Sandora and I stayed at the edge of the Milky Way for almost a day. In addition to the delay on the Admiral of the Empire, we were basically 'missing' for the whole day. But since we had given Celine a heads-up before we set off, she didn't have any suspicions about our whereabouts. This was very rare, and it fully proved the trust that the combat nun had in me and Sandora. After all, it was a very special time. The heretics had caused the novice priests in town to be in a state of panic, and the entire town was almost forbidden from entering and exiting.
And when Sandora and I returned, we quickly received good news: the Pope's decree from the Holy Capital had been issued, and Celine had the opportunity to meet the Pope. And just as she had expected, Sandora and I had to go with her.
In fact, it didn't matter if we received the invitation or not. If worst comes to worst, Sandora and I could just descend to the Holy Capital to look for Celine. But that would definitely be a little chaotic and troublesome, so we waited until today. And it turned out that our wait was worth it: if we didn't wait patiently, we wouldn't have found out from the female leader of the Technological Revival Party that the Pope changed every hundred years, and that the real secret might be in the hands of the Cardinal Bishops. When the time came, we might have found the wrong person and wasted a lot of effort. Now, there was no need to think about anything else. The invitation to the Holy Capital was already in front of us. Shadora and I just had to wait patiently before heading out.
During dinner, Celine announced the news of the "Pope's summons." The biggest change in this single-mother-type combat nun compared to a few days ago was that she was more vigorous and decisive. Although her sleepy and tired expression still lingered on her face, her words and actions were really vigorous. I suspected that she must have been like this back when she was still an adventurer. Needless to say, the lifeless atmosphere she had when I saw her a few days ago was brought about by the hard life she had been living in all these years.
"We're leaving the day after tomorrow. We only have one day to prepare, so time is tight. But since you often travel, there shouldn't be any problems." At the dining table, Celine was cutting bread for little Ailou while nodding to me and Sandora. "Because the Pope has summoned us personally, we can ride the Church's Wind Eagle. This will save us time. Including the rest in between, we can reach the Holy Capital in two days. But I don't think you've ever ridden a beast like that before, have you? Even for adventurers, the opportunity to fly in the air is not so easy to come by. I will apply to prepare a Wind Eagle with a sealed pod for you. Miss Sandora looks … very light. You two won't be afraid when you are together. "
"Don't worry, we're not afraid of 'flying'." I waved my hand, thinking that the Wind Eagle should be a transportation tool that only the elites of this world could use. It seemed that after losing their advanced technology, the Church had no choice but to find some replacements from wild beasts. However, its popularity was definitely not that high. At the very least, official clergymen like Celine could only obtain a 'flying permit' under special circumstances. "Look at Sandora, she's always flying around. I also have a lot of flying experience."
At this moment, Sandora was lazily soaking in a huge pot of soup. She was using this to satisfy her hunger on a spiritual level, but no matter what, I still felt that she was like a big balloon floating on the vegetable soup. Of course, I couldn't say this out loud, otherwise she would jump angrily on the spot and splash the vegetable soup on everyone's face. Her Majesty the Queen hummed and swayed a few times. "That's right, flying is a very common thing. In fact, I can definitely fly faster than your Wind Eagle."
Celine looked at the strange life form of Ball Sandora, then looked at me, the mysterious' adventurer and scholar 'who married a ball as his wife. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she lowered her head to eat. It seemed that she had no intention of continuing to communicate with our abnormal duo.
"Mommy, can I go with you?" The little girl Aylu, who had been lowering her head for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask. She leaned on the table and looked at Celine, her big eyes full of expectation. "I want to see the Pope. People say that the Pope is eight feet tall and his waist circumference is also eight feet …"
"Don't talk nonsense. You must maintain your respect for the Pope." Celine immediately looked at her daughter sternly and then shook her head. "This isn't a trip to play. It's the same as before. Go find Aunt Isalie. I've already arranged for you to stay at Aunt Isalie's house for half a month. But I'll probably be back before that. I'm just going to report some things. The specific actions of the Church's upper echelons have nothing to do with me. "
It seemed that this wasn't the first time that Aylu was left at home. Celine probably had to go to the Archdiocese or the Holy Capital every once in a while to report. (No matter what, she was still the person in charge of a place. She usually didn't have much work, so she would have to go and collect her salary during the holidays.) But the little girl still tried her best to act as if the whole world owed her eight million dollars. "But the bread that Aunt Isalie makes can almost knock my teeth out."
Celine's expression stiffened. She then turned her face away and said in a less confident tone, "… You can't say that at Auntie's house. You've always been taken care of by her since you were young. But the bread she makes does have some problems … Why don't you change it at the last minute and go find your Uncle Ford? "
Aylu's face immediately turned green. "No, Uncle Ford tricked me into eating spicy vegetables. They're super spicy."
What a harmonious and friendly mother and daughter pair. By the way, Sandora, are you done soaking? Bubble my bread if you're done, can't you? Chewing bread will choke you to death, okay?
There's no need to elaborate on the next day's trip. In any case, Sandora and I didn't have much to prepare. We just carried a travel bag and pretended to have luggage. Anyway, I could take anything I needed from the travel bag. From the wilderness survival knife to the wilderness survival island, it wouldn't be a problem. Early in the morning on the third day, Celine sent Aylu to her friend's house. Then, she locked the inn's door and led us to the square in front of the church. Some giant "eagles" and a few black-robed monks were already waiting there.
Giant Wind Eagles … Actually, they weren't as impressive as I imagined. Although they were called "eagles", they actually looked more like strange-looking vultures. It was unknown if these giant birds were originally a creature of this planet or if they were a product of the ancient civilization (after all, their form didn't seem like the result of natural evolution). In short, they were the alternative means of transportation in this world after the loss of airplanes and airships. Furthermore, they seemed to be the fastest type of transportation. Every giant eagle had a seat fixed on its back. It was equipped with reliable straps and a primitive parachute (only the heavens knew how effective it was). These Giant Wind Eagles were transferred from the neighboring diocese. The black-robed men who came with them were the church's "Sky Knights". They served as escorts and guides for the journey. As expected, these Sky Knights were equipped with advanced weapons. The people of this world called them Holy Armors, but in fact, they were similar to particle rifles.
I imagined a group of medieval monks draped in divine robes riding on the back of a fantastical giant eagle, shouting the slogan of God while using particle rifles and small rockets to fight. This scene was really a little interesting!
It was obvious that such eye-catching things rarely appeared in this small town. A few Giant Wind Eagles attracted a lot of civilians and naughty children to come and watch. The little girl, Aylu, was chased away by her mother in advance. Otherwise, she would definitely be here to cause trouble. However, all the civilians stood far away from the Giant Wind Eagles. Even the naughty children consciously didn't come close. It seemed that the people were quite afraid of these fierce-looking creatures.
"It's been a long time since I rode this thing." Celine looked at the huge birds of prey in front of her. She couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic expression. "Ordinary adventurers don't have the opportunity to fly whenever they want. I only rode a giant eagle for a period of time when I was in the church because every clergy had to learn how to fly. However, the skills I learned at that time were only used in battle. If ordinary people simply wanted to ride it … it wouldn't be too difficult. They just have to overcome their fear, pay attention to keeping warm, make sure to tie the rope, close their eyes and wait for the destination. By the way, your giant eagle is the one next to us. Although Mr. Scholar said that you have experience flying, the giant eagles tamed by the church are much faster than the rented giant eagles that adventurers can come into contact with. Remember to check the rope carefully. "
"Oh, no problem." I came to the side of my own giant eagle. I couldn't help but point to a small round covered basket next to my seat and asked, "What is this used for? Why don't other people's giant eagles have it? "
"Err …" Celine's face was slightly awkward. "This is a 'seat' for Miss Sandora. The church colleagues discussed for an entire night and still couldn't figure out how to prepare a seat for a ball. Ordinary ropes don't seem to be very safe. If we let you carry her and fly, we'll be worried that an accident will happen or you'll be too tired. Then … Isn't that good?"
I thought for a moment and didn't dare to let go of Sandora (I'm afraid that Her Majesty the Queen would fly into a rage and smash someone's head). "Hehe, thank you for your kindness. But I think it's fine to just carry her. Furthermore, Sandora can fly by herself. Please believe that her flying skills aren't any worse than these birds."
Although I felt that there were too many points to complain about, these church personnel had good intentions. Asking them to research on how to prepare a seat for a ball was a little too much. Who knew how many aerial knights would claw their heads until they became bald last night when they were faced with such an outrageous request. So, I decided to just laugh it off. I believed that Sandora, the Queen of Balls, wouldn't mind such a small problem.
Celine had a strange expression on her face (In fact, she often had a strange expression when she saw the strange duo of me and Sandora). Then, she flipped herself onto the bird and waved her hand in a rather imposing manner. "Let's go!"
Just like that, we embarked on our journey to the legendary Holy Capital of the Lost Gods. Time flew like an arrow and the sun and moon flew like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye … Yep, two days had passed. Just like that, we arrived at our destination without any incident.
Speaking of which, I found it hard to believe that our journey had been so smooth! For the past few years, I had been a pitiful Epic-ranked individual who would always meet with some sort of trouble on our journey. Along the way, we didn't meet with any natural or man-made disasters, nor did we meet with any hijackings from heretics. Other than Sandora's ball falling from the sky a few times, nothing happened at all. (At the same time, Sandora also used her actions to prove that she flew really fast). Would you believe it?
You had to believe it even if you didn't want to. Anyway, we had arrived at our destination: a great mountain city, the Holy Capital of the Lost Gods.
This city was located in a cold land near the northern mountain ranges. A semi-circular mountain range separated the city from the ocean. Beyond the mountain range was the ocean. On the other side of the ocean was a chain of islands known as the Magic Pearl and the Mysterious Heritage. It was said that there were many magical artifacts from ancient times on the islands of various sizes. The base of the Lost Gods was located inland on the other side of the mountain range, surrounded by mountains. The warm monsoon winds from the ocean were blocked off by the mountain range. The Holy Capital happened to be located in the middle of the mountain range where the temperature was relatively low. Half of the year here was winter. However, we arrived at a good time. It was currently summer for the entire continent. The Holy Capital was also filled with the appearance of spring.
This city wasn't a single entity like I had imagined. Instead, it was divided into several districts scattered along the mountain range. It was as though a large mountain had been cut into sections and built into a city. The majestic buildings hidden in the mountains seemed less prosperous because they were scattered, but because they were in harmony with the mountains, they seemed more majestic. The Giant Wind Eagles that we were riding on landed steadily on a higher rocky platform in the Holy Capital. As we had changed carriages midway, this group of Giant Wind Eagles was no longer the same group that we had set out with.
"This is the Wind Summoner's Stone Platform. The Giant Wind Eagles of the Church are managed by the Magic Faction. That is why you will see many magical artifacts on the Wind Summoner's Stone Platform. Miss Sandora's' Egg Transformation Curse 'will definitely be resolved by the Cardinal Bishop of the Magic Faction." Two days of traveling didn't seem to have tired the seemingly weak Battle Nun Celine at all. The moment we landed, she excitedly introduced the situation here to us. Previously, because Sandora and I were afraid that we would make mistakes, she and I had confessed that we had never been to the Holy Capital. Therefore, she felt that as a member of the Church and the' introducer ', it was necessary for her to act as half a guide. "We will rest here for half a day before heading straight to the Cathedral in the city. Oh, you will be able to see the Cathedral from here. The largest black and white building is it. Isn't it amazing? "
Celine happily pointed to the bottom of the stone platform. Following the direction of her finger, I saw a large group of magnificent buildings hidden in the mountains. Among them, the most conspicuous one was indeed the highest temple of the Church known as the 'Crown of Knowledge'. It was a huge building with a circle of spires surrounding it. The style was a bit similar to that of a Baroque church. The most eye-catching thing was its color scheme. It was half black and half white, clearly divided into two halves from the middle. It was as if two churches were put together!
"White represents technology, black represents mystery. The Pope of Science and Technology and the Pope of Magic jointly exercise the power bestowed by God in the 'Crown of Knowledge'. They supervise the direction of knowledge in this world and guide the believers on how to cautiously approach the ancient wisdom." Celine drew a strange symbol on her chest with a happy look on her face. "When Aylu grows up, maybe I should bring her here to see the world. That girl always thinks about irrelevant things at home, she won't be able to stay in the countryside. Actually, I have a plan. When Aylu comes of age, I will bring her to settle down in the Holy Capital. Anyway, the ruins of the ancient tower have already been opened to the public. After a few years of excavation, it will become an abandoned land and my mission will be completed. After Lev leaves, there won't be much left in the town that is worth staying in. I might as well go back to the Holy Capital. This is where I grew up. "
After interacting with Celine for a few days, I found that Celine was actually a very easy person to talk to. She had a gentle personality and wasn't dull. Furthermore, it was easy for her to open up to people she trusted. She was an ordinary single mother. Her life was a little hard and there was still some sadness in her heart. However, she had a lovely child to support her. The burden of life may be heavy, but she was still able to support herself. She lived an ordinary life, worked an ordinary job, and took care of her child. She didn't know that she had inadvertently witnessed history. She didn't even know that she might become an important part of history. Speaking of which, the City of Shadows has expanded again. Perhaps when the time comes, she and Aylu can try to settle down in a more prosperous and magical place? At the very least, the strange ideas in Aylu's head would definitely not be seen as strange in the City of Shadows.
The Wind Summoner's Stone Platform was called the "Stone Platform". It was actually a very wide and irregular square. On one side of the square was an open space facing the sky. It was where the giant eagles and other flying camel beasts landed. There was even an observation deck built at the edge of the square. On the other side of the square, there were basically residences and shops. Most of the people living in this city were members of the Church. However, due to the strange rules of the Church of Lost Gods, even the members of the Church had to live like ordinary people to earn a living. Therefore, they still had to work and do business in their own city. The most common conversation that could be heard on the streets was like this: "O God of Science and Technology, Cardinal Joseph is in good health. How much are you selling your carrots?" "O God of Magic, Cardinal Roland seems to be in good health. Five copper coins per kilogram." "Why is it more expensive than yesterday?" "Oh, Cardinal Wilson, who delivers vegetables to the market, is kneeling on the washboard at home. I hired a cart to transport these vegetables up from the foot of the mountain. You have to at least let me earn a copper coin for my hard work …" "Tsk, you old miser. In the name of the God of Science and Technology, spare me two coriander and I will go home to cook noodles." "O God of Magic! Is that two coriander?! "
Basically, this was the rhythm of the streets and alleys.
The Pope received visitors at night, so the Church had already arranged a place for us to rest. After all, it was quite tiring for ordinary people to be exposed to the natural wind at high altitudes for two days (combat monks and combat nuns, to put it bluntly, weren't superhumans). Under the guidance of a few monks, we arrived at a hostel in the inner area of the Wind Summoner's Stone Platform. This place seemed to be specially prepared for pilgrims who came to the Holy Capital for sightseeing. However, it wasn't a festival right now, so there weren't many tourists here. Naturally, the area around the hostel was very deserted.
But it seemed that there was some activity in the Holy City?
Because the Wind Summoner's Stone Platform was very high, we could easily see the scene in the city below. I noticed that there were many monks in black or red robes hurrying along the wide roads that were cut or piled up along the mountain. Clergy would only dress up like this when they were carrying out tasks or going out as representatives of the God. Normally, they would wear casual clothes (just like Celine when I first met her). So, these monks who were hurrying along the mountain roads were obviously summoned for something.
They were all gathering in one direction: the cathedral in the center of the Holy City.
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