I am a hero of the former civilization.

The quaint houses, quiet alleyways, and bustling cafes had nothing to do with the things in the paintings, but Ryan wasn't stupid.

"Is this a depiction of the future?"

"Maybe I'm just emptying my mind and letting my hands depict what I see."

What you see is different from what I see; it has long transcended the physical meaning of vision.

"You mean something bad is going to happen in Rome?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no."

Ah, that's why I hate charlatans; they're not scientific at all.

Ryan scratched his neck and slowly straightened up: "Shall we continue?"

“Of course, if you fear the future, you will inevitably feel lost. With you here, the future is not necessarily what it will be like.” Aponia felt a pang of pity, and Ryan, seeing this, did not feel annoyed as Qian Jie did.

Putting yourself in someone else's shoes and trying to predict the future is really not a good thing. People with a weak mindset will eventually be driven crazy, which is what is meant by:

The most painful part of beheading is the period before the blade comes down.

"Okay, let's go to the cathedral then."

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you doubt me.” Aponia’s face was full of apology; it was indeed a bit of a downer.

Ryan waved his hand dismissively and paid the money to the idle painter.

"Don't worry, I won't be affected."

"Because of power?"

“No, because I firmly believe that even if you know the ending, fate can be changed. So-called foresight can only provide warnings.” Ryan answered without hesitation. When it comes to spoilers, he knows more than Aponia. If he was afraid of the end, what was he busy with now?

But this confidence was different in Aponia's eyes. Her azure eyes widened slightly for a moment before returning to normal.

"You are such a confident person."

Ryan shrugged, said nothing, and led the way. He looked like a bodyguard now that he was a blond teenager, while the believers continued to bow to Aponia.

Her nun's habit was simple, but Aponia gave off the feeling of a saint, and everyone inquired about the important person who had come to St. George's Cathedral.

Before long, the two arrived at the square that Ryan frequented and entered the cathedral through the visitor entrance.

"It really is spectacular."

Ryan looked up at the tall dome, where sunlight streamed through the mosaic glass, casting delicate shadows.

The interior of the building was not much different from the church he had imagined. The huge dome made people feel extremely small, which was a kind of psychological suggestion.

The crystal chandelier is over ten meters in diameter, and the murals on the walls are exquisite. They depict saints, heroes, and gods, some kneeling in prayer, some rushing towards monsters, and some with outstretched arms protecting civilians.

Ryan didn't know much about religion, but in this world, those murals weren't just mythological stories. Humanity had been fighting the Honkai for countless years, and according to Mei's research, there were even civilizations before that, but they just didn't leave anything behind.

For example, that troll wielding the shield looks exactly like a Temple-level Honkai Beast. In the era of cold weapons, it's hard to imagine how many lives it would take to kill it.

"This is Saint Arthur, the hero who protected Europe."

"This is Saint Peter, who protected a city with his own life."

......

As they walked, Aponia explained the murals and reliefs, knowing each story intimately as a professional nun.

Ryan listened attentively. As a scientist, he did not despise religion. If it were Möbius, it would probably be a completely different story. That woman would rationally and sarcastically peel away the sacred veneer of each story.

"Why does this person not look human?" Ryan asked with interest, seeing a statue with the body of a young man, octopus-like tentacles, gazing steadfastly into the distance.

"This is Saint George. Legend has it that in order to gain the power to protect humanity, he swallowed a demon whole, which is why he looks like this."

Hey, the original version of the Fusion Warrior, huh? It seems every era has its overpowered protagonists, even more overpowered than Kevin.

Ryan glanced at it a couple more times. The success rate of this crude 'fusion surgery' was less than one in ten million. He couldn't find any other adjective to describe it except that it was cheating.

"He seems to be very famous; the church is even named after him."

“Yes, Saint George is one of the twelve saints, known as the Savior,” Aponia said calmly, every detail of her face revealing reverence. “But Ryan, you also have the opportunity to become the Savior.”

In terms of merit, I'm already more powerful than all these saints combined, okay? In terms of strength, a low-level fusion warrior could easily defeat them.

Ryan thought this to himself, but still bowed respectfully to the pioneers. He knew that Honkai was a fickle old bastard who would treat people differently depending on who they were. If he had appeared a thousand years ago, the Herrscher would probably have appeared a thousand years earlier. In that dark age, there wasn't even a single helper.

The two continued walking inside, and Ryan listened patiently as Aponia recounted the deeds of each hero, unlike Mebius and Mena who were fixated on science.

At that time, there was neither science nor any guides left by the previous civilization, so people could only unite their hearts through religion and metaphysics. Therefore, they would not laugh at Aponia's charlatan appearance.

She grew up in the church, so do you expect her to explain the Honkai phenomenon using imaginary number theory and quantum mechanics?

After introducing the last saint, Ryan smiled and said, "It seems your faith is very firm."

“I have also wavered and hesitated, after all, that power is a curse, making people question the truth in the scriptures.” Aponia sighed, her gaze toward Ryan sending chills down one’s spine. “But now I have become resolute again. God has not abandoned the world, and has sent his messenger.”

Well, the Star God is still a god, so I wasn't wrong to say that I became an apostle.

Ryan tacitly agreed, feeling that he himself was full of mystical elements, and was about to explain along the lines of the topic when he suddenly heard a 'clang' of a bell.

"Let's go, the sermon is about to begin."

The entire church fell silent. People moved like puppets to the next hall, where rows of benches were already full.

In front of it is a high platform, and a giant statue is embedded in the wall. It looks like a pair of hands forming a cross. This is the symbol of the church, so non-believers call it the Cross Church.

Ryan felt that the scene looked familiar, except for the large number of people. After a moment's thought, he realized that this was the scene in Snow Prison Town, where he had blown the priest's head off with a single shot.

He wasn't very interested, but Aponia had already taken a seat and was looking at him with her head tilted to the side, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down.

In the midst of the deathly silence, he saw a figure in an elaborate robe walk onto the platform, press down with both hands, and immediately quiet the restless believers.

Wow, is this the power of metaphysics? Making a group of civilians more obedient than a regular army.

He looked at the old man who was called the 'Pope'. Before this, Ryan had only heard about him in the news. Now that he was personally experiencing that supreme prestige, a thought popped into his head.

Could this world-class figure be Congressman Zhu Huo?

The thought popped into his head by chance. He glanced at Aponia, who was looking very focused, and activated the power of the wind.

The candle flame flickered, and a barely perceptible breeze swept around, seeping into every nook and cranny. A moment later, Ryan, who was listening to the turtle chanting sutras, twitched at the corner of his eye.

Underground, a Honkai energy reaction!?

Chapter 255 As everyone knows, I am a physicist

"God teaches us that saints are our forerunners and our protectors. They shelter us from the storms and create light with their blood."

"God's apostles are powerful, demons are not necessarily demons, and humans are not necessarily our fellow human beings. Only by following God can we escape suffering."

"Don't use your eyes to see the world, use your heart to perceive good and evil."

......

A solemn yet gentle voice echoed within the church, unconsciously drawing everyone's attention. The Pope was preaching, occasionally offering his insights on a particular statement.

With the added advantage of his status, his insights are almost equivalent to truth, guiding people to think deeply, as if no matter how they think, they are correct. Moreover, his rhetoric is so powerful that even the most meticulous thinkers cannot find any loopholes in his arguments.

There was something called 'faith' in the air, which seemed to resonate with the souls and made the non-believers who were watching the spectacle serious, as if they had found some strange feeling.

Ryan was also very focused, even more so than Aponia next to him, almost splitting his brain in two.

Half of the brain was in control, carefully searching the entire cathedral like a supercomputer, filtering people and objects. The sheer volume of data caused a slight throbbing in the brain.

Half of the brain was frantically thinking, starting to study the clues it had deciphered.

This cathedral is an ancient site; could it contain some powerful sacred relics?

Impossible. This world isn't magical. There are no relics here. If there were any remnants from the previous era, the Fire Moth would have taken them away for research long ago. Even if there were some special items, they wouldn't have been preserved. Ancient weapons and artifacts are just trash in modern times.

Ryan practically controls the research department and has never heard of any connection between the Church of the Cross and the Honkai. If there were any lost technologies, he would have dismantled and studied them long ago.

So it's a facility for researching Honkai energy, which is quite interesting. First of all, the research department doesn't have any relevant information at all, and no normal person would put a research facility under a church, right? What's the point of that?

Safety? This is the heart of Rome. If an accident were to happen, it would be a huge scandal. How could those politicians who value their reputations possibly allow that?

It's important to know that science and theology have always been mortal enemies. When Mei was researching imaginary space, these charlatans desperately tried to attribute the collapse to divine punishment.

That's why it's secret. Yes, if I hadn't been blessed by Padofelis's good fortune, I would never have come to the church, let alone gotten bored and used my authority to investigate.

It's too much of a coincidence. At least logically and reasonably, Ryan couldn't possibly be involved. I can only temporarily attribute it to Pado. Thinking about it this way, I felt relieved and suddenly found it amusing.

'It could also be linked to Aponia's paintings, and then who would need to bypass the research department's censorship while maintaining absolute secrecy?'

Ryan looked up at the Pope on the platform. He had finished speaking at some point and was now reaching into a golden bottle, sprinkling water droplets.

The blessing of holy water is a supreme ritual. Legend has it that those sprinkled with holy water will be freed from disasters and suffering. But the most terrifying thing is that not a single believer leaves their seat.

They sat silently, reciting obscure scriptures, and together with the choir on stage, they created a power called 'faith' that would move even atheists.

Faith, oh yes, faith.

Ryan narrowed his eyes, already having the answer. He watched as the Pope, surrounded by his entourage, walked down the corridor, sprinkling cool water droplets on his head, their eyes briefly meeting.

The old man's gaze held a hint of surprise, as few people looked directly at him, but it quickly turned into kindness, and he even nodded slightly.

On the surface, there's nothing wrong, but charlatans are masters of acting.

Ryan wiped the water droplets from his forehead. He was certain that this person did not have any Honkai energy reaction, and he was even more certain that he was involved in this matter, because the underground space under the church was too large, and it was not something that just anyone could do.

"What's wrong with you?"

Just then, Aponia's voice reached his ears. Ryan turned his head and saw that her expression was still compassionate, even more genuine than the Pope's.

"Your leader of the Christian Church walked right past you, how come you weren't agitated?"

“What do you mean by ‘boss’? And it sounds like you’re a fangirl.” Aponia couldn’t help but laugh out loud, then solemnly shook her head: “I believe in God, not him. The so-called Pope is just a spokesperson, and I don’t know where his authority comes from.”

Oh, and he's a fundamentalist.

Ryan wasn't surprised. He figured Aponia didn't even believe in 'God,' but rather in fate itself, so he stood up quietly.

The initial exploration has been completed. The underground area is vast and complex, and no anomalies have been found yet. Further investigation is needed.

Did you have a good day?

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've relaxed. This is a wish that's been fulfilled. I wanted to come and see it when I was on Twilight Street."

"Are you satisfied?"

"No, I didn't feel any satisfaction. I just watched it and that was it."