Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 569 Invitation and Application
Fafnir.

In the heart of the city, within a manor destroyed by the expeditionary force, two squads of Templar Knights still patrolled back and forth late at night, while dim lights shone from the second-floor windows of the manor villas.

This place was originally the residence of a clerk in Fafnir. After Wood Gates, the seventh seat of the Round Table from Matsubara and known as the "Crimson General," took up residence in Fafnir, it was requisitioned by General Wood as his lodging in Fafnir.

When Monigne, the "Supreme Sword" of the Holy Court, and Franya, the "Saintess," were seriously injured and fell into a coma during the holy war against the Devouring Dragon outside the city, General Wood, the "Crimson," generously "gave up" his residence and invited Monigne and Franya to live in the manor.

Luo Xiu had met Wood once before on the outskirts of Fafnir and had a brief greeting and conversation with him. It can only be said that Wood's "friendly" treatment of Monigne and Franya was very much in line with Luo Xiu's first impression of him.

When Luo Xiu returned to the manor with Prandell and Royce, he also saw General Wood's four personal guard knights—all of whom were "Knights of the Throne"—guarding the front and back gates of the manor courtyard.

Generally speaking, the Supreme One wouldn't need to do such a thing for the Radiant Holy Court. It's clear... that General Wood, the "Crimson," really wants the Holy Court's support, and these are his constant attempts.

As Luo Xiu pondered this, he, Prandell, and Royce stepped into the courtyard of the manor.

When the two Throne Knights guarding the main gate of the manor saw them, they stepped forward, put down their giant axes, and paid the highest respect to the saints of the [Radiant] Holy Court.

Luo Xiu nodded slightly and smiled at the two Throne Knights. Prandell and Royce also nodded slightly, but their faces were not smiling, only plain and serious. They then walked straight into the courtyard, and the two Throne Knights then stood back at their respective posts.

As Luo Xiu looked towards the manor courtyard, he saw another figure.

—That is the "Sword of the Holy One," Monigne.

She had awakened from her weakened and unconscious state earlier, when Rosh, Daveld, and Prandell descended to the bottom of the Blood Cave. Now, Monigne sat quietly on the long stone bench in the courtyard, looking up at the three who had arrived with a smile.

"Greetings, Lord Monigne."

"You've recovered, Commander."

"...Commander."

Rosiu, Prandel, and Reus each extended their greetings to Monigne.

At this moment, Monigne was not wearing the paladin armor of the "Holy Sword," but rather a magnificent white dress, like that of a noblewoman.

She sat gracefully and elegantly in her chair, responding with a smile as her subordinates and "Archbishop" Rothschild greeted her.

"I just woke up from a deep sleep."

"Although I am still somewhat weak, I can at least maintain the stability of the Pillar of Divine Punishment. Judging from your condition, there shouldn't have been any major abnormalities during the time I was unconscious."

"..."

"We are relieved to see that you are safe and sound, Lord Monigne."

"Royce said."

He looked around again and asked Monigne:
"Holy Maiden...Where is Princess Franya?"

“Franya hasn’t woken up yet,” Monine said. “She’s different from me. I was weakened by the backlash from the Pillar of Divine Retribution, but I can recover easily. But Franya… in the previous battle, she forcibly overdrawn her spiritual power, and overdrawn too much.”

"The authority she wields, the Unforgiving Manifestation... I hope she will not abuse it in the future. It is still too dangerous for her, and she is not yet able to properly wield the power of this authority."

"..."

"Sorry, I seem to have said too much."

When the topic of Francia comes up, Monigne can't help but talk a lot more.

She noticed this as well, so she said no more, and her golden eyes turned to Prandel, asking her most capable vice-commander:
“And you, Prandell? Tell me what you did while I was unconscious.”

“…Hmm.” Prandell nodded.

This seemingly upright and incorruptible Sun Knight then gave a detailed report to their "God Hunt" leader.

From the moment the Pillar of Divine Retribution completely sealed the Devouring Dragon, to the appearance of the Apocalyptic Apostle of Balance outside the city, to Elias discovering the "Dead Dragon Embryo Cocoon" at the bottom of the Blood Cave.
Archbishop Luo Xiu went to investigate, but discovered and purified the phantom attached to the Devouring Dragon, ultimately causing the "Dead Dragon Cocoon" to experience violent chaos and explosion.

After recounting the entire sequence of events to Monigne in detail, Monigne's brow gradually furrowed.

"...The Devouring Dragon...the cocoon He left behind has become disordered? According to what you said, Prandell, that should be an ambush that the Devouring Dragon intentionally set up for you."

"But a mere cocoon of a dead dragon is not enough to pose a fatal threat to you. He must have another purpose, such as deliberately erasing something else from that dead dragon."

"..."

Luo Xiu had been listening in on the conversation between Monigne, Prandel, and Royce, the Knights Templar of the "God Hunt".

When Monigne put forward this conjecture, Luo Xiu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She was indeed far more perceptive than Prandell, Reuss, and Daveld.

Although the self-destruction of the dead dragon cocoon was not actually the work of the "Devouring Dragon," it was indeed quite close to using it to "erasure" something!
"...Erase what?"

Prandel tilted his head slightly, a hint of doubt on his face, as if he were carefully considering the possibility Monigne had mentioned.

After a long pause, he shook his head and said:

"...We've investigated everything. The cocoon of the dead dragon embryo itself shouldn't have any other function besides serving as a vessel for the rebirth of the progenitor demon."

“But we have resealed the cocoon of the dead dragon embryo and preserved the original environment as much as possible. If you are ready to go deeper into the Blood Cave for further investigation, you can do so at any time.”

"..."

"I see."

Monigne nodded, her smile unchanged, but she said calmly:

“I will go, Prandell.”

“I will personally investigate any clues related to the ‘Primordial Demon’ again. But you don’t need to take what I said before too seriously, Prandell, because it was just my conjecture.”

"..."

After Monine finished speaking, her gaze turned to Luo Xiu.

While she was speaking with Prandell and Royce, Luo Xiu stood silently beside the two vice-captains of the "God Hunt" and listened attentively.

"Luo Xiu."

Monigne looked at Luo Xiu and said:
“I should thank you. As we all know, without you, we would not have been able to achieve such results in this battle against the ‘Devouring Dragon’.”

"To be honest, your performance has exceeded my expectations, Luo Xiu. As the Grand Master of the 'Godhunter' Templar Knights of the 'Holy Court,' I represent the Holy Court and Pope Lorend to extend an invitation to you once again." "—Luo Xiu, I invite you to the 'Holy Court.' Based on your achievements, you are worthy of being groomed by the Holy Court as a prospective 'Cardinal.'"

“The Holy See currently has six cardinal bishops. When you advance to the ‘Seventh Destiny’… no, as long as you can see your own ‘Star Gate’, you will be exceptionally crowned and become the ‘Seventh Cardinal’ of the Holy Cardinal Bishops.”

“You will receive resources beyond your wildest imagination, Luo Xiu—far exceeding what you could get at war.”

“This is my invitation, Luo Xiu. If the Pope could also see your performance against the ‘Devouring Dragon,’ he would extend the same invitation to you. You are very talented, and the ‘Holy Court’ lacks young saints like you who are worthy of our full investment of resources.”

"Although you rejected us before, can you tell me your answer again, Luo Xiu?"

"..."

As Monigne was saying these things.

Luo Xiu gazed at her, the scene of his first meeting with the saints flashing through his mind.

It seems that the first thing these saints, who hold such high status and prestige in the Holy Court, would do upon meeting him is to extend an invitation to join the Holy Court.

So excellent.jpg
However, Luo Xiu had thought about these issues long ago.

The prospect of receiving systematic holy training at the "Holy Court" is indeed very attractive, and ordinary saints simply cannot refuse it.

Prandell and Reus, for example, already showed expressions of admiration to varying degrees on their faces.

But it's not like that for Luo Xiu. He won't give up his advantage on the battlefield—especially not his long-established "Holy Abyss" or the players.

That was his true foundation, so he looked directly at Monigne and said:
"I'm sorry... Lord Monigne."

“I cannot agree to your request, just as I said before. It is my mission, my destiny, and my path to serve as the agent of the fleeting sun on the sacred battlefield and to bring down the judgment of the enemy who deserves holy judgment.”

“I have achieved such meager success because I have never strayed from the path that God has given me. This is my destiny… Although going to the ‘Holy Court’ to become a cardinal would bring me more benefits, that comfortable… carefully protected and nurtured version of myself might not be what I truly want.”

"So I'm sorry, Lord Monigne. I cannot accept your invitation."

"..."

Luo Xiu said this.

The admiration on the faces of Prandell and Royce, the two vice-commanders of the "God Hunt," quickly turned into shock.

Although they had heard before that Luo Xiu had "rejected" several invitations to be promoted to higher holy positions, this was the first time they had seen and heard with their own eyes that Luo Xiu had rejected an invitation from Monine... an invitation that other saints simply could not refuse!
But Monigne reacted differently from them.

As if he had expected it, Monigne simply smiled slightly and nodded.

"I see."

Monigne said calmly:

“Then, Rosh. Since you have no intention of going to the ‘Holy Court’ and being trained as a cardinal, the merits you have established can also serve as a basis for your demands.”

"The path you have chosen is a more difficult and more tortuous one. If there is anything you want, you can tell me now. I will convey it to the Pope and try my best to fulfill it."

This is an opportunity to obtain something of paramount importance from the "Holy Court".

Luo Xiu had realized this, and for him now, the most important thing was nothing more than—

“Then, please apply for a ‘key’ for me, Lord Monigne.”

Luo Xiu said:

“A ‘Key to the Stars’. I’ve already glimpsed that door, and perhaps I’ll soon be able to touch it and open it.”

"..."

"...You want a 'Key of the Stars'."

Monigne pondered Rosh's request.

This is the key that allows the saints of the "sixth destiny" to eventually advance to the "seventh destiny," and Monine can understand why Luo Xiu wants to obtain it in advance.

However, the Star Keys are extremely rare—the Holy Court seems to have only three at the moment. But if it's just a matter of applying to Pope Lorend on behalf of Luo Xiu, that is indeed possible.

“Okay.” Monigne nodded.

“I will ask His Holiness the Pope for the ‘Key to the Stars’ for you. But I cannot guarantee whether the Pope will actually grant you the key.”

"That requires you to pass the final test. All the cardinals before you have gone through such a test. But during the war, the Holy See may not be able to send a cardinal to examine you. Perhaps you will have to go to the Holy See in person after the war ends."

“I can wait,” Luo Xiu nodded in reply.

He only mentioned it briefly. Because applying for such an important item as the "Key of the Stars" could involve an extremely lengthy review process, but with the support of a high-ranking saint like Monine, many unnecessary and risky procedures could be eliminated.

In fact, in Luo Xiu's original plan, the approximate time for his true advancement to the 'Seventh Destiny' was around the end of the Judgment War.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

Afterwards, he chatted with Prandell, Reuss, and several other saints, as well as Monigne, for a while longer before leaving the manor courtyard, no longer wanting to disturb her rest.

……

Afterwards, at the corner of the main street of Fafnir, Rosh said goodbye to Prandel and Reus.

Each of the saints had their own matters to attend to.

Luo Xiu then went to a side alley in Fafnir City under the guise of "investigation," activated the Royal Court Seal of Isol, and teleported himself to the "Holy Abyss."

Now, he finally has the time to return to the Sacred Abyss and continue the unfinished business from before.

Deal with Helmond, the "child of the dragon god";
The essence crystal of the "Devouring Dragon" was entrusted to the master craftsman Balin to strengthen and forge the [Lament of Death];
And to prepare for advancing to the fifth level of the [Abyss] destiny path—

These are all things he plans to do later.

……

(End of this chapter)