Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 601 Before the Throne of a Demigod—

Pope Laurent wants to see me?

Luo Xiu stared at the "Third Cardinal" Efra in front of him, somewhat surprised that he was delivering a decree on behalf of Pope Lawrence.

Generally speaking, when Pope Laurent, the "Cemetery of the Holy Ones," summons saints, he summons saints of the "sevenfold destiny" to an audience.

Even an archbishop like Luo Xiu, with his "sixfold destiny," needs to apply at least a month in advance to have an audience with the Pope. It requires an extremely complicated process to have any chance of getting the "Holy Crowned" Pope of Laurent to spare him a precious, brief moment.

In Luo Xiu's memory, there was almost no precedent for Pope Lorend to issue a decree and summon the "Sixfold Destiny" saints. In fact, he even sent the Third Cardinal, "Radiant Holy Cardinal" Efra, to deliver the decree in person.

To be honest, as a saint, Luo Xiu subconsciously felt honored—

This at least shows that, at this juncture in time, the Pope places special importance on himself.

But he was also somewhat wary, because he didn't know how much Pope Laurent truly knew about him. And now that the "Third Cardinal" Efra had come to him personally, it clearly meant that he had no choice but to agree.

"..."

Luo Xiu thought to himself.

He couldn't help feeling a little nervous, not knowing why the "Holy Crown" Pope Laurent wanted to see him.

But his face didn't show any unusual expression despite his inner thoughts; he simply smiled and responded with some surprise to "Third Cardinal" Evra—

"You mean, His Holiness the Pope wants to see me?"

"..."

"I understand, I will go with you."

"..."

"Let's go."

Evra nodded, and did not say anything more to Rosi.

Luo Xiu could sense that the "Third Cardinal" before him was somewhat impatient with him. Evra simply turned around with his hands behind his back and led Luo Xiu toward the center of the "Holy Court" compound.

……

Luo Xiu had just stepped out of that sacred, pure white tower—the "Tower of Saint Lawrence."

Not long after, they returned here again, led by the "Third Cardinal" Evra.

However, the Tower of Saint Laurent now appears somewhat empty. The saints who gathered here by the papal decree have returned to their respective residences, leaving only the saints of the Holy See and the choir playing melodious sacred music.

Led by Evra, Luo Xiu encountered no obstacles. He stepped back into the portal formed purely of radiant light, and once again his vision was filled with dazzling pure white—

Once again, he felt a floating sensation from the soles of his feet. The four-winged angel that carried him floating in the air appeared once more, and guided by some pure force, the angel led Luo Xiu towards the location of Pope Lord of the "Holy Crown".

……

"The Tower of Saint Lawrence".

"Holy Crown" Lorend Meyering, the most exalted and honored pope in the "Holy Court," now sits at the very heart of this sacred realm, enthroned on his holy throne.

In this "temple" built and maintained by his spirituality, Lord had just presided over a sacred meeting.

He watched as the saints were led away one by one by the angels until only his cardinals remained.

The Second Cardinal, Yazler, also departed, while the Cardinal Hardy went to the High Court's headquarters to handle official business. The Third Cardinal, Efra, remained with Lorend, assisting him in managing various affairs of the Holy See.

But then, Lorend sent the Third Cardinal, the Holy Cardinal of the Radiant Flame, Efra, to bring one of the youngest archbishops. After Efra left, Lorend was left alone in the Holy Tower.

And when only Lorend was inside the "temple".

His face finally revealed his exhaustion and weakness without any attempt to hide it.

Two days ago.

Just as Lorend was about to reach the border of the dark capital, he suddenly felt dizzy—

That wasn't the first time Lorend had noticed this strange feeling.

Since reaching the pinnacle of his destiny in [Glory] and ascending to the rank of "demigod" under the blessing of that fleeting sun, Lorend has encountered this situation for several years in a row.

Recently, however, these feelings of dizziness, weakness, and exhaustion have become more and more frequent.

Lorend could even sense that he had grown white hair and wrinkles on his face—as a "demigod," he had regained the aging of a human, as if he had suddenly "aged" overnight.

He didn't know where this strange feeling came from, and the Great Sun did not give him a clear answer.

Lorend also felt that his connection with the Great Sun Moment was becoming increasingly blurred, and he was gradually unable to hear or feel the divinity of the Great Sun Moment.

"..."

Lorend raised his right hand and rubbed his forehead.

He even felt a headache—a pain that should only be experienced by the fragile human body, Lorend recalled.

As he rubbed his forehead, a brilliant golden light appeared on the back of his right hand. The markings of a holy seal manifested on the back of his hand, and a power suddenly activated, relieving his headache.

Once his thoughts cleared, Lorend frowned slightly, other ideas surfacing in his mind.

Years ago, during his connection with the Great Sun, Lord always sensed that the [Radiant] Pillar God seemed to be trembling for some reason.

He constantly warned himself that the vague divine voice was expressing his impending doom. Lord now sensed that perhaps that moment of end was fast approaching.

"..."

"【abyss】……"

"..."

Lorend murmured.

He felt that the revelation from the momentary "divine silence" of the Great Sun must have come from the Abyss.

It took nearly half a year for the angels he had contracted to tell him about the Abyss and its seal.

Lorend believed that the blasphemous things that surged to the surface from the bottom of the Seven Abyss due to the loosening of the Great Seal were the source of the catastrophic disaster that could lead to annihilation.

He therefore prepared for both possibilities.

First and foremost, he dispatched the Templar Knights, the "God Hunters," to investigate all traces of the Abyss that had appeared on the ground.

The "Sword of the Holy One," Monigne, did indeed discover many things, and the "Holy Court" had also taken precautions against those blasphemous things from the Abyss.

Under the leadership of Monigne and the Templar Order of the "Godstalkers," the Holy Court has gained considerable control over the Abyss. Lorend believes that if the great seal placed upon the Abyss is truly shattered, the Holy Court will be able to protect itself from calamity and avoid collapse.

This is the first step in the preparation.

Lorend also considered the worst-case scenario—that if he were to meet his destined "end" due to uncontrollable forces, and even if the "Holy Court" were to be overthrown in such a situation, he would need to preserve the legacy of [Glory] as much as possible.

Therefore, the "Saintess" Franya—her own designated sole heir—would have all the resources that the "Holy Court" could leverage passed on to her in a special form and through special channels.

Monine, the "Supreme Sword," and several saints of the "Sevenfold Fate" will also assist her, ensuring that the "Holy Court's" legacy is not severed by calamity and that the hope of revival can be preserved through Franya.

But that wasn't enough—Lorend considered more. He knew Franya needed more support; the next generation of saints who might influence the future of the "Holy Court" were those he needed to understand and win over. Among them, one who particularly caught Lorend's attention was a young bishop from the Pine Plains Territory and the Church of Sina City—

"Bishop of Red Maple City", Rosius Carlos.

The youngest and fastest archbishop in the recorded history of the Holy See to rise from novice clergy to a saint of the "sixfold destiny".

That was nothing short of a divine miracle—

However, this child's identity is somewhat special.

Lorend knew that the child had a deep connection with Bishop Alfonso, who had once had a great influence on the Holy See.

That child was the only male heir in the Durant family. After Alfonso Durant was taken away by the "Supreme," he used some connections and methods to preserve one branch of the Durant family, which was also the only remaining member of the Durant bloodline.

The last remaining branch of the Durant family went into seclusion. Durant kept a close eye on them, but lost all contact with them twenty years ago.

But the child stayed and became an "abandoned baby." The clergy of the church in Sina found him at the church gate and, out of kindness, sent him to an orphanage in Sina for adoption.

And from then on, the child came into the sights of the Church of Sina. His later becoming a clergyman and a "holy judge" was also a result of divine guidance and connection.

"Carlos," the child received a new surname when he grew up. It was the name of the orphanage director, and the child was given the same name.

But his real name should be "Durant"—"Rossi Durant". Lord knew this, but from his position, he could only watch as these events unfolded.

For him, he did not consider "Alfonso Durant" to be blasphemous—from the perspective of the "worldly faction," he believed that Alfonso was a savior of the "Holy Court" at the time, only infringing upon the interests of the "Supreme."

However, he couldn't say these things from his position, since he had indeed sacrificed Alfonso to secure the "Holy Court's" current stable position in the empire.

"..."

These memories flooded back to Lorend.

But he didn't think any further, because he had already sensed that two spiritual masters had entered his "temple".

"Third Cardinal," "Radiant Holy Cardinal" Efra, following his instructions, had brought Luo Xiu to the temple.

Lorend raised his head and looked at the young archbishop—

Black hair, golden eyes. Dressed in a clean and tidy archbishop's robe, he held a gilded scepter in his arms.

A smile graced the young archbishop's face, radiating a gentle, unassuming aura. He stood there behind Cardinal Evra, the Third Cardinal, awaiting guidance to take the next step.

"That child..."

"..."

Lorend murmured.

The moment he saw Luo Xiu, he felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

That child does indeed resemble Alfonso Durant somewhat.

Alfonso's eyes were dark red—his spiritual essence had changed after embracing the "Supreme" or "Authority." Luo Xiu's pupils remained golden; at least in Laurent's perception, the child's spirit remained warm and pure.

"Come forward."

Lorend spoke gently to Luo Xiu, who had arrived:
"Let me see you."

……

"Let me see you."

The moment Luo Xiu arrived at the "temple," he saw Pope Lorend on the throne and spoke to him.

The voice was kind and gentle. Cardinal Efra then left the Temple, leaving only himself and Pope Laurent there.

"..."

At this moment.

A sense of tension inevitably arose in Luo Xiu's heart.

Unlike previous visits here to participate in sacred councils presided over by Lord, this time it is a true audience with the Pope—an audience with that radiant demigod!

Bang, bang——

Luo Xiu could already hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

"Don't be nervous, child."

It seems you can tell what you're thinking.

Pope Laurent, the "Holy Crown" on the Holy Throne, spoke with an even more benevolent voice.

Come closer, let me see you.

"..."

So they followed the instructions of Pope Laurent.

Luo Xiu felt a guiding force and walked forward.

He felt that the seemingly insurmountable distance between himself and Pope Laurent, the "Holy Crown," was gradually shrinking.

As Luo Xiu approached the Pope, the aura that had enveloped the Pope's silhouette faded, allowing him to gradually make out the Pope's face.

The pope had his eyes closed, and his face showed no emotion, like a lifelike sculpture of a saint.

Luo Xiu had indeed seen many images of this Pope of Lorient. But seeing the real person this time, he felt that he was no different from those images.

A golden halo appeared behind him, its light reflecting his silhouette and radiating a somewhat dazzling glow.

The closer one gets to him, the more intense and pure his spirituality becomes, as if one is in a bright but not scorching fire.

"..."

Until Rothschild actually stood before the Holy See of Pope Laurent.

He saw the pope nod slightly and slowly open his eyes.

Golden flames seemed about to burst forth from that gap—

The Pope was looking at him. Luo Xiu felt as if a burning spiritual energy was penetrating him from the outside in!
"..."

"Um……"

Luo Xiu heard Pope Lorend say—

“You have ‘touched’ a lot, child.”

"Indeed... um. She looks a lot like him."

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)