Ronald’s first priority was to figure out where he was.
From the records in the archive earlier, they had collected a large amount of information about the Holy Capital, including a map of the city.
"If I fly up and scout from the air, I might draw the attention of the Nine-Ring Secret Society. Better to move around on the ground for now."
Whether scouting from the air or on the ground, the efficiency would be almost the sa.
Ronald imdiately activated the Spell [Astrolabe], gathering the terrain features in the vicinity, while his feet carried him toward the most striking building nearby.
—It was an extravagantly shaped fountain statue.
Following the road, Ronald reached his target, found a chair in the plaza where the fountain statue stood, sat down, closed his eyes, and began carefully processing the map information fed back by the Spell.
He had successfully entered the Holy Capital, but was unexpectedly separated from his companions.
This should have been a rather troubleso situation.
Yet as he felt the information coming from the Spell, the corners of Ronald’s mouth started curling up uncontrollably:
"A blessing in disguise!"
"The ritual malfunctioned, and instead it sent straight to Saint Ailan Cathedral?"
The Holy Capital had once been the center of the Church’s power.
It was also an enormous city, no less impressive than the present capital of Gred.
But unlike the large cities common in present-day Civilization.
In addition to the usual urban divisions and functional buildings, nearly one-third of the land inside the Holy Capital was devoted entirely to Church activities, with gigantic cathedrals everywhere.
Ronald’s current location was a district called the Radiance Quarter.
It was also where Saint Ailan Cathedral was situated.
—This was without a doubt a winning draw.
Ronald even had the urge to burst out laughing.
Back when he was searching for information on the second floor of the archive, taking into account the incidents that had once occurred in the Holy Capital, Ronald had conducted detailed investigations into every key piece of information that might influence the situation.
There was the central grand cathedral where the Pope, high priests, and other important Church personnel handled daily administration; and there was Clenton Cathedral, which had received that accidentally born faith-god and later housed it.
But the situation of Saint Ailan Cathedral, where Ronald now stood, was completely different from those two.
This was a place where knowledge and power converged, the base of operations for the priests in the Church responsible for researching theological knowledge and Spell power.
Without question, it was the cutting edge of Spell research in the entire world!
And after the faith-god abandoned the Church and left this world.
The clergy responsible for forbidden research—those who put such research into practice—had likewise co from this place.
What was the most important piece of forbidden research in the Holy Capital?
—Artificial divinity!
In other words, Ronald was very likely extrely close to the artificial godhead.
This bizarre turn of events was like throwing soone into a maze to search for the treasure at its center, only for the Treasure Hunter to realize after landing that he wasn’t at the maze entrance at all, but had been tossed directly in front of the treasure.
He hadn’t dealt with any enemies yet, and the goal of this trip was already right within reach.
It was practically a pie falling from the sky!
"The ritual went wrong, and it actually helped this much?"
Having整理ed the map intel, Ronald’s mood could be described as excellent.
He repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm; the fact that he could recognize his current location at a glance was the payoff of his thorough preliminary intelligence work.
Then he decisively rose from the plaza bench and headed straight down the broad avenue facing the fountain.
—This road led directly to Saint Ailan Cathedral.
On the way to the cathedral, Ronald did not forget the bizarre situation he was in. While hurrying along, he also used his Spell senses to investigate the surroundings of the street.
These actions yielded no return.
Every ti Ronald sensed the presence of people, he carefully observed, even taking the initiative to interfere physically—but the street remained just a street, without any change; even when Ronald drew his weapon and left marks in the city, nothing happened besides the traces carved by the blade.
He went even further and boldly stood directly overlapping the spot where he sensed a person.
The result was the sa as before.
The silent city was like a pool of dead water!
"I can feel people’s presence, but I can’t see any physical form or make contact."
"Looks like it’s not just what the records said. After the Holy Capital was sealed, sothing else happened to this cursed place..."
How powerful had the Holy Capital once been?
Just from the concealnt of the Forest in Song and the might of the Seven-string Seal, one could glimpse the Church’s strength in that era. So even though it had declined by the ti of the sealing, Ronald still felt it was highly possible that what he was seeing was so kind of reaction from the people in the city after they were sealed.
But aside from that, Ronald had another suspicion in his heart.
—The Nine-Ring Secret Society.
The Casters of the Nine-Ring Secret Society who had entered a few days earlier were all powerful beings bearing Original Texts.
If the source of what he was seeing right now was those bastards...
Thinking of this, Ronald naturally beca even more alert.
However, even after he arrived before Saint Ailan Cathedral, the crisis or battle he had anticipated still did not occur.
He was like a solitary wanderer in an empty city, accompanied only by loneliness and the cold air around him.
"Saint Ailan Cathedral..."
Standing before the cathedral’s façade, Ronald spoke the na of the building before him.
This Saint Ailan Cathedral, whether in the area it covered or the volu of its structures, fully lived up to the word "great" in its na!
The façade of the main building alone, facing Ronald, stretched more than a hundred ters wide.
Then he shifted his attention to the data gathered by the [Star Chart].
He discovered that the space occupied behind the cathedral was several tis more magnificent than what he could see with his eyes!
Compared to the cathedral he had seen outside the Forest in Song...
To put it bluntly, those buildings that had once seed grand could practically be packed one by one inside the structure before him; the disparity between them was as astonishing as the wonders described in Vreig’s Travels.
Not to ntion that Saint Ailan Cathedral itself was set off by countless other structures, sculptures, and so on. In terms of both scale and craftsmanship, it was sothing unimaginable in contemporary society.
"..."
"If not for the help of Spells, this thing would probably take several hundred, even a thousand years to build."
As he marveled at the magnificence of the building before him.
Ronald also stepped forward, preparing to search for any clues related to the artificial godhead.
But just as he reached the main entrance and was about to step through.
The massive doors of the imposing structure swung shut of their own accord, blocking Ronald outside.
"Oh?"
Ronald raised an eyebrow and imdiately reached forward with both hands, ready to force the cathedral doors open with his formidable strength.
But the instant his hands touched the doors—
Crackle—
A flash of lightning burst out, knocking his hands away.
At the sa ti, a solemn, majestic voice resounded in Ronald’s mind:
"Outsider, you may not enter!"
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