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"Oh? What is it that you need from me?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but it seems someone important has arrived," the low-ranking cleric said, bowing his head.

I know exactly who has come, even though in these four months, I've barely left the Temple's library. Through Youlijia, I've established contact with several covert operatives of the Orc Alliance embedded within the Temple. Although their ranks are low, they still provide a steady stream of information to my ears.

Ever since the Chamber of Commerce Alliance leaked the news about obtaining the technology for Lingzi Wu Zhi three months ago, the Mercenary Empire, Yellow Dragon Empire, and the 16 Kingdoms Alliance have all started probing the Temple, trying to share this puppet-making technology. After all, despite deploying countless experts and expending vast resources, they only managed to secure some magic puppet samples and a few magic books. The time and cost required to research puppet-making or even Crystal Dragon creation based on these materials are enormous. If no one had obtained mature technology, everyone would be on the same level. However, there is a strong possibility that the Temple now possesses more advanced and refined technology than what they have. This means that even if these nations spend astronomical amounts of resources, their final results will inevitably fall short of the Temple's achievements. Thus, this technology has become a burden rather than a treasure for strengthening the nation.

Naturally, the great efforts of these three nations turned to dust overnight, and they were unwilling to accept defeat. From initial letters and discussions to later sending envoys, they escalated diplomatic efforts to share the technology. However, the Temple insisted that all this technology belongs to them, from its origin with the Twelve Sages to its handling by the Holy Grail Knights (that is, Chen Xuanfeng). There was no reason for other forces to intervene. Yet, given the Temple's history of once conquering the entire Mainland, who could trust them with such powerful technology? Moreover, human nature being what it is, when the news spread, the Viking Empire, an old rival of the Temple, immediately got involved under the guise of "fighting orcs and needing new technology." Similarly, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance tried to take advantage of the situation to gain more benefits. Sacred Dragon Mountain, as usual, ignored these disputes, and the Kutu Tribe Alliance in the desert, despite its deep-seated hatred for the Mercenary Empire, had no friendly ties with the Temple and remained indifferent. Only the Tiele Empire in the east, being a nomadic nation with no knowledge of alchemical magic, fully supported the Temple, hoping to make the rival Yellow Dragon Empire suffer a significant loss.

Recently, the major powers have grown tired of endless negotiations and have begun to elevate the ranks of their representatives. It is rumored that those sent this time are elites of the younger generation from the major empires, most importantly, direct disciples of several Sword Saints. Sending them is not because of their negotiation skills but as representatives of the Sword Saints, signaling that these peak figures are prepared to force the Temple to yield through force. In fact, during the last dispute over the Magic Tower, three Sword Saints intervened but failed to reclaim the crucial technology, losing face. Now, a mere Sword Grandmaster monopolizes the benefits, making it even harder for them to back down. Thus, they have unusually united their stance.

Arriving at the high-level meeting room designated by High Priest Davidian, I saw the elderly man dressed in his most formal attire, adorned with various badges, ready to receive an important figure. Upon seeing me, he stood up immediately.

"Knight Xuanfeng, today we called you here because there is a rather difficult matter that involves you, disrupting your training," said the Gold Badge High Priest, a devout believer, which meant he had a slightly rigid personality, akin to the stubbornness of the Taoist priests under Master Chongyang. He was not a deceitful person; in fact, among the four High Priests of the Temple, he was the most straightforward.

"I wonder what kind of trouble it is," I asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's about the Crystal Dragon data you returned to the Temple. You must remember the several factions involved in the competition for this data. They heard that you obtained it and want to forcibly claim it. However, the Temple is the rightful owner of the Crystal Dragon and cannot publicly disclose this information, leading to a stalemate," the High Priest sighed and continued, "This time, the opposing side sent the direct disciples of the national Sword Saints from the Viking, Yellow Dragon, Mercenary, and 16 Kingdoms Alliance to pressure the Temple to concede. Those young envoys are currently on Saint Spirit Mountain and may cause trouble for you, so you should be cautious."

"I'll keep that in mind. But how will this situation ultimately be resolved? Will it lead to a confrontation between the Sword Saints?"

"You don't need to worry; it shouldn't escalate to that extent. We are negotiating, and eventually, a solution acceptable to all will be found. Besides, the 'Heaven-Burning Flame Saint' of the Mercenary Empire and the 'Sky-Cleaving Blade Saint' of the 16 Kingdoms Alliance have always been rivals, while the 'Jade Sword Saint' Bing Qinglie of the Yellow Dragon Empire is constantly constrained by the 'Fierce Dark Warrior Saint' Xian Xiluo of the Tiele Empire. Last time, when he secretly left the Yellow Dragon Empire, it caught Xian Xiluo's attention. Although he managed to deceive the 'Fierce Dark Warrior Saint' then, he probably won't have such good luck this time. As for the 'Black Ice Magic Knight' of the Viking Empire, aside from being engaged in a war with the orcs, even if he could spare the time, he wouldn't dare challenge the 'Divinely Blessed Saint Knight's' holy spear 'Quinillion' on our Temple's territory. So, there's no need to worry about that happening."

"Oh, that's good." No need to worry? It's precisely because you might negotiate that I am worried. Without a full-scale battle, where will I get the chance to steal things? Moreover, if I can incite a human civil war, it would greatly benefit the future military actions of the Orc Alliance. If I can sow deep enmity and kill one or two Sword Saints or trigger a forbidden spell, it would truly be a great harvest. Therefore, even if you don't fight, I must find a way to force you into a conflict.

However, if I deliberately provoke a dispute, it might raise suspicion from the Temple. After all, no matter how well I disguise myself, I can't match those with clean backgrounds and deep roots. The "Hermit Family" itself is already suspicious. Losing my freedom to act due to creating an opportunity would be a real loss. However, just as I hesitated, the God of War, Odin, provided me with an opportunity.