Chapter 120 The Brotherhood of Missionaries, God’s Watchdog

As February approached, the snow on Morning Frost Ridge gradually melted, and trade and population movements became more frequent.

The scene of thriving vitality and flourishing things is still before our eyes.

In the lord's mansion, in the office, Ye Zhi sat at the desk, thinking about the sign brought down by the black knight: Beware the holy light.

Yeats picked up a quill and wrote three terms on the paper: Orthodoxy, Episcopal Church, and Protestantism.

On the other side of the Eastern Mountains of the Central Garden Continent, there is a Holy Light sect that calls itself the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is called "Orthodoxy" and emphasizes the unity of politics and religion. The emperor controls the power of command of the bishops.

In the Divine Court Empire, the main belief is the "High Bishop". Among the High Bishops, the Pope represents the supreme divine authority, which often conflicts with the imperial emperor's authority.

In the history of the empire, there was once an Emperor Henry who was excommunicated by the Pope. He braved the heavy snow to go to the Canossa Castle and confessed to the Pope outside the castle gate for three days and three nights before he was forgiven by the Pope. This event is known in history as the "Humiliation of Canossa."

However, a few years after suffering humiliation, Emperor Henry led his troops to invade the Papal States and imprisoned the Pope to death. He was also a capable ruler who could bend and stretch himself.

Of course, he cannot be compared with his ancestor, the Great King of Lorraine. Even the Pope has to call Lorraine "Daddy". Without Lorraine, the Papal States might have perished long ago.

The Archbishop's influence in the Golden Lion is relatively light, because the Golden Lion Kingdom founded the "Protestantism", which mainly advocates "justification by faith" and often debates with the church.

Ye Zhi thought to himself, "Although most gods are hostile to Holy Light, Holy Light can suppress all gods with the power of one god... I can't openly go against the church, so I have to focus on development."

In fact, Emperor Lorraine has already given a solution on how to check and balance the church, which is to support the Mages Guild.

Mages who pursue knowledge and explore the truth are naturally hostile to the church that deceives the common people and controls their thoughts.

Thinking of this, Yeats wanted to ask Kendela about his opinion on the Holy Light, so he ordered someone to invite Master Kendela to the reception room for tea.

After a moment.

In the living room, Candela grabbed a piece of gingerbread covered with honey, stuffed it into his mouth without caring about his eating manners, and sucked his fingers without grace, saying with a smile:

"Yeats, the gingerbread you make is almost as delicious as the one made by a friend of mine."

"Boyfriend or girlfriend?" Ye Zhi gossiped.

"Ahem..." Kendra changed the subject, "Huh? You were promoted to a First Ring Knight? How come your progress is so amazing!?"

Yeats: "...was promoted at the Winter's End."

A hint of surprise flashed across Candela's kind, wrinkled face. Then he felt relieved and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "It is rare for you to be recognized by the Black Knight. You know, knights who follow the Way of the Black Knight are much rarer than Holy Light Knights."

As the saying goes, it is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to get a good general. The Black Knights' order is called the Blood Eagle Order. The knights who come out of the Blood Eagle Order are all commanding talents that the nobles are vying for.

'By the way, in just one year, Ye Zhi has already won the favor of many gods.'

Kendra actually felt a little admiration in his heart, thinking: "Besides, they are all goddesses."

"Speaking of Holy Light..." Ye Zhi pondered, "Teacher, what do you think of the followers of Holy Light?"

Kendala looked at Yeats, as if curious about why he asked this question, then nodded thoughtfully and replied:

"We must admit that the virtues and glory promoted by the church have their merits, but at present, corruption is rampant in the church. Even if one is a gifted and extraordinary person, without family background and wealth, it is impossible for him to become a high-ranking clergyman in the church."

Ye Zhi was stunned: "To become a clergyman, family background and wealth are also important?"

Kendra stroked his beard and said, "You can buy the priesthood with money, and the price is clearly marked. If you want it, I will give you the title of priest as a gift when you come of age."

Ye Zhi: "...Thank you, Teacher Kendra."

The Pope also sells official positions, right? The wisdom of the ancients is indeed similar! "There are also different factions in the church, mainly divided into three major knightly orders, the Inquisition and the College of Cardinals."

As he spoke, Kendra frowned slightly and said in a serious tone, "Among these people, the Black Monks of the Inquisition are the most difficult to deal with. If you encounter a Black Monk in the future, you can take out this badge when necessary and say that you are my student. They will not dare to attack my students."

As he said this, Kendala revealed the powerful demeanor of a master and handed Yeats a gold breast badge engraved with an albatross, Kendala's favorite animal.

Ye Zhi's eyes sparkled, and he felt touched. He solemnly accepted the gold badge.

"Teacher, what is the origin of the black priest?"

Kendra sighed: "Their official name is the Brotherhood of Missionaries. They call themselves the Lord's watchdogs. Although they live a poor and ascetic life, they are a notorious group of fanatics. Their methods of persecuting heretics are extremely cruel..."

"In the Mage Guild, there have been mages who were labeled heretics and tortured to death." A trace of pity flashed in Candela's eyes, and he whispered, "Sometimes, committing violence in the name of nobility is more cruel than pure violence."

"Have some snacks, Teacher Kendra."

"Oh..." Kendra tasted the almond biscuits, his eyes sparkling, and he smiled, "Although you are a noble, your cooking skills are surprisingly superb, Yeats."

Yeats laughed and said, "After all, cooking is also an art."

At this time.

Derek knocked on the door and walked in, saying respectfully to Yeats:

"Lord Yeats, there is a missionary in the territory, and he is preaching in the square. I think it is up to you to make the decision."

Ye Zhi and Kendra looked at each other and asked Derek:

"What color robe was the missionary wearing?"

"black."

"Ha." Ye Zhi sneered, stood up and said, "Take me to see this black-robed monk!"

In the square.

The black-robed monk was about thirty years old, with fine wrinkles on his hard face. Beside him was a black briefcase, and in his hand was a worn sheepskin-bound scripture.

He seemed to have come alone through the wind and snow, like a lone wild beast in the wilderness. His body was as thin as iron, and his eyes emitted a light that seemed to be able to see into people's hearts.

There are not many missionaries in Morning Frost Ridge. This black-robed monk is the first to arrive this year. There are about twenty people in the territory, who are curious and look at him.

The black-robed monk swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes containing pity, indifference... and, as if looking at the lambs before execution with kindness.

He opened his mouth, holding a cross and rosary, and told about miracles and scriptures.

"In the agony, the Lord prayed in the Garden of Sorrow, and his sweat flowed on the ground, and he was in great anguish;"

"The second part of suffering, the Lord was tied to a pillar and was beaten;"

"The three painful moments, the Lord wore a crown of thorns, his face was covered with blood, and he was tortured..."

The cruel imagery coupled with the cold tone of the black-robed monk made Irene in the crowd feel creepy. She snuggled in Serin's arms and whispered, "I prefer the favor of the Goddess of Love and Beauty to the Holy Light."

"Yes, dear, I think exactly the same as you." Serin said softly.

At this moment, the black-robed monk's eyes swept over the two of them lightly.

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

Suddenly, Irene and Serin froze in place, feeling a fear in their souls, sweating profusely, and wishing they could ask for forgiveness right then and there!

"Hey, who told you to preach here?"

A loud shout rang out among the dazed crowd.

Gray put her hands on her hips and said dissatisfiedly, "You are breaking the law, do you know that? You are preaching here without the permission of the lord. I have the right to arrest you and make you grow potatoes!"

The black-robed monk paused, and his gaze made Gray's hair stand on end.

Gray thought to herself, "What the hell, that look is just like a hyena's!"

The black-robed monk smiled slightly, and a divine glow appeared on his thin and pale face.

"I came here on a mission from the Pope to tour the Golden Lion and save sinners from suffering, so I don't need the permission of the local lord."

Gray retorted, "Then why weren't you there during the beast tide?"

"Being able to survive the disaster means that God is with you." The black-robed monk said calmly.

"You are wrong!" Gray said, "This is clearly the credit of Lord Yeats!"

The black-robed monk said, "Humans always overestimate their own values ​​and neglect respect for God. The more proud they are, the more sinful they are. They will fall into hell and perish endlessly."

In an instant, the aura of the four-ring transcendent pressed on Grey, making her feel like she was falling into an icy cave.

Suddenly.

The pressure on her body suddenly eased, and Gray turned around in surprise, looking at the woman in the eagle helmet beside her.

The woman in the eagle helmet had fluttering red hair and a swift sword on her waist. She said coldly:

"Missionaries are not welcome here,"

The black-robed monk stared at Hildreth with deep eyes and gave a warning:

"Sinner in a foreign land, have you seen your country sinking in the blood-red ocean?"

"The closer someone is to you, the more they will suffer. Those who plot against you for the throne, this is the sin that runs in your blood. You are powerless to change your fate and can only watch those close to you die in front of you."

In front of Hildre's eyes, there appeared a scene where her swordsmanship mentor asked her to take his ashes back to the North before he died. Thinking of herself and Sora being ambushed by an assassin, an unknown violence surged in her chest.

At this moment, a hand gently rested on Hildre's shoulder armor. She turned her head and saw a gleam in the silver-haired boy's eyes.

"Only cowards surrender to fate."

Yeats stood in front of the black-robed monk, his spine straight as a pine tree, and said calmly: "I only believe that everything in the story can be rewritten by human power."

The figure of the silver-haired boy was reflected in the black-robed monk’s turquoise, almost gloomy pupils.

He was silent for a long time, and did not refute Ye Zhi's words for a while, then he slowly bowed:

"My Lord Baron, I am Andres, a priest of the Brotherhood of Missionaries. I came to Morning Frost Ridge to eradicate ignorance and heresy."

As a four-ring transcendent, his status in the church is already quite high, and he has done nothing out of the ordinary, so it is not convenient to attack him directly.

Ye Zhi had a flash of thought and said calmly: "Then please, Father Andres, leave here."

Andres showed deep disappointment on his face: "Baron, are you unwilling to listen to the gospel of the Lord?"

“I’m interested in listening.”

The elderly wizard in white robes walked slowly through the crowd, leaning on his staff, with a kind smile on his wrinkled face and sharp eyes.

Every step he took seemed to make the air around him heavier, and his aura gradually climbed to the sixth ring, and even approached the threshold of the seventh ring sanctuary! Fear and a trace of fear flashed in the eyes of the black-robed monk. The mage in front of him was actually Candela, who was at the top of the mages in the Atrium Continent!

Candela smiled amiably and said, "Father Andres, why don't you tell me about it?"

(End of this chapter)