After returning to the liege's residence, Gwen asked Amber to bring him all the information about the Church of the Holy Light and the activities of the cultists around the world.
Noticing that Gwen's face was gloomy and serious, Amber knew that he must have smelled something from the recent situation. She could not help but be curious. "What? You think the Church of the Holy Light is plotting something? "
"It seems that you've made some progress in managing the intelligence." Gwen looked at Amber approvingly. "You also feel that something is wrong?"
Amber waved her hand. "Oh, no. I just feel that those swindlers live to scheme."
Gwen was speechless.
"Hey, tell me about it." Amber moved closer. "I do feel that the recent actions of the Church of the Holy Light are too radical, but this is a change that everyone can see, and it is also a result of the recent situation. What else do you see?"
"Ever since the leaders of the major cults signed the Sacred Covenant at the Ancestral Peak, seven hundred years of peace had been maintained despite the differences in ideology between the various cults. In these seven hundred years, it was not that there were no cults wreaking havoc — but at that time, none of the cults had ever targeted the other orthodox cults. The Church of the Holy Light does have a special advantage in fighting against evil forces and purifying corruption, while those religions that are more inclined to darkness and negativity are powerless against the cultists. But all along, the Church of the Holy Light has been in the form of a leader, helping and guiding those weaker religions to fight together. "
Gwen said as he put the information in his hand aside. "This is also the most normal and correct choice, because the social functions of each religion are different. The Holy Light can fight against evil, the Fertility can ensure agriculture, the God of War can protect the warriors, guide the order of war and post-war reconstruction, the God of Blood can control selfish desires and monitor the behavior of contracts. Fighting against the cultists is not the only goal of human survival. When there are cultists, the Church of the Holy Light will stand up, and when there are other troubles, the other religions will naturally have their own value. I understand this, and the priests of the Church of the Holy Light should also understand this."
Amber pursed her lips. "But now they are obviously suppressing other religions."
"Yes, suppressing other religions." Gwen nodded. "Since last autumn, as the cultists have become more active in Ansu, the Church of the Holy Light has been rapidly expanding and expanding in the name of fighting the cultists. In late winter, they began to suppress and exclude those religions that did not perform well in the process of fighting against the cultists. This situation has been getting worse recently. People are sometimes blind, especially in a state of panic. The threat of the Church is increasing by the day, and almost everyone tolerates and acquiesces to the actions of the Church of the Holy light. Many people even applauded and appled. "
"Those churches that have been excluded will not sit still and wait for death," Amber said. "In many places, the excluded church members have already broken out in a head-on conflict with the priests of the Holy Light. Although the Church of the Holy Light is big, it is not the best in the world. Combat monks and church cavalry are not unique to them."
"I suspect … the Church of the Holy Light is waiting for people to resist." Gwen put his hand on the table and frowned. "Their exclusion of other religions is too obvious and too hasty. If I were to do this, I would certainly not directly suppress all the heretics in the country like they did. Instead, I would first rope in some of the churches that have a higher affinity with the Holy Light, and then label those churches that are inclined to the dark as heretics. Then, I would pull them one wave at a time to disintegrate their opponents. But now, the behavior of the Church of the Holy Light … rather than saying that they want to slowly weaken the other religions, their behavior now is more like forcing the other religions to unite and fight a religious war with them head-on until both sides suffer losses … "
"No way …" Amber looked at Gwen suspiciously. "Maybe it's not that complicated. Those priests of the Holy Light are so straightforward that they want to fight head-on. After all, not everyone is as cunning as you. Dividing and disintegrating, who can understand these twists and turns?"
"Do you think those who can climb to the top of the church are as heartless as you?" Gwen rolled his eyes at the half-elf. "Pulling them one wave at a time is not a very clever strategy. I believe that the people in power in the Church of the Holy Light must have thought of this step. Now that they have not done so … I have to suspect that they are still plotting a bigger goal. Of course, I can't rule out the possibility that the Church of the Holy Light is overconfident and thinks that they can defeat all the religions in the world with their own strength … "
As he said this, a figure emerged in Gwen's mind.
Pale blonde hair, simple priest robe, extraordinary temperament that did not seem human, and the aura of the Holy Light that lingered around her …
The "Saintess Princess", Veronica? Moen …
As a senior member of the Church of the Holy Light and a member of the royal family, was she related to the current activities of the Church of the Holy Light? What kind of role did she play in this process? If all these changes were driven by her, then Cecil would have to be careful when dealing with the "Saintess Princess" in the future …
Church of the Holy Light, Great Bright Hall. Pure Holy Light hovered above the dome of the hall, plating a layer of rippling, water-like halo on the surface of the dome that depicted the scene of the Kingdom of God. It was as glorious as ever.
The bishops were reporting on the recent progress in eradicating evil and suppressing heretics in various parts of the kingdom. Their calm and steady voices were like the holy light that floated above the dome, but the content of their reports was not as calm as their voices.
"Your Holiness, the number of evil cultists purified by the Holy Light is increasing day by day. The power of the Lord has been manifested, but those stubborn and ignorant pagan believers are becoming a new trouble," said a bishop with a tall crown. "In Boulder City, since the Church of the Blood God secretly controlled by the cultists was demolished, a large number of pagan believers of the Blood God refused to accept the correct faith, refused to accept baptism, purification, and the opportunity to reform. Those believers were expelled from the city, but they wandered in the wilderness and turned into bandits to attack the priests we sent out to spread the Holy Light."
Another bishop continued. "A similar situation has occurred in the Western Plains. After being exiled, the believers of the God of Shadows began to attack our priests, and even ordinary believers of the Holy Light. They caused a lot of panic in the local area. "
The old Holy Light? Ivan III raised his eyelids slightly, and there was no joy or sadness in his voice. "Their behavior confirms our verdict, doesn't it?
"Being exiled proves that they are suspicious, and we give them a chance to change their faith. This is giving them a chance to prove their innocence. Those who are not infected by evil will not be afraid to embrace the Holy Light. Fear of embracing the Holy Light is proof that they have fallen into evil.
"They became bandits, attacked priests, attacked the innocent, and refused to embrace the Holy Light and change their faith. This proves that they are indeed evil. As long as we point this out, the world will naturally distinguish right from wrong."
"Your wisdom has cleared our confusion." The bishop who spoke first bowed his head. "We obey your will."
Then the bishops began to report on the progress of expanding Knight's church, the increase in the number of believers, the spread of the faith of the Holy Light in various regions, and the progress of the newly implemented "ransom" money collection.
Holy Light? Ivan III's eyelids drooped as if he was in a deep sleep, but also as if he was still awake and listening to the reports one after another. The rumbling voices of the bishops echoed in his ears, and the greater, more unfathomable, and more boundless sacred voice in his mind echoed. The old pope used a small part of his brain power to pay attention to the voices of the bishops, but used most of his brain power to listen carefully to the voice from the depths of his spiritual world.
It was the voice of the Lord.
The voice of the Lord was whispering in a low voice that could not be distinguished, but contained infinite wisdom. One needed to listen carefully to distinguish a trace of the truth of the world.
Veronica, on the other hand, stood quietly beside the Pope. Her head was slightly lowered, and she looked gentle and quiet. The holy light radiating from her body rippled in the hall and shrouded everyone. It produced an extremely complex and constant slight resonance with the holy light radiating from the bishops.
This "Holy Resonance" was the source of the ubiquitous light in the entire Cathedral of Holy Light.
When the bishops finally finished their reports and the rumbling voices in the Great Bright Hall quieted down, Holy Light? Ivan III opened his eyes slightly and said in a hoarse and low voice, "Is it over?"
Veronica bent down beside the pope. "Yes, Your Holiness, the bishops have left."
"I just heard the voice of the Lord," Holy Light said. Ivan III said in a low voice, "What a great voice … The Lord must be pleased by our efforts."
"Yes, the Lord is happy with what we have done," Veronica said softly. "He wants this world to become His Kingdom on Earth. We must sweep away the heresy and evil in the world for the Lord."
"We must sweep away the heresy and evil in the world for the Lord." Ivan III muttered in a low voice and slowly fell into a deep sleep. He continued to embrace the indescribable whisper from the God of Holy Light in his dream.
Cecil's territory, in the buffer camp by the Whitewater River.
After receiving permission to settle down, a place to lie down and sleep, and a warm meal, the people from the Plains of the Holy Spirit, who had been in fear for dozens of days, finally felt a little relieved.
They thanked the lord for his kindness and lamented that Gwen was a hero. Cecil was indeed a hero who protected the people with a big heart, but more than that, they were thinking about their future survival.
They could not enter the city for the time being. Although they had seen the neat and bustling city, they had to live in the 'buffer camp' outside the city until they passed the final review. This was the source of their last trace of uneasiness.
No one knew what the review would be, how long the review process would last, and what the result would be if they did not pass the review. Although they understood the lord's caution in this regard, they could not rest easy as long as they were not cleared of the suspicion of being a 'heretic.'
These people, who had fled all the way from the Plains of the Holy Spirit, gathered in the large hut assigned to them, whispering about the future and the past. Then the door of the hut was suddenly pushed open.
They looked up nervously and saw an exceptionally tall figure standing at the door.
They thought that it was a strong warrior, but soon they saw that the man was wearing a priest's robe.
The robe was frayed and faded, but they could still see that it was a priest's robe.
Everyone was nervous and in a commotion.
"Don't be afraid." Wright opened his hands and walked slowly to those who were showing fear and vigilance. "I have no weapon, no malice, and am not here to interrogate heretics.
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