Research
“The Lord will forgive your sins.”
The Pope's finger dipped in holy oil gently touched Gao Shu's forehead. The fragrance formed by the mixture of olive oil and herbs flowed from the forehead to the tip of the nose, making people feel the breath of life.
"From now on, you will bathe in the glory of the Lord and spread His grace to the earth."
The servants of God walked up quickly with their heads lowered and put a white silk robe embroidered with magic crystals on him.
"In the name of the Pope of the Temple of Life, I grant you the name of 'Holy Son'."
Gao Shu crossed his hands on his chest and bowed devoutly in the direction of the Pope.
“Thank God for the light.”
The Pope looked at him lovingly and extended his right hand to him.
However, the one who helped Gao Shu up was not the Pope, but Zhou Ruo, who was also wearing a snow-white silk robe, a golden laurel crown, and looked solemn and holy.
The moment she helped Gao Shu up, the two exchanged a knowing look, leaving the only hint of playfulness in the coronation ceremony of the "Son of God".
Gao Shu turned around. From that moment on, he was no longer the third prince of the Saint Malo Empire, nor did he have the status of a royal family any more.
He saw his "father" and "mother" in this world looking at him with a smile. There was satisfaction and relief in his father's eyes, but he didn't have the tenderness he would give to his own son. There was pride, calculation, and a hint of contempt in his mother's eyes.
His "brothers and sisters" stood behind the king and queen, some were pious, some were envious, some were mocking, and some were disdainful.
His "sister", the seventh princess of the empire, and classmate Owena, who also came from the alien world "Earth", stood at the end of the line and was also looking at him.
She seemed to be thinking about something, her eyes changed from confusion and entanglement to determination, and she suppressed all her emotions deep in her heart, turning them into complete calm.
That was the first time that Owena revealed her ambition in this world.
...
Gao Shu opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.
The sky was just slightly white, and the time on the phone screen showed that it was only five o'clock in the morning. But Gao Shu, who was used to the ascetic life, was used to getting up at five o'clock every day and going to bed at eleven o'clock at night.
In Parnaki, his schedule was more like that of an old man. It was common for him to go to bed at nine in the evening and get up at three in the morning. But there was no evening self-study in Parnaki. As a high school student, wanting to go to bed at nine was nothing but a pipe dream. Even as the Pope, he could only obey the rules in China and had to move his sleep and wake-up time back two hours.
He turned over and sat up from the bed, opened the wardrobe, dressed neatly, and combed his hair meticulously, but he did not leave the room. Instead, he put his hand behind the door and let the magic flow.
A faint "click" sound was heard, and the originally plain wooden door began to twist visibly.
Gao Shu walked straight in, passed through the wooden door, and entered a spacious, independent space.
This piece of space came from Xiao Shichuan's "space magic". As his strength gradually recovered, it was no longer a difficult task for him to open up an independent space like this.
Xiao Shichuan fixed this space on the door of a high-level room, and could open and close the passage at any time through magic power.
To enter the room, the entrant must have enough magic power, otherwise he will be rejected by the door.
This seemingly unnecessary operation is mainly to prevent family members with advanced math skills from entering the house by mistake.
Once someone approaches the door, it will notify the higher-level person inside the door through energy fluctuations, allowing him to immediately notice and leave in time. It can be said to be quite intelligent.
As for the space inside the door, it is actually the prayer room for advanced mathematics.
When it comes to the topic of "religion", the first people that come to mind in Class 9 of Senior 2 are often Yu Zhi and Lin Yuan. One of them is the goddess of the temple, and the other is a knight of the temple. Although they are elected gods, they are much more pious and religious than these religious people who have the identities of "holy sons" and "holy daughters" but are always half-baked in their faith.
But if we really want to talk about who is most deeply bound to the many sects of Parnagi, there is only one candidate: Gao Shu.
As the Pope, although he is not pious, he is the most religious person in his behavior. Even after returning to Earth, his lifestyle still retains the style of his papal period.
However, compared to the solemn and magnificent churches of various sects on Earth, the chapel of Gaoshu is more like a laboratory than a place for religious activities and worship.
There were all kinds of experimental supplies, metallurgical tools, and chemical reagents, except for a statue of the "God of Destruction" placed in the corner.
Gao Shu walked towards the statue of the "God of Destruction". He did not kneel down or use any sacrificial spices or ointments. He just clasped his hands together and prayed quietly for a while.
This is a habit of high numbers, and has nothing to do with piety. If we were to ask who is the least pious and the least religious person in the "Temple of Destruction", it would undoubtedly be him, the Pope of the "Temple of Destruction".
Praying in front of the statue like this can help his brain quickly calm down and keep his thinking active.
Advanced mathematics students often recite prayers like following a routine while recalling various things that have happened recently, sorting them out in their minds, and arranging each one neatly in the "palace" formed by memory.
Recalling last night's dream, Gao Shu's expression showed a slight touch of emotion.
Although he was not pious enough as a pope, his divinity was extremely powerful, which was why he eventually became the pope.
In the religious system of Parnagi, strong divinity means the ability to communicate with gods. This is a rule that was set long before the "Twenty-Four Gods" existed, but "divinity" is different from mental power or magic power, and is a relatively ambiguous existence.
It has no intuitive manifestation in the early stages, nor does it make people feel close to gods or religions, nor does it give them an advantage over others in understanding scriptures.
In order to detect "divinity", one needs to get close to the statue of the god. Those statues that are tainted with the power of faith will respond to people who possess "divinity".
This response can only be felt by people who have reached a certain level of power, and the stronger the response, the stronger the "divinity" of this person. For example, the 25 people in their ninth class, each of them is extremely powerful in divinity, and each is more outrageous than the current Pope. If it weren't for the fact that everyone has their own ambitions, and everyone has been exposed to Marxism on Earth - and Rui Hang, the political teacher, has taught by example, and basically has no feelings about religion, I'm afraid that the temple of the 24 gods of Parnaki will be completely divided up by their class.
As the power gradually grows stronger, "divinity" will be combined with "mental power" and will be reflected in some strange things, just like those who claim to have been "revelatory" by God. Occasionally, they will feel a very mysterious existence, but it is difficult to interpret.
Dreams are often the place where the "mystery" is most easily reflected.
For example, you suddenly start to revisit past memories in your dreams for no apparent reason.
In their class, the first person to experience this situation was Lin Yuan. Even now, he still hasn't stopped dreaming about the past. It's like a TV series that forces him to recall every detail of the past every night, and gradually approaches the time point when they traveled back to Earth.
Although he does not believe in the "Twenty-Four Gods", Lin Yuan is the only devout person in the class and his divinity is the strongest among everyone.
The second person to start dreaming was Yu Zhi, and he was the third.
Although only one week had passed on Earth, in his dream, Gao Shu had already witnessed the first twenty years of his life in Parnaki.
As the third prince of the last king of Saint Malo who was born to a servant, Gaoshu's mother in Parnaki became noble because of her son, but she did not have the time to enjoy a life across classes. She died shortly after Gaoshu was born. Gaoshu also went from being the son of a "lowly" servant to the adopted son of the queen.
But becoming the queen's adopted son did not mean that Gao Shu received equal respect in the palace.
Although the national strength of the last Saint Malo Empire continued to decline, the competition for the throne that time was extremely fierce.
Although Parnaki also had the "primogeniture system" in order to allocate resources and consolidate the feudal system, it was not certain that the "primogeniture" would inherit the throne. The emperor could choose the prince he liked as his heir at will. In the end, what mattered was not the prince's origin, but his personal ability.
Gao Shu, who possessed the memories of both his life on Earth and Parnaki, was undoubtedly the most outstanding prince of that session.
At that time, Gao Shu had not yet recovered his memories on Earth, but the influence of Earth had already been deeply rooted in his soul. His outstanding abilities, which he inadvertently showed, made the queen, who had always wanted her own son to become king, quite wary.
Fortunately, both Gao Shu and Ou Wenna recovered their memories very early. After confirming the fact that they had traveled through time, they were found by Rui Hang and returned to the collective of "Class Nine". Gao Shu and Ou Wenna became the only ones to rely on in the cold palace. The two of them restrained their edge and kept a low profile in the palace. Gao Shu no longer showed his excellent side and pretended to be stupid in front of the queen.
Unfortunately, Gao Shu was too inexperienced when it came to political intrigue in his early days. He was not used to the peaceful life on Earth for many years, and he had no time to deal with the intrigues in the palace. Instead, his actions made the Queen realize how cunning he was and she became more vigilant.
As one of the three major sects in the Saint Malo Empire, the "Temple of Life" has always been at the top of all sects and is also the sect that every royal family believes in.
Every year, the king and his queen would go to the Temple of Life to worship publicly. When every prince and princess came of age, they also had to go to the Temple of Life to undergo a coming-of-age ceremony led by the Pope.
Gaoshu, the third prince, and Owena, the fifth princess, came of age at a similar time, and neither of them was favored by the emperor, so their coming-of-age ceremonies were scheduled on the same day.
Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened that day, and the powerful divinity made the Pope fall in love with the two at first sight.
Knowing that Ovina wanted to compete for the heir, and that he himself had no interest in the throne and did not want to stay in the palace any longer, Gao Shu naturally took all the attention of the Pope for Ovina. With the strong recommendation of the Queen, who was pleasantly surprised, he became the Son of God of the Temple of Life. After becoming a servant of God, he could no longer act in the name of the family and had to serve God wholeheartedly. Therefore, he naturally had no right to compete for the throne.
The queen was focused on high numbers and never thought that a princess would also set her sights on the throne. She felt that there was no prince in the palace who could compete with her eldest prince, and she was caught off guard for a moment, which gave Ouwena the opportunity to ascend to the throne. However, this is all a story for later.
As the only designated hospital in Parnaqui, the "Temple of Life" is very busy for the Pope, the Son of God, and the Saint Daughter. They have to run around most of the time to save the wounded and the dying.
Gao Shu initially enjoyed the opportunity to travel around Parnaky, but as the days passed, he felt more and more uncomfortable.
As a born rebel, Gao Shu has always liked to go against the arrangements of his elders since he was a child.
His parents named him "Gaoshu" in the hope that he would study mathematics well. Gaoshu himself was the most talented one in science in the family, but he did not have much interest in mathematics. Instead, he liked to dabble in philosophy, poetry and songs in the humanities. Although he failed to become an excellent literary creator and did not make much splash in literature, he became fascinated by Taoism and the "cultivation of immortals" in novels.
The same is true in Parnaki. The "Temple of Life" promotes kindness and protection, and the power is more gentle, mostly healing. However, this kind of magic makes Gao Shu very bored. He never liked to play a nanny in games in the past. Instead, some violent output characters are more in line with his appetite.
Until one day, Gao Shu encountered the "Temple of Destruction" - the "Temple of Destruction" that stood on the opposite side of the "Temple of Life" and advocated power and absolute violence.
Gao Shu's heart, which had been silent for many years, suddenly became hot, so he did something earth-shattering enough to be recorded in the history of Parnaki Church: he defected to the "Temple of Destruction" as the Son of Life and became the other party's Son of God.
Not to mention that at that time, because Zhou Ruo was disgusted with the life of a saint, she went straight to become a mercenary and followed Zhou Xun around the world, with no intention of coming back to "inherit the family business". The Pope of the "Temple of Life" had to make a second preparation and let Gao Shu become the next successor to the Pope.
The fact that Gao Shu would inherit the position of Pope of the Temple of Life was almost written openly in the newspaper. Everyone conceded that he was the next Pope of the temple, but at this critical juncture he chose to jump to the "rival" without hesitation.
This is not only a huge religious incident, but also a huge political incident.
The queen, who was Gao Shu's adoptive mother, was directly disliked by the king, and even the eldest prince, whom she had high hopes for, was also disliked.
As a princess, Ouwena had no right of inheritance, but she offered the top beauty Lin Lang at this critical juncture. She was not reprimanded by the king, but Lin Lang's status in the palace soared.
——No one knew that Ovina was behind Gao Shu’s defection, and no one knew that her assistance allowed Ovina to obtain the entire "Temple of Destruction" as a backing.
The "Temple of Destruction" is just like its name and belief. From the Pope, knights to priests, each one is a capable fighter. Compared with weak politics, Ovina's iron-blooded political thinking and research on weapons and magic are more in line with their appetite.
With the support of the "Temple of Destruction", Ovina directly rebelled and fought her way to the throne, becoming the first female emperor in the history of Parnaqui.
Afterwards, Ovina did not destroy the bridge after crossing it, but instead made the "Temple of Destruction" one of the two major sects in the new empire, alongside the "Temple of Life".
With Ovina's support, Gao Shu naturally became the Pope of the "Temple of Destruction" and stayed in the temple to study his favorite magic.
The chapel of Gaoshu now imitated the chapel he had in Parnaki. Although he liked liberal arts, Gaoshu still did not give up his parents' hope for him. Together with Du Heng, a dwarf who was good at forging in the class, he integrated the technology and culture of the earth and conducted a full-scale exploration of magic.
...
Dreams do not appear without reason. Now, the students of Class 9 have started to "dream" one after another. There must be a reason behind it.
Gao Shu firmly believed this, but unfortunately, although he wanted to study it, the areas involving dreams, mind and spirit were not his forte. Gao Shu could only think and make guesses in his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, a wave of magical power suddenly spread through the space.
——Someone was walking towards his room.
Gao Shu's mind moved, and the next moment, he appeared at the door.
He pushed open the door before the person arrived.
"Oh, I was just about to call you to get up, but I didn't expect you to get up first. Don't you usually like to sleep in?" Zhu Xiufen said in surprise.
——Since he usually stayed in the chapel to study advanced mathematics and did not go out, his parents did not know that he got up at five o'clock every day and thought that he was sleeping in every weekend.
"Isn't there an event today? I set the alarm specially." Gao Shu had already explained this: "I heard that we are going to the temple to burn incense?"
Zhu Xiufen nodded: "Your Aunt Liu, do you still remember her? She held you in her arms when you were a child."
I didn't have much impression of advanced mathematics, but I nodded habitually to agree with my mother's words.
"She came back to her hometown from City B two days ago. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we decided to go out and play together. She brought her son along, who is about your age, so he's just the right companion for you."
Zhu Xiufen couldn't help laughing when she said this: "I know you don't like this kind of thing, and I won't force you to follow me. Your aunt Liu's brother has very good grades and often participates in various advanced mathematics competitions. He has won many awards internationally. You can talk to him and see if you can learn anything."
Gao Shu responded casually. He was not very interested in the day's schedule, and had no interest in his mother's best friend's son. He just wanted to find a quiet place to continue his research.
Recently, Gao Shu is trying to integrate other parts of the immortal cultivation system, such as refining equipment, refining pills, etc. with magic, and the workload is not easy.
I guess Aunt Liu's son is a sensible guy. Seeing that he has no interest in chatting, he won't get too close.
Thinking so, Gao Shu drove to the famous Dajue Temple in Y City with his family.
Aunt Liu and her husband and son were already waiting at the parking lot and could be seen from a distance.
Gao Shu had no memory of the aunt who had held him. He casually glanced at Aunt Liu's son, and his gaze narrowed slightly.
I always feel that...this back figure looks a little familiar?
"Liu Jing!" Zhu Xiufen got out of the car and excitedly hugged her best friend whom she hadn't seen for a long time. The two sisters were chatting happily, and Liu Jing's son, who was standing next to them, also moved aside because of the intimate behavior of the two, and accidentally met Gao Shu's eyes.
Liu Jing's son: "......"
Advanced Mathematics: "......"
Liu Jing's son blurted out: "Teacher Gao!"
Advanced Mathematics: "......"
Zhu Xiufen and Liu Jing paused and stopped being so close to each other as sisters. Four pairs of eyes fell on them.
"Teacher Gao?"
Gao Shu: "I... am not..."
I was sweating profusely while studying mathematics.
Damn it, why——she has to be a student in his cultivation class!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
