At the end of the spring of 5366 in the continental calendar, the Battle of the Temple of Heroes, located in the territory of the kingdom of Noah Bora, ended.

After the Mage Council had dealt with some of the aftermath, Luo Lan returned to the Holy See with the Templar Swordsmen and the Priests.

As they were about to reach the Mona River, they saw from a distance a neat cavalry vanguard swaying in front of them and rushing forward.

"What kind of cavalry is that?" asked Luo Lan, who was riding on a horse, casually.

Angus Gale, who was beside him, looked at it and replied, "Lord Bishop, look at the emblem, it should be the Third Cavalry Regiment of the Easton Empire." ”

On the other side of Luo Lan, Boris said strangely: "How did the Royal Cavalry Regiment of the Easton Empire come here?

Angus Gale glanced at Luo Lan meaningfully, and smiled, "The mage will be ...... now I'm afraid I don't have the energy to care about these things, right?"

Boris snorted and said disdainfully: "Even if you want to, it's useless, although the Easton Empire is nominally the sphere of influence of the Knight Alliance, but really speaking, they are more like collaborators, the first power in the north has the most elite cavalry corps in the north." ”

The divine power of the Easton Empire is very weak, because they have been committed to fighting the giants on the Arctic Ice Plain and the orc tribes in the northeast for decades, so the Holy See has not paid much attention to them in the past, but in recent years, because the orc tribes have suffered heavy losses under the joint efforts of the Diocese of Bethlehem and the Kingdom of Dentonlun, and at the same time have been frequently attacked by the Easton Empire, so they have been in a state of collapse, so they have gradually shifted their attention to the middle continent.

Two years ago, the Easton Empire intended to attack some small kingdoms in the Middle Continent, and behind this, the shadow of the Knight Alliance could be faintly seen.

However, later news came that Odinella I was seriously ill, so he withdrew his troops again.

Angus Gale said with a smile: "I heard that Emperor Odinila I, known as a tyrant, has always wanted to reproduce the situation of the Laurent dynasty dominating the entire continent, and even wanted his horse's hooves to cross the Carondello Mountains and go on an expedition to the east to complete the great work that Emperor Dister failed to accomplish." ”

Luo Lan asked in a deep voice, "But he is also forty or fifty years old, right?"

"It's forty-nine. Angus Gale replied with certainty.

Luo Lan smiled faintly and said, "Then I'm afraid he has no hope." ”

At this moment, a Templar swordsman rode up to Luo Lan, dismounted and saluted, "Tell your lordship, the Mona Stone Bridge ahead is occupied by that cavalry, and they won't let us pass." ”

Luo Lan didn't speak, he looked into the distance, several cavalry were riding towards here, but in the distance, they were stopped by the Templar swordsmen.

"What's going on?" Boris looked cold, "Didn't you say this is Bishop Lantiston's guard?"

"It's already been explained," the Templar swordsman said, gesturing his hand at the men, "they've sent someone over and insisted on seeing the Bishop." ”

Luo Lan waved his hand and said, "Let them come over." ”

Angus Gale looked at Luo Lan's face, and he said in a low voice: "My lord, it's just a few soldiers with low status, maybe they are not even nobles, how can they be qualified to see you, or I'll deal with it." ”

Luo Lan took a deep look at Angus Gale, nodded, and said, "Then it will be handled by Brother Angus Gale, I trust you." ”

It didn't take long for Angus Gale to turn back.

"That's the vanguard of Her Royal Highness Princess Duranvier, the eldest daughter of the Easton Empire, they said that there is an extremely urgent military matter, so we must first ensure that the road ahead of the princess is smooth, so please wait patiently for a while, and wait for their eldest princess to pass before passing. ”

Although Angus Gale said it very tactfully, the tough attitude of the other party who did not care about the Holy See at all was exposed.

Boris's eyes flashed with coldness, and the horse under his crotch writhed uneasily.

Luo Lan asked, "What is the status of Du Lanweier in China?"

I am afraid that no one knows the matter of the nobles of the continent better than Angus Gale, and explained: "Princess Duranville is the second in line to the succession of the Easton Empire, she herself is brave and good at fighting, and she controls the third, fifth, and ninth cavalry regiments of the royal family, and her strength on the border is second to none, second only to the emperor's eldest son Monphais, who controls the first cavalry regiment of the empire. ”

"Oh?" Luo Lan's eyes flashed. Speaking of which, if his disciple Janice Shumi were here, with the bloodline recognized by the Dragon Slaying Sword, she should be regarded as the first heir to the throne of the kingdom, right?

He smiled deeply and said, "Brother Angus Gale, the eldest daughter of the emperor who guards the frontier, why do you think she is in such a hurry to return to China?"

Angus Gale's mind is very sensitive, and he also has a natural sensitivity to this kind of thing, but when he thought about it, he remembered the news that Piduca II was seriously ill, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "Is it to go back and fight for the throne?"

......

"Is this news true?" Pope Piluca II stiffened his body, he did not move like an old man at all, and his two cloudy eyes shone with an incomprehensible light.

"It's true news, my subordinates have confirmed it several times, and I have checked it repeatedly, and this time I dare to come and tell Your Majesty. A middle-aged man kneeling on the ground and wearing a mage's robe replied calmly.

Biduka II took a few looks, and this dark thread had been buried in the mage council for nearly twenty years, and it finally came in handy today.

He swept his gaze, and there were still stains and sweat stains on the other party's robe, and even his legs and feet were faintly scratched by tree branches, because the several teleportation arrays along the way were extremely secret, and they were all hidden in dense woods and dark ditches, so it was indeed like he came here without pausing after learning the news, and even because he was in a hurry, he didn't even have time to change his clothes.

"You go down first. Pilduca II regained his previous calm expression on his face, and said, "Since you are back, considering that you will definitely not be trusted again, it is better for you to live in the center these days, and I will arrange a good position for you, by the way, you and your family have not seen each other for many years, right? ”

The middle-aged man had a grateful expression on his face, he bowed his head deeply, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." ”

A slight smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Don't thank me, this is a gift from the gods to the pious." ”

The middle-aged man's body shook, he buried his head and saluted, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, then the subordinates will retire first." ”

Pidoca II let out an "um".

The middle-aged man bent down and retreated step by step, until he reached the door of the hall, and then dared to turn around and take a step.

In the empty hall, Pidoca II fell into deep thought.

A king was killed, a mage was killed, a monk was killed, and the Horn of the Abyss was finally taken away......

"Whew...... I really didn't expect it, their real purpose was to kill the French Emperor Adriman? That's a strong king, only the king can deal with the king, who will be the person who will make the move from the Council of the Dead?"

"I really didn't expect it. ”

The blonde boy spun out from behind the seat of Pildoka II, sat down on the steps, patted his knees, and mused, "It seems that the Council of the Dead has been preparing this plan for a long time, and they have tried to keep us focused on the Masquerade from the beginning of the trouble it has caused everywhere, and thus ignore their true purpose. ”

Piduka II snorted and said, "Looking at it this way, the second step is to besiege the Cliff of Fury, and now it seems that it is the smoke they release that will induce us and the monks to make wrong judgments step by step, thinking that it is really just a false dough for some purpose so they are using the power of the Council of the Dead." ”

"It's working, at least we've really put the Council of the Dead on the back burner...... Then the third step is to seize the Horn of the Abyss, which is not very important and naturally cannot attract the full attention of the Monks' Guild, so although we sent some people out of the morality of our allies, they are actually weaker than the other party in terms of overall strength, and even because the Mage Guild does not really trust us, our forces were not put into battle at first, and finally they were able to succeed. ”

The blonde boy touched his chin and said, "I really want to meet this person who planned the plan, such a long-term, such a bold layout is not something that ordinary people can do." "He again

"It's too late to say anything. Biduka II shook his head and sighed, "I should have thought that all the actions of the Council of the Dead would not be without reason, a single false dough is not worth the price they have to pay, and the ultimate goal is for the sake of Adriman, which makes sense, but this time, it can be regarded as a big victory for them." ”

"I think ......" The blond boy suddenly turned his head and said with a sparkling gaze: "Their plan must be more than that, the death of a king and a strong man will inevitably change the balance of power in the camp, and even cause turmoil in the continent, there are too many unpredictable factors, they will definitely have new moves next, and it will come soon"

He slammed one of his fists into the palm of his hand, excitedly, "This is definitely an opportunity"

"Opportunity?" "Odds?" Pilduca II was stunned for a moment, and then reacted, and said in a trembling voice, "Just like the Third Continental War?"

"Yes

Although the Holy See already existed during the Second Continental War and participated in the war, its influence was still very small at that time, only limited to the location of the current Bethlehem Diocese in the eastern part of the continent, but by the time of the Third Continental War, the remaining races and bloodlines of the ancients had almost died out, and the divine descendants were guarding the entrance to the abyss and could not fight, but at this time, the strength of the Holy See was on the rise, and after winning the Third War, the power of the Holy See expanded sharply, and gradually became the first force in the continent, which has been extended to the present.

It had already occurred to Pidoca II that, judging from the current situation, if a continent-wide war began, it would be provoked by the dark camp, and he, the titular pope, would be able to control more forces and resources as a result, which would be advantageous to him in any way.

Thinking that something suddenly came to mind, Pidoca II suddenly frowned and said, "But...... Once the armies of the dark kingdom are ready to attack us, the diocese of Bethlehem ...... there"

From the Cliff of Raging Thunder to the Temple of Heroes, Landiston seems to have been cooperating intentionally or unintentionally, and sometimes even taking the initiative to help the flames, although the situation is very favorable to the center of the Holy See, but because the benefits are too much, he can't and can't put his energy into the diocese of Bethlehem......

He was shocked, could this have all been calculated by Landiston in advance, and if so, he reestimated what he should do with this man.

Sighing heavily, he asked with some interest, "How is Lesmio?"

The blonde boy thought for a moment and said, "A few days ago, he sent a letter saying that it had taken two years for the seminary of the diocese of Bethlehem to be established, and apart from the center, there should be no comparable seminary on the entire continent now......"

"I don't want to ask about this," interrupted him with some irritation, "I want to ask him about his progress, I have used various reasons to transfer Landiston away, and to let Lesmio pass, that is, to take advantage of the fact that he has just unified the diocese and has not yet gained a firm foothold and firmly inserts the central staff of power there" He slapped the handrail heavily and said dissatisfiedly: " That's four hundred priests, thirty Templars, and twenty priests, even if it's enough to form a medium parish, but it's been two years, and Lesmio, why hasn't he achieved the corresponding results? What the hell is he doing? He has betrayed the trust I have placed in him."

The last few words were shouted by Pildouka II almost with all his might.

The blonde boy didn't interject, just quietly looked at Pildoca II.

After venting, Pidoca II gasped and collapsed in his chair, only then did he show the fatigue of an old man, waved his hand and said: "I was going to swallow them slowly, but unfortunately ......" He vaguely felt that he had missed this opportunity, and after taking his attention away from the diocese of Bethlehem, he might not have the opportunity to pay attention to it again.

After a few moments, Pidoca II perked himself up, and reluctantly straightened up, and said in a deep voice: "We must change our previous strategy, I mean, the attitude towards Landiston, after this battle, we have no reason to keep him here, otherwise even the old fellow of Sidinoeu will not agree." ”

"No," the blonde boy smiled and shook his head, "Actually, we still have a chance."

"Oh?" said Pilka, looking at him sharply, "what chance?"

"The meeting to decide who will succeed the Friars is about to begin, and as one of the twelve, Landiston will not leave here at this time and return to the diocese, and in the meantime there will be enough for us to do something. ”，

"How?"

"After the Battle of the Heroic Temple, the power of the Mage Council has declined severely, and most importantly, they don't have the support of the king's powerhouse, so it's already good that they can keep the two remaining Monk Chief's seats, and the one that was vacated after Neoried's death, if we can take this seat and support our own people, then we can really speak in the Monks' Council. ”

Pilduca II frowned and said, "So, not only can we not suppress Landiston, but we also have to fight for his support in exchange for the people who support us for the throne?"

The blonde boy nodded and said, "That's it, Dean Lance is a member of the sacrificial order, and Mogowatts is a cardinal, so it is impossible for them to follow our arrangement." And although Landiston still stands faintly behind Sidinoeu, in fact, he relies on his own strength, so we can negotiate terms with him openly, presumably he doesn't want to really break away from the center. ”

"But then, where did you say that opportunity? Isn't there more benefit for Landison?"

The blonde boy smiled mysteriously and said, "Not necessarily, has Your Majesty ever thought about it, don't forget, this time the position of 'Jonathan' vice president is vacant, we can propose that Landiston be promoted to vice president, with his merits, no one will oppose it, right?"

"Vice-President......" nodded in understanding.

Although the vice-president of the Monks' Council is nominally higher than the chief monk, in fact, their power comes directly from the president, who is usually only responsible for recruiting and enforcing the law, and supervising the movements of the king and the strong, and what they do is very dangerous, but the real power is even less than that of the monk.

"But...... Will he say yes?"

The blonde boy pinched his chin and said, "It's very likely, because he owns a parish, and the strength he has is not given by the monks, if he has a higher position, he must not shirk it, anyway, we have nothing to lose from us, right?"

"And ......," he paused, looked at Pildoca II, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, did you think that if Landiston was promoted, then the vacated seat of the chief monk would ......"

"Great idea"

The Pope's eyes lit up, his fingers trembled with excitement, and he seemed to have seen a bright vision.

The alliance of knights has been hit hard, the mages will decline, and the dark camp is about to move, this is a good time for the Holy See, or the center of the Holy See to rise, once there are two seats in control, the integrated resources will be extremely considerable, and even have the power to receive the power of some dioceses.

In this way, he would not have to look at the faces of the sacrificial group and the cardinals.

The blonde boy looked at the excited expression of Pildoca II and reminded in a low voice, "The only thing to worry about is that there may be some opposition from the Knights Alliance and the Noble Order, as well as the ...... from the President."

Pildoca II was shocked, and he slowly calmed down. After pondering for a long time, he said slowly: "When the Bishop of Landiston returned, he immediately told me that I was going to see him immediately, and we must not miss this opportunity."

......

...... V