Rhodes Island does not exist.

“Iberia?” The Agorian woman shook her head and laughed. “We didn’t stay in Iberia, we just stayed in Agor.”

“Besides—” she held up a finger and pointed at the cardinal’s lower body, “aren’t you also a member of our Agor?”

"Don't compare me to you scum who bleed with filth!" the cardinal roared.

“But it seems that we share the same bloodline flowing in our veins, don’t we?” The Agor woman laughed even harder. “Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you to insult yourself like that?”

Agor is a race.

Agor is a place.

Agor is also a form of identification.

These three positions represented by Agor are all different.

As a race, the Agor is a biological concept originating from water. A small portion of them are unrelated to the deep sea, while the vast majority are life forms nurtured by the ocean.

As a region, Agor is a maritime civilization that should neither be remembered nor attempted to be explored. It represents all the undiscovered unknowns beyond the continent of Terra, and the final destination of all water systems.

As a form of identification, Agor is a belief—a belief in the deep sea, in unknown civilizations, and in the indescribable.

However, these three types of Agor are actually very difficult to integrate.

However, there is no doubt that the ten Agors standing before the Cardinals now possess a fusion of three Agors—they are Agors, they come from Agors, and they identify with Agors.

As for the bishop himself, I'm afraid only the first possibility exists.

After all, in Iberia, the Agor should be the largest indigenous ethnic group in terms of population.

“Are you still rejecting His call?” another Ager man spoke up. “Think about it, you’re the only Ager in this vast Iberian diocese. Don’t you feel lonely?”

“Since the Great Tranquility, the Agors have suffered discrimination in Iberia. As a fellow Agor, haven’t you thought about doing anything about it?” the Agor woman questioned. “Or would you rather watch your compatriots be expelled and murdered than lose the crown of a cardinal on your head?”

“You always say the same things. Don’t you ever think of saying something different?” the cardinal asked rhetorically.

“Of course we can talk about other things, as long as—” said Agor the man.

"—As long as Iberia ceases its persecution of the Agors, as long as the Agors can once again obtain their rightful rights and treatment in Iberia, and once again—"

"Don't even think about it." This time, the cardinal interrupted Agor's speech directly.

“As long as you don’t understand why Agor has ended up in this situation, this request will not be fulfilled.” The cardinal shook his head. “And I suggest you don’t try to do anything this time either. Go back to where you came from, because the Iberian Punishment Army and the Papal Knights will be here soon, and I don’t want to see my own people being slaughtered before my eyes.”

"So, is it enough that it's not in front of you?" The Agorian not only didn't back down, but instead questioned again.

"what are you saying?"

"Is it alright if they aren't slaughtered in front of you?" The Agor man became agitated. "Ah, I understand now. When hundreds and thousands of Agor compatriots were led to the wall of flesh and blood and shot by the Punisher Army, you certainly weren't there, were you?"

“That’s right, you definitely weren’t there.” He nodded, tapping the ground with his toes. “Because the Great Tranquility had only been over for less than a year, and you, this cowardly bastard, were still desperately trying to curry favor with Pope Lateran in the Church, hoping for a promotion. How could you possibly care about how your fellow countrymen were being treated?”

"……you."

The cardinal clenched his fists and closed his eyes slightly.

"Today's trial is about a blasphemy case. The defendant is just a little girl, but she has already been corrupted by sin and is about to become worldly garbage."

"And your remarks just now should also be tried along with her, and you should be punished for all your crimes to completely cleanse yourself of everything."

"Now you've remembered your rightful place?" the Agorian sneered. "Or is it because we've offended your idol back in Lateran, and you've finally reached your breaking point?"

"What a pitiful person."

The Agor woman shook her head as she spoke.

“Although living right next to the sea, it cannot hear the whispers of the tides and rejects His call.”

"Remember that, fellow countrymen."

"Unlike what you do, the sea never abandons any of its offspring."

-

All updates will be released today before the new version is implemented this afternoon.

Wishing everyone success in their 10-pull gacha pulls!

Thanks to Lao Meiteng for the monthly pass, thank you.

Chapter 89, Chapter 88: Deep Sea Tales - Chapter 24: Crossing the Long Wind

I once crossed the long wind and saw the heavy snow in Kalan and the white pines on the mountaintop.

I once crossed the long wind and saw the Longmen Night Market, with its neon lights and starry sky.

I once crossed the long wind and saw the high walls of Junbao and the majestic appearance of the emperor.

I once crossed the long wind and saw rows of churches and secluded temples.

I once crossed the long winds, longing to see the south of Terra, where the deep sea was shrouded in mist.

I want to cross the long wind.

"Crossing the Long Wind," by Rembitox's Emerging Poet—Klinger Wade

The people inside the church were unaware of what was happening outside.

For those in the spectator stands, all they knew was to obey the cardinal's orders and remain seated.

Those on the jury only knew that danger might be happening outside, but they were unsure what to do next.

To those in the dock, all she knew was that none of this concerned her.

"I think there's some kind of noise?" one of the jurors said, listening intently.

He is a cartel.

He was a foreign Christian who traveled to Lateran during his youth and converted to Christianity, and was one of the few outsiders in Iberia who did not face discrimination or xenophobia.

“The guard just told the cardinal that there are some Agors coming towards us, but several minutes have passed and neither they nor the cardinal have made a move,” another priest said. “So, perhaps it’s better to say that the sound is a good thing?”

“We must not express joy at matters that are still uncertain,” Father Carter shook his head. “We are priests, and we must be even more careful to abide by the law.”

“But the believers are uneasy; they need revelation and a message,” the priest said. “So, should we…”

“We shouldn’t.” Carter’s denial was swift and decisive, like an arrow released from a bow. “Since the Cardinal said not to wander around, we shouldn’t act rashly.”

“Brother,” another priest shook his head, offering his objection, “what you should listen to and obey is not the cardinal’s words, but the words of our Lord. Only the Lord’s thoughts and words are supreme.”

“What will the Lord say about the current situation?” Carter asked.

"If it is the Lord, then surely—"

Unfortunately, he was unable to convey the remaining half of the gospel.

Because his upper half of his head, along with his mouth and tongue, was permanently separated from his body.

"boom--"

Thick blood gushed out like a chocolate fountain in a dessert shop, splashing along with shattered skull fragments and chunks of tongue onto several priests nearby.

The sound was like a child on the street squashing a small balloon.

And they're water balloons.

"Merciful Lord!"

"what happened?!"

"Oh my God!"

After a one-second pause and reaction time, almost all the jurors and bystanders in the courtroom burst into the sounds that come from being startled.

Although the vocabulary used in their speeches varied, and some priests even used extremely vulgar profanities, the meaning they wanted to express was certainly the same.

In short, that's how it happened, and none of the people present even knew who did it.

But without a doubt, they will find out soon.

"boom!"

Before everyone's eyes, the wooden floorboards in one corner of the courtroom cracked open, and hideous, fleshy beasts poked their heads out of the hole and scurried out like rats in a sewer during a rainstorm.

All of this happened in less than two seconds.

"It's a beast! A beast has invaded!" someone shouted.

“Nonsense!” a priest retorted instinctively, as if he had done so countless times in his soul.

But what you see in front of you doesn't lie.

The bodies of church members do not lie.

What can lie?

Of course, it's people themselves.

Only humans lie.

"Meat--"

These creatures, known as evil beasts, have the same limbs and body structure as humans, but apart from their hideous appearance and bloody, fleshy torsos, the only difference between them and humans is that humans can walk, while they can only crawl.

The courtroom speakers continued to play sacred music, just as they had when they were waiting for the trial to begin.

The music of the past was played for believers, but now it is played for the beasts to feast on.

"Save me, my Lord! My Lord! Ah—"

Tear or bite.

Claws pierced his back, and sharp teeth tore apart his spine.

How many ferocious beasts are currently frantically hunting in the hall?

Ten? Twenty? Fifty?

I don't know, no one has counted them, no one knows the exact number, and no one can count them.

This question is meaningless.

"Open the door! Why is it locked from the inside? Let us out! Let us out—"

Wailing.

splash.

Rich.

smear.

Bliss.

The doors to the courtroom were tightly shut; no one opened them, and no one answered.

The red lacquered door panels were repeatedly painted and renovated, making it seem as if even the beasts valued the door's appearance more than the priests.

If their God were in heaven, He would surely be deeply moved by this act of protecting the sanctuary.

It is now 12:55 PM.

The courtroom was filled with people, or things that weren't human.

The girl's hands and feet remained bound, the silver metal ribbons jingling.

The sacred music emanated from the speakers, without distortion or noise, and played continuously on a loop.

The herd of animals stirred, excited, and wriggled.

But they were only excited about the priests in front of them.

As for the pale-faced, panicked girl who had even lost control of her bladder, they had no interest in her whatsoever.

It was as if she wasn't human, but one of their kind.

"Go eat her! Why don't you eat her?!"

As he lay dying, a bystander, still trying to escape, used his last bit of strength to point his right hand at the girl in the center of the arena and fiercely questioned the ferocious beasts rushing towards him, his voice hoarse and desperate.

He couldn't understand.

Why did those ferocious beasts still choose the girl as their target even when they passed by her?

It is clearly the sinners who deserve to be eliminated.

"So you really are a witch! You deserve to be judged! I understand now, I understand now! These horrifying creatures, these ferocious beasts, you're the one who summoned them! You're the one who—"

Torn.