Chapter 454: Chapter 374: Mission

Under the personal guidance of the Pope, the Third Prince and Earth Wolf Twelve followed the secret passage downward, entering the hidden chamber beneath the Holy City Cathedral, which had been built by the Pope of the Ashen Church who had fled here at the time.

What the chamber held was a secret known only to the most devout believers.

This was initially a vague definition, but as successive Popes ascended the throne, they gradually established clear criteria for "the most devout believers."

The Pope, the Archbishop, and each serving Judge.

Besides those ranks, anyone who tried to break in without authorization would be executed for their crime.

And now, these regulations were personally relayed by the Pope to the Third Prince and Earth Wolf Twelve.

The two fell silent, a sign that this was not a good omen.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before they would be secretly executed for "knowing too much."

"This is for the sake of your safety,"

suddenly explained the Pope, "The token you carry, it was given to you during Baptism, wasn’t it?"

"Found it on the ground; it must have been a Judge who made a mistake in haste and accidentally lost the token,"

Of course, the Third Prince couldn’t rat out the Baptism. With the means at the Pope’s disposal, anyone related to the matter would likely face a grim fate.

The Pope just looked deeply into the Third Prince’s eyes and did not pursue the matter further, "There’s a mechanism here, a masterful creation of the craftsmen from the Ashen Empire. Even if you made your way here using the token, without someone to lead you, you would die at the hands of the mechanism. I would not wish to see that happen."

During their conversation, two Judges stepped into an alcove resembling a control station, one on each side. They inserted their hands into grooves of the apparatus, metallic probes piercing into their arms, and a dazzling golden light shone with their blood being drawn into the device. The turning of gears caused a roar, and as the platform received its supply of energy, it gradually rose, revealing a path that led deeper, unfolding before them.

"Third Prince, please follow me,"

instructed the Pope, leaving the Judges and accompanying personnel outside, allowing only the Third Prince to come forward.

The Third Prince used a look to stop Earth Wolf Twelve, who seemed ready to intervene, and willingly followed the Pope’s steps.

Descending a spiral staircase, the secrets of the Holy City Cathedral slowly unfolded before the Third Prince’s eyes. A vast underground space lay empty, and at its very center stood a raised stone platform with a magnificent throne atop. The walls of the space were carved with lifelike frescoes.

The Third Prince scrutinized the frescoes, trying to commit their content to memory.

"This is the part that was excised from ’Genesis.’"

the Pope began, "Before the Sun King left the empire, he did not leave without a trace."

The Third Prince quickly found the beginning of the story reflected in the frescoes; there was a throne almost identical to the one on the stone platform, one that belonged solely to the Sun King himself.

In the fresco, a believer lay prostrate before the throne in devout worship, listening to the guidance of the Sun.

"The Sun King prophesied his own departure and revealed this secret to his most trusted Angel Envoy—He foresaw the end of his life and the void demons multiplying in the Land of Eternal Night. One day, the originator of the demons would return to the real plane, and at that time, human civilization would be destroyed because of it."

"That is why the Sun King was so desperate to explore beyond the star systems at the end of his rule."

The Third Prince quickly put it all together.

When I previously discussed this matter with Duan Mingyuan, he too harbored doubts about whether the Sun King was still alive.

He gradually deciphered the story on the mural as well, understanding the Sun King’s urgent reasons.

After the establishment of the Ashen Empire, He continually selected Angel Envoys from among humans, hoping to cultivate a successor who could inherit His will, but as time passed, the Sun King discovered that although humans bore a physical resemblance to Him, they were ultimately flawed.

Their lifespans were brief, even for those few envoys who could touch upon the mysteries of energy, they could go no further.

It was during this period that fleets exploring beyond the star systems brought back an important message: on a planet several star zones away from the Ashen Empire, they discovered a distinct form of cosmic energy.

Humans thrived on that planet too, protected by that special energy, which kept the people of the planet safe from the encroachment of darkness.

"The planet mentioned in the mural is the Blue Star,"

the Pope said, "As a distinguished guest from Blue Star who has come from far away, I am willing to share this important secret with you, to express my gratitude."

"How can you be sure that the planet described in the mural is Blue Star?"

After the turmoil in the Imperial Court had ended, the Third Prince had inherited all the memories of the Prime Monarch, learning of many past events unknown to others.

At least in the memory of the Prime Monarch, the first contact between Blue Star and Universe Company was the arrival of the Cosmic Relations Coordination Department, which occurred a thousand years later than the content depicted in the mural.

"Because the seed left by the Sun King has already blossomed and borne fruit, and He, as the prophecy foretold, has come to my presence... This is a very special planet, once the closest to the Land of Eternal Night."

After the refugees from the Ashen Empire were evacuated, the Pope’s advisory council suggested many planets which could take them in, with fertile land and abundant resources. However, the brave citizens of the Sun King chose this perilous place. Even after the departure of the Sun King, they continued to follow His will, forever sealing the Void Demons and darkness in the Land of Eternal Night.

"Do you really think Mr. Mingyuan’s strength is just a coincidence?"

the Pope retorted.

After meeting him just once, he realized that Mingyuan’s exploration and control over energy had reached an unprecedented level, especially when he witnessed how easily Mingyuan could alter the form of Scorching Sun Power, just like the Sun King reappearing in the world.

"In my opinion, my teacher has nothing in common with the Sun King."

"Of course they have nothing in common,"

the Pope shook his head, "but that does not prevent him from being burdened with the mission bestowed upon him by the Sun King from the moment of his birth. Don’t you understand? This is destiny, regardless of the family he was born into on Blue Star, regardless of the life he has led, he would arrive here at this critical juncture."

He was very good at giving speeches, with an impassioned and infectious tone.

The Pope’s zealous demeanor gave the Third Prince a foreboding feeling.

As the other party repeatedly mentioned destiny, the Third Prince suddenly understood the true reason behind the Ashen Church’s declaration of war against Wizard Star.

It had nothing to do with Void Demons.

What the Church really wanted was to seize the sole authority to interpret destiny.

However, in the domain of prophecy, the witches of Wizard Star had already advanced too far. And because of differing beliefs, they often foresaw a destiny utterly different from the one depicted by the Ashen Church.

"Exactly, his destiny is to seal the Land of Eternal Night once more. That is the mission the Sun King entrusted to him."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read