The bishop's plan was simple.
In a church based on divine authority, if she can produce evidence that she is divinely appointed—and all her potential rivals die one after another—she will inevitably become pope.
“While death may deter some, in the face of power… death is not enough to frighten them.” The bishop took out a scroll and hung it on the armory. On the long scroll, from the top, a photograph of the former pope, down to the names, photographs, and positions of bishops from various regions.
Below this painting, a dense array of names calmly gazes at the papal throne above.
They were all waiting for an opportunity.
The bishop calmly picked up the charcoal pencil. She raised it and drew a line on the pope's photograph, adding a new mark to the black and white image.
The Pope is dead.
The charcoal pencil moved downwards. The black mark extended from the Pope's position and landed on a bishop. She paused, her eyes crinkling as she circled the person, then moved over a few more, before circling one more.
"These men must die," the bishop said calmly. "The others..."
There was a knock on the door of the small room three times. The bishop stopped speaking abruptly, and glanced calmly at the entrance of the small room.
With a beaming smile, Lillian opened the door: "We're here too!"
The bishop smiled gently: "You've come, my children."
Pandora, her lips pursed, followed Lillian in.
The bishop continued, "The others can wait a little longer." She switched to a lighter-colored charcoal pencil and drew circles around the others.
In this way, among the people in the same row as her, she was the only one left without any markings.
Lillian rested her chin on her hand, looking at the painting. She tilted her head and stared at it for two seconds, her pale blue eyes flickering.
She said, "I just spoke with the current Queen—I spoke with her in her dream."
“I feel that she has a good personality and ability, so perhaps we can help her rise to power.” Lillian smiled slyly. “In the dream, she can handle domestic affairs maturely, as well as diplomatic relations between countries.”
“Moreover,” Lillian changed the subject, “she is raising the former queen’s orphaned daughter.”
After the former queen was banished by the king to a remote and harsh land, the current queen was elevated to her current position. Many citizens secretly discussed the relationship between the two queens, and many spoke ill of the current queen.
However, after having a personal conversation with the current queen, Lillian actually thinks she is a good person.
“If you think it’s feasible for her to take over the throne, then I’ll discuss it with her again tonight,” Lillian said. She nudged Pandora with her elbow: “Pandora, do you think she’d be happy if the current king died?”
Pandora calmly brushed aside her question, saying, “I’ve been spreading the bishop’s gospel recently.” Her tense lips relaxed slightly. “Many nuns have heard of the glory bestowed upon the bishop by God.”
Artemisia looked at them, then at the smiling bishop: "I really was the last one to know..."
Lillian smiled and stuck her tongue out at her.
During the time that Ai Cao rested, as natives of this world, they had already figured out the power structure within the royal family. Whether it was Lillian, who directly entered the Queen's dream, or Pandora, they were both trying to support the bishop's power in their own ways.
The bishop smiled gently. She put down her charcoal pencil and lightly brushed the charcoal dust off her fingertips. She nodded in approval of Lillian's idea and then asked Artemisia, "Could you help me eliminate a few people?"
She pointed to the few people who were highlighted and said with a smile, "Tomorrow we can issue the first divine decree and punish these people who have committed the most heinous sins."
Ai Cao sighed deeply. Since the bishop was looking at her as he spoke, she knew it concerned her. Ai Cao asked, "What kind of divine punishment?"
“My Lord was born from the womb of the Virgin Mary.” The bishop smiled and looked down. Her eyelashes cast deep shadows on her cheeks, revealing a compassion that seemed otherworldly: “Then they were allowed to become instruments of new life.”
This means she's being asked to have these people's children.
Ai Cao looked at the photos of those people again. Although she now knew what they looked like, she couldn't communicate with their souls in this world. Therefore, she still needed to ask Lillian.
Artemisia turned to Lillian and asked, "Are there souls willing to be born from their bodies?"
Lillian nodded with a smile. Her gaze fell lightly on the photographs, growing colder with each passing moment: "Just now, several souls were fighting over the chance to be reborn." Her voice softened, but remained frosty. "The others were in a similar state. Someone is eager to torment them."
Ai Cao glanced at the bishop and nodded in agreement. She then went to discuss with the system: "Can I control the effects of my skills?"
The system was speechless: "Why don't you take a look at your skill descriptions instead of asking me?"
Artemisia opened the skill description and casually said, "But can't you apply to the central platform?" She received a standard door-closing sound from the system, and then asked Lillian with a smile if she could have them create a suitable scene.
Lillian agreed and walked to the corner, whispering to herself.
Pandora's face darkened. "I won't participate," she said. "I will travel to various places to spread the bishops' gospel, but... I won't do anything else."
The bishop smiled at her and called to her, "My child, come here."
Pandora stiffly approached the bishop. When she was still a few steps away, she unconsciously knelt before him. The bishop looked down at her, smiled, and gently stroked her head.
“My child,” the bishop said. A soft, warm light shone in her eyes, reflecting off her golden hair and captivating Pandora’s gaze. Pandora silently looked up at her, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
“You have dedicated your life to the Lord,” the bishop said with a smile. Her hand, which was on Pandora’s head, pressed down with unwavering strength. “You will make the right choice, my child.”
Pandora closed her eyes. She waited silently for the bishop to release her grip, then stood up at the bishop's gentle voice. Her gaze gradually hardened, as if she had made up her mind, and then she left.
Artemisia watched her leave. She asked, "What happened to Pandora?"
The bishop smiled and nodded. "She has just found her own right path." Her tone was calm. "But we are already on the right path."
She tilted her head playfully, a rare occurrence for her, and asked Ai Cao, "Will you help us make this the right path?"
Lillian clapped her hands with a light laugh. She had finally finished discussing the desired effect with the spirits, and ran over with a satisfied smile to hug Artemisia's arm, looking up at her and coaxing, "Right?"
Ai Cao gently pinched her nose and said with a smile, "Of course."
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