Wizard: I am a goblin

Chapter 199 Speculation or Idealism

Chapter 199 Speculation or Idealism

Amidst the intoxicating aroma of wine, a magnificent picture is being unveiled.

Gebu learned some basics of the kingdom's religious politics through the Book of Sand, but not all the secrets of this world can be found in books.

"You are a merchant from a foreign land and are not very familiar with the political infighting within the Kingdom Church."

"Please enlighten me," Geb said solemnly, sitting up and looking seriously at the bishop before him. He knew that the information this man was about to reveal would be of great value.

"The Holy Church is not monolithic. Unfortunately, for some of my brothers and sisters in the Holy See, apart from our devout faith in the Lord, we do not share the same views on many things."

"Are there different factions within the Papacy?" Geb interjected.

"I don't like the term 'faction,' but I have to admit that it's quite apt to describe interest groups or political factions within the church."

"You can be more direct," Gebu suggested politely. "I know you're used to giving sermons and speak in a rather formal way, so there's no need for you to talk to me like that."

Tissah paused for a moment, then coughed lightly and changed her words.

"If I put it that way—to be more direct—yes, there are two major factions within the Church: the conservatives who dominated the Old Kingdom Holy See, and the progressives represented by the New Kingdom dioceses."

"Twelve hundred years ago, the Holy Rebellion led by the High God Obak destroyed the Wizard King's power within the Old Kingdom and established the Holy Kingdom of Kane. The subsequent Holy Expedition expanded the Holy Church's influence to the southern part of the continent. Here, in the place where the Rose Saintess manifested, the followers of Obak, in the name of Obak, established the Divine Rose Kingdom. This is the origin of the so-called Old and New Kingdoms."

"However, from the very beginning of the establishment of the two kingdoms, the Church of the New Kingdom and the Papacy of the Old Kingdom diverged. This divergence was multifaceted, ranging from minor matters such as religious rituals, church decorations, and religious attire to major issues such as religious taxes and the division of power between the Papacy and local nobles. The origins of this are too complex to be detailed. In short, the Church of the New Kingdom was more open in its dealings, granting its followers more freedom and actively participating in secular commercial activities, unlike the Old Kingdom, which disciplined its followers through rigid dogma and relied on church-affiliated fiefdoms and the crude tithes to sustain itself."

Bishop Tissant spoke so directly that Geb couldn't help but feel a little strange. This man's criticism of the Holy See of O'Bak was merciless, and in just a few words, he revealed a profound understanding of the church he belonged to.

This person is intelligent, but also somewhat naive—can you really say these things to a complete stranger you've just met?!

"Then you must be a member of the progressive faction," Geb said meaningfully.

"If you asked a priest from the Old Kingdom, he would probably call us radicals." But I don't think our beliefs are that radical. Tissot smiled, not reacting to the sarcasm in Geb's words. "Please let me continue: the conservatives will definitely oppose your idea of ​​selling wine through Shanhaiguan."

"Why? Whether conservative or progressive, isn't expanding the influence of the Church of Oberc something the Holy See would be happy to see?" Geb asked, puzzled. "I don't just sell wine. Wine is a lifestyle, and more importantly, an important symbol of the Church's faith. Spreading wine, in a sense, is proselytizing."

Their eyes simultaneously fell on the half-empty glass of red wine on the table.

The glass, covered with a thin layer of frost, had pale purple, wavy lines, like the coastline stretching for hundreds of miles beside Shanhaiguan.

"I ask you, Geb, what is the name of the land that was fought over in this thirty-year war?" Tissah asked, her pupils reflecting the faint candlelight.

"I know that. The Thousand Lakes Plain—a gentle land crisscrossed by waterways. It's famous for poets, silk, and spices," Gebu replied, drawing on his geographical knowledge.

"So, what religion do the people in this land believe in?"

"Uh—if I remember correctly, before the Empire occupied the Thousand Lakes Plain, the people who practiced the Holy Church of Obak?"

"That's right. The Duchy of Thousand Lakes was once the front line of the Holy Church. The people of that land sang praises of God's greatness with hymns and hymns, and the bards of Thousand Lakes spread the Lord's gospel to every corner of the continent. Unfortunately, when the Imperial army trampled through their country, the Church of Thousand Lakes did not choose to call on its believers to put up a futile resistance."

"What do you mean? The Thousand Lakes Church has surrendered?" Gebu asked in surprise.

"The Church of Thousand Lakes lacked the secular power of the churches of the Old and New Kingdoms, and was incapable of organizing an army. The ruler of the Duchy of Thousand Lakes was the Duke of Goat, but he abandoned his people and fled the capital with his army. When the capital, Silverwater City, was captured, a flood of refugees fled into the Holy Church within the city. Cardinal Martinez of Thousand Lakes chose to surrender to the Imperial General to save the lives of innocent civilians. Unfortunately, this act of mercy was seen as a sign of weakness and betrayal by the conservative bishops in power within the Papacy. The former Patriarch issued a decree excommunicating the cardinal of the Church of Thousand Lakes and refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the Church of Thousand Lakes under Imperial jurisdiction—equivalent to excommunicating all clergy in the Thousand Lakes region."

"Wait a minute, they preserved the Church of a Thousand Lakes? Aren't the Imperials opposed to the Church of Obak?"

"The royal family of the Golden Sun Red Earth Empire has always been pragmatists. You can glean some clues from the empire's pantheon worship. Every time the army in black armor conquers a place, they enshrine the local deity in the pantheon to maintain peace in the region."

"So, Oebak has also entered the Empire's Pantheon—I'm afraid the followers of the Holy Church wouldn't want to see the one true God and a bunch of so-called 'false gods' enshrined in the same room."

Tissah did not answer the question, but simply raised her chin, closed her eyes, and sighed softly—as if the thought itself made her feel incredibly sad.

"No, not yet," he said softly, emphasizing the word "not yet."

Does this mean that it's not available now, but it might be available in the future?

Gebu's mind raced, and considering the broader context of the peace talks between the two countries, he suddenly realized:

Whether the Obak faith can be legalized in the Empire is likely to be a major point of contention in the peace talks!

Upon closer examination, this matter is extremely complex.

First of all, the Golden Sun Red Earth Empire has already gained an advantage by occupying the Thousand Lakes area. It seems that the Kingdom has neither the ability nor the will to reclaim the lost territory.

However, although the Empire occupied the Thousand Lakes Plain, the people of the Thousand Lakes still believed in Obak. According to the Empire's consistent methods of ruling conquered territories, it should legalize the Obak religion and make it one of the gods in the Empire's pantheon.

This matter was not complicated in itself, but the trouble lies in the fact that the Church of Obak is an out-and-out monotheistic religion that does not recognize the existence of other gods at all.

The Holy See would not allow such blasphemous behavior to occur. If the Empire did so, the two sides would inevitably fight again, and the peace talks would fall through.

Tissanthem noticed the conflicted look on Geb's face and coughed lightly to get the halfling's attention.

"This is not something you can solve, so there's no need to worry too much."

"So what does this wine business have to do with all this?" Geb suddenly remembered that he was there to discuss business and had almost gotten sidetracked, forgetting the main point.

"The Church of the Thousand Lakes and the Holy See have been separated for over twenty years, which means a long and strict embargo. For over twenty years, the faithful of the Thousand Lakes have not tasted wine from the New Kingdom in their worship services. If the Salt and Iron Merchants' Guild can bring the wine back to the Thousand Lakes Plain, it means that the Holy Spirit has once again blessed this land ravaged by war. The Holy See and the dear Patriarch have once again embraced their abandoned compatriots."

"I understand what you mean, but does selling alcohol really have that much influence?"

"As you said, extraordinary products have extraordinary value. San Vandu wine has been imbued with strong political significance since its inception: it symbolized the Old Kingdom's compromise with the New Kingdom's followers, and now it can also symbolize the Holy See's forgiveness of the Church of the Thousand Lakes."

""

Gebu never expected that he would inadvertently get involved in such a big matter.

Bishop Titian elevated the issue of wine to such a high level, presumably to leverage it for political gain and to climb the ranks within the church. This isn't even entirely an open secret.

However, things are not that simple.

"If we forgive the Church of a Thousand Lakes, does that mean we have to accept O'Bak's entry into the Pantheon? Your Excellency, I think you've overlooked the main contradiction in this matter."

Geb sharply objected. Indeed, no matter how well the Holy See and the Church of a Thousand Lakes reconcile, the fact remains unchanged: the Church of a Thousand Lakes is now under the control of the Empire, and if the Emperor forces the Church of a Thousand Lakes to move the emblem of Obak into the Pantheon, the bishops of the Church of a Thousand Lakes will have no choice but to comply.

"This matter is beyond our control; it's the biggest obstacle to peace talks between our two nations. The Patriarch, King Kane, Queen Rose, and the Emperor have been stuck at Shanhaiguan for months, unable to reach a consensus. But peace must come!" Tissanthemum suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze gleaming. "This matter must be resolved jointly by the Church of the Thousand Lakes and the Holy See. We cannot abandon the believers of the Thousand Lakes Plain and arbitrarily decide their fate! For us at Shanhaiguan, this is merely a matter of title and position; but for the Obak believers under imperial rule at Shanhaiguan, it is a matter of faith and destiny!"

"If lifting the wine embargo and extending goodwill to the Church of a Thousand Lakes can demonstrate our sincerity to the Empire, I believe that the desire for peace will triumph over any legal conflict. I want San Vandu wine as the sharpest weapon to cleave the clouds of war!"

What a courageous opportunist! What an arrogant fool with sky-high ambitions!

Geb couldn't help but sigh, but while he was being sarcastic, he also saw a hint of idealism and fervor in Bishop Tissant's trembling eyes.

This guy seems genuinely interested in doing this. In this respect, Gebu felt he could empathize with this middle-aged man: both were ambitious, wanting to achieve great things with limited resources, small in stature but big in ambition. Their audacity was boundless.

It's unclear whether Tissah's plan is opportunistic or truly that of an idealist; perhaps it's both. What Geb needs to consider is whether doing this will benefit him.

"Your idea is admirable, but as you said, conservatives and progressives within the Vatican are incompatible. You want to curry favor with the Empire and the Thousand Lakes Church under its control, but the conservatives will likely not approve and may even try to obstruct it. Do you really think this can be done?"

Hearing Geb's question, Tissah did not show any anger. Instead, she got up, walked to the halfling's side, sat down under his scrutinizing gaze, and placed her hand on Geb's shoulder.

"I'm afraid I can't do it on my own. But if I can get your help, then I definitely can!"

Geb paused for a moment, the words sounding so familiar—as if they were coming from his own mouth.

In the past, I was always the one causing trouble. This time, I've actually encountered someone even more proactive than myself—

It's good to take the initiative!

"Alright, tell me your plans in detail!"