The people from his hometown would say that it was the drunkard father's influence that led his child astray to become a mage. But Lynch knew who really supported him on this destined tough path.

The two horses turned their heads, somewhat bewildered, and looked at the "stranger's" face sitting behind them, wondering whether they should obey this guy's command—after all, it was a beautiful lady who had saved them. Lynch flicked the reins, his movements skillful like a lifelong coachman.

"Giddy up, you two!" Lynch said with a smile. "Behind you sits the only Great Mage coachman in history!"

The wooden wheels creaked all the way, partly due to the echoes on the snowy ground and partly due to the damage caused by the two horses crashing through the pine woods during their escape. The latter vanished after Lynch briefly used the "Creation Law" power; as for the former, it wouldn't disturb Zilvra's peaceful sleep after the mage drove onto the road leading to Bright City Pate.

This time of year was supposed to be the season with the most travelers. They would come from all over and gather in the square in front of the Light Temple of Pate City to pray to the Sun God for a year of abundant sunlight, offering their devout faith—and of course, generous tributes. Lynch always thought it was the latter that motivated the Pate Temple to go to great lengths to construct high-quality roads for the transport of goods. Even in this snowy weather, the carriage they drove could run swiftly on this road.

Adding a little elf cookie crumbs to the horses' water could achieve such an effect for anyone.

"Zilvra, once we reach Pate, we'll pretend to be tribute merchants," Lynch said to the back. "Due to the Snake-man attacks, I fear not many will come here for the Sunlight Festival this year, and this way, we can more easily approach the temple's higher-ups."

"Is that really necessary?" Zilvra lay comfortably in the thick blanket, her long, fair arms stretching out from beneath the fur, gently playing with her silvery hair. "Lynch, you could just walk into the temple and declare, 'From now on, I'll take over here,' who could resist you from doing that?"

"If I do that, after witnessing my power, those truly loyal to the Light God priests would resist desperately, and the weak ones would all surrender—but why would I want those useless people?" Lynch adjusted the wagon's direction while speaking. "I want elites, not burdens. I'm not like the Drow family, who would keep a large group of cannon fodder—the oppositions against the Snake-men have enough cannon fodder troops already."

"Suit yourself," Zilvra said. "There are still plenty of good things hidden under the felt on the carriage, like jewels. These are enough to buy a small team of male Drow warriors in Ratris City to serve you. In the human world, it should allow you to meet that archbishop of Pate, right?"

"Are you still worried I won't meet him?" Lynch asked with a confident smile.

Pate City had lost the bustling scene it once had, just like the entire Holy Pate Empire it represented. The wide streets remained smooth and clean, but the facilities originally built to solve the congestion during the pilgrimage peak season were now barely used. Due to the lack of food, most residents learned from the animals in the forest to huddle at home, minimizing physical exertion. Only the relatively affluent nobles still had the leisure to admire the snowy scenery. Not only did the Light God Pate give them titles and privileges, but also granted them fiefs sufficient to fill their bellies.

Others still outside were mostly Pate's clergy. They firmly believed the power of faith would provide them with all they needed to survive, and a mere cold couldn't compete with the blazing justice burning in their hearts. They would grant "blessings" to every passerby and passionately help maintain the city's order—especially during this critical time.

As priests of the Light God, those wearing exquisite sacrificial robes had one advantage that no other commoners had. Lynch knew these priests could use their Divine Arts to create food—though the priests believed they were praying for food. Though simple, such as hard bread, clear soup, or stringy salted meat, it was no doubt a feast for those starving in the cold wind. Now, the liveliest place in all of Pate City was the location where the temple distributed food.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.