Starting as Cipher-The Flame-Chaser Identity System(Honkai Star Rail)

The scene shifts to Aria and Feidric, who quickly located the local Church of the God of Life. However, instead of a pristine and sacred sanctuary, they found a charred, blackened ruin.

The ruins were surrounded by fully armed soldiers who stopped them as they approached. "This area is under investigation," one of them said. "Civilians are advised to stay away."

Feidric frowned, his expression bewildered. "What exactly happened here?" he demanded. "How did this place end up like this?"

The soldiers offered no explanation, merely waving impatiently for them to leave.

Just then, a voice spoke up beside them. "Two days ago, a sudden fire engulfed the place, reducing it to ashes. All the priests vanished without a trace. Of course, that's the official version."

Turning around, they saw Dio, the bard they had met at the city gates. He greeted them with a smile and a wave. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? We meet again!"

"How did you end up here?" Feidric asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Don't be so wary," Dio replied with a wistful expression. "I was simply passing through when I happened to spot you. It's a pity that lovely Catfolk lady isn't with you."

"But you must be her companions, right? I've been in this city for a while now and know all about the recent events. As a bard, staying informed is my bread and butter! If there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask. In exchange... could you tell me that Catfolk lady's name?"

"No!" Aria instantly refused, recalling Cipher's claim that bards were so annoying they made her want to lie still. Though Cipher had clearly been making up an excuse, Aria had taken it to heart. Pouting, she declared, "Sister Cipher hates you! Please stop bothering her!"

Dio nodded silently. "So her name is Cipher? What a lovely name."

Aria exclaimed, "Huh?!"

Feidric pressed a hand to his forehead, his expression one of utter exasperation. "..."

Even the usually stern soldier beside them couldn't suppress a snort of laughter at the exchange. When Feidric glanced his way, the soldier immediately resumed his rigid posture, chest puffed out and eyes fixed straight ahead, though his lips twitched occasionally as he struggled to stifle his amusement. He looked like he was working hard to hold back his laughter.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Aria swiftly drew her weapon from her belt and pointed it at the bard. "J-just so you know, Sister Cipher hates you! If you bother her again, I'll cut you down!"

Dio surrendered instantly, raising his hands in the air. "W-wait, wait! Calm down, little girl! There's no need to resort to violence over this!"

Aria remained silent, taking another step forward with her sword raised. "Alright, alright! I get it!" Dio blurted out. "I won't bother her anymore! Just put your weapon down!"

Feidric led Dio away from the soldiers to a relatively secluded spot. "So," he said, "are you going to tell us about the Church now? What exactly happened here?"

Seeing Dio's bewildered expression, Feidric pressed on. "We kept our end of the bargain and told you Cipher's name, just as you asked. Shouldn't you fulfill your promise too?"

Dio's brow furrowed. "But everything I did was to get closer to Miss Cipher. Now that this girl has nipped it in the bud, making a deal with you is pointless."

As he spoke, Dio gestured toward Aria, who stood nearby, her eyes fixed on him with a fierce, protective glare, like a loyal puppy guarding its master.

"That's not our concern," Feidric retorted. "According to our agreement, we've already provided the information. What... are you trying to weasel out of it?"

Dio pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exasperated. "Seriously? You're just trying to get my intel for free, aren't you?"

"Fine, fine! I'll talk, alright?"

Just two days ago, the Life Church was suddenly engulfed in flames, burning to the ground overnight. All the priests vanished without a trace. To investigate the truth, the King ordered the area sealed off, preserving the scene while his men searched for clues.

Dio remarked, "Of course, anyone can see something's fishy here. Who in their right mind would burn down the Life Church? I'd sooner believe someone blew up the War Church in the middle of the night. The Life Church is incredibly popular with the common folk—they give out free food to the poor and heal injured adventurers without charge. Who would want to set it ablaze?"

"Moreover, I know for a fact there were eleven priests stationed here, and now they've all disappeared. This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment act by a lone arsonist; it was a planned operation by an organized group."

"In Cloudsea City, there aren't many factions capable of pulling off something like this. In fact, there's probably only one."

Dio pointed his index finger skyward. "His Majesty the King, of course, sitting high on his throne. The only question is... why would he do such a thing?"

Why? The answer was simple: the priests had likely discovered something—the truth behind the famine, perhaps, or the existence of the Hell Book. Either revelation, if relayed to the Holy City, would ruin the King's plans. At this point, he had only one option: eliminate all witnesses.

The Holy City's influence was vast, but Cloudsea City was only guarded by a handful of minor priests. If they were all silenced, the Holy City would remain ignorant of what had transpired here.

Dio, noticing Feidric's thoughtful expression, couldn't help but feel intrigued. "Do you know something?"

Feidric simply shook his head, said nothing, and hurried away with Aria, leaving Dio utterly bewildered.

With their communication line to the Holy City severed, Feidric pondered his next move. On his way back to the Adventurer's Guild, three figures clad in Mage Robes materialized in his path, stopping him in his tracks.

He didn't recognize the individuals, but he recognized the Mage Robes they wore and the brooches pinned to their chests.

"People from the Arcane Federation... What are they doing here?!"

As mentioned earlier, the Empire and the Alliance were discussed, but the other two great nations, the Arcane Federation and the Eastern Ancient Kingdom, were omitted because they are too far from the Grand Duchy of Kandela.

The Arcane Federation, though the smallest of the Four Great Nations in terms of land area, boasts immense power due to its near-universal wizardry. The entire nation is dotted with magical academies.

The most prestigious and powerful institutions are undoubtedly the Eight Great Mage Towers in the Arcane Federation's capital. Each tower represents a distinct school of magic, and their masters are the foremost wizards in their respective fields. These eight mages collectively govern the nation as a council.

Franklin, the necromancer mentioned earlier, was merely a teacher at a private academy. In contrast, the three wizards now facing Feidric all hail from the Prophecy Tower, one of the Eight Great Mage Towers. Whether they are instructors, students, or even maintenance staff, their presence here signifies official representation from the Arcane Federation.

As Feidric observed them, the three wizards seemed to sense his gaze and turned to meet his eyes.

-

Meanwhile, the perspective shifts to Cipher, who quickly reached the vicinity of the castle at the heart of Cloudsea City. The entire structure was enclosed by stone walls at least ten meters high, completely obscuring the interior. The walls looked remarkably new, as if they had been recently constructed.

Cipher noticed numerous soldiers patrolling the perimeter. Instinctively, she tugged at her hood, blending into the crowd to become less conspicuous.

She couldn't quite understand the purpose of building a castle within the city walls. A grand Royal Palace where the King indulged in luxury made sense, but a castle? Shouldn't such structures be built on the front lines to defend against enemy attacks?

If war reached the capital, would the presence of this castle even matter? After pondering this, Cipher concluded that its primary function seemed to be deterring petty thieves like herself.

Or, more accurately, controlling the city's own populace?

Indeed, in the event of a rebellion, the castle would provide excellent protection for His Majesty the King. But wasn't that a rather abstract and unlikely scenario?

In other words, the King knew his actions might incite public outrage, yet he deliberately provoked it. Could he have even built this fortress as a preemptive measure against the potential backlash?

As Cipher pondered this, two peculiar figures entered her field of vision. Both were clad in full plate armor, with only their heads exposed. Ordinarily, this might have been dismissed as mere warrior-class adventurers—nothing unusual.

But what set them apart was the behavior of the civilians. Every ordinary citizen, even other adventurers, lowered their heads, quickened their pace, and hurried past the patrolling soldiers. These two, however, stood motionless in the middle of the road, gazing up at the castle walls.

Cipher pricked up her cat ears, their fuzzy tips swiveling toward the pair as she brazenly eavesdropped.

"What's the deal with this Grand Duchy of Kandela?" one remarked. "Who builds a castle inside a city?"

"What a waste," the other replied. "I can't fathom what that pathetic little king of this dump was thinking."

Cipher couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Well, well, you two are complaining about the same thing?

"With this city wall blocking our view, it's tough to investigate the situation," the first man continued. "Division Commander, what should we do now?"

"Don't worry, there's no rush," the second man replied. "We have plenty of time. I have a feeling something big is about to happen soon."

As they spoke, a patrolling guard noticed the two suspicious figures and quickly approached, his expression hostile. "Hey! What are you two muttering about?"

The men exchanged glances but remained silent, turning to leave. But the arrogant soldier, accustomed to abusing his authority, jogged after them, grabbed one by the shoulder, and sneered, "Hey! Did I say you could leave? You know, observing the castle's defenses with intent to assassinate His Majesty the King is a grave crime! You wouldn't want..."

Clearly, the guard intended to abuse his power for extortion. Any normal person caught in this situation would have two choices: either offer a bribe that satisfied him or face trumped-up charges. No wonder the commoners and adventurers had fled so quickly upon spotting the patrolmen earlier.

It seemed many others had already suffered a similar fate at the hands of these corrupt guards.

However, the man whose shoulder was being held simply turned slowly, glanced at the soldier, and extended his right hand to grasp the soldier's wrist.

In the next instant, with a sickening snap, the soldier's arm twisted into a grotesque spiral, the bones of his forearm piercing through the skin in a gory spectacle.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

The soldier screamed in agony. The other soldiers, witnessing the gruesome scene, panicked, fumbling for their weapons and aiming them at the pair.

"Truly disgusting," the man said, shaking his head. "I can't believe the soldiers of a nation's capital would be so despicable. Greedy, abusing your authority to bully others, and utterly weak. I've already broken one of your arms, and you still hesitate to attack me?"

He continued, "I am Tom Russell, Division Commander of the Fifth Division, Third Imperial Army. If you point your weapons at me, am I to interpret this as a challenge to the Empire?"

"The Empire?" Cipher, who had been eavesdropping nearby, was slightly taken aback. There was no doubt that the only entity worthy of that title was the Dragon Ember Empire. Douglas had been hesitant about sending intelligence to the Empire, but it seemed their representatives had already arrived.

And this one was a Division Commander! Cipher wasn't familiar with the Dragon Ember Empire's military ranking system, but a Division Commander couldn't possibly hold a low position.

Recalling the conversation between the Division Commander and his attendant, it wasn't difficult to deduce that they were here to investigate something. However, they likely remained unaware of the Hell Book's existence; otherwise, the Empire would have dispatched a full army instead of just these two men.

The moment they heard the word "Empire," the soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and fled without looking back, leaving only the man with the twisted arm writhing on the ground, his screams echoing in the air.