Chapter 303: Ten-Day Talk, Confession and Questioning

To know the subtleties, one can start from the tip of a hair and end at the root of a mountain.

Along with the lost weapons, the Supreme Administrator, Cardinal Saratan, received not only the good news of the treasure being recovered. There are also more hidden in the shadows where the sunlight of Ophelia 7 cannot reach, the conspiracy and malice that have fermented for a long time.

But after talking with the visiting Terra Lord, Saratan obviously had his own ideas.

The reappearance of the Heavenly Punishment Stand Weapon and the strange news of the Hall of the Emperor were suppressed and sealed together, as if they had never happened.

Under the illumination of the stars of the Ophelia galaxy, the City of Grace still enjoys the warmth of the Emperor's faith as before.

This cautious and passive attitude naturally aroused opposition from individual cardinals and church leaders.

Among them, Clarence, one of the two cardinals under Saratan who is most likely to succeed him, is the highest representative of this faction.

But the authority of the Supreme Holy See is so magnificent, and its strong will is so clear about this matter.

Under the strong suppression of his clear attitude, the figures of this group of stubborn people disappeared quietly in the daily life of the Holy See within three days after several unsuccessful protests.

Under the Holy See, everyone is a slave, and outside the divine power, everyone is dust.

Even if the cardinal who is in charge of the life and death of a diocese, under the Holy See of the Supreme Administrator, falls from the clouds in the sky illuminated by the sun to the dirty mud on the ground, it only takes a thought for the person in power.

The hard labor mine on Owei 9 where the Imperial Fist is stationed is the destination of these sinners who dare to disobey the Holy See. Regarding this point, although the Holy See himself has never expressed a clear attitude on this, his exclusive attendant and the newly promoted psychic servant have occasionally mentioned it.

But the goose leaves a voice behind and the people leave a name behind, so the disappearance of these people will naturally not really have no impact.

The once-in-a-century Emperor's Good Friday Ceremony is imminent, and the Holy See cannot allow so many vacancies to bring about systemic dysfunction.

A chain of personnel changes was caused by the vacant seats they left. As the biggest competitor lost in this "accident", another powerful successor, Cardinal Morpheus, and members of his faction became the ultimate beneficiaries of this internal struggle.

In the following week, the Supreme Holy See Saratan was in seclusion. After losing one of the two poles, the Cardinals of the City of Grace completely fell into the control of Morpheus.

"Holy See, Cardinal Morpheus is here to greet you."

On the first day after Saratan closed the door, the clerical priest beside him walked out of the chapel behind the Holy See's residence, bringing greetings from Cardinal Morpheus who had just taken power.

"No."

Saratan knelt down on his knees under the Emperor's statue in the chapel, and refused the visit of the successor without looking back.

In the empty chapel, besides himself, there were only two newly promoted psychics who knelt at the feet of the Emperor as attendants.

"Yes..." The priest responded in a low voice, bowed and walked backwards, disappearing into the corridor outside the chapel.

The secret armed forces of the Brotherhood of Light, as Saratan's guards, were stationed outside this small church, quietly watching him leave.

The City of Grace is operating for the celebration of the Emperor's Passion Day. The high concentration of resources and power makes it more logical for Morpheus to replace the middle-level personnel.

A large number of unknown defense forces replaced the outer defense of the City of Grace, and many clergy who were buried at the grassroots level were temporarily promoted to replace the original personnel in the city.

"Holy See, Lord Morpheus is here to visit."

On the fourth day of the retreat, the priest came again, bringing greetings from Morpheus who had already taken control of the situation.

"No."

Saratan's attitude remained the same. A few days of confession and prayer could not resolve the self-blame caused by his dereliction of duty. He was restless and still needed to confess to the Emperor, so he had no time to pay attention to the changes in the outside world.

"Your will..." The attitude of the clerk priest was still respectful, but the difference was that when he left, the warriors of the Brotherhood of Light outside the chapel had disappeared from their posts in the corridor.

There were only four days left before the scheduled date of the celebration. Morpheus, who had been authorized and fully responsible for the operation of the celebration, came to inquire about the physical condition of the Holy See.

This was the only place where he could not replace Saratan, because the beginning of this holy ceremony must start with the Holy See himself ringing the bell on the highest tower of the church city.

The personnel and materials outside the celebration ceremony were in place, and only the Holy See himself was missing.

In order to "perfectly" complete the first celebration after taking over the authority of the church, Cardinal Morpheus had to do his best.

In order to grasp the specific progress of the grassroots as much as possible, he transferred all his connections that he had built for hundreds of years throughout Ophelia 7 to the direction of the central capital of this bishop world, the City of Grace.

On Ophelia 7, the high-end carriages of the transportation facilities of various branch cities to the main city were filled with deployments that were transferred to the capital under his order.

Although the cardinals of the City of Grace were surprised by the large number of his followers, they chose to remain silent in the end, considering his great power.

"Holy See..."

On the last day before the canon, the chapel, which had been quiet for a long time, welcomed a new visitor again. The visitor's footsteps were so quiet and soft that the two attendants in the church did not notice him before he spoke.

"I said, I will not see anyone..."

Saratan still knelt under the tall statue of the Emperor, repenting for the price he had paid and would pay for his mistakes.

He habitually wanted to reject the priest in his impression, but the voice of the visitor made him feel familiar.

He looked up at the figure who had come to his side and knelt together, and as expected, he saw the familiar, young face of Morpheus.

"It's great to be young..." Saratan stared at this face for a long time, and then sighed in a low voice.

"You are not old..." Morpheus smiled and continued Saratan's words, complimenting the old man in front of him with a humble attitude.

"No, I am old. Time has made my eyes cloudy, and years have made my ears deaf. I should have made room for the young people long ago, instead of repenting my attachment to power and greed here..."

Saratan whispered what he had thought, and Morpheus also listened with a smile.

After Saratan finished speaking, he tried to comfort the lonely old man:

"No, you are not old. Even if your body will eventually decay, you can still use your wisdom to continue to serve the emperor..."

But Saratan was obviously not affected by these words. His face gradually became serious, and he recovered from his hunchback to his former uprightness.

He stood up slowly, facing Morpheus's puzzled eyes, and slowly said:

"Wisdom? When have I ever had that kind of wealth? It is precisely because of my ignorance that I have suffered today. I am sorry for the emperor's grace, and even more sorry for the teachings of the saints. And now, I only have one question."

"Please...please ask." As if sensing the anger in the old man's body, the smile on Morpheus' face gradually disappeared.

After listening to the old man's story, he carefully gave his answer.

Saratan took a deep breath and asked his own question:

"When did you fall? Or, who is the soul in this pitiful body that I am facing at this moment?"

The first and second updates may be late. Someone is coming to my house, so I'm asking for leave in advance.