Chapter 217 (Two Hundred and Sixteenth Chapter) The Floating Papacy

The world suddenly fell silent.

All the roaring, chanting, and explosions came to an abrupt halt.

Frost froze, blades hovered. Vines remained twisted and entwined in mid-air, frozen in place. The falling fire spirits also stopped, suspended in mid-air, appearing as scattered stars from afar.

The whole scene looks fake, like cheap special effects.

Only Yan Shi was still falling.

For a moment she heard countless spirits clamoring and chattering beside her ears, yet it all seemed like a hallucination.

She heard the sounds of weeping, roaring, and pleading, but they all faded away.

In this moment of world silence, she slowly turned her head and looked down.

The black stone altar still stood there, its runes glowing, blood flowing. The contrast between black and red was striking and glaring.

The ritual has been largely completed.

The nearshore waters of the Dono Sea were completely dyed red. As the waves surged, they were not waves, but streaks of blood-red veins that wriggled and converged into the center of the altar.

At the top of the altar, a void gate slowly opened.

Behind the door was darkness.

Yan Shi felt that the altar Lin Zizui had built was definitely not the result Lin Xiqiao had originally wanted.

She truly didn't know what the inside of the Ruins of Return was like; the tombs of gods always need to maintain a certain sense of mystery.

But in Lingdu's travelogue, the Guixu Sea, now closed off, is depicted as an endless expanse of blue. The Guixu town where she lived as a child is equally bright and vibrant.

Yan Shi felt that the Ruins of Return should not be a place of darkness.

"stop."

She finally spoke.

Her fall finally stopped. It was as if an invisible hand reached out and steadily supported Yan Shi.

Yan Shi slowly stood up in mid-air, stepping on the air, and walked down step by step.

Until they reached the top of the Black Stone Altar, to the half-open door.

Upon closer inspection, the inside of the door was also pitch black.

It was an opaque black, as if it wanted to devour everything.

It doesn't look like a success.

This means that any ritual that requires the sacrifice of a living being will fail.

Yan Shi pondered this and came to a conclusion. He decided to request at tomorrow's meeting that this sentence be added to the children's book for the underworld.

She raised her hand and reached towards the door.

What my fingertips touched was a sticky texture, like pulsating blood vessels.

Yan Shi remained expressionless.

She gripped the door.

With a forceful push of his arm, he gave it a hard push.

Although it feels sticky to the touch, it makes a crisp sound.

The door closed.

The next moment, the entire altar suddenly trembled.

In an instant, it lost the source of its supporting power, the runes gradually faded, and the surging blood river came to an abrupt halt.

The entire black stone platform began to collapse, with surface stones falling off and merging into the blood river on the ground, being swallowed into the cracks in the earth.

The blood mist began to slowly dissipate.

The sacrifice failed, but the living beings and their bones, which served as the offering, were not considered to have "failed" or "not failed."

When someone falls, they truly fall.

Yan Shi lowered his head and quietly gazed at the river of blood beneath his feet.

The crimson waves surged, and countless pained faces appeared on the surface, mouths agape in silent wailing, eyes vacant.

She just stood there quietly.

Yan Shi suddenly remembered that afternoon, just a few hours ago, she had afternoon tea with Yu Youguan and Aska.

The mango crepe was delicious. The strawberry mille-feuille was also delicious.

When Lin Cai visited before, she bought some pretty trinkets at the market in Novano Port.

She remembered the sounds of street vendors hawking their wares, the laughter of children chasing each other at the alley entrance—it was a shantytown, but also a warm, damp atmosphere filled with the smell of fish mixed with the sunlight.

Both are good.

Yan Shi sighed slowly.

'You need to think this through.'

Suddenly, the sound of the blazing sun crown rang out. It had solidified again without her noticing, and the flames flickered and danced in her palm.

'Your authority is very close to the authority of the law. Therefore, in theory, you can do anything you want.'

Its voice was unusually solemn: 'Therefore, what the law most wants to do is to annihilate you, to send you directly to see the Mother Goddess.'

'The Scepter of Life has concealed your presence, preventing you from wielding the full power of your authority.'

'But if you don't have the Scepter of Life, you'll have to face Him directly.'

Yan Shi: "I've made up my mind." She smiled, her eyebrows raised. "I can't run away forever just because I'm afraid of death."

"The blessing of the tides and my talent allow me to surpass almost all living beings without cultivation, and to easily control water spirits. But without the blessing of the tides, and with Ao Le present, I can't even condense a water sphere."

"I don't want to rely on nonsense forever. I want to learn for myself and see the world for myself."

The blazing sun fell silent.

A moment later, its flames flashed suddenly, as if laughing: "Lin Zizui said something wrong." It suddenly said, "You're nothing like Shan Fengyang. She's hesitant and timid in her actions."

'You are just Yan Shi.'

The flames gradually brightened, the sun's crown dancing excitedly and wildly: 'Well then, since this is your decision.' The flames suddenly exploded: 'Yan Shi, good luck.'

Yan Shi raised his head.

She reached out and grasped the wooden hairpin in her hair.

The hairpin is smooth and cool to the touch, just like when I comb my hair every morning.

She pulled out the wooden hairpin.

Yan Shi could feel the world becoming clearer in an instant. She could do everything she was capable of.

"But for now," Yan Shi said.

The world began to tremble.

Collapsed walls rose again, and shattered bricks were put back in their original positions. The dilapidated streets were restored at a visible speed, cracks healed, and dust dissipated.

Within the river of blood, countless indistinct faces raised their heads. Their distorted expressions slowly relaxed, and their resentment and wails gradually subsided.

Their figures gradually emerged from the blood mist, becoming solidified and clear.

They were no longer in pain; they just stood there blankly, as if they had just experienced a great dream, looking around in bewilderment.

...

The entire port of Novano was rebuilt in an instant.

The blood mist was dispersed by the sea breeze, and in the humid air, the sunlight fell and shone on the street corner again.

The runes on the altar dimmed one by one, the boulder groaned, and finally disappeared from the earth inch by inch, as if it had been erased.

The sea of ​​blood gradually dissipated, the crimson faded, and it returned to its clear state, silently retreating back into the Dono Sea.

The setting sun finally pierced through the thick blood mist and shone down.

Before the laws could notice, Yan Shi turned his head, forcing himself to ignore Lin Zizui, and looked at the men in black robes: "It's your turn."

"Hmm..." She sorted through the information that had suddenly popped into her mind.

During this brief period of complete control over "fairness and justice," Yan Shi was able to clearly understand the extent of his authority.

The floating island where the floating auction house is located is indeed the former site of her divine court.

Yan Shi raised his hand.

It was an extremely light movement, yet the surrounding space was instantly sealed off.

Lin Zizui, the man in black robes, Ao Le, and those other big shots Yan Shi didn't recognize—all the people Lin Zizui had brought to help with the altar—were dragged in by her, and their figures vanished in an instant.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the main hall of the floating auction house, or more precisely, the main hall of the floating church.

Yan Shi then threw the other people inside out.

The main hall has a very high dome, densely covered with intricate runes. Unlike the main hall of a typical church, the floating church, following Yan Shi's wishes, has a main hall designed in the style of a courtroom.

The judge's bench was at the highest point, ascending step by step. There were no statues of gods on either side, but rather blank-faced stone statues. They stood silently, heads bowed, as jurors.

Yan Shi sat in the judge's seat at the very top.

"By the way, what is the process for a court judgment..." Yan Shi quietly took out his phone again and searched for information.

Upon entering the main courtroom, proper attire is required. Black robes and hoods must, of course, be removed.

A string of people sat in the dock in front of them, their faces visible.

Lin Zizui was then placed alone in a small room behind the Vatican by Yan Shi.

Ao Le's eyes narrowed slightly, his posture still frivolous, but for the first time he showed a hint of vigilance; the other powerful figures remained silent, their auras frozen, their expressions stiff between indifference and tension.

The men in black robes looked bewildered. Some roared and struggled, while others cursed under their breath, but all resistance was futile under the suppression of the divine authority.

Below the judge's bench, a neat row of people sat obediently.

Very good. Yan Shi glanced around.

In the courtroom, there was no falsehood. She didn't recognize any of these people.

The best news is that Sheng Chunqiu isn't in it.

Following Yan Shi's wishes, the Vatican automatically separated the men in black robes and placed them in a row of seats at the front.

Ao Le suddenly felt like he couldn't hear anything anymore; the silence around him was terrifying. He could only see Director Yan of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs not far away, his lips moving as if he were saying something.

The rules of the Floating Church are ruthless and absolute.

Here, any repentance promised by the criminal will directly become a vow of law.

If I break this oath, may my soul be annihilated.

The men in black robes were not the main culprits; they were merely accomplices in Lin Zizui's case. Moreover, they were all exceptionally capable accomplices.

After all, not everyone in the Otherworld is proficient in ancient languages.

Yan Shi lowered his eyes and calmly observed them.

She did not declare her dead immediately.

Instead, it offered them a path to redemption.

"Novano Port Special Administration Bureau Branch." Her voice was cold, echoing in the main hall of the Holy See. "You will join them, swearing never to betray them. From this day forward, assist the Special Administration Bureau in completely controlling the port's order."

Since the Garcia Governorate was destined to lose power, Yan Shi thought that as one of the core ports of the Underworld, Novano Port should be completely under his control, at least during his tenure.

Keep in mind that this is free labor.

It's really hard to refuse.