The title of Red-Robed Bishop sounded steeped in theology, but in Spirit Hall, the position was actually equivalent to that of an important official. Beyond deep soul power, it required an understanding of the relevant field; strength alone was not enough.
Those who became Red-Robed Bishops were generally Soul Saints, and most Soul Douluos were Red-Robed Bishops as well. There was a corresponding ranking system among them, and only those with the most outstanding abilities could be appointed Platinum Bishops. Everyone who held that office was the cream of the crop, generally serving as department heads or the equivalent of cabinet ministers. For overseas postings, only one would be sent to each empire to oversee its capital.
Given Spirit Hall's sway over the Two Great Empires, describing an externally posted Platinum Bishop as an ambassador was not quite fitting. Half a colonial governor would have been closer to the mark.
At that level, strength was no longer a criterion for ranking. There were plenty who had been appointed Platinum Bishops for their abilities immediately after breaking through to Soul Douluo.
The Red-Robed Bishop who came to greet them was a middle-aged woman, with a medal bearing five golden six-pointed stars pinned to her chest.
The middle-aged woman walked up to Leng Xiyue, crouched down, and gently squeezed her little hand. Then she turned to Wang Yan with a smile. "Wang Yan, is this the child you mentioned? Her soul power is quite robust. His Holiness will certainly be pleased."
Wang Yan did not dare act casually in the slightest. Standing stiffly to one side, he said nervously, "Yes, Your Excellency Javier, I think so too. However, she is a wandering orphan. Her parents both died in the war, and she only ran into the Martial Soul Forest in her panicked flight, where I happened to find her. As such, there are no records of her identity."
"Mm, we'll send someone to handle those matters. Go about your business. If His Holiness the Pope is satisfied, your reward will be issued soon." Javier stood up and patted Wang Yan's shoulder, speaking with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Your Excellency!"
After giving a casual wave, he turned and took Leng Xiyue's hand. "Come with me, little girl."
In a place like this, Leng Xiyue did not dare be as carefree as she had been before. She put on a timid, meek appearance, not daring to say a word, and simply let Javier lead her by the hand into the Martial Soul General Hall.
The Spirit Hall members they passed bowed to Javier, even those who were also Red-Robed Bishops, while he only needed to nod-or offer no response at all. That alone spoke volumes about his status.
After passing through the enormous General Hall, the two arrived in its rear courtyard. A secluded, impeccably maintained road led up the mountain from here. Matters reviewed and annotated by the Martial Soul General Hall were generally sent to the Papal Hall along this route, and visitors and elders also used it to ascend.
Following the road, the two soon reached the Papal Hall.
They arrived at a side gate in the Papal Hall's rear courtyard, where two guards stood watch. At the sight of Javier, they immediately straightened and lowered their heads. "Lord Javier."
Javier waved a hand and asked casually, "Has His Holiness the Pope had breakfast?"
"Yes, my lord. Her Holiness is currently in the garden, reviewing the documents just delivered from the General Hall."
Javier nodded without another word, and the two guards hurriedly opened the gate to let them in.
As soon as they entered, an array of rare treasures came into view, forming a landscaped garden. A mountain stream ran through the courtyard, and the whole place resembled a classical garden. Leng Xiyue took a casual breath and felt her heart lift and her mind clear, all her mental fatigue swept away.
Looking into the distance, she could see one building after another, presumably meeting rooms, libraries, and the like.
The entire courtyard seemed to be enveloped by some kind of formation. Unless one stood inside it, there was no way to sense the atmosphere within.
Living somewhere like this, setting a rocking chair in the garden, lounging on it with a book, and simply drifting off whenever sleepiness struck-the mere thought of such a life was lovely.
Xiao Bai followed beside Leng Xiyue, marveling at the garden herself. "I read in ancient texts that humans have always been a race that knows how to enjoy life. They spend vast amounts of resources on their living conditions, and now I can see it's true. Just absorbing all the plants in this garden would be enough to take you straight to level fifty."
There was a somewhat sour note to her words, but Leng Xiyue saw nothing wrong with the Pope having living conditions like these. If she occupied that position, she would certainly want to enjoy herself too.
Still, given the terrifying requirements for her leveling, if the resources here could actually take her straight to level fifty, then the high-grade spiritual herbs or exceptionally gentle plant-type soul beasts here probably outnumbered everything in Dugu Bo's valley combined.
"So, don't you want to live somewhere like this?" Leng Xiyue asked in return.
Xiao Bai froze. She had wanted to say things like, "We Protoss have no need for pleasure," or, "Only shallow humans care about such things," but when the words reached her lips, she could ultimately manage only one.
"...Yes."
As a soul bound to Leng Xiyue, she could also receive Leng Xiyue's sensations. Anything that made Leng Xiyue comfortable made her feel comfortable too. It was a wondrous sensation that touched the soul.
She had spent so long in soul form that she had long since forgotten what her life had been like when she still had a body. During her days drifting through the void, all she could feel was endless darkness, to the point that even the harshest environment meant nothing to her. Simply being on a planet was already quite good.
She knew perfectly well that such comfort could lead one into decadence, gradually abandoning the drive to improve and becoming a salted fish, yet she had little ability to resist. Perhaps Leng Xiyue had influenced her.
Mm, that had to be it.
"Then that settles it. It's not like we have any lofty dreams. We can just enjoy life here," Leng Xiyue said confidently.
Xiao Bai kept feeling that she had forgotten something, but could not recall what it was. So she simply stopped thinking about it and grinned. "Mm, let's hope so."
Javier felt Leng Xiyue trembling slightly, but thought little of it, assuming she was nervous. He comforted her instead. "Don't be nervous, child. Her Holiness the Pope is very approachable. Her own background wasn't particularly good, so she has an especial soft spot for children like you."
Hearing Javier's words, Leng Xiyue hurriedly gathered her wandering thoughts and said in a sweet, childish voice, "Lord Bishop, I'm just too excited. I've heard stories about Her Holiness the Pope for as long as I can remember. I simply feel honored to meet Her Holiness at such close quarters."
Javier seemed very pleased with Leng Xiyue's attitude and stroked her head. "Don't worry. You'll slowly get used to it."
Passing through the outer landscaped grounds, the two reached a flower garden. There were no particularly vivid blossoms here; everything looked rather understated and elegant.
If one insisted on naming a flower that was especially dazzling, it could only have been the woman reclining beneath the pavilion at the center of the garden.
The woman lounged languidly on a bench. She wore no elaborate attire, only a simple white robe that looked much like nightwear and traced the curves of her graceful figure.
Her long, pale-purple hair spilled casually behind her, and her exquisite beauty was enough to make most women envious and drive men wild.
At that moment, she propped her head on one hand and held a document in the other, reading it listlessly and yawning from time to time.
Three maids knelt on either side of her. One held a fruit platter within easy reach, while the other two held stacks of documents. Once the woman had read a document taken from one maid, she placed it on the tray held up by the other.
Who else could this woman have been but Bibi Dong?
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