Chapter 161
237 I said something big was about to happen, did you, Erduolong?
The world today continues to function smoothly, much like the planet they inhabit.
Since the flames of the two world wars died down and the world was rebuilt on the wasteland after the wars, there has been no large-scale war since.
Of course, just as the August Archon's crippled wolf remains alive but not dead, poverty, disease, and war still linger in some corners of the world.
But in any case, the world has generally maintained a precious peace.
Especially within large countries.
Republic of Zhendan, Great Caucasus Alliance, United States Federation, Kingdom of Albion, Gallic Sixth Republic.
These are the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council who currently control the central axis of this planet.
Below this are the major powers that hold relatively important positions, arranged according to geopolitics.
The Egyptian Dynasty that controlled all of North Africa; the Higashi Kingdom, closely related to Cathay and ruled by the Shogunate and the Three Commissioners; the Lanfang Republic, which rose to power in South Seas through maritime trade; Bharata, which dominated the Indian subcontinent with its vast population...
These fifteen countries and regions maintained the post-war peace order, which continues to this day.
To maintain this relatively stable situation, the various states all had private communication lines specifically used for contact.
Under normal circumstances, countries would report and communicate in advance through private lines when conducting military operations, and would also use this line to contact each other in case of emergency.
Therefore, this dedicated line is usually silent and uninterrupted. But starting at 2 p. m., the red landline placed on the desks of dignitaries from various countries begins to ring incessantly, with the anxious voices of relevant officials from different countries echoing across the screen.
—Never since World War II has the homeland of a permanent member of the Security Council been attacked on such a large scale.
Moreover, it wasn't just the Republic of Gaul that was severely affected, but also the Orthodox Church, which also holds a seat on the UN Security Council and is located in the Orthodox Church city of Lateran.
Orleans, Lyon, Marseille... all the major cities of Gaul, the churches belonging to the Orthodox Church, and the priests serving there were excommunicated to death, and even the capital, Paris, was not spared.
Everyone could see the desperate look on the screen of the Gaul official.
"Four hundred thousand, a full four hundred thousand!" The Gaul leader kept pointing and gesturing. "The priests died on the central avenue of Paris, witnessed by four hundred thousand people, in an extremely tragic and cruel manner...! They were Orthodox Church priests, and native Gaul!"
"Gaul will not tolerate such a disaster, and I think the men of Lateran will not tolerate such a terrible loss either!"
The leaders of the various nations exchanged glances, each seeing a somber expression on the other's face.
An unprecedented event will inevitably lead to unprecedented changes.
The Gaul representative stepped down temporarily, while the Holy City representative stepped forward calmly and indifferently.
The tall man wearing a black cross looked around.
Although they were clearly communicating through a light screen, the leaders of the various countries genuinely felt the "gaze".
He raised his left hand, bending his ring and little fingers while extending the rest of his fingers overhead, and placed his right hand on his chest.
"I, Federico Giallo, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Holy City Cardinal Council, swear by the Lateran Covenant to the Holy, High, and Spiritual Holy Son, the Holy Mother, and the Holy Spirit. My words shall have the supreme power of the Holy City and the Orthodox Church thereafter."
"The murderers who killed 50,000 clergy must be punished. The murderers who destroyed 17 provinces and 90 parishes in Gaul must be hunted down."
"If the excommunication of the gods is insufficient to prove justice, then the excommunication of the earthly will be carried out by the Holy City and Gaul."
Knock knock.
A knocking sound came from behind.
The young spokesperson, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, adjusted his tie and returned Federico's gaze with the same indifference.
"The Federation is deeply concerned about the tragedy in Gaul, but if the Cardinal's law enforcement process involves the Federation and its interests abroad... I think the situation will be very unpleasant. The President has already authorized this."
Everyone knows that the current president of the United States Federation is an impatient and opportunistic man.
Compared to his grandfather and uncle, who were also presidents, this young president is arguably even more accomplished.
After the federal spokesperson finished speaking, the Gaul official immediately countered. "But..."
He couldn't finish his sentence because the thumping sound started again.
The spokesperson for Cathay stood up, but his gaze did not turn toward Gaul; instead, he met Federico's eyes.
"Holy City, are you implying that the Skyflint's Excommunication was biased?"
The elderly man, with his gray hair and vigorous spirit, had a piercing gaze, and his words immediately astonished everyone present.
The Gaul official was stunned. He waved his arms angrily, shouting, "Did the Gaul die in vain?!"
"I am now questioning the representative of the Holy City. Please, those in Gaul, remain calm!" The voice of the person in charge of the Cathay was raised slightly. "Answer me, representative of the Holy City! Are you trying to use this as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of the Cathay?!"
"The Orthodox Church is now under attack," Federico replied coldly. "Please, Cathay, don't use this as an excuse to make trouble."
"Isn't there precedent for this?!" the Cathay representative demanded. "I ask you all, have you forgotten the wars of the 1990s?"
A faint cough came from the Great Caucasus Alliance.
The light screen flickered, and the leaders of the Holy City, Gaul, and the various kingdoms all maintained an eerie silence.
They looked at each other, speechless.
Everyone knows that there have been two world wars, but only a few people know that there will be Third World War.
It happened in the 1990s, but exactly when, where, and what conflict it was caused by has become unclear... It's as if an invisible hand has erased everything about the war from everyone's minds.
The only certainty is that the two sides in this war are Celestial Flint and Scar Father, and their two agents in the present world are Cathay, the United States Federation, and the Greater Caucasus.
Nuclear war has indeed occurred.
The rulers struggled in the wilderness, but all their disputes were forced to cease before the violent war between Celestial Flint and Scar Father.
Together they dissolved the war, casting the "history of a world already destroyed" into the distant future and replacing it with a "history of peace and stability."
The world has forgotten that devastating war, but history still leaves behind tragic consequences—the door to the new century has become impossibly far away.
Calendars and celestial phenomena are gradually becoming erratic, the past is becoming unpredictable, and the future is unknowable.
This is why Celestial Flint can no longer act rashly—He is too powerful, so powerful that even the aftershocks of his return are enough to cripple Can Lang.
The war between Celestial Flint and Scar Father allowed the Remnant Wolf to reignite its flame once again.
Throughout more than four thousand years of world history, the Scar Father was regarded as the sovereign father not only in Cathay but also as the Sky Father in the Orthodox Church branches of the Greater Caucasus.
Compared to the two World Wars, whose outcomes are clear and well-known, the Third World War, which truly brought about destruction, is not only a blurry memory in terms of its process but also its ending.
Judging from the outcome of the war, Scar Father lost control over the Lamp's Principle.
The Lamp's Principle, which govern the path, were completely stripped away by the Celestial Flint.
Celestial Flint was unable to take any further action, because the world was already teetering on the brink of collapse.
The Eastern branch of the Orthodox Church in the Greater Caucasus suffered a devastating blow, and even after history was reset, the entire nation remained filled with the myth of despair and suffering.
Cathay abandoned all dragon veins, resolutely discarding all achievements, marks, and Golden Truth associated with the Dragon Kind, using this as a gamble to completely strip away the concept of the sovereign father.
From then on, there was no longer any God, Heavenly Emperor, Emperor, or sovereign... only Heaven and man.
Having paid such a heavy price, everything except the world's technology has stagnated, and history has become untraceable.
Apart from Cathay, the histories of other countries have been lost to varying degrees.
How could other countries possibly understand the price that Cathay paid?
"Is this a deterrent?" the representative of the Holy City asked in a deep voice.
"This is a warning," the Cathay representative replied. "Moreover, this is only a joint effort between you and Gaul, and it has no binding force from the United Nations."
"Then convene the United Nations General Assembly," the Gaul official said, suppressing his anger.
On the screen, representatives of all nations and powers were whispering among themselves.
The noise lasted for a full two minutes before gradually subsiding.
To Gaul's surprise, it was Cathay that reacted first.
"Agree."
"Agreed," the United States Federation followed immediately.
"Be opposed to."
Albion's side was represented by Gawain, Knights of the Round Table Gawain a burly physique resembling a prince on a white horse.
Albion's relationship with the Orthodox Church has been quite tense recently. Once the UN General Assembly convenes, the Orthodox Church will undoubtedly take the opportunity to target Albion as well.
"Abstain." The young head of the Greater Caucasus abstained from voting.
This vote was quite unexpected.
Theoretically, the Greater Caucasus should empathize with Gaul, and no one knows why they abstained from voting.
"Abstain." "Agreed." "Agreed." "Oppose..." "Oppose." "Agreed."...
Apart from the representatives of Gaul and the Holy City, among the twelve seats, five voted against, two abstained, and five voted in favor.
Now only one seat remains—the vote of Lord Blanckug, the representative of the hidden world.
As is customary, Blanckug's side does not participate in the discussion, but someone needs to be involved in the final voting process.
The light screen lit up slightly, revealing the face of a young girl with pigtails.
Many delegates frowned slightly, for a simple reason: they were too young.
The speaker from Blanckug appeared to be five or six years younger than the representative from the Greater Caucasus.
This age seems to be that of a high school student.
But on her finger was a gold ring, a symbol of the administrator.
Therefore, she is qualified to sit before you.
"I am the current librarian of Blanckug, authorized by the Lord of Blanckug and approved by the Island Council, to exercise Blanckug's authority in the hidden world."
Toyokawa Shoko looked at the faces on the screen that were enough to make the world tremble, and took a deep breath.
In a corner of the pristine white foyer, Hebe gave her a thumbs-up.
"Blanckug agrees."
"That's what Toyokawa Shoko said."
Thus, with five votes against and two abstentions, plus the votes from Gaul and the Holy City, there were a total of eight votes in favor.
"In that case, please send your proxies to the United Nations General Assembly two months from today," the Gaul representative said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on Toyokawa Shoko's face. "What is Blanckug's opinion? Do you intend to attend?"
Toyokawa Shoko, who thought everything was fine, was taken aback.
Behind the light screen, Hebe, with his arms crossed, then gave her a thumbs up.
"Yes, Blanckug will be attending the meeting."
"Then please inform us of the list of delegates a month in advance," said the Gaul delegate. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Blanckug's light screen dimmed.
Toyokawa Shoko let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Hebe had changed her posture again, with some confusion.
But then a yoga mat was laid out in the pure white hall.
Hebe was wearing tight-fitting yoga pants, standing on one foot on the mat, with the other leg bent and raised.
She put her hands behind her back, interlocked her fingers, and then took a deep breath.
After three short and seven long tugs, Hebe finally landed steadily on both feet.
There are five preliminary training exercises for Impenetrable Defense, Hebe has only completed the third one so far.
After completing all five movements, Hebe straightened her legs and spread her arms to touch the ground, looking like a flounder lying on the seabed.
The process of training for Impenetrable Defense needs to be gradual. When performing these exercises, it is also necessary to coordinate with specific breathing frequencies, methods, and self-suggestive mantras.
Based on Hebe's current experience, she feels that her five senses are becoming more acute.
Impenetrable Defense is also a system independent of the Path of Ascension, so it does not have a clear way of dividing realms—a yogi who has ignited all five chakras is not necessarily more powerful than a yogi who has only ignited one chakra; although a yogi who has opened the crown chakra claims to be the most supreme, there is no difference in the essence of life between him and a yogi who has only opened the root chakra.
However, opening the chakras can indeed bring some minor "special abilities." For example, opening the root chakra allows one to vaguely perceive one's future fortune or misfortune and makes it easier to trust others. Opening the sacral chakra allows for more precise control over one's emotions... In short, these special abilities are not very useful.
The Impenetrable Defense is different; it focuses on connecting all the major chakras in the human body along the same central axis, thus generating an unbreakable defensive force in an instant.
Five minutes later, Hebe finished her workout for the day.