novel bin Page 170
Page 170
Looking at the man's face, Hope's expression froze again, and he murmured:
"Tang...ke?"
……
"Jenny, why are you looking at me so strangely? What's wrong with me...?"
Just as he looked down to see his clothes, an uncontrollable buoyancy suddenly lifted him up, pulling him straight towards the top of the cathedral.
The high platform of the Holy Church is where the public pays homage when a new pope is born.
In front of Tom was a stained-glass window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting dappled patterns on it. Tom's image was vaguely visible, his eyes filled with doubt. Tom's fingers touched the glass.
With a whoosh, the glass window opened instantly.
Countless eyes seemed to have been waiting there all along, and eager gazes were cast from the crowded people in front of the church square, landing on Tonk.
Soon, a bard pointed directly at himself, his tone excited:
"That's the new Pope!"
A new pope? Him? What the hell?
Tang Ke's mind was still a mess, but feeling the countless burning gazes around him, he subconsciously tensed up and wanted to say something, but it quickly got stuck in his throat.
Amidst intense hesitation and inner turmoil, he awkwardly extended his hand in greeting:
"Hi?"
boom--!!!
In an instant, the entire crowd in the square erupted in cheers!
A thunderous cheer erupted!
Chapter 242 He is the son of Duke Moss, the 'Light'!
Jenny, who was walking out of the side door of the church, was stunned by the deafening cheers around her.
Tonks, he's become the Pope?!
Jenny's chest heaved with surprise. Her first thought was: Is being a pope so easy these days? Seeing this out-of-control situation, a second thought popped into her mind: They were just here to quietly see Pope Brad off!
Standing in the arena, Jenny felt as if struck by lightning. She remembered how Tom had repeatedly said that Pope Brad was his greatest role model, and how Mino the Warrior had also said he would take Pope Brad as his greatest role model. But... but...
—We asked you to take the Pope as your role model, not to become the Pope yourself!
The paladins in the palace were alarmed one after another. A group of paladins carrying wooden swords rushed to the scene to maintain order. However, compared to the grief of the crowd that had been appeased before, the crowd was now jubilant and excited!
The commotion lasted until the afternoon before the crowds in the capital calmed down. After being persuaded by the paladins and priests, they reluctantly returned to their homes.
All that was left was a mess, which was left to the high-ranking officials of the Holy Church.
……
"No! Absolutely not!!!"
Inside the council chamber of the Holy Church, a cardinal issued a vehement protest:
"How did that Tonk become Pope? He must have used some means to gain the approval of the holy artifacts, papal robes, and scepter so quickly!"
“But,” a priest in white said, his face showing hesitation, “according to our tests, Tang Kemian… uh, Lord Tang Ke has indeed awakened the Sacred Body of the Vessel.”
“Even if it is a genuine Holy Body of the Artifact, it doesn’t mean one can directly succeed to the Pope!” The cardinal clenched his fists, clearly harboring deep feelings for the previous Pope Brad, and spoke with barely suppressed emotion:
"To become pope, one must undergo a long and arduous ordeal, just like Pope Brad..."
The cardinal's breath caught in his throat as he looked at them with a helpless expression, sensing the unspoken meaning in their eyes:
A test? What kind of test could there be? They skipped the entire succession ceremony!
The papal inauguration ceremony is the greatest test, requiring not only a long time but also the right timing and outstanding ability.
Is the strong aura of goodness emanating from Tang Ke fake? Is Tang Ke's track record of inducing people to do good unverifiable? What more do we want from him?
The fact that someone could save 40 or 50 years compared to Pope Brad proves that their abilities are even more outstanding than Pope Brad's.
It's impossible to deny the opponent's abilities and then turn around and tell Pope Brad, "If you're weak, then practice more!" That would be the greatest insult to the deceased!
"No, no matter what, I absolutely refuse to admit it!" Unable to back down, the cardinal quickly revealed his anger and immediately seized upon a point to attack:
"The Pope of the Holy Church cannot have any blemishes, and absolutely cannot be someone with a bad background. Have you forgotten who that Tonk is?"
In his eagerness, the cardinal blurted out:
"He's the son of Duke Moss, the 'Light' Duke!!!"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
The moment the words left his mouth, even the cardinal was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion.
The son of Duke Moss of Light... he sounds like a paragon of virtue and a man of great righteousness...
The cardinal froze, then sat back down in his seat, bewildered. He remained silent for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence, his expression dazed: Could it be that he really was wrong?
"enough."
Archbishop Hope's voice drew everyone's attention back. He looked at the crowd, and could vaguely see some dangerous signs of division and collapse. He sighed and said with a final, definitive statement:
"This was all arranged by Pope Brad..."
……
He walked slowly out of the meeting room toward a room that symbolized honor.
Hope didn't know whether this was Pope Brad's arrangement or not.
All he remembered was the meaningful sentence Brad said with a smile when he asked him to prepare the brand-new papal robes that day:
"Soon, you will welcome your new Pope..."
Could it be that Pope Brad is the great prophet mentioned by the Mino Warrior? Shaking his head, Hope quickly dismissed this absurd thought, knowing that if he hadn't said those words, the entire Holy Church might have fallen apart.
He gently pushed open the door and saw Tom sitting in the Pope's room, looking somewhat flustered.
“Archbishop Hope, I…I…I’m sorry.” Tonks bowed his head deeply.
No need to apologize.
Hope took a deep breath: "From now on, you don't need to apologize to anyone. The Holy Body of the Vessel and the qualification to succeed the Pope are genuine and exist within you."
"However, the Holy Church cannot hand over the papacy to you yet. You need time to familiarize yourself with your power... and your future responsibilities."
This was a decision made by the Holy Church after heated discussions.
To this, Tonks felt somewhat relieved. Hope simply patted him on the shoulder and left the room to head to the palace, leaving Tonks alone in the room.
The room was silent. Tang Ke, still somewhat in a dreamlike state, closed his eyes, replaying the day's events in his mind, finally settling on a face radiant with light, eyes filled with reverence:
"Mino the Hero, he's truly an incredible person..."
"His ideas could even create a pope!"
……
The conversation inside the palace was shorter than Hope had imagined.
"Tang Ke does indeed possess the Sacred Body of the God of All Weapons, is that correct?"
“That’s right, Your Highness Ota. It’s just that we need to wait until Tonk has fully mastered his power. At that time, he will be able to…”
"That's enough. There won't be any dissenting voices among the royal family and nobility regarding the new pope."
With bloodshot eyes faintly visible, Ota slammed his fist on the table, the empty glass case behind him seemingly highlighting the king's cold indifference and resolute determination.
"Furthermore, we must spread this news throughout the entire kingdom!!!"
The news of the birth of the new Pope was instantly transmitted throughout the entire kingdom via a contractual communication! Crowned with the name of a goddess's miracle, it shook the entire continent!
Morale on the border surged like never before, sweeping away the gloom of the Pope's death and transforming the grief and indignation of the departure of Mino the Warrior and Pope Brad into motivation, fiercely launching an attack on the Demon Clan's first line of defense.
This decree caused a flurry of activity throughout the palace and chapel, which finally settled down late at night, but it still felt like something had been forgotten...
The cathedral, its hall empty.
The coffin, crafted from ice crystals, seemed to have been forgotten in a corner of the world.
Chapter 243 Abandoning the First Line of Defense! The Long-Forgotten Path of the Hero!
Demon City.
"A new pope has appeared..."
"Tang Ke, a former candidate for hero in the hero training camp, is the second son of Duke Moss of Light. His behavior is said to be deeply influenced by the hero Mino... the hero Mino..."
As the newly acquired knowledge leaped onto the page, Swell shook the pages, already feeling a bit of PTSD.
It always felt that at the end of knowledge lay a giant minotaur!
"This matter must be reported to the scribe."
The pleasure he had felt over the past ten days due to the death of the Iron-Blooded Pope Brad vanished, and Swell, as the Demon Strategist, was immediately overwhelmed by immense pressure.
It activated its magic and floated up, heading towards the hall along the spiral staircase. Just after descending one floor, it heard Kletina's familiar voice from the corridor.
"Hero, I must warn you, this is the third time I've caught you stealing underwear from my room... Do you have anything to say about that?"
"Well, you must have misunderstood." Then came the somewhat serious voice of the perverted hero.
"I just want to look for hidden mechanisms in your room to see if there's a passage that leads directly out of the Demon King's castle: you know, there are some in those novels, right? Underneath that soft, rose-scented bed, there's actually a passage leading to the outside world, and you can even learn a peerless martial arts technique while you're at it?!"
"What kind of mentality is it to reveal your true purpose to cover up your perverted behavior?! My lord, you really have something to hide, don't you?!"
The sound of shock from the Holy Sword echoed in the room.
"Which side is your real purpose? I can't figure it out!"
This was followed by Lady Kletina's deep sigh.
Lady Kleidina has it tough too… Svir slowly approached the cell and saw Lady Kleidina, like an elderly teacher, with her delicate arms wrapped around herself, scolding the hero kneeling side by side on the floor, and the Holy Sword muttering, “I’m not an accomplice, I just happened to be there.”
Kleidina sensed something amiss with her magic, rubbed her forehead, and had no choice but to end the conversation: