“It’s Elder Nancy.” Phil Gray stopped in his tracks. Seats had already been set up in the square, about three or four circles, enough to seat several hundred people. Of course, these were prepared for church members and nobles.
Meanwhile, some civilians stood on the periphery, peering around and discussing amongst themselves.
Elder Nancy stood in the center of the square, leaning on her cane.
Beside her was a square pool made of stones, about two or three meters on each side, with clear water that was calm as waves.
Upon seeing Phil Gray's arrival, she nodded kindly to them, then waved her cane, and golden light flowed into the pool, causing the water to churn and boil.
"Oh my god! What happened?"
A miracle?
"My daytime prophet!"
Compared to the commotion on the outside, the priests and nobles inside remained unmoved. Phil Gray sat down next to Miss Melody and asked in a low voice, "Isn't this revealing the existence of the Chosen Ones to the common people?"
He also remembered some of the rules for those favored by God, including not being able to expose themselves in front of ordinary people.
Melody smiled and shook her head. "Actually, within the Dawn's range, many ordinary people already know about the existence of the Chosen Ones, and those who don't know are not unfamiliar with the existence of some miraculous things. They will only think that they are miracles bestowed by the gods, and they will have even more faith in the gods."
This time, the residents of Dawn City have turned into bizarre zombies, suffering heavy casualties. The war against the plague-controllers has begun. The methods of those sects are so strange that the people inevitably feel uneasy and afraid. Father wants them to see the bravery of us Dawn Knights, to see that we have enough strength to fight back, so that they can feel at ease and gather more faith.
Phil Gray nodded, as if it made some sense.
The violent churning finally stopped, and a scene appeared on the water's surface.
It was a troop of knights marching forward, their eyes resolute, their golden armor gleaming, and the sun emblem on their chests dazzling.
The leader was an old man with bronze arms exposed. He looked quite old, with a few strands of white, slightly curly hair peeking out from under his armor and some white stubble at the corners of his mouth. However, he exuded an imposing aura, with fierce eyes and a long spear in his hand that seemed to pierce a hole in the sky.
“This is Grand Master Upton of the Knights of Dawn. He wanted to see you too, but he was sent away by my father before you arrived in the City of Light,” Melody explained.
"He looks very capable."
“Of course, Uncle Upton is arguably the strongest fighter in Dawn. Even Father might not be able to beat him,” Melody said, sticking out her tongue without any hesitation.
Should we directly send out our strongest fighter?
What room for resistance did those who were fighting the epidemic have?
No wonder they're broadcasting it live. Their own church's top combat force is ruthlessly eliminating those evil cultists. Their strange power is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in front of the God-Demoted Dawn Leader. Who wouldn't be excited to see that?
"Don't you think this is making a mountain out of a molehill? Father said this is the first battle on the continent of Ver in a hundred years, and it was initiated by our Dawn. We must win it beautifully. Moreover, we may not only be facing them, but also the Church of War and the Church of the Dead."
"Oh, I see. I understand." He was just "worried" that the war would end before the other churches even arrived at the Dawn Alliance.
However, these evil churches have survived several attempts to eradicate them, so they must have some tricks up their sleeves. With the involvement of the War Church and the Church of the Dead, it probably won't end anytime soon.
Moreover, the initial attack was not the most important part; the later stages, when they scattered and fled, and launched constant counterattacks, were much more difficult to deal with, requiring the concerted efforts of churches in various regions.
"And you seem to have been calling the Pope 'Father' all day, which I don't recall doing before," Phil Gray asked curiously.
“Hmm? You noticed? Actually, our relationship has always been quite cold. I know I was very angry after he sent Vincent out yesterday, so I went to see him this morning. He promised me that when Vincent comes back, he will discuss our marriage with his family, and he had a long, heart-to-heart talk with me. I feel that he is still so considerate of my feelings at such a crucial time. Perhaps I misunderstood him before.” Melody said, a smile appearing in her eyes.
"He agreed to you two being together?"
“Of course, the obstacle between us has never been Father, but Vincent. He is too enthusiastic about the development of the Church and has no interest in relationships. If it weren’t for his genuine devotion and lack of interest in the papacy, I would suspect that he is eager to replace Father,” Melody couldn’t help but complain.
"Indeed, the Holy Son Vincent is wholeheartedly devoted to the development of the Church, but he doesn't care much about power and status."
“My father also understands that Vincent’s heart is not in the relationship, so he doesn’t want to see me being so one-sided. He even tried to match us up before, but I really can’t live without him.”
A faint sadness appeared in the girl's eyes, then she looked at Phil Gray and said softly, "Tell me, if you become Pope as soon as possible and then expel him from the Church as a loser, will he be able to give up his passion for the Church?"
Phil Gray paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Miss Melody is joking. Perhaps once the war is over and the church is more stable, he will express his feelings to you.”
"Perhaps."
"Hmm, Elder Nancy's sacred object is her cane? I originally thought it was some kind of mirror or something that could allow people to see other places."
"Yes, the Prophet of the Day once disguised himself as an old man and came to the human world to experience the life of ordinary people. However, once he opened his eyes, anyone who looked directly at him at close range would be turned to ashes if they did not have divine power. Therefore, he wore an eye patch, partly to conceal his appearance which was different from that of ordinary people, and partly to prevent accidentally harming ordinary people."
"So He used a cane to show the way?"
"Yes, just like an ordinary blind person, that cane played an important role in His journey. It was His 'outer eye'. So the purpose of such a sacred object is to help the holder see things beyond the scope of sight and to manifest them through some medium. It could be the mirror you mentioned, or it could be this pool."
"I see. They seem to have reached their destination?"
Phil Gray stared at the water's surface; he could already see the gray mist that belonged exclusively to the areas inhabited by those controlling the virus.
That air was filled with disease.
Melody also turned her gaze to the water, and the surroundings became quiet.
A clear sound came from the surface of the water.
Phil Gray exclaimed in amazement that the audio and video were even synchronized.
Upton tossed his spears one by one, and a dirty, disheveled man in black robes fell to the ground instantly.
He chuckled:
"Stop pretending. I didn't hit the nail on the head. Go in and inform your leader to let all the followers leave the city and offer their necks for slaughter. The civilians inside can be spared, but they will have to convert to a different faith and be supervised by my sect for ten years or so."
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