Chapter 60: Western Fantasy Romance (II)

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Chapter 60: Western Fantasy Romance (II)

At the beginning of the story, the body Miao Lichen had taken over belonged to a man named Aesop Leslie , who had already served as the Pope for several decades. However, at this point in the timeline, he had only just inherited the position. In other words, Miao Lichen would remain in this role for the next several decades. Although this meant he would have to spend much more time in this world, he did not feel the slightest dissatisfaction.

Ordinary people in this world could live for more than 150 years, while the lifespans of mages and swordsmen were even longer. True immortality was not merely a legend, and there were even celestial beings and demons who were born with eternal life as their destined fate. Several decades were nothing to Aesop, who had already reached the Saint rank. They were equally insignificant to Miao Lichen, and even to the people of this world, such a span of time was hardly worth mentioning.

Moreover, as the Pope, he could not simply remain idle. When the heroine arrived in this world, she would hear countless legends about Aesop: a genius who became a Saint at only fifty years old, a Pope who supported the Holy Church through its darkest era, a leader who guided the Holy Church into the most glorious period in its history, and the strongest Pope ever recorded in the Holy Church’s history.

A person who held such a position naturally had duties to fulfill, and Miao Lichen understood this very well. Even before ascending to the papal throne, Aesop had already resolved to expand the influence of the Holy Church and eliminate all those who worshiped the darkness. After becoming Pope, he spent the early years of his reign fulfilling that vow, allowing both the glory of the Holy Church and his own reputation as a genius to spread among believers and throughout the entire Kedor Continent.

However, all of these principles, all of this insistence on justice and faith, meant nothing in front of the heroine, Shu Guyun. What was the point of the boundary between good and evil? What was the point of convictions and beliefs? In the face of love, they were all worthless. The entire story could probably be summarized with one sentence: “For her, I am willing to do anything.” And as the heroine, she was free to act however she pleased, because no matter what she did, there would always be someone willing to understand her.

A faint smile appeared on Miao Lichen’s lips. At this point, the heroine had not yet been born, and Aesop was still just a young man who had never experienced the affairs of the world. His entire heart was devoted to developing the Holy Church, and he sincerely believed himself to be the Envoy of God . He stood up. The white robes of the Pope he wore were embroidered with faint golden patterns, and within those patterns flowed a power that shared the same origin as the energy within this body. However, the strength contained within his body was clearly diminishing, inevitably becoming nourishment for the Qixiu internal energy once again.

Raising the scepter, Miao Lichen gave it a casual wave. His smile carried a hint of compassion for all living beings. “God said, let there be light.” Miao Lichen calmly watched as the bedroom, which had originally been bathed in radiance, turned completely dark. If not for the glow emitted from the scepter in his hand, it could truly be said that the darkness was so absolute that he could not even see his own hand in front of his face. It was truly thorough.

The smile on Miao Lichen’s lips remained unchanged as he pointed the scepter toward the plant by the window once again. “God Said, life shall flourish.” As expected, the Light Flower, a magical plant that represented the sun and had growth habits extremely similar to a sunflower, quickly withered away. Although it was an exceptionally precious magical plant in this otherworldly continent, it could not withstand the power of “God Said.” Was this ability trying to teach him how to become a venomous snake?

Miao Lichen waved the scepter toward the already withered Light Flower once more. “God said, you shall be granted death.” Watching as the sunflower-like plant became extraordinarily lush and vibrant, a hint of understanding flashed through Miao Lichen’s eyes. Sure enough, his “God Said” produced the complete opposite effect. Using the same method, he dispersed the darkness that had filled the entire room. The Central Holy Church, located at the heart of the Sacred Mountain , was a city of radiance that would never fall into darkness. In a world without electricity, such a thing was an unimaginable luxury. The luminous stones that emitted gentle light were resources exclusively enjoyed by the privileged class.

After testing the Pope’s essential ability, “God Said,” Miao Lichen gained a direct understanding of this angelic skill. The abilities of Qixiu truly were domineering, flashy, and impressive, yet they had forcibly transformed this sacred divine skill into something completely bizarre. He should consider himself fortunate that although it had become something strange and distorted, it was still usable. The ability known as “God Said” could accomplish many things. Although lacking it would not have caused Miao Lichen any regret, possessing it would undoubtedly make things much more convenient while carrying this identity.

Looking at the Light Flower, which had clearly become more magnificent than before, with larger petals that radiated a gentle glow, Miao Lichen reached out and lightly brushed his fingers over the petals. Tomorrow, the reputation of the Pope’s genius would spread throughout the Kedor Continent alongside the blooming of this Light Flower. As for the forces that had become restless after the previous Pope’s sudden death, he would gradually bring them under control. He had several decades to complete this arrangement. Actually, if he were to end up with the heroine, things would not be too bad. He would only be more than a hundred years older than her. The Demon King and the Divine King, however, were said to have existed since the very birth of life itself. If one truly calculated their ages…

Every time he thought about the plot of this world, he would inevitably end up considering things he probably should not.

Lying on the Pope’s enormous bed, Miao Lichen found that although it lacked the advanced technology of his original world, its softness was no worse than a Simmons mattress, and the texture was exceptionally comfortable. It was perfectly suited for both cultivation and sleep. His body gradually relaxed, and a faint pink radiance slowly emerged around him, with strands of golden light mixed within. They were gradually being assimilated and absorbed. The scepter placed against his chest seemed to react as well, showing faint fluctuations. The brilliant radiance it emitted was not only the golden light representing the Holy Church and the Light God, but also contained a trace of pale green.

Just as Miao Lichen had expected, when the nun entered the Pope’s room the next day and discovered the fully matured Light Flower that had suddenly bloomed, she naturally connected it to the newly acquired Holy Scripture of the Pope. Within the Holy Church, no one had ever questioned the status of the Holy Scripture. In the eyes of these believers, it was the omnipotent embodiment of divine power. However, even the most talented Pope in history had taken more than ten days to resonate with the Holy Scripture, while Pope Aesop had accomplished it in only one day. Although she had already known what a genius was back when he was the Holy Son , he seemed to have become even more extraordinary now.

Thinking this, the nun could not help but reveal a faint blush on her cheeks. Beautiful women were always drawn to the strong, especially those who possessed both talent and appearance. Although everyone in the Holy Church was a believer of God, the Western Church was not the same as an Eastern Buddhist monastery. It did not forbid marriage or having children. According to rumors, Aesop himself was the illegitimate son of the previous Pope.

Miao Lichen had no idea how many nuns’ hearts he had stirred. He had already begun restructuring the Holy Church. A religious organization that had existed for countless years had long since begun to decay from its roots. Therefore, the first thing Miao Lichen did was purge the people within the Church. He was not the original Aesop, so he naturally had no reason to worry about those individuals. No matter how powerful their abilities were, or how deeply rooted and complicated their connections might be, he could still cut through the chaos with decisive action. What he wanted to see was a Holy Church with an entirely new atmosphere.

The renewal of the Holy Church did not bring much change to the continent. Those who had originally hoped to profit from the transition also abandoned their plans. Although Aesop Leslie was still young, his methods were far more mature than those of the previous Pope. Compared with the former Pope, this young Pope was an even more formidable opponent. As people aged, they inevitably became more hesitant and cautious, which had allowed others to occasionally gain some minor advantages from them. This Pope Aesop might appear equally kind and approachable on the surface, but he was actually a smiling fox. Forget gaining any benefits from him, even trying to pull out a single strand of his hair would likely result in having one’s entire body harmed in return.

Fifty years were more than enough time for the Holy Church to become even stronger, and more than enough time for the people of the Dark Church to find their lives becoming increasingly difficult. Light and darkness were eternal opposites. If one side became so powerful that balance could no longer be maintained, the other side would face the danger of complete destruction. Therefore, the Dark Church chose an extreme method. Through the sacrifice of the purest souls, they would summon true demons from the Demon Realm. This forbidden ritual had been regarded as a taboo since ancient times, but when faced with desperation, they no longer had the luxury of caring about such restrictions. Of course, one reason they dared to attempt this was because, although the conditions for summoning demons were extremely harsh, the ritual itself would not directly harm them. All that was required to summon these demons was the blood of a person with the purest constitution, along with the right timing, location, and circumstances.

“Your Holiness, when will you send people to stop this operation by the Dark Church?” The white-robed priest reported the information he had received from his subordinates to the Pope he admired most. His face was flushed with excitement, and his eyes repeatedly drifted toward the figure lazily reclining upon the papal throne of the Pope. Unlike previous Popes, who had always maintained a dignified and solemn image in the eyes of believers, Aesop could be said to have completely broken away from that traditional image. Yet under his leadership, the Holy Church had gained even more believers. The Holy Church would surely continue moving toward the rising light, allowing the divine radiance of the Divine King to shine upon every corner of the Kedor Continent.

Listening to the report from the white-robed priest below, Miao Lichen gently stroked the golden scepter glowing in his hand. With his red robes, he did not look much like a Pope. Instead, he resembled one of the high-ranking red-robed priests. However, no one would dare say anything to him. As the strongest Pope in history, changing his clothing was nothing. Even altering certain doctrines of the Holy Church would not be difficult for him. This was simply the law of this world. Strength was the ultimate authority.

“Oh? Why should we stop them? If they truly manage to summon demons, then we will have an excuse to witness the existence of gods and demons with our own eyes. I would very much like to behold those sacred angels, to see the holy land without suffering, and to witness the legendary Garden of Eden.” As he spoke, Miao Lichen did not move from his position at all. With one hand, he casually flipped through the Holy Scripture. The words written upon its pages shimmered with a golden radiance, reflecting against his exquisite features and making his already captivating appearance even more mesmerizing.

“Priest Sol is right, Your Holiness. Demons and angels possess powers beyond our imagination. It is not worth summoning such an existence just to allow the Dark Church to struggle on for a little longer. I believe that as long as we possess sincere enough faith, the gods will naturally hear our voices. When that time comes, we will be able to witness the existence of angels. There is no need to choose such an extreme method.” The voice of Areya Green carried a natural elegance. Her delicate and beautiful face held a compassionate smile, and with just one glance, she would remind people of the divine statues worshiped within churches. She was the current Holy Maiden of the Holy Church.

“My decision is final.” Miao Lichen rose from his seat, casually carrying the scepter in his hand as he walked out of the hall. As his footsteps echoed through the chamber, silence descended upon the meeting hall.

“Holy Maiden, what do you think about this…” A red-robed priest hesitated as he spoke. He did not possess the power to oppose the Pope, but this command from His Holiness was simply…

“We only need to obey the command of His Holiness. As believers of god, we should follow the will of God’s envoy, because his will is the will of the gods.” Aeriya Green looked in the direction where Miao Lichen had departed, a trace of obsession flashing within her eyes. Her fingernails dug into her palm, creating a faint sting of pain. Tightening her grip on her magic staff, the obsession in her eyes quickly faded, leaving behind only the wisdom and composure befitting a Holy Maiden. “Besides… the commands of His Holiness have never been wrong.”

“Indeed.” Hearing this, the red-robed priest visibly relaxed, even feeling that he might have been worrying over nothing.

“However, we must keep constant watch over their actions. If they truly manage to summon a demon, then causing a little interference at the appropriate moment will still be necessary. If anything happens, I will take responsibility.”

“Yes, Holy Maiden.”

Miao Lichen stood within the Pope’s chambers, looking at the Light Flower by the bedside that had bloomed unchanged for decades. A faint smile appeared on his lips. The altar had already appeared, which meant his target was about to descend upon the Kedor Continent. He would arrive in a form that no one could possibly believe, and he would also form an unbreakable bond with the heroine.

Should he go and destroy it, or should he allow it to happen? The smile on Miao Lichen’s lips grew even brighter. The next moment, he plucked a petal from the Light Flower and crushed it into the purest light element. Tomorrow, another Light Flower of equal brilliance and vitality would replace it here. Thinking about it, this mission target was truly unexpectedly simple in certain aspects. Of course, that only applied to certain aspects…

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