Chapter 327
Few people knew about this, but Sylvia specifically told him before leaving St. Gero City.
From a standpoint of opinion, Kay naturally sided with the Pope, but Hyunt did not take sides; all the ascetics were loyal only to Janus and fought for the Church.
Kai looked around and then at the two archbishops who had been injured by Ryan.
Only a fool would think this is a friendly competition.
However, given Karls's special status and Lin Qi's presence, Hyunt will not help him; instead, he might steer the course towards Lin Qi, who is guided by divine intervention.
"Even though it's just a friendly spar, we can't enter the sacred ground."
Kai gave the witch K a deep look, sensing the threat of death emanating from her.
"A battle between Eighth Tier transcendents... it's been too long since I've used this power." Karls chuckled, suddenly reverting to his usual gentle demeanor. "I apologize, Commander Kai, for making you come all this way for nothing. I will get them out of here as soon as possible and report this matter to the Pope, offering my apologies."
Kai remained silent for a moment, then turned and led his knights away.
The ascetic Hyunt bowed in Lin Qi's direction and then left.
The church is deeply entrenched, and ascetics do not participate in any form of struggle, but that does not mean they are unaware of the current situation.
After they all left, Ryan crossed his arms and said with a grin, "Archbishop Karls, you should really thank me, otherwise Sylvia would have taken the opportunity to strip you of a lot of power."
Karls nodded slightly, glanced at Ryan's left and right, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.
He knew about Witch K's situation; it was normal for a witch from the Primal Church to side with Ryan.
But why is Lin Qi standing next to Ryan as well? This arrangement clearly shows that both of them are siding with Ryan.
Could it be that Lin Qi was already a member of the Primal Church? Impossible, if that were the case, she would never have passed the Saintess Assessment.
Throughout history, many people from other churches have tried to infiltrate Gate of Janus to compete for the title of Saintess, but without exception, they have all been screened out. Janus would never allow someone from another route to become Saintess.
Therefore, Lin Qi has cooperated with the Primal Church... She already knew Ryan.
Karls suddenly realized.
"Lord Ryan, I think what happened just now was a misunderstanding. I mistakenly thought that people from the Primal Church had trespassed into the Holy Land, but I didn't expect that you were brought in by the Saintess following divine decree. As you know, the Holy Land of the Church is a sacred and solemn place, and also a forbidden area of the Church."
Ryan chuckled. "The archbishops of Gate of Janus are all hypocrites. Karls, let's be frank. You want to deal with Sylvia, and so do I, so we can cooperate for now."
"..." Carls paused for a moment, then asked, "How do we cooperate?"
"There's something you don't know yet, is there? Sylvia is already on the path to godhood. She's no longer a follower of Janus, but a usurper who wants to replace the gods."
Karls was taken aback, surprisingly finding Ryan's words absurd.
"That's the kind of thing she would do." Kars thought of Sylvia, who was once a Saintess, an ambitious and extremely talented person, as well as a frightening one.
"So do you think someone who doesn't even believe in Janus is qualified to sit in the papacy?"
"What you're saying is meaningless. Sylvia has many supporters within the church. Unless Janus's oracle comes down, those people will still follow her." After saying that, Karls added in his mind, "Perhaps even an oracle won't work. After all, oracles can be misinterpreted. Some of the Pope's die-hard fans might think it's a deliberate attempt to harm her."
"So, you'll need to secretly deal with these people, while I'll keep Sylvia in check."
"Oh? You have a way?" Kars glanced at the witch K. "She's strong, but she might not be a match for Sylvia."
Ryan shrugged. "We're all civilized people, let's not resort to violence all the time. I have my own methods. You can agree or refuse."
It would be too easy to keep Sylvia occupied. This woman is now obsessed with becoming a god. Having met with the great Creator, she has no interest in church affairs.
All he had to do was beckon with his finger in the Misty Space, and Sylvia would wag her tail and come running, doing whatever he was told.
Of course, this method shouldn't be used too often, since Sylvia isn't stupid, and it would be troublesome if she saw through it.
Therefore, Ryan will only let Sylvia comprehend it on her own. However, on the other hand, his current status as a Holy Son is quite useful. In short, barring any unforeseen circumstances, nothing will go wrong. Even if he can't defeat her, he can easily outmaneuver her.
The key lies within the Gate of Janus. Ryan's plan is to elevate Lin Qi to power because he desires all the faith within the Gate of Janus, which is clearly a massive undertaking.
The Gate of Janus has been developing for too long, its influence is deeply entrenched, and its Church are spread throughout all parts of the continent except the Western Continent. If we could take it over, the revolutionary process of developing faith could take a giant leap forward.
At this stage, Ryan only has a rough outline of a plan. The first thing to do is definitely to deal with Sylvia. The Saintess Faction is definitely not enough, but Kars has been in the church longer than Sylvia, so he naturally has the means to do so.
As for Karls's own threat, sorry, Ryan didn't take it seriously.
But Karls didn't think so. He felt he had a good chance; once Sylvia was ousted, who, with his seniority within the church, was more qualified to be pope than him?
"We can try cooperating," Karls said with a smile.
"Old fox... "Ryan nodded, "No problem, I guarantee Sylvia won't return to St. Gero City for the next two months."
"If that's the case, then I will show the same sincerity."
"Is a contract required?"
"Certainly."
Karls dared not underestimate Ryan now, after all, the latter's strength was approaching the Eighth Tier, so he had to be cautious with every step.
Ryan shrugged. "Whatever. Once I awaken the Sword of Order, the God of Order will all be on my side. I'll be both the referee and the player—how can I possibly lose?"
A contract is signed in the name of order.
Ryan carefully put away the contract, then took Lin Qi and the witch K and made their escape.
"Archbishop, are we really going to cooperate with that guy?" Tickus clutched his chest, coughed twice, and said, "I have a feeling there's something wrong with Ryan. He should have been Seventh Tier Transcendent by now, and we haven't noticed for so long."
"It doesn't matter. Whatever he wants to do, this is the Gate of Janus, our territory." Kars pondered for a moment and said, "Now is our only chance. Go back and act immediately. Keep a close eye on Sylvia's people secretly. Don't rush to act. Wait for my orders."
Unless Janus himself were present, Karls could not think of any reason why the papacy could be held by anyone else after Sylvia's abdication.
"Yes!"
Chapter 207 Ryan vs. Sylvia
"How did you know Sylvia wanted to become a god? And how did your strength suddenly become so great? And then there was the change in this little girl's power too—what exactly happened between you all inside?"
On the way back to Port of Misi, witch K bombarded Ryan with a million questions.
Karls thought Ryan was faking it, but Witch K knew very well that Ryan's strength had never been nearly as great before.
But now he can easily defeat Seventh Tier Transcendent; this leap in strength is simply too great.
Especially the Sword of Order, which was something Witch K had never seen before, and the power emanating from it terrified even this witch.
"K, you should understand that besides the great Creator, who else could do these things?" Ryan shrugged.
"I see, so this is your reward for completing the mission... But how come the Creator knows about Sylvia?" Witch K changed the subject. "I mean, how come He pays attention to Sylvia?"
It would be easy for the Creator to know about Sylvia's situation, but the question is, why would He care about her for no reason?
"Wait, did you do this? You're going to use her to deal with the Gate of Janus?"
Witch K showed a surprised expression.
Ryan smiled without saying a word.
No need to explain; too much explanation just makes it seem low-class.
"I can't tell you too much about this; you'll understand it yourself."
Ryan said, "In short, the mission to find the fragments is now complete. I will consult the Creator about the next steps once we return. Until then, let's proceed with the expansion plan as originally planned."
"Um."
Witch K nodded slightly and didn't press the matter further.
On the other side.
Sylvia soon received a message from the church headquarters.
Ryan's sudden trip to St. Gero City and her entry into the Trial Space made her realize that Janus's divine message must have been delivered; otherwise, Lin Qi wouldn't have risked bringing Ryan to headquarters.
Clearly, Ryan was intentionally avoiding direct confrontation with her, perhaps sensing something. Of course, it's also possible that Lin Qi wanted to take advantage of the oracle to further her relationship with Ryan, since Lin Qi was currently developing her influence within the church and her relationship with Ryan wasn't exactly friendly.
Regardless of the reason, Sylvia's plan to use the oracle to ambush Ryan failed, and she really didn't expect Ryan to have the guts to go to Janus's headquarters.
If I had known it would turn out this way, I would have pretended to leave and stayed at headquarters instead.
That won't work either; if she doesn't show up, Ryan probably won't go either.
What Sylvia was even more concerned about was Ryan's strength. He had defeated Tickus, and his strength was definitely close to that of Eighth Tier being.
Although Karls believed that Ryan had been deliberately hiding his strength, Sylvia thought of another possibility—if this was a gift from the Creator, then it would make sense!
After all, if Ryan had possessed this ability all along, how could he have possibly infiltrated Berman City in the first place?
Even if one were to plot within the Augustus Empire, it's impossible to start as a lowly soldier, right?
To verify her inner thoughts, she sought out Helen again.
Helen's answer was affirmative.
"Your Holiness, Ryan's strength was definitely not at the seventh rank before he went to headquarters."
Are you sure?
"Sure!"
"I see."
Sylvia pondered for a moment, then said, "Helen, you stay in Port of Misi. Go to the manor whenever you have time. Aren't you and Adele on good terms? Find out as much as you can about the Primal Church's recent activities. Also, tell me immediately when Ryan returns."
"Yes, Your Holiness." Helen bowed respectfully. "However, there is something I need your attention."
"What's up?"
"It's about Lista." Helen looked troubled. "He's very unhappy about me going to the manor all the time, and even suspects that I'm being bewitched by Ryan. You know Lista ... If I let him stay here, I'm worried that he might impulsively do something detrimental to the church."
"Lista, huh?"
Sylvia nodded slightly. "I understand. I'll handle his matter."
She knew Lista liked Helen, but she couldn't help Lista pursue Helen.
However, the other party is, after all, the Grand Master of the Holy Knights. Given the current unstable situation within the church, she needs Lista to stand firmly on her side.
"What else have you found out about the Primal Church?" Sylvia asked.
"Your Holiness, there is indeed something I need to tell you." Helen checked the room to make sure no one was eavesdropping before she spoke, "I previously inquired about the existence of the Creator from Ryan, and he told me about a special ritual that could transform faith power and integrate it into the Faith Path of the Creator. I have observed the power Adele uses, and it does not belong to any known Faith Path, so I suspect that the core members of the Primal Church have all used this ritual."
"Oh?"
Sylvia's eyes lit up.
Tell me what the ceremony entails!
"Yes."
Helen explained the method of the transformation ritual to Sylvia.
However, after a brief study, Sylvia discovered that this ritual needed to be performed on specific occasions, and that even having ritual materials alone was not enough.
"Where is the ceremony taking place? Did he tell you?"
"No." Helen shook her head gently. "Pope, I used that relic of desire on Ryan, but I found that he hasn't completely submitted to me, although he trusts me now... Could this be a trap by Ryan? Has he actually seen through the relic's function?"
Sylvia frowned slightly. She knew what Helen had done before, and even knew about the existence of that relic of desire.
Logically, one should be affected by the power of the relic when caught off guard. However, Ryan is too special. Perhaps the power of the Creator's path has a suppressive effect on other paths.
If that's the case, the effectiveness of the relics will be greatly reduced.
"Don't worry, the fact that he told you something so important shows that he truly trusts you. The keepsake might have had some influence, but not as much as we expected. Don't use it anymore, Helen. You're a charming girl, and I believe he'll trust you more and more."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Sylvia never imagined that the relic of desire that Helen used actually played a significant role, only to be taken over by Ryan's Pot of Greed.
When Ryan returned to Port of Misi, Helen immediately told him about Sylvia.
As for the ceremony, it was naturally Ryan deliberately revealed it. After all, Helen had been in Port of Misi for so many days; she couldn't have been completely oblivious, could she?
Moreover, by using this opportunity to expose Sylvia to the Balshatt ritual, making her even more convinced that the Creator can grant Divine Authority, Sylvia is gradually drawn into corruption.
However, the location of the ceremony definitely cannot be given. If Sylvia also converts to the new faith, her power will be much stronger than that of the witch K, and then his greatest reliance will be gone.
Ryan planned to remain hidden for the time being, focusing on pushing back the Primal Church's influence. Currently, Shally had already swiftly conquered the capital city of Lorient, and as he had anticipated, the Ring of Abundance had not sent any further reinforcements to Lorient, clearly indicating their intention to completely abandon the region.
So the next month will be the time for faith to flourish throughout the Kingdom of Loente. However, the expansion plan cannot stop either. In two days, the Grand Duke will arrive with the Iron Blood Legion, and that will mark the beginning of the frenzied expansion.
However, the biggest problem for the Primal Church is still logistical support and governance. It is easier to conquer a country than to maintain it. After all, the Southern Continent is not their own territory. There are too few people they can use, and the foundation is not strong enough. If the operation is too large, it will become increasingly difficult to manage.