Miya, the representative of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, presented rare tomes.

"Mhmm?" Denise accepted the three Tomes she had given and couldn't help but have a few looks at them.

To Denise's surprise, these tomes contain Forbidden Spells, Rituals, and other Arts! Most of them are related to the two Arcane Paths that were a huge part of the Church, the Summoning Path and the Alchemy Path.

However, she had to close the Tomes immediately as the mysterious energy contained within Tome was actually slowly harming her eyes.

'It seems that learning the Forbidden Arts has a price to pay even if I already have the book.' Denise commented in her mind but still accepted them.

In this era, randomly finding Forbidden Arts could be said to be impossible. It was always being confiscated by the Bureau and taken away by the large organizations or factions.

These organizations were also not willing to share these things as they were incredibly powerful, and they did not want these Forbidden Arts to be used against them in the future.

Sir Roland, from the Knights Faction offered finely crafted armaments and enchanted weaponry

"You can have more of them and I can send them to you later so your Metal Golems could have better weapons. Ahem Although the runic armor and weapons that they have will allow them to fight a Knight, that would only be the case for Beginner Knights and not the ones who had become Knights for at least 4 or 5 years."

Denise only nodded as she knew that nothing he possessed could interest her, not even the Royal Rank artifacts he was wearing.

Master Thorne, from the Order of the Prime Wisemen, decided to give Denise three Rune Talismans. These three have the same Rune that was marked on them, and Denise had no idea what Rune it was.

"It's my Original Rune, Miss Denise So you've probably never heard of it. It's a Rune of Love By using this Rune, you can make anyone fall in love Ahem, with your gracefulness and intelligence, you may not need such an item for yourself, but you might have friends who might need such a Rune."

Thorne immediately said that latter part as he didn't want to be misunderstood.

The Combat Arts Faction, the Shadow Consortium, and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent had also given their gifts. However, they were in the form of money as they didn't prepare beforehand. Although they have precious items, they are too important for them.

Finally, it was Ceres' turn

"Denise," Ceres began, her voice was filled with earnestness "I bring forth this token, a relic of great significance from my kingdom's archives. It is said to possess mystical properties that may aid in creating Sovereign Artifacts. I can tell that you're an Alchemist that's dealing with golems and such, so I think that this item will help you a lot."

She extended the amulet towards Denise, its intricate design shimmering in the light, hinting at its potent arcane properties.

"You're willing to give this to me?" Denise asked as she squinted her eyes.

Even the others were surprised as they knew the value of this item!

No, it could even be said to be a priceless item!

"Yes I think you deserve it. I think these metal golems of yours would be much stronger with this amulet's help." Ceres said with a genuine smile on her face.

It seemed that she really wanted impress to Denise.

Denise regarded the offering with a measure of intrigue, her expression thoughtful as she weighed the potential value of the artifact.

As she accepted the amulet, a subtle nod of acknowledgment passed between the two women, silently acknowledging the weight of the gesture and the significance of the alliance that was being forged.

***

After graciously accepting their offerings, Denise extended an invitation for all the representatives to board the Airship. There was no need to waste their time.

As the Airship ascended into the skies, Denise made the decision to deviate from her original itinerary and return to the castle.

She decided to drop these people in the capable hands of Vale

'Hmph... You're always with Lisa anyway.' Denise grumbled, her frustration evident as she reflected on her limited time with Vale in recent months.

A sense of frustration gnawed at Denise as she pondered the perceived distance that had grown between her and Vale despite the fact that they were living within the same castle!

Vale had rarely visited her at her workplace!

Haa~

With a resigned sigh, Denise couldn't even be bothered to inform Vale about the visitors through their communication crystal.

She decided to just inform him once they got close to the castle...

In any case, In any case, even if these guys have bad intentions or even if all of them are Demon Saints in disguise... Vale would immediately know, and they would not survive that place.

In the meantime, as Ceres, Miya, and the others settled within the Airship while surrounded by the imposing metal golems, a mix of awe and trepidation filled their thoughts.

Miya, while maintaining her composed demeanor, couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the sight of the golems dutifully standing guard. She found them very interesting.

However, what was largely in her mind was the small hint of the Dark Spirit's existence!

"There's definitely traces of Dark Spirit around here. Is she a Dark Arts Practitioner?" Miya thought to herself as she glanced in Denise's direction. Ever since she became a believer in the Lord of the Secrets, she received a blessing that actually allowed her to sense such entities.

Her companions seemed to be aware of her thoughts, so they immediately signaled her to stay out of it.

'I guess it's really coming from Denise, huh Ugh But why do I find her familiar?' Miya could only shake her head as she decided to just suppress her curiosity for now.

Ceres, on the other hand, felt a surge of apprehension as she glanced at the towering metal figures. She couldn't shake off the feeling of unease, wondering about their true purpose and the extent of their capabilities

"She wouldn't lead us into a trap, would she?"