Chapter 14: A Very Bold Idea

Every world has its own unique differences.

In the dark world, what Alex saw was only endless darkness. Even during the day, the oppressive clouds hanging overhead felt like a giant coffin lid, making it hard to breathe.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolate wilderness and dark forests.

After spending enough time there, one might even get the illusion that the entire world was about to be destroyed before their very eyes.

Desolation, darkness, and despair were the themes of the dark world. As for hope? It might exist, but its sole purpose seemed to be for it to be destroyed.

However, in the main world, what Alex saw was an entirely different picture.

"Is this the place?"

Sitting in the carriage, Alex looked at the city before him. From the original owner of this body, Alex learned that the city's name was Kaltus, which in the Elvish language means "Place of Shining Stars and Moon." The people of this country commonly referred to this city as "Star-Moon City."

This was just a small city within the Holy Church's domain, but even so, it displayed enough uniqueness in Alex's eyes—a nearly twenty-meter-high city wall made of white stone surrounded the entire city.

A beautiful river ran through the middle of the city, creating lovely lakes and providing abundant fishing resources.

"Yes, sir, this is Star-Moon City."

Hearing Alex's question, the coachman, who was responsible for driving the carriage, replied cheerfully.

Alex then gave a meaningful glance at the white temple within the city. He then looked once more at the dimensional codex in front of him.

[Executor: Alex] 

[Dimensional Points: 5] 

[Equipped Soul Stone: Arthas] 

[Acquired Buff: Undead King (50% increased sensitivity to undead, 50% increased damage to undead, 50% increased protection against undead)] 

[Title Equipped: Holy Guardian] 

[Strength: E] 

[Agility: D] 

[Constitution: E] 

[Perception: D] 

[Charisma: D+] 

[Equipped Skill: Royal Cross Swordsmanship (A)] 

After carefully reviewing his status, Alex took a deep breath.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

Soon, the carriage set off again and moved forward.

"Whoo…"

Sitting in the carriage, Alex took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to steady his mind.

After leaving the dark world, he had calculated the time and found that he had spent three days in the dark world, while less than ten hours had passed in the main world.

Fortunately, no one had been stubborn enough to wait for him, otherwise, Alex might not have managed to escape.

After leaving the forest, the first thing Alex did was to go to a nearby village and change his clothes, then hire a carriage to the nearest city.

To his relief, he did not see any wanted posters of the original owner of this body in that village.

Perhaps the other party had not given up on searching for him yet, but if the search proved fruitless, they would definitely issue a wanted notice immediately—Alex had no doubts about this.

Although this world appeared to be at a mere medieval level of civilization on the surface, Alex's memories told him that, in terms of pure civilization, this world was not far behind the one he had been died from.

Considering the terrifying high-end martial prowess, this world might even surpass his.

After all, in Alex's world, there was hardly anything besides a nuclear bomb that could destroy a planet.

Before arriving in this city, Alex had fully digested the memories of the original owner of his body. At the same time, he had also figured out what he wanted to do.

Escape was not an option. The Holy Church Kingdom of Sares was one of the four most powerful countries in this world. The other three were the Mage Nation of Leon and the Gold Nation of Caron.

The Mage Nation belonged to the mages, and the Gold Nation was a paradise for merchants and nobles. The last country was the Flame Nation of Vanreil.

According to the original owner's memories, the Holy Church Kingdom of Sares occupied nearly one-fifth of the continent, with a powerful army and clerics.

The reason for the Holy Church Kingdom's prestigious status was that a thousand years ago, during the "Chaos Tide," the king of this nation single-handedly led humanity through the blockade of darkness and chaos, ultimately safeguarding the world.

Thus, the Holy Church Kingdom became the land's ruler as the "Guardian of Humanity."

The land and population it controlled were almost the same as Alex's country before his rebirth. It was clear that facing such a populous and vast country, Alex had no chance of winning.

Of course, if Alex had the choice, he would prefer to go to Caron or Leon. Unfortunately, that was also difficult. Not to mention that Alex was deep in the heart of the Holy Church Kingdom and would have to travel a long distance to reach either country, spending a lot of time.

Even if he succeeded in crossing the border, he might not be accepted by these two countries.

The Mage Nation only allowed mages to enter; even a merchant needed formal mage qualifications.

The Gold Nation's requirement was even more straightforward—you had to be wealthy.

Alex clearly didn't have that much money on hand. As for the Flame Nation? It was on another continent, making it impossible to reach. Even if the Storm Sea wasn't an obstacle, Alex couldn't swim across it.

As for magic… he didn't know any.

Although there were many small countries besides these four major ones, they were like the small countries in Alex's world—when the big countries spoke, they had to listen… oh, wait.

At least in Alex's world, those small countries could maintain superficial autonomy, but here… well, they still had their land and borders, right?

Given the current situation, Alex couldn't leave the Holy Church Kingdom, and even if he escaped, he couldn't ensure that he wouldn't be caught by their pursuers someday.

Frankly, Alex had no fundamental, irreconcilable conflict with the Holy Church Kingdom. He was just unlucky enough to choose the wrong rebirth target.

But this didn't mean Alex could just go to the Holy Church Kingdom's temple and say, "You've got the wrong person. The one you're looking for is already dead; I'm just an unlucky transmigrator," and then the other party would nod and say, "Oh, I see. Sorry about that," and everything would be fine.

After all, Alex had killed several of their knights, and from Conrad's memories, those knights weren't of high rank, but not low either.

It was a situation where they might not pursue it to the end, but they still needed an explanation.

In Alex's mind, the dimensional map's portal was closed, in cooldown, and would open again in fifteen days. Alex couldn't stay hidden in the wilderness playing hide-and-seek with the Holy Church Kingdom.

So, after careful consideration, Alex came up with an idea. A very bold idea. But first, he needed an identity.

That's why Alex came here.

"We've arrived, sir."

The coachman's voice came from the front as the carriage slowly stopped. Alex took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes, opened the carriage door, and stepped down.

The first thing he saw was a two-story stone building. It looked old, and from the outside, it wasn't a luxurious structure. There were only two ordinary guards at the entrance, and it seemed deserted.

However, Alex knew this was his first step into his adventure.

This was the city hall.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Alex walked into the entrance. Looking around, he saw that the entire city hall was empty, except for an old man napping behind a desk. It was no wonder; in such a small city, nothing much usually happened.

Alex cleared his throat and approached the counter, knocking on it with his fingers.

"Knock knock."

The old man jolted awake at the sound, quickly sat up, and glared at Alex. He was about to scold him, but upon seeing Alex's finely tailored suit, he shivered and straightened up quickly.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?"

"I wish to reside in this city temporarily. Please provide me with a permit."

Seeing the old man's expression, Alex smiled inwardly. Getting this suit had cost him a lot of money. It was crafted by the city's most famous tailor and made from the finest fabric, costing nearly a third of Alex's assets.

But Alex didn't feel the expense was a waste. His previous life experiences taught him that people judge by appearances.

If you dress well and behave elegantly, even if you are corrupt inside, the first impression you give is always good.

If he had come here in ordinary clothes, the old man might not have been so polite, and might even have grumbled a bit.

If he were someone who looked down on others, he might think Alex was a country bumpkin and create some minor obstacles.

However, for now, before figuring out his identity and background, he could only work honestly.

"Of course, no problem, sir."

Everything Alex presented made the old man a bit nervous. He was surprised at Alex's elegant attire and the sword he carried, instinctively swallowing hard.

"Please, show me your travel documents."

"Here they are."

As he spoke, Alex handed over a travel document. Obtaining this document had cost him quite a bit of effort and money.

He was extremely grateful that the original owner of his body had been a competent cultist, with thorough knowledge of various underworld connections.

This allowed Alex to find the Thieves' Guild and, after promising a significant reward, obtain this "official" travel document.

Naturally, an official document was a legitimate travel permit, indicating the holder's origin and destination, stamped with the relevant authority's seal.

These documents were made from special magical paper, making them impossible to forge.

However, impossible to forge did not mean impossible to obtain.

With sufficient payment, "losing" one or two travel documents had never been a big deal, right?

"Mr. Alex from the Principality of Silver… hmm…"

The old man put on a monocle, carefully examining the text and seal on the document. He then coughed and looked up at Alex.

"What brings you here?"

"I seek the guidance of the Goddess of Order."

As he spoke, Alex touched his forehead with his finger, making a gesture similar to a believer's prayer.

"I want to strengthen my resolve within the holy oath."

"Alright, I understand."

The old man didn't find Alex's answer surprising. The Holy Church Kingdom was the source of faith, attracting many pilgrims from other countries.

Simply put, many believed that the teachings and faith in the Holy Church Kingdom were more "authentic," making it easier to hear the Goddess of Order's divine revelations.

Of course, any educated person knew this was nonsense, but you couldn't stop people from making pilgrimages to holy churches, could you?

The old man had clearly encountered this situation before. He quickly verified the document, filled out another form, and then, with some effort, stamped it. He then looked at Alex.

"Alright, young man, you can now take this document to the Star Chamber—you know what to do."

"Of course, thank you."

Hearing the old man's words, Alex smiled and nodded. He reached for the document and discreetly placed a few silver coins on the counter. The old man swiftly swept the coins into his sleeve, his smile growing warmer.

"My name is Pedro. If you need anything, feel free to come to me. As long as it's within my power, it won't be a problem."

"Thank you."

Alex nodded at the old man, then took the document and turned to leave.

As he turned, a cold glint flashed in Alex's eyes.

The first step was complete. Now, the most dangerous part awaited.