Firefly Journey

Things are often easier said than done; only when you actually sit in that position do you realize how heavy the burden is.

The headquarters of the Papacy, the Basilica of St. Phileun, is located in the capital of the principality, but the Papacy governs many countries and tribes, such as the Kingdom of Delos.

Managing relations between countries is already a huge headache, let alone influencing each country's internal affairs.

The Pope's previous approach was to let it fend for itself.

As long as you do not openly rebel against the Papacy and do not affect the balance of the continent, the Papacy will not interfere no matter how chaotic your internal affairs are or how much fighting you engage in.

It's not that we don't want to manage it, it's that we can't.

The Vatican's focus is on the abyss, on cults, and on the stars; it simply doesn't have the energy to spare for such matters.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. Compared to the childish political games between nations and tribes, the Papacy must first ensure the survival of the continent.

The more he learned, the more confused Lin Yuanran became. He, who was originally full of enthusiasm and planning to make a big splash, also began to feel a little lost.

However, he recovered quickly.

His childhood environment was far superior to that of the natives of the Pan-Ancient Continent. With his more advanced world experience, Lin Yuanran could easily follow suit and change the Pan-Ancient Continent's system.

As for the extent to which he changes, that depends on his abilities.

After reviewing the files, Lin Yuanran picked up the news reports from various locations. The various churches scattered around the Vatican would submit work reports regularly, which the Pope was also responsible for handling.

Lin Yuanran quickly turned his attention to the report signed by Ma Xiu.

Matthew and the rest of the Six Gods Church guarded the Abyss together; his report must have been something significant.

This is the fact.

Matthew's report states that the dreadlord Aheclotes is becoming restless, frequently roaming around, and the Abyss is growing increasingly chaotic, seemingly showing signs of breaking free.

The demons retreated to the abyss not because they wanted to go, but because they had no choice. Ten thousand years have passed, and if their ambitions remain, they might very well make a comeback.

But Lin Yuanran was not worried about this.

So what if they're itching to act? He wouldn't mind letting the monsters experience the same defeat they suffered ten thousand years ago.

The corpse of the last demon king is still torn to pieces. Do you wish to imitate him?

However, this work log did give Lin Yuanran some direction.

History tells us that to repel external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife.

That's a good point, but we must adapt to local conditions and change with the times.

The tribes and kingdoms under the Papacy and the Church of Six Gods are relatively peaceful and prosperous, and their political systems are already established. Changing the balance of power between nobles and commoners is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it is a long-term endeavor that requires careful planning and preparation.

So, could we reverse the order and say that internal strife must begin with external defense?

The answer is yes, at least Lin Yuanran thinks it's feasible.

In the ancient continent, the "outside" in "repelling external forces" refers to the abyss, cults, and the giant shadow in the starry sky, none of which are easy to deal with.

That being said, if malaria could be cured so easily, then Lin Yuanran wouldn't have become the Pope, and his time travel with Fengling and Remington wouldn't have happened.

Heaven has bestowed upon me a great responsibility, and I cannot shirk it!

He had seen the giant octopus "Yulai" with his own eyes. Even the Grim Reaper, Blawich, was helpless against it. Lin Yuanran didn't think he could solve it in a short time, so he put it as his last priority.

Cults are the worst of the three "outside" forces, but the evil god and his followers also know they are terrible. They hide everywhere, in every corner of the continent, like rats in the sewers, occasionally coming out to steal bread, but you can't find them.

Eliminating cults, apart from necessary proactive actions, mostly involves playing whack-a-mole – if you show yourself, I swing the hammer; if you don't, I stop.

Despite appearing exhausted from their efforts, they are actually waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The initiative is in the hands of the Church of the Seven Gods, and the cult cannot cause much trouble.

The abyss, on the other hand, is extremely simple.

Whether you pay attention or not, the abyss is there.

It is neither as powerful as Yulai, nor does it play hide-and-seek with you like a cult. It stands right in front of you, ready to fight anytime you want.

Lin Yuanran had already made a decision in his mind.

……

……

Students come and go at St. Louis College, but the buildings and classrooms remain the same.

Taking advantage of the wall's inattention, the Pope Lin Yuanran easily teleported in with the wind chimes.

They met many friends and visited many places after returning, but for the two of them, the most worthwhile place to visit was the academy.

I specifically chose a weekend.

The teaching building was quiet on the weekend. As the two walked through it, they occasionally bumped into one or two people, but they were all mistaken for alumni and no one paid them any attention.

After Class 29 graduated, Principal Ampera, for reasons unknown, sealed off the classroom and never opened it for use again.

The door was locked.

Lin Yuanran could easily have walked through the wall, but he didn't. He went to Sabrina's place beforehand to get the key.

This classroom holds collective memories for Class 29. It's sealed off to the outside world, but these people aren't outsiders. Sabrina, Mirashu, and others who stayed in Yicheng often came to clean it, keeping the classroom spotless, with even the desks and chairs still in their original arrangement.

Feng Ling sat down in her old seat with practiced ease, followed closely by Lin Yuanran.

Fengling looked at him with disdain and pushed him toward the aisle.

Lin Yuanran was quite hurt: "You agreed so readily back then, what, are you not happy now?"

Fengling said, "I didn't want to offend Cassius. Did you really think I wanted to be your deskmate?"

"Duplicity."

The wind chimes didn't like him, so he simply stopped serving them. He stood up, walked to the three-foot-high platform, and silently wrote down a method for activating a divine oracle, saying:

"Xu Penglong, today we will learn about 'Divine Oracle. Great Flame Dragon'. Listen carefully and don't make any small movements."

"Even if you stick a scallion in a pig's nose, it's still not an elephant. I gave you this divine oracle myself, and you've put it on."

Lin Yuanran corrected, "It was Cassius who asked you to give it to me; you're just a postman."

Fengling crossed her arms and said, "If I accidentally lost it, or if I stole it, wouldn't you still have to stay in that small town?"

Lin Yuanran walked over and sat down again, smiling as he said, "But you chose me. There aren't so many 'what ifs' in life."

"I've made up my mind. After taking over, I will immediately launch a campaign against the Abyss," Lin Yuanran said earnestly, looking into her eyes.

"That's your business, there's no need to tell me." Feng Ling felt a little awkward and didn't want to meet his gaze.

Lin Yuanran persisted, "Your business is my business, and my business is your business. Don't talk like that again."

"Okay, okay, you're so annoying."