Deep within the Radiant Cathedral, in the council chamber of the cardinals.
Around the heavy obsidian table, all the cardinals and heads of important departments who remained in the Holy City gathered together.
The air was stagnant, as if solidified, and even expensive incense could not mask the anxiety and suspicion that permeated the powerful and wealthy.
All eyes were focused on the unfamiliar young man standing at the end of the long table, next to Judge Price.
He was too young, his face was calm to the point of being indifferent, and his simple white priest's robes were out of place with the magnificent cardinals around him.
Those deep purple eyes swept across the entire room without a trace of awe, instead resembling a condescending observer.
"...Therefore, when the Holy City faces an unprecedented crisis, it is the Holy Spirit who has not abandoned us! It is His will that guides this oracle—Priest Lind—to descend upon Van Rahil at this moment, bringing us true hope and the path to salvation!"
Judge Price's voice echoed in the magnificent council chamber. His only remaining right arm trembled slightly with excitement, and his pale face flushed with a sickly red from the declaration.
He deliberately omitted Lind's background in Blackrock Territory, emphasizing only his identity as an "oracle," a statement he and Lind had tacitly agreed upon.
However, he was not met with cheers of sudden realization or eager anticipation, but with deathly silence and countless sharp, skeptical, and scrutinizing gazes.
"An oracle?"
The first to break the silence was Cardinal Maurice, known for his conservatism and rigor. His gray eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his voice was dry and full of distrust.
"Judge Priest, we are deeply gratified by your return from your disappearance and for your sacrifice. But your sudden return with a 'divine oracle' we've never heard of, claiming he can resolve an ancient crisis that even the wise men of the past couldn't solve... This is simply too... bizarre!"
"absurd!"
Another hot-tempered Crusader general slammed his fist on the table; he was Bishop Helios's deputy.
"Your Honor, the Holy City is in grave danger, this is no child's play! What makes us believe that a young man of unknown origin is an oracle? Based solely on your word? How can you prove he is not a heretic or... something worse?"
His gaze swept over Lind meaningfully, as if trying to find something out from him.
The questioning voices flooded the hall like a burst dam.
"The light veins have been dormant for a long time, and divine pronouncements have been cut off. How could a divine oracle suddenly appear?"
"What is the nature of his power? What miracles prove it?"
"Judge Priest, are you being misled by some... illusions due to the severity of your injuries?"
Even Helios and Augustus, who were relatively supportive of Priss, frowned deeply, their eyes filled with worry and uncertainty.
Bringing in an outsider is already an exception, and the identity of this "outsider" is so sensitive and unbelievable that if not handled properly, it may not only fail to solve the problem but could also trigger greater internal chaos and a crisis of faith.
Prince opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but Lind gently raised his hand to stop him.
Amidst all the suspicious, hostile, and probing gazes, Linde slowly took a step forward.
The step was light, yet it felt as if it had struck the very heart of the council chamber, instantly silencing all the noise.
He did not look at the cardinals who questioned him, nor did he try to persuade anyone with words.
He simply raised his right hand calmly, palm up.
Words are pale, and doubts need to be dispelled by light.
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying a strange and undeniable penetrating power.
"The Holy Spirit bestowed this power to cleanse impurities and restore order. Today, I invite you all to experience it for yourselves."
The moment the words fell—
Buzz!
An indescribable, immense power erupted from Linde's palm without warning!
That was not the holy light that ordinary paladins or priests wielded, with a burning, intense heat, but a kind of... purer, more ancient, and closer to the origin!
It is bright white, but not dazzling; instead, it gives people a sense of warmth and tranquility like a mother's embrace. It is bright, but profound and restrained, as if it contains infinite vitality and creative power. It is majestic, but not oppressive, carrying a sense of sacred order that soothes all wounds and purifies all filth!
What shocked all the church leaders present the most was that, the moment the light appeared, the light veins within them, which they had cultivated for many years, uncontrollably generated a strong resonance and... a sense of worship!
It is as if a stream flows into the sea, as if subjects are paying homage to their king!
In their perception, that light was no longer external energy, but a manifestation of the source of their power, a joyful celebration of the light vein itself!
"Light...the source of light veins?! How is this possible?!"
An elderly cardinal, a scholar of theological texts, suddenly stood up, his beard trembling with excitement, oblivious to the fact that the holy book in his hand had fallen onto the thick carpet.
"So pure! So... sacred! The holy power within me is rejoicing!"
A bishop known for her asceticism and keen perception covered her mouth, her eyes filled with tears of disbelief.
Bishop Helios clenched his fist, feeling the power within the light—a power of the same origin as his own yet far surpassing his own in quality. All his previous doubts were instantly shaken and shattered! The essence of this power could not be faked! It was something that no evil spirit or heretic could imitate!
However, this is just the beginning.
With a slight thought, the blazing white light cluster floating in Lin De's palm began to change.
It no longer merely emits light, but flows slowly as if it possesses life, with countless incredibly subtle, complex, and profound golden sacred runes emerging from within. These runes form an incomparably perfect, constantly evolving, and cyclical three-dimensional structure—the very manifestation of the evolved [Bright Halo]!
The halo slowly rotated, and the light it cast seemed to possess a tangible weight and spirituality.
The closest bishop had a faint trace of Shadow Abyss filth left on his robe sleeve from the previous cleanup of the split entities. Under the light, it made a soft "sizzling" sound and instantly turned into blue smoke and dissipated, leaving his robe sleeve as clean as new!
Another cardinal, who had been tormented by old injuries for many years due to old age, felt a gentle warmth flow into his body as the light swept over him. The pain that had plagued him for many years was instantly reduced by more than half, and he seemed to be several years younger!
Divine, purifying, healing, orderly... the inherent characteristics of the power of light veins were fully displayed in front of this halo, even exceeding the limits of their cognition!
The entire Cardinal Council chamber was completely silent.
All the dissatisfaction, doubts, and anger at this moment turned into utter shock and stunned silence.
They stared in a daze at the source of light that floated in Lind's palm like a miniature sun, feeling the pure light pulse power within it that made their souls tremble, yet they longed to be close to it.
At this moment, any explanation or argument would be superfluous.
This pure, unparalleled, and unimaginably powerful force of light is itself the most irrefutable proof!
Judge Presley looked at his colleagues around him, who were dumbfounded and seemed to have their faith reshaped. A complex emotion flashed in his single eye, a mixture of relief, shock, and a barely perceptible sense of awe.
He took a deep breath, and with all his might, broke the silence in a hoarse but incredibly firm voice:
"Now... who still questions the identity of the Oracle? Who still doubts that the Holy Spirit has not abandoned His lamb?!"
Dead silence.
On either side of the long table, the cardinals and holy generals who had been questioning him so aggressively just moments before all lowered their heads instinctively. No one dared to meet his gaze, and no one dared to utter another word of doubt.
Bishop Helios and Bishop August exchanged a glance, both seeing immense shock and a glimmer of... hope for survival in each other's eyes.
Helios rose first, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed deeply to Lind, his tone more respectful than ever before:
"My Lord Oracle... please forgive our ignorance and foolishness. The fate of the Holy City... and indeed the entire Holy Church, may truly rest in your hands!"
As he moved, it was like toppling the first domino. All the high-ranking and powerful figures in the council chamber, regardless of whether they still had a sliver of doubt, rose and bowed their proud heads to the young man who held up the light and whose identity was mysterious.
Linde withdrew his hand expressionlessly, and the blazing white halo disappeared as if it had never appeared.
But that mark of pure light has been deeply imprinted into the soul of everyone.
He calmly swept his gaze over the group of high-ranking members of the Holy Church who had finally been temporarily "persuaded," and spoke indifferently:
"The crisis is still spreading beneath our feet, and time is of the essence. Now, can we talk about how to 'repair' this holy city?"
His voice, at this moment, sounded like a divine pronouncement to everyone, leaving no room for doubt.
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