https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-239-The-Youth-with-the-Gaze-of-a-Saint/12584278/
Chapter 238: The Darkest Hour of the Northern Continent
Chapter 238: The Darkest Hour of the Northern Continent
In the latter half of January, on the southern shores of the Protoss Empire on the Northern Continent...
Snow was an uncommon occurrence in this coastal region, which enjoyed a milder climate.
The city of Lilom was known for its warm and vibrant seaside ambiance.
Located in the remote southern border region, far from the large main port of the Protoss Empire's southern shores, and with vast forests lying inland behind the city, the nearest inland city being over a hundred kilometers away, Lilom mostly served as a tourist destination.
While not particularly affluent, it boasted breathtaking scenery.
The city was spread across a series of small islands along the coast, connected by bridges that added an artistic touch to its landscape. These bridges not only facilitated transportation but also offered exquisite vantage points for gazing out at the sea.
However, during this rare and bitterly cold winter, it seemed like the storms had swept down from the imperial capital in the north to engulf even their border city.
A light snow began to fall in the night.
The light from the lighthouse flickered faintly through the thin veil of snow, casting a soft glow on the ships docked in the harbor, now cloaked in a delicate layer of white. The seabirds, usually chirping noisily, had taken shelter in the ship cabins or the warm confines of the lighthouse, leaving the masts to stand silent sentinels, their silhouettes merging with the distant lights in the snowy haze.
Snowflakes gently settled on the cobblestone streets of the city, blending with the snow already on the ground.
The long road from the harbor to the town hall was blanketed in snow, diffusing the light from the street lamps, rendering it soft and hazy.
As night fell, the streets grew quiet, with only the occasional passerby hurrying by, bundled up in thick coats and hats.
Their footsteps left watery traces on the ground, turning the freshly fallen snow a dark shade.
It seemed less like the citizens were braving the cold and more like they were wary of something else.
Something that had been brewing in the Protoss Empire—an eerie transformation that had everyone on edge, along with the presence of those silver-robed priests, now openly strolling through the streets.
On this night, when even the moonlight seemed veiled, not far from the town hall, within a mansion befitting one of high birth and power...
Deep red tapestries hung on the walls, embroidered with intricate scenes depicting war, trade, harmony, and prosperity—a visual narrative of the history and grandeur of the Protoss Empire.
In the parlor, two men sat comfortably in chairs crafted from moon-hued wood and metal, a table between them bearing their drinks.
It was a scene reminiscent of the banquets of villains that had peppered the history of the Northern Continent.
"Your Excellency of the Church of Rebirth, I offer a toast on behalf of the lord of this city."
The man in a custom-tailored outfit suited for his plump figure, evidently a noble of this city-state, raised his cup and drained it in one go.
"Viscount Francis truly lacks awareness of the current state of the empire. He fails to grasp the bigger picture."
The noble shook his head in apparent dismay, portraying himself as a virtuous man troubled by the ways of the world.
His attitude towards the guest before him made it clear whom he believed should rule this city.
"Actually, I rather admire that lord."
The man across from the noble, a silver-armored priest with a neck adorned by a blue aberrant holy emblem, a devotee of an evil deity, gently swirled the wine in his cup as he murmured.
His chest bore the holy emblem—a blue, rare-quality 【Proof of Rebirth—Dominion】.
Those bearing emblems of this caliber within the Church of Rebirth held significant positions as high-ranking priests. The next tier, the purple rare emblems, were usually reserved for the bishop's personal guards or confidants—individuals of great importance who were unlikely to be encountered in this remote border region.
The pink emblems were bestowed upon the chosen sons and daughters of the bishop, and the epic tier was represented by the 【Bishop's Proof】.
Ordinarily, members of the Church of Rebirth would go to great lengths to conceal their 【Proof of Rebirth】, only revealing them when necessary to prove their identity to their peers.
It would be sheer madness for anyone to blatantly display their emblem as a stamp.
Yet, here they were.
In the Protoss Empire, the Church of Rebirth had been recognized as a legitimate religion.
And the cardinal, infamous throughout the Northern Continent, feared and loathed by all races, was now revered as the archbishop, an object of veneration for the people of the Protoss Empire.
This earth-shattering shift was not the result of coercion by the Church of Rebirth; they lacked the power to force such a change. It was the empire's own choice.
A few years ago, anyone would have thought the empire had gone mad.
But here they stood, faced with this new reality.
"However, that lord... Viscount Francis, he leans heavily towards the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and his wariness of your Church of Rebirth is well-known, especially... he would never subscribe to the doctrine of Dominion."
The noble spoke carefully, taking sips of his red wine as he studied the expression of the silver-armored priest.
"Then it would seem... he is indeed guilty."
The priest turned his head, gazing thoughtfully at the small fountain in the courtyard.
The mansion, from its interior to its exterior, exuded warmth and comfort, with the gentle sound of flowing water creating an ambiance starkly different from the atmosphere in the city outside. Or perhaps they themselves were the source of this contrasting atmosphere.
"Indeed. For you to carry out your missionary work in this city more smoothly, and to prevent those with ill intentions from maligning your image, I believe a change in the upper echelons of this city is necessary."
The noble smiled smugly, draining his cup and wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
"...While our Church of Rebirth is currently recognized as the orthodox sect in the Protoss Empire, we cannot openly violate the empire's laws. Otherwise, we would still be treated as criminals."
The silver-armored priest seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking slowly.
Taking action against the rightful noble of the empire, the Viscount Francis of Lilom, if discovered and investigated by the upper echelons of the empire, would result in severe consequences for him as a high-ranking clergy member of the now-influential Church of Rebirth. He would be made an example to deter others.
"You know, the lord's daughter exhibits some atavistic demonic traits. Even though her parents are undoubtedly human, she would still be considered a half-demon due to these traits and thus ineligible to inherit the fief. Once Viscount Francis is gone, I will quickly make her my dependent. I assure you, this matter will be buried, and there will be no chance for anyone from the imperial capital to investigate the viscount's cause of death."
A smirk played at the corners of the noble's mouth, his jowls quivering with unwholesome thoughts.
In name, she would be his wife or concubine, but in truth, such filth only deserved to be his plaything and slave.
"You're quite the scoundrel, aren't you?"
The silver-armored priest smiled as he lifted his cup.
Though dealing with this sort of noble could leave him vulnerable to blackmail, he knew the man lacked the courage to dare trifle with the priests of their Dominion branch.
Indeed, they are not good people themselves. If they truly angered the Church of Rebirth, it would only take a moment for this city-state to be forever erased from existence. In the face of such power, the lives of these nobles are as insignificant as worms.
"So, Your Excellency, what are your thoughts? Viscount Francis is currently out at sea, and he is expected to return from the eastern main port city in the next few days. I can provide you with his usual travel itinerary."
The noble refilled the priest's cup with a small amount of wine and asked.
In the past, colluding with the Church of Rebirth, a sinful and heretical organization, would have resulted in a death sentence if discovered.
Now, however, the Church of Rebirth has been brought into the open, and anyone within the Empire can engage their services without needing connections. They can be found openly in broad daylight, even here in Lilom, where their temple belongs to the Church of Rebirth.
Nevertheless, everyone is aware of the Church's hidden agenda.
The current state of the Protoss Empire is volatile and uncertain, and if this opportunity is not seized, once the Empire completes its transformation and stabilizes, such a chance may never arise again.
"Then I shall lend you a hand."
The silver-armored priest leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, and the armor creaked.
Viscount Francis is indeed an obstacle, and it would be beneficial to remove him.
After all, it is reasonable for the strong to kill the weak, and if Viscount Francis dies, he has only himself to blame for his weakness.
"I will bring you the nautical maps that record Viscount Francis' usual routes, and I will also arrange a ship for you and the other priests. Rest assured, you can approach them without arousing suspicion."
The noble stood up, his belly jiggling as he laughed, and said, "I will show you the way."
He had no concern for imperial policies, the Church of Rebirth, or the unrest in the north.
His focus was solely on what he would gain from all of this.
Wisdom is power, and power rules over everything. Few understand how sweet that taste of power can be.
When power and authority collude, even the blackest of deeds can be washed white, and they become the arbiters of justice.
The current state of the Empire is absurd, yet wonderful.
It is a revelry for evildoers.
"I'll come with you."
The silver-armored priest also stood up, indicating that their dinner was concluded.
The noble gladly invited the priest to tour his mansion.
They made their way along the corridors and up the stairs, soon arriving at a spacious study on the third floor of the mansion, which offered a panoramic view of the night sky.
A calendar hung on the wall, recently turned to the new year—it was now the year 1798 of the Solar Calendar.
The dark wooden desk was piled high with official letters from the imperial capital.
Most of them were notices related to the remnants of the Church of the Goddess of Fate. If any of the wanted individuals were spotted in the border cities, they were to be immediately reported to the main city of the province and then to the military department of the imperial capital.
"It's ironic," the noble said as he pulled open a drawer, his eyes glancing at the papers, "that in just two months, the once-grand Church of the Goddess of Fate has been swept out of the Empire."
He shook his head slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
While this turn of events seemed insane to most, someone like him, who understood the shifts in politics, could discern the underlying motives.
The Protoss Empire needed the strength of the Church of Rebirth, and then, perhaps, they would turn their attention to the nations to the northwest and seek a reckoning.
Although the exact nature of the changes within the Empire was unclear, the eradication of the obstructive Church of the Goddess of Fate was undoubtedly paving the way for something significant.
However, among all the notices.
There was one eye-catching warning in red.
It had caught the silver-armored priest's attention from the start.
It contained personal information about Loren, the high priest of the Church of the Goddess of Fate on the Southern Continent, and instructed all port cities on the southern shore to be on high alert for this individual.
Although the Church of the Goddess of Fate was in turmoil on the Northern Continent, there was a slight possibility that the Church on the Southern Continent might send reinforcements across the sea.
But this possibility was minuscule.
It was highly unlikely that High Priest Loren would abandon the protection of his homeland and personally travel to the Northern Continent.
He already had his hands full dealing with Ivanoth, the Bishop of Destruction.
As for the Saintess of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, she posed no threat of infiltrating the Protoss Empire from the rear, as she was currently in the Kingdom of Aethertelan to the northwest.
"The Empire is indeed cautious to a bizarre degree," the silver-armored priest remarked as he picked up the notice.
The first line of the notice about Loren read—
"If the holder of the 【Primitive Tablet of Wind】 is discovered, report it to the Imperial Military Department immediately."
Below this, there was an image of the 【Primitive Tablet of Wind】 and an example of the unique glow that would be emitted when the carrier used wind magic due to the influence of the tablet.
Since Loren was an extremely powerful individual, he was adept at intricate disguises, and it would be nearly impossible to identify him if he infiltrated the Empire.
However, he had one weakness—when he used wind magic, his signature ability, the 【Primitive Tablet of Wind】 would invariably produce an otherworldly phenomenon that struck at the soul, making it impossible to imitate and highly conspicuous.
Thus, rather than identifying Loren himself, it was more effective to look for the tablet.
Whoever held the 【Primitive Tablet of Wind】 was undoubtedly Loren.
"Hehe, although it is said that High Priest Loren is a man of high integrity and would not resort to despicable means, the Empire is always cautious when dealing with powerful individuals. If he dares to gamble and abandon his homeland in the Southern Continent, secretly infiltrating the Empire..."
The noble chimed in.
"The Empire truly doesn't understand Loren," the silver-armored priest said as he put down the red notice and shook his head.
"If he were to come, he would do so openly to support the Kingdom of Aethertelan, and it's out of the question for him to sneak into the Empire and cause chaos, let alone have the audacity to create trouble in the imperial capital."
"Unless he's gone mad and decides to break into that prison in the imperial capital and release those demon tribesmen who have been imprisoned for hundreds of years. That would indeed cause quite a stir in the Protoss Empire."
The noble's words were filled with flattery and a playful tone as he continued the conversation.
Upon hearing this, the silver-armored priest frowned and thought for a moment.
It must be said that this noble had the mindset of an evildoer.
However, the eight-tier demons, without a leader, lacked cohesion, and their threat was not as significant as one might imagine.
Soon, the silver-armored priest burst into loud laughter.
The noble's joke had finally gotten to him.
"He'd be walking into a trap!" the noble said with a malicious laugh.
The Church of the Goddess of Fate had now been labeled as a heretical organization within the Protoss Empire.
If Loren, the leader of this heretical group, dared to show his face, he would not escape the Empire's judgment and would undoubtedly end up in that prison!
(End of Chapter)
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