Volume 5: The Great Plains Chapter 164: Appointment

  Evan and I exchanged a glance, both of us seeing the confusion in each other's eyes. What was this guy doing coming over here now? I nodded at Evan and called out loudly: "Come on over, Evan is here."

  In the darkness, a figure emerged. We took a closer look and it was the oldest of the three red-robed bishops from the previous group. At this moment, he looked calm and came slowly, showing no hostility.

  I stood up with Evan and gave him the courtesy and respect he deserved, and he also slightly bowed his head to show his own respect.

  Kate is a middle-aged man, slightly plump, with some baldness due to age, but his chubby face always has a smile, making it impossible for anyone to harbor any hostility towards him.

  Kate looked at me and asked, "This gentleman doesn't know which one he is, alas, he's old and has been serving the Lord of Light in the Holy City for many years, rarely going out. The continent of Aichin has produced many heroes, but a high-ranking magician as young as you is really rare."

  I bowed again and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency. I am Arik, a magician from the floating city of Larsen. Please have a seat and speak with us."

  Yvain and everyone else sat down after asking: "Your Excellency, it's so late, I don't know what brought you here?"

  Kate looked at me and then said to Evan, "According to our observations over the past few days, we found that you and we have been walking in the same direction. I discussed with the other two bishops and felt that it's better for us to be open and honest with each other. Since I had a few words with you before and there was no hostility between us, I took the initiative to come visit."

  Ivan smiled and said, "Oh? I don't know how you plan to be open and honest?"

  Kate took the coffee I handed over, smiled and nodded at me, said "thank you", picked up the cup and took a sip before saying: "The coffee smells good, actually our Vatican is not like it used to be. The Holy Maiden is God's spokesperson, even the Pope treats her with great respect. Her power is close to that of a demigod, the entire Vatican follows her orders. Anyone who objects to her will soon be found to have betrayed the Vatican and be burned at the stake. Now, the will of the God of Light is only conveyed to the Holy Maiden, showing her position in God's heart."

  "Aidan shook his head and laughed, saying: "The deeds of the Holy Maiden in recent decades, don't you yourselves know clearly? What is justice, what is evil, don't you have any concept in your minds as followers of the God of Light? The zombie attacks on humans, the turmoil of various races and countries over the years, as a Red Robed Bishop, dare you say that it has nothing to do with your Holy Maiden? Has the entire Vatican lost all sense of conscience?"

  Kate's face was slightly awkward as she said, "I don't quite understand the intentions of the Vatican, but I believe that all decisions made by the Vatican are to better spread the teachings to every person's heart." Then, Kate immediately raised her hand in a stopping gesture, preventing Evan from further accusations, and said, "Mr. Evan, let's not engage in pointless debates, it's useless to say more, I know that right and wrong are in people's hearts, I understand the reasoning, please sympathize with my difficulties, my identity determines how I speak. This time I came to discuss our purpose with you all, to show enough sincerity to reach a tacit understanding with you, so as not to lead to conflict between us due to some misunderstandings."

  I smiled and said: "I don't know what you want to say?"

  Kate said: "Actually, we came here this time, I believe everyone understands in their hearts, is to get the divine artifact from the dragon cave. The Holy Maiden seems to be very concerned about this artifact, and has already sent out three batches of troops, and it's said that she will come here personally to take the artifact, which shows how important this thing is to her. Before we came, we had received orders to launch an attack immediately, at all costs, and must retrieve or destroy the artifact. And we are the first batch of troops to arrive, which means everyone must be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Light God."

  Evan nodded and said: "It seems that your Holy Maiden is ready to use you as cannon fodder to test the power of the giant dragon."

  Kate shook her head and said: "To dedicate oneself to the God of Light is a duty that we believers should fulfill, after death we will be called by God and gain eternal life in his kingdom."

  Evan sneered and said, "I can't refute your idea, but I'm afraid someone will use the will of the God of Light to satisfy their own desires, and when that happens, the souls of those who die because of you will never be able to enter the realm of the God of Light."

  Kate's face looked a bit unsightly, but she immediately shifted the topic: "These things we naturally have to distinguish, today I came here to reach an agreement with you, that is, no matter who launches an attack, the other party should not stab in the back again, even if it means death, please let us die in battle against the giant dragon, rather than dying for some unclear reason."

  I also picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip, saying: "So you're afraid that we'll attack you from behind and make your efforts come to nothing."

  Kate didn't deny it, she just hung her head and quietly drank her coffee.

  Aivan sighed and said, "Although I'm an assassin, I won't do that kind of thing. If you're afraid we'll launch a sneak attack, why not let us go up first? In case we fail, you can still take action."

  Kate smiled wryly and said, "Let's go up first. If you succeed by any chance, we don't know how to explain it to the Holy Maiden, but asking us to do something that goes against our teachings after the fact is not right."

  "It's not like we can't let you make the first move," Evan said. "But if that's the case, it seems like we're at a disadvantage."

  "Then it seems you want us to make amends?"

  Evan shook his head and said, "We don't need any compensation either. How about this? You send someone to help us, the Holy See's light magic is still very helpful to us. That way, it counts as compensation for letting you guys make the first move. Of course, it doesn't have to be too powerful, a high-ranking priest will do. There's a priest named Nia in your team, right? My sister is familiar with her, what do you think?"

  Kate bowed her head in thought for a moment before saying, "Alright then, if it's just a high-ranking priest, the problem shouldn't be too big. Let's settle on that."

  "Ivan smiled and stretched out his hand, saying: 'Then it's settled, don't worry, we absolutely won't interfere when you take action, nor will we launch a sneak attack afterwards. I swear on the honor of the Kingdom of Sel.'"

  I stood up and stretched out my hand, saying: "I also swear on the honor of the Floating City."