Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 503: Religious War Begins (7000)

“Breaking news! The Farrows Lighthouse has been upgraded, and the Lighthouse sequence has received an epic enhancement!”

"Extra! From today on, the captain no longer needs to worry about getting lost when sailing!"

“Extra! Perhaps the church has not yet recognized the status of Saint Byron, but he is undoubtedly the savior of the Lighthouse Order. Ladies and gentlemen, please cheer for him!”

"Extra!"

Just the next morning, the seagull messengers acting as newsboys were all over the "Old Continent Dragon King's Court", "First Circular Belt", "Second Circular Belt", "Bantaan Islands", and "South Continent Beast Paradise".
With the Daily Beacon in his claws, the news spread around the world in less than an hour.

"Extra Editions" in newspapers are considered a special publication, which are usually printed temporarily when newspapers encounter major emergencies or need to report important news quickly.

Since this type of publication is not included in the serial number of regularly published newspapers, but is published in the queue, it is named "extra edition".

You should know that the last "extra edition" of the world-class newspaper "Beacon Daily" was as early as 1453.

The religious war between the Church States and the Holy Spirit Church States failed and the Holy City was lost. That was nineteen years ago.

The changes in the Pharos Lighthouse cannot be hidden from any extraordinary being, and the [Lighthouse Matrix] is supposed to be connected to every extraordinary being in the Lighthouse sequence, so they will all know sooner or later.

As a powerful organization known throughout the material world, the Lighthouse Federation would be better off flexing its muscles and making a bigger splash at the same time, rather than letting others make wild guesses.

Therefore, after obtaining Byron's consent, this edition of the "Extra" focused on introducing the [Sea Hunter] Saint Byron and his new invention, the "First-Level Holy Relic - Saint Byron Lens".

The legendary level of this vest [Sea Hunter] has already exceeded 30 points.

After his previous "invention" - bagasse paper - came on the market, most of the powerful people in various countries saw its terrifying potential to completely break the church's monopoly on knowledge.

With the crazy pursuit of countless forces, it became popular in all countries on the east and west coasts of the Old Continent in less than a week.

Within a few days, Catherine received orders that were scheduled until the end of next year.

Byron's marketing strategy of not taking the opportunity to raise prices has been highly praised by a number of Tower Sequence scholars and Hall Sequence artists.

The spread of knowledge and culture is related to their own extraordinary paths, and there is a series of ascension rituals, and they are all potential allies.

Many people have already foreseen that with this cheap writing medium, the continuous import of spice resources from overseas into the Old World, and the increasingly active source tides, it will not be a problem for the number of extraordinary people on the continent to double in the next ten years (Chapter 470).

What a huge achievement this is for human civilization?

By then, it will no longer be as simple as “the food and clothing of millions of canal workers depend on it”.

Time will become Byron's best friend.

Many forces are also ready to make a move in secret, including the Black Wizard Association and the kingdom's intelligence agencies, all of whom are sharpening their knives and want to take action against the paper mill and get a piece of this big pie.

Now there is indeed no one who is brave enough to run to the Bantaan Islands to confront Byron head-on. No one can do anything except a sneak attack from a fifth-level legend.

But before they could resort to a series of flexible tactics such as using beauty to trap, stealing technology, bribing technical personnel, or organizing craftsmen to reverse decrypt, etc.

Byron then invented the "St. Byron Lens", which was of inferior quality but equally influential.

He also used the [Book of History] to obtain the most legitimate and orthodox claim of the church.

All parties, regardless of whether they were devout in their faith, could not help but start to wait and see whether he was "unworthy of the position" before deciding on the next move.

After all, the underlying tone of this world is that the masses are king. Even if Byron is confirmed to be a follower possessed by the "Holy Spirit", he is only more legitimate than others.

An anchor is an anchor, a believer is a believer, and an army is an army.

The Pope was shot eight times in the back and died on the spot.

How many divisions does the Holy Spirit have? Can we still count on believers to sit in protest and play the non-resistance movement?

If he does not have the ability to match his fame, he still will not have the right to share the cake.

But in the front page headline of the Beacon Daily.

Saint Byron has been voted in by all members of the Lighthouse Federation as honorary vice president, and once he is promoted to the fifth-level legend, he will be able to immediately remove the word "honorary".

The Lighthouse Federation is one of the most important international organizations in human civilization besides the church.

It is the light emitted by the Pharos Lighthouse that illuminates the entire spiritual world instead of the sun on earth.

This is the core hub of the overseas lighthouse network system that spans the real and material worlds. Without it, most of the overseas development business will collapse instantly.

If you want to continue to gain profits from overseas, you must never offend them.

At this point, perhaps the [Sea Hunter] is still just a fourth-level [Storm Lord] on the surface.

His status, however, is no longer just that of "Earl of Stromgarde" or "Loyalist of York". It has transcended a single country and has a status that matches 30 points of legend.

The reputation that had originally been suppressed by [Wild Hunt] has risen again, and the sayings of "the two pillars of the Taiwan people" and "the enemies of the past life" are rampant again.

Moreover, one of them is a scholar and the other a warrior, and the aura around them completely overshadows the glory of all their peers.

Many people secretly rejoiced that the two Byrons were mortal enemies. If their civil and military achievements were combined, Hastings might really have a chance to soar to the sky.

The impact of the lighthouse upgrade on the human world goes far beyond this.

Just as the entire continent was boiling over a copy of the Lighthouse Daily, a majestic voice also echoed over the Pharos Lighthouse:
"Everyone, throughout the Age of Exploration and human history, we, the Lighthouse Sequence, have always stood at the forefront of facing the source sea.

Every minute and every moment, brothers and sisters of the Lighthouse Sequence are sacrificing their lives for this.

Without the 'deep sea defense line' built with our flesh, blood and souls and the great sacrifices made over the past thousand years, there would be no prosperity and stability for human nations.

However, now there are people who are hunting down our brothers and sisters of the Lighthouse Sequence for some ulterior motives.

We can die in the Sea of ​​Essence, in the belly of a sea monster, in plunder, or in taking risks, but we must never die inexplicably from an arrow shot from behind!

I swear in the name of Alexander the Fire Thief, the president of the Lighthouse Union:

No matter who is the executor of this conspiracy or the mastermind behind it, they will be retaliated with tooth for tooth and blood for blood!"

The assembled action troops all held their weapons tightly and shouted angrily:

"Tooth for tooth, blood for blood!"

In the past, the radiation range and intensity of the lighthouse were not enough, and there were loopholes everywhere. It would be a joke to say this but fail to get things done.

Now they have the confidence.

Once you gain greater power, you must demonstrate a stronger presence.

Every organization has its own collective interests.

An individual can be free from desires, but if the leader of an organization dares not work for the welfare of the organization, no matter how strong he is, his only outcome will be dismissal.

Soon, led by President [Fire Thief] Alexander, Vice President [Spark] Rudolph and several other fifth-level vice presidents, they were projected to the southern continent through the greatly enhanced [Lighthouse Matrix].

With the coordinates provided by Byron as the center, they began the most unsolvable carpet search, not letting go of any clues, vowing to find the black hand.

By the end of the month, when the “trapdoor” window period can be physically passed, even bigger moves are prepared.

After Byron used the force of the enemy to mobilize a large number of powerful thugs to rescue the pirate captain under his command, he returned to the base camp and continued to do what he was supposed to do.

It's like nothing has changed.

“Although I have obtained the ‘claim right’, I still need to wait for an opportunity to step forward and exercise the ‘claim right’.

At this critical moment when both the Old Continent and the Southern Continent are in turmoil, it is better to stay still than to move."

Byron understood human nature.

Under normal circumstances, obviously no one in the church who holds power would be willing to acknowledge some bullshit "savior" who would take away their authority.

There is no essential difference between this and the expensive Remy privileges of the past.

So the key point of his revision was only one sentence:
"When the flood comes again, God will give him a holy name for his achievements in fighting against the old gods: Saint Byron."

More than a thousand years ago, when the Dark Millennium had just begun, the Church issued a decree.

All believers can only choose one name for their children from the 65 male names and 48 female names in the Gospel of Creation, and are strictly prohibited from choosing any other name.

Even the royal family, who are of noble status, have no privileges.

Now everyone knows that the church’s starting point was good, and its purpose was to enhance the stability of human anchoring.

This decree also made the name "Byron" no longer uncommon, and there were countless "Byrons" within the church.

Moreover, before the Creator Church split from the Remitist Church, Simon, Baal, and Kochba, who had made great achievements, were considered by the "prophets" as candidates for the Messiah.

To determine whether he is a true savior, we must see whether he can ultimately create great deeds and ascend to heaven in the flesh as prophesied.

Even the [Son of God] was deified only after his death, let alone the [Holy Spirit].

Byron did not take the initiative to jump out and declare himself the king of all mankind like the "Son of God" did in the past.

This leaves room for both sides, and they can coexist peacefully for a short period of time without immediately becoming a threat in the eyes of the saints.

When the church splits itself and the old and new factions argue over who is orthodox, Byron, the "Holy Spirit" mentioned in the scriptures, will naturally become important.

This is also why Byron chose to decisively modify the historical records at this point in time. If the time was moved earlier or later, the danger would increase dozens of times.

He had foreseen this dispute as early as 1471 (Chapter 100) and had been working quietly until now, preparing to bite off a piece of meat from that behemoth.

"Besides, the [Book of History] can be revised more than once. Once we have gained enough benefits and have had enough influence on the world, we can continue to revise it next time."

One revision later, Byron’s now-accumulated historical influence has run out.

If it weren't for Byron, Anchor Bay would have fallen by now; the First Fleet of the Channel Islands would have been unscathed, and the York family, holding the "Touch of the Kraken", would have been in high spirits.
The Lancaster family has completely become history, and the Red Rose dynasty will never be revived again.
The natives of the Azik and Taya empires all died of smallpox; Castile dominated the Bantaan Islands, and the Golden Empire belonged to [Conqueror] Cortes; coral disease has also spread across the vast ocean.
Not only has the southern continent not been developed, but the vanguard is more likely to be killed by the clan.
These are all Byron's deviations from world history. After using the [Book of History of Years] this time, he needs to accumulate more power of deflection before he can continue to modify it next time.

While Byron was lying in wait, waiting for that opportunity, there was actually something more important to do.

The Governor's Palace is built on the top of the bastion of Torrent Fortress, overlooking the entire industrial city.

In the most luxurious suite, a girl who looked very young was lying on a large nanmu bed.

Her thick, long, bright silver hair was spread on the white pillow, her eyebrows and eyes were delicate like a carefully carved doll, she was wearing a very decent court dress, and in her hands she was holding a translucent blue halberd blade and a small white lead ball.

It was the mermaid princess Hathaway who was brought back to the Bantaan Islands from Valhalla by Byron and Violet seven days ago.

After leaving the original frozen water environment in the crystal coffin, a beautiful silver fish tail automatically turned into human feet.

This means her vitality is recovering and her body is recovering very well.

As a ray of afternoon sunlight gradually shifted and shone on her face, her long eyelashes suddenly moved, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

As if she had just had a normal nap, Hathaway propped up her upper body, rubbed her eyes, and yawned slightly:
"Ha, I slept really well, but I always felt like something was poking my waist, and my back hurts a bit."

She clenched her white and tender fists and knocked on her waist, then reached out from under the seven layers of velvet bedding and took out a shiny little thing.

——A diamond pendant that was supposed to be hanging on earrings.

Seven days ago, her two daughters-in-law, Catherine and Violet, personally made the bed for her. They worried that she would not sleep comfortably, so they specially put in several layers of bedding. Unexpectedly, she could feel the earring that accidentally fell off clearly through seven layers of bedding.

Obviously she is a real princess.

Hathaway shook her head, and her long silver hair flowed down like moonlight, gradually waking her up from a long sleep that had lasted for more than ten years.

The bewildered look on his face suddenly disappeared, as he recalled the fact that he was dead.

"I was resurrected? The [Sea King Trident] was not taken away, and it did not attack the people who saved me. What happened?
Who on earth has such magical power to bring the dead back to life, and who is so kind-hearted?"

Feel the vitality and strength in your body.

Before she could figure out what was happening, she suddenly turned her head to look outside the door and vaguely heard some noise.

He clenched the trident blade that symbolized solidity in his hand, confirming that the effect of the level-0 relic in blocking all information outflow was always in effect, which was equivalent to activating the most effective [shielding presence] at all times.

After hesitating for a moment, she got out of bed and put on a pair of crystal high heels that had been prepared for her by the bed. She tried them on and found that they fit her feet surprisingly well.

"It's a bit like the craftsmanship of the old shoemaker in Sollenberg."

Then he slowly pushed the door open and walked out, finding himself in a very large suite.

Walking out of the bedroom on the second floor, there is a luxuriously decorated living room on the first floor.

There were several familiar-looking figures sitting on sofas in a circle, drinking afternoon tea and chatting.

She noticed several thick golden anchor chains in the spiritual world that provided her with additional anchoring, and vaguely guessed the identities of several people. She was so amazed that her body trembled slightly with excitement.

At this time, a voice that sounded familiar yet strange complained:

"Cousin, there is no point in discussing who is older between us. Although mermaids' puberty is much longer than humans', I am not yet an adult.

But I was born long before my aunt disappeared, and she held me in her arms, so I must be older than you.

Don't change the subject, tell me, how many other identities are you hiding from me?"

After Salant used the [Trident of Neptune] to test "Byron Tudor" and confirmed that he was his brother.

I didn't want to implicate him because of the pollution of [Noya Ark] and East Continent, so I didn't make the relationship clear. I just hoped that he could have a peaceful life.

But when he was sent to work as a thug for the Wild Hunt Byron Lancaster, he was shocked to find that this guy was wearing layer upon layer of vests.

After finding out that "Tudor" was not his real surname, but his mother's surname like his own "Sea Lily", he couldn't hold it in any longer.

I grabbed him by the collar and finally got the truth out of him.

In fact, mermaids are not born human and their lifespan is much longer than that of humans. Even in their twenties, they are still teenagers.

The same age, if converted into human development stage, then Salant is the cousin, if simply compared in real age, then he is the cousin.

Just like the Golden Deer, they are Schrodinger-like brothers.

Sitting on Byron's left and right were the two queens who, despite their busy schedules, took time out to wait for Hathaway to wake up.

After taking a sip of the black tea that Catherine brought and eating a cream puff that Violet brought, he shrugged at Salant.

“If you had come a few months earlier, there would indeed be other vests here.

You have met [Sword Master] Herman and Emperor Azik. The [Goddess] of the Deep Sea Clan and the royal family members of the Holy Silver Empire are not here.

Now there are really only two: [Sea Hunter] and [Wild Hunt].

Oh, and there is one last thing. I will only tell you, and you must not tell anyone else."

"Really?"

Salant immediately perked up, pricked up his ears and moved forward.

But Byron suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"Brother, my true identity is the Holy Spirit, an absolutely authentic one.

So, kneel down and kiss my boots, and give me your faith and your soul, and I will give you this vanilla ice cream and this box of chocolate bear cookies.

Humble mortal, please don't be polite, come and accept God's grace."

Before Salant, who was fooled by his unscrupulous cousin again, could fight back, a slender little hand suddenly reached out from the side and took the bear biscuits from Byron's hand.

When a few people looked back, they saw the figure they were expecting quietly appear beside them.

They all stood up in surprise.

"Mom!"

"aunt!"

Hathaway's epitaph reads: "Byron, don't steal my bear cookies. Please respect the offering. Thank you."

This shows her obsession with bear biscuits.

In other words, the little mermaid princess who lives underwater all year round likes all snacks and candies on the shore, represented by bear biscuits.

Cream puffs, chocolate, caramel cakes, ice cream.
Anyway, as a fourth-level mythical creature, she can never gain weight no matter how much she eats.

He stuffed the biscuits into his mouth very gracefully and chewed them vigorously with a "crunch, crunch" sound like a little squirrel.

After more than ten years, I tasted the familiar taste again. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes happily and commented to the group of people seriously:
"I can give it the highest rating for desserts. Not sweet! Very delicious!"

Hathaway finished a cookie, appeased her gluttony a little, and forced herself to suppress the desire to eat another one.

He looked up and smiled and nodded at his nephew Salant, his adopted daughter Catherine, and Violet, who he had an unusual relationship with his son, whom he had unexpectedly met after thousands of miles away.

Then he opened his arms wide to Byron, who still had a vague remnant of his childhood appearance, with a heart and eyes full of smiles.

What happened before no longer matters, all we need to do now is enjoy the family love.

The next moment, Byron, who had bounced off the spot, hugged Hathaway tightly in his arms, and made her spin several times with her feet off the ground before putting her on the ground.

"Mom, welcome home!"

Hathaway stood on tiptoe and patted Byron on the head:
“You too, little Byron.

And now that you've grown up and don't have to worry about cavities anymore, Mom decided to share half of my sweets with you. Aren't you happy?
But don’t let your dad know.”

Apparently, he has not yet realized that after the sudden change in his life, sweets are no longer his son’s favorite.

However, mother's love always is!
Perhaps it was the reunion with his family thousands of miles away that made Salant lose some of his past vigilance, and he couldn't help but sigh as his true feelings came out:
"My aunt turned out to be so gentle after becoming a mother, which was totally different from what my father said.

The nemesis of all pets in the palace, the terminator of Grandpa’s beard, the lawless living devil, the fat girl who eats and drinks without restraint.”

Hearing this, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Hathaway's bright eyes.

"Speak up!"

He stretched out his orchid-like little finger and pointed it at Salant. The fingertips flashed with spiritual light and suddenly hit his head.

Compared to Salant, the shame of the mermaid who only knows how to use [Flash Magic], Hathaway is undoubtedly a master of black magic.

"Cuck!"

Salant just cried out helplessly and turned into a big frog on the spot.

Before he could even open his mouth to beg for mercy, he started freezing rapidly from his feet, and in the blink of an eye he was frozen into an ice ball.

Byron, who was so close, finally saw a hint of information about the witchcraft used by his mother through the [Ship Log].

——"Alice's Pillow Book of Fairy Tales".

Just like Byron's [River of Blood], it is an exclusive secret spell that can only be mastered by a fourth-level mythical creature after breaking through the scope of the forbidden book.

The move just used is called [The Old Witch's Cursed Finger], also known as: [Frog Prince Wholesaler].

Most of the frogs that appear in fairy tales originate from this witchcraft.

Others include "The Princess and the Pea", "Cinderella" and "Snow White". All of them are based on various fairy tales in the North.

When she looked back, Hathaway had returned to her original gentle appearance, with sparkling little stars twinkling in her bright sea-blue eyes:
"Can we start tea time?"

Byron and Catherine recalled the fear of being dominated by their old mother and nodded frantically like chicks pecking at rice.

So, Hathaway not only got bear cookies, ice cream, and various desserts, but also got what she considered a symbol of family status - a spare key to the castle kitchen!

After she was satisfied, she immediately left her son, who she had just loved so much, aside and started chattering with Catherine and Violet, with a gossipy look on her face.

Byron had no time to compete for favor, as his inspiration was suddenly triggered at this moment.

He discovered that it was August Habsburg, one of his four [Wild Hunt Servants], who was born in the royal family of the Holy Silver Empire, who sent an urgent communication.

Ever since Byron missed the reading of the Ninety-Five Theses by Cardinal Martin, Archbishop of Wittenberg, due to the church blockade, he had ordered August to inform him immediately of any disturbance.

The other party's first message brought a shocking piece of news:

"The Protestant princes and the royal family in the Holy Silver Empire have gone to war!"

The core powder keg of the religious war lies in the bulk Holy Silver Empire.

Recently, church leaders secretly distributed "The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven" in Protestant suburbs, triggering a series of riots.

At the same time, the current emperor of the Habsburg dynasty, Frederick III, who was also the only holder of a crown among many church states, appointed his younger brother, Archduke Ferdinand, as the King of the Electorate of the Palatinate.

This is one of the seven electors, who holds a high status in the empire and is eligible to inherit the crown.

Archduke Ferdinand was a fanatical traditionalist. As soon as he took office, he launched a large-scale persecution of Protestants in the Electorate of the Palatinate.

They also banned Protestant religious activities and demolished their churches.

So today, the Protestant nobles and clergy in the capital of the Elector Palatinate rose up in rebellion.

While Ferdinand was still unstable, they rushed into the palace and threw the emperor's two envoys out of the window into the trench, creating the "throwing out the window" incident.

Archduke Ferdinand, who had not yet had the chance to be crowned and legally recognized, had to flee in a hurry after incurring public outrage.

At the same time, the Protestant nobles formed a provisional government consisting of thirty members, elected a new king, and declared the Electorate of the Palatinate independent from the Holy Silver Empire.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Frederick III, furious, immediately ordered:

"We will thoroughly crack down on Protestants across the country until the last drop of their blood is shed!"

(End of this chapter)