Severn Terry fell silent, and for a long time.

After reading the newspaper and hearing Amber's words, the priest instantly connected all the events that had taken place in the city of Luan in the past period, and the propaganda campaign that the Cecil had carried out for some time, and although all these things were beyond his experience, he could still analyze the means and aims of the Cecil.

"You want the Church of Light to lose the support of the people of the South, and you want to expel the Church in a way that agitates the people, and you are cutting off the roots of the Church - it seems that the Duke of Gawain Cecil does not like to have authority other than him in his own territory."

"I didn't expect a priest to be able to see such a thorough view of such 'mundane things'," Amber looked at the priest in front of her with a little surprise, "but that's basically what it means." ”

"You're so sure I'm going to do this for you?" Severn Terry looked Amber in the eye, "Don't forget, I'm still a priest of the Church. ”

"To be honest, I don't believe it, but our lord does," Amber replied calmly, "and he once said that there could be no only one Wright in the entire Church of Light with a clear conscience. As a large organization, there must be various voices in the Holy Light Church, and some of them are in line with our interests, and as long as the interests are aligned, we can win over and fight for them. ”

"What are you going to do when you say you want to exile the Church and you say you want the people to receive the light?"

"Why do you ask me – after reading those leaflets, you still can't guess?" Amber spread her hands, "I don't really understand the taboos of your gangs, but in my opinion, releasing the right to interpret the scriptures, allowing the people to have direct access to theological knowledge, lowering the authority of the church, and allowing free faith...... All of this is a good thing, and I'm sure you and these two friends around you agree with that, otherwise you wouldn't be here. ”

"Perhaps...... But can you really do it? Severn Terry straightened up and looked directly into Amber's eyes, he didn't feel any powerful power fluctuations from this half-elf girl, but he knew what a terrible force behind this half-elf, and his choice today was likely to determine life and death, but he still had to say everything, "Driving the Holy Light Church from this land and replacing it with you—or the puppet Protestantism you have raised, you are nothing more than changing from one authority to another, is there really a fundamental change?" You may introduce a new set of doctrines, and you may be a little milder and more enlightened than the Church of Light, but is that really the Light in everyone's hands? Authority will eventually appear, as long as there is a group of people who have more power to speak, more resources and better channels than others, then authority is still authority, nothing more than whitewashing, beautifying, and the means look glamorous. ”

Amber was really a little surprised this time, she looked up and down at the fearless Holy Light Priest in front of her, and nodded slightly: "Go on,"

“…… You have chosen me by measuring the clergy in Luan by your 'conscience', but with all due respect, I don't think you are more 'righteous' than the Church - although you have succeeded in making the Church the object of hatred and the image of the people, I do not think you are better than the Church. You use those leaflets to guide people's emotions, use one-sided truths to put on the faces of the cathedral priests, use money and power to build momentum, and make yourself appear majestic and right, but did you publicize the church when it was giving porridge during the famine? Did you advertise it when the Papal Knights regularly went to the Magic Focus to exterminate the Monsters? Did you advertise it when you made your own mistakes?

"You say you want to bring down the authority of the Church, but Cecil is just another authority—the difference is that the Church may control the people by faith, and your duke ...... He will use his power to control the faith. ”

Enraged, the MIA agents present immediately gathered around them, weapons in their hands: Severn Terry was a priest, but he was a priest who was not good at fighting, and he didn't carry any magic weapons with him now, so at such a close distance, a MIA agent with specially armed extraordinary weapons with him could easily kill a priest who didn't have time to cast a spell - and his two companions.

The two priests beside Severn Terry were nervous, too, but their first instinct was to stay by the former's side – and at the same time prepare for death.

Amber blinked, and at this moment of sudden tension, she sighed from the bottom of her heart: "Mom, what you say makes so much sense! ”

A MIA operative almost dropped the molten short sword in his hand to the ground: "Boss?!" You wake up......"

Amber interrupted his subordinates with a wave of his hand, and looked at Severn Terry, who was also looking stunned, with a serious expression: "That's right, I think you have a point—in fact, apart from the fact that you didn't summarize the words 'divine authority', you said almost exactly what Duke Cecil said to me. ”

Mr. Priest, who was ready to die, finally couldn't control his tense expression: "...... Yes? The Duke...... Did he say this himself? ”

"Not only have I said that, but I've explained the process to many of us in detail," Amber nodded calmly, meeting Severn Terry's stunned gaze, "Do you think we're going to call ourselves Messengers of Justice?" We've never said we're standing for justice – we're just standing for progress, or ...... What we stand for is greater efficiency and value. ”

Amber said as she picked up the paper, "See this?" What do you see from inside? ”

Severn Terry frowned, "Your propaganda tools? ”

"No, what you should see is that we can print hundreds of thousands or more newspapers in a single day, we can quickly spread these newspapers all over the South, we can advertise new decrees like this, we can preach like this, why? Because we're more advanced.

"The civilians of Cecil City can not freeze in the winter, because we have built a good magic energy exchange station, they don't have to go hungry all year round, because we use factories to produce alchemical potions that can increase food production, they can freely discuss scriptures, receive holy light healing, receive free holy water, they can study the doctrine regardless of their origin, they can become priests, because we have changed the organization of the church, and we have fundamentally modified the teachings, and we have found a more effective way to use the holy light, So much so that holy water and holy vessels could be made in large quantities......

"So when you see these new laws, new doctrines, new things, don't be busy asking if these things are righteous or not, but ask the people of Cecil City, whether they are better off now, or if they are better off before—

"Fools will tell you that a good day is well fed and clothed!

"Priest - I have always called people like you gods, but I will call you a priest - you don't think Cecil is more righteous, you even think that what we are doing in Lu'an is dirty and despicable, I have only one comment on your ideas - great! You're such a smart guy! And I like to deal with smart people. ”

Amber stopped, and Severn Terry had taken a half-step back, the tall, lanky, middle-aged man seemed a little out of breath, and it was the first time in his life that he had dealt with such a person—so undisguised, not pretending, not evasive, not doing hypocrisy. He was accustomed to talking to all kinds of "high society" people, and what they were best at was talking about their own morality and glory, and the half-elf in front of him, who represented Cecil's power and was certainly not low...... The style is really peculiar.

"Yes...... I've got it...... On your leaflets, you really don't emphasize anything like justice and glory," said the priest, smiling wryly and shaking his head, "and what you say most in your leaflets is that everyone can be fed and clothed, everyone can study the doctrine, and there will be free holy water to receive ......"

"That's right, that's what we 'unjust' people do," Amber laughed, "I've heard Wright say that you're also a priest who has risen through the ranks of commoners, and you're still sending your monthly donations to the countryside - are you interested in Cecil's 'unjust' authority?" We will exclude dissenters, we will control the South, we will use all kinds of glorious and dishonorable means to achieve our ends, and to use what Duke Gawain Cecil once said to me, he will rule this land by any means, at any cost, by all means, without any aristocratic spirit, so that this land can prosper and become rich and powerful.

"Maybe we are not great, maybe we are really just a new authority that will replace the Church of Light, but we can make life better for all the people of the South, and the Light can continue to exist in this land that has become better.

"Priest, such an unjust thing, do you join the gang?"

The room fell silent, Severn Terry's heart pounded, and after a few deep breaths, he finally spoke: "...... There were about a hundred clergymen in the city who opposed Fran Béran, most of them of the lower ranks, but we controlled the chapel district on the outer rim......"

"All the priests who have awakened and rightly sided will have the friendship of Cecil, and as long as you are willing to obey our laws and accept the new teachings, then you can still operate in this land, and you will still be the messengers of the Light, and even this city of Luan...... can continue to be the 'holy city'. ”

If Amber's words only caused a huge psychological impact on Severn Terry before, then this reply now completely calmed the priest's heart.

The situation is irreparable.

The city of Luan is slipping into the abyss, everyone in the cathedral district knows this, the influence of the Church of Light here has collapsed, and whatever the clergy of the cathedral does will only hasten this collapse - whether it is sitting back and waiting to die, or pale justification, or blocking leaflets, or even carrying out a more extreme and bloody crackdown on civilians...... There is no hope at the end of the day.

All along, the power to speak has been in the hands of the Church, and now that the Cecil people have more power in this regard, it is naturally impossible for the Church to survive on "faith".

There was no choice, as Severn Terry had known four days earlier, when he had returned to the church district under the escort of the Friars and the Papal Knights, and found himself with a note in his pocket that read "The Lady of the Shadow Goddess".

In order to save the lives of the only like-minded people in the church, he had to accede to Cecil's request.

Until then, he just wanted to see what the man who was going to rule it all was.

Now he seemed to see clearly—it was not indeed a glorious ruler, but a more suitable ruler.

"What am I going to do?"

Amber smiled, "We're going to take the cathedral—take it with the civilians of Lu'an, and you'll be the symbol and representative of the awakened in the Church of the Light." ”

(Everyone, anomalous PV2 is out!) Let me tell you, the scene is strong, especially the chapel, which is really the original painting burned with money, and God knows how much money they put in to prevent the picture from collapsing...... ）