scepter

It was a strange and sudden meeting.

At the large round conference table, twelve red-clothed archbishops and seven bishops were present. The latter suddenly received a secret order from the envoy of the Central Holy See in the middle of the night last night, asking them to come here for a meeting immediately. Many of the bishops are I was woken up in my sleep, but I have been sitting here for an hour or two, and the sleepy feeling has long since passed, replaced by restlessness and apprehension.

His Majesty the Pope will suddenly summon all the people here, and naturally he will not find trouble for nothing, but what happened, the news of the bishops is always half a step behind the archbishop, so they did not receive any rumors, but the archbishop in red A few of them, with a calm face, unfathomable, obviously had expected it, but they refused to tell others, and hated those who were still kept in the dark.

Avery was also called to this spacious conference room from the warm bed, but his expression looked calm and not as confused as others.

His clothes were suddenly ripped off, and he turned his head. It was Bishop Hutcherson of the Charlemagne Empire.

This bishop was very unpopular when Alfonso VIII was alive. As the bishop of the most powerful country on the mainland, he was as unknown as a little transparent. It was not until he formed an alliance with Yannick that he ushered in his own In spring, the Charlemagne Empire at this moment is in chaos because of the death of Alfonso VIII. Before that, Prince George, who was unable to cultivate his cronies because of a strong father, seemed weak. Hutcherson stood up Out came to express support for Prince George, and because of Yannick's recommendation, Prince George also regarded Hutcherson as a solid ally he could rely on. The two sides were in the honeymoon period of cooperation, and all this was given by Yannick.

Bishop Hutcherson obviously understood this very well, which made him more determined to hold Yannick's thigh tightly. Taking advantage of this inexplicable meeting, he happened to get close to Alfred. Well-known Yannick Hill's iron.

"Do you know why His Majesty suddenly called us here?" He asked in a low voice.

"I don't know either," Avery replied in the same low voice.

I don't know how calm you are?Bishop Hutcherson slandered to himself.

Seeming to see his question, Avery whispered to him to look in a certain direction.

Hutcherson immediately looked over and found that it was Archbishop Gustav that Avery had shown him.

The latter looked relaxed and comfortable. Even though he didn't express much, the slightly relaxed and raised corners of his mouth showed that he was in a good mood, which was different from the nervousness of many people around him.Sitting next to him was Archbishop Angus—even though he hadn't had much dealings with him, Hutcherson was still familiar with the famous name of the "Fingertip Emerald".

The handsome "Emerald" archbishop is lowering his head and playing with the ruby ​​ring on his ring finger. The dazzling gem light makes his complexion whiter and greasy, which proves that his appearance is indeed worthy of being favored. However, he seems to have noticed Bishop Hutcherson's Peeping, raised his eyebrows and glanced over. Bishop Hutcherson couldn't afford to offend the archbishop with a big background.

Well, it is indeed the table of the Central Holy See, and it is actually made of dragon pattern wood, which is luxurious enough.

Just when everyone started whispering because of the uneasiness of waiting, another door in the meeting room was finally opened, and several attendant priests entered in a row. The last ones were Adolf and Abel, and everyone was familiar with them , because they are all confidantes of His Majesty the Pope.

Adolf and Abel glanced at the conference hall, and did not come over immediately, but stood at the door from left to right, until His Majesty the Pope, who was wearing a white robe with gold thread and a scarlet cloak hanging down to the floor 's arrival

Fanserich's appearance is very impressive, of course, after all, he also has a lot of majesty that His Majesty the Pope should have, especially the scepter in his hand that symbolizes the power of the Pope, which has attracted many people look.

The top of the scepter is inlaid with a pure gold sun coat of arms, and connected with it is a pure silver coat of arms representing the moon. The sun and the moon rise at the same time, and a circle of red gemstones around it symbolizes the desire to look up to the theocracy of the Holy See. mainland people.

While pulling the wind, His Majesty the Pope's face is very serious, which is of course. Fanserich has been unsmiling since he was the archbishop, and everyone is used to it. If one day he suddenly laughs like Gustav, everyone Instead, you will be terrified.

The archbishops and bishops present stood up one after another, bowed slightly, and greeted the appearance of His Majesty the Pope.

After Fanserich took his seat, he raised his hand to signal that everyone could sit down, and everyone took their seats one after another.

"I'm sorry to call everyone here suddenly." Fanserich looked around, "but I have a very important matter that must be announced today."

When everyone's eyes fell on him, he said slowly: "Before I tell you this, I have to tell you a long story. I hope you all have enough patience to listen to me."

His Majesty the Pope has said so, of course it is impossible for everyone to say "I don't have the patience to listen to you, so let's make a long story short", and they all put on an appearance of listening attentively.

Gustav frowned slightly. He knew that Vanserich would not just abdicate so obediently, and he would definitely do something to hinder him, but he couldn't think of what the other party would do, so he could only listen for the time being.

"This matter should start with the old Pope." Vanserich dropped such a beginning.

For the next hour, he was completely talking alone. Except for people like Yannick and Gustav who knew the inside story long ago, everyone had only one reaction: to stare at him blankly.

From the secrets of the past popes about the cracks in the plane, to the collusion between the old pope and monsters, from the last words of the old pope before his death, to the death of Alfonso VIII, these stories are like stories from the Arabian Nights, but they are truly presented in all In front of people, for them - opened the door to a new world.

It turned out that the Black Death was related to the Holy See.

It turns out that the appearance of the army of undead is related to the Holy See.

It turns out that even the invasion of monsters is related to the Holy See.

Can the Holy See still do a damn good thing? !

The Holy See of Light, which believes in the goddess of light and monopolizes the mainland's beliefs, turns out to be a villain through and through!

All the people present were dumbfounded. They thought to themselves that they were not good people. Although everyone appeared to be sanctimonious on the surface, there was no lack of intrigue in private. They used small tricks to attack political opponents and get more benefits, but they were not so mad. Compared with the old Pope, everyone has become a kind and good person!

What was even more surprising was Gustav. He felt that Vanserich might have been driven crazy by himself, and he actually disclosed all the things. Once these things were exposed, it was absolutely impossible for Vanserich to continue to serve as Pope. .

But he soon understood that Vanserich didn't want to leave anyone with any leverage to attack him. Instead of letting others hold on to this weakness, it's better to expose it himself and let everyone know. , the weakness is no longer a weakness, and the wound that has healed cannot bleed again.

More importantly, there are all priests present. Even if the old pope's actions are publicized, the reputation will only be damaged by the Holy See and these people present, so even if they know the old pope's character now, it is impossible Going out to publicize it, the card in Gustav's hand is tantamount to not being of much use.

In fact, putting aside so many descriptions, in Yannick's words, it is: put it to death and then live.

His Majesty the Pope who "put him to death" calmly described all this, including himself and Yannick's plan to kill Alfonso VIII, and then said: "Bishop Hutcheson can testify about this matter, maybe you still have it now If you don’t know what happened in the Charlemagne Empire, let him describe it.”

Bishop Hutcherson was called, and immediately stood up in a daze. He was nervous for a while, and his words were a little awkward: "Yes, yes, your majesty is right. Alfonso VIII is indeed a monster. He died. Now, the empire is still dealing with the aftermath..."

He was not there at the time, and only knew that Alfonso VIII was found to be a monster, and was dealt with by Yannick and Chris. He didn't expect His Majesty the Pope to get involved, but you can't talk nonsense on this occasion, he is honest People just pick what they know and tell the truth.

But Hutcherson's words still shocked many people present. Their reactions were similar to those of the nobles in the Charlemagne Empire. Even the pope colluded with monsters, and the emperor was infiltrated by monsters. Can the Holy See become the last piece of pure land?

However, Vanserich quickly threw out another sentence that made them unable to react: "In view of the old pope's affairs, I have a duty to know, and everyone knows that the old pope is my teacher. In order to avoid suspicion, I don't think I should fit for the post of pope."

Everyone was stunned, and even Adolf and Abel, who were behind Vanserich, were also extremely shocked. Obviously, they hadn't gotten any news before.

Fanserich said something just now, and his mind was a little more lively. Maybe he had already begun to think that someone would take the opportunity to force the Pope to step down, but they didn't expect that before others came, Vanserich would take the initiative to propose this matter. thing.

This is the first Pope to abdicate on his own initiative in thousands of years!

"However," Fanserich seems to be suffering from a certain kind of procrastination today. He always speaks slowly, and likes to divide a paragraph into several sections, but at this moment, no one cares about such things. became the focus of the entire meeting. "Before the re-election of the Pope, I will issue a final edict in my capacity as Pope."

"I object." Gustav said, "Given the serious mistakes made by the old pope, I have reason to doubt your integrity, and think that it is not appropriate for you to issue any edicts now, the pope's authority should be taken over by the archbishop. .”

"I also object!" Archbishop Hogan sneered. He reacted faster than the others. It was obvious that Gustav's blow last time made him harbor a grudge, and now he finally had the opportunity to quarrel openly. "No matter what the old Pope has done, Fanserich I only represents himself. More importantly, His Majesty has shown us his position with his own actions. If he is involved with the monster, Alfonso VIII How could his identity be revealed, and why did he have to confess all this to us? So I have every reason to believe in His Majesty's integrity, and think he should not abdicate for this!"

Archbishop Quinton clicked his tongue twice: "It's ridiculous! Not only is there no fault in colluding with monsters, but it's actually a credit. You only need to expose a monster and win everyone's trust back immediately. Do you think so? According to this With this kind of logic, I have every reason to suspect that His Majesty the Pope himself is possessed by a monster!"

Hogan stood up angrily and pointed at him: "Quinton, don't think that others don't know your dirty heart! Didn't you just take refuge in Gustav and want to take advantage of his position to gain benefits! Your house How much gold is hidden in the cellar, do you need me to count it for you!"

Quinton also stood up, and the two confronted each other: "Hogan, you are slandering the reputation of an archbishop, I can definitely initiate impeachment against you!"

"Why don't you two listen to His Majesty's resolution? It's too early to start arguing." A gentle voice intervened to stop the dispute from spreading and deteriorating in time. The silver-haired priest smiled easily. It is reminiscent of a leisurely tea time, rather than being in the scene of a tense meeting.

Hogan quickly stopped his voice. As Gustav's man, Quinton didn't need to give Yannick this face at all. He glanced at Gustav. The latter didn't express anything in particular, so he had no choice but to feel resentful. sit down.

After the noise in the conference room had quieted down, Fansherich said: "The content of this edict is that the number of bishops in the Holy See will be increased to nineteen. In other words, the seven bishops present can be promoted to For archbishops, a rotation system will be adopted at that time, that is to say, every five years, each archbishop has the opportunity and must be stationed in various countries."

Today's news is like a blockbuster, falling one after another, knocking everyone out.

Everyone blinked desperately, digesting this rich information.

There are twelve archbishops in the Central Vatican. This is a system that has been established since the establishment of the Vatican. The role of the archbishops, apart from being responsible for some affairs of the Central Vatican, is to elect the Pope.

But now Vanserich said that he would increase the number of archbishops from twelve to nineteen. What does this mean?

It means that from now on, there will be more people who have the right to elect the pope, and there will be more candidates who are eligible to become the pope.

No one could tell right away whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Even the archbishops who were loyal to Fanserich remained silent uncharacteristically.

In the strange atmosphere of silence, Yannick first asked: "Your Majesty, please allow me to ask."

Fanserich nodded: "I agree."

Yannick: "May I ask if this is good for us, and even for the Holy See?"

Fansherich: "The increase in the number of people means the increase in wisdom. The wisdom of nineteen people is better than that of twelve. I have never personally experienced the thoughts of the common people, but we must know that they are the basis for the survival of the Holy See, we must firmly grasp these people, and the rotation system of the archbishop will naturally help you understand the situation in the mainland better."

Yannick: "So for example, I used to be in charge of foreign affairs in the Central Holy See. When the five-year period expires, I need to take up a post in a certain country. Will the new archbishop disrupt the original order, or even replace him?" With someone he likes?"

This question was considered to be the key, and everyone listened with pricked ears.

Vanserich: "Of course not. All systems are ready-made. If you want to change any system, you need to propose it at the regular meeting of the archbishops and get the approval of more than half of the archbishops. This has not changed, but the number has increased. That's all. As for the personnel, when the archbishop takes office in the country, he can bring all the personnel he wants, which is not against the regulations. What I need to emphasize is that each person's term of office in each position is only five years , you must rotate every five years, of course, if you are lucky enough to serve as the archbishop for life, you may have many rotations to the same position."

With his explanation, everyone gradually realized that this is actually a win-win solution.

For the archbishops, although there are seven more people to share their power, in fact, according to this calculation, the archbishops are not at a loss, because in the past, they were regarded as a supreme honor and a symbol of status in the central Holy See. But in fact, living in the central government is no better than living in the local areas. Just look at Bishop Michel of the Principality of Mecklen. His life in the Principality of Mecklen can be described in one sentence: more nourishing than the emperor.If it weren't for the fall of the Principality of Mecklen this time, he had to run around, Bishop Michel would definitely cling to his position.

For the bishops, this is even more unexpected.They were promoted from bishop to archbishop for no reason, and they had more opportunities to be stationed in the center. Although this would lose some benefits, there is no doubt that their identities were plated with a layer of gold. Lose.

When everyone was thinking about the pros and cons carefully, Yannick asked again: "Your Majesty, in your opinion, do you want to abolish the position of bishop from now on?"

"Of course not," Fansherich said, "the number of bishops will also increase accordingly. Every archbishop should have two bishops as assistant priests, and they can also be backup candidates for the archbishop."

This kind of minutiae is no longer what everyone present needs to pay attention to, and it has nothing to do with their interests.

But Gustav now understands that Yannick Hill and Arthur Vaserich, one question and one answer, cooperate seamlessly, pretending to be the real thing, only fools can't see it , this is obviously designed early in the morning!