Chapter 238: The Darkest Hour of the Northern Continent

In late January, on the southern coast of the Protoss Empire in the Northern Continent.

Snow is not a common weather phenomenon in this area located on the warmer coastline.

Lilom has always been a warm, lively city with the sea as its background.

Because the geographical location of this south coast city is in the remote west of the southern border, it is very far away from the large main port on the south coast of the Protoss Empire. There are large tracts of mountains and forests inland behind the city, and it is hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest inland city. Therefore, most of the time it is just a tourist city.

Although it is not particularly rich, the scenery is beautiful.

The entire city is spread over a series of small islands near the coast and the bridges connecting them. Therefore, the artistic bridges have become a very conspicuous landscape in the city of Lilom. They not only facilitate transportation, but also provide an excellent place to view the sea.

However, in this rare, extremely cold winter this year, the storm seemed to have swept all the way from the imperial capital in the north to their border cities.

A light snow fell in the night.

The light from the lighthouse seemed dim in the thin snow curtain. The ships docked in the harbor were covered with a faint layer of white. The seabirds no longer chirped, but hid in the cabins or the warm holes of the lighthouse. The masts of the ships formed a psychedelic silhouette in the fine snow and the lights in the distance.

Snowflakes landed softly on the city's cobblestone roads, blending in with the snow already on the ground.

The long road from the port to the city hall was covered with snow, and the light became soft and hazy through the snow on the lampshades.

After dark, the number of pedestrians on the road became scarce, and the occasional people who appeared were all wearing thick coats and hats, walking hurriedly.

Their footsteps left traces of water on the ground, turning the newly fallen snow black.

These citizens don't seem to be afraid of the cold.

Rather, it was the harmonious yet strange changes in the Protoss Empire in recent times and the group of silver-robed priests who could walk openly on the streets.

In this deep night when even the moonlight is almost hidden.

Not far from the City Hall, in a mansion that matches the family background and power.

Deep red tapestries drape the walls, delicate embroidery depicting scenes of war, trade, harmony, and prosperity, showcasing the history and splendor of the Proteus Empire.

In the reception room, two men sat calmly on chairs made of moonwood and metal, drinking across the table.

This seemed like a banquet for villains that had never disappeared in the history of the Northern Continent.

"Master of the Resurrection Church, I salute you on behalf of the Lord."

The man wearing the specially tailored clothes for fat people was obviously a noble in this city-state. He raised the wine glass and drank it all.

"Viscount Francis is too ignorant of current affairs to see the overall situation of the empire."

The nobleman looked deeply distressed, shook his head and sighed, just like a noble man who was worried about the world.

As for who he thinks is qualified to govern this city-state, the attitude he showed to the resurrected priest before him explained it better than anything else.

"...Actually, I quite admire that lord."

Opposite the noble, a silver-armored priest with a blue alien holy seal hanging around his neck and who believed in evil gods shook his wine glass and muttered.

The holy seal on his chest is a precious blue [Certificate of Resurrection - Tyrant].

The members of the Resurrection Church who possess this level of [Certificate of Resurrection] are all high priests of high rank. Those with purple rare seals and above are almost all direct soldiers or confidants of the bishop, not big figures that can be seen in a small border place like theirs.

The pink sacred ones are the saints chosen by the bishop, and they are even further away. The epic level is the [Certificate of the Bishop].

Under normal circumstances.

Members of the Church of Resurrection will do their utmost to hide their [Certificate of Resurrection] and only show it when they need to prove their identity to their colleagues.

There are almost no crazy guys who would turn it into a seal and wear it openly.

But now.

In the Protoss Empire, the Church of Resurrection has been recognized as a legal religion.

The cardinals who had always been notorious in the northern continent, feared and hated by all races, had now become archbishops who needed to be respected by the people of the Protoss Empire.

This drastic change was not caused by the Church of Resurrection, and the Church of Resurrection did not have the ability to force the Protoss Empire. This was the Empire's own initiative.

A few years ago, everyone would have thought the empire was crazy.

But that’s the reality at this moment.

"But that lord... Viscount Francis, he has serious inclinations towards the Church of the Goddess of Destiny, and his attitude towards your Church of Resurrection is even more obvious, full of fear. In particular... he would never believe in the theory of the Tyrannical Catholic Church."

The noble said this, sipping his wine cautiously and studying the expression of the silver-armored priest across from him.

"Then it seems...he is indeed guilty."

The Silver Armored Priest tilted his head, looked at the small fountain in the courtyard and muttered to himself thoughtfully.

The entire mansion, from the inside out, is warm and pleasant, with gurgling water, and is so cozy that it is completely different from the city atmosphere. Or perhaps they are the source of determining the quality of the atmosphere.

"Indeed. So in order for you to preach more smoothly in this city and prevent those with bad intentions from maliciously smearing your image, I think the upper echelons of this city need a change."

The noble chuckled with satisfaction, drank the wine in one gulp, and wiped the red liquid from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

"…Although our Resurrection Church is currently an orthodox sect recognized by the Protoss Empire, we cannot blatantly violate the imperial laws, otherwise we will still be imprisoned as criminals."

The Silver Armored Priest seemed to think for a while, then spoke slowly.

If he attacks Viscount Francis, the lord of the city of Lilom, who is an orthodox noble of the empire, and once he is investigated and found out by the upper echelons of the empire, he, as a clergyman of the Church of Resurrection with a very high status, will also face a serious crime and be killed as a warning to others.

"Do you know? The lord's daughter has some demonic traits of her ancestors. Even though her parents are undoubtedly human, she will still be considered half-demon and will not have the right to inherit the territory. Once Viscount Francis is gone, I will quickly make her my family member, and I will then be in control of this city-state. I guarantee that the follow-up of this matter will be forgotten, and she will not have the slightest chance to ask the people in the imperial capital to investigate the cause of Viscount Francis' death."

The nobleman raised the corners of his mouth, and the fat on his face swayed, probably because he had a dirty thought.

They are called wives and concubines, but in reality, those dirty things are only fit to be his playthings and slaves.

"You are such a bad guy."

The Silver Armored Priest smiled and picked up his glass.

Even though dealing with such nobles would leave him with a handle, he didn't have the guts to tease the priests of their Tyrant branch.

After all, they are not good people either.

If the Tyrannical Catholics were really angered, this city-state would disappear from the world forever in just a moment, and these nobles would be nothing more than worms as a life.

"So what do you think, sir? Viscount Francis is currently sailing and will probably be back from the main port city in the east in the next few days. I can provide you with his usual itinerary plan."

The noble poured another half glass of wine for the priest and asked.

In the past, anyone who was found to have had affairs with a cult like the Resurrection Church would be sentenced to death.

Nowadays, the Resurrection Church has been brought to the forefront. If you want to entrust them with business within the empire, you don’t even need connections. You can find them in public at any time. Even the temple in the city of Lilom belongs to the Resurrection Church.

However, everyone knows what reserved businesses the Resurrection Church has.

The current Protoss Empire is in a turbulent gray period. If we don't seize the opportunity, once the empire has completely completed its transformation and stabilized, we may never encounter such a good opportunity again.

"Then I'll come and help you."

The Silver-Armored Priest leaned back in his chair with his arms folded, and the armor on his body made a creaking sound.

Viscount Francis is indeed an obstacle, and it would be better to remove him.

After all, it is reasonable for the weak to be killed by the strong. If Viscount Francis died with regrets, he can only blame himself for being too weak.

"I will get you a nautical chart that records the routes Viscount Francis often takes, and I will also arrange a boat for you and the priests. You can approach them without worrying about arousing suspicion."

The noble stood up and chuckled, shaking his belly.

Imperial policy, the Resurrection Church, and unrest in the north were none of his business.

The key is what happens after you get the power.

Wisdom is power, power that rules everything before you, and few understand how sweet it tastes.

Once power and authority collude, even black can be washed white, and they are justice.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

The empire now is absurd and beautiful.

It's a carnival for villains.

"I'll go with you."

The Silver Armor Priest also stood up, as if he had finished his dinner.

The nobles would naturally welcome the invitation of the Silver Armored Priest to tour the mansion.

They walked along the corridor and up the stairs, and soon arrived at the study on the third floor of the mansion, which had a wide night view.

The calendar hanging on the wall was just turned to the new year not long ago, and it is now 1798 in the solar calendar.

On the dark wooden desk, there were piles of official letters from the imperial capital.

Most of them are related notices from the remnants of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny. Once these wanted criminals are found in border cities, they must immediately notify the main city of the province and then report to the military department in the imperial capital.

"It's really ironic. In just two months, the once noble-sounding Church of the Goddess of Destiny was swept out of the empire."

The noble opened the drawer, glanced at the papers, and shook his head with a hint of sarcasm.

All of this seems crazy and many people cannot understand it, but people like him who understand the changes in current politics can probably see some clues.

The Protoss Empire needs the power of the Resurrection Church, and then it may have to settle accounts with the countries in the northwest.

Although we don't know what kind of changes are actually happening inside the empire, but eliminating the troublesome Church of the Goddess of Destiny must be paving the way for all this.

But these official letters.

There is a red warning that is very conspicuous.

Almost from the beginning, he attracted the attention of the Silver Armored Priest.

It was printed with personal information about Loren, the high priest of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in the southern continent, and all port cities on the south coast were required to be extra vigilant against this person.

Although there is turmoil in the Church of the Goddess of Destiny on the Northern Continent, it is possible that the Church of the Goddess of Destiny on the Southern Continent may come to the Northern Continent for support.

But the possibility is very small.

It is unlikely that High Priest Loren would give up protecting his native kingdom and personally cross the sea to the Northern Continent.

The destruction of Bishop Ivanos was enough to get him into trouble.

The Saint of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny is in the Kingdom of Aethertalan in the northwest, and there is no threat of penetrating into the heart of the Protoss Empire from the south coast in the rear.

"The Empire is incredibly cautious."

The Silver Armor Priest picked up the notice and sighed.

The first item of Loren's official letter reads:

If you discover the holder of [Original Slate-Wind], please report it to the Imperial Military immediately.

Below the official letter, there is an image of the slate related to the [Original Slate - Wind] and an example of the unique light caused by the [Original Slate - Wind] when the bearer casts wind magic.

Since the strongest people like Loren usually use sophisticated disguises when traveling far away, under normal circumstances, he would not be discovered even if he sneaked in.

But he has a weakness. Once he uses the wind magic that he is best at, the strange vision that will inevitably be produced by the [Original Slate-Wind] will directly strike the soul, cannot be imitated, and is extremely conspicuous.

Therefore, it is better to recognize the stone slab than to recognize the person.

If anyone holds the [Original Slate-Wind], it must be Loren.

“Haha, although I heard that High Priest Loren is a noble man and is unlikely to use despicable means, the Empire has always been extremely cautious when dealing with powerful people. What if he really dares to take a gamble and ignore the native countries of the Southern Continent and secretly sneak into the Empire…”

The nobleman chimed in.

"It's true that the Empire doesn't understand Loren."

The Silver Armor priest put down the red official letter and shook his head.

"Even if he wants to come, he will openly support the Kingdom of Estelan. He will not sneak into the empire to cause sabotage, let alone go to the imperial capital to cause trouble."

"Unless he goes crazy and releases all the great demons who have been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison for a hundred years, it is indeed possible that the Protoss Empire will be thrown into chaos."

The nobles followed the words of the Silver Armored Priest with joking and flattering intent, and they got along very well on this topic.

Hearing this, the Silver Armor Priest actually frowned and thought seriously.

I have to say that this nobleman has the mind of a villain.

Unfortunately, the eighth-level demons are leaderless and have no cohesion at all, so the threat they pose is not as great as imagined.

The Silver Armored Priest soon burst into laughter.

The noble's joke finally made him laugh.

"You dare to go to that prison? You will be trapped!"

The noble also said with a vicious smile.

The Church of the Goddess of Destiny has now been defined as a cult in the Protoss Empire.

A cult leader like Loren, if he dares to come, will not escape the judgment of the empire and will definitely be sent to that prison!

(End of this chapter)