by Zhuang Bifan
"President Felic, I'm Jyker from the Darkness Shrine, and I'm here to visit you on the order of the High Priest Sendros. I'd like to invite you…" Upon sight of Lin Li, Jyker immediately stood up and eagerly expressed his purpose of visit. However, when he was halfway through his explanation, he saw the Archbishop Martin, and immediately tensed up.
Jyker still had no idea of the real relationship between the Darkness Shrine and the Brilliance Shrine. He only knew that the two parties would definitely get into a fight whenever they met. However, Jyker could tell from the emblem on Martin's robe that he was an archbishop. One was a priest, while the other was an archbishop. There was a huge difference in identity, status, and strength.
In the institutional hierarchy of the Brilliance Shrine, Pope Rosario was at the top, and below him were four archbishops, including Englos and Martin. The Judge of Heresy and the Holy Paladins were the two most powerful forces that answered solely to Pope Rosario. They were not inferior to the archbishops in terms of status, and below them were cardinals responsible for the churches. They were just like governors of provinces.
Under the cardinals were the bishops, who were in charge of all churches and presided over all the affairs of the church. The bishops usually had a certain number of priests and pastors under them. The priests were preaching the doctrine and taking in new believers, while the pastors were often responsible for the treatment of the believers or guarding the church.
Chapter 761 - The Holy Kingdom
Of course, there would be chapels in some smaller places like towns and villages, which were generally managed by priests.
Generally speaking, as long as one performed his job well, he'd be promoted accordingly. However, in the Brilliance Shrine, it was impossible for an individual to be incompetent. No matter how well a priest did, he'd never be promoted beyond the level of a bishop if his abilities could not reach the mark. In fact, he might forever remain a priest in a chapel.
This might seem unreasonable, but it was rather fair in the Brilliance Shrine because the way that the religious professions enhanced their strength was different from others before reaching the Legendary-level. There was no need for them to meditate and acc.u.mulate mana or train their body to a certain level. They simply had to believe in their faith firmly, and their power would increase steadily.
Hence, in the Brilliance Shrine, strength and status were considerably related more often than not. Pope Rosario was a powerhouse of a Sanctuary-realm, and that was a fact that everyone in Anril knew about. No one dared to question the faith of the Pope. The four archbishops were all around level-23 and level-24, and were near the Sanctuary-realm.
The Court of Heresy and the Holy Paladins were the strongest forces under Pope Rosario. Among them, there were also a few Legendary powerhouses. The strength of the Judge of Heresy and the Holy Paladins was not weaker than the four archbishops'. A cardinal was also in charge of the great parish, and if he weren't of a certain level, he wouldn't be able to convince the people to acknowledge him. Even the bishops of the cathedrals in each city had to have at least level-15 strength in order to exhibit the greatness and sacredness of the Holy Light to the believers.
Jyker was just an ordinary priest of the Darkness Shrine, and if he were in the Brilliance Shrine, he would be considered to be on the level of a bishop. In terms of strength, he had also just reached level-16, and he seemed to be extremely far away from the Legendary-level. Hence, he couldn't be compared to Archbishop Martin at all.
Seeing that the person who came from the Darkness Shrine was not Sendros, Archbishop lost interest, and instead bade goodbye to Lin Li and asked another mage to take him around the Tower of Dusk.
After Archbishop Martin left, Lin Li motioned for Jyker to take a seat. He then asked, "Why did Master Sendros send you?"
Jyker's face eased up a little, and he finally remembered that he hadn't finished speaking just now. Hence, he frantically and apologetically said, "President Felic, the High Priest can't make it here, because he's tied up with something, so he has sent me to invite you back with me to the Darkness Shrine as soon as possible. However, he didn't mention any reason, and he simply told me that it's something very important."
"Something very important?" Lin Li could not help but secretly contemplate. Although he didn't have much contact with Sendros, the latter had indeed helped him a lot. The design sketch of the Black Front Fortress was given to him by Sendros, who also gave him the precious Heart of the Fallen, which allowed his Humerus Wyrm to obtain sentience. Hence, he couldn't turn down Sendros, especially since it was something important.
However, the messenger Jyker did not mention explicitly how important the matter was; hence, there was no way for Lin Li to deduce it. If he were to go to the Darkness Shrine, it would take him just three to five days, or 10 in total. He was confident of rushing to the Brilliance Shrine in time to give Rosario the antidote. However, if it were like exploring the Sky Castle and Osric's mausoleum, it would take him about two to six months, which was too long for Rosario. If Rosario were to suffer another relapse, even a deity wouldn't be able to save him.
After weighing the pros and cons again and again, Lin Li decided to go to the Brilliance Shrine first. After all, he still had a rough idea of how long it would take him. As for the Darkness Shrine, Sendros didn't tell him in detail what the important thing was, nor did he mention any deadlines. Hence, Lin Li reckoned that it shouldn't be too urgent. Otherwise, the Darkness Shrine wouldn't have sent just a level-16 priest. After all, a Legendary-mage would've been able to arrive faster by flight.
Hence, Lin Li had no choice but to apologetically say to Jyker, "It's unfortunate that Archbishop Martin has also come to invite me to the Brilliance Shrine to save someone's life. Hence, I can't delay it. Please tell Master Sendros that i'll rush to the Darkness Shrine immediately after I'm done handling the matter at the Brilliance Shrine."
Of course, Lin Li couldn't say that he was going to give Rosario an antidote. However, Sendros also knew about it. When he heard that Lin Li was going to the Brilliance Shrine to save a life, he'd definitely think of the poison in Rosario's body.
"Well…" When Jyker saw the Archbishop Martin, he actually had a hunch that his task might not be completed. If it had been someone else, he would have long flared up and hit them. Although the Darkness Shrine was now down and out, they were still one of the three most powerful forces of Anril. However, he had not forgotten that the High Priest Sendros had already warned him not to be rude to Lin Li.
Jyker really couldn't understand why Sendros respected Lin Li so greatly. Even though he might be young and talented, and had already become a President at a young age, that didn't warrant such serious treatment from Sendros. He thought, Archbishop Martin from the Brilliance Shrine actually looked for him too. Who is this Felic exactly?
Seeing that Lin Li had already made up his mind, Jyker felt that there was nothing much he could say. After all, his task was to invite Lin Li over to the Darkness Shrine, and not kidnap him. Hence, he had no choice but to inform Lin Li of the route that he could take to the Darkness Shrine before getting up to leave while pondering anxiously how he should answer to the great priest.
After Lin Li sent away Jyker away, he explained to Gavin what he should do after he left. Apart from the formulation of the 2000 potions, he also wanted Angelano to provide the materials for making the alchemy puppets and Alchemy Colossus.
Angelano was a true Guru-level alchemist, and even specialized in making alchemy machines. Coupled with the knowledge learned from Osric's journal, he was definitely at the pinnacle. Although Lin Li was also an alchemist, he was an orthodox one, and mainly specialized in the field of Alchemy Arrays. In terms of making Alchemy Colossus, he couldn't compare to Angelano at all.
Although Angelano was originally the type to take advantage as much as he could, he was rather afraid of Lin Li's brutal means. Besides, he was also grateful to Lin Li for giving him the opportunity to read Osric's journal
. Thirdly, he also couldn't bear to give up Balak's magical crystal that Lin Li had promised to give him. Hence, he willingly stayed in the Tower of Dusk to help. After turning the 12 Death Knights into Holy Death Knights, he began to make Alchemy Colossuses and alchemy puppets.
The most important thing was still the lack of weapons above the Eternal Furnace. Lin Li did not obtain all 12 Magic Lamps, and thus could only use simple and efficient Magical Crystal Cannons to make up for it. Compared to the magical weapons created by Osric, Magical Crystal Cannons were rather simple, and the highly compressed mana from cannons indeed contained great power. If Lin Li could install hundreds of Magical Crystal Cannons on the Eternal Furnace, even the powerhouses of the Sanctuary-realm would probably have to retreat in hopelessness.
Hence, another part of Lin Li's instructions was to get Gavin to continue sending people to the Dwarf Kingdom to purchase Magical Crystal Cannons without limit. Although the Tower of Dusk currently had 30 Magical Crystal Cannons, Lin Li felt that there wasn't enough, especially since he had seen the hundreds of magical Crystal Cannons in Osric's mausoleum. Of course, although Lin Li asked for an unlimited amount of Crystal Cannons, it would be difficult for the Dwarf Kingdom to fulfill the order within a short time given their manufacturing capacity.
After Lin Li arranged everything, Archbishop Martin had also finished exploring the Tower of Dusk. Without any further discussion, the two immediately set off for the Brilliance Shrine. Lin Li did not bring anyone with him, since he was just going to give Pope Rosario the antidote, and not embarking on a dangerous expedition. Besides, most of his servants were Undead creatures, and even if Pope Rosario didn't mind them, the strong Holy aura was bad for them. Meanwhile, if Lin Li really dared to take the 12 Holy Death Knights with him to the Brilliance Shrine, it would be a huge insult to them, and even Rosario would be infuriated.
The Ledin Kingdom was known as the Holy Kingdom of the Holy Light. From the royals to the lowly civilians, most of the people were loyal faithful of the Brilliance Shrine. There were countless churches in Ledin Kingdom, and even in a small village with only a dozen households there would definitely be a church that was taller and cleaner than the surrounding buildings. The holy professions were the most respected ones in the nation, and no noble would dare to offend even the priest of a small church in a small village.
Located in the heart of the Ledin Kingdom near the capital, Delano City, which was also known as City of Dawn, was the holy ground to the believers in Anril. Although it was only a few hundred square kilometers in size, and did not seem to be a prosperous city, it was a true country within a country. In the hearts of the believers, it was the true center of true center of Anril.
The city of Delano was built on a mountain, and the tall, majestic stone walls that were clean and flawless made the city seem like it was emitting holy rays of light every single moment. In the middle of Delano City, there was an ordinary-looking mountain; it was not steep, and similar ones were rather commonly found in Anril.
Chapter 762 - Poisoned By Highly Toxic Poison
However, in the hearts of the believers of the Holy Light, the mountain was on a pedestal because the entire Ledin Kingdom was built on the mountain, together with the most solemn and sacred church in Anril, the Church of Dawn.
Although the Ledin Kingdom and the Felan Kingdom bordered each other, and the Breezy Plains was situated along their borders, the journey from the Tower of Dusk to Delano City was rather long. Fortunately, Lin Li and Archbishop Martin were both experienced Legendary powerhouses. Hence, they flew continuously and managed to see the white sacred city within less than a day.
"President Felic, that's the sacred city Delano. I'm sorry that no one can receive us, because this matter has to be kept confidential," said Archbishop Martin, who had been appearing rather apologetic ever since he left the Tower of Dusk with Lin Li. After all, he was asking Lin Li for help, yet his invitation seemed to lack sincerity. Now that they were in Delano City, there was no one to receive them or greet Lin Li, thus making Martin look even more apologetic. If it weren't for the issue of confidentiality, it would be no exaggeration to make all the Holy Paladins escort them to the Dawn Cathedral.
However, Lin Li did not care about this. Instead, he smilingly said, "Archbishop Martin, you're reading too much into this. I know what this means to the Brilliance Shrine. It just so happens that I don't like those troublesome formalities, either. We'd better hurry up and save His Holiness." Although Lin Li was a figure of status in Anril now, he wasn't too particular about the formalities and etiquette. He felt that true respect was not reflected by how solemn the formalities were.
There were some people who were there to receive them, actually. Lin Li and Archbishop Martin slowly landed in the square at the foot of the mountain to see that there was a female Paladin with blond hair and dressed in silver armor standing in front of the long steps leading to the Dawn Cathedral. She appeared rather solemn, and when she saw the two of them, she immediately rushed forward to greet them. She first saluted Archbishop Martin before looking at Lin Li with a slightly complicated look. "Hello, Mage Felic."
"Oh, Miss Rina, we haven't seen each other for a long time," Lin Li said with a smile. The blonde female Paladin was the same one he'd met back in the Breezy Plains. She was the only Judge Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine.
Although Lin Li had had a conflict with Paladin Rina during the banquet in the Castellan Mansion of Roland City because he'd been accompanied by his Vampire servant Norfeller, the two of them fought side by side in the Scar of Death. Although Rina didn't approve of the way Lin Li handled things, she no longer tried to purify him every now and then like she used to in the beginning.
It was a good choice for Rina to receive them. Although she would attract plenty of attention everywhere she went because of her identity as a Judge Paladin and her outstanding appearance, no one would think of the pope; at the same time, it wouldn't seem disrespectful towards Lin Li.
Archbishop Martin went the extra mile to inform the pope and other insiders about the arrival of Lin Li to prepare for the detoxification process. After all, it was a place that was considered sacred in the hearts of all believers of the Holy Light. If it did not concern the existence of Holy Light, no one would be allowed to fly there freely regardless of their status. Hence, Lin Li had no choice but to slowly walk along the long stairs and make his way to the Dawn Cathedral at the peak of the mountain under Rina's lead.
Lin Li didn't hold it against her, since he had already arrived at the Brilliance Shrine, and Pope Rosario had also suppressed the toxins within his body. Hence, the latter didn't require the antidote immediately. Not to mention, Lin Li was enjoying the company of a beautiful woman, and thus climbing the stairs while enjoying the scenery was also a rare luxury that he rarely could enjoy.
However, as Rina walked all the way to the peak of the mountain, Lin Li also realized that there seemed to be lots of people staring at them while he was enjoying the surrounding scenery. Of course, they were all looking at him with awe, admiration, jealousy, and envy.
Lin Li glanced at Rina who was beside him. She was the proud disciple of Archbishop Englos and the only Judge Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine. While possessing incredible status and strength, she was also a rare beauty. Lin Li obviously understood the reason for those glances that were being shot at him. Clearly, this Judge Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine was the lover of everyone's dreams, and her admirers would obviously be jealous to see her walking up the mountain with a stranger mage, even if they were believers of the Holy Light who had strong faith in their religion.
Finally, under the leadership of Rina, Lin Li arrived at the door of the Dawn Cathedral on top of the mountain. The majestic and solemn Dawn Cathedral, which was also the holy ground in the eyes of all the believers of Holy Light, was exuding an intense holy aura that seemed to be able to purify all evil and filth of the world.
In the small square in front of the Dawn Cathedral, Archbishop
Martin and Archbishop Englos were waiting together with a few higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine whom Lin Li had never met before. That was where Pope Rosario lived, and apart from a few archbishops and some higher-ups, no one could really go there. Hence, there was no need to be worried about arousing suspicion.
"Master Felic, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. I'm sorry I didn't go down to receive you," Englos greeted with a smile. Although he was much older than Lin Li, he was extremely in awe of and respectful towards Lin Li due to the latter's attainments in pharmaceutics.
Englos was an archbishop of the Brilliance Shrine was second only to the pope, and yet he actually addressed Lin Li as "master". If there had been anyone else around, they would have definitely thought that either they had gone mad and heard wrongly or that Englos had gone crazy. However, at this moment, neither Archbishop Martin nor Rina who brought Lin Li there felt that there was anything wrong with it.
If it had been in the past, Rina would've probably found it hard to understand because of the huge difference in age, status, and strength. Why did her teacher have to be so polite to a young mage? However, her mindset was different now. Although she had yet to step into the Legendary-realm, she felt that Lin Li's aura was not inferior to that of her teacher Englos. Regardless of his knowledge in pharmaceutics, she felt that Lin Li definitely deserved to be addressed as a master because of his personal abilities.
Englos introduced Lin Li to several other big shots of the Brilliance Shrine, namely the Chief Judge Fergor, the head of the Paladins, Hollisas, the Archbishop Domingo, and a few cardinals. They were all aware of Pope Rosario's poisoning, and thus they could not hide their anxiety at all. Even though they had already met Lin Li who claimed to be able to get rid of the poison, they did not feel any less worried.
After a few simple conversations, Lin Li followed the crowd into the Dawn Cathedral, and arrived in front of Pope Rosario's room with them. Some of them stopped in their tracks, while Lin Li was ushered in by Englos.
