January 1st, 1073 of the Eternal Era, the first day of the new year.
In the northern part of the Segers Continent, the Maniya Highland, where the Eternal Holy City of Maniya was located, welcomed the first snow of winter.
The sky was gray, and feather-like snowflakes were falling down. It was gloomy and cold.
However, today's Manya City was exceptionally noisy.
In the center of the city, in the Sacred Square.
This huge square, with an area of more than two million square meters, was located at the intersection of the Eternal Church, the Imperial Palace, and the Graycastle Parliament Building.
Indifferent Judges Knights and burly City Guards maintained order at the scene, rudely isolating the curious civilians from the center of the square. In the center of the square, a huge platform had been built.
The platform was divided into three areas, with chairs and gorgeous umbrellas, and even a magic array to adjust the temperature.
This was where the clergy of the church and the rulers of the empire sat.
In the center of the three areas was the Eternal Pope's Holy See, which symbolized that the divine power was superior to the royal power.
On the right was the Imperial Family, where the 14-year-old Princess Theresa, the successor of the empire, and other relatives of the Imperial Family, including some former members of the royal family who had once elected the emperor of the empire.
The Regent, Bishop Winst, was also there.
Before becoming a monk, the Bishop of the fief was also a member of the current Imperial Family, the Terence Family.
On the left was Duke Collens, the Kurfürst and the Speaker of the Aristocrats, as well as other great nobles and archbishops who participated in the central operation of the empire.
These people were the most powerful people in the entire Holy Maniya Empire, and at the same time, the most powerful people in the entire continent.
The current Pope of the Eternal Church, Benedict II, was a kind old man.
His hair and beard were all white, and his back was hunched. His gorgeous and solemn robe made him look sacred and majestic.
He was very old, and his hunched body under the loose robe gave the illusion that he would fall down with the wind at any time.
However, no one dared to underestimate this seemingly fragile His Holiness the Pope.
Although he was almost 300 years old, which was close to the limit of the human legendary lifespan, as a True God's chosen one, a master who could summon Divine Power and cast God's Arrival, even a demigod would respect him.
At the same time, Benedict II was also the longest serving Pope in the history of the Eternal Church. Today, it was already his 83rd year as the Holy See.
Below the high platform, the citizens curiously sized up the dignitaries on the platform.
Although these archbishops and great nobles who ruled the Church and the Empire were well-known, it was still the first time for most ordinary people to see them with their own eyes.
This was especially true for His Holiness the Pope, who would only appear during huge celebrations, as well as Princess Theresa, who had only been officially confirmed as the successor of the Empire not long ago.
This young girl was just 14 years old. She had blonde hair and green eyes. Just like the other noble ladies, she was noble and beautiful. One could already faintly see that when she grew up, she would definitely be a devastatingly beautiful woman.
She sat there quietly, her big sparkling eyes excitedly looking around, innocent and clear, as if she was quite curious about such a grand occasion.
However, when her gaze met the solemn gaze of the regent, Bishop Winst, and the gentle smile of the speaker, Duke Corlens, she quickly sat up straight again, giving off an obedient and timid vibe.
But even so, her gaze still couldn't help but quietly glance around, especially at the long rack erected with thorns and barbs in front of the high platform.
Her big, clear eyes were full of curiosity, like a piece of white paper that had never been stained with filth.
Beside the rack stood several Knights of Judgement in black robes. Each of them had a very powerful aura, far more powerful than the average Gold-tier professional. No one dared to look directly at them.
Outside the rack, fully armed soldiers had long been on guard. They were all the best of the best, completely isolating the onlookers from the outside.
When Demacia mixed into the crowd and came to the square, this was the scene he saw.
"Boss Dema, do we really not need to make a scene in the square later to save the Blessed John?"
Beside him, another hooded player asked in a low voice.
As early as a few days ago, the Eternal Church had released the news of the trial of Old John, and for the players who had been paying attention to the situation on the continent, the news had spread throughout the entire server.
The Eternal Church dared to put their own Blessed on trial?
This naturally aroused the collective sense of honor and anger of the players.
Although they were far away, there were still a considerable number of high-level players who gathered and contacted the underground forces of the Life Church in Manya City to discuss the feasibility of the rescue.
As for Demacia, who was the strongest and had once broken into the prison of Castle Dororia, as well as recorded the preaching story of Old John, naturally, he became the leader that everyone had recommended.
However, after hearing his companion's words, Demacia shook his head slightly and sighed softly.
"Rescue what? How? There are so many Gold-tier professionals and Legends, and there might even be a Demigod Angel hiding behind them to watch the show. Just with us? "
"But Boss Dema, don't you still have the Grim Reaper's Divine Punishment?"
"But there's only one Divine Punishment …"
"Then what should we do?"
"Nothing! Just watch carefully and do as I said before! "
"No way? Then aren't we going to sit back and watch Old John burn to death? "
The player who spoke to Demacia frowned slightly and seemed to be rather unhappy.
Demacia was silent for a moment and sighed softly.
"This is also his intention …"
The player was silent.
He knew who Demacia was talking about.
"Even if … even if the price is death?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, even if it's death … there are always some things that are higher than life."
Demacia sighed.
Hearing this, the player who was talking to him opened his mouth and looked at this big shot who was well-known in the entire server in disbelief.
As if noticing his companion's strange gaze, Demacia turned his head and was speechless.
"Wait, what's with your expression?"
"Uh … nothing, I just didn't expect Boss Dema to say such a thing … I've always felt that you're quite, um … quite bold."
The player scratched his head.
Demacia was speechless.
"What the hell is bold?"
"Uh … maverick, daring to take risks? Or … there are always some high-end operations? "
Demacia was speechless.
You might as well just say that I like to court death.
He complained in his heart.
Demacia knew his character very well, and he also knew that his companion was right. He was indeed a jumpy person who loved to take risks and court death.
Although he had been playing the game for so long, compared to those players who had long treated "Elf Nation" as another life, he still treated it more as a game.
But even someone like him would still be touched by her words …
Recalling what John Senior said and did in prison, Demacia's gaze gradually became solemn.
He had never admired any NPC in "Elf Nation".
But now, maybe he did.
Even now, in his heart, he still felt that John Senior's choice to sacrifice himself was a huge loss to the Life Church.
With a soft sigh, Demacia looked at the surrounding square again.
His gaze swept across the magnificently dressed archbishops and nobles on the high platform, and then swept across the fierce-looking, fully-armed guards below the platform. Finally, his gaze stopped on the large number of commoners who were gathered in the square. Their faces were emaciated, and their clothes were simply patched or even tattered.
It was the same square, but it was like two different worlds on and off the stage.
However, even these civilians gathered in the square were considered to have a good life in Manya City.
As one of the most prosperous cities in the entire empire, their living conditions were definitely in the upper class of human society on the entire continent.
Those farmers who lived in the countryside and those who lived in the slums did not even have the qualifications to stand here and watch.
At this moment, Demacia truly felt the tearing of human society in the Segers world …
"The existence of extraordinary powers accelerated the solidification of society, and the rapid increase in magic power not only did not destroy this solidification but also strengthened the contradictions and increased more contradictions, making the already unstable society even more unstable."
"Human society is dead, and this world … needs a new force to inject vitality and vitality!"
Unconsciously, Demacia remembered the two sentences he heard John Senior say in prison.
If it was a player who said these words, he would not be surprised, but if it was an NPC who had only accepted the Life Doctrine for less than a year, it was really shocking and respectable.
Demacia's imagination ran wild until the ear-piercing sound of a bell came from the high platform. The black-robed bishop with a cold face walked to the front of the platform and announced that the heretics who blasphemed against God and destroyed the order of the empire were to be brought up.
Gradually, there was a commotion in the crowd in the distance. The legendary Sword Saint Sward, who had submitted to the empire, personally led a team of fully armed guards and escorted a straight figure up to the platform.
That figure was none other than John Senior.
Seeing John Senior's appearance, Demacia's expression changed slightly.
There was no other reason.
At this moment, John Senior had been stripped of all his clothes and was tied up naked by anti-magic shackles. Only a few strands of his clothes were left to cover the last trace of dignity on his body.
The bloody whip scars that had yet to fade were a testament to the torture this god's chosen one had gone through before he was brought here.
The prisoners who were also restrained by the same power could not hurt him, but it was different if it was the knights and priests of the Inquisition.
But even so, John Senior still held his head high, his eyes clear and bright.
Like a pine tree that would never fall.
The crowd of onlookers gradually became restless.
No one knew who took the lead, but suddenly, a stone smashed into John Senior's face.
Someone laughed.
Then, a second stone, a third stone …
Not only stones, but also some household garbage and some common filth in the city were gradually thrown out by the people on both sides like raindrops, constantly smashing at the protagonist who was being escorted.
Faintly, the curses of the people could be heard.
"Bah! Heretics who bring chaos to the order! "
"Blasphemer! Die! "
"Smash him! Smash him! "
"Burn him to death!"
"Hahahahaha …"
Looking at the numb crowd of onlookers who were tirelessly throwing filth in front of them, the players were stunned for a moment.
Demacia was also slightly stunned and then fell into silence.
He glanced at John Senior with a complicated gaze and saw that the other party's expression was still unchanged.
However, in the depths of this Blessed's gaze, there seemed to be an additional trace of sadness.
But that sadness quickly flashed by and turned into a strong light and belief …
Demacia was stunned.
His gaze once again stopped on the civilians. Looking at their happy and excited gazes, his mood was complicated.
At this moment, he finally understood why John Senior had made such a choice.
For the vast majority of civilians in the human countries, they had been enslaved for too long. They were completely numb to it in their bones and had long forgotten to resist.
The nobles controlled supernatural powers, the Church controlled public opinion, and everything about them.
To them, coming to see the trial of the heretics was as "attractive" as watching people slaughter pigs during Chinese New Year in Bluestar.
It was also precisely because they had neither the courage nor the belief to resist that they could only vent their emotions by throwing stones at the heretics, vent their dissatisfaction with reality, and seek some kind of psychological comfort.
This was a dark era, an era full of ignorance and ignorance, an era of numbness …
Even if a spark was ignited under the leadership of the players and the Life Evangelist, a spark was still a spark.
Without an opportunity, it was still impossible to shake this silent wasteland.
Fortunately, not all civilians were so numb. In the depths of the crowd, there were still many gazes looking at John Senior, full of complexity, worry, and grief.
However, their figures were already drowned in the boiling crowd.
"It's so cold. Why don't you give him clothes?"
On the high platform, Princess Theresa frowned and glanced at John Senior below the platform. She looked uncomfortably at the regent, Bishop Winst, beside her.
Bishop Winst smiled softly.
"Your Royal Highness, your kindness is admirable, but … this is God's punishment for the heretics. He is a blasphemer, an evil person who destroys the stability of the empire."
"Heretics … destroy the stability of the empire …"
Princess Theresa nodded as if she understood, and there was a trace of disgust in her gaze as she looked at John Senior.
The surrounding nobles whispered to each other and looked condescendingly at John Senior, who was escorted to the front of the platform and tied to the gallows. Their arrogant, playful, and disdainful gazes were like looking at a monkey.
The bell rang again, and the black-robed bishop of the Inquisition came to the front of the platform.
He raised a golden parchment with a solemn expression. Under the effect of sound amplification magic, his grand voice spread to every corner of the square.
"In accordance with His Holiness the Pope's edict, I declare —
"The trial of the Life Evangelist, the blasphemer, the heretic John, begins now!"
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