After attending the council of bishops, Jacob, accompanied by his confidants and supporters, stepped out of the church in full view of the believers.

The cardinal, with a somber expression and a hawk-like face, glanced back at the cross above the church and said in a low voice, "This is all the will of the Lord. He is testing us, testing whether we still have the determination to take up arms to defend our faith!"

Another cardinal looked at Jacob and said worriedly, "I've heard that the Southern Empire has very strict control over gunpowder weapons. Even the nobles in the empire might not be able to make large-scale purchases. Where can we get so many guns and cannons?"

Jacob glanced at the questioner and said dismissively, "The Church of Heaven has existed on this continent for thousands of years, and our seekers are found in every corner of the world. How can a few weapons possibly stop those believers' unwavering determination to go to holiness?"

"You mean, someone can provide us with a large quantity of Imperial weapons?"

Just as Jacob was about to speak, a church deacon rushed to his side and whispered, "Your Excellency, the one from the south has arrived."

Jacob's eyes widened, and his face lit up with joy: "He's here? Where is he now?"

The deacon looked troubled and hesitated before speaking.

Jacob frowned and shouted, "What are you hesitating about?! Speak up now!"

"That sir is currently imprisoned in the First Inquisition..."

Jacob was taken aback: "Prison? What's he doing in that place?!"

The deacon said with a mournful face, "I don't know! We invited him to the banquet and even prepared the most luxurious room for him. But, as soon as that lord's carriage entered the capital of the Papal States, it went straight to the Inquisition..."

Jacob rubbed his temples with his fingers and said helplessly, "You lead the way, I need to see him now!"

"yes!"

The First Inquisition, the prison of penance.

As the most feared building on the entire continent, the First Inquisition is seen by many as a near-hellish place.

From the ground, the First Inquisition appears to be nothing more than a low, two-story bungalow, covering an area of ​​less than 2,000 square meters.

But if you actually go inside, you'll find that the building is like a pyramid buried deep in the earth, with the above-ground part being just the tip of the iceberg.

The underground section of the First Inquisition has a total of eleven floors, and the area of ​​each floor increases as you go deeper.

Some have said that the deepest part of the First Inquisition is even larger than the secular palace of the Papal States, but this is just a rumor and no one has confirmed it.

As for Bishop Jacob, led by a church deacon, he met the "guest" from the south in the fifth underground prison of the Inquisition.

The guest was a rather young man. Surrounded by a group of burly, hill-like bodyguards, he stood in front of a cell in the underground prison, staring blankly through the cold iron bars, seemingly lost in thought.

Jacob looked at the group of expressionless, puppet-like burly men and subconsciously took two steps back.

Jacob glanced at the church knights behind him, let out a long sigh, composed himself, and coughed forcefully.

Hearing the cough, the young man turned around as if waking from a dream, and smiled at Jacob: "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I didn't notice you were here."

The air was thick with a nauseating stench of decay, and the ground was covered in a sticky, fleshy mess. Jacob said with displeasure, "Katili, why did you come here?!"

The young man called Katili nodded and smiled, "Your Excellency, I am a believer in the Lord. As soon as I entered this city, I couldn't wait to feel the majesty of God."

Jacob shook his head impatiently and said, "If you want to get closer to the Lord, you can go to the cathedral! Or you can go to the sermon hall!"

Katili turned around, took two steps closer to Jacob, and said with a smile, "The people under God's rule are a bunch of dull sheep. They have been complacent for too long and will begin to doubt and become complacent. So, what is the best way to teach them how to maintain reverence and how to reflect on their original intentions as quickly as possible?"

Looking at Katila's excessively pale face, Jacob's right eyelid twitched: "The best way?"

The young man shrugged and said in an unusually relaxed tone, "It's simple. Just let them see their own kind being skinned, bled, disemboweled, roasted, and finally served on the dinner table."

Jacob's eyes widened instantly, his fingertips trembled slightly, and his mouth opened slightly but he couldn't utter a word.

Cartier walked past Jacob without stopping, leaving behind the words: "Come, my esteemed bishop, let's get down to business."

Smelling the lingering strong perfume scent in the air where the young man had walked by, Jacob looked at the pile of remains in the prison cell, gnawed by rats and reduced to white bones, and his right eyelid twitched uncontrollably again.

The city at dusk, the king's bedroom.

Don't you think our daughter is a bit precocious?

On the giant heated bed in the royal palace, Deirdre, with a fur coat covering her chest, frowned as she glanced at the silver-haired Valkyrie beside her husband, who had fallen into a deep sleep after their pleasure, and said in a low voice, "When other girls are three years old, all they think about is toys and food, but Aurora is telling me that she wants to leave Twilight City and see the outside world."

Todd looked down at the restless desire beneath his blankets and sighed, "Court life is too oppressive for her; it's normal for her to want to escape."

Deirdre bit her lip and said softly, "Aurora told me she wants to go to your hometown..."

Todd was taken aback. He turned to look at Deirdre and found that her eyes contained too many emotions.

Deirdre lowered her head and slowly said, "Aurora is your daughter, and my only one. In the future, she will become one of the heirs to the kingdom..."

Deirdre didn't finish her sentence there, but Todd understood her deeper meaning.

“Aurora just finds life in the palace too boring. Let her walk around the city more, and she’ll forget about it soon.”

After hearing Todd's words, Deirdre nodded helplessly.

Todd gently put his arm around Deirdre's shoulder and gave her an inquiring look.

Deirdre's cheeks flushed red. She covered her chest with her hands and shook her head frantically: "I really can't do it today. I feel like I'm about to collapse."

Todd was a little disappointed. He hugged Deirdre and gently kissed her forehead: "Sleep."

The next morning, Todd, unable to sleep any longer, woke up in bed and, seeing the two women beside him having sweet dreams, tiptoed out of bed.

Attended by his servants, Todd, now dressed, entered the palace gardens. Amidst the beautiful, blooming flowers, he enjoyed his breakfast while gazing at the distant city.