Standing at the top of the Tower of Babel, Mayne looked through the window at the City of Hermes, which was wrapped in silver.
Since the last time when a large group of demonic beasts attacked the New Holy City, the ice field had temporarily calmed down and the snow had weakened a lot. The residents of the city had a rare leisure time.
These days should have been a day of celebration, but Mayne's heart was still empty. In order to kill those terrible giant hybrid demonic beasts, a team of God's Punishment Army warriors rushed out of the city wall through the side door and confronted them head-on. In the end, 19 of them were injured and two died. After their limbs were cut off, the two giant beasts lay on the ground and roared for a long time. Finally, the guards on the city wall killed them with spears. However, compared to the loss of the God's Punishment Army, what scared him the most was the time period represented by the demonic beasts.
After a long silence, he let out a long sigh and returned to the table. He wanted to open the Holy Bible again and read it carefully.
"Even if you break it, the result won't change," Tayfun said as he walked into the circular hall with two cups of hot drinks. He pushed one of the cups in front of Mayne and said, "His Holiness O'Brien still hasn't agreed to see you?"
"I've sent a request to the Pivotal Secret Area for the third time, but there's still no response." Mayne said anxiously. "I don't know what His Holiness is busy with. At this critical moment..."
"Don't worry." Tayfun interrupted him. "You said that the Holy Bible was written by the first Pope, so it's inevitable that there will be mistakes. After more than 400 years, who can guarantee that everything is correct?
"But this is different." The archbishop shook his head. "If the time is wrong, it will be a disaster for us! Now we have invested a lot of power and energy in unifying the kingdom in order to gather the strength of the whole continent to fight against the demons. But if the time is reduced by half, we will not be able to accumulate so many God's Punishment Army soldiers after the war! "
"Be quiet, Your Excellency Mayne." The old archbishop smiled and slowly took a sip of the hot drink. "The fact has happened. The Fangs of Hell have appeared in front of us, and no one can change it. But there may be two reasons for this. "
"What reasons?"
"Have a drink first," he said, stroking his beard.
Mayne picked up the cup. It looked like a cup of goat milk, but when he got closer, a spicy aroma rushed into his nose. "What's in it?"
"Winter flower," Tayfun smirked. "Although you can't drink the Dreamland Water directly, it's not a bad idea to drink some of it. It can at least help you ease your nerves and help you sleep."
Mayne drank the goat's milk in one gulp and felt a burning sensation in his throat. Although the mellow taste of the goat's milk diluted the irritation of the winter flower juice, it was still difficult for him to adapt since he didn't drink this kind of drink often. He coughed twice and wiped his mouth. "Even a cup of Dreamland Water can't make me fall asleep. Can you tell me now?"
Tayfun shrugged. "One possibility is that the pope made a mistake. For an old man, it's not uncommon for him to feel dizzy and make mistakes in his memory. I know this very well."
"It's unlikely." Mayne frowned. "This is related to the layout and arrangements of the church, and even the fate of mankind. He must have been very cautious in writing this content. What's the second reason? "
"The second possibility is that because of some unknown circumstances, everything has changed."
The archbishop waited for a moment, but when he saw that Tayfun had no intention of continuing, he asked in surprise, "That's it?"
"That's it," he repeated.
"This … Is this a joke? Everything has changed? Because of this reason, all our efforts will go down the drain! Why can't you just — "
"Lord Mayne!" Tayfun's voice suddenly rose a few octaves. "What on earth are you asking for? Is it a way to defeat the demons? Or do you think that only you want to protect Hermes and stop the demons outside of the ice field? "
"…" Mayne was stunned.
"Everyone hopes to win every battle, but so far, even against the Four Kingdoms, we haven't won every battle, let alone the demons from Hell. Have you forgotten the teachings of His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff? There's not much difference between asking too much and fearing the result. What you need to do is to accept the fact, and then walk step by step to the end. As for the result, it's not something we can control. "
Fearing … the result. Mayne was shocked. Tayfun was right. He was indeed afraid. He was afraid that after he became the pope, he would not be able to stop the demons, and that mankind would eventually die in his hands.
"I used to be like you," Tayfun suddenly said in a low voice. "But Heather's death made me understand that the result is often unpredictable. The Months of Demons came early without warning, and we still conquered Wolfheart City before the snow fell, just as planned … But Heather still died, and the way of the war also changed. Even so, we still have to keep going. "He got up and let out a long breath, patted Mayne on the shoulder, and walked out of the hall." So … whether it's five years or ten years, you have to persevere until the end. Not because you want to win, but because you have to fulfill your duty, even if the result is contrary to your wishes. "
The hall door closed. Mayne looked at the empty cup in front of him and was speechless for a long time.
He had to admit that what Tayfun said made sense, but how could he not feel afraid when he really had to shoulder this responsibility?
Suddenly, a presiding judge came in and said, "Lord Mayne, His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff wants to see you."
"Finally!"
Mayne immediately stood up and said eagerly, "Take me to the Pivotal Secret Area."
…
The Pivotal Secret Area, hidden deep under the plateau, was still cold and silent.
Walking into the hall of the Pivotal Secret Temple, Mayne was slightly startled. There was no conversion ceremony arranged today, but all the candles in the hall were lit, and the dense flames outlined an orange outline of the hall. The chandelier above his head was like a Divine Kingdom that gathered the stars.
His Holiness O 'Brien sat on the throne and looked at him quietly.
Mayne felt a little strange. He suppressed the doubts in his heart, walked to the seat, and knelt down with his forehead touching the ground.
"Get up, child." The Supreme Pontiff's voice was very soft, and it was difficult to hear what he said without paying attention.
Mayne straightened up and saw that the Supreme Pontiff's face was full of uncontrollable old age and fatigue, as if he had not rested for a long time. "Your Holiness, please take care of yourself."
"No need." He smiled, and deep wrinkles suddenly covered his cheeks. "I'm about to die."
"Your Holiness, you won't …"
"No, listen to me, child." O 'Brien interrupted the bishop's words with difficulty. "I know the condition of my body. There is no doubt that my time is coming." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "The reason I called you here today is to pass on the position of Supreme Pontiff to you."
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