envoy! We are sorry if we offended you in any way," said one of the knights in a hurry, bowing repeatedly while apologizing.

Shin immediately realized that this knight should be named NPC, given how respectful he was to Shin. He was treating Shin differently unlike the other knight, who was quite respectful, but also a little reserved at the same time. After all, Shin was not the one that they were served but the Great Emperor of their empire.

Only named NPCs could treat the players differently based on the status that they had in their respective organizations. At the same time, these NPCs also possessed hidden stats that the other NPCs did not have. One example of them was Saint Blacksmith Berlin, the Merchant Ribbit, and other NPCs that Shin had encountered with special statuses.

Shin slightly nodded his head while waving his hand. "It is nothing. You are just doing your job after all."

After that, he hung the hood of his cloak over his head once again before asking. "Is your commander inside? I want to ask him for something."

The knight, who was too respectful to Shin, quickly nodded his head. "The Commander is inside, Sir Envoy! Let me guide you to him."

After that, this knight gave a few instructions to the other knight before leading Shin. From the look of it, this knight seemed to have a special status within the fortress given how the others treated him.

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It did not take long for Shin to arrive at the office of the fortress commander with the help of the knight.

"Commander Taiga, the envoy of the Church of the Sun and Moon is here to meet you," said the knight after knocking on the door.

"Let him in," the voice of the commander could be heard from the other side of the door immediately after.

The knight then opened the door before gesturing for Shin to enter respectfully.

Shin slightly nodded his head before entering. Right after he entered the room, he immediately noticed that it was traditionally designed without any luxurious decorations or anything. Aside from a shelf of books and a rack for weapons, the room only contained a simple wooden table and a few wooden chairs surrounding it at the center.

Not far from it, a couple of steps away from the window was an ordinary wooden desk, where piles of paper were neatly placed. Behind this table was an old man with clean-cut hair and a properly trimmed beard, busily reading the documents in front of him.

The air surrounding the old man was quite fierce and heavy despite not being in his combat state. Shin could also feel the heavy scent of blood from this person, signifying that he had killed more than just a few people or monsters.

Using his True Sight to look at the details of this NPC, Shin had gotten a surprise.

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[NPC Name]: Taiga Adad

[NPC Title]: The Protector of the Storm Fortress

Race: Conqueror (Ascended Human)

Class: Storm Guardian

Tier 4: Enlightened Being

Level: 450

???

???

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'An Enlightened Being? D*mn! No wonder those fools of Demonic Churches don't dare to invade this fortress carelessly,' he thought after seeing the basic details of the NPC.

With such a powerful protector, this fortress would be safe even if an army of undead monsters tried to invade.

Taiga put down the papers that he was reading before standing up. He stood for at least two meters and a half, instantly dwarfing Shin, who had a pretty decent height.

Shin could not help but gulp hard as he watched the commander walk toward him while unconscious emitting a suffocating aura.

Fortunately, that did not last long as the commander smiled amiably at him. "This is a surprise. I don't receive any request from the Church of the Sun and Moon for a visit, young envoy."

Shin quickly snapped out of his daze before humbly replying. "I must apologize for my unannounced visit, Sir Taiga. I have certain circumstances where I can't afford to pile a formal request for a visit."

Taiga gestured for Shin to sit while also taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs himself. "So, can I ask the young envoy what he needs from our humble fortress?"

Shin hesitated for a moment before replying. "It is not much of a trouble. My church has sent me here for a secret mission, so I can't afford to disclose anything. As for what I need from Commander Taiga – I only need you to permit me to cross the border of your kingdom."

Taiga knitted his brows a little before asking. "Can't the young envoy use the Bridge of Cloud and Mist instead? Isn't it more ideal?"

Shin smiled bitterly before shaking his head. "I am afraid that I can't use the bridge. As I mentioned earlier, I am on a secret mission, so the lesser the number of people know about my crossing of the border, the better."

"I also can't use the teleportation hall of any cities within the Dark Cloud Kingdom, so this is the only way," he also quickly added before the commander could say anything.

Commander Taiga paused for a moment as he deeply knitted his brow. Given his rich experience, he could instantly tell that there was something wrong with the situation. He knew that Shin was hiding something, but he could also tell that it would not threaten the Storm Empire.

He repeatedly tapped his finger on the armrest of the chair in silence before finally opening his mount. "I guess there is something wrong with the Dark Cloud Kingdom."

Shin, who was waiting patiently, was not even surprised that the commander was able to instantly figure out the situation. This was how the veterans of the frontlines perceived situations through their insight.

But he neither confirmed nor denied and kept his silence.

Commander Taiga did not mind Shin's silence as he contemplated something. He then shook his head and said. "I am afraid that your request will be hard, young envoy."

"There have been strange movements in the mountain ranges beyond our border. I first thought that it was because of the recent appearance of the mutated monsters. But with what you have said, it seems like there is something more into it."

Hearing that, Shin shook his head. "It is not as simple as it seems, Sir Taiga."

Commander Taiga contemplated for a moment, thinking about the hidden meaning behind Shin's words before suggesting. "I can't carelessly leave my post due to obvious reasons, so how about you investigate the cause for me?"

*Ding*

Right after Shin heard those words, a notification was immediately sent to him by the system along with a series of panels flashing in front of his eyes.

He could not help but smile as he agreed with the commander. Only an idiot would refuse such a free quest falling right in front of him.

...…