King

Canglan City, Jade Palace

Ever since they received the news that the "Blood Moon Horn" had appeared in the Southeast Province, many high-level officials in the Alpha Kingdom began to suffer from insomnia, including the great King Caesar III.

Logically speaking, a mere evil weapon, even if it leaves a great name in history, is not worthy of such a huge effort by so many big figures.

After all, three hundred years ago, the Blood Moon Cult dominated the Aslant continent. This was due to many reasons, and the "Blood Moon Horn" was just one of them.

If you really think that there is an evil weapon that can kill everyone and make the mainland restless, then you are underestimating the background of the major forces.

The crux of the problem lies in the emergence of the "Blood Moon Horn", which also involves the Church of Dawn. Once anything involves the church, no kingdom dares to take it lightly.

The Kingdom of Alpha is pretty good and has enough autonomy. The church is not very powerful here and cannot yet influence national decision-making.

Even though they are still paying tithes to the church, the aristocratic group has always been obedient and violative. The "tithe", which should be the most important income of the church, is only enough to maintain the daily expenses of the church.

If it weren't for the fear that the church wouldn't be able to survive and evacuate, I guess we could have gone even further. If people below dare to do this, it is naturally inseparable from the support from above.

The Blood Moon catastrophe three hundred years ago was not only a game between the ruling class and the rebels, but also a battle between royal power and divine power.

The empire of light supported by the church fell apart in the game. The ten major legions that served as the military support of the church were reduced to ten after the war. The church, which suffered heavy losses, was forced to carry out strategic contraction.

This is just the beginning, and the church still has a strong influence in the local area. The struggle between secular kingship and divine power continued.

After the efforts of several generations of kings, through various means such as infiltration, division, bribery and suppression, they successfully alienated the relationship between the local church organizations and the Papal State, and the Alpha Kingdom successfully caged the power of the church.

Now the church organization in the Kingdom of Alpha is nominally under the command of the Pope, but in fact it has long been secretly controlled by the great nobles from all sides.

The archbishop of the kingdom is a member of the royal family, and the bishops in various places are all children of great nobles. Whether it is talent training or internal promotion, it has its own system.

Everyone carries out the Pope's orders selectively. If it harms one's own interests, it's just a piece of toilet paper.

Under this background, the relationship between the Alpha Kingdom and the Papal State is naturally not much better.

No direct conflict broke out, that's because the law does not hold everyone accountable. Nowadays, the slightly stronger kingdoms on the mainland all play this way.

Countries that have not completed the restriction of theocratic power are also working in this direction, making the Pope dare not act rashly.

In any case, everyone is now under the command of the Lord of the Dawn. If the situation becomes desperate and they start a whole new process and bring out a bunch of large and small Holy Sees, then there will be nothing to do.

The Lord of the Dawn has not appeared as a saint for thousands of years, and everyone's respect for the gods has long been reduced to the lowest level. If we didn't need the church to deceive the people at the bottom, it's unknown whether the Holy See would still exist.

Every cause must have its effect. The Holy See had too much fun back then and sent people to the stake at every turn. Even the king did not feel safe.

The Alpha Kingdom is much more harmonious now. Although the king and the aristocratic groups are still fighting among themselves, there is no such thing as sending aristocrats to the stake.

They are all a family. Even if the power struggle fails, the worst possible outcome is that they can go home early to retire, and killing them all rarely happens.

"The Blood Moon Horn appeared in the Southeast Province, and our good old Pope doesn't seem to be as kind as he appears.

But he shouldn't start from our Alpha Kingdom. I really thought it was still three hundred years ago and everyone had to support them! "

Caesar III said with a sneer.

Strength is always the greatest confidence. After getting rid of the exploitation and oppression of the church, the strength of all countries in the mainland has undergone earth-shaking changes.

Even though the royal family suffered heavy losses in the Orc War a hundred years ago, showed some decadence, and was somewhat unable to suppress the great nobles in the country, the kingdom still maintained political balance thanks to the efforts of Caesar III.

On the issue of dealing with the church, the position of the aristocratic group was consistent. After all, no one wants to have an ancestor with a penny more on his head, especially if this ancestor can send himself to the stake at any time.

Even in the past hundred years, the Holy See has been working hard to change its external image and almost no longer sends nobles to the stake, but it still cannot gain everyone's approval.

"Your Majesty, this is to be expected. After three hundred years of recuperation, the Holy See's strength has recovered a lot.

Although it is not as good as its peak, it is still more than any human country on the continent. Now that their development has reached the limit, it is not surprising that they have set their sights beyond the Quekonin Peninsula.

The appearance of the Blood Moon Horn in the Southeast Province is probably a test for us. If Count Pierce can cut off their outstretched tentacles in time, it is estimated that the Papal State will change its target again.

Prior to this, similar things had happened in the Frankish Kingdom, Dante Kingdom, and Nan'an Kingdom. "

The Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, replied calmly.

The persimmon is too soft to pick. If the Holy See wants to regain its former glory, the first step it takes must be successful.

Choosing your opponents is a test of skill. If the influence is too small, it will not only fail to act as a deterrent, but may trigger a joint boycott by various countries.

Even if you are strong, it would be embarrassing if you were taught how to behave.

"The Holy See is not monolithic. Not everyone likes to fiddle with it. Most cardinals want to maintain the status quo.

Those who want to trouble are mainly the Knights of Judgment, the Inquisition, the Temple, the Gate of Heaven... these notorious organizations.

Maybe the corner of the Blood Moon that fell into the hands of the Skull and Bones this time was the handiwork of one of them. After all, it’s not just a day or two since they manipulated the cult organization to cause trouble in the mainland. "

Archduke Efiero, the Minister of Military Affairs, analyzed calmly.

It must be said that this is an irony that the organization that suppresses heresy the most has finally become a supporter of heresy.

But there is no way. If there is no heresy, how can the greatness of the Holy See be reflected?

In an era when the Holy See is strategically shrinking, only the endless heresies and cults that wreak havoc in places can highlight the importance of the church.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the growing aristocratic group has continued to compete with them for business.

The heretics who were supposed to be suppressed by them were killed by the nobles first, without giving them a chance to perform.

So much so that in the minds of many civilians, the only churches left are churches for prayer and pastors who only make money.