Chapter Twenty-Six: The Spirit Eagle

Link never expected Alia to become especially powerful; he simply hoped his sister would possess enough strength to protect herself. Even with the Soul of Flame, it would be impossible for her to master three spells in less than a month or two. Not everyone is a genius, nor do they all have the advantage that Link does. Alia’s magical aptitude was only moderately above average, and studying the magic of the Soul of Flame would certainly take her some time.

Of course, mastering three spells in one or two months was already astonishing. Magic, much like the ancient martial arts of Huaxia, required extended study and cultivation to truly grasp. In the world of Sola Sky, renowned magical prodigies often needed more than a month to learn each spell, and the more advanced the spell, the longer it took. If Alia could master three spells in one or two months—even if they were only basic spells—it would be enough to leave countless people in awe.

From this perspective, wielding the Soul of Flame was even more effective than having a master personally teach magic. This realization made Link’s thoughts lively. With such a tool at hand, it should be possible to attract people with strong magical talents. The Starlight Kingdom had weak teaching resources; many wished to learn magic but suffered from a lack of mentors, while the Church of the Father could cultivate its own magicians.

In the world of Sola Sky, magicians held lofty status, but their numbers were few and they were difficult to train. The Starlight Kingdom even had laws that allowed second-tier magicians who joined the army to become nobles. If the Church of the Father could produce a large number of magicians, then…

Suddenly, a vast plan appeared in Link’s mind, but he set it aside for now. The Church of the Father was not yet powerful enough; even if he wanted to implement his idea, he first needed to establish a solid foundation. Besides, relying on a single Soul of Flame was insufficient. He would need to acquire more useful items from the system.

Unconsciously, another two days passed. On April 3rd, Bas and his son bid farewell. They had been away from home for some time, and though Losa wished to stay longer, he had to return early to prevent any mishaps in the rear. The Bas father and son kept a low profile during their visit; Link had not revealed their presence, so their arrival caused no stir, and their departure was quiet as well. Only Link and a few others saw them off; the outside world was entirely unaware that the “local emperor” of Red Moon Province had been here.

However, Link barely had two days of peace before a message from the Jack family forced him to turn his attention to the religious conflict. After Jack became the priest of the Church of the Father and was put in charge of the Holy Light Cathedral, his status at home rose sharply. The town mayor, Tony, often sought his advice.

This time, Tony informed Jack of something related to the Church of the Father. He had received word that the Church of the War God and the Temple of the Mad God had been frequently contacting their branches in other towns, and that some mysterious individuals had secretly entered Qinke Town. Tony suspected these people might pose a threat to the Church of the Father and passed the information to Jack.

Upon hearing this, Link's thoughts aligned with Tony's, except he was absolutely certain that the Church of the War God and the Temple of the Mad God would act against the Church of the Father, most likely in the near future.

Their motives were easy to understand. Now that the Church of the Father had supplanted them in Qinke Town and begun expanding outward, if they didn’t suppress it soon, it would soon be too late. Moreover, both churches had a grudge with the Church of the Father—especially the incident on Miracle Day, when Dubai was humiliated in public, which was tantamount to slapping the entire Church of the War God in the face. It would be miraculous if the Church of the War God let it go.

After considering for a while, Link spread his right hand and conjured a fireball, then crushed it fiercely in his grasp. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Very well, let them come. I’m ready. Qinke Town is too small; it doesn’t need so many churches!"

“Qinke Town is too small to accommodate the mighty Church of the Father. We’d best eliminate them as soon as possible!” In the Church of the War God, Dubai looked at the person before him and spoke in a low voice.

The man, about fifty years of age, sported a small goatee and half-lidded eyes, giving him the air of a cunning fox. If Link were present, he would recognize this man as Martin, the presiding priest of the Temple of the Mad God in Qinke Town.

Martin was discreet in his actions, rarely appearing in public, and was shrouded in mystery. If not for Barrett introducing Neil to him while he was still around, Link might not have known him.

After Dubai finished speaking, Martin coughed lightly and said, "Father Dubai speaks wisely. We cannot sit idly by, but to deal with the Church of the Father, we must plan carefully."

Dubai arched his brows, displeased. "What do you mean, Father Martin? Are you afraid of them?"

Martin smiled unbothered. "Oh, Father Dubai, you exaggerate. I simply believe that to oppose the Church of the Father, our churches alone are insufficient. We must enlist the support of the authorities."

"The authorities?" Dubai frowned. "But Mayor Tony is already a follower of the Church of the Father. Will he help us?"

Martin shook his head. "I wasn’t referring to Tony Sparrow. He’s only the mayor of a small town—hardly worthy of the term 'authorities.'” He paused, revealing a cold smile. “Father Dubai seems to have forgotten that Tony Sparrow’s superior is a follower of your Church of the War God, and I hear that he and you are somewhat acquainted.”

Dubai understood immediately, a flicker of annoyance in his heart—he was being used as a tool. Yet, recalling the humiliation on Miracle Day and the way the congregation looked at him afterward, he was filled with rage. Since then, his status in the Church of the War God had plummeted, and now the higher-ups had issued an ultimatum: he must resolve the Church of the Father, or his position as presiding priest would be given to another.

Dubai knew he had no choice, so he set his irritation aside and ultimately nodded in agreement.

Several more days passed. On April 10th, Mayor Tony brought Link some unwelcome news: his superior, the lord of Bayern City, Schiller, had suddenly issued an order forbidding Tony from providing any assistance to the Church of the Father and hinted that a religious conflict would soon erupt in Qinke Town.

The upper echelons of the Starlight Kingdom officially adopted a policy of repression toward domestic religious disputes, usually forbidding direct religious conflict. Yet, there was policy from above and countermeasures below; local governments often quietly ignored such decrees.

The reason was simple: most local governments were entangled in interests with certain religions. Clearly, Schiller had received benefits from some churches, hence his pressure on Tony. This approach of neutrality did not technically violate the kingdom’s policy.

Though Tony was a loyal follower of Link, faced with pressure from his superior, he had no choice but to submit for the sake of his own safety.

Link understood and reassured Tony that he need not worry—they would resolve the matter themselves. Tony, believing firmly in the existence of the Father, was not overly troubled and hinted that although he could not act openly, he would support the Church of the Father covertly.

Link placed little hope in Tony’s promise. Tony was merely a small-town mayor with few people at his disposal, even fewer now under pressure from his superior. At his core, Tony was not a man of principle; even as a loyal believer, he would not sacrifice himself for the Church of the Father. Relying on him was less promising than hoping for a sudden appearance of experts within the church.

Compared to Tony, Link was more interested in the day’s lottery opportunity. At noon, the system suddenly sent him a message.

It was a pleasant surprise for Link, and he realized that the system’s lottery draws were not fixed—major holidays also granted opportunities, such as Summer Arrival Day.

“If Summer Arrival Day offers a lottery, then the other seasonal festivals—Spring Breeze Day, Autumn Harvest Day, and Winter Fountain Day—should as well. And other, more significant holidays… There’s no reason for Summer Arrival Day to grant a draw while others don’t.” Link pondered deeply and became excited. Each lottery draw was invaluable to him; every extra opportunity meant an additional trump card.

He waited anxiously. When midnight struck, Link impatiently activated the lottery. After a brief spin, the pointer stopped at "Spirit Pet."

Instantly, a light flashed before his eyes, and a large white bird appeared. It resembled an eagle, but towered over two meters tall, with golden eyes gleaming sharply and an intimidating presence.

Upon manifesting, the spirit vulture looked about in confusion. When it spotted Link, its eyes brightened and it affectionately nudged him, like a gentle puppy seeking its master’s favor.

Link was startled for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to stroke the spirit vulture. Its feathers were silky and smooth, perfectly matching its snowy, beautiful appearance.

At the same time, information about the spirit vulture flooded into Link’s mind. As a spirit pet, the vulture possessed not only the abilities of ordinary eagles and vultures, but could also communicate telepathically with its master, transmitting what it saw through thought. Its effective range was fifty kilometers, and from seven or eight thousand meters in the air, it could spot mice on the ground. It was strong enough to lift a full-grown bull and could easily carry two or three people in flight. Its speed reached four hundred kilometers per hour—no bird on Earth could rival it.

Most importantly, its vitality and endurance were extraordinary; it could fly at altitudes of up to twelve thousand meters and survive, fly continuously for twenty hours without issue, and needed only three or four hours of rest per day. It was the perfect tool for long-distance travel and reconnaissance.

The sole drawback was its voracious appetite, but the spirit vulture hunted for itself, so it was not a major problem.

After digesting the information, Link was overjoyed. Though it wasn’t the divine skill he most desired, for now, the spirit vulture was even better. With it, he no longer feared the Church of the War God or the Temple of the Mad God’s scheming. Any suspicious activity would not escape the spirit vulture’s surveillance.

With this thought, Link immediately issued a telepathic command to the spirit vulture to monitor the area around the Church of the Father, and to report any suspicious persons at once.

As a spirit pet, the vulture was highly intelligent, fully understood Link's instructions, and knew exactly how to proceed. It promptly left the room and soared into the night sky.