Chapter 2019: Chapter 2019
"This is the Gate of All Things? Why is it different from how Jenkins described it?"
Dolores tilted her head back, observing for a good while before whispering her question. During this time, the Church's priests and nuns were briefing the group from the northern kingdom, providing some essential context to prevent any conflicts when they met with the followers of the pseudo-gods.
"The Gate of All Things that Jenkins saw was only a part of it, or rather, he only saw its physical shell. I imagine the Church has a way to project the space behind the gate to other locations. Jenkins once speculated that behind the underground gate is solid rock; the real space doesn't exist in the material world," Alexia answered.
"It's incredible that the Nolan diocese can use a numbered item in such a way," Dolores praised again. A nearby priest, overhearing their conversation and knowing their identities, revealed something he probably shouldn't have.
"Actually, the original purpose of establishing the Church of the Sage in Nolan was to contain the Gate of All Things."
"Before I met Jenkins, I'd never heard anything about this gate. And even though it's such an important numbered item, no one within the Church of the Sage ever seriously discusses it... It seems the Nolan diocese truly values it... Is the Gate of All Things related to the All-Seeing Cards?" Alexia suddenly asked, but the priest simply shook his head.
"I'm afraid that's something only the Keepers of Secrets would know."
The delegation from the northern kingdom soon ascended the transparent staircase, holding umbrellas as they walked toward the massive circular structure above. Although the rain passed straight through the transparent material, everyone could feel the solid steps beneath their feet. Looking down from on high, however, it seemed as if there was nothing below them, which left some feeling a bit uneasy.
From below, the colossal, colosseum-like building had appeared empty, but as they ascended the winding staircase to the highest level, they saw it was already filled with people. As their feet moved from the final step onto the platform, the transparent building materials gradually gained color.
The entrance was located on the side of the circular structure. The building was designed with a higher exterior and a lower interior. In the center lay a circular, flat area, now furnished with dozens of long tables arranged in parallel rows.
Beyond the flat ground, tiers of seats rose upward, much like a classical colosseum, with spectator seating above and an arena floor below.
"It actually is a colosseum," a nun whispered to Dolores. "It's just being used as a venue for the negotiations this time."
Though the ceiling was transparent, the foul weather meant the light was dim. In the aisles between the seats, the Church had placed fixed silver candelabras supported by pillars that looked like solid gold. At the top of each candelabrum, a small angel held a candle securely in its clasped hands.
The thick, pale gold candles were clearly mixed with some kind of spice, intended to suppress the dampness from the torrential rain and the strange odor of the gray fog outside.
In addition, high above, rows of white candles floated in neat, orderly lines, providing light and warmth for the people below.
When the heretics came to the church, they would undoubtedly want to show off, so naturally, the Church of the Sage had to display its own power and wealth. Alexia was unsurprised by the scene; after a few glances, she lost interest.
Dolores, on the other hand, was incredibly excited, constantly tugging on her teacher's arm and peppering her with questions.
As participants in the negotiations, their group didn't remain in the upper seats but descended to the central circular area. The former queen, Isabella, and the Fidektri delegation had not yet arrived, but the delegation from Cheslan was already there.
Unlike the Cheslan delegation that had attended Jenkins's speech at the city hall last weekend, this one was significantly larger. Many of the faces were entirely new to Nolan; they were members of the lower house and secretaries from the records office who had only recently rushed here from Cheslan.
"Was your journey smooth?" Salsi II asked, naturally extending a hand to the young king of the southern kingdom. The second son of the late Tackwen the Proud, now the king of Cheslan, reached out with a look of exhaustion mixed with excitement.
"We only returned to Nolan at midnight yesterday, through that passage. It was utterly exhausting, but thank goodness the passage exists. Otherwise, even the fastest steam-powered airship would have taken at least three days to bring us back."
This final negotiation was of monumental importance. Not just Jenkins, but the Church as well, wanted the representatives of the human kingdoms to be individuals who could truly speak for their nations. However, the situation in Cheslan was extremely complicated due to the sudden death of their king and a coup in the capital, Dullin.
Normally, even with everyone aware that the High Tower Accord was defunct, the Church would still need a suitable pretext to interfere in secular politics. Fortunately, this time, the request to help handle Cheslan's political situation had come from the Believers of Lies. This allowed the Church to openly coordinate with the kingdoms of Hamparvo and Fidektri and sweep through the southern nation.
It sounded complex, but considering that nearly a quarter of Cheslan was currently engulfed in towering flames and its internal politics were in utter chaos, the situation was dire. The greatest resistance should have come from the cultists supporting the usurper, Reddy Aresio. Yet, when the Church launched a surprise attack on Dullin, the cultists who were supposed to be protecting the "king" in the royal palace had mysteriously vanished.
Thus, the true heir, Brier Alecio, was able to rush to Dullin for his coronation just before this Friday meeting, becoming the legitimate king of Cheslan. But this by no means meant Cheslan's problems were solved. The place was now a massive headache. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel•fire.net
Salsi II had been informed of this series of events in advance, which was why he greeted the young king as an equal. The latter understood this as a sign of recognition from the old king of the north and happily returned the courtesy.
The two chatted for a few moments, during which the Church's clergy helped the various civil officials and nobles find their seats.
The representatives of the Twelve Orthodox Churches had already arrived, while the representatives from the pseudo-god cults began to trickle in after Salsi II. Nominally, these individuals had no right to speak and were merely observers, so the believers of pseudo-gods all sat in the upper seats.
From a distance, Alexia saw Hathaway and the Music Cult take their seats. She also spotted the followers of the god of dreams, who had suffered a terrible misfortune today because of Jenkins. Moreover, she saw many old friends she had met during her travels around the world.
"Why don't I see Jenkins?" Salsi II asked Bishop Parrold, who had just walked over.
The bishop was the nominal leader of the Church of the Sage in the Nolan diocese, but in this negotiation, he was just another representative. After all, even Pontiff IV himself was present, so there was no need for the bishop to make a grand, final entrance.
"I heard he went to handle some trouble. He should be back soon," Bishop Parrold said with a cheerful chuckle, not the least bit worried about Jenkins. "Did you hear that explosion from the coast a moment ago? That was probably his handiwork."
"Then what about the other main parties in this negotiation?" Salsi II asked, looking around under the light from above. "Where are Miss Fabry and her companions?"
Because "Miss Fabry" had become so famous, people sometimes used the name to refer to the Believers of Lies.
"It seems they haven't arrived yet." The bishop laboriously pulled a pocket watch from his elaborate robes. "They said they would be at the church at one-fifty... It's already one-fifty-three."
The bishop looked up, as if half-expecting the Believers of Lies to suddenly descend from the sky.
"Actually, there's something I still don't quite understand," Salsi II said, lowering his voice. The bishop nodded, inviting him to ask freely.
"What, exactly, is Jenkins's standing in the eyes of the Church?"
"Haven't we made it public? He is the Church's Saint."
"No, no, Bishop. I'm not asking about his title, but his status."
Salsi II had developed something of a friendship with Bishop Parrold since coming to Nolan, which was why he dared to ask. In reality, the cardinals and the Pontiff of the Church of the Sage were his equals, but they would never answer such a question.
"Let me see..." the bishop mused. "You can think of it this way: if Jenkins makes a request within the Church, no one, including His Holiness the Pontiff, has the authority to oppose his demands or opinions, even if those demands are highly unreasonable."
Salsi II was stunned for a moment at the bishop's words. This was not what he had expected. "Is he the next Pontiff?"
"Of course not. A king cannot become the Pontiff, and besides, he himself has no such aspirations. It is simply because he is acknowledged by our Lord, the person in our era who is closest to God. You can consider him the Sage's representative on earth—a true representative, in every sense of the word. Our god is quite fond of this young man. He is a man close to God. He is not the Sage, but no one is closer to the Sage than he. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Salsi II kept his expression carefully neutral, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing at Dolores beside him, who was still looking around with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Jenkins has promised he has no designs on your kingdom, please rest assured," Bishop Parrold said reassuringly. His advanced age and experience allowed him to immediately perceive the king's concern.
"No, that's not what I'm thinking about. I was just wondering... if that's the case, why would he marry a heretic?"
"That is something you will have to ask him yourself. I cannot answer that."