Chapter 1084: Gifts from the Celestial Officials
The Theocracy has a total of twenty-two floors, the twenty-second floor being the solitary prison of the Eternal Pope; and the twenty-first floor being the residence of the Saint and her candidates, and no one may enter except for the election of the Pope.
Because the Eighteenth Ring is the Theocracy's prison. Although generally no one would attempt to break out of the Theocracy's prison or escape...but without special permission, ordinary people can only enter the Seventeenth Ring at most.
The five floors above are all forbidden areas, known as the "Holy of Holies." This is also the meaning of the Pope's crown, the "Most Holy Place" - from this floor upwards, anyone entering or leaving requires the Pope's permission.
The nineteenth ring is where the theocracy holds various important ceremonies, roughly equivalent to a large palace in human society. It is also called the "Altar of the Near Heaven" by the elves.
All the guests attending the wedding went up to this floor via the elevator.
Upon reaching the nineteenth floor, the guests from human society were shocked—
They saw a magnificent city.
It was a magnificent city built almost entirely in pure white, so dazzling it almost hurt the eyes. Various towering buildings rose from the ground.
A huge clock tower, a huge tower, a huge pyramid, a huge castle... Every building here is much larger than the outside, and the outside is decorated with layers of special decorations.
A vast array of dark golden decorative patterns emerged from every building. Those with a bit of knowledge would know that these patterns were a form of preservation, solidified by divine magic. This allowed this nearly deserted city to maintain peak condition without the need for cleaning or maintenance, instantly clearing away accumulated grime.
On this level, each building has a different decorative pattern – the pyramid is decorated with sun patterns, the clock tower is decorated with gears and pointers, and the castle is decorated with dragon scales...
Because each of these buildings corresponds to a star and a god.
Not only the Ennead Gods—even the Celestial Officials and even the Apostles—each had their own unique temple on this floor, each of varying sizes. All the temples in the world were concentrated on this one floor. Looking down from above, one would see tiny dots of light, like stars in the night sky.
Therefore, no matter who you worship, you can enter the Nineteenth Circle and find the corresponding temple. Even those deceased gods have not demolished their buildings.
Even the Supreme Heaven, who once fought against the elves and allowed giants to devour them, had a temple of his own in the central area. And those gods who rose from apostles to celestial officials and even pillar gods could even see traces of the buildings expanding from small to large.
The placement of these buildings is also rhythmic—their relationships and conflicts are all metaphorically revealed. If the relationship between the gods changes, the ground at that level will even rumble and rotate, altering the orientation and relative position of the temples.
If the first ring is the one that feels most like the "center of another world," where all races gather together; the third ring is the forest town with the most dreamy and natural atmosphere; and the eleventh ring is the most technological, like the interior of a spaceship, full of metallic luster...
Then the feeling that the nineteenth ring gives people is that of a "holy city".
The team, originally relaxed, felt a sacred weight upon entering this level. It was the pressure of "the weight of history." The photographer in the team, after obtaining Aiwass's permission, carefully took photos.
This was undoubtedly the first time humans had the opportunity to enter the Nineteenth Ring. It might even be the last.
There were hardly any people on the streets—or, rather, hardly any living people.
Glowing spirits clad in armor and wielding holy swords patrolled the streets, while robed spirits stood silently at every corner. What they had in common was that the interior of their armor and robes was hollow... only a pitch-black mass could be seen, with no glimpse of what lay within.
"Are they... the apostles of the Candlemaker?"
Isabel asked with some confusion.
"I guess so."
Aiwass nodded: "These are all phantom demons of light attribute."
It was Pansy, the unicorn beneath them, who gave Isabel a more detailed explanation: "Those who believe in the candlelight... and those who do not believe in the candlelight but still dedicate their lives to others, often enter the forest of eternal bliss after death. This is what you humans call the Kingdom of the Giant Trees.
"As long as the soul is pure enough to be fished out of the source river by Sizhu, Xitiansi or Zhutiansi, it will enter this carefree world to live. Everyone in it is a kind person who can devote themselves to others, so everyone will obtain eternal peace and happiness..."
"I know," Isabel nodded. "Some people do their best to do good deeds just to enter the Kingdom of Giant Trees after death."
"…But that might not work, kid."
Pansy sighed, "It's possible to raise your Dao level through hypocrisy. As long as you take corresponding actions, you can gain Yuanhe's recognition.
"But salvaging it from the source river and sharing their power to grant eternal life depends on the subjective will of the Celestial Masters and Pillar Gods. Unless you've done something good that would earn their praise, it's meaningless to the gods who can directly see souls."
"That's right."
Aiwass nodded. "After all, whether to share power or not is the gods' freedom. If someone pretends to be good their entire life, or never has the opportunity to do bad things, then they are truly good people in the material world. But if someone pretends to be good their entire life, hoping to enjoy happiness in the eternal world after death... then it will ruin the posthumous experience of other good souls, causing them to be bullied by evil people in the afterlife."
"So, while the Pillar Gods possess ample power to share with all beings, they will consider the willingness of other apostles, as well as their own feelings and wishes. For example, Candle Master is said to have nearly 330,000 apostles under his command, while Fallen Angel Master has transformed a staggering 6.66 million demons, and he has over 600 high-ranking demons directly under his command... yet Hengwo's number of dancers has never been more than ten."
Essentially, this world's kingdom of God is like a private group of gods. As the sole and eternal leader of the group, the gods can of course decide who to let in and who to kick out.
Anyway, if the Pillar God doesn't want it, there will be Heavenly Officials downstream to pick it up; if the Heavenly Official doesn't want it either, then there is no problem in sending it back to the furnace directly.
——But having said that, in the material world, we still need to encourage people to do good deeds. Although doing good deeds won't actually get you into heaven...
"As for those devotees, although it is a good thing to be able to enjoy the eternal bliss of the forest... most of them have burning souls."
The unicorn Pansy's voice sounded like that of an intellectual and steady female elder as she explained to Isabel, "For them, if they were to gain eternal life but only enjoy themselves, it would be too lonely.
"So some will join the Candlelight's Vanguard Legion to conquer those unclean dead souls; while others will respond to the call and return to the material world to serve humanity."
"This is the fourth-level ritual magic, 'Holy Guardian'."
Aiwass said, "I know this too, but I haven't had the chance to use it. It requires a month of fasting and abstinence, followed by three days of chanting, to permanently summon a sacred spirit on armor or robes. They will complete an order that won't anger them, and the extent of their efforts and how long they're willing to stay in the material world often depends on the degree of justice or holiness of the matter... This ritual is usually more common in guarding bank vaults. The vaults of large banks will have one to three sacred guards.
"And these Holy Guards guarding the Nineteenth Ring number a staggering eighty thousand. To protect the Holy City, each of them is capable of unleashing the peak strength of a fourth-level Transcendent… They also guard the prison below, which is why there are so few guards in the prison.
"Besides defending the Holy City, they also provide services within their capabilities... For example, if you ask them for directions, they'll lead you directly to your destination. Despite not being able to speak, they're like gentle and reliable elders. This is a sacred mission they undertake voluntarily—if they grow tired or bored with their work, they'll simply return to the Dream World."
As Aiwass spoke, he saw a nearby Holy Guardian holding a holy sword loosen his grip, causing the sword to dissipate into a flash of light. He then quickly grabbed a photographer who had nearly fallen while descending the stairs. He then followed her, helping her carry her heavy equipment.
"...And in fact, they are indeed our predecessors."
Aiwass said softly.
With the help and guidance of the holy guards, the team moved much faster - those holy guards in robes would also cast spells to dispel fatigue, replenish physical strength, and increase movement speed.
Before the sun reached its highest point, the wedding procession entered a temple.
It was not far from the elevator - for it was in the very center of the nineteenth ring.
There are only three temples in the center, namely the Candle Master, the Lord of Scales and Feathers, and Amber.
But unexpectedly, Sizhu's temple is the smallest among the nine pillar gods - it is said that this is a clear request made by Sizhu. He does not want the temple dedicated to him to be too luxurious, and it is best to be the simplest among the nine pillar gods.
However, even so, this is a temple more sacred and magnificent than the Candlelight Cathedral in Avalon.
As they entered the temple, they could hear melodious hymns.
——That’s the song sung by the Saint Maiden candidates.
Just listening to the songs, you can feel your soul being purified.
In the middle of the church, there are three extremely long tables - those are the dining tables for the guests.
The mist fairy, shining with pure white moonlight, emerged from the hazy fog and guided the guests to their seats. She then quietly served behind the guests.
This is one of the gifts given by Wu Tiansi.
As most people sat down, the table suddenly emitted bursts of brilliant golden light—
Plates of enormous, unimaginably gorgeous delicacies appeared on people's tables, accompanied by bursts of light. Following them were bottles of divine wine—each one far superior to the divine brew of Sacred Tree No. 1, yet now they appeared at everyone's fingertips as if they were free.
This is the gift given by Yan Tiansi!
For this deity who controls food and wine, the most fitting gift is the wedding feast itself.
All of this food was prepared by him personally—the host always enjoyed cooking for his guests, and this was his first banquet after being promoted to Celestial Master. For those who couldn't drink, there was a misty moonlight spring gifted by the Mist Celestial Master.
Every candle on the table was provided by the Candle God. Each candle had a sacred glow, and no matter how bright it was, it would not be dazzling. Being illuminated by that light was the same as being illuminated by illumination magic.
But most guests don't know the value of these things.
As all the guests were seated, the wedding host finally appeared.
People were immediately shocked - although they did not understand the gift from the Heavenly Official, they knew the identity of the illusory woman whose figure was outlined from the void.
——That is the modern Pope!
"...Will His Holiness the Pope come to officiate my wedding?"
Aiwass couldn't help but say, "Isn't this standard too high?"
The person he was originally looking for was Cardinal Galatea. As the mecha girl who had adventured with Aiwass, she and Aiwass had the closest relationship.
"You've already found so many gifts from the Heavenly Officials, what else do you need from a mortal like me?"
Gray, whose eyes were now bright, simply smiled and said, "Besides...I owe you a huge favor."
Her amber disease was cured by Aiwass's self-sacrifice.
"Without you, I don't know where I'd be now. The Theocracy might still be in chaos... Don't be so quick to refuse. I know the cardinals all too well. They all hold their own opinions, and without a unified vision, each will find his own way to save the Theocracy."
The White Pope said so.
...That's true, Aiwass thought to himself.
Without Aiwass, the Theocracy would still be in the scourge of trees and amber.
"Before, Isabel once told me... that being crowned at the wedding of the Theocracy and the Acting Pope would be more meaningful than being crowned in Avalon.
"Although you are no longer acting pope, you are stepping down early. How can I let the little queen's expectations go unfulfilled?
"According to the rules of the Theocracy, those who step down as Pope will become saints... and the standards for saints are no different from those for the Pope."
"...I was only Pope for two months. Am I considered a saint now?"
Aiwass murmured softly.
"Although it's only been two months, your contribution to the Theocracy and the world is no less than that of any other Pope."
Gray said with a smile: "Let this wedding convey an idea to people.
"—Avalon and the Theocracy are a close family. There is no doubt about this.
“That’s the declaration I made.”
Updated!
But I didn't catch up (thumping the ground)
No day off tomorrow, update as normal!
(End of this chapter)
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