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Chapter 79 Historical Figures
After leaving Lin Qing in the shop, Chen Xuan followed Zhen De out of the main hall. Outside was a meticulously manicured lawn with a white path paved with square stone slabs in the middle.

He saw two church-like buildings standing on either side of the meadow, making a total of three, including the one behind him. The one in the middle was probably the main hall Joan of Arc had mentioned, because it was much larger and more exquisite than the other two. The spires-like pillars spread out on both sides of the hall, and the pillars were connected to the main building by horizontal walls, like wings growing from the hall.

This structure serves no purpose other than being load-bearing or providing storage space; it's purely aesthetic. However, the fact that so many resources are invested in this non-functional decoration is itself a testament to their capabilities.

"Where is this?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

“Versailles Cathedral,” Joan of Arc explained as she led the way. “It was built to commemorate the victory in the war. It’s very close to Paris, so there’s no need to travel all the way to Reims for celebrations and ceremonies anymore.”

Does Versailles have this?

Chen Xuan had absolutely no recollection of it.

"Huh? What is that?"

He was suddenly drawn to three statues beside the grass.

One of the sculptures is clearly Joan of Arc, her short hair, military attire, and the flag tightly gripped in one hand making her quite recognizable. The other is also a woman, completely wrapped in a long robe, with many small bags hanging from her waist, and holding a short staff in her hand.

But the third person is quite strange.

He is a man, dressed in a shirt and sweatpants, even wearing walking shoes, with ventilation holes meticulously carved out by the sculptor. His arms are outstretched, as if he is holding something, and a stone sculpture resembling a long sword sits alone behind him.

Putting aside the fact that the three statues are dressed in such different styles, the last statue's face... does it look a bit like me?

"So, are you satisfied?" Joan of Arc said with a smile. "I have described your appearance to the sculptor as best I could."

It really is me!
Chen Xuan was shocked. If this had been left for several hundred years, wouldn't he have become a historical figure?

"Why carve this?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

“After His Majesty exonerated me, he also admitted the mistakes he had made, so he decided to build a statue for the person who contributed the most to the victory in the war, so that this story would be passed down forever,” Joan of Arc explained. “At first, he only intended to erect a statue of the Saint Maiden of Orléans, but I felt that winning the war so quickly was not my achievement alone, so later he added a statue of the messenger of the gods and a statue of the witch.”

"And this divine messenger, of course, refers to you."

Chen Xuan was shocked.

"I think... it would be better to make the statue's face a little more blurred."

"Why?" Joan of Arc asked, puzzled.

“I am not the only one who conveys the Lord’s will. A divine messenger must first be a messenger, and then a person. Therefore, he should not be a specific individual,” Chen Xuan replied solemnly.

What if the Dimensional Restriction Agency sends Crazy Judy over again? Wouldn't she understand everything once she sees this statue? So it has to be changed, at least her facial features need to be altered!
"I see." Joan of Arc said thoughtfully. "I will report this to His Majesty."

As the two approached the entrance to the main hall, the fully armed armored warriors knelt down on one knee and saluted him.

Chen Xuan couldn't pretend to be stupid, because he could clearly feel that these people were focusing their attention on him, not on Joan of Arc who was leading the way.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Joan of Arc smiled knowingly. "It seems that whether it's the Papacy or the nobility, our way of expressing piety cannot truly reach God's heart. But please don't refuse, after all, it's the only thing we can do."

"And who is that witch statue?" To ease the awkwardness, Chen Xuan changed the subject.

“Aidar Joy, Chief of the Secret Gathering Places”.

Chen Xuan was truly baffled. Joan of Arc was falsely accused of being a witch and executed. Only thirty years had passed, yet the statue of the witch had been moved into the cathedral and become a hero worshipped by everyone.
"Aren't witches... no longer considered heretics?"

“Yes, they all owe their lives to you.” Joan of Arc nodded. “However, this is a long story, and we can talk about it after we have met His Majesty.” The two had now walked down a long corridor and arrived at a very spacious hall.

Even the dome here is covered with beautiful patterns, and a striking golden cross hangs in the center of the high wall at the far end.

Several groups of people were gathered at the foot of the cross. Those on the left were all dressed in black robes, while those on the right were dressed as nobles and officials.

The man standing in the center is probably King Charles VII of France.

He wore a crown, a silk robe, and held a ruby ​​scepter in his hand.

Sure enough, Joan of Arc walked directly up to him, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, this is His Excellency the Divine Messenger. I found his trail in the Temple of Mary."

"As expected of God's messenger, he has managed to connect his residence to the Versailles Cathedral." King Charles marveled, looking at Chen Xuan with curiosity as if trying to confirm whether he truly represented God. "Your appearance is indeed as the wanderer said, somewhat resembling the people of the Eastern world."

The Wanderer? Chen Xuan's vigilance immediately rose. Could he be referring to the Wanderer?

"May I ask, Your Majesty, who are these wanderers?"

"Anyone who comes from the East, whether a merchant or an explorer, we call them wanderers... because to get here, they have to cross thousands of mountains and rivers and experience many risks, and the word 'wanderer' is just right for them."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan felt a little relieved.

The Charles VII before him was a robust fifty-year-old man, with an upright posture and bright, piercing eyes. He spoke with Joan of Arc with ease and friendliness. If one hadn't personally witnessed the palace upheaval, it would be hard to believe he had ever had a grudge against the saint. Since Joan of Arc had chosen to forgive, Chen Xuan naturally wouldn't say anything more. "May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to see me about?"

“I heard from Joan of Arc that you rescued her from the brink of defeat twenty years ago and helped her defeat the evil English invaders in one fell swoop, for which I am deeply grateful,” Charles said sincerely. “Now the enemy has crossed the sea again, and their momentum is even more ferocious than last time, so I earnestly request that you help France once more and pull the believers of the Lord out of the encirclement of the minions of hell.”

Chen Xuan became suspicious. If France hadn't been defeated, then Britain should have been severely weakened. Why was it able to make a comeback so quickly?

"You can't beat them?" he asked directly.

"Uh……"

Charles looked at Joan of Arc with some difficulty, and she immediately explained for him, “If the enemy were just the British army, I would be confident that I could drive them back to sea no matter how many times they came. But this time is different. They have made a pact with hell and have received assistance from inhuman forces. Their ships are incredibly powerful and almost never sink. We have no strength to fight them at sea. All ports have been blockaded by the enemy, and all maritime trade routes have been cut off.”

Non-human forces? Wait a minute... Chen Xuan suddenly realized something was wrong. It turned out that the hellish allies that Joan of Arc mentioned when they met were not an exaggeration, but a statement of fact?

"Does the all-knowing God not know that such terrible blasphemy is happening in the world?" someone in the group of people in black robes suddenly asked. "Or is it that God's gaze has never been upon us..."

“Malena!” Joan interrupted, “Do not speak of my lord’s intentions.”

“…I’m sorry.” This person seemed to have great respect for Joan of Arc. As soon as the other party spoke, she immediately changed her tone. “Since Your Excellency seems to be unaware of this, then I will demonstrate it for you.”

“That’s fine.” Joan of Arc nodded. “This will save us a lot of talking.”

Marlena took out some powder from a small pouch in her waist pouch, tossed it into the air, and then muttered incantations—the powder suddenly ignited in mid-air, producing a large amount of smoke; against the backdrop of this smoke, Chen Xuan saw a series of blurry images.

The sailing warship burst forth from below the sea level and collided violently with the ship in the viewpoint. The crew members of the warship jumped onto the deck and engaged in close combat with the soldiers in blue and white uniforms.

Almost none of the crew members were human; they were either mermaids or tentacled monsters, some of whom could even fly, resembling large bats with fluttering fleshy wings.

The image lasted only a few dozen seconds before dissipating with the smoke, but what it revealed was astonishing.

In Chen Xuan's view, this was simply an army composed of demons!

(End of this chapter)