Uncle, I am not an ordinary office worker.

"Sir, can I have a partner?"

Looking at the elegant lady in black and a round hat who took the initiative to block the convoy in front of him, Roy's expression changed again and again. Finally, he took a deep breath. When his expression returned to normal, he dismissed the soldiers protecting both sides, rolled down the window, and asked in a puzzled manner:

"Who are you and where are you from?"

The lady in front of him took off her round hat, performed a standard Leitanian gentleman's salute, and replied in authentic Victorian accent:

"Sir, my name is Amaya Sevalpost. I come from Victoria and hope to go to Rutland. I just lost my way in this wilderness. I hope you can show your generosity and let me join your caravan."

Amaya's expression was very normal, with a hint of pity in her hope. Even a complete stranger who didn't know her at all would have a better impression and sympathy for her because of this expression and would agree to her request.

That's just because these people don't understand her.

But Roy recognized her. Amaya, one of the bosses in the Fool's plot, a devout, evil deep-sea cultist, a real traitor. If she hadn't secretly boarded the Fool's and sacrificed herself to the seriously injured and dying Slayer, the little sea urchin that was chased around by Captain Alfonso and the Deep Sea Hunters would never have completed its transformation. Not only did it have the ability to speak, it also evolved to fly and gained higher wisdom, which directly triggered the little Tranquility that almost destroyed the entire ship!

Even without counting the evolution she brought to Hai Si, she herself was no less dangerous. During her time in Granfalo, she not only successfully deceived the mayor, but also the nearby punitive army and inquisitors.

It was hard for Roy not to believe that the fact that he met Amaya in such a remote place was not some deliberate arrangement on her part.

What conspiracy is she planning?

Roy was unsure. He wanted to kill this traitor right away to prevent future troubles. But he was worried that this would be exactly what she wanted and would lead to some unpredictable changes, so he could only endure it for the time being. He replied:

"Ten kilometers east of here is Leithania's Scourge Monitoring Outpost. You can go there for help."

Roy's words were already a tactful refusal, but Amaya pressed on:

"Aren't you going to Rutland, sir?"

Roy narrowed his eyes.

Why did Amaya know that she was going to Lateran? In this direction, she could go to three countries at the same time: Bolivar, Sargon, and Lateran. Why did she think she would definitely go to Lateran?

Seeing that Roy didn't say anything, Amaya's face suddenly showed an expression of understanding. Before the guard who came up again could make a move, she took a step back and bowed respectfully with a disappointed look on her face:

"Sorry, thank you very much for showing me the way. I won't bother you any more."

She was ripping off Roy.

This road can indeed lead to several countries. Amaya was not sure where this convoy would go. She just noticed the direction of this convoy that set out from the Queen's Voice, and thought of the recent changes in Leitania, so she came up to investigate.

Knowing that this convoy was indeed heading to Lateran, her goal had been achieved.

However, just as she was about to leave, a voice suddenly came from the car window again. Roy looked at her through the window, his expression suddenly softened, and he called out to the soldier beside him:

"Bring her back. It's really not gentlemanly of a man to let such a weak lady walk ten kilometers alone in the wilderness. Since we're going to the same place, why not give her a ride?"

The soldier was obviously a little hesitant. In her opinion, the Queen had strictly ordered this journey to be safe, and it was obviously against the rules to rashly allow an unknown woman to join them: "But..."

But Roy said firmly: "Go and bring her back!"

The Queen's guest's order was obviously more important. The two soldiers looked at each other and immediately turned and walked towards Amaya.

Less than a minute later, Amaya, who had just left, returned to the front of the car with the "help" of two soldiers.

Roy took the initiative to open the car door, moved a seat, smiled at Amaya, patted the seat, and said, "Please come in, Ms. Amaya."

Amaya was silent for a moment, with a few tears of grievance in her eyes. She turned her head away, but sat down reluctantly.

Roy's idea was simple. Although he didn't know why Amaya appeared here and how she targeted him, it was better to keep her by his side than to let her leave and plot something after she was out of his control.

As for whether she would pose any threat to Roy. Roy never underestimated the intelligence of the Deep Sea Bishop. Except for a certain Quintus, the rest of the Dry Traitors were highly intelligent. But as the saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, it is difficult to explain his reason. Roy is an official Leitanian convoy escorted by the Golden Law Guards. His own military strength can be said to be higher than that of an Inner Guard. Amaya, who has not merged with the Sea Heir and is just a simple Liberia, is really no match for him.

As for what to do with her after arriving at the Holy City of Lateran, it was simple. Hand her over to the Pope's Office or contact the Inquisition. If that didn't work, just ask Kal'tsit to come over. In his own home court, Roy was still afraid of a Deep Sea Cultist?

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

She has already determined that Roy and this team are unusual. Although she cannot confirm that he is the core of the changes in Leitania in recent times, it is almost certain.

Although she was "invited" to get on the bus, Amaya herself was not panicked. She thought to herself that she had not revealed any flaws in front of Roy. Lateran was a restrained place, and the people there did not have a deep understanding of the Iberian Deep Sea Church, so it was not difficult for her to conceal her identity.

Her only worry was that she would not be able to convey information to the church in time during this period, forcing the other bishops to awaken the "Poseidon".

This was something she didn't want to see. Although it was she who took the initiative to wake up Poseidon in an emergency, in fact, Poseidon was not in a good condition now.

There are four sea gods in total. The unmelting iceberg has only the desire to reproduce in its mind, and it cannot be controlled or guided at all. The consciousness of the Deep Blue Tree has died, and only the empty shell has become the "dragon vein" rooted in the seabed, supporting the growth of the entire tribe's young, and it cannot be controlled. The Deep Sea Church can only influence two sea gods: "The Lifeline of Origin" and "The Heart of Corruption".

The marine microbial cluster represented by the Lifeline of Origin is too extreme. Even the Deep Sea Church cannot figure out how to provoke His anger. The Heart of Corruption, which symbolizes [Struggle], is the best choice. However, the Heart of Corruption was seriously injured in the last counterattack of the Agor Deep Sea Hunter and has entered a dormant state. His consciousness now exists in the body of the hunter who killed Him, and the Deep Sea Church has not yet discovered the whereabouts of Skadi.

In other words, if the Deep Sea Church tried to awaken the Sea God by force, they could only tamper with the lifeblood of the Origin. But how could they completely enrage the entire sea? If it was only partial anger, how could they cause enough Great Silence to achieve the outcome of the Sea Heir attacking the land?

The heart of corruption is the key. Before capturing Skadi, Amaya doesn't want to delay the great cause of the Deep Sea Church because of herself.

As the two people sat in the car, each thinking about their own things, the car left a long trail on the wilderness.

In the blink of an eye, the clean white walls of the holy city of Lateran were within sight.

Volume 1: Chapter 273: Valerie's Warning

If we must pick a country on Terra where there is no poverty and hunger, no discrimination and oppression, where people do not pick up things on the road, do not lock their doors at night, and where the elderly and children of others are respected, then this place can only be Lateran.

Lateran is the embodiment of all beautiful words in the real world. It is hard for people to imagine that a city-state with a population of tens of thousands can build such a place like the Peach Blossom Spring and the Garden of Eden in myths and legends. But no matter what, Lateran, the paradise on earth, does exist and has existed for thousands of years.

The towering white walls of the Holy City are like a giant with open arms, protecting the fragile gardens. The Lateran is always full of laughter and a series of scenes that are incomprehensible or even incredible to outsiders. People cherish food, but they are not stingy about holding various parties that are bound to waste a lot of food. People abide by the law, but they will use their imaginations outside the law to bomb schools, streets, and even a historic column in a corridor of the Papal Palace. As long as you get permission, you don't have to worry about anything. People also respect the saints in the Papal Palace, but there are always troublemakers who joke with the saints and dare to pull the Pope's beard.

Miracles happen all the time in this city. The existence of this city itself is a huge miracle. It is not an exaggeration to call Lateran the City of Miracles.

Queen Letania's motorcade stopped at the docking station of Lateran City. The Golden Law Guards would not follow Roy into the city to meet Evangelista XI. They were officials of Letania. If they showed up at such an occasion, the Pope would mistakenly think that this meeting was mixed with the Queen's will. The Sakota waiting in the docking station had already prepared for the reception. After simply confirming the pass and documents, the purple-haired, blue-eyed Sakota took the initiative to come to Roy and introduced himself:

"Virliv, assistant to the Cardinal of the Tenth Chamber of the Pope's Office, is responsible for your reception work during this period. If there is anything you don't understand, you can tell me directly and I will answer it for you."

She paused, looked Roy up and down, raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and said:

"looks good."

"What's good?" Roy asked curiously.

"Temperament." Williv replied with a smile, "I have some talent for judging people. Your temperament is one of the strangest among all the people I have met. I can feel that unique power in you. Sometimes, I even think you are more like a Sakota."

“Is there a standard for distinguishing temperament?”

Roy asked doubtfully. He didn't have much impression of Violef. He vaguely remembered that she was the cardinal of the 11th Hall of the Pope's Office who had appeared in the "Wu Dao Xian Lu" event and had controlled Oren. As for why she was still the assistant cardinal of the 10th Hall, maybe she hadn't been promoted yet?

Roy didn't remember that Valerie had ever shown such an ability in the plot. However, this could also be explained by the fact that Wudaoxianlu did not focus on the ability of this female cardinal. But Roy had another guess.

Could it be that Valerie saw more than just her own aura?

Roy had many special things on him, including the aura of Hai Si, the power of the module, the activated Holy Sword of the Sun, and the USB flash drive in his bag that Trevor Friston had given him, which contained the authentication permission code for the military combat management system. Roy couldn't tell which of these things would give him a different image in the abstract.

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

Roy pointed to Amaya beside him. After entering Lateran, the Deep Sea Bishop was forced to follow the convoy and stop at the docking port. He could not leave immediately. The reason was simple: there were too many Lateran garrison soldiers nearby.

Seeing that Roy directed the conversation to herself, Amaya, who was looking for an opportunity to escape, pursed her lips, tried her best to maintain a decent smile, and met Valerie's scrutinizing gaze.

Perhaps it was an illusion, Amaya seemed to see that Valerie's brows were tightly furrowed at a certain moment, but in a blink of an eye, her expression seemed to have not changed at all, and she kept that poker face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"Hmm..." Willlif was silent for a moment, as if she was considering it. After a while, she replied, "Ms. Amaya's temperament is a bit mixed and mottled, making it difficult to see clearly."

There is no nutritional value in this kind of words. There are too many ways to interpret it. You can say that Amaya is not in a good condition, or you can explain that I can't see it. Roy nodded slightly disappointed.

At this time, a soldier from the garrison came forward and whispered something in Willif's ear. Willif nodded, looked at Amaya again, and said:

"You are probably not on the team's list."

Amaya nodded. "I am from Victoria and a devout Lateran believer. That's why I came to participate in the Lateran Festival of Praise."

Valerie nodded and agreed with her statement: "The festival is open to every believer." But she immediately changed the subject and added, "But you still need to come to the Pope's Office to apply for a new ID. During the Festival of Praise, you need this to rent a hotel in the Lateran."

After that, she waved to the guards beside her and said:

"Take Miss Amaya to the third hall, fill in your identity information, and apply for a new ID."

The soldier looked at Valerie with some surprise, but wisely asked nothing. After saluting, he walked to Amaya and motioned her to go out.

Amaya kept smiling with gratitude and understanding throughout, but Roy noticed that the moment the soldier walked towards her, she frowned involuntarily and her hands, which were folded across her chest, tried to reach inside her coat.

Amaya was quickly taken out of the docking area. Williv smiled at Roy and asked him to get in the car while motioning him to get in.

"who is she?"

"I met Amaya on the road. She said she was from Victoria and wanted to go to Rutland. Since she was going the same way as me, she wanted me to give her a ride." Roy answered truthfully.

Valerie nodded. She could tell that Roy was not lying, but that didn't mean he had finished what he said.

"Mr. Roy, do you know? In addition to being able to use firearms, many Sakota actually have special abilities. Our talent for Originium skills is not inferior to those tower warlocks in Leitania who are known as magic geniuses."

Willie Liv said,

"My magic talent mainly enhances my empathy. This causes me a lot of trouble. Can you imagine that when you want to sleep, the excitement of the neighbor's party is pouring into your mind?"

"So, a lot of the time, I have to limit or even shut down my empathy ability. In order not to reveal my flaws in front of other Sakota, I started learning since I was a child, learning to speculate and study. I want to guess the state of certain people. Don't get me wrong, this is not a spiritual spell, it's just a little bit of observation and expression accumulated from experience."

Her expression became serious. "That Miss Amaya is not normal. Participating in the Praise Festival is definitely not her purpose in coming to Rutland. I have sent her to the third hall. The people there will understand what I mean and conduct a background check and surveillance on her. But...Mr. Roy, you brought her here. If that lady is in any danger..."

Roy nodded. "I support all actions of the Pope's Office. As for her identity, I will confess it to His Holiness during the meeting with His Holiness."

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

Volume 1: Chapter 274: Smell of Gunpowder

Second Hall of the Pope's Chamber, lounge.

Although there was no reason or logic, Amaya felt that she was being targeted. Otherwise, why would the Pope of the Lateran appear in the second room and sit next to her?

A Deep Sea Cultist and a Lateran Cult leader sitting together peacefully was a strange scene, not to mention that the Pope was looking at Amaya with a kind look and took the initiative to show concern:

"Ma'am, what seems to be troubling you?"

Amaya moved aside uncomfortably, shook her head and said coldly, "No."

But Evangelista XI didn't care about Amaya's stiff attitude at all. He took the initiative to move a few steps closer, his eyes behind his small round glasses smiled into a crescent moon, and explained in a gentle tone:

"It's all right, ma'am. This is Lateran. If you don't like me, any Sakota on the street can be your confessor. The Festival of Praise is coming soon. Forget your troubles for now and don't make yourself too tense."

Amaya turned around in confusion and looked in the direction of Evangelista XI, only to find that the kind old man had stood up and walked towards the exit of the second hall.

What does he mean by this?

Amaya's eyes flashed with doubt. She didn't believe that Evangelista XI's appearance here was just a coincidence. His inexplicable concern made her feel particularly guilty.

Was she discovered? Amaya felt the small horn in the inner pocket of her coat, and hesitated whether to use it, but finally suppressed the urge.

After all, this is someone else's home ground. It is better to take less action before it is completely exposed.

"Ms. Amaya?"

A soft call woke Amaya up from her thoughts. The receptionist in the second hall, who was dressed in work clothes, was standing in front of her, looking at her curiously. Seeing that she had come to her senses, he stretched out his hand, handed the ID card in his hand to Amaya, and said politely:

"Here you go. Have a happy holiday."

........

Evangelista XI walked on the corridor of the Papal Chamber, with tall marble columns on his side and neatly trimmed, simple and beautiful gardens behind the columns. The gardens were now tied with ribbons and balloons and suspended in the air, creating a festive atmosphere.

The officials of the Vatican who were passing by were talking and laughing. When they saw Evangelista XI passing by, they stopped to greet him and greeted him with a respectful but not flattering tone. Some of the more naughty and lively ones even took the initiative to hug Evangelista XI and wished each other a happy feast of praise. This kind of situation is not uncommon in the Lateran. His Holiness the Pope of this generation does not have so many airs.

Evangelista XI greeted everyone with a smile and was warm and caring. Occasionally he would stop to admire the beauty of the garden's fountain or the busy arrangements and decorations. He looked like an idle old man with nothing to do. No one noticed the lingering worry between Evangelista XI's brows.

"Amaya does have a problem. She is very afraid of me, which means she knows who I am. But she seems to have something to rely on, so she managed to stay calm."

"She lied about her birth. She was from Iberia, not Victoria. She was a writer of some note, and wrote a lot of weird stories about the sea, but she has kind of disappeared in recent times."

"She came with Roy, but both Valerie and the Second Hall confirmed that there was no special connection between the two. Is this really just a coincidence?"

"So many abnormal situations suddenly appeared, but the law did not react to these unstable factors at all. It still insisted on the judgment of "no threat". Why is that?"

All kinds of doubts lingered in his mind, causing a trace of uneasiness in the heart of the contemporary ruler of the holy city that had stood for thousands of years.

The law's judgment should be correct. But for some reason, he couldn't ignore these two special visitors. So, he deliberately met Amaya before meeting Roy.

However, this impromptu meeting did not allow him to obtain more useful information. The resolution of one doubt only brought more doubts.

Before he knew it, the corridor had reached the end and there were no more fellow travelers on the spacious road. Evangelista XI looked at the door of the 11th Room of the Papal Chamber, composed himself, restored his solemn expression to normal, stretched out his hand, and pushed open the heavy door.

........

Roy put down the strange-tasting grape tart in his hand and looked at Evangelista XI who pushed the door open.

Just like his image in the game, this Lateran religious leader has snow-white hair, a long silver beard, and wears a pair of small round glasses. His eyes behind the lenses sparkle with wisdom and calmness. He wraps his whole body in a red and white priest robe, holding a mighty scepter with the Lateran national emblem on top. Although his face is kind and friendly, he has a majesty and momentum that is impossible to ignore.

He walked around and sat down on the sofa opposite Roy. He handed the scepter to the musket-riding guard with the exaggerated cannon on his waist, motioning him to leave. Then he turned his head, looked at Roy, nodded slightly and said:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Heng Knight. Nice to meet you."

"Greetings to you, His Majesty the Holy and Noble Saint Evangelista XI." Roy responded, using the honorific he learned from the Queen.

Although Roy never liked formalities, it didn't mean he didn't know how to be polite. He and the Queen had a life-long friendship, so he could be more casual, but this was their first meeting with Evangelista XI, and he had something to ask of him, so of course he had to be more respectful.