Throne of the North.

Chapter 682 The Emperor of the Empire (Part Six)
Columbus III was getting anxious.

After the Pope arrived in the capital, the emperor of the empire was eagerly anticipating the Feast of Grace.

As emperor, with supreme royal power, his authority reached its zenith through the Pope. For several days in a row, the emperor urged the preparations for the Cathedral of Light to be completed.

The person in charge of this matter was a member of the royal family, Türk Columbus.

Dressed in magnificent clothes, Türk was already living in the Cathedral of Light, which was located in the south of the imperial capital. This was because when the light was at its peak, the sun was in the south, which was also the area with the highest population flow.

The emperor issued another order, the twenty-ninth such urging in the past month. Turck felt immense pressure, even with nearly 100,000 slaves working as laborers around the Cathedral of Light.

He hadn't slept for days, but his strong vitality allowed him to persevere. As the emperor's pressure mounted, Turck could only keep putting pressure on those below him.

"Damn it, get moving!"

Of course, he didn't need to participate personally. Just like an emperor, he only needed to issue orders, and he only needed to use his anger to force the slaves to act more quickly.

Of course, none of that is the key point. The key point is those extraordinary individuals. In order to make the ceremony of the Cathedral of Light magnificent enough, the emperor invited a large number of magicians and knights to participate, so much so that the highest point of the Cathedral of Light is now over 100 meters high.

Standing on it, you can even see the prosperity of the capital city and the imperial palace through the city walls.

Clearly, the emperor was also standing inside the palace, looking at the Cathedral of Light.

The ceremonial arrangements for the Cathedral of Light are now down to the final three steps, with ten days remaining... even Turke couldn't be sure.

"Lord Tasi, how much longer will it take to complete the Star Magic Array?"

Unable to disrespect the mage as he would a slave, Turck had no choice but to approach the legendary mage himself and inquire.

One of the Empire's ten legendary mage honorees, Lord Tasi, known as "Star," is speculated by a small number of powerful mages to have lived for over a thousand years.

Hearing Turck's suppressed anxiety, Lord Tasi reacted somewhat slowly, and after a long while, he looked up at the sky as if he had just woken up.

"The stars are dim... the magic circle's power is probably not as good as expected."

"What do you mean?"

Turck's voice suddenly rose, as he was entirely counting on this achievement to secure a better position from His Majesty the Emperor.

If he messes it up, he's doomed.

"Little one, don't you understand? The stars are dim, and the magic circle's power has greatly decreased."

"As for the magic circle, it has already been set up. All that is needed is to draw down the sun's rays, which will complete the final link of the magic circle."

Turck didn't understand anything about the stars dimming; he only heard that the magic circle was complete, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. He also became obsequious towards Lord Tasi the Mage.

"Then I'll leave it to Your Excellency Tasi. I'll go and urge those damned peasants to finish building the sundial right now."

In the square in front of the Cathedral of Light, there is a sundial with a diameter of over thirty meters, which is a single piece inlaid with agate and gemstones. It was forged by hundreds of the best craftsmen in the capital city and it records the concentration of divine power of the god of light in the sky 24 hours a day.

Golden sunlight shone down from the sky overhead, finally landing on the sundial and radiating a sacred glow. It spread and sprinkled on every inch of the hundred-meter-high Cathedral of Light, making the entire Pope feel as if he were bathed in the gaze of the gods.

This is the Cathedral of Light, a collection of wonders, and Türk is incredibly proud of this masterpiece, even though he has no direct connection to it, since he is, after all, the highest-ranking administrator here.

"Will it take so many days to dig in the last hour?"

Turck, however, was less patient with these craftsmen, loudly questioning them. The craftsmen, not daring to object, could only reply:

"Master, the last mark is made of deep-sea crystal from the Western Sea. Even if we use all our strength, we can only grind a few grains of powder off this substance. But rest assured, Master, we will definitely finish before the Festival of Divine Grace."

To be honest, these craftsmen were also troubled. They didn't understand why His Majesty the Emperor didn't let those extraordinary craftsmen who could forge legendary weapons forge this sundial, but instead used ordinary people like them. The vast majority of materials embedded in this sundial were extraordinary. How could the power of mortals leave any marks?

The only way is to wait and work it out, and accumulate it day by day with a large number of people.

As for benefits? Don't even think about them. They were conscripted here, and apart from receiving bread and an egg every day, they even had to bring their own tools.

Many people are already exhausted and have developed problems, but there is nothing they can do about it.

They thought to themselves, "May the Feast of Grace come soon."

"We must complete the sundial as quickly as possible!"

Turck solemnly gave the order, and then told the slaves around him to quickly move the stones. This sundial was not just placed on the ground; huge stones supported it, and there was even a large underground space. If you cut it open, you would see that the sundial stood on a huge stone pillar.

Turck's order reached the knights' ears, and their response was straightforward: they drew their whips and lashed them through the air. When they saw several slaves make a mistake, they simply lashed them out.

"Get up quickly!"

Türk didn't care at all. He himself had done similar things many times during the construction of the Cathedral of Light, and no one thought there was anything wrong with their behavior.

But today is different.

The Pope of Dawn has arrived. In an empire where the authority of the four Grand Dukes has been suppressed by the Emperor, the Pope of Dawn, this 'guest' from afar, has become the only one who does not need to care about the Emperor's majesty.

He appeared at the construction site of the Cathedral of Light without anyone knowing when.

His snow-white, reflective papal robes were so dazzling on this land full of muddy people that when the pope appeared, everyone knelt down, worried that the filthy land would stain his robes.

To these slaves, it made no difference whether it was an emperor or a pope.

"The Lord is merciful."

The Pope stopped the knight's whip from falling, and the knight froze on the spot, his scalp tingling as he lowered his head. He couldn't kneel down, but he also knew that he had no right to stand in front of the Pope.

When Turck saw the Pope, he was also shocked, and then felt extremely troubled. He was not qualified to speak with the Pope, and he did not know why the Pope was here.

"Whether it is dawn or daylight, you are all believers of my Lord. May the glory of the Lord watch over your piety."

The Pope's voice echoed throughout the Cathedral of Light, and countless slaves' eyes lit up with anticipation, while only the knights remained bewildered.

Turck could almost see that His Majesty the Emperor was absolutely dissatisfied. Fortunately, the Pope did not do anything more; he simply stood in the square of the Cathedral of Light, in front of the sundial, helping the craftsmen complete the carving of the last mark, and then gazed at the great Pope bathed in light for a long time.

As the sun began to set, Pope Solarion left, and his actions reassured many.

Compared to the emperor's apparent anxiety, the pope's attitude was much more relaxed. For several days after leaving the Cathedral of Light, Solarion traveled throughout the capital city.

He went to the streets where nobles gathered, as well as to the magic academy and the knight academy, and even entered the arena to watch the warriors fight. His sensitive identity meant that no one in the entire capital city dared to stop the Pope.

In just one week, the Pope's footsteps reached every corner of the capital city, except for the palace, letting everyone know what the Pope looked like and what kind of majesty he possessed.

In just one week, without Solarian doing anything, tens of thousands of his followers appeared in the capital city. These people spontaneously followed the Pope, giving him a sudden and powerful presence.

"I knew he was up to no good!"

In his palace, the emperor finally lost his temper once again; now only the Pope could provoke him to such an extent.

The emperor was furious at the pope's actions. He had indeed done nothing, but his very existence was spreading the faith of the Dawn.

"The Empire is a land of light."

The emperor no longer turns a blind eye to the pope's actions. Archduke Meyers is helpless; now he is the only one in the capital city with sufficient status and position.

Archduke Meyers went to visit Pope Dawn, and his task for the last two days was to keep the Pope from wandering around.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Excellency Meyers."

Solarian's voice was strong and resonant. Grand Duke Meyers was quite old and had lived through the long history of the empire for over a hundred years. The two were old friends.

"I can feel the gods devouring your soul."

"Your bloodline is suffering from a terrible curse. Even though you used the essence of the gods to isolate the curse, it still causes you unbearable pain."

"When you die, your bloodline will suffer eternal wrath."

Solarion looked at Grand Duke Meyers with this expression. He had been walking around the capital city in a relaxed manner for a week, but the Pope of Dawn had never been a gentle ruler. For decades, he had always presented a domineering image.

At this moment, he saw the most terrifying hidden danger in Meyers.

Grand Duke Meyers' expression darkened, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent as he looked at the Pope. He couldn't understand how Solarion had figured it out.

"Is this your conflict with the North? Are you trying to use the Northwind Province of the Empire to purify your bloodline?"

The Pope pressed his advantage, and from the very beginning, their exchange was filled with tension, with the Pope effectively shutting down everything Archduke Meyers wanted to say.

"How did you tell?"

"Grand Duke Meyers asked aggressively."

“The great gods have blessed my eyes, and my eyes can see everything. But seeing you, Grand Duke Meyers, I understand now. This is the price your Flor Empire pays for blasphemy.”

“Blasphemy will come at a terrible price; you are destined to die in the wrath of the great being.”

Solarion looked down at Grand Duke Meyers with a commanding gaze.

"The Empire will never be a match for Dawn. Even if the Empire achieves a temporary victory, it is still not enough compared to Dawn's thousands of years of accumulation."

“I have already foreseen the empire’s downfall, which is not far off.”

Grand Duke Meyers also calmed down.

"The Empire will not fail, the Empire will continue to grow strong, the God of Light will not fall, and the Flor Empire will be the sun that never sets on the land of Norris."

"You can curse the death of the God of Light, and perhaps then you will witness the decline of the empire."

The two were at loggerheads, neither willing to give in, and their exchange naturally ended unhappily.

……

The nobles of the empire have been arriving in the capital city one after another, and there is only one day left until the Festival of Divine Grace.

The atmosphere in the capital city reached its peak. Today, in the heart of the empire, everyone was able to enjoy warm eggs and bread, a rare occurrence. The emperor generously granted everyone a holiday, and tens of thousands of people prayed at home for the divine blessing of light.

They firmly believed that on the day His Majesty the Emperor of Flor was crowned Pope of Light tomorrow, the immortal God of Light would bestow divine grace upon His faithful believers.

Inside the palace, Columbus III and the royal family were already prepared.

"The Radiant Sacrifice Array, composed of twelve divine origins, will surely attract the attention of the Immortal Light, and He will bestow divine gifts upon us."

"But our goal is not the sleeping god of light."

"We worship His eyes, which surround the sun and represent direct light, brilliance, and brightness. Legend has it that the Lord watches over all worlds and is omnipresent. However, the Lord's great followers cannot travel that fast. The Eternal Gaze, one of His thirteen great followers, needs to travel for eight minutes to reach our world."

"The God of Light is asleep. If we awaken Him, no one can be sure whether He will favor the Empire. However, if we worship the [Eternal Gaze], and invite Him at the cost of awakening Him, He will surely become a friend of the Empire."

"Like the gaze of the immortal god of light, whether good or bad, His eyes will return all things in the world to the eternal heaven."

"He will become the protector of the empire, and He will also perform the most glorious coronation ceremony for Your Majesty."

Columbus III smiled with satisfaction and said:

“Then let’s prepare. Dawn, Eternal Gaze, Fransca, I have heard of His name before.”

"You will eventually be supreme."

Behind him, thousands of fanatical members of the royal family knelt down, looking at their king.

The Feast of Grace has arrived.

(End of this chapter)