The King

  Chapter 41 Kingship and Theocracy

  Canglan City, Emerald Palace

  Ever since receiving the news that the "Blood Moon Horn" had appeared in the southeastern province, all the high-level leaders of the Alpha Kingdom began to suffer from insomnia, including the great King Caesar III.

   Logically speaking, a mere evil weapon, even if it has left a great reputation in history, is not worthy of so many big figures mobilizing so many people.

   After all, there were many reasons why the Blood Moon Cult ruled across the continent of Aslant three hundred years ago, and the "Blood Moon Horn" was just one of them.

  If you really think that there is one evil weapon that can kill all directions and disturb the rest of the mainland, then you are too underestimating the background of the major forces.

  The crux of the problem lies in the birth 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 not bad, it has enough autonomy, the power of the church is not strong here, and it is still unable to influence the country's decision-making.

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

  If it weren't for the fear that the church would not be able to sustain the evacuation, it is estimated that it could have gone too far. The people below dare to do this, naturally they cannot do without 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. As the top ten legions supported by the church's force, none survived after the war, and the church, which suffered heavy losses, was forced to shrink strategically.

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

  After the efforts of several generations of kings, through various means such as infiltration and division, bribery and suppression, they successfully separated the relationship between the local church organization and the Papal State, and the Alpha Kingdom successfully locked the power of the church in a cage.

  Now the church organization of the Alpha Kingdom is nominally under the command of the Pope, but in fact it has already 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 everywhere are all descendants of great nobles. Whether it is personnel training or internal promotion, it has formed its own system.

  Everyone chooses to execute the orders of the Pope. If it harms one's own interests, it is a piece of toilet paper.

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

   There was no direct conflict, because the law does not blame the public. Now the slightly powerful kingdoms on the mainland all play like this.

  Countries that haven’t finished restricting theocracy are also working hard in this direction, making the pope dare not act rashly.

   Anyway, everyone is now under the command of the Lord of Dawn. If it is urgent, people will directly start a new stove and dump a bunch of large and small Holy Sees, then there will be no fun.

  The Lord of Dawn has not been manifested for thousands of years, and everyone's awe of the gods has long been reduced to the lowest. If it weren't for everyone's need for the church to fool the people at the bottom, it is unknown whether the Holy See can still exist.

  Hundreds of causes must bear fruit. Whoever made the Holy See have too much fun in the past would send people to the stake at every turn. Even the king would not feel safe.

  Now the Alpha Kingdom is much more harmonious. Although the king and the noble group are still fighting among themselves, there has never been any incident of sending nobles to the stake.

   They are all a family. Even if the power struggle fails, the big deal is to go home early to take care of the elderly, and it is rare for them to be exterminated.

  "The blood moon horn appeared in the southeast province, and our good old pope doesn't seem to be so kind on the surface.

  But he shouldn’t start with my Alpha Kingdom, I really thought it was 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, showing a bit of decadence, and somewhat unable to suppress the great nobles in the country, thanks to the efforts of Caesar III, the kingdom still maintains a political balance.

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

  Even in the last hundred years, the Holy See has been working hard to change its external image, almost no longer sending nobles to the stake, but it still cannot be recognized by everyone.

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

  Although it is not as good as the peak period, it also surpasses any human country on the mainland. Now that their development has reached the limit, it is not surprising that they will target outside the Quecnine Peninsula.

  The appearance of the blood moon horn in the southeast province is probably a temptation for us. If Earl Pierce can cut off their extended tentacles in time, it is estimated that the Papal State will change its target again.

  Before this, similar things happened in the Frankish Kingdom, the Dante Kingdom, and the South Coast Kingdom. "

  The prime minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, replied calmly.

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

   Picking an opponent is a test of skill. If the influence is too small, not only will it not be able to form a deterrent, but it may trigger a joint boycott by various countries.

   Not to mention those who are strong, if they are taught to be human, it will be embarrassing.

   "The Holy See is not monolithic, not everyone likes to toss, and most cardinals want to maintain the status quo.

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

   Maybe the corner of the Blood Moon fell into the hands of the Skull and Bones this time, and it was one of them. After all, it has not been a day or two since they manipulated cult organizations to wreak havoc on the mainland. "

   Minister of Military Affairs Grand Duke Efiero calmly analyzed.

  The organization that suppressed the most severe heresy finally became the supporter of the heresy. I have to say that this is a kind of irony.

  But there is no way, if there is no heresy, how can it reflect the greatness of the Holy See?

  In the era of strategic contraction of the Holy See, only the endless emergence of heresies and cults in troubled places can highlight the importance of the church.

   It is a pity that in recent years, the growing aristocratic group has continuously competed with them for business.

  The heresies that were supposed to be suppressed by them were killed by the nobles first, and they were not given a chance to perform at all.

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

  (end of this chapter)