The next day, Marshal Tsikov led his army back to the imperial capital to mourn the regent Princess Emily. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

When I announced this to the generals, they were all shocked, and it was difficult to guess for a moment whether Tsykov's intentions were purely for the princess's funeral, or was there some other purpose? Regardless of the fact that Tsykov is the deputy commander of the Imperial Army, in charge of half of the Empire's military power, and his appeal in the army can rival that of Libinglan, even now he has a heavy army in his hands - with 300,000 Imperial troops is enough to launch a mutiny more serious than the Krakham incident, it is entirely possible that it will directly lead to another split of the Imperial Center.

Of course, I hope that Tsykov's intentions are simply the former, after all, it is not a pleasant thing to face off against this admirable old man.

Simon's opinion was very simple - close the four gates, block the army from outside the city, limit the number of people who could enter the city, and seize the power of the army after Zikov entered the city, and hunt him down in one fell swoop.

But I didn't make it clear at the time, and after the silence, I just said: "Everything will be decided later, after all, it will take time for Tsikov to return to the imperial capital, and that will be more than a month later." ”

A word gently carried Tsykov's fate aside, leaving aside for a moment this unpleasant news and the even more unpleasant decisions behind it.

I then asked the people about the crisis from the Jialan Temple.

Simon replied succinctly, "Teach by teaching." To deal with the power of faith is to resist it with a stronger faith. Why doesn't Your Highness take the Cult of the Gods for the time being? Until the support of the people for His Highness exceeds the belief in religion, then His Highness will be faith! ”

"Do what the staff wants!" I nodded.

In addition, Simon's envoys to the northern barbarians, Haynes, and the county of East Gamont finally brought back some good news.

First of all, the leader of the northern barbarians, the Great Khan of the Eagle Vulture Kingdom, promised not to help Aruton again, and was willing to form an alliance with the center of the empire to flank the Afghan army in the north and south, on the condition that the empire ceded the city of Bagronda to the north.

James, on the other hand, hastily withdrew his troops after learning of the defeat of the Ettiria-Dottier coalition, and established himself as the "Emperor of the East", called "James I the Great", with the capital of the county of Eastern Gamont, and his leadership territory included the ruling center of the county of Eastern Gamont, a total of five counties.

After James first became emperor, Etiria also raised the banner of "Southern Sage" in Haynes, calling herself "Empress Etiria Faratis". Aruton, who had lost the southern invasion, also angrily proclaimed himself emperor as the "Emperor of the North", and his capital was located in Constantinburg, south of the city of Bagluunda. At this point, the fragile alliance of the three men was broken, which eased the pressure on the center of the empire and allowed me to take a temporary respite from internal affairs and facing the crisis in Zikov.

※※※

This morning, I received an invitation from Archbishop Banderas to come to the Imperial Cathedral again.

Banderas's emaciated figure stood in the center of the church, looking up at the zenith, as if in remembrance, as if praying, bathed in the holy morning light.

Knowing that I was in, he slowly turned around.

Archbishop Banderas, with his clear face and graceful bearing, has a plain and peaceful atmosphere, and around him, one unconsciously produces a sense of religious piety and perseverance in faith.

After a brief salute, I said: "On behalf of the people of the Empire, I would like to express my gratitude to the Archbishop for his assistance! If it weren't for your Sect's timely help to drive the forces of the Temple out of the imperial capital, we would not have been able to quell the chaos quickly. ”

"Your Highness doesn't need to be polite, the conflict between the Jialan Temple and our sect is only a matter of time, even if there is no change in the imperial capital this time, there will inevitably be a sectarian dispute. Our religion has always pursued a policy of coexistence of multiple religions, but once other religions interfere in politics and provoke disputes in the areas where our religion preaches, our religion has the responsibility to maintain local tranquility. Banderas said mildly.

"The so-called great kindness is not thankful, and Alex will remember it. If he is sent by your sect one day, I will be duty-bound! ”

"Your Highness, do you know why I asked you to meet this time?" Banderas said with a soft smile.

"Alex is stupid, and I hope the archbishop will make it clear." Again, I pleaded.

"My Pope's Majesty is on his way to the imperial capital." Banderas said in an unusually serious voice.

"Huh?!" I couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Excellency the Pope is in a hurry, is it because there is a great change in the imperial capital?" And directly related to your religion? It is said that the pope of your religion has always lived in seclusion, and has hardly left the temple of Zeus......"

"Yes, His Majesty the Pope has never stepped outside the temple since he took charge of the affairs of the world at the age of fourteen, and with the exception of the thirteen cardinals and the archbishops who preside over the dioceses of various countries, only a few of his own disciples have paid homage to His Majesty's holy face...... This has to do with the body of His Holiness the Pope...... His Majesty suffers from a congenital hidden disease, and can only stay in the temple to recuperate, and usually relies on reading the newspapers sent from all over the world, and handling the affairs of the world through the hands of the bishops and us......" At this, a sad look appeared on Banderas's calm and leisurely face for the first time.

"Your Excellency, if you don't blame me for being abrupt, I may ask - what is the illness of His Excellency the Pope? I will devote all the nations and empires to the necessary help, or find a cure......" I said with concern.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness, but what Your Majesty has received is the legendary incurable disease, the 'Destiny of Heaven'......" Banderas shook his head and said with a sad expression.

"Ah......" I let out a moving exclamation again - I didn't think that the Pope of the Gods had the same terminal illness as me! I can't help but feel a sense of sympathy for His Holiness the Pope, whom I have never met, but who has repeatedly come to my aid...... I was fortunate enough to meet Master Vitan, and the Pope was far more unfortunate than me, but I don't know how he survived the death of fifteen. Even with the strength of the Cult of the Gods, it is necessary to pay a heavy price to save the life of a mortal person...... The willingness of Archbishop Banderas to reveal such a great secret to me shows his trust in me, and on the other hand, it shows that the Cult of the Gods is determined to cooperate with me.

Banderas sighed in regret and continued: "His Majesty the Pope is gifted, wise and wise, and has a high level of understanding, which is unsurpassed by any pope, becoming the youngest bishop of our church at the age of ten, an archbishop at the age of eleven, an archcardinal at the age of thirteen, and a successor to the pope at the age of fourteen...... Since taking office as the Pope, he has devoted himself to putting an end to sectarian disputes with a broad vision, a heart of concern for the world, and a spirit of great tolerance, striving to mediate disputes among various sects, putting forward the slogan of 'all religions returning to their religion', and determined to reform religious affairs, so as to be compatible with the essence of all sects, so that our religion has appeared in a stage of great development of prosperity...... His Majesty's twenty years of reign were the most prosperous period in the history of our religion...... However, it is the jealousy of talent...... At present, His Majesty can only rely on the thirteen cardinals to intermittently inject the magic power of holy light into the body to maintain his vitality, so every twelve hours, there must be a cardinal by his side to lose his magic power, supplemented by the power of pure sunlight at the top of the light of the temple, so that His Majesty's condition can be stabilized......"

"Then this time His Excellency the Pope is here, the situation must be quite serious!" I couldn't help but look at it and said with a little nervousness. After all, this was the first trip of the Pope of the Gods in twenty years, and the destination was the turbulent imperial capital.

Seeing my performance, Banderas showed a reassuring smile and said: "Your Highness don't be nervous, the Pope's visit to Proust this time is not only not a bad thing, but also a good thing!" Congratulations, Your Highness! ”

I wondered, "What do you mean by that?" ”

Banderas stretched out his right hand and performed a prayer ceremony on the top of his head and on his chest before he replied: "Your Highness, Long Fei Ninety-Five, Wei Jia Yunei is just around the corner, and His Majesty the Pope is here for His Highness this time!" ”

My heart moved, my body was shocked, and I said movingly: "Alec is very grateful for your great help!" But for my sake, His Excellency has been so tired of traveling long distances that his life may even be endangered, that Alex is deeply disturbed! I promise to make a covenant with your religion that will be extended to future generations with the descendants of Alex, and it will not be easy for eternity and will last forever! ”

After speaking, he clasped his fists and knelt down sincerely to Banderas.

Banderasto took my hands and said, "Your Highness, don't do this! The rise and fall of our religion has been closely linked to the fate of His Highness, and it is no longer possible to distinguish between them! Your Highness is prosperous, then I will teach Xing; If Your Highness dies, then I will die! Therefore, His Majesty the Pope did not hesitate to travel thousands of miles to hold a coronation ceremony for His Highness, consolidate the secular royal power with religious theocracy, legitimize His Highness's throne, and show His Highness's momentum - to eliminate secular criticism for His Highness, indicating that it is God's will for His Highness to inherit the unification of the empire, and His Highness's ascension to the pole is for the divine right of the monarchy, which cannot be disobeyed! ”

The Cult of the Gods didn't just extend an olive branch to me, this time it was definitely a great gift of great weight and value! It can even be said that the Cult of the Gods is out of the way and has placed all its bets on me! What a bold decision! I can't help but be even more fascinated by the pope of the gods who has never known his life and suffers from the "Destiny of Heaven"......

I remembered Shloe, and asked, "Excuse me, Your Excellency, how is my friend Shloe?" ”

Archbishop Banderas smiled and said, "Archbishop Shiloh is all right, Your Highness does not need to worry. He is highly regarded by His Holiness the Pope and is likely to be promoted to the rank of Grand Cardinal in the near future. This time, he was supposed to come with His Majesty, but he was unable to accompany him because he wanted to go to the western city-states to preach the teachings and create a favorable situation for His Highness to lead his army westward and unify the western states in the future. Moreover, the Thirteen Cardinal Sects came out with His Majesty, the Holy City was empty, and Archbishop Shiloh had to stay behind to take charge of ecclesiastical affairs. ”

When I imagined the nondescript appearance of that lustful guy in the bishop's robe, I couldn't help but smile weirdly on my face, and I couldn't help but let out a weird laugh.

Archbishop Banderas, who witnessed my strange behavior, asked with a little concern: "Your Highness, is there something wrong?" ”

"Haha...... Yes...... It's nothing ......" I quickly restrained my laughter and replied with a plastic surgery, "I just can't help but laugh when I think that guy has really become a clergyman...... I always think it's a little funny...... I'm sorry! I lost my words! ”

Banderas didn't mind and said, "Your Highness must have a deep friendship with Archbishop Shloe, which is why you know him so well—this is a very enviable friendship...... In fact, we were not optimistic about him at the beginning...... He behaved like a prodigal nobleman, and it was hard to believe that he was a clergyman, and he seemed to like to run after the priestess......"

I can imagine that Shiloe's first impression on Banderas must have been that of distrust, and I asked with great interest: "And how did he come to gain the favor of His Excellency the Pope?" ”

Thinking of the scene at that time, even a respected person like Banderas couldn't help but wonder: "At that time, I was still serving in Zeus City...... I remember when he first came to the Holy City and tried to get a priesthood, but he was hit with obstacles at every turn, and then he came to my parish and made the same request to me. I had decided that he was not fit to be a clergyman, so I tried to persuade him, but he insisted, saying that it was his life's ambition, and I told him that there was no vacancy in his diocese at present, and that if he was determined to stay in Zeus, why not try it out in the temple...... I was just thinking of sending him away, but I didn't expect him to really run to the front of the temple to shout and curse, and the bishop on duty of the temple finally came out to see him, but this time he was beaten out of the temple by the guards of the 'Holy Light Regiment'......

"Because the bishop on duty asked him: 'Why did you aspire to be a clergy?' But he replied, 'To hear the gasps of the beautiful women and the oracles of the gods, to draw close to the hearts of the gods through the voices of the beautiful women.' 'Though I do not abstain from sexual affairs and marriage, how can I ever hear such a distorted doctrine?' The bishop was out of breath for a moment, and almost fainted, but when he was out of breath, he ordered the knights on duty of the 'Holy Light Legion' to throw him out of the door. But Archbishop Shloe did not give up, and after touching the nails more than ten times in a row, he still withered outside the temple, so that when the Templars saw him, he chased and beat him, and he ran away, and when the Templars returned, he returned to the outside of the temple and waited, and after a month of chasing and fleeing, and fighting, he somehow let him sneak into the temple, and broke into the top of the light, and met His Majesty the Pope......"

"He then convinced His Excellency?" I interjected.

Banderas shook his head, and continued: "At that time he had a detailed discussion with His Majesty, but His Majesty finally could not bear his words and drove him out, but he said loudly that if he was not allowed to fulfill his wish, he would kneel outside the palace until His Majesty agreed, and if His Majesty never nodded, he would go back to face his brother without face, and would rather kneel like that until he died." He literally remained on his knees for days without food or drink, and even all of our bishops could not help but be moved by his determination......

"When he fell into a coma due to exhaustion, His Majesty ordered him to be carried into the temple for treatment, and when he awoke, His Majesty asked him, 'What is the relationship between the heart of God and the voice of beauty?' He replied: "My good friend told me that everything in the world revolves around the law of beauty, and that the process of human development is also a process of diligently pursuing the essence of beauty, and that religion exists to create a beautiful spiritual home for mankind." But human beings forget that the most beautiful existence is human beings themselves, men and women, feminine and masculine, pregnant with a thousand changes, playing the eternal harmony of the universe. Therefore, only by exploring from oneself and discovering from the opposite sex can we reveal the essence of beauty, sublimate divinity from personality, and grasp the mystery of the universe. This is the oracle that truly belongs to us as human beings, the "heart of God" in ourselves. Instead of begging for so-called mercy from the gods on high. ’”

Banderas narrowed his eyes at me as he said this, and he had apparently guessed who the friend Sloe was talking about, and I couldn't help but look at myself, but I couldn't help but say anything.

Fortunately, Banderas did not go any further, paused for a moment and continued: "His Majesty the Pope bowed his head and muttered for a long time before he raised his head and looked at him with clear and holy eyes, and made a decision that surprised everyone - to take Archbishop Shloe as his own disciple. And Archbishop Shiloh did not live up to His Majesty's love, he worked very hard, and in a short period of time, he achieved extraordinary achievements in doctrine and holy light magic, becoming the most outstanding of all His Majesty's personal disciples, and in three years he was promoted from priest, bishop, and archbishop all the way, becoming another person who broke the record of personnel promotion after His Majesty the Pope. This time, Archbishop Shi Luo carried out the teaching affairs with a new mind, which was greatly appreciated by His Majesty. ”

"What new thinking?" I asked curiously.

"His Excellency Archbishop Shloe believes that those who preach doctrine on the front lines must be closer to the audience, so that the audience can unconsciously accept the spirit of our religion in an atmosphere of cordiality and joy. Therefore, he personally selected ten female pastors with beautiful appearances and sweet and mellow voices, and appointed them as front-line missionaries after a new package, and after obtaining His Majesty's approval, he chose Dada City as the first pilot city to carry out missionary work. He asked the female pastors to walk on a well-designed T-shaped stage with unique steps, showing the holy appearance and beauty of the clergy of our church, and at the same time preaching the doctrine with a beautiful voice, which gave the audience a strong appeal. The pilot was an unprecedented success, doubling the number of congregations in Dada City. Archbishop Shiloh was determined to spread this new form of missionary practice in the western city-states after the success of Dada. This time Archbishop Shloe had to stay precisely in order to carry out this work. ”

Hearing this, I suddenly had a feeling of absurdity, opened my mouth in surprise, but forgot to close it for a moment, and couldn't help but think: Is Banderas joking with himself? But seeing the archbishop's serious expression, he dispelled this idea.

But then I thought: The Pope who would let a heretical clergy like Shiloh stay by his side is probably not an ordinary weirdness, right? Perhaps we have been too sacred in the past by over-sacralizing His Holiness the Pope, who is at the pinnacle of the faith...... In fact, the Pope himself also has the feelings and emotions of ordinary people, and sometimes he will do some mischievous things - as a person who grew up in the temple and became the pope at the age of fourteen, because he has been suppressed his true temperament, he has to follow the stereotypical and boring dogmatic life, and occasionally he can't help but want to make some harmless jokes on his bishops who follow the rules, which is why the Pope will break the rules and keep Shloh by his side, because he has regained the lost innocence from Shloe, It also dawned on me that perhaps the clergy did not have only one model. And Shloe was clever enough to see through the Pope's mind, so he did what he liked, allowing the Pope to find pleasure in his bold and unruly moves.

While thinking so, I chatted with Banderas without a word, and later asked about the exact date of the Pope's arrival.

Banderas replied: "His Majesty the Pope will be able to reach the imperial capital in two weeks at the latest.

"So fast?!"

"Actually, Your Majesty has already set off for the east two months ago......"

I could not help but say with admiration: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, is really insightful! ”

※※※

When I left the cathedral and returned to the Marshal's Palace, I saw the close guard Lopet running over to salute me and said, "Report to the Marshal, Master You, please come over to the palace!" ”

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