Chapter 46: The Secret of the Sanctuary

When Christine awoke from her deep slumber, she once again saw Huey standing by her bedside.

By now, she had learned to stop being surprised by this.

"My servants seem truly incompetent, allowing you to enter my room so easily, time and time again." Reclining, exposing the beautiful expanse of her chest, the languid beauty looked at Huey with a bewitching gaze. "What kind of surprise have you prepared for me today? Especially after that horrific slaughter you committed?"

Huey placed a large bouquet of flowers into the vase beside her and tossed the previous day’s withered blooms out the window. "Lashall already knows I am still in the city of Royo."

"How wonderful." Christine pouted her adorable lips. "You let him know on purpose, didn't you?"

"Yes, through the mouth of a scoundrel. The war has only just begun; it is far from over. If they did not know I was in this city, there would be no reason for them to stay, and I cannot afford to let them leave just yet."

"Damn you!" Christine angrily threw a pillow at Huey. "You’ve dragged me into this too! I only wanted to make a transaction with you, but you used me to kill three imperial officials! And now you intend to keep on killing!"

"It was two; the other one was only blinded," Huey replied calmly, catching the pillow and sniffing it with an expression of intoxication.

Christine sighed helplessly. "Then who else do you intend to kill?"

"Kevin Beers and Garik Ingston."

"Ha!" Christine rolled her eyes. "Are you insane? Those are two Sky Knights! Kevin Beers’ strength is even nearing that of a Star Knight!"

"Before I killed Lierboger, I suspect you didn't think I had the capability to do that either."

Christine fell silent for a moment. After thinking it over, she sat up, letting the blanket slide away, and shook her head in resignation. "It’s useless, Huey. Your plan is nothing but a delusion. The Lance Empire possesses endless manpower and resources. Even if you can kill one or two powerhouses, it doesn't mean you can deal with a group of them. Even if you can kill Sky Knights, above them lie the Star Knights and even the existence of the Sanctuary. You are destined to fail in this war. Even if you win a hundred victories, you cannot afford to lose even once. Especially if you force the Empire to send a Sanctuary-level powerhouse to deal with you, you will have no way out. Listen to me and give up while you can. Once our transaction is complete, run as far away as you can, or simply live out your life as Cissed Dadaniel, and I will do my best to protect you."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you will have no way out but death. I know you are smart and powerful. You can use all sorts of methods to kill those you wish to kill. You can kill Lierboger, you can kill Kevin Beers and Garik Ingston, you can even kill a Star Knight, but you will never be able to kill a Sanctuary powerhouse. The power of the Sanctuary is beyond your imagination. If one day you defeat everyone you are capable of defeating and still refuse to stop, then eventually, you will draw a Sanctuary powerhouse to you."

Huey was curious. "The way you talk, it sounds as if you have seen a Sanctuary powerhouse?"

A rare look of terror appeared on Christine’s face. Her gaze became deep and distant as she stared blankly at Huey. She murmured, "Yes, I once had the fortune to see such a powerhouse. You cannot imagine how powerful the Sanctuary level is. It completely exceeds the limits of what human power can achieve; it is not something you can compensate for with mere wit. They have transcended the limitations of power and become existences beyond your understanding. In the face of absolute strength, any scheme or trickery you employ will come to nothing."

These words reminded Huey of Electra.

According to the magic dragon Rita, Electra was a powerful Sanctuary-level Archmage. However, Rita had never spoken of exactly where the strength of the Sanctuary lay, because Electra had placed a restriction upon her, preventing her from leaking secrets regarding that aspect. But from that moment on, he knew the Sanctuary possessed powerful, special abilities; what those abilities were, however, he did not know.

In fact, the vast majority of people did not know why Sanctuary powerhouses were able to become the invincible existences on this continent.

In Huey’s memory, the most famous battle on the Wind-Chime Continent occurred over a hundred years ago, when a Sanctuary Knight faced a joint effort of more than ten peak powerhouses and, to everyone's shock, displayed such divine might that he slaughtered all his opponents. In Huey’s understanding, this completely overturned his perception of the power hierarchy.

Power had always been a combination of quantity and quality. No matter how strong an individual might be, they could not compete with the might of an entire nation. Three to five Sky Knights working together were definitely stronger than one Star Knight; likewise, several Earth Knights working together could easily force a Sky Knight to flee in defeat.

But the combat power possessed by those of the Sanctuary completely overturned this impression. In all known historical battles, no Sanctuary powerhouse had ever lost to an opponent below the Sanctuary level, regardless of how many people the opponent had.

Only a Sanctuary powerhouse could defeat another Sanctuary powerhouse; this had almost become a consensus.

Beyond that, one could only exhaust the opponent’s power with thousands upon thousands of lives, and even then, they could only drive them away, not kill them. The former Bauhinia Dynasty once attacked an enemy Sanctuary powerhouse with twenty thousand soldiers; in that battle, they sacrificed one thousand three hundred lives and finally succeeded in driving the Sanctuary powerhouse away, yet they were unable to kill him.

As for a single person killing a Sanctuary powerhouse across a rank gap, it had never happened in history.

The power of the Sanctuary was far beyond people's imagination.

This was also the reason why the magic dragon, which surpassed the twelfth level, could still lose to a Sanctuary powerhouse.

"Perhaps you can tell me, what exactly does the power of the Sanctuary stem from?"

Christine sighed softly. "It comes from a new kind of power, one that transcends battle qi and magic. People call it 'Domain Power'."

"'Domain Power'?"

"Yes."

"What kind of power is that?"

"I don't know. I only know that Domain Power is very strange; it represents absolute authority in a certain aspect. And every Sanctuary powerhouse’s Domain Power is different. You cannot know exactly what kind of Domain Power they possess, because that is the greatest secret to a Sanctuary powerhouse. They rarely take action, but once they do, they kill every enemy who learns their secret. Because almost no one has ever survived the pursuit of a Sanctuary powerhouse, no one knows what Domain Power truly is. Even the name 'Domain Power' itself was spoken by a powerhouse who challenged a Sanctuary expert hundreds of years ago, right before he died."

"So, does that mean that of all those who dared to challenge a Sanctuary powerhouse, not a single one has ever survived?"

"No, there is always an exception to every rule. As far as I know, there are those who have survived, though very few are willing to admit it. And just recently, an incident occurred in the Lance Empire where a Star Knight challenged a Sanctuary powerhouse and successfully survived. Come to think of it, you know that person."

"Who is it?"

"Lancelot." Christine parted her cherry lips and uttered the name that made Huey’s heart skip a beat.

***

Walking in the back garden of the Silent Island Grand Hotel, Christine wore a small western-style dress and carried a parasol. Her lace hat covered most of her beautiful face, and only her graceful figure swayed in the breeze.

This woman was born to attract men. Even without looking at her stunning beauty, every gesture and movement she made exuded infinite charm, making men yearn for her.

However, even such a bewitchingly beautiful woman could not exert the slightest bit of real attraction on the young man beside her. Although the youth used extravagant gestures to pursue Christine every day, she knew that his heart contained no place for her.

Even a man seemed to have more attraction to this youth than she did.

This left her feeling resentful and indignant, regretting that she had told him the news about Lancelot.

At this moment, Huey was indeed fully immersed in the news about Lancelot. He had not expected that the first news he received about Lancelot after leaving Purgatory Island would come from Christine, and that it would be such astonishing news at that.

According to what Christine told him, after Lancelot left the island and realized he had been deceived, he neither went to Wellington to beg the Emperor for forgiveness, nor did he return to his family in the south, nor did he even seek out the woman he had once loved deeply.

Instead, from that day on, he traveled all over the country, beginning to challenge powerhouses one by one.

As a peak powerhouse, Lancelot’s fame in the Lance Empire could be said to be the least known; thus, at first, many people did not even know that such a powerhouse existed in the Empire. However, as he traveled along, constantly challenging local experts and winning time and time again, his name began to spread across the land. By this time, the name Huey Grail was also spreading across the lands of the Lance Empire, and together with Lancelot, one in the south and one in the north, they became the most resounding names in the Empire during this period.

This newly emerged fifth Star Knight of the Lance Empire, after defeating another Star Knight two months ago, leaped to become the youngest and most prominent peak powerhouse in the Empire.

Yet, in such circumstances, no one expected Lancelot to commit a suicidal act of madness—challenging a Sanctuary powerhouse.

Everyone knew that Sanctuary powerhouses were not to be trifled with; even the Emperor, upon seeing them, had to respectfully address them as "Saint" and treat them with hospitality. And when a Sanctuary powerhouse took action, anyone who could force them to use their "Domain Power" would be killed without mercy, no exceptions. Domain Power was the greatest secret of every Sanctuary powerhouse, and it was said that to protect this secret, they would spare no one.

Lancelot’s challenge to a Sanctuary powerhouse was a complete act of suicide. What was not surprising was that he failed; what was amazing was that he had survived.

This made Huey feel a sense of relief.

Others might not know why Lancelot would engage in such insane, near-suicidal behavior, but he knew very well.

He knew it must have been the letter he left for Lancelot, accusing him of lacking the "heart of a powerhouse," which had stung this proud man. He began to attempt to challenge adversity, to take risks like a true hero, and to struggle for survival on the edge of death. Clearly, stung by Huey, Lancelot must have gained many new insights during his continuous challenges against powerhouses. And in order to further improve himself, he even cast his life aside to actively challenge a Sanctuary powerhouse, hoping to grasp the laws of power in the duel with a true master.

That was the necessary mindset for a martial artist to grow. A warrior who only dared to bully the weak, no matter how powerful, was not qualified to be called a powerhouse.

"Do you know where Lancelot is lately?" Huey suddenly asked Christine.

"He returned to the Southern Family. I heard that his father, Bertolt, the acting head of the Southern Family, held a grand welcoming ceremony for him, officially acknowledging him as a member of the family. However, Lancelot has no interest in all of this; he only wants to cultivate. But for the Southern Family, having a Star Knight in the family—a powerhouse who challenged a Sanctuary expert and did not die—was enough for the whole family's reputation to soar. Many noble houses had to offer them more benefits to maintain intimate ties."

"I suppose that Sanctuary powerhouse who failed to kill Lancelot also helped out a bit?" Huey said blandly.

Christine was greatly astonished. "Exactly. That is just how it is. Sanctuary powerhouse Aldric Bannister, after accepting Lancelot’s challenge and using his Domain Power, failed to kill him, and Lancelot successfully escaped Bannister’s pursuit. Shortly after that, Bannister announced that Lancelot was henceforth his friend. The Southern Family is the greatest beneficiary of this; they not only gained a powerful family member but also a powerful Sanctuary ally. Now, the Southern Family's business can be said to be unstoppable; almost no one dares to cause them trouble. But the question is, how did you know?"

"That is not strange." Huey smiled mysteriously. "The change in relationships between people is always based on the need for interests, just like between you and me. Think about it carefully, Christine. Think about our meeting at the hotel that day; you recognized me, discovered my greatest secret, and what was the result?"

Christine was stunned, and then she exclaimed, "You mean..."

"Exactly. Lancelot challenged the Sanctuary powerhouse Bannister and successfully survived. This means he already knows the secret of Bannister’s Domain Power. Since Sanctuary powerhouses have been unwilling to let others know what their Domain Power is for thousands of years, it shows that this power must have great limitations. It is very likely that this power is not truly invincible, and once this power is known, someone will be able to find a way to defeat or even kill them. That is why Sanctuary powerhouses have unanimously conspired to hide the secret of this power; it is the only reasonable explanation. And Lancelot is one who knows the secret. Of course, he is smart; after discovering this secret, he did not broadcast it. Like every powerhouse who survived a Sanctuary expert, he chose cooperation rather than confrontation. Lancelot uses this secret to protect himself; he can even demand that Bannister provide him with some protection and service, and he guarantees that the secret will not be leaked from his lips. This should be a tacit rule among the Sanctuary powerhouses—if you cannot kill the other person, then buy them off to ensure the secret is not leaked."

Speaking of this, a flash of light appeared in Huey’s eyes: "Of course, a simple bribe might not be enough. To protect himself, Lancelot would certainly keep this secret safe. If Bannister attempted to kill Lancelot, the result might be... just like the situation between Bailey and Lashall."

Huey chuckled. "Then, logically speaking, in some corner of this world, there must exist someone or something like Padgett. There, the major secret regarding the Sanctuary power is recorded. If something happens to Lancelot, the secret regarding the Domain Power of the Sanctuary powerhouse Lord Bannister will be made public. So, as long as I can find it, I will be able to understand exactly what the secret of Domain Power is. Then, even if a Sanctuary powerhouse comes to deal with me in the future, I might not be without a chance of winning."

Christine listened, dumbfounded. She stared blankly at Huey, finding it truly hard to imagine what Huey’s brain was made of, how he could analyze such complex inside information from such simple events.

Invincible power with fatal flaws? Sanctuary powerhouses are not truly impossible to defeat? What kind of power do they possess? And what kind of flaws do they have? These questions had remained unanswered for thousands of years, and now, a youth had developed an interest in unraveling this mysterious enigma.

It seemed that as long as it was something Huey Grail wanted to do, he would surely succeed. Because the next moment, he said leisurely: "Although Lancelot and I once had a good friendship, I did deceive him after all. I don't think he would tell me such a major secret. So, to find this confidential information, I must understand him better. Fortunately, I do not lack understanding of him."

Pausing slightly, Huey said: "Lancelot is a man of true character, but he is not a fool. He lived on Purgatory Island for a full twenty years. Twenty years of loneliness left him with no friends he could trust. His background led to a relationship of mutual use between him and his father, rather than mutual trust. My deception and exploitation of him made him even less likely to trust anyone easily. So unlike Lashall, unless Lancelot is a complete idiot, he could not have easily handed such a major secret to anyone. This means he must have hidden the secret in a special location. This location cannot be simply under a rock or buried in a garden, otherwise, if Bannister really did kill Lancelot, the secret would likely be lost forever. Even if it were accidentally discovered in the future, the Sanctuary powerhouse might have already died long ago."

"Then where might he have put the secret?"

"It could be a bank, or a merchant guild, or perhaps some credit institution. It should be an organization that would not come into contact with his secret but could accurately fulfill his entrustment; it must have a certain reputation and credibility."

"There are quite a few such choices."

"Yes, but by investigating Lancelot’s past movements, perhaps there will be some clues. Moreover, Lancelot cannot just ignore the clues he has hidden, so that requires us to take the initiative to investigate. By the way, the grand hotel we are currently in, isn't it an asset of the Southern Family? It seems we need to get close to the manager of this hotel. Perhaps from him, we can get a lot of information about Lancelot’s latest situation."

"What do you intend to do?"

"That will require you to take the lead, Madam. Only your charm can make the manager here tell us everything. I need to know which cities Lancelot has visited since he challenged Bannister, and which people in those cities have a close relationship with him. As for what comes after..."

Huey smiled slightly. "I have my own ways of knowing where he hid the secret."

Looking at the confident smile on the youth’s face, Christine suddenly felt a chill all over.

Subconsciously, the realization in her heart intensified once more: never, ever cross Huey Grail. Otherwise, you never know when he will have secretly plotted against you.