The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 54

"I thought you wouldn't be back for several more months. How was the end of the world?"

"Not great. If possible, I'd prefer you take the next trip."

Under the vast dome, the stars shone clearly against the dark night. Arthur sat at one end of the ancient round table, perusing the documents before him. At the other end, a man conversed with him.

"The sky and earth are an endless expanse of pure white. There's nothing but yourself out there. It's a lonely place, and even the most optimistic person would feel despair."

The man spoke slowly, his voice laden with the weariness of his journey.

"What happened while I was away? I noticed our chief knights are all heavily injured, and even the Dawn Seeker is no longer in the dock."

"A lot has happened. I thought you had a general idea."

"A vague idea. I'd rather hear it from you than from others. Also, I overheard the communication earlier. So, you've agreed to it. Lloyd Holmes isn't an easy person to deal with. Aren't you worried about potential mishaps?"

The man seemed aware of Lloyd's identity and was evidently concerned.

"Actually, hasn't this all been a series of mishaps from the start?"

Arthur slowly lifted his head to look at the man on the other side of the round table. The man wore a gray robe that completely covered his body, his features hidden under a hood, revealing only a vague darkness.

"A few months after you left, we unexpectedly obtained information about the Demon Hunter Order. A Gospel Church freighter sank near the Nobido waters of the Viking Kingdom, carrying a mysterious item called the Sacred Coffin."

"You know how difficult it has been for the Purge Agency to get to where it is today. At the end of the Glorious War, we established dominance with steam engines, but in the darkness, demons remained a deadly threat. The Gospel Church threatened us, demanding our steam technology in exchange for the Demon Hunter Order's protection."

Arthur lit a cigarette, the corners of his eyes etched with the lines of time.

"We won a war that lasted a century. We will not bow to anyone, least of all to those fanatics. So we made a deal with the distant Nine Summers. That General Zuo Zhen brought the Kui Dragon Fleet to our aid. The Gospel Church thought we lacked the power to fight demons, unaware that the Purge Agency had already emerged in the deeper darkness."

"It seems that item is very important."

The gray-robed man's voice was hoarse, sounding like that of a very old man. Yet the hand visible beneath his sleeve was pale and youthful.

Arthur nodded and continued.

"The Purge Agency was secretly established, and with technical support from Nine Summers, we gained the initial capability to counter demons. But this wasn't enough. Compared to Nine Summers' divine armor technology, the Demon Hunter Order's secret blood was the most advanced. The Sacred Coffin was the core of this secret blood technology."

"The core?"

This piqued the gray-robed man's interest. He seemed surprised that the legendary secret blood was so close.

"According to our information, the Sacred Coffin has a very special religious significance. We don't know the specifics, as the Demon Hunter Order disbanded six years ago."

"Disbanded? How is that possible?"

For the first time, the gray-robed man lost his composure, his voice rising.