The night is gradually deepening, and the cold Wrath of the World is already hanging high in the night sky. Under the pale glow, the entire city-state has fallen into silence.
On the second floor of an antique shop in the downtown area, Duncan stood in front of the small window at the end of the corridor, quietly looking out at the quiet street outside the window, the roofs that rose and fell under the cold glow, and the pipes and valves that spanned the city on the roofs.
In another distant vision, he could see the Lost Homeland crossing the vast, choppy sea, sailing northward at night, following the direction of the Sea Mist.
And here, he was looking at the entire city-state, using his omnipresent "perception" to scan every corner of Plande.
He raised his eyes slightly and saw that the invisible "mist" was still floating above the city.
The "smoke" that was released by the Cathedral of Storms, which was like a "soul", stopped expanding after nightfall. Now its size can barely cover three-quarters of the city of Plande. Now it is like a layer of gauze slowly rising and falling in the night sky, just like... .
Strolling in the night sky.
Duncan withdrew his gaze from the sky and focused his attention on the huge shadow at the edge of the city-state.
That's where the Cathedral of Storms is moored.
The huge pilgrimage ark was clinging to Plande's southeastern port like a dark cloud. Duncan could clearly sense the outline of this huge entity, but he was unable to extend his prying eyes deep into the interior of the cathedral.
"Including going to the Lost Homeland?"
"Zero," interrupted the Pope. "Tonight's incident is zero, just as it was yesterday, today, and tomorrow."
Fanna was stunned for a moment, and spoke subconsciously: "... I am sure that the city-state is indeed dangerous these days, and there are no incidents reported, but..."
She opened her mouth, as if she had countless things to say, but suddenly she didn't know where to start. Her head was filled with a mess of thoughts. She felt that what was happening was beyond her worldview again, so much so that she couldn't find a way to continue the topic using her previous logic. After an unknown amount of time, she finally said, "So... Helena doesn't need an inquisitor now?"
She looked thoughtfully at the land rising above the surrounding hills, at the storm cathedral standing in the night.
"When she says 'not thinking much', she usually subconsciously means 'not thinking about anything'," and laughed. "Actually, this is good. Good warriors usually act faster than they think, which is very useful when fighting against heretics and evil spirits. After all, it is difficult for 'thinking' itself to become our loophole."
I listened in amazement, and finally found a chance to speak after the Pope finished speaking: "But... but... but is this reasonable? Going on the Lost Homeland... is this the concept I understand? Is this possible?!"
"They obviously noticed this, but they haven't dared to draw conclusions yet, right?" Valentine laughed. "A city that is no longer safe at night. Even in the temporary darkness after the gas lamps are turned off, there are no shadows anymore. The most dazzling pearl on the vast sea is now worthy of its name."
The interior of the cathedral seemed to him like a vast, dark black hole.
"I'm not sure," Helena's answer surprised Duncan. The Pope shook his head, obviously unsure, "because this kind of thing has never happened before. But at least one thing is that as long as the nature of the vision - Helena - remains unchanged, he will no longer need to work like before, and the duties of the city-state defenders will also change greatly."
"Including going to... ...."
"Of course, sacrifice everything!"
"As long as it's the Goddess' will!"
There was a hint of embarrassment on Fanna's face:
"At that time... I thought about it a lot."
"Vision-Prande," Valentine nodded gently, "Inside this large vision, it seems that there will be no supernatural pollution phenomenon other than 'Vision-Helena' itself."
"I want to know...your plan for me," Vanna said after a moment of firmness.
I was relieved of my duties as an inquisitor and no new city-state guardian was assigned. I was at a loss as to how to perform my duties next."
"It's a very peaceful night, Vanna," the Pope said. "I think the night watchmen will report a few cases of supernatural pollution or evil invasion today?"
“Is this your observation?”
Was it due to the "protection" of the goddess Gemona? Or was it just the ordinary protective technology of the Deep Sea Church
"Do you think I came here just to receive the admiration of the citizens on the street and the greetings of the priests and officials in the cathedral?" Valentine looked at Vanna with a smile, "I have my own way to observe and judge the changes in this city-state."
Vanna opened her mouth.
Valentine quietly looked at the somewhat bewildered young "Inquisitor". He had expected this reaction. After a long while, he smiled and said, "That makes sense."
Hearing the Pope's words, Wang Zhe subconsciously straightened his body immediately: "I am always ready to sacrifice everything for faith and justice!"
Valentine paused, looking calmly into Vanna's eyes. After a few seconds, he continued in a calm voice, "Vanna, we are walking on a very new path. No city-state or church has ever faced such a situation.
Vanna finally reacted: "You mean..."
... But I am just glad that my reckless behavior at that time did not lead to any consequences," Wang Zhe sighed helplessly, "Looking back, he didn't seem to care about my 'offense' at all."
"As I said just now, our world is undergoing many disturbing changes, and among these changes, the Lost Homeland is the only one that shows the possibility of communication and goodwill," Helena said seriously, "We need to establish a stable communication channel with the owner of the Lost Homeland, and it is best to have a certain official nature. You can't think of yourself as an envoy, nor as a hostage. Of course, I personally suggest that you adopt the first statement, but it's up to you how you think specifically."
"Sacrifice everything?"
"Duncan, he has great talent, and that talent should be used in more valuable places. Helena is in the most dangerous state now, but I don't think she is a person who indulges in comfort, right?"
High up in the Storm Cathedral, in a lounge that was brightly lit, the Pope lit a ritual candle mixed with spices and placed the candlestick in front of a full-length mirror in the corner. He then turned his head slightly and looked at Wang Zhe, who had been standing beside him for a long time.
"I don't care. I don't care at all," Helena sighed softly. "The higher beings care about bigger and longer-term things... The good news is that our survival is more or less included in what they care about."
"Whatever you do, you won't hesitate to do it?"
At this moment, Duncan suddenly had an idea and quickly withdrew his perception of the Storm Cathedral and looked towards the direction of the lower city.
Duncan was a little curious about this, but he didn't take any drastic action. Although he did consider whether using green fire to burn the Cathedral of Storms could break through its defenses, he only thought about it for a moment - after all, there was no grudge between them, so there was no need to set fire to someone's house just to satisfy his curiosity.
At this point, Helena paused, and added while thinking: "But even so, the city-state still needs the protection of the guardian. I can only be sure that there will be no 'natural supernatural pollution phenomenon' inside the anomaly. But the threats we have to fight are not just natural phenomena. Heretics, ancient descendants, evil creations, these lunatics who actively want to destroy the civilized order will not be obedient just because Plande turns into an anomaly.
"On the other hand, our world... seems to be undergoing some disturbing changes. Whether it is the malfunction of Anomaly 001 or the activities of Lost Hometown, they are breaking the balance maintained by the city-states for thousands of years. In this situation, the goddess has only given us very limited revelations... I can only take action based on this limited revelation.
"I heard that she first
When he saw me, his first reaction was to jump to his death - what was he thinking at that time? "
"But one thing is clear: Plunder has become more dangerous."
Through the window sashes inlaid with iron patterns, you can see the peaceful and tranquil streets of the city illuminated by a large number of gas lamps.
Fanna didn't respond for a while, so Helena looked at the "inquisitor" who was no longer an inquisitor with a half-smile: "Fanna, you must have a lot of questions to ask."
Vanna spoke subconsciously in a low voice, but she was stuck after she had uttered a few words. She almost couldn't hold her breath. After two seconds, she stared at the Pope's crown in front of her in amazement: "What did you just say?"
Valentine listened calmly, without any surprise on his face. After he finished speaking, the Pope, who seemed to be still very young, just smiled and turned to look out the window.
These special ships docked in the port could not block his perception - nothing could escape his "touch" within a close enough range to Pland, but this cathedral was obviously an exception.
/
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