Chapter 29: Already in the world

The official name of the royal family’s “custodial” service is the “Fief guardianship system.”

There is no doubt that both the “Imperial Grace Nurturing System” and the “System of Guardianship over Fiefs” are open strategies by the royal family to weaken regional powers and strengthen centralization.

These two systems have been in place for over a century, and naturally, many “clever” nobles have risen up in rebellion during this time.

But as time passed, the royal family successfully tamed the once rebellious nobles.

Now, the nobles of the Capital are long accustomed to their caged existence.

They proudly believe that compared to the Capital, all other cities are little more than rural villages.

Every noble outside the Capital is just a bunch of unsophisticated bumpkins.

Their pride is justified.

The Capital Luciën is the largest city in the world, boasting the greatest population, the most prosperous economy, and the most advanced culture.

If the neighboring “barbarians” of the Empire, still obsessed with knightly tournaments, were to arrive at this colossal city, they would probably exclaim—

This must be the work of divine power!

The Capital can satisfy all of a person’s needs from birth to death.

The nobles of the Capital could live here until the seas dry up and the stones crumble, yet never grow bored.

Nobles from other regions yearn for the Capital’s splendor, breaking their way into the Capital noble circle by any means.

Even though they fully understand that the Capital is a cage for nobles, they long to enter that paradise-like prison!

The Border Count family is the perfect example.

As the Kingdom of Lorraine’s only Border Count, Friedrich von Stern’s status is exceptionally honored.

Yet, despite such distinction, the Stern family is still viewed by the Capital nobles as provincial bumpkins and nouveau riche.

Being outsiders, the Stern family has no roots in the Capital, isolated and without allies.

Serving the sovereign is like living with a tiger—who knows if that capricious, mad old king might suddenly turn against them?

The Border Count is weak and powerless.

If the royal family decides to go after the Stern family, the Border Count would have no room to resist.

This is precisely why he seeks a marriage alliance.

Only by entering the Capital noble circle can the Border Count gain the right to meet the king at any time.

In doing so, he would no longer fear schemers sowing discord and causing the king to suspect him.

Though Viscount Bernard de Laval is only a viscount, he is part of the Capital noble circle, a political standing far above those ordinary counts who only stay in their own fiefs.

Such a noble of high status has not been blinded by noble identity.

He has seen through the true nature of the cloistered nobles and planned ahead before the decline of the Laval family, attempting to have his son escape the Capital.

Bernard is a rare intelligent man among nobles.

At this moment, Archbishop Luciën suddenly recalled the letter Bernard had sent him.

In that letter, Bernard humbly recounted how his son had received a divine revelation.

As a devout believer, he earnestly requested Archbishop Luciën to take time to meet his son and verify whether the son had truly received divine enlightenment.

The letter was heartfelt, yet between the lines, Archbishop Luciën sensed Bernard’s fervor and pride.

Clearly, Bernard was absolutely convinced of his son’s divine revelation.

The letter seemed more like Allen de Laval, through his father’s hand, proactively extending an olive branch to the Church.

This was quite intriguing.

What was Allen de Laval’s true purpose in reaching out to the Church?

Did Allen de Laval have important information to share?

Archbishop Luciën closed his eyes and pondered deeply.

He vaguely sensed the truth but could not yet confirm its authenticity.

“What is Allen de Laval’s current status today?”

Luciën turned to Victor.

Victor quickly pulled out an unopened letter.

“This is a report from the watcher, Nun Anna…I haven’t had time to open it yet.”

He unfolded the letter and read with affection: “The meals at the Laval household are delicious!”

The council chamber fell into complete silence.

Then, muffled chuckles broke out.

Several bishops hastily covered their mouths, and even Archbishop Saint Leon shook his head, trying to suppress a smile.

The serious meeting was instantly pierced by this “foodie report.”

Victor looked embarrassed.

“Your Excellency Archbishop, this…uh…”

Archbishop Luciën, after hearing this amusing report, only stared at everyone present with piercing eyes.

“How much has the Church’s food budget…been cut?”

The moment this question was raised, everyone was stunned.

A small detail revealed much.

Through this single sentence, Luciën saw clearly the rampant disorder within the Church.

He slowly stood up, hands behind his back, each step landing heavily on everyone’s hearts.

“We are servants of the Lord and the vanguard of humanity!”

“We bear the mission of sustaining human civilization; a single misstep could lead to total ruin!”

“But in such desperate times, some among us have forgotten our original ideals!”

“Illegitimate children, embezzlement, contraband, indulgence in desires…Do you really think I am unaware of your deeds?”

“Many things, I could overlook, but the Doomsday approaches…”

Archbishop Luciën’s gaze swept across the crowd before landing on the Grandmaster of the Heresy Tribunal.

His voice rose sharply.

“Guillaume Saint-Clair!”

“Present!”

“Announce to the entire Church: from today, discipline is to be enforced! Corruption and dereliction must self-report by the day after tomorrow for leniency; after that…those who must be punished will be punished, those who must be expelled will be expelled! No upper limit!”

Archbishop Luciën’s fury made the air tremble.

“As you command!”

The Grandmaster responded solemnly.

“Does anyone have questions? Speak up now.”

Archbishop Luciën’s tone softened, but his sharp gaze silenced all, prompting unanimous support.

“No problem! We all support Your Excellency!”

Archbishop Saint Leon also discussed with southern representatives and solemnly promised Archbishop Luciën that the southern ecclesiastical province would carry out the purge in sync.

Satisfied with the established authority, Archbishop Luciën nodded and returned to his seat.

“What is Livia von Stern’s status?”

Victor answered, “Pirates have invaded the Kingdom. She has gone to battle with the Border Count.”

“Send someone to follow her. I want her battlefield report.”

“Yes!”

As the meeting proceeded, the Laval case grew clearer, and Allen’s image at the storm’s center became ever more mysterious.

Just as Victor was about to move to the second agenda, an intelligence officer rushed in, ignoring all objections!

“Your Excellency Archbishop! Urgent report from the Holy Land! This is critical!”

Despite the Archbishop’s killing glare, the officer forced himself to hand over the document.

Archbishop Luciën opened it and his pupils suddenly contracted; his previous authority vanished.

He exclaimed, “This…how is this possible!”

The usually composed Archbishop was shaken, and everyone exchanged anxious looks.

What exactly had happened in the Holy Land?

Archbishop Luciën sharply looked up at the officer.

“Has this been verified?!”

“Absolutely confirmed! The Holy Land has descended into chaos! The mobile troops are rushing urgently to defend against the ‘Listener of the Stars’!”

The officer’s voice trembled.

“Immediately sound the highest alert! Mobilize all units on duty to prevent a heretical counterattack!”

“Yes, Your Excellency Archbishop!”

“Highest alert…”

Archbishop Saint Leon realized the situation was graver than he thought.

He hurriedly asked, “Albert, what happened in the Holy Land?”

Archbishop Luciën gestured the officer away and took several deep breaths, as if struggling to digest the horrifying news.

After a while, he announced in a voice heavy with despair: “Our secret…has been discovered by ‘It.’”

“What?!”

The assembly was horrified!

Archbishop Saint Leon seemed to realize something; his benevolent face suddenly turned pale.

“Albert, is the Ark project…in trouble?!”

Luciën did not answer immediately.

He rubbed his temples, trying to ease his splitting headache.

Everyone anxiously watched him, their expressions varied.

After a long pause, he returned to his usual calm tone: “Confidentiality protocol.”

Archbishop Saint Leon stared intently.

“Albert, at this point, you’re still insisting on your rules?”

“No rules, no order.”

“Do you think you can bear the Church alone? Bear humanity alone? Albert, what makes you so arrogant?”

The kindly face of Saint Leon was replaced by serious questioning.

Archbishop Luciën was silent for a moment before finally relenting.

He sighed, “All data stored in the Holy Land’s database has become garbled. The crucial technology, the Ark blueprints…are unreadable.”

No one showed surprise anymore; they had become numb.

Archbishop Saint Leon refused to accept the dreadful news and tried to regain some peace of mind.

“Could it be a system error? Can the data be restored?”

Archbishop Luciën shook his head gravely, “The technicians confirmed, it is not a system issue. None of the data can be repaired.”

“They tried to decode some garbled fragments, which translated into one sentence.”

“This sentence comes from the oldest database. Guess what it says?”

“What does it say?”

Everyone held their breath, eager to know.

“‘Big bro is watching you!’”

The words sent chills down everyone’s spines.

“Could it really be ‘It’?”

Archbishop Saint Leon clung desperately to the last straw, anxiously asking,

“What about the paper archives? They must still be intact?”

Archbishop Luciën shook his head, speaking sorrowfully, “The paper archives have all turned to blank sheets.”

All the paper archives turned to blank sheets!?

Countless documents weighing tons in total!

Such a strange occurrence cannot be explained by science!

At this point, no one could deny that “It” had already noticed humanity.

Despair crashed down like a bucket of ice water!

After millennia of secret preparation, humanity’s last flicker of hope had vanished in an instant!

Humanity had suffered countless hardships in endless cycles, sacrificing generation after generation to preserve the spark, only to end like this?

Everyone was unwilling to accept it.

Some slumped in their chairs, others began to pray softly.

“Lord, please have mercy on us!”

“Why…did ‘It’ remain silent for thousands of years and suddenly…”

Someone asked in a trembling voice.

“I do not know…”

Archbishop Luciën shook his head wearily.

His premonition was correct.

At this moment, the Doomsday Clock’s hand mercilessly struck 23:58:30 — the closest humanity had ever come to extinction in its long cycle.

“‘Its’ gaze has fallen upon humanity; the ‘test’ is about to come. This time, humanity has no chance of survival.”

The Church’s Holy Land could no longer set sail.

The new Ark had yet to be built before the plan was declared a failure.

As despair swallowed everything, a sudden flash of insight struck Archbishop Luciën’s mind.

One name appeared clearly in his thoughts.

Allen de Laval.

Since he was revived from drowning, all sorts of suspicious events had occurred in the Capital.

The “It” that had only appeared in true historical records had suddenly reemerged after a millennium.

Could these events be connected?

Was he the one who had attracted “Its” attention?

Why him?

Could it be…that Luciën’s suspicion about Allen was true!

Archbishop Luciën suddenly looked up, his eyes bursting with the light of salvation in the abyss.

“Everyone! Though the Ark is destroyed, hope is not lost!!”

His voice was resolute: “Effective immediately, initiate the ‘Nirvana Project’!”

Humanity has reached its most perilous moment.

If anyone must bear the burden of saving humanity, Albert Morrell is the best candidate to take on this mission and turn the tide in the face of disaster.

This honor does not belong to the Empire Church, nor to the so-called “Pope.”

The Kingdom Church has never recognized the “Pope” appointed by the Empire Church; they have no need to argue over legitimacy.

Remember, the first Archbishop Luciën was Saint Leon —

The last saint recorded in the Scripture, founder of the contemporary Church!

The Kingdom Church proudly carries on this ancient title to this day!

Saint Leon saved humanity once; as his successor, Albert Morrell must shoulder the mission of saving humanity as well!

Even if he is destined to fall to ruin!

“But Albert…he hasn’t awakened yet…”

Archbishop Saint Leon reminded him.

Archbishop Luciën’s gaze blazed as he swept across the hall, speaking every word with weight:

“He will not awaken.”

“Because…he is already among us.”