Secret: The undead do not die in the fire

Chapter 209 Great Sage of the Steam Church

On the Place Saint-Rosaire, the sounds of flutes, violins, accordions, and lyres intertwined or overlapped, drifting away. The steam-breathing train passed through the crowded square, surrounded by flying white doves, and drove along the track to the back of the church and into the interior of Saint-Rosaire Church.

The huge and complex gears and levers are arranged in a special pattern. They look messy and rough, but they give people a sense of sacredness and majesty.

This is the headquarters and temple of the Steam Church, a place blessed by the gods!

With the melodious whistle, the train slowly entered the station and stopped at the platform inside St. Roselle Church.

Archbishop Horamick Hayden, who was wearing a white clergyman's robe and a clergyman's cap, had been waiting on the platform for a long time. He looked at the three people who got off the train with a gentle and kind smile on his face:
"Mr. Ash, Ms. Audrey, please follow me. Someone wants to see you."

"Who?" Yu Jin asked, looking at Horamik calmly.

Horamick's face turned serious and he said solemnly:
"It's His Majesty the Great Sage."

"Great Sage." Audrey chewed the word carefully in her mind.

In every major church, there is a 'Triple Crowner'.

In the Church of the Storm, the Triple Crown bearer is the Pope;

In the Church of Night, the triple crown bearer is the pope;

In the Church of the God of War of the Feysac Empire, the Triple Crown holder is the Patriarch;
In the Church of the God of Craftsmen more than a hundred years ago, the Triple Crown was also the Pope. But when it was renamed the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the Triple Crown was also changed to the Great Sage.

It is said that this reform was also proposed by Emperor Roselle, who was the governor of the Republic of Intis at the time...

The girl's eyes flickered as she looked at Archbishop Horamick who was leading the way in front of her. She looked like an aristocratic lady who was naive to the ways of the world and asked curiously:
"Archbishop Horamick, it is said that the Great Sage was invented by Emperor Roselle. Is this true?"

"Yes."

Archbishop Horamick turned around and smiled and nodded without hiding anything:
"The Triple Crown of the Steam Church used to be the Pope, but under the strong suggestion of Emperor Roselle, it was changed to the 'Great Sage' and has continued to this day. In fact, the reforms proposed by Emperor Roselle at the time were far more than these."

After a pause of one second, Archbishop Horamick continued:

"In Emperor Roselle's complete proposal, the Triple Crown holders are called 'Great Sages'. Archbishops and bishops are called 'Sages', the Mechanical Heart will also be changed to 'Churchills', and deacons will be changed to 'Priests', and ordinary believers will be called monks..."

"But in the end, this series of reforms failed to be implemented as Russell wished."

"why?"

Although she already had some guesses in her mind, Audrey couldn't help but ask.

“Because it’s too complicated.”

Horamick shook his head and said regretfully:
"In Emperor Roselle's early conception, he designed a large number of different types of titles and positions, such as the high-level Saints, Genetics, Logicians, and Forgers. Even among these four high-level positions, there are still subdivisions. For example, the Saints are divided into Chief Monk, Lord of Doctrine, Old Master of Machinery, Taker of All Things, Elderly Commander, Data Predator..."

"This is undoubtedly a genius idea, but the size of the Steam Church cannot adapt to such a large internal structure. This will make the Steam Church's stealing system too bloated, and it will be unable to make effective management and actions."

"Emperor Roselle also knew this, so he did not insist on implementing all of this. He only left behind some of it, such as the Triple Crowned 'Great Sage', who himself is also a saint."

"Of course, the original copy of the complete concept left by Emperor Roselle is still preserved in the Saint Roselle Church. Perhaps one day, the Steam Church will be able to implement this series of reforms as Emperor Roselle envisioned."

Audrey lowered her head silently, as if she had realized something.

There are many speculations about the relationship between the Steam Church and Emperor Roselle, and the most mainstream one is that Emperor Roselle and the Steam Church parted ways for some reason.

Even Audrey originally thought that the reason why the Steam Church did not implement Emperor Roselle's reforms was because of the stalemate in the relationship between the two sides.

But Audrey also knew that if the relationship between Emperor Roselle and the Steam Church was really that bad, the Steam Church would definitely try every means to erase Emperor Roselle's traces in the history of the Steam Church and deny his contributions. But the Steam Church obviously did not do so, and even its temple was still named "Roselle".

Judging from what Archbishop Horamick said, even in the later years of Emperor Roselle's life, the relationship between the Steam Church and Emperor Roselle did not seem as bad as outsiders speculated.

But even so, it is hard to deny that Emperor Roselle was deserted by his friends and relatives in his later years. Although the relationship between the Steam Church and Emperor Roselle was not bad, the fact that they did not help in the end showed that Emperor Roselle might have done something that they could not accept.

Audrey followed Ember and Archbishop Horamick through the corridor. The walls on both sides were painted with huge colorful murals. The murals told the miracles of the God of Steam and Machinery and were the contributions made by the popes and great sages of all generations to the church. Audrey even saw a mural related to Emperor Roselle...

Finally, they arrived at the huge door that was tens of meters high, and came to the most sacred and magnificent temple of the Steam Church.

The great sage of the Steam Church is among them!

Horamick stopped, still with a kind and gentle smile on his face:
"Sir Ash, you have to walk the rest of the way by yourself. I will wait here for you to come back."

The only person the great sage wants to see is Jin.

Audrey was obviously aware of this, so she took a step forward and said softly:

"I'll wait for you here."

Rumble!
The huge door that was tens of meters high slowly opened with the sound of gears turning. Audrey subconsciously raised her head and looked at the dome that was over a hundred meters high inside the huge palace. She deeply felt her own insignificance.

Amid the roar of gears, Ember stepped into the temple, which symbolized the most sacred place of the Steam Cult.

The giant pillars on both sides, over a hundred meters high, are like waiters lining the aisles to welcome guests. The gears on them keep turning, pushing the levers again and again tirelessly, as if playing a symphony of welcome.

boom!
The door behind him suddenly closed with a loud noise.

But Yu Jin did not answer. He just walked step by step towards the platform in front of the temple.

On the high platform, a figure seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

It was called a human figure, but it was not a person, but a puppet made up of countless gears, screws, chains, bearings and other mechanical parts. It had a human appearance, but it was only an appearance. Yu Jin had seen puppets made by Horamik, but the puppets he made were often covered with a layer of "human skin" to make the puppet look closer to the original.

But the puppet in front of him obviously had not undergone any similar "transformation", instead presenting a completely original appearance. His mechanical head wore a triple crown inlaid with sapphires, emeralds and other gems, and he wore a bright red papal robe. In his hand, he also held a scepter made of mechanical parts and in a strange shape.

And these are exactly the standard three-piece set for the triple crown holders of the Orthodox Church!
tread!tread!
Yu Jin approached step by step, and finally stopped three meters in front of him and asked politely:
"Great Sage?"

The puppet nodded slightly, and its head made up of a huge number of mechanical parts seemed to want to appear as kind as possible, but what it finally showed was a strange smile that was a little scary and hideous.

With this strange smile, He took the initiative to walk down the steps, came to Yu Jin, and introduced himself with a smile:

"Nice to meet you, Lord Ash. I am the Great Sage Cawl, Belisarius Cawl."

His voice was extremely stiff, without any emotion, and was no different from the mechanical sound that Yu Jin had imagined.

"Great Sage Kaul?"

There was something strange on Yu Jin's face, and he suddenly asked:
"What is your relationship with Emperor Roselle?" A strange and complicated expression appeared on Kaul's face, and he sighed softly:
"He... is my friend. My name is related to him."

After a pause, Kaul spoke again in a nostalgic tone, using his obviously mechanical voice without any emotion:
"He once told me that I would become a great sage one day. In the later years of his life, he came to me and said that he needed my help and hoped that I could make him a set of armor that would one day free him from his eternal slumber."

"And did you do that?"

Ember asked with interest.

He didn't rush to talk about business, but instead chatted with him as if he was chatting with a friend.

"of course."

Kaul's mechanical voice seemed to carry a hint of seriousness:

"I have been building this armor for him for so many years, but something has always been missing. It has never met my expectations."

Kaul shook his head regretfully, as if trying to calm himself down. After a long while, he asked:
"Do you have any other questions?"

Yu Jin didn't hesitate and asked calmly:

“When can I enter the world of painting?”

Kaul had obviously expected this, and he explained:

"This painting world owned by the Church of Steam has strict time limits for opening and entering. The nearest opening time is tomorrow at noon. After the ceremony, you can enter with others and stay in it for up to one month. After one month, the painting world will automatically teleport everyone out."

Yu Jin hesitated for a moment and asked again:
“What’s in the world of painting?”

"I do not know."

Kaul shook his head and answered mechanically:

"The painting world is huge. Even I haven't been able to fully explore it and know all its secrets. After all, this painting world has only been in the hands of the Steam Church for a short time, less than two hundred years."

"What exactly is available depends on what you need. You need to find the answer yourself."

Yu Jin frowned slightly and suddenly asked:
"Are you from the Church of Night?"

Kaul seemed to be down for a second, and shook his head:

"No, I did have some contact with the Church of Night when I was young. But I never joined the Church of Night, nor did I believe in the Goddess of Night."

After hesitating for a second, Kaul asked doubtfully:
"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I just think the way you talk is very similar to them."

Ember simply answered Caul's question, although Caul was still confused after getting the answer.

But Ember knew very well that Cawl was not the same as the Church of Evernight.

The Church of Evernight obviously knows more information and has expressed its willingness to tell more than once, but it always likes to be a riddler.

As for the Steam Church, perhaps they really just simply "don't know".
-
In the center of the Garden of Eden, there is a magnificent church over 80 meters high, supported by countless giant pillars.

A figure slowly passed through the main entrance of the church, and Li saw a grand but empty hall. Deep in the hall stood a huge cross, with a gray-white dragon statue entwined on the cross.

In front of the giant dragon statue, there is a not-so-big long table.

At the head of the long table was an old man sitting in a wheelchair.

His name is Paulie Dellau, the core leader of the Psychological Alchemy Society.

Dellau looked at the figure walking into the church and gestured for him to come in with a smile:

"Ms. Lust, please take a seat."

The woman called Lust was wearing a complicated black long dress. She was tall and outstanding, leaving no doubt that she was a stunning beauty. But unfortunately, her face was covered with a gray mask, making it difficult to see her appearance.

On that cold gray mask, the two eyes sank to the middle of the nose bridge, as if looking up at people from below, giving people a feeling that was both funny, weird, and secretly terrifying.

Lust sat in her seat, looking at Dellau with a calm expression:
"What do you need me to do?"

Her voice was crisp but cold, yet it seemed to have a hint of charm. Her movements were simple and direct, just a simple movement of pulling out a chair and sitting down, but it seemed to have a charming and seductive charm that made people fall in love with her.

Dellau knew her character well, so he didn't pretend to be serious. He just smiled and said:
"I need your help in killing a man. This man is in Trier. This mask is your reward for this action. In addition, there will be an additional Level 1 Sealed Artifact in your charge."

"In charge?"

'Lust' frowned slightly, seeming a little dissatisfied.

Dellau looked somewhat helpless, and said with a wry smile:
"You should know that this is true for everyone. Although you are in charge in name only, it is no different from belonging to you, right?"

Lust still frowned, but said no more, and just asked:
"I'm going alone? Envy is also in Intis, and Dilis and Trier are not far away. Can I ask him for help?"

Dellau shook his head and sighed:

"Unfortunately, no. 'Envy' is currently on another mission. You can only complete this mission alone. Also,"

Dellau paused for a second, took a deep look at Lust, and smiled:
"With your ability, I think this shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Lust was silent for a moment, then asked softly:

"Where is he?"

"The Church of Steam."

Dellau's mouth curled up slightly, "His name is Ash Black."

Lust was silent for a long time, then spoke softly:

"This mask doesn't suit me, I want 'jealousy'."

Dellau remained calm and nodded with a smile:
"I'll convince him, after you complete your mission."

(End of this chapter)