It had not been a day or two since Amber was the shame of the elves, and Gwen had long gotten used to this guy's style of taking advantage of the situation. Furthermore, he knew that Amber often did this just to make the atmosphere more relaxed.
This half-elf did not like overly serious and oppressive atmospheres, and after his conversation with Veronica/Ophelia, he had indeed become too serious and oppressive.
The next day, the ancient city of Saint Sunil welcomed a new day in the bright sun.
The wounds left behind by the Behemoth in the war still needed time to heal, but everyone who survived would gradually regain hope as the city remained stable. The blockade on the plains had been closed, pushing the war away from the city. In the city, the two guardian dukes had already started to further restore the city's functions and began to gather nobles, scholars, and merchant representatives to prepare for the establishment of the empire.
After receiving a group of royal scholars, Gwen returned to the study in the Silver Castle.
After waiting for a while, steady and powerful footsteps came from the door, and the tall and strong Grand Patriarch Wright appeared at the door of the study. "Sir, you were looking for me?"
Although the plan to establish the Cecil Empire had been finalized, Gwen had yet to be publicly crowned. Therefore, except for a small number of people, most of the people who had followed him for a long time were still used to calling him by his original name.
Gwen glanced at Wright and Wright's substitute, Emily, who was coming out from behind Wright and politely greeted Amber and Gwen.
"Have a seat. Regarding the Church of Holy Light, I have some things to discuss with you." Gwen nodded to this substitute Grand Patriarch before turning to order Amber. "Tell the guards and attendants not to let anyone disturb the study from now on."
After Wright sat down on the high-back chair beside the desk, Gwen turned on the magic network terminal on the table. While waiting for the other side to respond, he casually said, "Now that we have entered Saint Sunil, the cathedral is essentially under our control. What do you think?"
"… Considering the actual situation, we can't destroy the North Church with violence, nor can we violently treat the believers of the old doctrine for the sake of preaching. However, the doctrines of the North Church and the North Church are destined to be opposed," Wright said in a deep voice. "If the conditions allow, we should think of a way to transform the North Church, starting from the interpretation of the classics and the bishop's authority to let the North Church accept the new doctrine and integrate with the South Church. If the conditions don't allow it … we may have to face the reality of the North Church being split between the north and south for a long time, and allocate a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain the balance and prevent the conflict."
Gwen sized up this powerful Grand Patriarch and said, "The way you think about problems now is more and more like a real religious leader."
Perhaps it was because he had a different perspective and way of thinking after becoming the Grand Patriarch, this low-level White Knight no longer only knew how to preach and pursue the Holy Light. Instead, he began to have some practical perspectives that looked at the big picture. In Gwen's view, this was a good thing.
Wright just smiled, his expression calm and simple. "It's just that after taking this position, I've seen more people. The Holy Light taught me to match power with responsibility, and also to match status with responsibility. Therefore, I have to think from the perspective of more people. To be honest, I'm still not good at dealing with these things … Should I thank Savin? Terry and the other priests for help? "
"Savin … That's a few progressive priests from Louen, right?" Gwen thought for a moment and recalled this name. "How are they doing in the South Church? Have they adapted to the new doctrine? "
"They've adapted very well. At first, they could only carry weights for three kilometers. Now, Savin can already kill a bear with one punch after carrying weights for five kilometers."
Gwen: "?"
Wright suddenly laughed. "They're clerks and don't need to adapt to the training of warriors. They've adapted to the new doctrine and are trying to find their own path of the Holy Light. After accepting the new doctrine, the progressive priests and priests of Louen have different degrees of Holy Light decline. But the existence of the White Knight itself has encouraged these people's faith. They haven't lost all their Holy Light like I did. I believe that the decline of these brothers and sisters is only temporary. One day, they will find their way again. "
Gwen's expression returned to normal. He was surprised that Wright could make such a joke. Because of Wright's rough style and the peculiar selection criteria of the White Knight, even people in the Cecil Legion often joked that the selection criteria for priests in the South was whether they could kill a bear or not. This joke had obviously reached the ears of the Grand Patriarch, but the Grand Patriarch seemed to enjoy it.
In addition to being surprised, Gwen also confirmed another thing: the power of the clergy in the South had indeed declined due to the wavering of their faith and their betrayal of the God of Holy Light. But because of the existence of the White Knight, their decline did not hit the bottom directly like Wright's.
This may have indirectly shown some of the characteristics of the "Spirit Stamp".
It indeed originated from the human heart and acted on the human heart, but it could also be affected by the surrounding environment and groups.
Of course, it was also possible that the clergy in the South did not completely despair of the God of Holy Light like Wright did. Perhaps there was still a trace of reverence for the God of Holy Light in their hearts, which caused their power of Holy Light to not completely decline.
In short, regardless of the reason, when it came to the problem of the Spirit Stamp, it would take a long time to observe and test it. Gwen was not in a hurry.
As he spoke, the magic network terminal on the desk suddenly buzzed, and then an illusory projection condensed above the projection crystal.
Kamel's figure appeared in front of Gwen and Wright.
The ancient magus bowed slightly to Gwen.
"Very good, now everyone is here." Gwen nodded and went straight to the point. "Today, I've gathered the two of you because of a matter that involves the Church of Holy Light and the ancient Kingdom of Gondor."
"Involves the contemporary church and the ancient empire at the same time?" Kamel's voice did not hide his curiosity. "What happened?"
Gwen said faintly, "Ophelia? Norton. Do you know this name? "
Kamel was obviously stunned when he heard the name. He then said, "Yes, of course. Not only have I heard of her, but I've also seen her. Princess Ophelia was a member of the ancient Gondor royal family. She was also a gifted magus. She was personally responsible for a part of the Disobedience Plan. Why did you suddenly mention this name? As one of the executors of the Disobedience Plan, Princess Ophelia was not active in the political arena. There should not be many records of her in history. She lived in an era three hundred years after you, and a thousand years after the present era. "
Gwen's face was solemn, and his heart was in turmoil.
A member of the ancient Gondor royal family, one of the highest people in charge of the Disobedience Plan!
The Disobedience Plan was the most important secret plan of the Kingdom of Gondor in the Starfire Era. From the beginning, the plan was controlled by the Gondor royal family. Therefore, when Gwen heard Ophelia's name, he knew that she was a member of the royal family. After hearing Norton's surname, he had some guesses about her identity. But guesses were just guesses. Now that he had heard the exact information from a real ancient, he was still shocked!
"Her name now is Veronica Moen?" Moen, "he breathed a sigh of relief, and when he opened his mouth, he gave Carmel and Wright a fright." She's in the Cathedral of Holy Light, and she's going to announce the news of the martyrdom of the pope and the bishops in three hours. "
"The Holy Light …" Wright was stunned. The news was so shocking that he did not realize that the North Church had suffered a heavy blow, which was definitely good news for the South Church. Emily, who was floating behind him, even felt the surge of the Holy Light around Wright. The little girl immediately hid herself, and then poked half of her head out of the ripples formed by the Holy Light, and looked around carefully.
Kamel's whole body turned purplish red, which was a sign of extreme shock. "Is the news reliable? Where did you get the information? "
"She told me personally and accurately about your origin and the Disobedience Plan," said Gwen. He then briefly described his experience in the Cathedral of Holy Light last night, about the self-proclaimed 'Ophelia Norton', and the Norton rebellion. I think there's a bigger truth behind her, and the remnants of the Disobedience Plan may be more than we think. She used 'we' to refer to herself, perhaps it means the original Ophelia? Norton has been split into several souls by some ancient magic, and the so-called Veronica? Moen is just a temporary carrier for one of the split souls. "
"This conjecture is very likely …" Carmel muttered to himself. After a moment of consideration, he cautiously said, "I suggest you treat this traitor with caution. Even if her identity is real, you have to maintain enough vigilance and maintain enough distance. You must not trust her easily."
Gwen glanced at Kamel. "I thought you, as a rebel, would have more affection and trust for the 'princess'. After all, in a sense, she was your former boss."
"I do have some trust and affection for Her Highness Ophelia, who is also a Disobedient. But before that, I am first and foremost your advisor and scholar," Carmel said in a low voice. "I have to warn you of the potential risks, especially the risks that may be great."
"Tell me about your concerns."
"The Disobedience Plan is the most extreme and bold plan since the birth of mortals. The rebels are a group of extremists who try to steal, distort, and even control the power of the gods to ensure the continuation of human beings. Paranoia, extremes, and recklessness are the characteristics of the rebels. We do have a lofty goal and a firm mind, and the initial starting point is very good. But the long time and the inherent paranoia of human beings can easily distort these good factors, "Kamel expressed his concern." According to what you said, Ophelia Ophelia has lived for thousands of years. His Highness Norton has lived for a thousand years, and seven hundred of those years were after the Gondor Empire was destroyed. He must have spent his time as a host soul in a human kingdom. That long and alien life must have had a profound impact on him … "
Kamel paused and said in a serious tone, "I dare not imagine what a human being would become after a thousand years like this. She may be a saint who has transcended the mortal mind, but she is more likely to be a lunatic."
Gwen stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, "You have also lived for a thousand years, and under worse circumstances. You were locked in the fortress in the Realm of Shadows."
"Yes, then you must have not forgotten that I was also half-crazy," Kamel said. "And my body has been reshaped into a spiritual body, no longer affected by the various nerve signals and hormones of the fleshly body. In a sense, my mental state has been half-solidified, and the degree of toughness is beyond that of a fleshly body human. And Her Highness Ophelia … she has lived in different fleshly bodies. It is hard to say what kind of changes her mental state has undergone over the years."
"So, do you have a negative attitude toward Ophelia's request for cooperation?"
"… Not entirely," Kamel said. "Her cooperation is still of great value, not only because she now controls the cathedral in Saint Sunil, but also because she has knowledge that we do not understand. And it is necessary for us to understand the changes of the Church of Holy Light over the years through her and understand what she wants to do with the Church of Holy Light. I am just giving you a suggestion and listing all the risks for your reference. "
Gwen nodded slightly and looked at Wright on the other side.
"What do you think?"
Wright had been thinking for a while. Facing Gwen's question, he said in a deep voice, "… I think we can cooperate, my lord."
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