Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 175 The Wave of Secular Public Opinion

The Papal States, the City of Grace - Goris.

Cardinal Tossa Ismael stood at the door of the prayer room, frowning slightly as he looked at the cardinals gathered in front of the door and engaged in a heated argument.

"Everyone, please withdraw. His Majesty will not see you today..."

A high-ranking judge in pure white robes stepped out from the crowd and angrily asked, "Sir Ismael, are we just going to sit back and watch those heretical wizards of the Union so brazenly blaspheme our Lord?"

Another bishop, his white robe embroidered with gold thread, stepped forward and whispered, "It wasn't long ago that high-level spellcasters brazenly attacked the church's monastery in the Principality of Barclay? Now they're openly claiming that our bloodline divine gift ritual is derived from the same source as the demonic secret medicine..."

Someone in the crowd chimed in, "The demon summoning and believer corruption incidents that occurred in the Evil Moon Mine... who knows if these wizards secretly condoned and tolerated them..."

Ismael looked around and found that those who took the initiative to protest were almost all high-ranking members of the Divine Punishment Church whom he was familiar with.

"What do you want? With the demon army approaching, restart the war with the Federation and the seven wizard kingdoms and wash away the shame with blood?"

The cardinal paused, then asked in an increasingly stern tone, "Or do you think that, apart from those spellcasters, relying solely on the priests, the Inquisition Army, and those ordinary, powerless believers, we can keep the demons at the gates of Blackstone City and prevent them from even setting foot in human territory?"

Since the Church, the Federation and the Wizarding Kingdom signed a pact of non-aggression, although the two sides still have constant friction and conflicts in private, they still need to maintain peace on the surface. This is not only to jointly resist powerful foreign enemies, but also to cooperate and seek their own interests.

The article published in the latest issue of the Federation Bulletin was not complicated or obscure. It mainly objectively described how to use the demon race's unique transformation device, magical substances rich in magic energy and magical creatures to replicate a demon blood-strengthening potion with exactly the same effect.

The paper begins with an evaluation of the paper by the Federation's chief, Kemo Salas. Ismael had met this chief several times in Black Rock City when he was young, and he knew very well that he was a legendary spellcaster who was extremely fanatical about the study of magic and obsessed with seeking the ultimate way of magic.

Since the other party dared to make such an evaluation and attached the complete process, materials and experimental design of the entire experiment, the authenticity of the experimental results is beyond doubt and there is no need to worry about others repeating the verification.

The words of His Holiness the Pope echoed in Ismael's mind again, gradually calming him down.

"Just a potion formula that simulates a bloodline strengthening ritual makes you doubt the legitimacy of divine gifts? Mortals have always wanted to usurp the authority of the gods, and this has been going on for thousands of years!"

"They have only just groped their way to the gate of our Lord's holy kingdom, and yet you are so panicked and thrown into disarray? Aren't you the ones who truly need to repent and pray, and reflect on why your faith is so shaky?"

A few cardinals and judges bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and began to pray softly. However, most of the stubborn ones still held their heads high and said with gritted teeth, "Lies! Blasphemy! Depravity! We can no longer tolerate those evil extraordinary wizards!"

"Your Holiness, please come out in person and prove to us the irrationality of these heresies!"

"I want to meet with His Majesty personally and ask him to issue a direct condemnation to the Federation!"

"The gift of divine bloodline must never be questioned. Could it be that we have misunderstood our Lord's revelation?"

The crowd was in an uproar. Ismael looked at the cardinals and high-ranking judges, whose expressions varied, from bewildered to furious. Helplessly, he raised the papal scepter and shouted, "Your Majesty has asked me to ask you: Why are you wavering in your faith and looking for excuses to vent your shame and anger?"

"Have you forgotten the revelations and teachings of our Lord? Have you forgotten the oracles clearly recorded in the scriptures that you study every day?"

"My Lord's divine authority has never been in the flesh and blood, but in the souls of all living beings!"

Potions that can strengthen blood and flesh are not limited to the demons' unique strengthening potions. The Alchemy Exploration Society, a research school with a more radical attitude than the Federation, has long disclosed several alchemical drugs and devices that can improve the caster's physique and transform the body.

They are just under their strict supervision, and the alliance treaty strictly prohibits the use of these potions and devices on ordinary mortals.

Moreover, during the hundreds of years of its development, the church itself had continuously weakened the medicinal properties of the formula potions for bloodline strengthening rituals and secretly granted them to secular aristocratic groups that were inclined towards the church, allowing them to cultivate a large number of low-level bloodline warriors who were unable to be promoted.

Among these bloodline warriors, many have turned into wizard followers of spellcasters.

Ismael himself learned from many secret historical texts of the church that successive popes had continuously introduced magical principles researched by spellcasters to improve the ancient divine arts handed down by the church, thus adding a lot of power to them.

"The flesh and blood body is only an external object that will eventually decay; the soul is the important essence that constitutes life."

"The true gift bestowed by the Lord on all things is the creation of souls, not the strengthening of flesh and blood. It is because you fail to truly understand the will of our Lord as expressed in the Holy Scriptures that you are so foolishly and impatiently wavering in your faith."

Cardinal Ismael, holding the scepter personally bestowed by the Pope, asked a series of questions and explained things that restored calm to the bishops and judges who were in chaos.

"The above is what His Holiness the Pope told me personally. Everyone, the most important thing right now is to face your true inner thoughts and reconstruct your interpretation and understanding of the Holy Scriptures."

"In each of the dioceses under your charge, immediately arrange for priests and pastors to convey His Majesty's will and quickly stabilize people's hearts..."

The cardinal gave clear instructions in an orderly manner. The cardinals and judges who received the instructions left one after another. After everyone had left, Ismael put away the papal scepter in his hand, slowly turned around and returned to the small prayer room.

"I have done my best to appease the bishops and judges and calm their emotions... Your Majesty."

Pope XIII was still wearing the gray robe commonly seen among lower-class priests. He was leaning over a stone platform with several copper lamps burning, praying softly. He had a hunched body and pale hair and beard, and looked like an ordinary old believer.

"Don't worry too much about this... Ismail."

"The issue you really need to focus on right now is the corruption of believers in the Evil Moon Mountain Diocese, who are now summoning high-level demons..."

"Compared to the temptations and provocations of the Union's spellcasters, those ancient demons who feed on mortal desires are the real threat that can shake the faith of believers and erode our authority!"

(End of this chapter)