Hearing this, Ruan Qing'an, who was about to turn around to hear what Eileen had to say, paused for a moment. She turned around with a half-smile and asked, "Your Excellency, is His Holiness the Pope planning to reduce the burden?"

"Whether it's a reduction in burden or not, Lady Dolores knows the answer."

The cardinal smiled, his face full of kindness, showing no sign that he had any objection to her because of her bad reputation and personality.

Seeing this, Ruan Qing'an turned her head and said, "Your Excellency is joking. My reputation as Dolores is notoriously bad throughout the entire Lycas Empire. I can't even be a believer, let alone a saint."

It is easy to persuade a good person to do evil, but difficult to persuade an evil person to do good.

The Red-Robed Cult Leader paused: "The God of Light is not a rigid deity. As long as one has good intentions in their heart, they are a believer in God. I think His Holiness the Pope would also think so, Lady Dolores."

"Indeed, it is a very insightful statement."

Why is it so exquisite?

To value talent and ability is a refreshing and unconventional way of putting it.

She was certain that if Dolores hadn't been the youngest archmage on the entire continent of Hilar, how could she have received such an attractive offer? So, it seems the original owner of this body probably experienced something similar in the original story, except—

She probably worried that it would affect her friend Eileen's path to advancement as a saint in the Church of Light, so she directly refused.

At least for Eileen, the original owner had already done more than enough...

Ruan Qing'an's smile remained unchanged, but she seemed to have lost interest. She leaned back in her chair and casually fiddled with Aldrich's long, slender hand, as if playing with a large dog's paw.

She spoke in a dismissive and casual tone, saying, "Let's just forget about it."

"Moreover, if I were to join the Church of Light, Your Excellency, we would both be archmages, but I would be a saintess, and thus be a rank below you. That would be quite a joke. Furthermore—the glory of the Lancaster family is far more important to me than the God of Light."

These words effectively rejected the cardinal completely.

But the cardinal was not angry. His eyes flickered and he smiled, "It was just a joke. Why did you take it seriously, Lady Dolores? Saint Eileen loves all living beings and spreads the benevolence of the God of Light. She has done a very good job. I would be reluctant to replace her."

"Yes, I was just joking. I was only expressing my respect for the Church of Light. Please don't misunderstand, Your Excellency."

"Haha, of course, of course."

Hearing the cardinal's laughter, Ruan Qing'an turned around, but only a cold smile remained in his eyes, which sent chills down one's spine.

After the laughter subsided, the cardinal standing to the side suddenly said, "Lady Dolores, although we are both archmages, I am ultimately your senior, while you are the youngest archmage in the entire continent of Hilar. Your brilliance is too dazzling."

"It should be known that the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind..."

After the cardinal finished speaking, he fell silent, but the implied meaning conveyed a subtle threat.

Aldrich, who had been focused on the hem of Ruan Qing'an's skirt, seemed to sense something and his whole body stiffened. He subconsciously wanted to look in the direction of the cardinal, but she pressed him back down.

The previously tense body finally relaxed again.

037: [Ancestor, who is this old man...?]

"Oh, it's nothing, he's just tired of living."

Meanwhile, Eileen, who was speaking eloquently on the high platform about her insights into the element of light, was completely unaware that she was about to be dethroned from her position as a saint by the cardinal.

After finishing her explanation, Eileen stood up and bowed to the magicians below the stage: "These are just my rudimentary theories on the understanding and application of the element of light, intended only to serve as a starting point. Now, please let Your Excellency explain further to everyone."

After Eileen came down, there was another round of thunderous applause.

The cardinal, no longer displaying the conciliatory demeanor he had shown half a day earlier, patted Eileen's shoulder kindly and said, "Well said."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Excellency."

Upon hearing this, Eileen couldn't help but beam with joy.

Ruan Qing'an, who was watching: ...Guess how much he heard?

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the cardinal walked up to the platform, looked at them kindly, and began to speak: "Fellow magicians, what I want to tell you is the difference in the element of light."

“Unlike other elements, the element of light represents the God of Light. Our Church of Light is the best example of how the element of light is used and developed.”

"This is all inseparable from our faith in the God of Light. The purer your faith and the more devout your prayers, the more power the God of Light will bestow upon you. As your connection with the God of Light becomes closer, your affinity for the element of light will increase, and your strength will also greatly increase."

Next, the cardinal gave more demonstrations of the specific application of the light element, and his powerful abilities were even more breathtaking.

For a time, it attracted the attention of many magicians.

Only after the explanation was over did the cardinal retract his staff, and the light element that had been gathered dissipated again. He then sat back down on the high platform: "These are just some insights. You may listen to them. If you have any questions or feel that something is inappropriate, you may raise them."

Of course, no one in the audience would actually say it.

The archmage's humility was not genuine. These small fry were already finding it difficult to understand and witness the teachings, so how could they possibly ask any questions?

Seeing that no one answered, the cardinal chuckled, and just as he was about to step down from the platform, a voice suddenly rang out—

"I do have some questions."

"Your Excellency, may I ask you a question?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ruan Qing'an sitting high up. She smiled and spoke meaningfully. In an instant, the tense atmosphere became even more pronounced.

Weren't you just threatening her?

She wanted to see just how capable this old mage really was.

The cardinal could clearly see from Ruan Qing'an's smiling eyes that, though his expression remained unchanged, his heart had sank a little.

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