CA - Chapter 125

Chapter 125

After the temple collapsed, the Mentos Desert returned to its former state, and the divine ruins never reappeared. The Holy See had entered the temple with great fanfare, but in the end, they fled in disgrace. Not only did they fail to obtain the Godhead, but their losses were also quite heavy compared to those of the Elves and Witches.

This outcome was only possible with Faye's assistance; otherwise, the Holy See's losses would have been even greater.

Holy Knights and Bishops who had lost contact in the temple but ultimately survived began to return to the Holy See one by one. Tang Qiu blended in with them, so her return didn't seem out of place.

After Audrey returned from the temple in a rage, she learned that the carriage transporting Lisa and Karen had been blown up. Her fury intensified, and she immediately ordered a thorough search of the Gosse Church from top to bottom.

However, she found nothing. Tang Qiu had already arranged everything before departing for the Mentos Desert. Coincidentally, because she wasn't at the church at the time, she avoided a direct confrontation with Audrey.

Vogt had grown quiet since returning from the temple. He didn't intervene in Audrey's high-profile search of the Gosse Church. Since he stayed out of it, Reese certainly wasn't going to provoke Audrey either. She merely had Mario keep an eye on the Inquisition's movements and, on the side, search for the whereabouts of the blond Bishop.

The Gosse Church was on thin ice due to the Inquisition's search and the blond Bishop's disappearance. Jennifer had to both placate the church members and worry about the Bishop's safety. Fortunately, Monica was there to help her, so after a brief period of chaos, the church was stabilized.

By the time Tang Qiu returned to the church, a full day had passed since their evacuation from the temple. She had remained in her werewolf form for a much longer time on this occasion—so long that she began to wonder if she would ever be able to change back.

Although she did eventually revert, her inability to control her transformation remained a hidden danger.

It was already completely dark when she arrived back at the church. Tang Qiu signaled the knight on night watch to keep quiet, then avoided the main hall and took a side path back to her own manor.

Normally, she was the only one living in her manor. According to the rules, her attendant priest, Jennifer, should have lived there as well. But given Lucille's frequent overnight stays, Tang Qiu had later arranged separate quarters for Jennifer for convenience.

However, Reese had also moved in after arriving at the Gosse Church.

Tang Qiu walked down the long corridor and arrived at her room. To her surprise, when she pushed the door open, she found Reese sitting inside, brewing tea.

Tang Qiu paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. She deliberately turned to look outside and said jokingly, "For a second, I thought I'd gone to the wrong room."

The window was wide open, and the night breeze blew in, carrying away the lingering heat of the day. The teapot on the table was gurgling. Reese was resting her chin on one hand, boredly flipping through a book she had found on Tang Qiu's bed. Hearing the door, she looked up and smiled faintly. "I was starting to think you wouldn't make it back."

Tang Qiu closed the door, took off her cloak, and put it away. She sat down opposite Reese, rolling up her sleeves as she said softly, "I was lucky. I got out before the temple collapsed."

After speaking, she reached out, took the teapot off the stove, and poured herself a cup of tea.

Reese casually flipped through the book, the pages making a crisp sound. Tang Qiu glanced at the cover and saw it was the book Lucille had been reading recently, titled One Hundred Techniques to Please Your Lover.

Tang Qiu: "..."

Hopefully, Reese wouldn't get the wrong idea, Tang Qiu thought as she calmly sipped her tea.

Reese noticed Tang Qiu's gaze occasionally sweeping over the book in her hands. She paused her flipping and said with a smile, "It's a very good book."

Tang Qiu nodded with a composed expression, agreeing, "I think so too."

Reese chuckled, tossed the book aside, and her expression turned slightly more serious. "Did the Godhead fall into the hands of the Black Witches?"

Tang Qiu frowned, her expression turning grave as she nodded.

She recounted Erin's speculations about the Black Witches to Reese, then sighed. "I've dealt with the Garcia witches a few times. Their devotion to the Dark God transcends life and death."

They not only disregarded the lives of others but also their own.

"You think the Black Witches are planning to bring the Dark God to the Statu Continent?" Gods were a distant concept to them; even within the Holy See, few truly held the Light Goddess as their faith. Reese was surprised that one of the witch families was so loyal to the Dark God.

Reese didn't know much about the Black Witches. After all, they had always operated in the shadows. Aside from this contest for the Godhead, the Black Witches had never confronted the Holy See directly.

The werewolves and elves had once allied to attack the nations of the Holy See, but the Black Witches had remained hidden in the dark from beginning to end.

Tang Qiu corrected Reese's words. "It might not be a plan. It might already be in progress."

Reese shrugged at this, saying nonchalantly, "Then it seems the Pope will have to worry about this."

Tang Qiu's hand, holding the cup, gently traced its rim. She looked up at Reese and asked, "Will you report this to the Pope?"

Although the Holy See had lost the struggle for the Godhead, it wasn't actually weak. It had controlled the Statu Continent for thousands of years, and its foundations were beyond what other races could imagine.

The reason for its failure was the disunity among its people.

Setting aside whatever Vogt was thinking during this contest, just looking at Reese, Tang Qiu had long since realized she had no intention of fighting for the Godhead at all.

Then there was the resentful Audrey, whose heart wasn't in it, dragged along to replace another Cardinal who was feigning illness...

If the Cardinals were like this, one could only imagine the other bishops with their own agendas.

The Holy See's problems were internal.

Reese shook her head slightly at Tang Qiu's question, saying with a lack of interest, "It's useless even if I report it to the Pope."

"The Pope is already planning to abdicate." Reese pursed her lips. "He's currently vexed about how to ensure the Holy Son securely takes the papal throne. He has no mind for anything else."

She took out a piece of parchment and pushed it in front of Tang Qiu, saying flatly, "I've received news that the Pope has come out of seclusion. It probably won't be long before he summons all the bishops to the Central Church for the Light Baptism Assembly."

The Light Baptism Assembly was just a pretense. The real purpose was to prepare for his abdication.

Although the new Pope was always chosen by the old one, it still had to go through a formality, which was publicly presented as a joint selection by the Cardinals and bishops.

But this "formality" was not an easy process, because the Cardinals also had the right to inherit the papal seat, which inevitably led to some of them getting ideas.

The Pope's emergence from seclusion this time was also to "discipline" those around him. How could he have time to deal with the Black Witches, especially when the Statu Continent was currently "calm and peaceful," and they had no evidence that the Black Witches were trying to summon the Dark God?

Tang Qiu had never met the Holy Son and had no idea what kind of person he was. But from the disgust and disdain in Reese's tone when she mentioned him, her impression of the Holy Son soured as well. This was especially true knowing that the Holy Son had been handling the Holy See's affairs for the past few years, yet nothing had changed, which made her feel that the Holy Son was cut from the same cloth as Cambecus and the others.

"The Pope's abdication will surely cause turmoil in the Holy See. With the Godhead in their hands, I believe the Black Witches are plotting something big." Tang Qiu calmly analyzed the Holy See's future situation. "Before the Black Witches bring disaster to the Statu Continent, if the Holy Son successfully ascends, he will definitely use the opportunity of suppressing the Black Witches to solidify his position."

"But if disaster strikes the Statu Continent beforehand... I don't think the Pope will abdicate at such a time."

With internal and external troubles, too many variables could arise.

Tang Qiu's analysis was meant to discuss with Reese how they should position themselves in either scenario and chip away at the Holy See's power. Turmoil was also an opportunity.

But unexpectedly, after listening, Reese lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "What if the Holy Son dies before he takes the throne?"

Tang Qiu was stunned for a moment, then frowned. "Would the Pope choose the Holy Daughter?" The Holy Daughter was the next in the line of succession after the Holy Son.

Reese sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "They would never let the Holy Daughter ascend."

Tang Qiu frowned but didn't ask who "they" were. She fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, "If the Holy Son dies, the Holy See will surely descend into even greater chaos."

With external pressure from the Black Witches and internal strife among the Cardinals vying for the papal throne, if the Holy See truly reached that point, whether it could even suppress the Black Witches would be another question entirely.

Reese propped her chin on one hand, her green eyes narrowing slightly as she said with a grin, "I'm rather looking forward to seeing that."

Tang Qiu glanced at her and shook her head with a light laugh. Although she also looked forward to seeing that scene, if the Holy See fell into chaos, the question of who would suppress the Black Witches was a troubling one.

---

After the Holy See, the Elves, the werewolves, and the Black Witches withdrew from the Mentos Desert, the area returned to its usual silence. Under the bright moonlight, the yellow sand looked as if it were covered in a layer of frost. The night wind howled past but could no longer kick up the sky-obscuring sandstorms of before.

A slender figure in a pure white cloak stood in the middle of the desert. Long, silver hair cascaded smoothly down her back. Her features were stunningly beautiful, neither bewitching nor seductive, exuding a sacred and noble air. However, her golden eyes betrayed no emotion, lending her an unapproachable coldness.

She stood in the desert, head bowed, waiting quietly for a moment. A small boy with curly silver hair ran over from somewhere, unafraid of her cold aura, and hugged her leg, grinning as he tilted his head to look up at her.

The silver-haired woman reached out and stroked the little boy's head. The boy opened his mouth, and though no sound came out, it was clear he was very happy.

"Why are you alone?" the silver-haired woman asked softly.

The little boy blinked, let go of her leg, and squatted down, using his finger to write crooked characters in the sand. When he finished, he looked up at her expectantly.

"Phoenix..." The woman helped the little boy up, her voice softening. "You've learned to write my name."

The little boy nodded happily.

Phoenix brushed the sand off the boy and asked, "Where are the others?"

The little boy gestured earnestly for a while. Fearing Phoenix might not have understood, he thought for a moment and held out his hand.

Phoenix took his hand and lowered her gaze slightly. Images flashed quickly before her eyes. She let go of the boy's hand and said softly, "Did the temple's collapse affect you all as well?"

She took out several Space Gems and handed them to the boy. "The things inside should sustain you for a while," she said in a low voice. "If the houses can't be repaired, have the clan leader take you all to a new place."

The little boy carefully put the Space Gems away, then hugged Phoenix's leg, reluctant to let go.

Phoenix stroked the boy's head, then suddenly remembered something. "I didn't see Kama just now. Where is Kama?"

The little boy shook his head in confusion. He thought for a moment, then pointed at the desert beneath his feet.

Buried in the temple? Or taken away by someone who entered the temple? Phoenix frowned, silent for a moment, before saying in a low voice, "Go back and tell the clan leader to find a new place to live."

This place might not be safe anymore.

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