Chapter 137: Alliance of Angels

Sylvanas’s expression shifted dramatically upon hearing this, and she said in a cold, fury-laden voice, "You wish to desecrate my treasury? In your dreams! I will never allow you to lay a finger on my treasury. Even if it means death, I will never let you have your way!"

When it came to her treasury of kings, Sylvanas finally recovered her formidable and imposing demeanor. Link, however, showed no courtesy, decisively unleashing his overwhelming aura and once again causing the palace guards who had just regained their senses to collapse to the ground in agony.

Yet this time, no matter how excruciating the pressure was, Sylvanas refused to compromise. She even summoned countless weapons, putting on a desperate display of fighting him to the bitter end. Link was not to be outdone either, instantly casting both the Golden Bell Shield and the Sacred Light Protection, enveloping himself in a brilliant golden radiance that magnified his intimidating presence even further...

This terrified Charles, who was caught right in the middle between the two. Charles hurriedly stepped in as a peacemaker, urging both sides to calm down. After a round of appeasement, Link and Sylvanas finally reined in their auras and put away the treasury of kings, sitting down to renegotiate.

Following two hours of intense wrangling and a few more mutual displays of intimidation, Sylvanas ultimately raised the compensation amount to forty million, to be paid in installments over eight years. After all, even with her vast accumulations of gold and silver, converting them into cash took time, and the Father God Church would have nowhere to put such a massive sum if they received it all at once.

In addition to the currency, the settlement included one holy artifact and four high-grade weapons. Within Sylvanas's royal treasury, all items were categorized into four tiers: superior, intermediate, inferior, and holy. The holy artifacts were the most precious and rarest of all, with only ten existing in the entire treasury. Parting with even one felt like carving flesh from her heart...

This holy artifact was a scepter, apparently belonging to the pope of some major church from ancient times, who seemed to have been a saint himself. However, Sylvanas did not know the scepter's actual name because there were simply too many items in her treasury, and she had no idea what most of them were called. As for the four high-grade weapons—a saber, a sword, a spear, and a hammer—they likewise lacked known names, but all possessed intrinsic magical attributes and supreme material quality. Taking them back to serve as rewards for his subordinates would be entirely appropriate.

Having accepted the five treasures and signed a new magical contract with Sylvanas, Link finally felt temporarily satisfied with the thought of "to be continued next time." Under Sylvanas’s murderous glare, he strode out of the imperial study and signaled toward the sky. Instantly, Bailing descended, and Mercury Lampe, riding upon her back, immediately called out, "Father Lord, are you alright?"

This remark instantly startled the queen, her tutor, and the guards outside. Upon discovering that the one addressing Link was a life-sized doll, they were even more dumbfounded. The old wizard Charles could not help murmuring to himself, "A doll with life? What is the meaning of this? Could it be the legendary Soul Transfer Art capable of placing a deceased person's soul into a lifeless object to grant them rebirth?"

Charles spoke in a voice so faint that no one else heard him, and he had no intention of exposing his thoughts. Yet his gaze toward Mercury Lampe was filled with fanatical intensity, much like an explorer discovering a new world. Catching sight of Link unexpectedly glancing back, he quickly masked his expression, merely feigning the same astonishment as everyone else.

Meanwhile, Link had already loaded all five acquired treasures onto Bailing's back and lightly leaped up behind her. He said to Sylvanas, "Your Majesty, do not forget our agreement. I shall await your compensation delivery in God-Blessed City. Farewell, Your Majesty, and you as well, Master Charles."

With that, Bailing soared straight up into the firmament, carrying Link and Mercury Lampe away from the premises.

After their departure, Sylvanas wore an icy expression. She immediately dismissed the guards, strode back into the imperial study, and was followed closely by Charles, who offered a wry smile as he said, "Sylvanas, it seems you were truly in the wrong this time. I never imagined he would be so formidable. Judging by his aura, he likely possesses the strength of a peak ninth-tier expert."

Sylvanas stood with her back to Charles. Upon hearing his words, she spun around instantly, the chill and resentment on her face completely vanishing, replaced instead by a faint, amused smile. "Is that so? Perhaps. However, I do not regret anything I have done. To learn his true strength at the cost of those worldly possessions—I have turned a profit!"

This reaction left Charles momentarily stunned, and he asked in bewilderment, "Sylvanas, you..."

"Teacher, do you truly believe I would lose my composure over the loss of those objects and a shred of dignity? You underestimate my magnanimity; I was merely putting on a show for him," Sylvanas said, the smile on her face deepening as her eyes narrowed. "Neir Ye? He is truly worthy of being the prophesied man destined to become my one and only husband. That terrifying power and pressure made me experience fear for the very first time. Excellent. Only a man like this is worth conquering. Just wait, Neir Ye, sooner or later I shall capture you and slowly train you to become my personal slave. Hehehehe~~"

A soft laugh, intertwining dominance and wickedness, rang out, sending a sudden chill down Charles's spine and prompting him to silently offer a few seconds of sympathy for Link, who had become this queen's target.

On the other side, Link and his companions had already flown far away from the royal capital. Mercury Lampe lay curiously across Link's back, gazing down at the five items laid out before them, while Link studied the treasures himself. The one he cared about most was undoubtedly the holy artifact, for no other reason than the system notification he received upon touching it:

*An advanced piece of equipment available for the host to use!*

This caused Link's heart rate to quicken uncontrollably. Up until now, all the various pieces of equipment Link had obtained were unusable by him; he could only bestow them upon his subordinates. As a result, his followers grew better and better equipped, while he himself was still forced to fight empty-handed, a fact that had always deeply annoyed him. Today, he could finally acquire something for his own use—how could he possibly refuse?

Therefore, Link couldn't care less about what this unnamed scepter did; his sole focus was on modifying it. Shortly after leaving the royal capital, he commanded the system to initiate the process.

Link had no fear of Mercury Lampe witnessing this, because from the moment of her birth, she had become his zealot. Unlike other believers who worshipped his alternate illusory avatar, she worshipped him directly as a person. Under such circumstances, no matter what Link did, Mercury Lampe would never feel surprised nor believe it to be wrong.

As the divine power took effect, the scepter in Link's hand immediately burst into a brilliant white radiance, and its form began to shift dramatically. A dozen seconds later, the transformation concluded, and the scepter looked completely different. The original golden staff had turned pure white, resembling a platinum material yet possessing a unique texture of its own. Its gorgeous shaft was etched with numerous beautiful, ancient patterns imbued with a majestic aura. At the crown of the scepter, three pairs of extended wings served as decoration, and nestled between the wings was a gem radiating a pure white light. Taken as a whole, it was extraordinarily magnificent, a masterpiece that excelled in both aesthetic appeal and presence.

Moreover, this scepter was not merely a pretty facade; its practical effects were astonishing. Wielding this scepter increased attack power, defense, and agility by thirty percent, affecting both physical and magical attributes simultaneously. In other words, fighting while holding this scepter would boost Link's overall strength by nearly a third. In addition, the user could channel holy power to activate the scepter's secondary effect, casting a blessing divine spell on all friendly targets within a one-kilometer radius, increasing their attack, defense, and agility by twenty percent. The blessing effect lasted for an entire hour and could be used once a day. Although utilizing the area-of-effect function temporarily disabled the single-target buff for three hours, it remained an absolute divine-tier auxiliary equipment despite these minor limitations.

Beyond all that, the scepter's name was equally formidable: *Alliance of Angels*, identical to the name of the supreme artifact from the classic game *Heroes of Might and Magic III*. The only difference was that while the game version was a complete set, here it was solely manifested as a scepter.

Although the *Alliance of Angels* belonged to the auxiliary category and could not be used for direct active combat, for Link, it was undeniably the best possible equipment. As the leader of a church, if a major war were to break out, he obviously could not charge into the front lines; holding down the fort in the rear and commanding the overarching situation was the proper course of action. When that time came, all he needed to do was pull out the *Alliance of Angels*, cast the blessing spell, and he could simultaneously boost his subordinates' combat effectiveness while crushing the enemy's morale.

Furthermore, aside from practical combat utility, holding this scepter enhanced Link's charisma and majesty, making him look even more like a true religious leader and supreme charlatan—an absolute must-have artifact exclusive to a pope that combined practicality with awe-inspiring presence.

"To trade just a single holy artifact for such incredible equipment... If I had a few more... Hehehe, Sylvanas, you just wait! Sooner or later, I will completely hollow out your treasury and see how you play the tycoon then!" Link thought to himself, the smile on his face growing even broader.

Link eagerly gripped the *Alliance of Angels*, and its effects manifested instantly. A faint radiance seemed to envelop Link, lending his entire person an even greater sense of sanctity. Seeing this, Mercury Lampe stared with wide eyes and exclaimed in admiration, "Wow, Father Lord, you've become even more handsome."

Who doesn't like hearing compliments? Especially when praised by one's own daughter, Link immediately beamed, gently petting Mercury Lampe's head and murmuring, "Good girl," which brought a joyful, blooming smile to her face.

This windfall of benefits and joy slightly diluted the sorrow surrounding Lin Xi and the others being trapped in the wasteland world. By the time he returned to God-Blessed City, it was already late into the night. Choosing not to disturb the congregation, Link quietly returned to his quarters to rest for the night, only to make a high-profile announcement of his return the following morning.

Consequently, the church members, who had grown anxious due to Link's nearly twenty-day absence without any news, finally rediscovered their anchor, and everyone's hearts were set at ease.

However, because Lin Xi and the others did not return with him, the higher-ups were left filled with doubt. Without concealing anything, Link summoned the leadership and explained the situation regarding the others being trapped in the wasteland realm, while also introducing Mercury Lampe to everyone.

Appearing before so many strangers for the very first time—and a group of his "own people" whom her father had instructed her to be polite to—Mercury Lampe felt a trace of nervousness. The little one, who usually dismissed strangers with a casual " foolish humans," put on a remarkably ladylike facade, lifting the hem of her skirt with aristocratic grace to greet everyone. This charming and lovely display immediately won the favor of all present.

Nevertheless, because Lingmeng and the others remained trapped in the wasteland dimension, nobody could truly muster a celebratory mood. After exchanging friendly greetings with Mercury Lampe, the group fell back into gloomy expressions.

Seeing this, Link offered words of comfort: "Everyone, don't worry too much. Since Miss Alice promised to take care of them, I believe they will be completely fine. As a holy spirit, Miss Alice possesses a noble character and will certainly honor her commitment. Perhaps in less than half a year, we will be able to see them again."

"That's right, Mother Lord will definitely bring them back. Please rest assured and trust in Mother Lord," Mercury Lampe chimed in. Yet her choice of title left everyone wearing rather peculiar expressions.

Alice was the mother, Link was the father...

Although they knew the two had no romantic ties and Link had already explained as much, hearing such titles still prompted wild imaginations. However, faced with Link's steadily growing authority, no one dared to voice their thoughts aloud, keeping their wild speculations strictly to themselves—especially since none of them even knew what Alice looked like.