Restart the laboratory in the Fortress of Disobedience.
To be honest, this idea was beyond Gwen's expectation. He looked at Kamel in surprise. "I remember … we have emptied several laboratories in the Fortress of Disobedience."
"We have taken away the samples and most of the movable equipment, but I mean the laboratories themselves," Kamel explained. "The Fortress of Disobedience has a divine protection and warning system that is integrated with the building. This system cannot be dismantled, and it is still working. This system uses the mysterious' foreign technology 'and can effectively resist the power of the gods. When we cut up the body of Amoun the Giant Deer, the system has proved its effect. We can experiment inside the defense system. "
"Will this system interfere with the judgment mechanism of the 'divine punishment' and cause the final experiment result to be inaccurate?" Gwen asked. "If it blocks the perception of the God of Holy Light, then even if we safely activate the runes of holy light in the Fortress of Disobedience, it does not mean that the process is safe in the real world."
A strange voice came from Kamel's body. "You don't have to worry about this. The defense system does not block. It only has the function of protection."
Gwen pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. "You are an expert in this field. I agree with your plan. But there is one last hidden danger. The Fortress of Disobedience is located in the Realm of Shadows, which is a world that we can't travel to at will. At present, only the thousand-year-old Gondor magic gate can open the passage to the Realm of Shadows, and we have not figured out how the gate suddenly reopened. So, once the connection between the two worlds weakens during the experiment and the magic gate collapses, the experimenters in the Realm of Shadows will be trapped in there forever. "
This was undoubtedly a huge hidden danger with terrible consequences. Explorers who were good at taking risks and seeking death might have been used to encountering 'accidents' such as the collapse of magic gates, space-time turbulence, and ancient seals when exploring magic relics. They might even regard such accidents as a kind of 'exciting romance'. But for Gwen, anything that could not be explained by technical means, unknown and uncontrollable must be avoided.
Kamel had obviously thought about this problem in advance. He answered quickly. "We have not completely figured out the connection between the Realm of Shadows and the present world, but after more than a year of hard work, I have repaired the monitoring system of the Shadow Portal and added an early warning mechanism. By monitoring the fluctuation of the Realm of Shadows, we can predict the collapse of the Shadow Portal at least an hour in advance. One hour is enough for us to evacuate."
As a senior technician who had survived the ancient Gondor era, Kamel had a different feeling for the Fortress of Disobedience compared to others. He also knew the value of the technology in the fortress. He had been trying to find a way to dig out the precious technological heritage of the severely damaged fortress. The study of the Shadow Portal at the bottom of the fortress was one of his projects.
Unfortunately, there were not enough high-end talents in the territory. There were very few people who could work with Kamel on the project of the Fortress of Disobedience.
Hearing Kamel's answer, Gwen sighed softly. "In that case, let's do it. We need to figure out the secret of the divine spell."
…
In Saint Sunil City, in the Church of Holy Light, the old pope was listening to the latest news delivered by the bishops.
"… The flames of war have spread to the Holy Spirit Plains. The army of the East may break through the defense line of the royal army before the harvest festival and advance to the Jumu Road area. Affected by the war, a large number of displaced refugees are wandering on the plains … Our contact with the Eastern Church has become more and more difficult.
"The situation in the central, western, and northern parts of the Holy Spirit Plains is better. More and more frightened people and small nobles are going to the church to seek comfort …
"The activities of the cultists have not decreased, especially in the eastern part of the plains. The End of All Things appears frequently, and with the pressure of the injuries and injuries caused by the war, the local nobles welcome our team of priests …"
"This war is regrettable." The voice of Pope Ivan the Third echoed in the Great Bright Hall. The old pope sank deep into his chair, holy light shining on his compassionate face. "Internal strife, power struggle, profit struggle, but innocent people are involved in the flames of blood … The outbreak of this war proves one thing: without the guidance of God, people will eventually be trapped by ignorance."
After coming to a conclusion, the old pope raised his head and looked at a tall bishop below. "Bishop Maygor, is the operation to eradicate the heretics in the central region going well?"
"The faith of the central diocese is getting purer by the day. We have defeated the counterattacks organized by the heretic churches several times." The bishop called Maygor bowed his head and said respectfully, "Most of them have fled to the east, and the rest have fled to the mountains in the west or to the south."
"Very well, continue with your work," the pope nodded slightly. His slightly cloudy eyes swept across the entire Great Bright Hall. "… We must guide the people to the right path. This war has already given us a warning. Ideological differences have caused people to fall into a vortex of power and profit. If there was a unified belief, the situation may not have deteriorated so much. The church of the heretics can't do this, so we have to do it. "
Veronica Moen, who was standing next to the pope, turned her eyes slightly and glanced at the old pope.
"Our influence in the Eastern Region is very small," the old pope continued. "Although we have used it for hundreds of years, the Loren family still refuses to let the church go too far into the Eastern Region. Especially after the outbreak of the war, the situation in the eastern diocese is deteriorating rapidly … According to the latest intelligence, Edmund Moen's attitude toward the church is even worse than that of the Lorens. He has begun to publicly expel the church's priests."
Veronica lowered her head slightly. "I express my regret for Edmund's actions."
"This is not your responsibility. The prince has been blinded by greed. I'm afraid he has lost the most basic judgment." The old pope shook his head and continued. "Given the current situation, I think it is time to withdraw the bishops of the eastern diocese."
As the pope's voice fell, there was a slight commotion in the Great Bright Hall.
The cardinals looked at each other and then began to discuss in low voices. It was obvious that the pope's decision was beyond their expectations. The holy light that lingered around the cardinals also shook with the commotion. It mixed and intertwined with the "cloud of holy light" that was rippling on the roof of the Great Bright Hall, producing a series of buzzing sounds.
Veronica raised her head and looked at the tangled and turbulent scene of the holy light. Then she heard the old pope next to her cough softly.
The commotion of the Holy Light quickly calmed down and regained its unity. The discussion of the bishops ended, and a bishop stepped forward as if he was a representative. "Your Holiness, after withdrawing the bishops of the Eastern Region... what other arrangements do you have?"
"This war … is bringing pain to the innocent." The pope lowered his eyelids. The holy light that lingered around him rose and merged with the sea of holy light clouds on the roof of the Great Bright Hall. This made every word of his seemed to contain endless power. "Only a unified faith can eliminate these blind and ignorant differences. For this reason, we need to use more direct means to fight heresy … The Sacred Army will join this war."
The bishops were in a commotion again, but this time, their discussion was shorter because they had already expected such a development when they heard that the pope was withdrawing the eastern bishops.
A bishop with white hair and beard stood up. "Your Holiness, will we support the royal army?"
"The rebels of the Eastern Region have expelled our priests and are already enemies of the Holy Light," the old Pope said in a low and dignified voice. "For the sake of the Lord's cause, we must end our neutrality and join the camp of the royal army."
The Great Bright Hall was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
Since the founding of Ansu, religious neutrality had been one of the basic rules of the country's operation.
The king was the king, the pope was the pope. The royal family had no right to direct the operations of the Holy See, and the church could not affect the royal family's rule. This was the promise made by the leaders of the pioneers and the church after the end of the exploration.
However, this rule was about to be broken. The Church of Holy Light, which had the strongest military strength among all the churches, would participate in the civil war of the kingdom. The participation of the Sacred Army meant that the Holy See was no longer a completely neutral organization that did not involve the royal family's power.
After this, no matter the final result of the war, the church's position and influence in Ansu would be completely changed.
If it were before the civil war, the royal family of Ansu would never allow all this, even if the Sacred Army joined the war in the name of "supporting the royal family," because it meant that the church was reaching out to where it should not be. But now, the royal army was showing signs of defeat under the heavy pressure of the eastern rebels, and the recent news from the south made the royal family even more uneasy. The two regents in the White Silver Castle and the nominal successor of the country had no choice.
Veronica stood quietly beside Saint Ivan III. Her expression did not change at all. The bishops could not tell from the expression of the "Saintess Princess" her attitude towards this matter, nor could they guess whether the royal family was behind this matter, but they could at least confirm one thing:
The royal family did not oppose all this.
"Your Holiness, you are far-sighted," the tall Bishop Medor said loudly. "For the cause of the Lord, it is time for the Sacred Army to preach with the sword."
Another bishop was a little worried. "But in this way, our priests and believers in the eastern diocese who did not have time to evacuate in the time will be dealt with by the eastern rebels."
"While withdrawing the bishops, arrange for the evacuation of the ordinary priests and missionaries. Edmund Moen is hostile to the church, this is the best reason for us to withdraw the priests," the old pope said quietly. "As for the believers … the Lord will care for their souls."
…
The meeting in the Bright Hall was over.
The bishops left in order, and soon there was only the old Saint Ivan III and Veronica Moen, who stood quietly beside the pope's throne, left in the spacious hall.
After a short silence, the pope's old voice came into Veronica's ears. "Veronica, do you also think that the participation of the Sacred Army in the war is a challenge to the traditional order of Ansu?"
The Holy Princess was silent for two seconds, and then replied indifferently, "This matter is beneficial to both sides. The church will be able to develop further, and the royal army will have a chance to reverse the situation on the battlefield. The two Duke Regents will make the right judgment. And in my opinion … the times have changed, Your Holiness. In the face of the changes of the times, the traditional order is not uncompromising. "
"Yes, the times have changed. The new era has new threats … but the threats are not limited to one place." The pope sighed, and there was only emotion in his voice. "What's the situation in the south?"
"It's foggy."
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