I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.

Joan said through gritted teeth, "Since we're going to die anyway, Roland, perhaps we should consider taking the initiative to bring Diana before the Pope for a talk."

Helena said, "Are you crazy, Joan! We're running for our lives right now."

Roland said, “No, Joan is right. The Papacy and we are now fish in the same pond. If the water dries up, we will all die together.”

Maria coughed and said, "Sir, your assessment may be a bit too optimistic. The Vatican is not in the same boat as us; they have plenty of options."

Roland said, “No, you don’t understand what Joan and I mean—they have no way out, because I will bring Diana along to talk to the Pope.”

Joan added, "It's not just the Pope; this bomb will remain in the Holy See. The Holy See will understand that if they let this get out of hand, the entire Holy City will perish with us."

Everyone finally understood what Roland and Joan meant.

The Holy See has always held beautiful fantasies about the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, some of them may believe that as long as they obediently tell the Kingdom of Heaven what happened, God will punish the sinners and protect the innocent.

Joan's intention was to directly kidnap the Holy See and tell them that if Heaven found out about this, they would not have a good end—don't even dream about it, even if you think God won't kill you along with us, we will still kill you.

Maria said with concern, “My lord, you are right. The people of the Holy Court are afraid of death; they will not give up their wealth and lives to be loyal to the gods.”

Therefore, this trick is useful for many, many people.

But His Majesty 'Andorra' is different from everyone else.

He was an incredibly loyal, stubborn, and steadfast man. He wouldn't consider his personal safety, nor would he consider the gains or losses of the world.
In his eyes, there is only God.

We need to be fully prepared if we want to talk to him.

Theresa wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Sir, Maria is right. We must do everything we can to cover up Diana's problem before we are ready."

"The Pope must never see Diana, and he must never know about these things."

Roland felt a growing pressure. Others might not know, but he knew very well that his situation was the same as Diana's. If the Pope could see that Diana had a problem, he would certainly see that he had one too.

The six servants of the Holy Spirit were all familiar with the Pope, and they all felt it would be difficult to get him to stick with them. They discussed many possible solutions, but ultimately couldn't come up with a better one.

By this time, the group had reached the second floor. Since the crowd in the square had not completely dispersed, they waited in the corridor for a while longer.

Brianna and Charles were talking in hushed tones about the Pope. Although their voices were low, they weren't trying to hide it from Roland, so Roland heard them.

It sounds like the two were discussing whether the Pope would return to the Holy See soon and whether it would be appropriate to arrange a meeting between Prince Alaye and the Pope.

Interestingly, Charles said that 'it is not appropriate for the Pope to meet publicly with Prince Alaye at this time'.

Brianna, on the other hand, mentioned the Pope's health with some concern—she seemed genuinely worried about him.

Roland feigned curiosity and probed for information, obtaining a piece of news that greatly interested him.

The Pope recently fell seriously ill, and he felt that his time was coming to an end. He wanted to bypass the Cardinals and designate his successor.

There have indeed been similar cases in the history of the South. Due to factors such as political situation, war, or divine grace or punishment, the new pope was appointed by the previous pope without being elected by the cardinal order, or he ascended to the throne directly because of a divine oracle.

At that time, the North and South were at war, which perfectly fits this situation.

Therefore, the Pope of Andorra, feeling his death was imminent, planned to have his chosen successor succeed him. However, this plan failed due to the covert obstruction of the cardinals.

This successor is 'Harland'.

He was a staunch reformer.

The Reformists have been in power for many years, and many of their policies are inconsistent with doctrine. There is considerable internal opposition. Especially after the Church's defeat in Malroy, more and more people feel that the Reformists' approach is too radical.

There are even rumors that the Kingdom of Heaven dislikes innovation.

Therefore, there are many people within the Cardinal Order who secretly oppose the reforms. When the Pope was alive, everyone was a supporter of the reformists; now that he is about to die, all the opponents have come out.

More importantly, although Harland was highly capable and prestigious, and had a great many disciples, many of his disciples did not believe he would be a good leader.

Because he was too determined.

Like Pope Andorra, Harland was not only an extremely devout believer but also an idealist. Worse still, this idealist possessed the practical ability and experience to put his ideals into practice.

What's worse, this guy, like the Pope, is a damn ascetic, with an extremely high level of purity. Moreover, he is unwavering in his actions and unmoved by external things.

Calling him an innovator is an understatement; calling him a revolutionary is more accurate!

If he comes to power, let alone enjoying the good life with him, no one will have a good life.

He will surely take advantage of this major upheaval in the North and South to launch a comprehensive and radical reform within the church, thoroughly implement what Andorra failed to do, and transform the church to welcome a new era.

Even if the King of Alaye takes away his scepter, the Church of Light and Shadow will continue to exist under its new identity. Harland, having abdicated the papacy, will become the leader of the Church of Light and Shadow as a successful revolutionary.

This was entirely a good thing, but in the eyes of the bishops, it was worse than the ascension of the King of Alaye.

At least the King of Alaye, for political reasons, will not seize their privately hoarded wealth and land, nor will he engage in any back-and-forth or reforms within the Church of Light and Shadow.

Therefore, not only the hidden conservatives, but also many reformers jumped out to oppose Harland's rise to power.

Therefore, due to the collective opposition of the cardinal order, the Pope failed to appoint his successor.

Fortunately, the Pope survived this ordeal and recovered from his illness. Otherwise, given the Church's efficiency, by the time the wizards reached the Holy City, many candidates would still be busy bribing their way to power.

Roland had always known that the internal strife within the church was very serious, but he did not expect that even now, with the situation on the front lines so dire, they were still fighting amongst themselves.

However, he was more concerned about something else than the internal strife within the church.

As Prince Regent Charles now lamented: "The gods have endowed His Majesty Andorr with everything—excellent character, unwavering will, and supreme power. But they have not given him the power to defy the laws of nature."

Prince Charles was not a reformer; he was even somewhat conservative. However, he had immense respect for the Pope and believed that, given the current situation, continuing to implement the Pope's policies was the most correct choice.

This would allow the Church of Light and Shadow to continue to exist, and would also give the Orbis a support system.

The Pope possesses supreme power, like a supreme god among mortals. Yet, he is still a mortal. Although protected by the gods, he will not die violently due to external factors, but he will still fall ill and grow old.

A serious illness could take him away.

He had already had a near-death experience; if the goddess Heracles hadn't refused to take him in, he would have died.

But everyone knows that the Pope's time is drawing near.

Brianna asked, "I heard that His Majesty Andor has once again refused the elixir of immortality and the sacred fruit?"

Charles sighed, “Or rather, he knows that these things are no longer of any use to him. He is too old, and perhaps a cold will be his last before he returns to the embrace of the goddess Heracles.”

During their conversation, Roland couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for the Pope of Andorra.

But Roland couldn't help but have a thought in mind—to kill the Pope with illness.

Without a doubt, the Pope of Andorra is the same kind of person as the King of a Thousand Eyes. Judging from some of Charles's remarks, the Pope's political views are very much to Roland's liking.

If the Pope can maintain good health, the power transition between Alaye and Orbis will proceed smoothly.

If he had lived a few more years, then after Roland took office, the outgoing 'Andorra' would have worked with the wizards to eradicate the corruption in the south and complete the reform of the Cult of Light and Shadow as the patriarch of the cult.

A pure, idealistic sect of light and shadow, adapted to the productivity of the new era, will be reborn from the ashes.

This is a great thing for the Church of Light and Shadow, for the Eastern Realm, and even for the entire world. Therefore, he is a key figure who can play a positive role.

What is even more admirable is that he accomplished what the first pope of the New Society failed to do—God governs God, and man governs man.

He made the gods relinquish some of their authority, granting human beings human rights.

Although the church holds this human right in its own hands and does not delegate it to believers, the church has indeed reclaimed human rights from God's hands back to humanity.

If he continues to rule, the church will relinquish its undue rights, and believers will gain true rights and freedoms, just like the northerners. They may even be able to learn to read, write, and study magic.

Without a doubt, the Pope of Andorra has done many things that are beneficial to the whole world.

However, he himself was not on the side of humanity—whether it was fighting against God for human rights, reforming the church, or advocating for the study of magic.
Everything he did was to ensure that the power of the gods would continue in the new era, and that the gods would continue to perfectly rule the world.

Everything he did was to uphold God, not man.

If he discovers that someone is doing something harmful to the gods, then even if it benefits all of humanity, he will not hesitate to stand on the side of the gods and nip the danger in the bud.

He appears to be doing what the wizards of the East are doing, but in essence, he is completely opposed to them.

Because the wizards wanted to completely expel divine authority.

Once the Pope learns that the Dawn Renewal Society's allegiance is feigned, and that their true aim is to free the world from the gods and secure a path to survival, he will become the greatest obstacle to the world's march toward the light.

Therefore, in Roland's view, he prostrated himself before the gods because he was a hypocrite.

The Pope refused to kneel before the gods because he was a true traitor!

Moreover, the Pope of Andorra has now become a noose around Roland's neck.

Roland was very worried that once the Pope discovered his affair with Diana, the Pope would expose it even knowing that the gods would completely destroy the world, and then personally help the gods destroy the world.

Therefore, in Roland's view, Andorra, that old egg, had to die.

Once he dies, those corrupt, greedy, and cowardly parasites within the church will rise to power.

This group of people is utterly vile and worthless. But they have one advantage over Andorra: they clearly understand that they are human and will steadfastly protect their own interests, rather than protecting the interests of the gods at any cost.

Of course, if possible, Roland would still try to get Harland and Johnson in power.

Roland immediately manipulated the straw puppets in the Sanctuary, flipping through the books on the people who were reading the scriptures, trying to find some information about the Pope.

For example, daily routines, eating habits, etc.

Perhaps it was the favor of Lady Luck, but the 'John the Bookman' whom Charles introduced to Roland was a high-ranking figure in the Holy See. He often served the Pope, so the books contained a lot of information about the Pope.

The bad thing is that these contents are written in a very, very exaggerated way, like myths.

If you let a church-run sheep read this, the sheep will surely believe it.

But anyone with a brain would see that these things are all fake.

For example, the actual executions that occur today are completely different from the records of people in the classics.

The records of the book's authors are inconsistent in terms of time, place, and people, and are also riddled with lies.

What's even more disgusting is that the entire book is filled with the nauseating flattery of the Orbis and the Church.

Rather than saying that the writers recorded history, it would be more accurate to say that they used historical records as a tool to demonstrate their loyalty to the Church and the Orbis.

The new Bible compiled by the Church of Light and Shadow is based on excerpts from the records of various biblical writers.

The new scriptures of the Orbis era are clearly different from the old scriptures of the Alaya era.

The former seems like a true myth, depicting a beautiful and sacred world, but it is all lies.

The latter may seem like the ramblings of a madman, filled with records of madness and absurdity, but it is all the truth!
Even the most holy and pure scribes in the church have been corrupted into machines that produce lies by worldly forces and their own desires.

So, in this holy city, what is there that is not a lie?

Having withdrawn the last wisp of mental energy controlling the puppet, Roland looked out the window at the gradually dispersing crowd in the square, and began to ponder.

For some reason, the image of the woman crying out that her loved ones had been killed by an evil god flashed through his mind.

The scribes were fabricating stories, the rulers were putting on an act, and the people seemed to be putting on an act as well.

Because this is a world full of lies.

Here, loyalty and devotion are all that's needed to gain anything. Therefore, lying becomes the primary element for survival.

In this environment, loyalty and faith have become dispensable.

Because lies can weave everything.

You can get everything by lying. You have to lie to achieve your goals.

In the South, those who stand in the highest positions are not necessarily the most loyal or most faithful people, but they are certainly very good at lying and acting.

Roland suddenly realized that the Pope of Andorra seemed to be an extremely peculiar anomaly. He appeared to be the only person in the entire Holy City who still possessed genuine faith and did not lie.

He was out of step with the entire church and with all believers and followers.

Why did he struggle so hard to move forward under such circumstances?

Roland could understand his father-in-law, the Thousand-Eyed King's, actions. He had given up everything and was willing to sacrifice some things to achieve his goal by any means necessary. What he sought was to create a truly ideal world so that the civilization he represented could be passed down and future generations could live better lives.

Truth, wisdom, and tradition were my father-in-law's driving forces. As a man of faith, he adhered to the beliefs of a shaman, and all his actions were perfectly justified.

But what about the Pope?
Why does he relentlessly pursue his goal, regardless of any obstacles or means?

Was it to create a sheepfold that resembled hell for the gods, so that the gods could devour his relatives and fellow humans and live a better life?
It's normal for a believer whose brain has been brainwashed to have such thoughts.

For example, the residents of the holy city who live in lies and have made lies their faith.

But is the Pope that kind of person? (End of Chapter)