Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Purification.
Ian looked at her calmly for a few seconds, then slowly shifted his gaze to the face of the Archbishop in the distance.
"...Indeed," he said calmly, "After all, character and appearance are both taken into consideration when selecting an archbishop."
He looked at the two of them again, "But if that's the case, perhaps there's no need for anyone to introduce you to the characters here—"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the letters.
Then he turned around and left.
Su Cheng watched his tall figure disappear down the hallway and couldn't help but sigh. "Not long ago, we were still discussing a date. Life is so unpredictable."
Zhane gave her a look that was almost terrifying.
But she didn't see it.
"...but this is his problem," Su Cheng put down his hand, "right?"
The Archbishop looked at her silently. "I don't know what happened between you two, so it's difficult for me to judge."
Su Cheng didn't want to force him to agree with him. After all, he knew nothing and was probably still confused at the moment, so he asked him how he and Ian knew each other.
Zhan En thought for a moment, "My teacher first introduced me to him, and later we met a few times because of work."
Su Cheng still remembers that Zhan En's teacher was a cardinal.
This kind of teacher-student relationship is not uncommon in the Church, because divine magic is also a complete and independent power system, just like elemental magic and blood magic.
Becoming a priest and receiving the blessing of the God of Light is only a necessary entry step. If you want to make further progress later, you will naturally benefit more from having a teacher who teaches by example.
So as they talked, the topic turned to the sacred arts.
Su Cheng asked a bunch of questions about the sacred arts out of curiosity. They were not secrets at all, and Zhan En answered her patiently.
They left the temple while talking, passing through countless intricately carved arches and colonnaded corridors. The paladins standing guard on the road bowed their heads in greeting.
Most of the clergymen they met bowed in greeting, with only a few simply nodding in greeting.
Zhan En would occasionally take the initiative to speak, with a look of solemn respect on his face.
He was gentle to everyone, but those who could make him do so were obviously important figures in the Vatican.
But these people seemed very busy and few of them stopped to talk.
They arrived at the outer square.
It was noon, and the square was crowded with people. Dozens of snow-white statues stood in the sun.
The square is surrounded by a series of temples. The towering spires pierce the sky like stalagmites, their tops looming in the clouds, and the crystals on the walls reflect the seven colors of the rainbow.
Countless believers were worshipping in the square, as densely packed as a surging tide.
Compared to the temple in Jinpo City, the Imperial Capital Temple is larger, with the floor area at least twice as large, yet it looks more crowded.
This is the capital of the empire where every inch of land is valuable. Even the cheap apartments in the downtown area are extremely expensive.
It can be said that ordinary people cannot afford it even if they work for a lifetime.
Su Cheng stood in the high corridor, looking at the thousands of believers, and for the umpteenth time he sighed at the lofty status of the Holy See in the Northern Continent.
Suddenly, a melodious bell sound came from the depths of the temple, echoing above the empty square.
Everyone stopped what they were doing at the same time and turned to look at the front of the square. There was a wide corridor and the bronze door at the entrance slowly opened.
A group of clergymen came out one after another, surrounding the blond-haired, blue-eyed archbishop.
Flavia, holding a dazzling jade scepter in her hand and wearing a white robe inlaid with exquisite embroidery and gold, walked onto the floating platform that appeared out of thin air.
She looked around at the huge crowd below. The square was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. There were at least tens of thousands of people gathered there, but there was not even a whisper.
Immediately afterwards, a ball of golden light condensed in the archbishop's hand.
She began to chant an ancient and sacred prayer, not in the common language but in a more ancient tongue, with strange syllables and a certain rhythm and power.
The solemn and loud voice resounded throughout the square.
Su Cheng didn't understand a single word. "Is that a simple prayer? Or some kind of sacred chant?"
"Both," Jenn replied. "You want to know?"
"Um?"
"The source of the world's resurrection, the ruler of all things, the enlightener of all beings—"
A pure golden beam of light shot up into the sky and suddenly exploded at a high altitude, turning into millions of warm golden light rains, falling among the crowd.
"Please have mercy on the world, listen to the pious thoughts, and dispel the darkness of the body and mind—"
Su Cheng leaned on the railing and couldn't help but stretch out his hand. Tiny spots of light fell on his palm, bringing a comfortable warmth.
This feeling is very familiar.
She recalled the purification Ian had done for her before. Both sacred arts of the same origin had such a reassuring warmth.
If she hadn't already recovered to her peak form, she would probably be relieved of her fatigue by now.
Looking around, the entire square was shrouded in a brilliant golden light.
The believers were bathed in golden rain and many of them were immersed in the enjoyment.
Some people who originally looked tired now relaxed their brows, their complexions improved visibly, and they even became refreshed.
They knelt down almost instinctively, calling out to the Lord of Light with worshipful expressions to express their respect.
The believers' prayers were not in unison, and some even cried.
But everyone's voices merged into a torrent of ensemble, sweeping across the entire square like a tidal wave, drowning out the second echo of the bell.
The scene was so magnificent that Su Cheng couldn't help holding his breath.
After a few seconds, she turned around.
Zhan En still maintained the posture of bowing his head and knocking his chest, as if he was praying, but the expression on his face was still a little subtle.
Su Cheng: "...I hope I haven't ruined your friendship with Mr. Ian."
"No, in fact," the Archbishop's expression became even stranger, "Seriously speaking, we are not even friends."
"Oh, he's a friend of your teacher, so maybe he's an elder?"
Su Cheng thought of what happened before, and his tone changed when he said this.
She knew that Zhan En must be much older than her, because there were no high-ranking clergymen in the Holy See who were in their teens or twenties, and they could not accumulate any qualifications.
However, in a high-magic world where one can maintain beauty and youth for hundreds or even thousands of years, age doesn't matter.
But if Ian and Zhan En were senior and junior, he would definitely be older.
In fact, even if he is hundreds of years old, as long as he looks handsome, she doesn't mind. She is just simply curious about it.
Zhan En sighed softly, "...Do you need a carriage or a mount?"
"No, I want to walk around by myself," Su Cheng said immediately, "and take a look at the city. Oh, I never thought I was carried in unconscious."
The archbishop was silent for a moment. "In fact, it was your friend who carried you in."
"Um, the one with black hair?"
"Yes." Zhan En said calmly, "He also asked if we could provide dinner here."
Su Cheng held his forehead with his hand. "Maybe it's because I told him, hey, I said the food at the Jinbo City Temple is delicious, so did you give it to him?"
"That was arranged by Lord Johnson," Zhane nodded, "but the answer is yes. I heard that he ate enough for about ten people."
Su Cheng: “…”
They walked into a tall tower with corridors connected to each other, floor-to-ceiling windows on one side and various rooms on the other.
One of the doors suddenly opened, and a red-haired young man jumped out and saw the person walking towards him.
“!”
The man immediately rushed over, "Su Cheng!"
She hugged the black-haired girl in front of her tightly, holding the latter's head tightly, "You saved my life, thank you, I'm sorry that you were unconscious for so long-"
Su Cheng almost suffocated, "It's not a big problem, it's not because of the injury, and I'm all better now!"
Rowan let her go, then looked her up and down, and couldn't help but reach out and rub her shoulders.
"Is everything really alright? I heard them talking about it. It's a heretic divine grace!"
When Su Cheng heard her neighbor's worried words, he roughly understood what she was worried about.
The so-called divinely blessed people are a general term for those who can temporarily use the power of gods through some means.
Those favored by God are superior to them because they are chosen by God and can use the power of authority countless times as long as they meet the requirements.
The concept of a person with divine grace is broader. Those who gain power through strange means, such as various sacrificial rituals, can be considered as a person with divine grace.
Like the guy who blew himself up before, because his own physical strength was limited, he couldn't use that kind of power stably for a long time, so he exploded.
If it were someone favored by God, such a situation of losing control would hardly happen.
but--
Methods such as various sacrificial rituals often do not receive a response from the gods in the camp of the God of Light.
So nine out of ten people who mention charismatics are "heretics."
"I'm really fine," Su Cheng shook his head. "But you, I heard you woke up a long time ago. How are you recovering? Why are you still here?"
"Oh, it's just that the Vatican has something to ask me," Rowan waved his hand. "I already hate that guy, and now I finally have the chance, I want to tell him all the terrible things I know about his family."
Su Cheng understood, "Then you can talk slowly. I have something to do and I'll leave first. See you when school starts?"
"See you at the start of school, darling!" Rowan couldn't help but hug her again. "Come to me if you need anything. Seriously, do you have enough money? How about I give you a magic crystal card?"
Su Cheng shook his head, "No, no, no, I really don't need it now. I'll talk about it when I become poor someday!"
After saying goodbye to his neighbor, Zhan En escorted her out of the temple.
On the Avenue of Faith outside, the stone slabs are shiny and smooth, with almost no dust or fallen leaves to be seen. The wide street looks like a shimmering galaxy.
Lush trees stand on both sides, and their lush green leaves cast shadows.
This direction connects to the upper city and is relatively less crowded, but there are many carriages coming and going, and you can see some noble family crests from time to time.
Su Cheng stopped at the intersection and turned to look at the man next to him.
"You're not going to keep sending me off, are you?"
"If you wish," Zhan En smiled, "of course you can."
"...Forget it, don't delay your business. However, will you be in the imperial capital often recently? Considering the current situation?"
"Compared to before," the Archbishop nodded slightly, "I will indeed come here more frequently, so if you need anything, you can also come to me."
He paused, "By the way, Ling Yang also asked me to bring you a message."
Su Cheng was stunned, "Huh?"
"He said he was looking forward to meeting you again," Zhan En said with a smile, "but due to some transfers, he will not be in the imperial capital recently, so he asked me to convey his apologies to you."
Su Cheng: "...I understand."
They said goodbye politely.
Su Cheng strolled alone on the street, heading east along the tree-lined avenue.
The architectural style of the imperial capital is somewhat different from that of the south. Jinpo City has many bright and vivid colors, while the streets here are more gray and white, which looks solemn and dignified.
At the end of the road, behind the lush trees, there are two towering buildings facing each other across a wide square.
They all belong to the imperial government, and one of them is the Imperial Supreme Court, with a giant bronze gavel sculpture at the main entrance.
Su Cheng raised his hand and gestured.
The shape of the gavel was almost identical to his own mark of the God-favored One.
It looks like a symbol of the God of Law.
She strolled over slowly.
That ancient building has a history of thousands of years, and its cold lines reveal an unquestionable sense of majesty and order.
She stopped at the door of the court for a moment before leaving. After walking for a while, she heard a commotion behind her. She turned around and saw a group of people coming out of the side door.
There were two middle-aged men with pale faces, talking to another man who looked a little younger.
The latter only spoke occasionally, then kept shaking his head with a very cold expression.
The two middle-aged men were desperate at first, and didn't know what the other person said. Suddenly they became angry and started hitting the other person.
Su Cheng saw that they all had a fighting spirit and was wondering whether he should stand further away.
Everything happened in an instant.
A cold silver light flashed across the sky.
The two middle-aged men fell to the ground, their arms separated from their bodies, leaving only bloody broken sections.
Several guards in silver armor appeared at some point.
The one who looked like the captain was slowly putting away the long blade in his hand and nodded to the remaining person.
The latter waved his hand with a look of disgust.
"...Ha, what a scandal."
Su Cheng turned around.
Not far away, there was a young couple standing hand in hand.
Both of them are blonde and beautiful, and they look like a couple.
Their expressions were also equally ironic.
On the girl's shoulder was a petite two-legged dragon, which looked not much bigger than a young eagle. It was folding its wings and looking around.
It has a slender skeleton, silver-blue scales, a cold metallic glow covering its spine and wings, and a pair of bright blue eyes.
Su Cheng blinked, "What happened?"
"Well," the girl glanced at her and raised her chin slightly. "If you don't know, sir of the Holy See, I assume you are also in the imperial capital for a meeting? That couple is Viscount and Viscountess Lux, and they just tried to attack Marquis Murong--"
Su Cheng raised his eyebrows, "Viscount Lux?"
"Yeah, no wonder you didn't know. After all, he's just a nobody."
The boy next to him said, "Miss Viscount Lux was Murong Yue's classmate. It's said that she offended a divinely favored master and died in Jinpo City. Now, the Lux family is apparently about to become history, because Marquis Murong will definitely seek compensation from them. I heard that he paid compensation to that divinely favored master."
The girl chuckled softly, "But it's all their own fault. If they were upright and hadn't committed any crime, then it wouldn't be so easy for Marquis Murong to cause trouble for them."
Su Cheng: “…”
So this is how one million gold coins were earned.
Su Cheng also laughed, "Why do you think I'm from the Vatican?"
The girl glanced at her and said, "Well, although your clothes don't have any emblems or medals, the two places where this material is produced are both in the Holy Union. Only high-ranking clergymen of the Holy See use Snow Star Velvet for casual wear because they don't need it. Anyone else who gets any will probably use it to make formal clothes."
Su Cheng really didn't understand all this. If he hadn't been reminded by the other party, he wouldn't have known that the coat on his body was quite valuable.
Su Cheng: "Thank you for your explanation."
The couple looked at her strangely, and the girl frowned. "You're welcome, sir—?"
Su Cheng nodded slightly, "You can call me that."
Their expressions changed slightly, but they didn't look too surprised, as if they had guessed that she was of some status, otherwise she wouldn't wear such clothes.
The little flying dragon on the girl's shoulder suddenly sneezed, and a circle of thin ice mist appeared in the air, which quickly dissipated.
Su Cheng couldn't help but stare at the dragon.
"My partner laid three eggs a while ago."
The girl tilted her head. "This is her little son. I brought him out for a walk so that he wouldn't bother his mother all the time—"
Su Cheng immediately knew that this person was the Dragon Knight. "He is so handsome. I can imagine that his mother must be even more beautiful."
The little flying dragon spread its wings slightly, as if it knew that this was a compliment to itself.
"...Hmm?" The girl took two steps closer. "It seems he likes you too. Do you want to touch him? Just touch his back, not his head. He likes to bite people right now."
Su Cheng couldn't help but reach out his hand.
The little flying dragon showed no resistance. He stared at her with his round eyes, and his slender vertical pupils dilated slightly.
She approached cautiously and gently stroked the dragon's spine. The scales felt cold and smooth, leaving a chill on her fingertips.
The little dragon tilted its head, moved closer to her hand and sniffed it, then made a cheerful and cute chirping sound.
"Wow," the girl was quite surprised. "He's rarely so happy. You know, he's about the same age as a human baby of one or two years old right now. He loves to cause trouble. Wait, I'm actually not sure what babies are like. I hate children."
"Really? I have some too," Su Cheng said subconsciously, "Except for pretty and well-behaved ones, of course—"
"Well, I don't like that either. It's still very troublesome." The girl frowned. "Anyway, let's go. Goodbye."
The boy next to him also said hello, and then both parties said goodbye.
Since it was a chance encounter, Su Cheng did not exchange names with them, but continued to move eastward.
After entering the central city, the streets become more and more lively, and the commercial area is crowded with pedestrians and cars. You can see all kinds of strange and bizarre monsters.
Knights of the city defense army patrolled the avenue.
They rode on majestic ceratopsians. Those sub-dragons walked on all fours. They were more than two meters tall, with muscular bodies and scales as smooth as gold and iron.
Ordinary animals and monsters trembled and lowered their heads in fear near these dragons, and some of the timid ones were even frightened to the point of incontinence.
When a team of dragon knights came towards him, Su Cheng couldn't help but take a look at them curiously.
There are also dragon knights in Jinpo City, but they do not patrol the city. Instead, they are stationed in camps and are rarely seen on the streets.
The leading ceratosaurus is the largest, over three meters tall, with thick scales as black as ink.
Its huge head was topped with sharp horns, and the back end of the skull extended backwards to form a broad bony neck shield, which looked like some kind of crown.
As the two sides passed each other, the leading ceratosaurus suddenly stopped, tilted its head and sniffed.
Su Cheng: “?”
She watched the massive head droop and sweep back and forth over her shoulders, the sharp horn, thicker than a human arm, swaying just above her head.
"oh?"
The knight on the back of the horned dragon seemed to laugh, but the sound was a little vague through the visor.
"Are you also a dragon rider, my lady? He only behaves like this when he smells a stranger of his own kind."
"I'm not, but I've only just come into contact with dragons."
The ceratopsian rubbed its head against her shoulder, as if it liked the smell of her, but kept a little distance, as if afraid of bumping into her.
"Hmm," the dragon knight captain said with interest, "It seems... that dragon was in a very happy mood when interacting with you, so it left this aura."
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