Choosing Satahia had been a considered decision.
Syl needed to remain in the Alwyn Empire to help handle matters there for the time being, which was the only way I could feel at ease.
As for Kashalia, that one was somewhat special.
Her range of activity couldn’t stray too far from her main body, which had relocated into the Grand Library, meaning she could only handle dungeon-related storyline tasks.
Even then, I was worried that Epoch might one day get reported by some parents for negatively influencing minors’ mental health.
And so, naturally, the responsibility fell onto Satahia.
On top of that, it really was time to think about leveling her up a bit, so she could better handle matters related to expanding the area around the Demon King’s Castle.
As for safety concerns, although Satahia was only Level 23 at the moment, if real danger arose, her lord-tier bonuses would be more than enough to deal with most early-stage situations.
There really wasn’t much to worry about.
And if worst came to worst, I could always summon Kai and the others to help.
So, after handing over everything related to the Barenna Underground Fortress to Syl, I brought Satahia with me to the capital of the Constanterna Empire — Vantiento.
Naturally, we used the teleportation array inside the Demon King’s Castle.
Cross-border teleportation cost several gold coins per use, and no matter how rich I was, wasting money so casually was unacceptable.
As white light flashed, the dim teleportation chamber before my eyes was quickly replaced by a breathtakingly beautiful city.
Compared to Faerns’ grand and imposing presence, like the opening movement of a majestic epic, Vantiento felt more like a graceful melody penned by a poet, carrying an artistic aura where romance and lyricism intertwined.
One could already glimpse it from the city’s architecture alone.
Classically elegant theaters stood in rows.
Plazas filled with flocks of white doves.
Beyond the fountains, landscapes and parks could be seen blending seamlessly into the city itself.
This was, in part, due to the Constanterna people’s innate romantic temperament.
Precisely because of this, the Constanterna Empire was the birthplace of many musical pieces and poems across the continent, and it also possessed the distinctive profession of bard.
As a side note, the Alwyn Empire’s unique profession was the mechanical alchemist.
With more and more people gradually pouring into Epoch at this stage, many players weren’t focused on leveling.
Coupled with those setting up stalls to sell equipment and those browsing for gear, the number of players in Vantiento looked no less than in Faerns.
In fact, because of the romantic and poetic scenery of the capital often captured and shared on the forums, a visibly larger number of female players chose the Constanterna Empire as their starting nation.
In my previous life, this had even formed a unique sightseeing feature of Vantiento.
And because of that, after teleporting into this capital of the Constanterna Empire, I vaguely felt that the gazes directed at us were noticeably more numerous than in Faerns.
There was no need to think about why.
This was all thanks to a certain piece of equipment.
I couldn’t help but glance silently at the person beside me, who had switched into a Flame Mage class.
Syl needed to handle the Barenna Underground Fortress matters, and because of the binding already in place, the magic disguise couldn’t be borrowed.
Just as I was feeling troubled by this, Syl produced a new disguise device —
A bracelet of the same style as hers.
So, was the real traitor among the three of us actually me?
“What’s wrong, Demon King?” Satahia, who had been curiously observing the surroundings, seemed to sense some kind of resentment and instinctively looked over.
…
“Nothing. Come this way.”
After quietly adding another mark to Alice’s little ledger in my heart, I walked toward the Constanterna Empire’s city teleportation array nearby.
Originally, I thought I’d have to spend quite some time investigating the Radiant Chapter in detail.
But unexpectedly, the moment I had just arrived in Vantiento earlier, a quest acceptance prompt automatically appeared before my eyes.
[Guidance of Eternal Radiance] (Special Quest)
Quest Description:
The hidden power within the Radiant Chapter is pulsing.
It seems to be guiding me toward Naldun Town in the Constanterna Empire.
That place should hold the key to deciphering the mysterious script upon it.
Stage Objective:
Travel to Naldun Town (0/1)
Naldun Town rang a bell from my previous life, though only vaguely.
It was located in the southern region of the Constanterna Empire and connected to several well-known leveling areas.
During the early to mid-game, it saw quite a lot of player traffic.
There also seemed to be some mineral veins in the surrounding area, which had historically attracted many prospectors.
Despite having plenty of experience from my past life, I truly hadn’t heard of a special quest like this before.
And its quest item was even stored in a completely different country.
But that wasn’t strange.
Epoch’s world was vast, and there were always things I didn’t know.
Besides, in my previous life, I could at best be considered a high-level player.
There was still a huge gap between me and the very top-tier players.
“Demon King, the quest changed,” Satahia said after being teleported to Naldun and sharing the quest, noticing the updated objective.
“This is a stage-based special quest.”
In my previous life, this type of quest was notoriously troublesome.
Of course, the final rewards were also extremely generous.
I glanced at the quest objective and saw that it had already changed from traveling to Naldun to finding the key to unsealing the Radiant Chapter.
I couldn’t help but frown my adorable little brows.
Satahia was thinking the same thing I was.
“Finding the key to unsealing it? That’s way too vague. It doesn’t even say what the target is.”
Exactly.
It only said “the key,” without specifying what that key actually was.
It could be a person.
It could be a book.
It could even be a random stone by the roadside.
Even if Naldun wasn’t on the scale of Vantiento or Faerns, it was still a city, no matter how you looked at it.
“Once we get close, the Radiant Chapter will react and give a prompt… but isn’t that range still way too large?”
Was this the puzzle-solving test set by the quest itself?
I fell into thought.
Although the objective was extremely vague, a rough idea soon began to form in my mind.
But when I looked up and saw Satahia beside me wearing a rare expression of serious contemplation, I felt both surprised and oddly gratified.
“Satahia, did you notice something?”
With the mindset of caring for a subordinate, I decided to give her a chance to shine.
Even if she was wrong, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was learning how to think.
Satahia nodded, gazing down the town streets at the locals and adventurers coming and going.
Her slender brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were troubled by a difficult problem.
“Demon King, I’ve realized that there are really a lot of class enemies out there.”
“Ouch!”