March 17, 1174, Chapel after the Cathedral of the Twilight, 7:30 a.m.

Taking off his usual gown, and putting on the rare armor of the knights of the past, Huggins straightened his spine and walked to the door of the auditorium, knocking lightly on the door.

"Your Majesty, it's time. ”

With the sound of a creaking doorway, two knights of the guard pushed open the door from within, and a group of monks in white robes rushed out with scriptures.

Todd, dressed in a moon-white robe, slowly walked out of the auditorium with a scepter representing the identity of the Patriarch.

Looking at the calm face of the king, Huggins himself became a little nervous: "Your Majesty, everything is ready. ”

Todd nodded, and under the escort of the guards, walked to the main hall of the cathedral.

From the beginning of the construction of the Duomo to the completion of the first phase of the project, it took two and a half years.

Although only the main hall and the two auxiliary towers have been completed, those who have visited here agree that there is no church on the continent that can compare to the architectural style and interior decoration.

The mirror-smooth marble floors reflect the human face, the beautiful religious frescoes make people feel like they are there, and the expensive and luxurious tables and chairs make people admire the wealth of the twilight city.

When the King of Twilight City, with his holy rank, appeared on the side of the hall, thousands of people in the main hall of the cathedral stood up one after another.

Among them were kings from afar, nobles of great fame, respected scholars and wealthy merchants.

Everyone looked at the man who was guarded by the knights, and in their hearts they were amazed at the young age of the king of Twilight City, and they were also speculating more about what the so-called Protestantism would look like.

Speaking of the two major denominations that continued during the Taylor period, the Church of the Father and the Most Orthodox Church, the internal structure of both is modeled on the monarchy, with many levels, headed by the Pope at the top.

Such a setting is conducive to the development of religion, but it passively concentrates power in one person, which is easy to breed corruption and abuse.

Therefore, most of the people who came to watch the Protestant church established in Twilight City had doubts in their hearts, could this King of Twilight, who was called the Son of God, really be able to promote the smooth progress of the Reformation.

Todd stood on the pulpit, with a towering cross in front of him, and he recited the prayer aloud according to a pre-rehearsed process, meticulously completing the prayer movements.

The whole ceremony lasted an hour and a half, and the flag of Protestantism, the umbrella cross, was raised at the top of the cathedral, and a tsunami of cheers could be heard outside the square. The audience present was shocked to realize that the ceremony had ended.

Handing the scepter and the Order to Monk Joe, Todd stood at the pulpit table and nodded to the people in the church.

Realizing that he was about to deliver his enthronement speech, everyone present immediately cheered up and pricked up their ears.

"The Bible says that from the day man is born, he carries sin with him. In the days of sin, sins will continue to increase, and only piety and confession can lead to salvation. ”

Todd paused for a moment, held up a piece of paper on the table, and said to everyone, "Does anyone know what this is?"

Everyone looked at it, and it was a certificate of atonement from Heavenly Father's Church.

"A piece of paper made of grass ash and wood pulp, with two holy verses written on it and a seal, has the power to cleanse away all sin. Don't you think that God's original sin has become a complete joke?"

Todd put down the piece of paper and continued: "Whether it's tithes or church taxes, isn't it the greatest sin for the clergy to take out of context from the Bible and take money from believers?"

Todd's words made everyone nod their heads in agreement, and people were delighted but vaguely aware of the new Pope's deep meaning.

Todd's next speech was more blunt, so straightforward that everyone was a little confused.

"The so-called church is not a superior being, even without the guidance of the clergy, only believers have God in their hearts, and they can communicate with the Supreme with a pious heart. In my opinion, what are the so-called popes, bishops, and priests? They are not God's spokesmen, but rather the servants of believers. ”

As soon as Todd said this, everyone was shocked.

The theory that the church's role is not to speak for God, but to serve believers may have been heard, but never by the clergy.

And today, someone said it, and this person is still the pope of Protestantism.

"The farmer's job is to farm, and the knight's duty is to defend honor. The same is true for the clergy of the church, whose goal is to bring more believers closer to God. This kind of profession should not have any utilitarian overtones, let alone be linked to money. Holding up the Bible in one hand and the cross on his chest in the other, Todd said in a sonorous voice: "Faith in God should be the most beautiful and pure thing in the world, and any worldly mixture will only tarnish this sacredness." ”

Todd's words touched everyone in the room, and the white-robed monks sang in unison with crosses, and the audience stood up in unison to praise God's blessings.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Todd smiled and waited for the people's emotions to calm down, and said: "As the pope of Protestantism, I hereby declare three major purposes for this sect. ”

"First, Protestantism does not threaten or induce believers to pay money or goods in any way. ”

In the face of the excited gaze, Todd added: "Protestantism will abolish indulgences, tithes, church taxes, and all other religious means of profit, and will only accept donations from believers. ”

Second, Protestantism will recognize only Hebrew Bibles, and the Protestant churches will not recognize the religious legitimacy of new documents added to later in biblical history. ”

After a pause, Todd continued: "The most important thing about this is the 'justification by faith' that we mentioned earlier, and we firmly believe that the church should be a place of service for believers and a gathering place for faith. It's not the group of people who are on high and use believers to amass wealth. Protestants will do everything they can to help believers with their faith, rather than using religious power to suppress and control believers. ”

Todd's words made the eyes of the kings present widen incredulously, and anyone who was not overly stupid could hear the meaning behind these words - Protestantism would respect and recognize royal power.

"Third, the Protestant holy order will be flattened, and the authority of affairs will be shared by all believers. ”

This sentence made everyone present hear in a fog, and almost no one could understand what Todd meant by these words.

In accordance with common sense, Todd began to explain: "The so-called flat structure is to reduce the number of church management as much as possible. For example, the Church of the Father, which regards Protestantism as its enemy, has the following hierarchy of holy ranks—pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop, priest, and so on...... This kind of holy rank management will not only give rise to the struggle for power, but also nourish the generation of corruption. So, there are only two classes in Protestantism in the management of affairs - pastors and believers. ”

"As long as you join the Protestant church, you are a believer. Believers in a region gather and elect a priest who can represent the region. Pastors from all regions regularly come to the Protestant headquarters in Twilight West to handle and determine matters within the church by means of democratic resolutions. ”

Someone heard this and suddenly realized that there was some contradiction in Todd's speech.

One of the kings, who was sitting in the front row, suddenly asked: "Your Excellency, you just mentioned that in Protestantism there are only two classes, priests and believers, but how is your status dealt with in the Church?"

Todd said with a smile: "As the pope of Protestantism, I will only be the spiritual symbol of the sect, and I will not interfere in any affairs, nor will I participate in any voting and decision-making ......"

When Monk Joe heard this, he stepped forward in a panic and whispered to Todd: "My lord, I have never heard you say this......

Todd first glanced at Joe, who was in a hurry, and then said to everyone: "Look at what the Church of the Heavenly Father has done over the years, I don't think that there are no believers among them who are dedicated to goodness, but it is because of the absolute power of the Pope himself that it has caused absolute corruption. In the church, any power must be checked and supervised, and the monopoly of one person will lead the sect to its demise sooner or later. ”

When everyone present heard these remarks, they stood up and cheered.

"The denominational council of priests will have the power to manage the affairs of the church, to issue decrees, to decide on rewards and punishments, and to organize the faithful, while the pope, as the spiritual symbol of the denomination, will be primarily responsible for foreign affairs and internal ceremonies," Todd continued. ”

After saying this, Todd drew the cross and said in a loud voice: "By the name of the Cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Protestantism is supreme, Amen." ”