In the afternoon of the next day, Gwen gathered Heti, Kamel, and other senior members to officially announce the status of the Goddess of Magic in a closed-door meeting, as well as the various information obtained from Amoun the Giant Deer.
The double-layered crystal windows isolated the howling cold wind outside the house, leaving only the cold sunlight slanting into the room. In the small conference room with tight security, the atmosphere was more solemn than ever.
Gwen sat at the head of the long conference table, Heti sat on his right, and Amber, as always, melted into the air. On the left side of the conference table was a magic network terminal, and the figures of the two Archons, Victoria Werde and Bodwin Franklin, were floating above the crystal array.
"It seems that the Goddess of Magic is really not coming back … Although Mirmina is still around, in terms of clergy, the Goddess of Magic has' fallen, '" Victoria broke the silence. "After the fall of White Star, the world once again experienced the fall of a god."
"Unlike three thousand years ago, the faith of the Goddess of Magic does not have as much influence on society, and her 'departure' will not impact the existing mage system," Pitman said. "I have discussed with Her Highness Heti yesterday, and we should be able to get through this turmoil relatively easily."
"The premise is to act as soon as possible," Heti took over the topic and looked up at Gwen sitting next to her. "Ancestor, a few hours after the feedback of the Goddess of Magic disappeared, some mages noticed the abnormality and reported it to the local government office. Now, the reports from all over the country are increasing. They are still patiently waiting for a response from the capital, but the news will soon spread among the people. "
For a long time, mages had been the upper structure of human society, and their deep-rooted influence in society did not disappear with the drastic social changes in this country. If this group of people could not be stabilized, it would become a big problem.
For them, relying on the saturated entertainment media to occupy the public's attention and relying on part of the public's opinion to control the situation had limited effect, and it could even lead to the opposite effect. After all, the god they believed in was gone, and it was obviously not so appropriate to flood the world with movies to liven things up …
"First of all, let's announce the news of the fall of the Goddess of Magic according to the original plan. This matter can't be hidden, and the more it is hidden, the more backlash and chaos it will cause." Gwen nodded and said slowly, "The reason for the fall of a god does not need an official explanation, and it should not be explained clearly. After this, we will have a national, large-scale, and extremely solemn public event. "
In the conference room and on the communication line, the top officials of the empire did not react for a while. Bodwin Franklin, who was on the line, could not help but ask curiously, "Public event?"
"The whole country mourns the death of the Goddess of Magic, and I will personally write a letter to express my condolences as the ruler of the empire. Then, Victoria, you will take the lead and lead the most prestigious mages to summarize and remember the Goddess of Magic's dedicated life for the people. Finally, we will set up an ending for the ceremony. Get some sacred relics, symbolic relics, and the like, and burn them to ashes. After that, the imperial dragon cavalry will carry them into the air and sprinkle them on the rivers and lakes — may she rest in peace."
As Gwen's low and solemn voice trailed off, the people in the conference room looked at each other for a moment. Obviously, they had not yet caught up with Gwen's train of thought. Heti, in particular, had a look of disbelief on her face. She was often exposed to the disobedience plan and naturally knew that in the long run, all the gods were destined to turn from the protectors of civilization to the enemies of civilization. What her ancestors had always been doing was to confront those gods who were gradually falling into madness. Therefore, a large-scale "mourning" project seemed strange and illogical to her.
Through the line, Grand Duke Bodwin said with a hint of hesitation and thought, "Is it to give the mages of the country a vent and calm their emotions?"
"Not only that," Veronica, who was sitting opposite Gwen and holding a platinum scepter in her hand, suddenly spoke. She had a look of realization on her face. Apparently, she had vaguely understood Gwen's intention. "I understand what you mean, Your Majesty. You need to make a 'conclusion' about this matter."
"This is called 'closing the coffin,'" Gwen saw that almost everyone in the room had a thoughtful look after Veronica spoke. He could not help but smile. "The Goddess of Magic is' dead. 'No matter what the reason is, whether she is a god or something else, no matter what she has done and what she has affected, she is dead. This god no longer exists, the source of faith has disappeared, and we will mourn her deeply. The mages can grieve and remember her, but in any case, everyone will clearly know that there is no more Goddess of Magic in the world.
"This mourning must be as solemn as possible. It must be influential and large enough to form a consensus and a public opinion. Those who do not want to accept it will have to accept it, and those who have doubts will not be able to find the object and reason to question.
"Of course, Duke Bodwin is right. This is also an 'explanation' for the mages of the country and a chance for them to vent their emotions. We have to guide their emotions into the mourning so that they have no time to think about other things. "
As soon as Gawain's voice trailed off, everyone came to a sudden realization. After all, the idea itself wasn't too hard to imagine. Using a funeral to attract attention and determine the nature of the matter was a relatively common operation. The key was that the idea of a "funeral for a god" was so bizarre that no one had ever considered it in this direction.
After thinking for a while, Heti could not help but look up at Gwen with a strange expression. "Is it really okay to do this?"
"Believe me, there is no better way than this." Gwen smiled and nodded at the always worried 'Chief Butler Cecil'. "This will be the first funeral we will hold for a god. If it succeeds in my expected guidance, transition, and solidification, then this funeral will be a reference for the future."
A reference for the future … As soon as these words came out, the expressions of Heti and the others in the conference room suddenly became even stranger than before. However, as a group of people who had witnessed two divine disasters with Gwen and even seen the "false god's remains" with their own eyes, they knew that behind these words was probably an inevitable situation in the future.
As long as civilization was still moving forward, as long as the cruel rules of the world were still in operation, there would be other gods falling, and after each god fell, Gwen Cecil the Great would give them a grand funeral.
Even Amber, who was listening to the meeting in stealth mode, could not help but reveal herself. She looked at Gwen a few more times and sighed in her heart. Closing the coffin … what an apt phrase.
No wonder he was the one who had opened the coffin and risen.
Gawain waited for the people in the conference room to digest the previous topic. Heidi, who was at the side, had also finished recording the progress of the meeting. She then cleared her throat and said, "Next, we should discuss the problem with Typhon."
"There is still a god of war over there who may have gone mad," Veronica said indifferently. "In an academic sense, this is a valuable observation sample. We can intuitively understand the characteristics gradually revealed by the gods after they fall into madness and the subsequent series of effects on the world."
"But this is not just an academic problem," Gwen said. "We should write a letter to Rosetta Augustus. The 'abnormal changes' of Mirmina, the Goddess of Magic, may be a good topic to start the conversation …"
…
Mist shrouded the imperial capital of Typhon. The desert sun shone through the clouds and mist, creating a scene of dusk in the mist in the city below. In this season of autumn, the courtyard and the open-air cloister of Obsidian Palace began to blow with the increasingly cold wind. Only the royal garden protected by the greenhouse barrier was still green and warm.
Mathilda Augustus stepped into the royal garden in the atrium of Obsidian Palace. The warm air greeted her and quickly dispelled the cold air from outside. She followed the cobblestone path into the depths of the garden, and in the gloomy light of the approaching evening she saw her father, a man of great talent and vision, standing under an orchid pine, and seeming to be gazing at the flowerbed at his feet.
It was a flowerbed that did not grow well.
"Father." Mathilda stood a few meters behind Rosetta and lowered her head. "I'm back from the Cathedral."
Rosetta did not turn her head back. She merely hummed in acknowledgment and asked amiably, "Did Malcolm Dunnett receive you in the inner sanctum?"
"Yes." Mathilda nodded. "And still according to the protocol and procedures."
"At least everything looks normal on the surface, isn't it?" Rosetta nodded, his eyes still fixed on the nursery. "Tell me what you've seen. We urgently need to know the situation in the Cathedral."
"I directly asked the Pope about the recent rumors about the churches. Because these rumors have already spread, it would be abnormal if I didn't ask." Mathilda nodded and replied. "His Holiness Malcolm did not give a direct answer or explanation. He only said that someone is maliciously attacking the Church of the God of War, and that the Cathedral has already launched an investigation into the diocese where the rumors have appeared. This is a response that is in line with his identity and the situation at that time.
"The Pope himself didn't seem to be acting strangely, and our conversation was normal, but I clearly felt a strange … atmosphere in the Great Cathedral.
"There was a tense and oppressive atmosphere that shrouded the entire Cathedral. Although every priest I saw looked normal, the atmosphere was indeed there, and it was the same in an empty place. It felt like … the tense and oppressive atmosphere was emitted by the Cathedral itself.
"I talked to some priests in an inconspicuous manner. The ordinary priests in the Cathedral obviously knew about the rumors, and their answers were no different from His Holiness Malcolm's. But there was one thing that I found strange … some of the priests were a little emotional when they answered me, as if they had been offended. But I am sure that there was nothing wrong with my words and actions. The questions I asked about the rumors were very peaceful and even biased towards the Church of the God of War. "
The latter abnormality mentioned by Mathilda sounded like an unimportant detail, but Rosetta turned around with a serious expression. "Do you think there is … something else in the 'emotional' of those priests?"
"It's just a vague feeling," Mathilda said. "Their emotions came out of nowhere, and after that, they apologized nervously and blankly. When I talked to them, I could always feel a faint gaze moving around, and sometimes those priests' voices would suddenly become hoarse … I feel that their emotions were affected by some external factor, and that factor made me very uncomfortable."
"What else did you see?" Rosetta frowned. "Did you find anything about the Cathedral itself?"
"… Some of the corridors in the Cathedral are a little dark," Mathilda thought carefully and said in an uncertain tone. "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but there are countless candles in the Cathedral, and there are new magic crystal lamps, but I always feel that it's very dark. It's a kind of 'darkness' that doesn't affect one's vision, as if it's on a psychological level. I confirmed it with the attendants, and it seems that I'm the only one who has this feeling. No one else has noticed anything unusual. "
Rosetta's brows furrowed little by little. He stared at his daughter and did not say a word for a long time.
Due to the influence of the curse that originated from two centuries ago, the members of the Augustus Family … were somewhat different from ordinary people in terms of "perception", especially in areas that involved the gods. They could often see and hear things that ordinary people could not detect. It was precisely because of this that he had asked Mathilda to check out the situation in the Cathedral.
Mathilda was clearly aware of this point.
However, this young pearl of the Empire was not as "experienced" as her father. She only observed those details, and did not dare to make a terrible conclusion like Rosetta Augustus.
"Father," Mathilda could not help but speak. "Do you think …"
"The influence of the Church of the God of War in Typhon … is deeply rooted," Rosetta suddenly broke the silence and said something that seemed inexplicable to Mathilda. "It's like an ancient tree that has been rooted for thousands of years. Its roots have become part of the entire land. Everything that grows on this land is more or less affected by it."
Mathilda opened her mouth and wanted to ask something, but suddenly she heard undisguised footsteps from the side. The black-haired head maid had stepped into the garden at some point. When the footsteps sounded, she was already ten meters away.
"Diana," Rosetta looked at her. "What did the Rogues find out?"
"The priests who died may have died in a very blasphemous and twisted manner, so the bodies were secretly and quickly disposed of. Many witnesses have been controlled by the local church. The Rogues tried to confirm the status of those witnesses and have confirmed that at least four priests have gone crazy due to mental pollution," Diana reported in a calm and flat tone. "In addition, it has been confirmed that some local churches have reduced the size of the weekly prayer meetings and closed some of the church facilities in the name of church renovation. The relevant orders came from the Cathedral, and it was personally authorized by Malcolm Dunnett and not through the College of Cardinals. It's an anomaly that the Pope personally authorized this kind of thing. "
Mathilda listened to Diana's report and suddenly could not help but widen her eyes.
The Church of the God of War had always been independent and closed off from the rest of the world. The imperial power could not do anything to them, but when did the Rogues belonging to the imperial family investigate the secrets of the church to this extent?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
