Subconsciously, Fernando was about to open Storm Barrier to prevent other legends from prying, but Sardes hurried to say, "Use other spells. I can't project my projection into the barrier."
He did not dare to leave the Radiance Church openly and talk to the grand arcanists such as Fernando and Hathaway face to face. It would be a suicide mission. The saint cardinals were not as unpredictable and hard to kill as the legendary sorcerers.
Therefore, Fernando and Hathaway worked together to set up layers of spells to prevent spies from spying on them. The seemingly empty sky was actually filled with countless dangers.
After everything was done, Fernando finally looked at the human figure condensed in the air with his crimson eyes. "You want to cooperate with us? With the two of us, or with the Congress?"
When there was someone else who could speak for her, Hathaway was always silent. Alferris, on the other hand, had been blocked by Fernando from the very beginning. He could neither see the people in front of him nor hear the conversation between them.
It was not because Fernando did not trust it, but because it was too young and often revealed secrets subconsciously. Also, such blocking of senses was torture for other people but not for dragons. Alferris had already fallen asleep and floated in midair with Fernando's strength.
Sardes chuckled as warmly as when he was preaching. "The cooperation that I want cannot be supported by the two of you alone. The Congress of Magic is obviously stronger than the northern heretics in terms of both the leadership and the middle and bottom-level personnel. But why is it that we can only hide in Allyn, Renstadt, Cocus and other cities instead of controlling an enormous empire and the many kingdoms and duchies vassal to it together with the nobles like the northern heretics, without worrying about the internal influence of the Church and only having to pay attention to the defense lines and fortresses? It's a disgrace to the reputation of the second most powerful force in all dimensions. "
Fernando restrained his aura and said in a loud voice, "Because we developed from weak to strong, unlike the North Church, who had part of the strength to resist the South Church from the beginning and had the full support of the northern nobles."
"The Church has set up one large and four small transmission circles and legendary divine barriers in Renstadt, Cocus and other cities, ensuring that once we try to uproot the Church's spies on this side of the Storm Strait, they will be able to come in time and turn the local war into a full-scale war. In that case, both sides will have to consider the losses carefully in advance. However, I believe that with the development of the Congress, the situation will be very different in ten years."
"Ten years? Are you talking about the legendary advancement brought by 'new alchemy'?" Sardes asked unhurriedly.
Hathaway interjected, "Yes, ten years is enough to slightly improve the system and correct the mistakes."
"By then, Hathaway will certainly advance into the peak of legendary. Raventi, Morris, Donald, Prado, and the other archmages who have been in the ninth circle for a long time will certainly advance into legendary too." Fernando said resolutely and decisively. He was very ostentatious, giving people the feeling that he was bragging to boost their confidence.
However, he was more confident than he appeared. He did not show it on his face because he wanted to mislead Sardes. Whatever Sardes' purpose was, giving him false intelligence might have amazing effects in the future. For the big shots of their level, a conversation was also a confrontation.
Sardes smiled. "Lucien is truly a genius. The Congress of Magic in ten years is already enough to make the Church decide whether to lose more than half of the Grand Cardinals or evacuate the few countries on the other side of the Storm Strait. His Holiness estimated that it would take at least sixty years, so he was not in a hurry."
Although God's Arrival was terrifying, it could only be used once. Even if it could kill Douglas, how could it kill Brook and Hathaway?
By then, as long as the two top legendary grand arcanists stalled the pope, the other legendary sorcerers would definitely make the Grand Cardinals pay a heavy price. After all, the South Church was surrounded by enemies on all sides. It was impossible for them to mobilize all the legendary experts to attack the Congress of Magic, unless they could trade for the cooperation of the North Church and the Dark Congress through certain concessions and exchanges in terms of interests.
Of course, such a possibility was slim. The conflicts among the heretics were irreconcilable. Also, they would certainly not watch the Congress of Magic, the strongest Church, swallow it without suffering any losses. In that case, it would be their turn very soon.
"Ten years is not too far away. I wonder, what kind of cooperation do you want, Sardes?" Asked Fernando solemnly.
Just now, he was describing the possible growth of the Congress based on Hathaway's theory, but in fact, with the new alchemy, the mass-energy formula, and the reverse cracking of the magic models of 'atomic fission' and 'atomic fusion', he was confident that he could reach the peak of legendary in one to two years even though he couldn't completely grasp them due to the lack of knowledge. It was the same for Hathaway.
If neutrons were discovered in advance, the possible advancement of archmages such as Raventi and Donald would be advanced too. It would be a great mistake to measure the changes of the Congress of Magic in ten years.
Sardes said calmly, "I can make ten years advance to one year. In one year, you will be able to control the Kingdom of Holm, the Kingdom of Brianne, the North Coastal Corridor and other areas on the opposite side of the Storm Strait like the North Church did with the Schachran Empire. The frequency of sorcerers being assassinated will be greatly reduced, too. "
"It will take more than a year for His Holiness to resume the use of God's Arrival, unless he exhausts himself without caring about his life. Therefore, one year is a very good time. By then, I'll close the transmission magic circles in Renstadt, and you won't need to worry about the timely rescue of the Grand Cardinals. It will take at least half an hour to jump from the Holy City of Lance. I believe that you are strong enough to control the Kingdom of Holm and other places during that time and push the frontline to the Storm Strait."
A storm seemed to be flashing in Fernando's red eyes, indicating that he was not calm. Hathaway, on the other hand, was still indifferent, but her focused eyes indicated that she was paying attention to them.
For the Congress of Magic, in order to control the opposite side of the Storm Strait, they had to remove the nail that was the Radiance Church. The biggest problem to remove the nail was the massive transmission magic circles inside the divine power circle. Because of the uniqueness of the divine power circle itself, it was not affected by the external space anchors and could not be blocked in advance. However, Sardes said that he would close the lifeline of the Holm parish!
"What do you want from it? What about the Grand Cardinals of the other four parishes and the legendary Knight of other countries? "Fernando tried to control his irritation.
Sardes chuckled, "You should've made some progress in dissecting the false gods. The Church has also investigated Lucien's involvement in the Ell Church. I believe that you must've received his report. You know very well what I want, don't you? I want to split the Church like the pontiff of the North Church and establish a new Church with my own ideology, closer to the great Lord. "
"The opposite side of the Storm Strait is a good choice. I will reform the Church's program and return the right of interpretation of the Cannon to the believers. It will become the Saint Truth for the nobles and for every believer, and it will be completely integrated with them. In such a way, the Church under my control will be essentially the same as the nobles. It will be the target that you can rely on and unite with, just like the North Church does with the nobles within it."
"For the legendary Knight and the nobles, it will be an acceptable balance. Until the South Church is completely destroyed, you cannot abandon them, and you must respect them."
"What I'm doing right now is to change the religious beliefs of the clerics and plant my followers through the radicals in the parish of Holm, while intensifying the relationship between the nobles and the Church, making them hesitate one year later. Then, when a new balance is possible, the liberal nobles will abandon the Church without any hesitation and join me, and the conservative nobles, under the pressure of the changing situation, will make the same choice after weighing the pros and cons."
"I'm confident that I can attract one of the Grand Cardinals of the other four parishes. With the secrets that I acquired in the World of Souls, I'm confident that I can attract one or two more in a year. The rest of them shouldn't be difficult for you to expel or eliminate. As long as the time is right, the legendary Knight will recognize the situation. Also, I've already attracted 'Heart of Time'. You've been operating on this side of the Storm Strait for such a long time. It's impossible that you haven't attracted any legendary Knight. "
Sardes confessed that he had acquired something in the World of Souls. After all, the Congress of Magic must've guessed something.
Fernando did not reply, implying that his guess was correct. Some legendary knights in a few countries had been roped in by the Congress in secret, but before the situation changed, it was impossible for them to betray the Church. They might even follow the Church and attack the Congress.
"In such a case, the authority of the theocracy will be greatly reduced. Even if you can attract three Grand Cardinals, there will still be a huge gap between you and the nobles. You will be suppressed by them. Are you not worried?" Fernando asked solemnly.
Sardes shook his head. "What I want is faith, truth, and to be closer to the Lord. Everything else is illusory. If you are willing to cooperate, you must emphasize that when you swear to the Origin of the World, and I will make a promise to close the transmission magic circles with the heart of faith."
"This is a very important matter. We cannot promise you immediately. We have to gather the members of the Highest Council for discussion." Fernando replied solemnly.
Sardes chuckled. "That's only natural."
The moment he said that, the air figure that he condensed disappeared.
Hathaway stared at the place for a while and asked in a low voice, "Do you believe what he said?"
"It doesn't sound suspicious, and it's an opportunity that is worth grasping. However, we have to be prepared in case he has other plans." Fernando looked at the Radiance Church in the city with his hands behind his back.
… …
Inside the secret chamber, after hearing David's words, James kicked him until he passed out. Then, he turned around and said to Lucien, "Lucien, you will verify his confession with magic later. I'll ask the neutral nobles and the Church's nobles to verify it too. Rest assured. His punishment will not be reduced. Hanging is his only ending. We're doing this to get stronger and truer evidence. We will not compromise until the enemy pays the price, but we cannot blindly expand the range of attack either. "
"Alright, I'll verify it in a moment. 'Cursed Angel' Grunwell, on the other hand, must be given to me. I'm still short of the materials of a level-nine gold Knight. Chances are that I can figure out a way to stabilize bloodline inheritance and trigger it in the future. Right, you can take away part of Grunwell's tissues and valid proof of identity, or the conservatives will 'deny' it. "Lucien looked at Grunwell who was like a statue casually.
Duke James couldn't help but look at Grunwell too. Being treated as an experiment subject by a sorcerer was much crueler and more dreadful than direct death. However, his interest was attracted by something else in Lucien's words. "Stabilize bloodline inheritance and trigger it? Has the Congress made a breakthrough in that regard? "
"Not yet, but I believe that there will be in the future." Lucien bragged on purpose to give hope to the nobles. As for how long it would be in the future, he did not say.
James' eyes glittering, he said, "Lucien, you are a genius in arcana studies. I hope that you can solve the conundrum someday. Alright, this room has been 'dirty' by Grunwell. Residual toxins and curses are everywhere. We are not scared of them, but Her Majesty and the rest of them will be affected and their recovery will be delayed. I'll suppress the 'Helpless Kiss' of Russell and Camille and ask them to rest and recover in other rooms. Such a mixture of toxins and curses will probably fade away soon."
"You help Her Majesty to the guest room. After I 'clean up' the scene, I'll inform 'Heart of Time' to come and protect her."
Lucien noticed that James' attitude towards him was better than before. He was not worried about the relationship between them even though Natasha risked her life to protect him earlier. He even gave Lucien and Natasha a chance to talk in private after the life-and-death crisis. Was it because of the night watchers' assassination?
He was about to reply when Lucien's face slightly twitched. He received his teacher's secret message and understood the whole story. So, he was completely relieved. With a weird look on his face, he nodded at Duke James and walked to Natasha.
"You haven't condensed your willpower yet? I'll help you suppress the 'Helpless Kiss' with magic. "Lucien held Natasha's shoulder concernedly.
Natasha nodded. "Alright. Help me to the guest room first. After my willpower is condensed, guide me to use the Health Belt."
Lucien exerted his strength and supported her away from the wall that she was leaning against. But when he saw that her legs were shaking, he suddenly thought of something.
Sensing Lucien's pause, Natasha looked at him in confusion. But the moment she turned around, a hand appeared on her knee, and she was immediately lifted up. She waved her arms subconsciously, trying to grab something, but because her hands were too weak, she could only hold Lucien's shoulder in the end.
Calming herself down, Natasha looked at the sky and saw Lucien's smiling face. It was not until then that she realized that she had been picked up by him!
For as long as she could remember, even when Lucien carried her on his back to escape, she had never been carried by a man in such a way. She was so embarrassed that her bloodstained face blushed suspiciously.
Lucien was in a good mood after "princess carrying" the queen. That was a normal posture!
Natasha's face was slightly red. Even though it was full of blood, she was still indescribably beautiful. Seeing her in such a state, and thinking of the goddess of war who stood in front of him just now, Lucien was so excited that he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her cheek softly.
Feeling the warmth on her face, Natasha secretly put on a warm smile. Then, holding back all her embarrassment, she said in a low voice, "I'm going to hug you like this if there's a chance in the future!"
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