Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Roy's thinking was simple. Although he didn't know what Amaya's purpose was in appearing here, or how she had set her sights on him, keeping her by his side was better than letting her leave and, if she escaped his control, brew some kind of conspiracy.

As for whether she would pose any threat to Roy, Roy never underestimated the intelligence of the Deep Sea Bishops. Apart from a certain Quintus, the rest of the Drought Traitors were all highly intelligent individuals. However, as the saying goes, a scholar can't reason with a soldier. Roy was dealing with an official Leitanian convoy guarded by the Golden Law Guards, and his own combat strength was arguably above that of an Inner Guard. Amaya, who hadn't merged with the Sea Heir and was just a simple Liberian, was no match for him.

As for what to do with her after arriving in Laterano, it's simple: hand her over to the Papal Court, or contact the Inquisition. If all else fails, just summon Kal'tsit. On his home turf, why would Roy fear a Deepsea Cultist?

While Roy was observing Amaya, Amaya was also observing Roy.

She had already determined that Roy and the team were unusual, and although she couldn't confirm that he was the core of the changes that had taken place in Letania recently, she was pretty close to it.

Although she was "invited" into the car, Amaya herself was not particularly flustered. She was confident that she had not revealed any flaws in front of Roy, and Lateran was a restrained place where people did not know much about the Iberian Deep Sea Church, so it would not be difficult to conceal her identity.

Her only worry was that she wouldn't be able to send messages to the church in time, forcing the other bishops to awaken "Sea God".

This was something she didn't want to see. Although she had taken the initiative to awaken the sea god in the emergency, the sea god was actually not in good condition.

There are four sea gods in total. The Unmelting Iceberg's mind is filled only with the desire to reproduce, making it impossible to control or guide. The consciousness of the Deep Blue Tree has died, leaving only an empty shell that has become a "dragon vein" rooted in the seabed, supporting the growth of the entire race's offspring, but it too cannot be controlled. The Deep Sea Church can only influence two sea gods: "The Primordial Lifeline" and "The Corrupted Heart."

The marine microbial cluster represented by the Primordial Lifeline was far too extreme. Even the Church of the Deep Sea couldn't figure out how to provoke His wrath. The Corrupted Heart, symbolizing "struggle," was the best choice. However, the Corrupted Heart was severely injured in the final counterattack of the Agor Deep Sea Hunter and had entered a dormant state. His consciousness now resided in the body of the hunter who killed Him. As for Skadi's whereabouts, the Church of the Deep Sea had not yet discovered them.

In other words, if the Deep Sea Church were to forcibly attempt to awaken the Sea God at this moment, they could only tamper with the very essence of the origin. But how could they truly enrage the entire ocean? And if it was only partial anger, how could they trigger a sufficient period of stillness to achieve the outcome of the sea creatures attacking the land?

The key is a corrupt heart. Before capturing Skadi, Amaya doesn't want to jeopardize the Great Cause of the Deep Sea Church because of herself.

As the two sat in the same car, each lost in their own thoughts, the car left a long trail across the wasteland.

In the blink of an eye, the pristine white walls of the holy city of Lateran were right before our eyes.

Volume 1: Chapter 273 Violet's Warning

If one had to choose a country from the land of Terra where there is no poverty or hunger, no discrimination or oppression, where people don't pick up lost items, where doors are left unlocked at night, and where people treat the elderly and children as they would their own, then that place could only be Laterano.

Lateran is the embodiment of all that is beautiful in the real world. It's hard to imagine that a city-state with tens of thousands of people could unite as one and create a place that resembles a paradise or Eden from mythology. But regardless, Lateran, this earthly paradise, truly exists and has existed for over a thousand years.

The towering, white walls of the Holy City resemble a giant with outstretched arms, protecting its fragile gardens. Lateran is always filled with laughter and a series of scenes that are incomprehensible and even unbelievable to outsiders. People cherish food, yet they are not stingy with hosting parties that inevitably waste large amounts of ingredients. People abide by the law, but they also unleash their wildest imaginations outside of it, blowing up schools, streets, and even an ancient column in a section of the Papal Palace's cloister—as long as permission is granted, you can do so without any worries. People also respect the saints in the Papal Palace, but there is never a shortage of mischievous kids who joke with the saints and dare to pull the Pope's beard.

Miracles unfold constantly in this city; the city itself is a miracle. Lateran, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the City of Miracles.

Queen Letania's entourage stopped at the transit point in Laterano. The Golden Law Guards wouldn't accompany Roy into the city to meet King Evangelista XI; they were official Letania officials, and their unannounced presence in this setting would mislead the Pope into believing the meeting was orchestrated by the Queen. The Sakortas, waiting at the transit area, were already prepared to receive him. After a brief verification of the travel permits and documents, the purple-haired, blue-eyed Sakorta at the head of the group approached Roy and introduced himself:

"Villef, assistant to the Cardinal of the Tenth Papal Court, will be in charge of your reception during this period. If you have any questions or don't understand anything, please feel free to tell me, and I will answer them for you."

She paused, looked Roy up and down, and said with a slight smile:

"It looks good."

"What's good?" Roy asked curiously.

“Character,” Violet replied with a smile. “I have a certain talent for judging people, and your character is quite unusual among all the people I’ve met. I can sense a unique power in you, and sometimes I even feel that you are more like a Sarkaz.”

"Are there standards for distinguishing temperament?"

Roy asked with a hint of doubt. He didn't have much of an impression of Violet, but he vaguely remembered that she was the cardinal of the eleventh papal chamber who had appeared in the "I Guide the Way" event and had managed to manipulate Oren. As for why she was still the assistant cardinal of the tenth chamber, perhaps she hadn't been promoted yet?

Roy didn't recall Valerie displaying such an ability in the story. However, this could be explained by the fact that the story didn't primarily focus on the female cardinal's abilities. But Roy had another theory.

Could it be that Violet sees more than just her own temperament?

Roy possesses many unique qualities: the aura of Haizi, the power of the module, the Sun Holy Sword currently activated, and the USB drive inside containing the authentication code for the military combat management system, given to him by Trevor Friston. Roy might be able to identify which of these things will, on a more abstract level, give him a different image.

After thinking for a moment, Roy decided to find a different example and asked, "What do you think of this Ms. Amaya's temperament?"

Roy pointed to Amaya beside him. The deep-sea bishop had been forced to stop at the dock with the convoy after entering Lateran and was unable to leave immediately. The reason was simple: there were just too many Lateran garrison soldiers in the vicinity.

Seeing Roy steer the conversation toward her, Amaya, who was looking for an opportunity to escape, pursed her lips, trying to maintain a decent smile, and met Violet's scrutinizing gaze.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but for a moment Amaya seemed to see Violet's brows furrow tightly, but in the blink of an eye, her expression seemed to have remained unchanged, maintaining that poker face with a half-smile.

“Hmm…” Violet paused for a moment, seemingly considering her words. After a long while, she replied, “Ms. Amaya’s aura is somewhat mixed and mottled, making it difficult to see clearly.”

That's rather pointless; there are too many ways to interpret it. It could mean Amaya is acting strangely, or that he simply can't see it. Roy nodded, slightly disappointed.

At that moment, a soldier from the guard unit stepped forward and whispered something in Violet's ear. Violet nodded, looked at Amaya again, and said:

"You shouldn't be on the team's roster."

Amaya nodded: "I am a Victorian and a devout Lateranist, so I have come to participate in the Lateran Praise Festival."

Violet nodded in agreement: “The festival is open to every believer.” But she immediately added, “However, you still need to come to the Papal Palace to get a new identity document. You need this to rent a hotel in Lateran during the Feast of Praise.”

Having said that, she beckoned to the guards beside her and said:

"Take Miss Amaya to the third hall to fill out her identity information and get her identity certificate replaced."

The soldier glanced at Violet with some surprise, but wisely asked nothing. After giving a salute, he walked to Amaya's side and gestured for her to leave.

Amaya maintained a grateful and understanding smile throughout, but Roy noticed that as the soldier approached her, she involuntarily frowned and her hands, which were clasped to her chest, tried to reach inside her coat.

Amaya was quickly led out of the transfer area. Violet then smiled slightly at Roy, gesturing for him to get into the car, and asked:

"who is she?"

“I met Amaya on the road. She said she was from Victoria and wanted to go to Lateran. Since we were going the same way, she asked me for a ride,” Roy answered truthfully.

Violet nodded. She could tell that Roy wasn't lying, but not lying didn't mean he had said everything.

“Mr. Roy, did you know that besides using firearms, many Sarkaz possess special abilities? Our Originium Arts talent is no less than that of the Tower Warlocks of Letania, who are known as magical geniuses.”

Violet said,

"My magical talents primarily enhance my empathy. This has caused me a lot of trouble. Can you imagine wanting to sleep, but the excitement of your neighbor's party keeps flooding your mind?"

"Therefore, many times I have to limit or even shut down my empathy ability. In order not to reveal my weakness to other Sarkaz, I have been learning since I was a child to guess and study how to read people's expressions. Don't misunderstand, this is not a mental spell, but just a little experience in reading people's expressions."

Her expression turned serious: "That Miss Amaya is not normal. Attending the Praise Festival is definitely not her purpose in coming to Laterano. I've already sent her to the Third Hall; the people there will understand my meaning and conduct a background check and surveillance on her. However... Mr. Roy, she was brought here by you. If that young lady is in any danger..."

Roy nodded: "I support all actions of the Papal Court. As for her identity, I will reveal it during my meeting with His Holiness the Saint."

"Believe me, this is a conversation about the fate of Terra, and I will not allow any destabilizing factors to threaten its progress."

Volume 1: Chapter 274 The Smell of Gunpowder

The second hall of the Papal Palace, the lounge.

Although there was no reason or logic to it, Amaya felt that she must have been targeted, otherwise why would the Pope of Lateran be in the second room and sitting next to her?

The sight of a Deepsea cultist and a high-ranking Lateran cultist sitting together peacefully was strange enough, but to make matters worse, the Pope was looking at Amaya with a benevolent gaze and offering his concern:

"Madam, do you seem to be troubled by something?"

Amaya shifted awkwardly to the side, shook her head, and coldly denied, "No."

But to everyone's surprise, Ivangelista XI didn't seem to care about Amaya's stiff attitude at all. He took a few more steps closer, his eyes behind his small round glasses crinkling into crescent moons as he explained in a gentle tone:

"It's alright, madam. This is Lateran. If you don't like me, any Sarkaz on the street can be your confessor. The Feast of Praise is coming soon, so forget your troubles for now and don't put yourself under too much pressure."

Amaya turned around, somewhat confused, towards the direction of Ivangelista XI, only to find that the kind old man had already stood up and was walking towards the exit of the second hall.

What did he mean by that?

A flicker of doubt crossed Amaya's eyes. She didn't believe that Ivangelista XI's presence here was merely a coincidence. His inexplicable concern only made her feel more guilty.

Has she been discovered? Amaya felt the small horn in the inner pocket of her outer garment, hesitated whether to use it, but ultimately suppressed the urge.

This is, after all, someone else's home turf. It's best to refrain from making any moves until we're completely exposed.

"Ms. Amaya?"

A soft call snapped Amaya out of her thoughts. A receptionist from the second ward, dressed in a uniform, stood before her, scrutinizing her curiously. Seeing that she had come to her senses, the receptionist extended her hand, handing Amaya her identification and politely wishing her well.

"Here you go. Have a happy holiday."

........

Ivangelista XI walked along the cloister of the Papal Palace, flanked by tall marble columns and behind them a neatly manicured, simple yet beautiful garden, now adorned with ribbons and balloons, suspended in mid-air, creating a festive atmosphere.

The papal officials, coming and going, chatted and laughed. Upon seeing Pope Ivangelist XI passing by, they all stopped to greet him respectfully but not obsequiously. Some of the more playful and lively ones even went up to him and gave him a big hug, exchanging wishes for a happy Feast Day. This is not uncommon in Lateran; this generation of popes doesn't put on much airs.

King Ivangelista XI greeted everyone with a smile and showed great concern. Occasionally, he would stop to admire the beautiful scenery of the garden pool and fountain, or the figures of people busily arranging and decorating. He looked like an idle old man with nothing to do, and no one noticed the lingering worry between his brows.

“Amaya is definitely suspicious. She’s afraid of me, which means she knows who I am. But she also seems to have something to rely on, so she’s barely managing to stay calm.”

"She lied about her birth; she was from Iberia, not Victoria, and was a moderately well-known writer who penned many bizarre stories about the sea, though she has recently disappeared from the public eye."

"She arrived with Roy, but both Valerie and the Second Department confirmed that the two had no particular connection. Is it really just a coincidence?"

"With so many unusual occurrences happening all of a sudden, the law hasn't reacted to these unstable factors at all. Why does it still insist on the judgment that there is no threat?"

A host of doubts lingered in his mind, causing a slight unease to rise in the heart of this contemporary ruler of the holy city that had stood for thousands of years.

The judgment of the law should be without fault. But for some reason, he couldn't ignore these two special visitors. That's why he made a point of meeting Amaya first, before meeting Roy.

However, this impromptu meeting did not yield him any more useful information; the resolution of one doubt only brought about more doubts.

Before he knew it, he had reached the end of the corridor. There were no more companions on the wide path. Ivangelista XI looked at the door of the eleventh papal chamber, composed himself, and restored his solemn expression to normal. He reached out and pushed open the heavy door.

........

Roy put down the strangely flavored grape tart in his hand and looked at Ivangelista XI, who had just entered through the door.

Just like his character in the game, this Lateran religious leader has snow-white hair, a long, gleaming silver beard, and wears small round glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes gleam with wisdom and composure. He is completely enveloped in a red and white priest's robe, and in his hand he holds a majestic scepter topped with the Lateran coat of arms. Although his face is kind and friendly, he possesses an aura of authority that is impossible to ignore.

He circled around, settled on the sofa opposite Roy, handed the scepter to the mounted guard with an exaggeratedly large cannon at his waist, gesturing for him to step back, then turned to Roy, nodded slightly, and said:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Heng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Greetings, Your Majesty Saint Ivangelista XI, holy and noble," Roy replied, using the honorifics he had learned from the Empress.

Although Roy had never liked formalities, that didn't mean he was completely ignorant of manners. He and the Queen had a life-or-death bond, so he could be more casual, but this was their first meeting with Ivangelista XI, and Roy needed his help, so of course he had to be more respectful.