Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Romance.
"Go ahead," she commanded, her voice filled with undeniable determination. "No matter what you hear, don't look back at me."
In the storm of dust and gravel, the dragon beast turned into a galloping black shadow and disappeared at the end of the moonlight.
——"The Prequel to Pantheon: Maesrael's Sunset"
-
Su Cheng walked around the exhibition hall curiously. Every item collected here could be called an antique.
And unlike ordinary historical objects, most of these have some kind of magic.
Some are blessings, while others are curses from enemies.
Various traces of war still remain on it after a long time, silently telling of a secret past.
"Fernand's strong heart..."
She looked up at a huge, cracked bronze shield that looked like it was pieced together from broken pieces.
The relevant stories are recorded on the display cabinet.
A high-ranking clergyman of the Holy See, also a scholar with extensive experience and knowledge, was leading a team to explore an ancient ruin one day when they were attacked by the Eternal Night Cult Legion.
Although the enemy was extremely numerous, already a medium-sized force, and reinforcements were constantly arriving, the priest still led his men in the fierce battle until all his colleagues were killed.
Although she was alone facing a legion composed of a few humans and a large number of half-blood darkspawn, she actually had a chance to escape with her strength.
She had countless opportunities to do so, but she didn't do it.
She wanted to inform the Vatican's army, but the enemy mages had placed a ban on them, preventing most spells that could be used for communication from being cast.
At the last moment of the battle, she used some kind of sacrificial magic to forcibly open a path and release her mount, the dragon.
Because of that holy art, the dragon carrying the letter barely escaped and was not intercepted and killed by the secret cult's army, and was able to deliver the message to the nearby temple.
The priest was torn to pieces by demons and vampires.
It is said that the enemy also admired her very much and later returned her weapons.
Su Cheng stood outside the display case and could vaguely feel that there was a certain sacred and familiar aura lingering on the shield, probably the power of light that she had experienced many times.
"...I remember this person," Su Cheng suddenly said, "She was promoted to the God of Courage after her death, right?"
"Yes," Ian said, seemingly unsurprised. "Some people who don't know her think she's someone born for battle, like the leader of the Paladins who charges into battle. They believe courage is a warrior's quality, a knight's nature, and that they are the ones who deserve to bear such a divine power."
Su Cheng pondered for a moment, "That's certainly the impression. Just like the God of Mercy was a high priest during his lifetime, saving many people, some of whom were even considered enemies, right? So they would have similar thoughts about other gods?"
Ian nodded slightly. "The courage to stick to one's post and fulfill one's duties is indeed worthy of praise, but I think it's precisely those unexpected moments that best embody this concept. Just like we are always moved by a flower growing in a crack in a rock, but it would be completely different if it grew in a courtyard. Someone had the opportunity to save herself, but her identity and dreams called her back, and she chose to sacrifice. She knew she would never have the chance to complete her research and exploration, and that her lifelong pursuit would end at this moment, but she still chose to move forward. You see, that's not courage honed by hard work, but something purer and more essential."
Su Cheng's heart moved, "You are right... In fact, I have seen her statue, she doesn't dress like a scholar."
"In that era, clergymen, especially those exploring dangerous areas, were almost always fully armored. Only priests and bishops who were accustomed to facing the public wore robes."
They came to a booth where a necklace was displayed. The pendant was a round, bright sapphire as deep as the sky.
Su Cheng saw that there seemed to be some kind of pattern on the gem, which kept changing with the light.
She looked down at the introduction information and her gaze suddenly stopped.
It says that the necklace came from a craftsman named Hammerfeld, and the surname is engraved on the back of the pendant, almost blending into the necklace.
Su Cheng still remembered the set of "Secret and Dangerous Spells" that he had bought before. The author did not sign his full name, only the last name Hammerfield.
The necklace in the display case now seems to carry some kind of curse. It is said that priests will feel uncomfortable if they touch it.
And its history is quite long. It is recorded that this thing also comes from the Qingyue calendar and is an ancient artifact from thousands of years ago.
——There was once an elder of the Jingyin Society who deliberately murdered a bishop and then infiltrated the Vatican in an attempt to steal the necklace, but failed.
Su Cheng's pupils trembled, "...Jingyin Society? The organization that worships the God of Illusion?"
Ian glanced at her and asked, "Have you come into contact with any of the members?"
Su Cheng didn't want to tell everyone that he had killed the prince, "I heard about it from someone."
She was trying to get away with it by making a joke, but was suddenly pinned to the ground.
The large, warm palm covered the entire shoulder blade, and warmth seeped into the exposed skin.
Perhaps because of his affinity with the power of light, Su Cheng instinctively relaxed, and the feeling of being cleansed and purified came over him again.
She almost wanted to fall asleep on the spot.
It's not because of sleepiness, but the feeling of being lazy because of the sun, as if the bones are filled with heat, the body becomes light, and I want to take a nap in the afternoon.
"The people from the Jingyin Society left a mark on you." Ian said calmly, "It looks like you've become a 'target'."
Su Cheng: “…”
She already knew about the latter incident.
But she didn't feel the so-called mark at all.
Since that organization is a believer of the God of Illusion, and the God of Illusion is an ally of the God of Darkness, they are equivalent to the enemy of the God of Light and the Church, and are one of the heretical false gods they call.
Therefore, the high-ranking clergy of the Holy See are probably more sensitive to the aura of its power.
Su Cheng: "Can you clean it up?"
"Okay," he nodded, "but for some reason, it's lost its meaning now. Even if I don't intervene, it will dissipate in a few days."
Su Cheng was about to ask when he suddenly felt a heat on his shoulder, and black mist came out from between his fingers covering his shoulder.
He raised his hand, as if to pull out some existence, and wisps of black mist were pulled out, quickly dissipating and disappearing in the air.
Su Cheng vaguely felt a little relieved.
"You must have had some wonderful experiences these days," the blond young man looked down at her, "Did I miss anything important?"
"Thank you." Su Cheng didn't want to talk about the captain's personal affairs, so he had to skip the part about the Golden Flower Palace. "To make a long story short, it's nothing more than me and some people plotting against each other, and I survived."
"Oh," Ian smiled, "That sounds familiar. I think the reason we're here today is because we all have had many similar experiences."
They continued walking through the exhibition hall, among those heroic epics and antiquities with secrets. The introduction information of some items was incomplete, and Ian added some stories for her.
Although she still had no clear understanding of the war between the Church and the Secret Cult, and between the God of Light and the God of Darkness, she was able to piece together some of the events.
Su Cheng listened intently. "...So why are they placed here? I thought these things should be in a collection hall somewhere in the Holy City?"
"The Holy City does indeed house many collections, but most of what you see represent some unknown past, and the people in the Vatican don't really want them to be revealed."
Ian met the girl's questioning gaze and said, "You're not a big fan of history. Some things are just stories to you, but for others, they might use them to dig out some...not-so-glorious truths."
"Of course," he paused, "only those in the Holy City would care. But if you ask me, I don't mind. The war officially began before the Siege of White Night. It was a struggle for profit without glory. The power that embellishes history is just a small accessory in the winner's spoils. Looking back at the past and present, the true beneficiaries have never cared about how the creatures on the continent view them."
When he talked about these things, his expression was quite calm and his tone was casual.
It seemed like they were just discussing the taste of dinner, rather than making some outrageous remarks.
At least for a clergyman, these words were enough to get him dragged into the court of inquiry.
Because it sounded like he was "slandering" the God of Light.
At least this view seems to be completely contrary to the image created by the Supreme God.
Su Cheng didn't say anything.
She still remembered how the paladins had solemnly glorified the scene as a holy war when she first entered the temple, saying that the crimes of the Eternal Night Cult were heinous and that the Church was trying to purify the land that they had defiled.
At the time, she hadn't felt much of it, but after entering the ruins of Miseros and seeing Lord Montagne's memories—
She realized with absolute clarity that this was not the case.
The ghosts of the dead residents still wander forever in the forgotten empty city.
She remembered the baby who was chopped in two along with his father, the child who was picking up toys from the ground, and the desperate boss who prayed to the dark god.
In the eyes of the Vatican, they must be polluted pagans and not worthy of salvation.
certainly--
Like the paladins in the temple, they may not know much of the truth, but the reason they firmly declare that it is right and just is because they really think so.
Or maybe the Vatican simply does not allow any other voices to appear.
Su Cheng: "...Why are you saying these things in front of me?"
If Ian had been like those people, linking the Eternal Night Cult with evil and defining it as something that should be eliminated, she would definitely have been bored.
However, this person always seemed to have a knack for saying something that interested her at certain times.
Ian tilted his head and looked at the black arrow in the exhibition hall. His eyes fell on the arrow, and he seemed to see a distant past.
"Let you know me," he said slowly, "I am showing you myself, a self that I almost forgot—"
Su Cheng suddenly heard his own heartbeat.
This is not a confession.
He probably didn't like her particularly much, at most he had a little bit of a good impression of her.
But she suddenly felt an attraction.
—Part of it was his own doing, and part of it was his behavior.
Witnessed by those legendary antiquities, they seemed no longer to be two persons of status, but two souls looking at each other from a distance.
The entire noisy world seemed to be isolated by the bronze door, leaving only this quiet space with soft light.
"Okay," Su Cheng took a deep breath, "I understand. Then I can also tell you that I got into a lot of trouble for various reasons."
Of course, some things that happened before could not be controlled, but the bad experience in Jinzhan Palace was completely voluntary and she would not regret it.
Ian looked down at her, "…did you think of anyone?"
Su Cheng was stunned, "Huh?"
He reached out and stroked her chin, his fingertips almost touching her skin, but he maintained that final distance, then slowly slid upwards.
Her long fingers seemed to be tracing the outline of her lips.
"You smiled," the blond murmured, "though it wasn't very noticeable."
Su Cheng was stunned for a few seconds, "Really?"
His drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, and the tiny light from the lamp filtered through like stars, falling into those golden eyes that seemed to be rippling with the morning light, and then being swallowed up completely.
"Yeah," Ian nodded, a hint of melancholy emerging on his handsome face. "Since you don't feel it yourself, it means you are even more..."
He raised the corner of his mouth, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "I think that must be a very important person."
Su Cheng only felt a row of ellipsis appear above his head.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Probably. I have someone important to me, and if you have one too, I wouldn't mind anyway."
"If I had, I probably wouldn't be here."
He chuckled lightly but didn't ask any further questions. "...I hope you're satisfied with tonight's arrangements. This place is actually my house, but I haven't been here in many years."
"Oh, this is really good!" Su Cheng gave a thumbs up. "I like it very much, although it is different from what I expected. Oh, I am definitely not praising it openly or criticizing it secretly. This sentence is completely complimentary. Because if it is the same as what I expected, it would be too cliché. I have had similar experiences before, and it will be the same if it happens again-"
Having said this, she couldn't help but pause.
If this identity's past is exactly the same as Lin Yun's, then he probably has no dating experience and has been stuck at home since he was a child.
But let alone whether he would investigate, even if he did, he might not be able to fully restore what happened a few years ago.
Especially since the people involved are so inconspicuous.
Even though many people would mock her as a loser, because of this, unlike the talented children in the family, she received more attention.
The servants in the Lin family were all hired, and they would leave the old and welcome the new from time to time. If she had dated a young gardener or cook, even her family might not know.
A series of thoughts quickly ran through Su Cheng's mind, thinking that at worst he could claim that he had dated his teammates.
Although it is best not to do this, it feels like I am destroying someone's reputation.
"I understand," Ian raised his eyebrows slightly, "I also hope that I can leave some special impression on you."
“…That’s absolutely true.”
"Okay," he nodded in satisfaction, "So how do you want to proceed? Do you want me to end this and accompany you back to the hotel, or do you want me to take you back to the temple?"
Su Cheng's mind suddenly flashed with some movie scenes. "It's a pity it's summer now. Otherwise, it would be quite romantic if it snowed after the date. Ha, I'm kidding. By the way, if I want to make an appointment with Archbishop Johnson—"
Ian's eyes dropped. "Because of the things in your hands?"
"Yes," Su Cheng sighed, "This is the plan of Duke Oulu."
"Can I see it?"
Su Cheng thought that this was not a secret, and according to the formal process, even if the archbishop agreed, the plan would still have to be circulated among multiple clergy.
So I gave it to him.
Ian took it and flipped through it. He didn't read every page, but only looked at the most important part at the front. "This can be approved."
"real?"
"Yes," he nodded. "It wasn't allowed before because of some policies of the Vatican, and things have changed in the past few months."
Su Cheng blinked, "Are you sure? Don't do any favors for this matter. This is between him and me--"
"I'm not lying to you," he shook his head. "I swear, even if you and I weren't involved, if Van Galen VII asked again, Flavia would agree."
Su Cheng thought that since he knew his identity, he would not dare to swear casually, so this should be true.
"If you were a clergyman, I would explain it to you in detail."
Ian closed the plan and said, "Now you can think for yourself. The Northern Continent will soon become increasingly chaotic, and the Church will no longer suppress the rise of these forces..."
Su Cheng: “?”
Which forces?
The one favored by the God of Wealth?
He didn't give her a clear answer and just let her figure it out.
Su Cheng: "Then how should I reply to Galen? Or should I just ignore him? After the plan is approved, the permission letter from the Holy See will be sent to his residence, or he will receive the news anyway, right?"
"I personally suggest you ignore him."
"?"
"What I mean is," he said, looking at her with a half-smile, "Duke Oulu may eventually realize that the outcome of this matter is due to a change in the Vatican's attitude, but it won't happen soon. For now, let him think that it's your extraordinary influence on the Archbishop. He was just trying to test your influence anyway."
Su Cheng: “…”
When they walked out of the collection hall, Su Cheng suddenly felt the cool and moist air brushing against his cheeks.
She looked up and saw snowflakes falling from the sky, like countless soft down feathers, covering the entire ancient and secluded street.
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