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The two continued practicing their verbal tai chi, one pretending not to see through the other's little schemes, the other forcibly suppressing his mounting impatience.

Incense curled upward inside the hall, draping a hazy veil over the conversation's surging undercurrents.

Finally, as Morris took his leave, Li Chen said meaningfully, "Give the Pope my regards. When the opportunity arises, I will visit him in person."

Morris's departing figure stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered.

As he walked out through the palace gates and gazed at Heavenly Strategy's towering Imperial City, he sighed inwardly. This young emperor is even harder to deal with than I imagined.

An emperor of a superpower indeed. He's certainly no lamp that burns little oil.

Inside the Imperial Study, sandalwood incense curled through the air.

Li Chen sat alone before his dragon desk. The gold-stamped envelope lay quietly before him, its Holy Cross emblem glimmering in the candlelight.

Some time earlier, the Pope of the Eternal Day Empire had sent Morris as an envoy, proposing to build churches within Heavenly Strategy and spread the faith.

Li Chen had not rejected him outright at the time. Instead, he had written a reply, its courteous wording concealing a sharp edge:

[Your Holiness: I must consider the matter of missionary work carefully. I have also heard that your faith foretells an impending calamity. On what grounds is this prediction based?]

Now the Pope's reply lay before him.

Li Chen opened the envelope, and a pure fluctuation of holy power immediately spread outward.

The Pope's handwritten words were neat and solemn:

[Your Majesty, esteemed Emperor of Heavenly Strategy: The prophecy of calamity cannot truly be explained with pen and ink alone. Should Your Majesty have time, I sincerely invite you to visit the Papal Palace and view the Amethyst Barrier