Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

As Violet pushed open the door and stepped out, she shouted the order. The papal agents who had been lying in wait beside Amaya immediately drew their guard pistols and quickly surrounded her.

Amaya watched all this, smiled, put down the conch shell, and raised her hands without offering any resistance. Soon, a gunshot rang out, and the conch shell was sent flying into the distance.

"Damn it, what did you just do!" Violet's fake smile vanished, and she grabbed Amaya by the collar, lifting her up in a rage. The frail writer, who had never been treated like this before, immediately coughed weakly.

"I didn't do anything."

She replied haltingly, seemingly both composed and resigned to her fate.

Violet really wanted to punch her, but the surrounding Sakorta people had noticed the commotion and were gradually gathering, so she had to suppress the urge to fight in the street. She clicked her tongue, handcuffed the unresisting Amaya, and ordered:

"Take her to the Papal Palace. Inform the Pope and Roy."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and asked:

Where is the conch shell?

“Here it is.” A special operations team member immediately stepped forward, handed the conch shell to Amaya, and said with a somewhat grim expression:

“Cardinal’s assistant, this thing is alive. It’s a living being.”

Violet looked down into the inside of the conch shell. Unlike most souvenirs that had been hollowed out and cleaned, this conch shell clearly contained flesh. Wriggling, gelatinous, jelly-like flesh was covered with tiny protrusions, filling the conch shell completely. A lot of slimy substances seeped out with each wriggle; just looking at it would make one nauseous for a long time, let alone putting it to one's lips and blowing on it.

Seemingly sensing that its owner had changed, the creature inside the conch shell slowly emerged. It had a body as soft as a shell-less hermit crab, adorned with two black, granular eyes. After only a second of eye contact with Violet, a mouthpart suddenly opened from the underside of its jelly-like body, from which a slurred, mucus-like substance shot out, heading straight for Violet's face.

Fortunately, Violet, who was prepared for the attack, dodged the sticky bullet by simply turning her head slightly. She immediately drew her pistol, aimed at the conch shell, and was almost about to pull the trigger, but she forcibly stopped her bent finger.

Laterano had enjoyed peace for a thousand years, never before experiencing a situation like this. The crisis Roy spoke of was inextricably linked to Amaya's arrival, and as a cardinal assistant responsible for Laterano's security, she certainly understood the importance of protecting the scene and evidence.

After thinking for a moment, she went into the souvenir shop next door and came out a short while later with a fishing bucket commonly used by Iberian fishermen.

"Return to the Papal Palace," she ordered.

..........

The Papal Palace, on the ground floor, in the lounge.

On his return journey from the earth, Ivangelista XI was even more silent than when he arrived.

As a Sakota, the leader of a city-state civilization with a history spanning thousands of years, and a believer who possessed a great deal of historical truth, he felt speechless and at a loss for the first time.

He couldn't even find a question to ask.

He knew that a machine like the law couldn't have appeared out of thin air; it must have had a creator. But he hadn't expected that those creators would look so much like him—they weren't holy, mysterious, or even particularly imposing.

The place they were in was not a divine kingdom, but a fortress made of steel, suspended in the deep and boundless darkness, like a drop in the ocean, drifting aimlessly.

They were not even strong enough that every letter that Ivangelista XI read was a cry for help, a lament, a sob.

Now it's meaningless to ask them who they are, where they come from, why they created the law and chose them. Because at the very end of their letters, they are still yearning for salvation from "Terra".

Isn't this ridiculous? The salvation that the Sakotas have been waiting for for thousands of years from the creator of the law doesn't actually exist. God is even waiting for these believers to save them.

Although what they are waiting for may not necessarily be their Terra.

"Lord Roy."

Pushing open the door to the lounge and sitting down on the soft sofa, King Ivangelista XI spoke with a hint of detachment, as if from another world.

"I have kept our promise."

Roy nodded and handed the USB drive he was carrying to Evangelista XI. Actually, it wasn't anything particularly valuable. Roy hadn't told Evangelista XI during the transaction that the USB drive itself was unimportant; if Roy wanted, he could conjure up a whole trainload of USB drives. The important thing was Trevor Friston's access code. And Roy could retrieve it from its custodian at any time.

King Ivangelist XI's feelings were incredibly complex as he received the USB drive.

He had expected to be thrilled at this moment. It meant that from this very moment on, he had truly become the most powerful person in Lateran; he had grasped the mysteries of the law, understood how to control it, and had surpassed the Twelve Saints to become the undisputed Pope.

But he felt a pang of sadness.

There's no way around it; Roy's expectations for him were a bit too high, and now a USB drive isn't enough for him anymore.

He paused, then asked, "Lord Roy, would you mind revealing what you have gained from the law?"

This question was somewhat inappropriate, but Roy's deal did not forbid him from asking it, so Ivangelista XI boldly asked it.

Roy didn't hide anything and answered roughly, "Some weapons. Slightly more powerful than firearms."

"for example?"

"For example, satellite railguns."

What about satellites?

King Ivangelista XI paused, about to ask what the tongue-twisting word referred to, when suddenly the door behind him was slammed shut.

It wasn't a knock, but a slam, accompanied by the anxious shouts of the cavalry:

"Your Holiness, something has happened! Something has happened in Iberia!"

"Wait, Violet, you can't just barge in..."

"Boom."

The door was kicked open, and Violet's purple figure appeared before Roy and King Ivangelista XI. Without uttering a word, Violet stated crisply:

"Amaya blew the conch shell. The conch shell is a living sea monster, and I suspect she is secretly communicating with someone."

"Roy, do you know anything?"

“I…” A terrible thought flashed through Roy’s mind.

Amaya is probably in contact with the Deep Sea Church. They discovered the aura of the Deep Sea on me, so they mistook me for a Deep Sea Hunter.

But the next moment, before Roy could voice his guess, another piece of news, even worse than he had anticipated, interrupted him.

Dressed in his official uniform, Sakota, panting heavily, pushed aside Violet and the musketeer blocking the doorway to the lounge and pleaded for help:

"Your Holiness, the Iberian Inquisition has just sent a plea for help to the entire land!"

"The Great Silence has occurred again!"

Volume 1: Chapter 284 The Lateran Conference (Part 2)

"The Iberian Tribunal hereby issues a warning and a plea to all nations that coexist on this land."

"Thirty minutes ago, the Great Tranquility struck Iberia once again. The threat from the sea can no longer be ignored. It is regrettable that, although Iberia has dispatched all its punitive forces and judges to defend our coastline, Iberia is now powerless to resist this threat alone. Before the true enemy of civilization wipes us out, Iberia hopes to receive help from the nations of the land."

"This letter has been sent to all known civilizations on Earth. This is not a plea from one nation, but a request from a civilization, from all of humanity. Iberia will continue to resist until the final moment arrives, and we believe that hope will surely come."

The audio-visual recordings echoed through the papal office, striking a chord in the hearts of everyone present.

Not everyone present understood the true nature of the threat lurking in the ocean, but everyone certainly knew what the Great Tranquility meant. Even the once-powerful Iberia was utterly powerless against the Great Tranquility; how much more so the now-declining Tribunal!

King Ivangelista XI was one of the few who knew the Iberian Inquisition best. He knew their pride all too well; they would never have asked for foreign aid, much less allow foreign troops to cross Iberian borders, unless it was the very last moment and they were truly powerless to resist alone—that would have meant that after the disaster, Iberia would inevitably become an arena for other countries to vie for their interests.

But now, the plea for help is undeniable. Even the most optimistic person finds it difficult to believe that the threat of the Great Tranquility will only destroy Iberia and not affect the many countries surrounding it.

As the letter states, this is a disaster that transcends national boundaries and concerns the fate of civilization.

"Lord Roy."

King Evangelista XI turned his head to look at the "alien" beside him, but Roy was busier than him at the moment. His phone had been ringing nonstop for the past few minutes, and Roy's brows never relaxed as he answered the call.

The calls came from Casimir and Letania. From Marna, Black Iron, Viviana, the Teutonic Elector, and the White Queen.

Some came to ask Roy for his opinion on the disaster, some to ask for countermeasures, and some to ask if the disaster was indeed the prophesied natural calamity from the ocean, and whether they needed to propose evacuation and mobilization.

Roy answered each question meticulously, not daring to make the slightest mistake or oversight. Yet, countless doubts remained.

Skadi should still be in Kazimierz or Rhodes Island right now, with Kal'tsit taking care of her. She has no chance of being possessed by Isamara. The Deep Blue Tree is already brain dead, and the unmelting iceberg is not aggressive. So who triggered the Great Tranquility?

Could the Deep Sea Cultists awaken the lifeblood of the Origin?

Roy didn't believe they had that ability. If they could directly awaken and control the life force of the Origin, they wouldn't have tried so hard to persuade Skadi to return to the Horde in the original timeline.

With the sheer power of the Primordial Lifeline, the immortal, strongest nascent being would be enough to wash the entire earth clean. But in fact, the only explicit record of the Primordial Lifeline reaching its extreme anger to the point of causing the Great Tranquility appears only in the Moon Squad story of Mizuki.

He ate and ate, ate Isamara, ate the Deep Blue Tree, ate the Unmelting Iceberg, and completely lost control, encompassing the entire world within his own ecosystem.

The current situation, though unpleasant to hear, is such that even the crumbling Iberia has managed to hold out for half an hour and even call for help, claiming it can resist for a while longer. Therefore, the scale of this Great Tranquility cannot possibly reach its maximum.

Roy's actions were effective; he saved Skadi, contacted Kal'tsit, and facilitated the Lyca Alliance. Although he couldn't prevent the Great Tranquility, he certainly made the disaster come much more hastily.

"Don't worry. Follow your plan and do your best to send reinforcements to Iberia. I will also go to Iberia as soon as possible."

Roy gave the order to the Queen on the other end of the microphone. No sooner had he finished speaking than King Ivangelista XI interjected:

"Lord Roy, I have a suggestion."

He said seriously,

"One of the purposes of Lateran establishing the Messenger of Nations is to promote unity and peace throughout Terra, and to provide a tolerant platform for communication across Terra. I think this is an opportunity. With your leadership, the participation of Casimir and Letania, and Iberia's plea for help, we can definitely organize a Lateran Conference! We can invite representatives from all countries to come together to deal with this crisis!"

Upon hearing this suggestion, Roy's first reaction was, "You old bastard, you're quite the schemer. You dare use a disaster like the Great Serenity as a bargaining chip to achieve your goals? Do you think I'd let you have your way?"

But after calming down, Roy quickly realized that Ivangelista XI's suggestion was not without merit.

Relations among the Terran nations have been volatile, with minor skirmishes every three days and major conflicts every two days. It's virtually impossible for them to settle down and exchange ideas peacefully. Take Victoria and Colombia, for example; Roy finds it hard to imagine how the Victorian leadership, constantly referring to their "rebellious child," could communicate with the Colombians.

But the Great Silence offered this opportunity. The best way to unite a group of people with their own agendas is not through popularity or a leader, but through a common enemy. Without a doubt, natural disasters are the common enemy of the entire land. Once the crisis of the Sea Child expands to a point where it can attract the attention of the whole land, then the final alliance will be inevitable and a natural consequence.

Roy didn't intend to use millions of lives as leverage to pave this path of communication, but he absolutely couldn't ignore the possibility.

Presenting the current state of Iberia, highlighting the threat posed by the Sea Siege, and convening a conference of all nations in Lateran for in-depth communication is far more realistic than Roy traveling to each country one by one to seek the slim chance of mentioning Upper Loch and elaborating on the advantages and disadvantages.

Seemingly aware of what Roy was hesitating about, Ivangelista XI continued:

"This conference certainly cannot be held at the cost of innocent lives. So, Lord Roy, it depends on you. The weapons of the law that you obtained from Laterano. As long as you use them and make them have a enough impact on other countries, this conference can proceed smoothly."