Chapter 7028: Council of Cardinals
At the top of Holy Land Mountain, in the chapel of Holy Land Cathedral.
This is an amazing space, which exudes a sacred and solemn atmosphere. The red and golden halo flows slowly in the space, like the wings of a flying bird. More than 20-meter-high columns spread in rows on the exquisite and luxurious floor, like the backbone of a giant, supporting the huge arched dome. Above the dome are countless tons of golden sculptures and colorful dome paintings, which depict scenes and characters in mythology, making people dazzled. Ten-meter-high glass windows are arched out on the wall at the edge of the dome. Outside the windows is a vast expanse of pure mist, as if this place is suspended above the clouds.
There is a distance of dozens of meters between each two walls of the chapel. In terms of architecture, this is an incredible and strange vast space. At the end of this rectangular space, there is a towering huge mosaic stained glass wall, which shines with colorful light and is dazzling. On the stained glass wall, there is a huge sun painted. Inside the sun is a young man with flowing long hair, a soft face, his hands slightly spread out, and wearing a simple gray robe. He looks gentle and majestic, both worldly and mysterious.
In the mosaic, the man in blue occupies an absolutely dominant position. Under the sun where He is, there are three figures: a woman, a warrior, and an old man. The woman is directly below the blue man, looking forward, while the warrior and the old man are on both sides of the woman, looking to the left.
In front of the giant mosaic in the Church of the Holy Advent, there is an altar of gods like in other churches, but this altar is more magnificent and solemn. Not only is it huge, it is also floating in the air. Among them, the altar of the scorching sun occupies the most important central position. Next to the altar of the scorching sun are the altar of the sword blade, the altar of the rice ears, and the altar of thorns and chains.
In front of the altar was a high-backed chair decorated with gold. At the moment, there was no one sitting on the high-backed chair. In the vast indoor space in front of the high-backed chair, there were no rows of benches for prayer like in other chapels. Instead, there were two high-backed chairs placed sideways, and six high-backed chairs arranged in rows of three to three. On each of these smaller high-backed chairs was a figure sitting.
"These are the reports sent by Sister Evie Emerigo and Sister Vanya in Buserit. They are also the reasons why I took the initiative to urgently summon you all. This is an emergency beyond our expectations and we need to take immediate countermeasures."
Standing in front of her seat, Amanda, who was wearing the luxurious robes of a cardinal, finished her statement and then slowly sat down. She then glanced around, waiting for a response from her colleagues, but what she waited for was silence, as if everyone else here was still digesting what Amanda had said before.
After this silence lasted for a long time, another voice finally spoke out, and it was a mature male voice.
"According to the Salvation Hub... the man who was executed by the Holy See four decades ago for a serious crime has come back again, and has become the leader of the cultists. This is really incredible... Is there anything wrong with the report from your subordinates?" Hilbert, who had short blond hair and was stroking his handsome chin, was sitting opposite Amanda, and responded while thinking, with a hint of doubt in his words.
Saint Hilbert, one of the Seven Saints of the Church of Light, is the cardinal in charge of the Holy War Court. The Holy War Court is the main war organization of the Church of Light, responsible for almost all external wars against pagans. Several elite holy war knights in the Church of Light, as well as countless grassroots crusades and church navy, are almost all under the jurisdiction of the Holy War Court led by Hilbert, who is the commander of most of the armed forces of the church.
The Holy War Court controls the Paladins. In the local dioceses, all the Crusaders and Knights' military bases and military ports are almost directly under the jurisdiction of the Holy War Court.
"Hmph, no one can stop the pure flame of the Holy See, and no sin can escape the punishment brought down by the Holy See himself... Now you say that Unina Dotina is still alive. Are you questioning the authority of the Holy See? Save the Evil Core?" After a cold snort, a man wearing a cardinal's robe, a crown, messy hair, a square and solemn face, an eye patch, and only one eye slightly open said to Hilbert's side. She looked at Amanda opposite her not far away, and there was a hint of contempt in her eyes.
Saint Clama, one of the Seven Saints of the Church of Radiance, is the cardinal who presides over the Inquisition. The Inquisition is an extremely large and bloated internal discipline and judicial institution of the Church of Radiance. It mainly monitors the tens of thousands of clergy members within the huge Church of Radiance, finds heretics hidden in the church institutions and cleans up corruption, and is also responsible for punishing those who violate church rules.
The Inquisition has the power to investigate, arrest, question, try, convict, and punish the vast majority of the Radiant Cult clergy. The vast majority of the Radiant Cult clergy are shrouded by the power of the Inquisition. As the cardinal of the Inquisition, Krama has even greater power. Except for high-ranking clergy above the archbishop level, whom Krama cannot directly arrest, try, and convict, the rest of the clergy cannot escape the influence of the Inquisition. Even for those at the archbishop level, Krama has absolute investigation power.
In the church, the Inquisition controls a system of judges. In local dioceses, various inquisitions are directly under the Inquisition.
"Indeed... It's best not to question the divine power judged by the Holy See easily. Salvation Center... Your report just now is hard to accept. There are too many unexpected parts... So many unconventional factors gathered together, it is inevitable that people will doubt its authenticity. Perhaps you should personally analyze and verify it before bringing this report to us... If you find it troublesome, I can help you. Even if it is your most trusted subordinate, you must ensure that you do not believe it completely."
Beside Amanda, an old voice was heard at this moment, and a haggard figure was seen in front of the seat beside Amanda.
It was an old man. Unlike the other cardinals who were wearing luxurious and solemn robes, he did not wear the robes that belonged to cardinals. Instead, he wore a patched rough linen gown. He was so skinny that his bones were almost visible. His arms were exposed with bulging veins. He wore a hood on his head. Under the hood was a skinny, withered face with a few sparse beards. His narrowed eyes were cloudy and dull. Unlike the other cardinals, this old man did not sit on his own bench. Instead, he knelt in front of the bench, silently lowering his head.
Saint Marco, one of the Seven Saints of the Radiant Church, is the cardinal who presides over the Tribunal of the Adeptus Ordos. The Tribunal of the Adeptus Ordos, like the Inquisition, is also a department of the Radiant Church that focuses on internal affairs and also has some internal review characteristics, but its direction is completely different from that of the Inquisition.
The Tribunal mainly examines whether the clergy of the Glorious Church are heretics, whether they are corrupted, and whether they have violated church rules. The Court of Discipline mainly examines the clergy of the Glorious Church on the virtues and self-cultivation advocated by the Glorious Church, and tends to be a moral review rather than a legal review. At the same time, the Court of Discipline also examines the achievements and performance of grassroots and middle and low-level clergy, clergy bureaucrats, and those who are considered to have good achievements and performance by the Court of Discipline can be promoted, otherwise they will be demoted. The vast majority of personnel transfers and promotions below the archbishop level in the Glorious Church are almost under the control of the Court of Discipline.
In addition to personnel appointments and dismissals, the Oratory also has the power to punish clergy who have improper conduct, erroneous beliefs, or minor violations of church rules. The Oratory's punishments are often various forms of forced penance, which are also very uncomfortable but much better than falling into the hands of the Inquisition.
In the church, the monastic community directly controls a series of monastic organizations. In local dioceses, various closed monasteries are their direct institutions.
"No... After receiving the application from the Salvation Hub, I had already sent people to North Wu to collect the damaged coffin core and ships from the Sister of Extinction. I remotely surveyed the battlefield mentioned in the report in Buserit and evaluated the damage on the Sister of Extinction. It was not something that an ordinary Red-Transformed Beyonder could cause. In addition, abnormal spiritual reactions and traces of Beyonder influence were found in the astonishingly wide range of the scene. Combined with the battle process provided by the Salvation Hub in the report, it can be confirmed that Sister Emerigo and Sister Vanya did encounter an extremely powerful enemy belonging to the 'Cup' domain in Buserit... Based on the records in the comprehensive court and the situation at the scene, I think the report of the Salvation Hub is credible."
The person who was speaking at this moment was a figure standing diagonally opposite Amanda and beside Kramar. He was a tall man, and underneath his wide cardinal robe, he was wrapped in layers of cloth with tons of scriptures written on them, completely covering his exposed head and hands, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. The voice that came out of the cloth had a subtle sense of pause.
St. Alberto is a cardinal of the Tribunal of the Church of Light, one of the Seven Saints of the Church of Light. The Tribunal is a department of the Church of Light that is responsible for property, construction, and maintenance. The property of countless weapons and equipment in the Church's Crusade Knights, the Guardians of the Church, the Church's Navy, and the Inquisitors is basically managed by the Tribunal, and the ammunition and various consumables such as grenades are also basically produced by the Tribunal. The construction and maintenance of various war machines of the Church, such as the construction and maintenance of ships of the Church Navy, and the construction and maintenance of some holy steel ships, are all within the scope of the Tribunal's functions. In addition, the construction and maintenance of large and small churches and ceremonial sites in various dioceses, as well as various temporary ceremonial sites, are also done by the Tribunal.
The Gite is the guarantee of the church's professional capacity and logistics, and is also the department in the church that has the closest relationship with the Masons Guild. There is a kind of contract between the church and the Masons Guild that originated from ancient times, and the birth of the Gite is also based on this contract. The Gite controls a series of organizations such as logistics and engineers. The holy forges and ritual building maintenance departments in various dioceses are all organizations influenced by the Gite.
"According to reports from various intelligence points in North Wu... the cultists in South Wu have indeed been making quite a stir recently. Several intelligence points under my command located on the border of North Wu have been contacted recently, and several teams of spies sent to infiltrate South Wu have all received no news. This includes Faith, who was impersonated by a sinner, as mentioned by the Salvation Hub. This has never happened before, so I am sure that the cultists in the south are probably planning something. I wanted to gather you at this time, but I didn't expect that something bigger had happened on the Salvation Hub side...
"Before this, the scouts I had placed in other tribal cities in Buserit had observed startling changes in the heaven and earth in the far distance in the middle of Buserit, so we immediately went to investigate. Through the testimonies obtained in Bastis from Sister Vanya's relief mission and the locals, we were able to confirm that an extremely intense and large-scale extraordinary confrontation had occurred in an area several kilometers outside of Bastis, and the confrontation level was estimated to be above gold."
At this moment, on Amanda's side, next to Marco, a young woman wearing a loose cardinal robe, who looked younger than Amanda, about twenty years old but slightly smaller than ordinary people, spoke. She had a pretty face, short black hair and dark green glasses, and her expression revealed a cold and serious look.
Saint Atelice is a cardinal of the Court of Overseers among the Seven Saints of the Church of Radiance. The Court of Overseers is the external intelligence agency of the church, which is responsible for collecting intelligence from other extraordinary organizations in the secret world, investigating clues, and predicting events that will harm the church so as to prevent them from happening. At the same time, the Court of Overseers is also responsible for monitoring and supervising the royal families and dignitaries of various countries under the influence of the church, preventing the royal families and leaders of these countries, which once had their own beliefs and heritage, from not abiding by the rules of the church and seeking restoration in private. It is an important chain for the church to control the leadership of various countries.
The Court of Censors has its own detective organization, which controls various secret intelligence points deployed by the church throughout the world.
"What the Principal and Supervisor said is correct. Judging from the unusual movements of the Afterbirth Cult, the remains of the battlefield at the Buserit site, the testimonies of the members of the delegation and the locals of Bastis, the joint report of Sister Evi and Sister Vanya is weighty and highly credible. I hope that the rest of you can stop questioning unnecessarily and make a decision with us as soon as possible... After all, this kind of thing only happens once in a few years."
After several other cardinals at the scene had spoken, Amanda spoke again. After her speech, the scene fell into a brief silence again.
Saint Amanda, one of the Seven Saints of the Radiant Church, is the cardinal of the Court of Salvation. The Court of Salvation is the main institution of the Radiant Church for normal missionary work. Various missionary teams are affiliated with the Court of Salvation, and they are the main force for missionary work and maintaining faith. The Court of Salvation is also responsible for establishing and managing various charitable organizations in the name of the church, and for carrying out various charitable undertakings. When various natural disasters or large-scale extraordinary disasters affect the mortal world, the Court of Salvation is also responsible for disaster relief and the treatment of the victims and other official extraordinary people including the church itself. It also has the responsibility and obligation to prevent and foresee disasters.
The Salvation Court is the largest extraordinary supranational institution in the world, the Church of Radiance, and it is the department that has the most extensive contact with the secular world and the general public. It is not limited to its missionary charity and disaster relief. It also includes the Court of Salvation, which is in charge of the church's various assets in the secular world, which are huge and unprecedented. In addition to the typical massive church schools and hospitals, from finance to industry, from real estate to manufacturing, from resources to products, the church's assets and investments are everywhere in the prosperous capital world of the main continent. In many countries, the Church of Radiance is the largest landlord besides the state. These huge assets, except for hospitals and schools that tend to be public welfare, have brought a huge amount of funds to the church. These funds are an important guarantee for the church to maintain its operations. These assets in the secular world are basically controlled by the Court of Salvation, which has the most contact with the secular world.
Missionaries and medical brothers and sisters who focus on religious activities are the main directly affiliated organizations of the Salvation Home, and church hospitals and church schools in various regional churches are the main influential institutions.
"Really... It seems that what Sister Vanya and the others encountered was true? The sinner from four decades ago has actually reappeared? It's incredible that there are people in this world who can escape from the hands of the Holy See..." After Amanda finished speaking, Hilbert continued to touch his chin, as if he was a little surprised, and Amanda immediately added.
"I am not questioning the power of the Holy See, Holy War Hub. We must know that no matter how powerful the Holy See is, it is not a god like the Lord. Four thousand years ago, the one who saved the sinner Yunina was the greatest evil god of the 'Cup', the mother of the Blood Cup... Under that powerful and evil corrupt power, it is possible for the sinner to live in disgrace."
Amanda continued to speak sternly, while Marco on the other side spoke again in a hoarse voice, as if he was dying.
"Mother of Cups...if I remember correctly...She should not have made any obvious movements for several hours..."
"Yes, but the last time the Mother of Cups moved was four thousand years ago, during the Turbid Current War. It was the Mother of Cups' movement that caused the three religions of the Afterbirth to unite and fight that tragic Great Holy War. It was reasonable that the Mother of Cups finally saved the sinner Yunina during that active period. Now, after more than four thousand years, the Mother of Cups has moved again, which is likely to foreshadow the next Great Holy War, the start of the next Turbid Current War."
With a serious look, Amanda spoke to the people in front of her. After hearing what Amanda said, several cardinals present could not help but pause collectively. After a brief silence, Kramer spoke again directly.
"Are you predicting the coming of the Great Holy War? You, the Savior Hub, are you making alarmist statements in the name of the evil god?"
"I'm not exaggerating or making predictions, I'm just speculating. You've all witnessed the abnormal situation of the Afterbirth Cult recently. Not long ago, the Wolf Blood Society broke into the Pritt Parish, and the Filthy Order and the Wolf Blood Society were seen cooperating again. In recent investigations, it was found that the Sea Abyss Cult was in contact with the pirate Edward again. These are enough to prove that there have been major changes within the Afterbirth Cult in recent times, and it is entirely possible that the Mother of Cups is active again."
Amanda looked at Kramer and continued to speak slowly, and Kramer responded solemnly.
"Even so, we cannot launch a great holy war without the Holy See. Only the Holy See has the power to launch a great holy war on the scale of the Turbidity War. Do you want to cross the line by committing a great sin?"
Kramar continued to speak seriously. Listening to the other party's words, Amanda couldn't help but slow down for a while, and then continued.
"I have no intention of launching a great holy war beyond the borders, but we must start preparing for the coming of the great holy war now. This will prevent the cult from suddenly attacking. Secondly, we can also skip the preparation process and take the initiative to attack southwards after the return of the Holy See. What do you think? Holy War Master, Basic Master."
Amanda said this, and then glanced at Hilbert and Alberto. Regarding the specific matters of the Great Holy War, the department led by these two cardinals was the core.
Listening to Amanda's words, Hilbert thought silently for a while, and then he spoke slowly with a serious expression.
"What the Salvation Hub said does make sense. If we confirm that the sinner Yunina's condition is true, then it is indeed necessary to prepare for the Great Holy War. However... the Great Holy War is different from ordinary military operations. It is not as simple as the small fights we are having with the heretics of the Fallen Sect in Iga now. It is a full-scale... large-scale war. Even if it is just preparation, it involves a wide range of areas, the scale of action is huge, and the various costs are incalculable.
"Intuitively speaking, the preparations for the Great Holy War cannot be accomplished independently by the Holy War Court and the Christian Court alone. It requires the cooperation of all the cardinals present. In such a large-scale operation, the Holy War Court must take the leading role... I wonder if you all accept this?"
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