As for who ultimately won the clash of the two suns, opinions differed widely, and no one seemed able to say for certain.
The surviving members of the Churches of the Seven Gods who had taken part in the event kept completely silent about it. Some fishermen who had accidentally glimpsed the struggle shouted that one sun had fallen into the depths of the sea. But whether it was the first sun that appeared or the second one that had fallen, even they could not tell.
Along the southeastern coast of the Southern Continent, the sky was still unbearably scorching.
From time to time, streaks of fire fell from above, crashing into land that had already been burned into blackened charcoal.
Bernadette looked up at the sky. The sun remained dazzling and brilliant, yet now two smaller suns were competing for its power and authority.
She felt an indescribable sense of shock and relief. Relief that she had been able to witness, from afar, a struggle over the authority of the sun.
Just what kind of existence could force the divine descent of the Eternal Blazing Sun to return without success?
Yes, there had been no true victor in this battle of the two suns. One sun had indeed fallen into the sea, but another had turned into a phantom and dissipated.
A divine descent was, in the end, only a divine descent. It was not the Eternal Blazing Sun himself.
Fortunately, it had not been a true divine war. Otherwise, she would not even have been qualified to observe the battle. Even from such a great distance, her current self could not withstand that kind of power.
From her perspective, the true winner of this battle was the Southern Continent.
Most of the elite forces of the Rose School and the Churches of the Seven Gods who had gone to the island had turned to ashes in the struggle of the two suns, leaving not even intact corpses behind.
Having lost most of its strength, the Churches of the Seven Gods had already lost its control over this land of the Southern Continent. With East Balam and West Balam joining forces to counterattack, it was only a matter of time before they were completely driven out of the Southern Continent.
"I should leave as well and return to the sea," Bernadette murmured softly.
This was not only guidance from the stars, but also the desire within her heart.
Staying in the Southern Continent would only drag her into pointless wars.
A new uncrowned king had recently appeared on the seas, recruiting members from various pirate crews and steadily expanding his power.
She needed to return to the Dawn to take charge, lest her fleet also be swallowed up by that uncrowned king.
Just as she was about to leave, a figure appeared beside her.
It was a young man with a well-proportioned build. He wore a white robe, walked barefoot, and his golden hair was tied back with a golden ribbon.
His smile was gentle, and in his eyes it seemed as if a sun was brewing. Simply looking at him brought an endless warmth rising from the depths of one's heart.
A high-ranking figure from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Bernadette did not recognize this young man, but judging from the aura emanating from him, he was definitely someone at the level of an archbishop.
Bernadette spoke calmly, "Instead of dealing with the aftermath, someone from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun came here to find me. What do you want?"
"I came to ask a question."
"I may not answer."
"Why did you know that the remnants of the Rose School were hiding on that isolated island?"
A cold expression appeared on Bernadette's face as she mocked, "You think I colluded with the Rose School and deliberately led you into a trap?"
"You misunderstand. I'm only interested in your source of information. That is a place even the gods cannot observe."
The young man spoke unhurriedly, even though he was discussing matters related to gods.
Bernadette did not answer directly. Instead, she asked curiously, "Who exactly are you?"
"You may call me Ross Hell."
"A name I've never heard before. Is that your real name?"
"You may also call me the Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun."
"?!" Bernadette did not hide her shock. She had never expected that the Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun had left the Intis Republic.
Although she had not returned to the Intis for a long time, she still had many informants in Intis. Yet none of them had discovered that the Pope had left the sacred cathedral and appeared here in the form of a young man.
"I have no ill intentions. I only want a definite answer, if you still remember that Intis is your homeland."
Bernadette remained silent for a long time. At last, she raised her head to the sky and murmured, almost whispering,
"When you look up at the starry sky at night, aside from the crimson moon, what else can you see?"
Ross Hell also looked up at the sky. It seemed as if the day had suddenly turned into night.
"Everything lies beneath the gaze of the stars." The wistful tone made Bernadette clearly feel that this Pope carried many worries in his heart.
"Bernadette, should I let you leave?"
"Don't make a decision you'll regret."
"Sigh… the world is too chaotic."
Ross Hell sighed, then put away all his worries and said with a smile, "When do you plan to go back and take a look?"
"When the time comes for me to return."
"Still as rebellious as when you were a child."
Before Bernadette could react, Ross Hell vanished like a bubble in sunlight.
Impossible! The Pope of the Eternal Blazing Sun had only taken office for about fifty years. He should be younger than her. How could he have seen her when she was a child?
Everything said before had not shocked her as much as that final sentence.
"It seems I really should find a chance to go back and take a look. I left too hastily back then, and there are still many things I never figured out."
Bernadette came to the seaside and lightly tapped the surface of the water with her fingertip. A submarine emerged from the sea, her favorite vessel for sailing the oceans, the Nautilus.
....
Inside a luxurious manor, on the second floor, in a study.
Alfred Hall was writing rapidly, composing a letter to send back home.
"My dear sister, please forgive your second brother for being unable to return to Backlund to attend your coming-of-age ceremony. But I believe that with your outstanding character and perfect appearance, you will still be the most dazzling gem in Backlund."
"Missing such an important day in your life is also painful for me. Several times I considered rushing back to Backlund before the new year, but the situation here is changing too quickly, and I am urgently needed to handle various affairs."
"I believe that with your wisdom and generosity, you will surely forgive your second brother who is far away in the Southern Continent, suffering amidst the turmoil of war."
"Yes, war has broken out, today."
"Most organizations in East Balam and West Balam have united to target members of the Churches of the Seven Gods. In this war, their forces hold the advantage. I believe the flames of war in the Southern Continent will soon subside."
"But this does not mean the war will end here."
"Driving the forces of the Churches of the Seven Gods out of the Southern Continent is only the first step in the burning of this war."
"War is like a massive machine rolling forward. Until its energy is fully exhausted, it will not stop. And this time, the harm suffered by the Southern Continent has completely enraged the ordinary people here. Only when the anger in their hearts has been extinguished can the war truly end."
"You need not worry about your second brother. I am well and safe, only temporarily unable to return to Backlund…"
After finishing the letter, Alfred Hall instructed the butler to find a way to send it back to Backlund.
"I know it will be difficult, but the port should not yet be completely sealed. This is the last chance to send a letter."
"Yes." The butler personally took two manor guards and headed to the port.
As soon as they arrived, they were stunned by the densely packed crowd before them.
Looking out, there was no end in sight.
The war had begun, and many merchants who had come to the Southern Continent for business were hurrying to leave with their families during the early stage of the conflict, afraid of being caught in the flames of war.
"Everyone go back. Today's ship tickets are completely sold out, not even a standing ticket remains!"
Although the port official was loudly persuading people to disperse, it had little effect.
Today's tickets might be sold out, but what about tomorrow?
Many people chose to remain where they were, planning to spend the night here so they could buy tickets earlier the next day.
"Fortunately, we have our own connections."
After watching for a moment, the butler walked around to a nearby two-story building. After some bargaining, he finally paid 50 gold pounds to have the letter delivered to Backlund.
According to the person in charge there, at a time like this, a normal ship ticket back to Backlund cost at least 200 gold pounds, and even then, one needed the right connections to obtain it.
If the people outside did not find some other workaround, however long the war lasted would be how long they remained trapped here.
Everyone wanted to leave the Southern Continent as soon as the war began. Did they really think the rulers managing this place hadn't anticipated that?
Two days before the war even started, they had already suspended part of the ferry routes and stationed personnel to guard the major ports, absolutely forbidding the wealth of the Southern Continent from being carried back to the Northern Continent.
....
Southville County, Port Pryn.
Inside a fairly decent inn, in a VIP room on the second floor, Hastur took the mirror from his coat and placed it on the table.
"Miss Sharon, we've already left the Black Emperor and arrived at a port in Southville County. You can come out now."
During this period, Sharon had truly endured a lot. In order not to be discovered by the King of the Five Seas, she had remained hidden inside the mirror the entire time.
Even after he became an honored guest aboard the Black Emperor, Sharon still had no intention of coming out of the mirror. Hastur could only keep the mirror with him at all times.