No one ever imagined that Uncle Zaku, who seed so utterly ordinary and even a bit downcast, would have such an incredible past.
The current world order owes a great deal to a daring adventure he once led.
In an era rife with war, a group of audacious adventurers stumbled upon powerful ancient weapons while exploring ruins. Filled with ambition, they sought to use these arms to end all wars and discrimination in the world and ford a fearso Knight Order. With the might of the ancient weapons, the Knight Order swept through every nation, but two of their own could not stomach the carnage and split from the group, retreating to the countryside. Three hundred years passed, and the thirteen adventurers, once driven by raw passion and immature justice, beca the Holy Knights and Holy Pope ruling the world, while the two who broke away had turned into slovenly, disheartened middle-aged n and a silent, reserved housewife (?). As the wheels of destiny turned again and the super civilization that once shaped this world returned, the estranged friends reunited, confronting each other with unspoken sorrow from three centuries—now I’m starting to wonder if Uncle Zaku is actually the protagonist.
Three hundred years was enough to change many things, especially the hearts of mortals. This was Sandora’s reflection. The story of Uncle Zaku and Rudav, the Holy Pope, moved many, not least the Queen herself. Objectively, their story was insignificant compared to the grand battles Sandora had lived through, but destiny doesn’t rely solely on scale when it touches the human heart.
Having shed his artificial skin, the Holy Pope was now nothing more than a rapidly vibrating bright Light Ball, and he seed completely unfazed by his appearance. It was unclear whether three hundred years had made him accustod to this form, or if the transformation of his Life Form had destroyed his human sensibility. When this little Light Ball guided us into the Vatican’s grand hall, we found it filled with twelve other masked individuals in long, tight robes, the Canglan Church’s highest rulers after the Pope, known to the world as the Twelve Knights, revered for their Undead Bodies and superhuman feats.
To put it in Zaku’s words, these were the twelve most tenacious fighters he’d faced in a brawl over three hundred years ago—how tis had changed, and how different everything now seed.
"Pope?!"
The riff-raff of the hall had been dismissed, leaving only the Twelve Knights awaiting us, all burdened with heavy hearts. Upon seeing their Pope revealed in his true form, three or four of them stood up involuntarily, crying out in chorus.
"Stay calm, you can call Rudav now," the sharp voice ca from the small Light Ball next to Zaku, a contrast to the previously deep, echoing voice that seed almost comical, though no one laughed. The twelve Knights looked at each other, still unsure of what was happening.
"Discard those skins, we don’t need them anymore," the Pope said. Though his words lacked an authoritative tone, the twelve Knights, after exchanging glances, complied. They removed their masks, and from their hollow bodies rose identical bright Light Balls. As they lined up before us, about the size of table tennis balls, fiercely vibrating in the air, it was hard to believe these tiny twinkles were indeed the formidable Twelve Knights. anwhile, Bubbles murmured while looking at the row of small Light Balls: Five should go mining, three should entangle the trees, and the rest, maybe should beco Moon Wells...
The Pope followed with a brief Silence before adding, "Perhaps you should put on your clothes, I can’t tell you apart anymore..."
I’m struggling to hold back my discomfort.
The Light Balls deftly returned to their skins, swelling the complex exteriors accurately into the shape of normal humans. Even though they rely held a small Light Ball inside, the figure with a shaded face looked very much like a living person. It was just a bit unsettling without the masks, as the face twisted around to reveal a dark cavity with a bulb shining brightly inside.
"Starting today, the Canglan Church’s rule over the Mobra World cos to an end. Following the Holy Sage’s will, the governance of this civilization will be handed over to the United Governnt and the leaders of each Race," the Pope announced, hovering near the central round table. Judging by the height above the table’s surface, if he still wore his own "skin," it would have matched the position of his normal face. "To ensure the world’s normal developnt, the Holy Sage will personally oversee the Evolution of the Races. Everyone, prepare to step off the stage of history."
The hall maintained an unnatural silence. I had thought that this bombshell news would spark a storm, but the most bustle in the hall at the mont was from Bingdisi and Kenser playing poker. The Twelve Knights just exchanged a glance upon the Pope’s shocking announcent and then fell silent.
It seed that when one of the Knights burst into the Pope’s room and saw the crowd with Uncle Zagu, they had a premonition that sothing big was about to happen. Maybe even earlier, when the fleet of the Saintly Sage lit up the space above Mist God Star, the Twelve Knights sensed the impending change. If there was sothing they hadn’t anticipated, it was probably the sudden end to divine governance. But from their deanor, they appeared to have no regret about it.
"This day has finally co," a knight with a red scale emblem on his clothing said in a deep voice, "We’ve ruled this world long enough. The return of the Saintly Sage seems to be a sufficient reason for us to relinquish our authority. But you must prove to us that this decree truly cos from the Saintly Sage."
The other Knights also nodded in agreent. It seed they truly had no regrets about ending their rule. The only thing they needed confirmation of was whether this was indeed the will of the Saintly Sage.
So I stood up and nodded solemnly: "Yes, it was I who said it."
Then the Twelve Knights surrounded with looks of horror.
I was startled and rembered sothing while wiping the sweat from my brow: these twelve baldies didn’t know that the guy wandering around the Vatican like he was on a picnic was the Saintly Sage!
Should I call down the fleet for an encore of the Saintly Sage’s return? They hadn’t gone far, I was just worried about the Mobra populace getting stirred up. They would probably find it hard to understand what it ant to have the Saintly Sage’s fleet return to the heavens after declaring the oracle, then co back for another performance. The first explanation would be that a leader had missed speaking up earlier and now appears with an "I have sothing to add"; the second is that the Fleet Commander got the planet wrong, forgetting that this world had already been broadcast to...
I figured that whichever of these guesses beca popular, the Divine Authority Society of Mobra would have reached its end.
Luckily, just then, the Pope knew it was his turn to speak up. After he revealed our identities to everyone, I felt myself being observed by twelve eyes—inasmuch as I couldn’t be sure if a light ball counted as one eye or two.
The Pope used his accumulated dignified presence to quell the short-lived noisy discussion among the Twelve Knights. Then he told everyone in full detail about what had just happened, while I looked on at Pandora and Visca idly drawing on the world map, both becoming ablaze as the flas of war started to burn. Eventually, the knights confird that this rowdy bunch dragging their families along was indeed the mysterious and powerful Saintly Sage (I really should have kicked Bingdisi out earlier); their feelings must have been quite complex.
"The governance that Canglan Church has implented in Mobra no longer fits. The peace you bring has beco more and more like shackles to this world," Sandora said, her voice cold and serious as she tapped her knuckles lightly on the table. "Of course, this world will rember the efforts you once made. But now, in the na of the Queen of the Mobra Ancient Civilization, I declare that the governance of this world is to be handed back to the United Governnt. Does anyone have any questions?"
It was a formulaic inquiry, and anyone with a double-digit IQ at this point wouldn’t question it. Clearly, all of the Twelve Knights had IQs well over double digits, so it was unanimously agreed upon.
They even seed to heave a sigh of relief after unloading the burden.
Actually, I noticed that it wasn’t only the Twelve Knights. Even the Holy Pope himself didn’t seem too lost after being forced to relinquish his power. He was mostly shocked, but more than anything, he seed relieved, which made quite curious.
"Actually, this heavy burden doesn’t feel good at all."
A knight answered my doubts, "After becoming like this, we’ve almost forgotten how to live as humans. The sense of satisfaction from having a long life and epheral power makes feel as if I’m gradually turning into sothing beyond human. Many of our decisions stem from very simple judgnt logic, which is personal preferences, and that has brought too much death to this world, even though in the end they are all disguised with various sanctimonious explanations. However, the heavy sense of guilt has never left us. Others probably feel the sa."
So that’s how it is—this was a reason for and Sandora to slightly change our view of them, at least it shows that their humanity has not entirely departed from their hearts, although there might not be much left.
Perhaps after being the first to discover the Saintly Sage Battleship on Mist God Star, the Twelve Knights and the Holy Pope quickly got over their initial shock and accepted the drastic changes we brought to them, realizing that so facts could no longer be altered. They began to focus on the fate of the world. No matter what they had done in the past, their impact on Mobra’s history remained unparalleled, and at the sa ti, these people were probably the ones who cared the most for this world.
"The Canglan Church will not dissolve; we need deputies in every world," Sandora said slowly. "You will still have a status similar to ’envoys’, but whether you can be called inheritors depends on your own efforts. The absolute authority of the Holy Pope must co to an end: before you bring more shackles to this world, I have to strip you of your authority. The theocratic supremacy of the Mobra Civilization is not the reason that hinders the developnt of civilization, so after you return power to the United Governnt, this sect can still be preserved, and you will basically remain in your original positions, only now from decision makers to executors. This is not a suggestion, but a command."
Sandora’s aning was clear: The Xyrin Empire could select countless deputies from the Mobra population at any ti, the Empire’s power could easily elevate thousands upon thousands of individuals as powerful as the Twelve Knights, so it’s best not to harbor any grievances about this arrangent: if you won’t do it, there are plenty of others who will.
Of course, the Pope and the Twelve Knights probably didn’t have any complaints about this; after all, they had persisted on this path for over three hundred years, and it was ti for them to rest. To set aside the burden and beco a ssenger in peace was perhaps the best choice, and to give them sothing to do also guaranteed their survival goals, so chances of anything going wrong were unlikely.
Therefore, the Twelve Knights and the Holy Pope accepted Sandora’s orders very readily, except for one knight who quipped, "From now on, we’re all just puppets."
"Even being a puppet of the Empire isn’t sothing just anyone can aspire to," Lilina interjected from the side, "and besides, didn’t you keep saying that you were the servants executing the will of the Saintly Sage? Now your dream has co true."
At this mont, I cast a sideways glance at the silent and vigilant Uncle Zaku beside , who imdiately shook his hands in dissent: "Don’t look at ! I’m just an ordinary person; I absolutely want nothing to do with this!"
Tsk, a man without ambition.
However, his refusal was dood to be in vain. The Holy Pope had to be replaced. The current one was a thorough extremist who had spent three hundred years judging the life and death of billions based on personal preferences, and even as a puppet now, he remained an elent of instability. In contrast, Uncle Zaku, who possessed similar powers and understanding of the Mobra World, looked much more suitable. Therefore, when Uncle Zaku kept shaking his hands, I only gave him a threatening look, "Prepare to take over as the new Pope of this world, or else we’re gonna be dining at your house every day!"
And so, it was settled. Seeing Uncle Zaku’s troubled expression, I consoled him a bit: "It’s really just a role equivalent to being a liaison. The real decisions will co from the Empire, and in most cases, we won’t interfere with the progress of a world. You can still do whatever you love, just submit reports on ti."
With that, Uncle Zaku finally settled down.
Of course, it’s not just a few words that can complete the governntal transition of Mobra Civilization, but let the Church and the local United Governnt worry about the rest. Sandora and I were only responsible for issuing the orders. After setting this matter aside temporarily, the topic finally shifted to the battle on Mist God Star.
This was the question everyone here cared most about, and outside, an unknown number of civilians were also waiting for an answer. The Forr Pope and the Twelve Knights had not co forward to explain anything to the public in the past twenty-four hours—the forr notwithstanding, the latter were slightly restless.
"An attack is imminent on Mobra."
Sandora got straight to the point. "The Old Empire has splintered into several factions, and one of their armies has rebelled. They regard Mobra as their primary target, and soon, this star system will suffer their saturating strike."
Apart from so classified information, Sandora and I roughly explained the situation. Naturally, this wasn’t the version of Lilina’s Bible that would be eventually made public to the civilians. The Canglan Church would handle the editing and release of that version.
The news of the star system’s impending saturation attack by another Saintly Sage army was absolutely shocking. Including the Forr Pope, the thirteen people maintained an absolute silence as they listened to our briefing. In the end, Uncle Zaku took a cold breath and glanced over here, "Wait a second... you didn’t ntion this at the beginning..."
"Yes, we hadn’t anticipated this at first," I said helplessly, shrugging my shoulders. "The ergence of the Rebel Army was completely unexpected. The worst-case scenario right now is that they’ll finish gathering in no more than six days, but we’ve prepared a decoy signal. When the ti cos, the first wave of the Rebel Army’s attack will be diverted elsewhere, giving us ti to organize a counterattack. Your task now is to cooperate with the United Governnt to ensure the civilians are soothed and guided appropriately. I believe we have the capability to hold off the enemy fleet, but we need soone to prevent public riots."
How should this be considered? Possibly the first true command from the Saintly Sage taken by the Canglan Church since its establishnt. Maybe due to three hundred years of self-hypnosis, the Twelve Knights (or should they be called the Thirteen Knights again after the Pope resus his position?) seed particularly spirited, while only Uncle Zaku posed a worriso question, "Evacuation, appeasent, and so forth, the politicians are quite adept at that, but surely the war isn’t going to be that simple?"
Sandora gave Zaku an approving look. Despite usually being a slovenly middle-aged man, Zaku’s cautious nature was also very useful. Without concealing much in response to the uncle’s concerns, Sandora responded, "By the standards of an ordinary civilization, the destructive potential of this war is unimaginable. The level of the Xyrin Empire’s civilization far exceeds that of common species, and the scale of our warfare is much larger than you might imagine. But do not worry, this is the Empire’s fight, and the battlefront should remain outside the Mist God Star’s defenses. As long as the Mobra Civilization doesn’t cause trouble for themselves, they should be safe and unhard."
Sandora’s words could be seen as comforting, but Lilina chuckled lightly in response. Her derision, of course, wasn’t directed at Sandora but at the Mobra Civilization itself.
The reason for her chuckle was simple: this civilization was not even qualified to be seen as a Servant Army by Sandora’s standards. In fact, they lacked even the rit to protect their own holands.
To control the battlefront beyond the defenses of the Mist God Star might seem like an effort to protect the civilizations within the Constant Star defensive periter, but in reality, it was because this civilization was not regarded as having any capacity to resist. During the battles of Kepulu and the Big Nebula, the Empire also protected the local civilizations, allowing them to fight side by side more often. However, the current Mobra Civilization had no combat capabilities whatsoever.
Perhaps the Pope had co to realize this as well. His Light Ball hung quietly above the table, and after a long while, it emitted a sharp sigh.
"Because of my mistakes, has the Mobra beco such a weakened Race?"
"Three hundred years of absolute peace have left most Mobra civilians clueless about war. Our Race, from top to bottom, lacks a clear fighting spirit, and nearly ninety-nine percent are accustod to a comfortable life. Adventure Teams, who deal with ruins, have beco the bravest people in the world simply because we have handled guns. Besides the ’Sin Punishnt Gun,’ which serves as a pinnacle weapon, the Church Army and Governnt Army’s arsenal hasn’t progressed for two hundred years. The Canglan Church’s most foolish decision was to blockade military developnt," Uncle Zaku said in a deep voice, his gaze drifting towards the Pope’s Light Ball. "In order to maintain your rule, you advocated that the Holy Sage’s legacy and the Sin Punishnt Gun would forever protect the world, and that mortal weapons had no need for further developnt. Thus, two hundred years ago, you destroyed a civilization’s combat capability. Now that disaster has struck, the entire Race doesn’t even have the right to stand up."
While Uncle Zaku was busy lecturing his old good friend, half of us were watching the drama unfold on the side when a ssage suddenly ca through on the Spiritual Connection: "Your majesty, the disassembly of the Eternal Level enemy warship is now complete." (To be continued. If you like this work, please co to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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