The deathly silence enveloped every corner of the minareta, and even the burning candles seemed to try to diminish their own brilliance.

The actions of Lord Eliot Savile did not cause a commotion as Cromwell's speech—rather, no one could utter a word at this moment, and the whole minaret was eerily quiet.

It is said that before the storm comes, there will be a moment of ominous peace: it is this peace that everyone in the Minaret feels at present—it is the oppression of the mountain rain and the wind filling the building, it is the silence before the explosion of accumulated strength, it is the last rest of all old things on the eve of the great change—

Then, as if unaffected by the atmosphere, the divine envoy gently swept aside the scraps of paper on the table.

The first to recover from shock was Pope Gregory. He looked up at Lu Chen in horror, leaning forward, his lips slightly open, as if he wanted to interrupt the oracle's speech, but when his gaze touched the pile of shredded paper on the table, the weather-beaten old man suddenly flinched.

So he sat down again, looking up at the oracle with trepidation.

The Pope knew in his heart that from this moment on, the development of things was completely out of his control.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak as an envoy of God. Lu Chen said in a relaxed tone, as if nothing had just happened, "At noon a few days ago, the Pope invited me to deliver a message at today's luncheon, which, according to His Majesty's wishes, should explain the current predicament of the Church and explain the need to surrender to the Parliament. ”

Lu Chen smiled, tilted his head to look at the Pope, and then continued gently:

"Unfortunately, my majesty's will may be frustrated. ”

On the Pope's face, the glimmer of hope that had just appeared was shattered in an instant. He stared blankly at the energetic facial features of the Divine Envoy, and felt that everything around him seemed to be getting farther and farther away from him—

But the oracle's message continued.

"But it is a pleasure to finish the first half of the Pope's mandate, which is to deliver a speech here and now. Lu Chen smiled and said, "As you can see, I'm not a person who likes to show my head, but in the past few months, I have really felt the need to talk to you about something."

"Today's celebration and luncheon, compared to previous years, are of course extremely simple: this is because we are in a special period in the history of the Holy Church. The Holy Church was severely oppressed in all corners of the Empire, where two wings of the Wehrmacht surrounded the Central Cathedral day and night, the rights and interests of the clergy were being restricted and violated in the Dominions of the Empire, and the Divine Spirit's glory was being questioned by more and more believers in the Imperial People.

"At such a critical juncture, I can only produce a rough speech – and I beg your pardon. I also hope that all my brothers who disagree with my next point of view will give me valuable understanding. ”

In the minaret, no one dared to make any sound.

Not a single whisper, not a single cough, not even the creak of a chair.

Although the tone of the divine envoy was a little light, the seriousness of his words still lifted everyone's spirits.

On the podium, every church leader couldn't help but turn their heads to the center and stared unblinkingly at Elliot Saville, who was speaking: this group of high-ranking people was much more sensitive than the average congregation, and they were already vaguely aware that they were probably going through a critical moment in the history of the church.

"Today, it is necessary for me to express my views on the future of the Church. Lu Chen continued without pause, but the smile on his face had quietly faded and was replaced by seriousness and solemnity, "As we all know, I am only an oracle of the Church, I have no holy arts of the priest brothers, no force of the paladins, and even the human authority of the bishops—and all I can offer to the church and the Holy Spirit is blood, toil, tears, and sweat!"

As soon as these few famous sentences copied from the Prime Minister's speech came out, people couldn't help but hold their breath.

Observing the effect of his speech, Lu Chen took a few silent breaths and continued:

"Today's church is facing extremely severe trials, but also protracted struggles and sufferings. If you ask me what my position is, then my position is 'fighting'! Fighting the enemy in the towns of the Empire, in the countryside of the Empire, in every corner of the continent illuminated by the glory of the Holy Spirit, shouldering the mission given to us by the Holy Spirit, doing everything in our power to fight against this dark age in the history of human faith - this is my position!"

The high-pitched voice of the Divine Envoy echoed through the marble walls of the Minareta, among the seven-stained stained glass windows, and among the countless terrified clergy.

A warm red crept up Cromwell's cheeks, and the faces of the Pope and Benedict grew pale.

"If you ask me what my goal is, then my goal is 'victory'!" Lu Chen scanned the audience majestically and said loudly, "Regardless of any cost, regardless of all sacrifices, and without fear of all horrors, we must win the victory belonging to the Holy Spirit! No matter how long the future is, no matter how difficult the future is, we must win!" Because if we do not defeat our enemies, we will lose everything we have now, and if we do not defeat our enemies, the glory of the Holy Spirit on earth will cease to exist, and if we do not defeat our enemies, all the sacrifices of the predecessors of the Church over the past thousand years will be in vain!

"These days I've consulted the history books of the Empire. In the early days of the empire, the ancestors faced the siege of monsters and orcs, and with great difficulty, they established the first base and built the predecessor of the imperial capital; during the invasion of the orcs, the imperial capital was tragically captured, and the entire Holy Church had to leave their homeland with the imperial family; during the great plague, like the total population of the empire, the Holy Church suffered a loss of up to three-quarters of its members, and the faith of the Holy Spirit was questioned like never before!

"Yes, we are in a difficult situation today, but who can guarantee that our situation is worse than these periods in history? Who can guarantee that we are more qualified to give up resistance and surrender than our predecessors who fought hard in history? If the Church is dissolved, how will everyone here face the great ancestors who gave their lives for the continuation of the Church and the faith in heaven? If the Church is dissolved, how will everyone here endure their weakness and incompetence and face the 'brave, If the Church is dissolved, how will everyone here face the condemnation of countless folk believers in the future as a disgraced apostalist?"

In the minaret hall, the dripping water can be heard.

The flush of shame is spreading on the cheeks of countless people. If until just now, many people were still lucky, thinking of taking advantage of the dissolution of the church to escape with their lives, then the speech of the divine envoy completely pierced their fig leaf.

Everyone here has been a part of the church, and this is a mark that will be etched on them forever.

As long as they live, turning away from the church will be a great stain on them for life.

Whether or not to dissolve a church is never a choice between life and death, but a choice between shame and glory.

"We must realize that without fighting, without victory, there will be no future for us. Lu Chen solemnly looked down at the countless church members and solemnly promised, "In the days to come, I will take on my tasks with high spirits and confidence, and I also believe that as long as we are united, no one will dare to take away the glory belonging to the Holy Spirit from our world!"

Silent. Silent. Silent.

Then someone in the audience was the first to give a round of applause. Like throwing stones into the calm waters of a lake, more applause was followed by ripples that spread through the crowd until finally, countless thunderous clappings, cheers, and shouts converged into a flood of encouragement.