NOVEL NEXT Chapter 678: -126- Attacked at Sea
This quaint Divine Hall was also an Ancient Hall.
But unlike the Divine Hall that Charlotte had previously seen, this one showed obvious signs of destruction and repair, suggesting that it had been rebuilt after being ruined.
Considering the presence of an Ancient Hall within the Free Tribe Alliance as well, if Charlotte was not mistaken, these two halls were probably the two "undiscovered" Ancient Halls located in the Northern Territory Dukedom as per Nisi's calculations (Note).
At the very center of the Array, still enshrined was the Faceless Divine Statue familiar to Charlotte.
Charlotte could distinctly sense the oppressive presence therein.
As was the case initially in Legris Domain, this Faceless Divine Statue was still in operation, capable of disrupting the investigations of Gods, only Charlotte had found a loophole and directly entered through the other party's Magic Barrier, which is why her access had not been blocked.
Nevertheless, even so, Charlotte still felt a great oppression.
She could not determine the location of this Divine Hall, nor could she break through the barrier with more Divine Power or spiritual power to project into reality.
In other words, even though she could see the other side now, she could do nothing about them.
"Still too far away. If I were in the Northern Land right now, or if I had formally established contact through the Divine Statue with those descendants of the Free City State Alliance, perhaps then I could break through such a barrier and pinpoint their location."
Charlotte surmised.
However, although she could still only observe the other side, Charlotte could still infer some things from the breath and attire of these Bloodline.
In her perception, the breath of these Bloodline differed completely from that of the Nais Clan and the Shedite Clan.
Different bloodlines had subtle differences in their breath, distinctions that even many Bloodline could not discern, but Charlotte, this "old ancestor", was an exception.
For example, the presence that the Nais Clan conveyed to her tended more towards "liveliness", like the Starry heavens, whereas the breath of the Shedite Clan often felt more "profound", even oppressive to some.
As for the Bloodline before her eyes, their presence gave Charlotte the impression of being both "vast" and "substantial".
Clearly, this was a Bloodline Clan with which Charlotte had yet to interact.
As if confirming Charlotte's speculation, after she scrutinized these operators of the Array, she soon caught sight of a wolf's head emblem on their black robes.
"A wolf's head? Is this... the Harcos Clan's emblem?"
Charlotte pondered in her heart.
Each Bloodline Clan had its own emblem, typically the Holy Emblem of their respective Bloodline Duke.
The emblem of the Nais Clan was a Star and Scepter, the Shedite Clan's emblem was the Eye of Demon, and the wolf's head...
Based on Charlotte's understanding of the Bloodline, it should be the "Blood and Flesh Clan" of Harcos, active in the Northern Territory.
An intense wave of fatigue struck, and Charlotte knew her exploration had reached its limit.
There was nothing to be done; such long-distance "watching" inherently drained spiritual power, and she, who had embarked on this path midway, evidently couldn't maintain observation for an extended duration.
She scanned the entire Divine Hall once more, memorizing the scene within the hall and the breath of the Bloodline operating the Array, then concluded this remote sensing session.
Her perspective flipped, and Charlotte swiftly returned to reality.
The moist sea breeze struck her face, greatly soothing her temples, which felt somewhat sore from the forced observation.
Charlotte sat within her own luxurious private cabin, massaging her temples while reflecting on everything she had just witnessed.
The fact that those who arranged the Array to isolate the "God's" Faith and exploration were Bloodline was something Charlotte had never anticipated.
"Harcos, eh? According to Albrecht's memories, this clan is the most low-key among the Six Great Clans of the Bloodline and doesn't like interacting much with the human civilized world; even the Half-God Crimson Queen Royena of the Harcos Clan is the most mysterious."
"What could they be arranging such a massive Array in the Northern Territory for? Could it be... also in preparation for the Holy Presence Day?"
Charlotte fell into contemplation.
The capabilities of that massive Array were clear; it was specifically intended to counter Gods, preventing the descent of divine power into the Northern Territory.
The Church's missionary efforts in the Northern Territory for many years had yielded virtually no progress, which was very likely related to this.
"Free Tribe Alliance... a massive Array preventing divine power..."
"Is it a coincidence? Or could it be... related to the Free City State Alliance of yesteryear?"
Charlotte mused thoughtfully.
"Let's wait for Sebastian's news; once he finds the Ancient Hall of the Free Tribe Alliance and helps me establish contact with the Divine Statue there, perhaps we can figure out what's going on."
The giant Array in the Northern Territory had been strangely active for who knows how many years, so a few more days, ten days, or even half a month, didn't matter much.
Although the Array could interfere with Charlotte's connection with her Believers, Sebastian was already on his way, and he had already met the people of the Free Tribe Alliance, so the rest should be easy to handle.
She just needed to wait for the news.
Charlotte was now very curious about the Northern Territory Duke's attitude.
She wondered, as the secular ruler of the Northern Territory, did his Grace the Duke know about the existence of such a huge Prohibition Array in the Northern Territory?
"Boom...!"
A dull, thunderous sound shattered Charlotte's train of thought.
As if struck by something, Charlotte felt the cabin shake upwards, then start to tremble violently.
The alarmed shouts of sailors and soldiers came from the deck, along with the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps.
A horrifying aura slowly descended, oppressive, thick, mad...
Charlotte's heart stirred.
She looked in a certain direction, narrowing her eyes slightly:
"Has it... finally come?"
A rapid knocking at the door sounded, accompanied by the serious voice of Count John Stafford of the Falling Star Kingdom Council:
"Your Majesty! We've been attacked by a Legendary Sea Beast! Please exit the cabin immediately and prepare for an emergency evacuation!"
After hearing Count Stafford, Charlotte rose and opened the cabin door.
Count Stafford still wore the polite attire of a noble, but at this moment his expression showed alarm.
"A sea beast?"
Charlotte inquired.
The ship shook again, creaking under the stress, and through the porthole on the side of the cabin, Charlotte saw a giant tentacle covered with suckers slowly passing by.
"It's the Kraken, the Legendary Sea Beast, the Kraken! It's coming for us!"
Count Stafford said with fear.
After speaking, he clenched his teeth:
"Your Majesty! We're not far from Falling Star now, there's a Griffin on board, and we've prepared an Instant Transmission Array in the control room, please escape by riding the Griffin!"
"The Instant Transmission Array can only transport so much, right? If I escape on the Griffin, what about you?"
Charlotte asked.
Count Stafford took a deep breath and said:
"We will hold it off! To buy you time!"
Charlotte nodded.
Seeing Charlotte's unruffled demeanor, as if still not recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Count Stafford urged:
"Your Majesty! The Kraken is notoriously ferocious and is one of the most terrible Favored creatures of the Sea King; it never easily lets go of its prey. Please act immediately and leave this place!"
"The Sea King's Favored?"
Charlotte was somewhat surprised.
She didn't respond directly to Stafford's request but said calmly:
"Take me to the deck."
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Note: Chapter 54 is referenced, with some content modified.
This was from last night, with more to come this evening.