Chapter 247 (1): Phoenix
Council hall, Church of Nature’s headquarters.
The Pope controlled the crystal ball to monitor Wayne. When Wayne stepped onto the surface of the moon first, he shook his head and said, “He’s too reckless. This makes it hard to believe that he has the right spirit to become the chosen knight.”
The moon dungeon was known as Sky City. It was one of the great altars of the Life Alliance, originally a sacred site of the Church of Moonlight. They shared it with their two allies, the Church of Nature and the Church of Sun, in accordance with the covenant of the alliance.
Unlike Misty Forest, Sky City held extraordinary significance, so while the Church of Nature could use it, it had no authority over it. Only a handful of higher-ups could access it freely: the Pope, the Holy Maiden, and the High Prophet, the three most exalted roles in the Church of Nature.
The High Prophet prophesied the importance of this Holy Maiden selection, spouting lofty nonsense that could either be true or false; it wouldn’t be his first time lying about his visions.
It would be one thing if he had said nothing, but since he had made his prophecy, the Pope had no choice but to take it seriously. He cordoned off an area on the outskirts of Sky City to use it as a dungeon to evaluate the candidates. That was why the High Prophet was the one to hold the crystal ball during the test of the Corridor of Nightmares, and now it was the Pope.
Seeing Wayne show his true nature, using threats and intimidation without pulling back, the Pope immediately gave a negative review, stating that Wayne lacked chivalrous spirit.
Nonsense! Senna scoffed. How did Wayne lack chivalrous spirit? What had he done to the three Holy Maiden candidates? Had he kissed them or groped them? No. He was merely intimidating them verbally. It was psychological warfare.
Tubert agreed with the Pope’s assessment. Indeed, Wayne was unfit to be a knight; he was morally bankrupt, with not a single quality befitting a knight. He wouldn’t and couldn’t become the chosen knight. So he should become the High Prophet instead!
The three’s squabble delighted the other higher-ups. Compared to the performances of the candidates, the power struggles among the three leaders were far more entertaining.
Vice Captain Garvin was an odd one out. A few days ago, Senna had met with him privately and asked him to contact Moula, the Nature Knight. Wayne possessed the talent to become the chosen knight. He was the church’s future and hope. To prevent the High Prophet from sabotaging him behind the scenes, they had to meet Sir Moula.
It didn’t matter if Wayne passed the test. What mattered was to seize the chance. The church was corrupt and desperately needed fresh blood. Garvin was the only one in the entire Church of Nature who could contact Moula, and Senna hoped that he would arrange a meeting quickly, before the High Prophet could pull the strings.