CA - Chapter 174
Chapter 174
On the day of departure, two grand convoys occupied an entire street. The escort Reese had prepared for Tang Qiu was nearly on par with that of a Red-robed Archbishop, not losing out in the slightest when compared to Cambecus's own. Moreover, due to Reese's usually extravagant and ostentatious style, her personal convoy was already a cut above the rest.
Cambecus pushed open the carriage window and glanced outside. An attendant priest approached, frowning. "Archbishop, should I go and..."
He gestured toward Tang Qiu's convoy.
For a mere bishop to make such a grand display was practically a show of disrespect.
Cambecus raised a hand to stop him. "No need. Let's depart directly." He retracted his gaze, closed his eyes slightly inside the carriage, and let out a meaningful chuckle. He muttered to himself, "What does it matter if I let you be arrogant for a while? In the end, you'll still fall into my hands."
The blonde bishop would surely not survive falling into the hands of the Vampires. Cambecus raised a hand to his chin, a wicked smile on his face. Should he be "kind" enough to let her live a little longer?
Cambecus's convoy set off first. Reese watched the departing carriages with a profound look in her eyes. "...Be careful." She turned to Tang Qiu and said in a low voice, "The Holy Knights with Cambecus are all at the Sword Saint stage, and he certainly has ways to save his own skin. You need to think this through carefully."
Tang Qiu nodded slightly. "I know." She placed a hand on Reese's back and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I told you I would help you kill Cambecus. He won't be coming back alive."
Reese's expression shifted slightly. She turned her head to look at Tang Qiu, who gave her a wink before turning and boarding her carriage.
This person was as confident as ever. A faint smile crossed Reese's face. She shook her head slightly and gave a quiet order to Mario, "Keep an eye on Cambecus's movements." After a pause, she added, "And ensure Grace's safety."
Mario nodded in acknowledgment, then mounted his horse and left with the convoy.
With the continent of Statu overrun by demonic beasts, the Holy See's teleportation arrays were inconvenient to use. The convoy traveled in fits and starts, finally arriving near the Gosse Empire on the thirteenth day.
Cambecus's convoy, which had been leading the way, suddenly stopped. A knock came at the carriage door, and Mario's voice sounded from outside. "Bishop Grace, Archbishop Cambecus has something to discuss with you."
Tang Qiu, who had been practicing light magic inside the carriage, paused. She opened the door and stepped down, immediately spotting Cambecus's attendant priest standing beside Mario.
The attendant priest bowed slightly to Tang Qiu. "The Archbishop is waiting for you," he said in a low voice.
Tang Qiu glanced at Cambecus's carriage, smiled at the attendant priest, and then turned to walk over.
Cambecus rested his arm on the window, catching sight of the blonde bishop approaching out of the corner of his eye. He greeted her amiably, "Bishop Grace, it's been a long journey."
Tang Qiu replied with a smile, "It has been for you as well, Archbishop."
"I hear the Elf Queen is within the borders of the Gosse Empire. Have you decided how you will negotiate with her?"
"Not yet," Tang Qiu said thoughtfully. "Does the Archbishop have any suggestions?"
Cambecus smiled and wagged a finger at her. "His Holiness the Pope trusts you and has put you solely in charge of this matter. I am only here to ensure your safety."
He wore a mask of benevolent hypocrisy, as if the events in Eden had never happened, and lectured her earnestly, "His Holiness the Pope was willing to entrust such an important matter to you, which shows how highly he thinks of you. You must not disappoint his expectations."
"Of course." Tang Qiu maintained a proper smile and spoke in a gentle tone, "I will do my best to carry out His Holiness's command."
As she spoke, she glanced up at the sky and suggested to Cambecus, "It's getting late. We should enter the Gosse Empire as soon as possible."
Cambecus waved his hand and said lightly, "I won't be going. I'll wait for you in Skont City up ahead."
Tang Qiu was taken aback, somewhat surprised. "The Archbishop isn't coming with me to the Gosse Empire?"
Skont City bordered the Gosse Empire but was not part of its territory.
Cambecus smiled at Tang Qiu. "No, I'll wait for you here. In ten days, I will escort you to the Gru Empire."
He's more cautious than I thought. Tang Qiu glanced at Cambecus, smiled and nodded, then turned back to her own carriage.
Only after she was inside did the smile on her face slowly fade. Mario came over and asked quietly, "Bishop Grace, shall we depart now?"
Tang Qiu thought for a moment, then replied, "Let's go. No need to rest on the way. Head directly to the main city of Gosse."
There was still plenty of time on the road; she had ample opportunity to deal with Cambecus. Besides, Tang Qiu had always felt that the Pope's reason for sending Cambecus with her was not so simple.
She wouldn't act rashly. She wanted to see what Cambecus was really up to.
The two convoys parted ways at a fork in the road. Mario watched Cambecus's convoy enter Skont City with a slight frown. He gave a meaningful look to two Holy Knights behind him. The knights broke away from the group, carefully concealing their presence as they followed Cambecus's convoy from a distance.
Tang Qiu's convoy was spotted by the empire's knights as soon as it entered the territory of the Gosse Empire. A priest who had been integrated into the knight patrol came to investigate and was overjoyed upon seeing Tang Qiu. "Bishop Grace!"
Hearing the voice, the knights and nearby civilians all turned their heads, their gazes filled not only with curiosity but also a hint of pleasant surprise.
"Bishop Grace is back? Light Goddess be praised, I knew nothing bad would happen to Bishop Grace."
"Bishop Grace is back! Please, drive those monsters out of the Gosse Empire quickly."
"May the Light Goddess forever protect Bishop Grace."
Blocked by the knights, the civilians could only watch Tang Qiu's carriage from afar. Expressions of trust, reliance, and respect appeared on their faces—emotions that flowed naturally from the heart when faced with their faith.
Without the Church, they would have likely been devoured by the monsters outside. They had Bishop Grace to thank for all of this.
As for the Central Church... it was too distant for them. All they knew was that peace in the Gosse Empire had only arrived after the blonde bishop took office.
Because of the overly enthusiastic civilians they encountered along the way, Tang Qiu's journey took a little longer. By the time she reached the main city, Karen and Jennifer, who had received news in advance, were already waiting at the city gates.
The carriage stopped by the roadside. When Tang Qiu stepped out, the first person she saw was not Karen or Jennifer, but Anna, dressed in a white robe, trying and failing to blend in with a group of priests.
Seeing Anna, a thought stirred in Tang Qiu's mind. She raised an eyebrow and asked with amusement, "What are you doing here, Anna?"
As she spoke, she instinctively glanced around, but she couldn't find that familiar figure.
Anna could tell what Tang Qiu was looking for just from her expression. She gave Tang Qiu a wink and lied without batting an eye, "I'm here as an envoy from Edry to discuss an alliance with the King of Gosse."
Karen: "..."
She gave Anna a peculiar look. An envoy to discuss an alliance? This person had been loitering around the Church ever since she arrived.
Karen leaned close to Tang Qiu's ear and quickly explained what had happened when Anna and Lucille came to the Gosse Empire a while back.
Tang Qiu nodded in understanding and said to Anna with a smile, "I see. I'll have Maggie entertain you well."
Anna: "..."
She waved her hands sheepishly. "Never mind, never mind, I was just kidding." She didn't want to go to the Gosse royal palace; she wanted to stay at the Church and look at the beautiful and holy priests.
Karen went off to make arrangements for Mario and the others. Jennifer, clutching a stack of church affairs documents, quickly stopped Tang Qiu as she was about to leave. "This is the current situation in the various cities of the Gosse Empire."
"This is the current status of the several dark formations within the Gosse Empire's borders."
"This is..."
Jennifer was introducing them one by one and was about to elaborate on one of the documents when the hand holding the parchment was gently pushed down. She paused and looked up at Tang Qiu, only to see that the blonde bishop, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, was now pressing a hand to her forehead, a weary look on her face. "Jennifer, I'm a little tired."
Jennifer opened her mouth, but in the end, she silently lowered her hands. "Alright, you should go back and rest then."
Although Karen and the other priests had been assisting her, and the blonde bishop had granted her the greatest authority, this was her first time leading the Church against the forces of darkness. Jennifer was worried she wasn't doing a good enough job.
Tang Qiu had entrusted the Gosse Church to her out of trust, and Jennifer didn't want to betray that trust.
Though Jennifer appeared calm, she was feeling a bit down inside. Tang Qiu keenly sensed her mood and patted her on the shoulder, saying softly, "Jennifer, you've already done a great job."
"If it were me, this is the best I could have done."
Jennifer paused, then looked up slightly, frowning in disagreement. "You would have done better."
Tang Qiu was amused. She patted Jennifer's hair and said with a smile, "This time, I'm here as an envoy of the Holy See to negotiate with the Elves and Werewolves. I won't be able to stay for more than a few days."
"You will still be in charge of the Gosse Church's affairs."
Jennifer looked at her with concern. "The Werewolves and Elves are so hostile toward the Holy See..."
Although Delphine had brought the Elves to the Gosse Empire to fight the demonic beasts, they kept to themselves, rarely interacting with humans and showing even greater hostility toward members of the Holy See.
Because of this, Jennifer had even ordered the Church's personnel to stay as far away as possible from the territory occupied by the Elves.
The matter concerning the Elves and Werewolves was too complicated to explain, so Tang Qiu simply shook her head at Jennifer, signaling her not to worry. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Jennifer couldn't be of much help with matters outside the Church, so she could only suppress her worries and give a serious reminder, "Then you must be careful."
Tang Qiu nodded with a smile. After chatting with Jennifer for a few more moments, she left, using the excuse that she needed to rest.
Jennifer watched Tang Qiu's retreating back, her gaze deepening as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Ever since the darkness descended, the Central Church had done nothing besides sending Holy Knights and priests to assist the various churches in fighting the demonic beasts.
They hadn't even allowed the bishops of the various churches to return.
And now, the Central Church, which had been inactive for so long, was suddenly considering persuading the Werewolves and Elves to form an alliance?
At a time like this, when countless civilians were dying at the hands of demonic beasts every day?
She was just a minor priest, unfamiliar with the conflicts within the Central Church and with no desire to become involved.
The true face of the Central Church was already a far cry from the beautiful and sacred image she held in her heart. However, Jennifer no longer had time for disappointment.
Right now, all she wanted was to protect that beautiful and sacred image of the Gosse Church in the hearts of the people of the Gosse Empire.
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