Chapter 272: Chapter 276 Swift Judgnt
The brief touch of her own “smoke” had dissipated.
Yet more smoke was continuously escaping from the Storm Cathedral, drifting and fluctuating, gathering like a dark cloud, invisibly assembling above Plunder, and its coverage area was gradually expanding, eventually spreading over half the city-state.
Duncan’s fingertips still retained a trace of a cold sensation, he slightly furrowed his brow, gazing upward at the sky above the urban area, his mind filled with doubts.
That gray-white fog gave him a feeling… as if so colossal creature had lost its form, and its soul was ascending in the dinsion of reality, unrestrainedly transford into this appearance. It was as if sothing from behind the reality dinsion was gradually releasing its perception, using the fog as tentacles to “touch” the contours of the real world.
This second feeling was particularly evident when he touched that wisp of smoke.
“Uncle Duncan?” Nina’s voice suddenly ca from beside him, interrupting Duncan’s wild thoughts, “What are you reaching out for?”
“…Nothing,” Duncan blinked and said softly.
Obviously, Nina couldn’t see the smoke—neither could Sherry nor Alice beside her, nor could the ordinary people gathered inside and outside the dock.
But could the people from the Storm Cathedral see it? That Female Pope, who was stationed at the great cathedral and regarded as the “Storm Goddess Gomona’s” spokesperson in the mortal world, could she see it?
Duncan quietly watched the enormous “ark,” almost as vast as the entire port area, decelerate at the edge of Plunder, watching its side chanisms slowly transform, as if growing so limbs, extending a long chanical bridge that connected with the port’s jetty.
And during this process, the indistinct, invisible smoke had notably expanded.
Duncan didn’t feel any hostility from the smoke, nor did he perceive any harm, so he temporarily took no action.
…
Following the ritual requirents, after the cannons at Plunder’s port fired and music played to show welco, the Storm Cathedral released a long chanical bridge, establishing a connection between the Pilgrimage Ark and the city-state. Then, a second wave of lodious and solemn steam whistle sounds ca from the Ark.
Giant steam valves rotated to open, pressure relief pipes and steam whistle devices on various parts of the Pilgrimage Ark activated simultaneously, and streams of white air burst forth from the cathedral’s barriers and spires, shooting straight into the sky amid the sounds of the steam whistles.
The city-state’s and the Church Ark’s bell towers started ringing at the sa ti.
Fenna took a deep breath—standing in such a solemn and awe-inspiring scene, even being a Judge, she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous at the mont.
After a mont, she saw so colorful flags appear on the edge of the Church Ark; soon afterward, a group of protectors in custom armor appeared on the long chanical bridge, riding steam walkers toward the dock. One of them broke from the ranks, approaching a group of high-ranking clergy.
“Bishop Valentin, Judge Fenna, may the glory of the Storm Overlord be with you.”
The Protector Commander bowed his head—he was covered in black alloy armor, and you could see the structure of boosting pipes and steam valves on his chest and arms guards. A thick steel mask concealed the knight’s true face, Fenna could only see his goggles faintly glowing red and heard the hissing of the air mixed in his voice.
Steam is the breath of God, steel is the bridge between man and God, and beneath the mask, the hissing airflow carried a divine ssage.
“May the glory of the Storm Overlord be with you,” Fenna bowed her head, along with Bishop Valentin beside her.
“The Pope invites you both to board the Ark,” the hissing voice of the Protector Commander continued, “Others please wait montarily.”
Fenna looked up in surprise, then instinctively turned to Bishop Valentin, only to see a puzzled expression on his face as well.
Is this part of the ceremony?
“This is a temporary arrangent by the Pope,” seeing the confusion on the faces of the two high-ranking clergy, the Protector Commander explained, “She has so matters she would like to understand from you.”
“We follow Her Holiness’s arrangent,” Bishop Valentin imdiately subdued the bewildernt in his expression, bowing his head respectfully.
Beside him, Fenna quickly recovered and bowed her head in compliance with the command.
“Please ask the clergy and city-state officials to wait montarily—you may also take a mont to rest aside,” the Protector Commander then looked toward Dante and others, nodded slightly, and said, “Please be assured, it won’t take long.”
Fenna and Bishop Valentin stepped onto the chanical bridge leading to the Storm Cathedral—the grand cathedral lood increasingly larger in her sight, also emanating an increasingly breathtaking, almost suffocating aura of majesty.
rely approaching it made Fenna’s heart start to race.
Beside her, Bishop Valentin noticed Fenna’s hesitant steps, the old man gently shook his head: “Relax, this isn’t your first ti eting Her Holiness.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Led by a group of protectors, Fenna and Valentin crossed the long bridge, walked through a deck as wide as the dock plaza, and were finally guided into a massive elevator.
Fenna thought the elevator would take her sowhere in the upper layers of the Church Ark, but inside she felt the entire carriage sinking continuously.
The descent of the carriage lasted for a long ti, so long that Fenna couldn’t help but start to wonder if the elevator was heading straight to the sea, when suddenly the squeaking and creaking noises of the steel cables ceased.
The doors of the elevator opened.
The voice of a Church Knight ca from beside: “Please proceed forward—the Pope awaits you ahead.”
A bit confused, Fenna followed Valentin out of the elevator, hearing the rear railing doors close abruptly with a frictional sound, then the two looked ahead, only to see a place almost entirely shrouded in darkness.
They could barely make out a figure dressed in lavish garnts standing in the dimly lit center of the room.
Fenna hesitated for a mont, then stepped forward.
And as she did, the slight explosion of flas suddenly broke the silence of this dim space.
Bang, bang, bang, several mild explosions in a row, and several fire basins were lit one after another, the sudden light driving away the darkness around the elevator and allowing Fenna to clearly see the Pope Helena standing not far away. It also shockingly revealed to her that this space was much larger than she had imagined—
Even with several basins illuminating it, the far reaches of the room remained draped in shadows, Fenna couldn’t see where this “room” ended. All she could see was a gray-black, sowhat rough floor stretching out in front of her, extending all the way to where darkness prevailed, and at the edge of the light from the basins, one could vaguely discern so gigantic “pillars,” with many intersecting shadows connected between them, looking… like they might be the pipeline system or support structures of the Church Ark.
Is this the bottom hold of the Pilgrimage Ark?
Why had the Pope chosen to et her and Bishop Valentin here?
Questions surged in Fenna’s mind, but before she could speak, she already heard a gentle yet authoritative voice from ahead: “You have arrived—Saint Valentin and Saint Fenna. Welco to the Ark.”
“Your Holiness,” Fenna quickly suppressed the doubts in her heart and adjusted her expression, then together with Bishop Valentin, they bowed in respect; after the salutation, she cautiously raised her eyes and began, “You summoned us here because…”
Helena didn’t let Fenna finish, but instead posed a sowhat puzzling question: “Do you know where you are?”
“Here… isn’t this the Storm Cathedral?” Valentin raised his head, blinking a little confusedly, “The bottom of the Storm Cathedral?”
“This is indeed right below the Storm Cathedral, but speaking strictly structurally, this place has already detached from the main body of the cathedral,” Helena revealed a slight smile, and under the illumination of several basins, her smile seed to carry a hint of deeper aning, “You are standing on the lowest level of the Pilgrimage Ark, in the ‘belly’ of this behemoth.”
She raised her head, her gaze slowly shifting between Fenna and Valentin.
“This place is under the watch of the Storm Overlord, and at the sa ti, it is the closest to the deep sea, where the Lord’s blessings and the Lord’s judgnts coexist.”
Helena’s gaze ca to a halt, yet she was looking neither at Fenna nor at Valentin.
She seed to be speaking into the void in the darkness:
“After faith has wavered, is continuing to perform your duties very difficult?”
Fenna’s expression froze instantly.
Valentin reacted similarly.
An unbearable oppressive atmosphere filled the vast yet dim space.
After what seed like an eternity, Fenna finally was the first to compose herself, taking a deep breath: “My faith…”
“I didn’t ask about your faith,” Helena shook her head, “I asked if, after your faith wavered, continuing to perform your duties has beco more difficult than before?”
Fenna was taken aback, seemingly unable to grasp the deep aning of the Pope’s words imdiately. Bishop Valentin, however, after a brief mont of astonishnt, seed to understand and quickly spoke: “I perform my duties unwaveringly, sheltering the City-State and guiding the Believers all co from my heart…”
“Excellent, Saint Valentin, your steadfastness moves —you should continue your duty as the protector of the Plunder City-State until the end.
“Saint Fenna, I see the confusion in your eyes, and given your current situation, I have no choice but to announce a temporary suspension of your duties as the Plander Inquisitor.
“This decision takes effect imdiately.”
Helena spoke quickly, before Fenna and Valentin could react, she had finished speaking.
Both Saints looked at each other.
Valentin: “…?”
Fenna: “…?”
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