Without the Pope's heroic sacrifice, the fate of the entire Horleta civilization might have been completely different.
Although the giant Hao Ren had captured belonged to the "rational faction," he had still been intent on destroying the Horleta civilization before someone stopped him. The guardian had been in an extremely dangerous state of indecision at the time; whether he destroyed the planet or spared it had depended on a single thought. The Pope's sacrifice had pushed him at that critical moment, making the guardian truly give up that meaningless purge and revenge. Whenever Hao Ren thought of that old man, who had genuinely shouldered a great cause, he felt sincere respect.
The plain dark room contained few decorations. The only things visible were religious artifacts of the Radiant Church and a few simple household furnishings. Against the wall on one side of the room stood a modest wooden table piled with manuscripts and documents. In the center of the room was a highly distinctive abstract religious painting in black and red. Apart from that, the room held nothing else. Archbishop Aubin had been the last person to visit this room before the Pope's martyrdom. As the church's designated acting pope, who would urgently assume authority after the Pope's unexpected death, he had also come here at the first opportunity to sort through the Pope's belongings.
"The Pope must have comprehended the Goddess's guidance from the religious painting." Archbishop Aubin pointed at the abstract oil painting in the center of the room. "The Goddess warned us that no matter what happened, we must never slacken in our thinking, because everything that happened and evolved in this world had its reasons."
Then he picked up a piece of parchment from the nearby table. "This is a note the Pope left before his