With the destruction of the Blood Court, the entire Southern Continent was completely unified by the Holy Lord Empire.
This is a long-awaited unified dynasty since the Holy Noah Empire unified the Southern Continent a thousand years ago. Although His Saint Peter did nothing, and the strongest and most powerful nations in the Southern Continent destroyed themselves, thus gaining an advantage, it is undeniable that this is still a true unified dynasty, and its rule is more comprehensive and thorough than that of the Holy Noah Empire, which had some remaining outlying areas.
From Adam's ascension to the papacy a century ago to this day, no one has ever imagined that it would end like this.
For Norton, this period of time may have passed in the blink of an eye, but for the suffering people of the Southern Continent, it has truly been more than a hundred years of darkness!
It wasn't just ordinary people; even the rulers of various countries, and now the Pope, were all replaced from top to bottom.
This catastrophe, created by Norton, the Vampire Progenitor, truly swept across the entire Southern Continent from top to bottom for over a hundred years.
The number of deaths directly or indirectly caused during this period accounted for more than half of the total population of the Southern Continent. Countless people were displaced, countless nobles lost their homes and families, and even the highest-ranking pope was replaced three times.
This Biyang just how wicked Norton is!
The unification of the Southern Continent completely heralded the end of the war. This outcome was not only due to the sealing away of Norton, the Vampire Progenitor, but also primarily because everyone on the Southern Continent, from the powerful to the poor, had become utterly weary of the chaotic war.
Therefore, wherever Saint Peter's army went, countless people submitted, seeking only complete stability and an end to the suffering of war.
Heavy rain blanketed the entire Southern Continent.
As time went by, the rainfall not only did not decrease, but actually increased.
Many places in the Southern Continent have begun to suffer from floods, and some low-lying villages and even cities have been completely submerged by floods.
It is truly lamentable that such a disaster occurred so soon after the war.
"Splash splash splash..."
The rain poured down like a torrential downpour, causing the river level to rise rapidly. Even in the rugged terrain of the Holy See, the floodwaters could not be contained.
To combat the torrential rains and floods, the newly appointed Pope, His Holiness Saint Peter, had already ordered the digging of ditches on the plains outside the Holy See to dredge the waterways.
However, in this era, the level of human and material resources available is still far too difficult to contend with nature.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho..."
The torrential rain could not drown out the workers' shouts. Countless people braved the wind and rain, rushing through the mud to carry out flood control work bit by bit.
This is actually quite normal. In the past, when the Old Faith encountered severe weather, it would mobilize the lower classes to work in order to help with disaster relief. Furthermore, the Church would hold grand prayer ceremonies, with the cardinal leading all the missionaries to gather in the monastery's confessional to pray for the Holy Lord Empire...
However, today, some figures stood out too much at this flood-stricken area.
"Your Majesty, the rain is getting heavier, let's go back! Your health is not good enough to withstand this cold rain!" A middle-aged man in New Faith white Protestant robe followed an elderly man in the same white robe. Both of them carried some mud and sand to help the group build the canal.
The middle-aged man's words were full of anxiety and worry, and his face was filled with extreme pain, but the torrential rain made it impossible for him to open his eyes.
His Majesty Saint Peter is truly God among men!
His New Faith was extremely good to the people, often distributing food and leading missionaries to work alongside them. Even His Majesty Saint Peter himself would personally go to the grassroots to distribute food and even participate in labor.
The main reason why New Faith spread so quickly and attracted so many people wherever it went was precisely because of this.
Such a noble status, yet able to condescend without any restraint—in this era, this single virtue alone is enough to make people bow down in reverence.
Their robes were completely soaked through. It was autumn, and although the rain wasn't exactly freezing, it still sent a chill down your spine.
Even a normal adult would fall slightly ill if exposed to this rain, and His Saint Peter is already 150 years old. It is likely that he will not recover without a serious illness after being caught in this rain.
Besides the two of them, one or two missionaries dressed in Church robes would occasionally walk by among the laborers, showing that His Saint Peter had not only come himself, but had also brought all the Church personnel with him.
Such an act is truly unprecedented in history!
"No, such continuous torrential rain is an unusual phenomenon of heaven and earth. I'm afraid our Southern Continent will face annihilation."
Now that things are going on, how can I, as First Stage pope, not do my utmost? If moving just a little more can save a commoner's life, how can I possibly put down the mud and sand in my hands?"
Saint Peter's kind old face was now soaked by the rain, and his already thick white hair and long beard were now like weeds, making his appearance somewhat disheveled.
However, his disheveled appearance seemed to the middle-aged man, the surrounding crowd, and the Church missionaries as if they had seen the real God, making them want to cry out in pain.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho..." Hearing the Pope's words, the already excited working poor were now even more energized, working hard as if injected with chicken blood. Even the torrential rain could not drown out their increasingly excited shouts and howls.
It's hard to imagine that such normal, kind people would one day appear in this Southern Continent...
His Saint Peter was already old, and working so hard in the pouring rain made it even more difficult for him to continue for long.
After carrying some mud and sand, he finally became exhausted, his legs ached, and he slipped on the mud, falling headlong towards the rocks.
"Your Majesty!!!" the middle-aged man exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. He tried to put down the sand in his hands and help the Pope up.
However, he was ultimately too slow and could only watch helplessly as the Pope collapsed forward...
"Your Majesty, such behavior is not that of a wise ruler. Your good health is the most important thing for our Holy Lord Empire!" Before the words were finished, a pair of arms supported His Majesty Saint Peter's fallen body.
Archbishop Duoxia, wearing a hood and looking worried, helped the Pope up and then led him toward a nearby awning.
The worry in his words and the pain on his face showed just how satisfied Duoxia was with the new pope.
This is the kind of wise ruler he admired!
"Your Majesty, He has already been enshrined within, but... do you really intend to relinquish your current rule? Although I, Duoxia, have always disagreed with the Church's rule, if it were you, I think it would be acceptable..." Archbishop Duoxia helped the old Pope into the makeshift rain shelter, and seeing that no one was around, he slowly spoke.
He has been overseeing Norton's ban during this period.
It's best not to move the Pale Progenitor if possible, especially since there are fifty Vampire True Ancestor inside who have turned into stone statues, making it even more difficult to move Norton's body.
Therefore, their method of sealing it off was to completely block the cave passage with rocks, blocking the crystals that gathered sunlight on it, so that the Holy See's mountain would become an ordinary mountain. In this way, over the course of a hundred years, people would gradually forget the existence of the divine corpse in the Holy See.
To this end, His Saint Peter decided to relinquish his authority over the Church, so that successive popes would no longer need to focus their energy on so-called stability.
His Saint Peter took a deep breath, and a middle-aged attendant beside him hurriedly wiped his body, but was stopped by him.
The decision to ban Norton was made by His Majesty Saint Peter after much deliberation.
The old gods are gone, and the extraordinary should disappear without a trace. Therefore, even Vampire like Abraham have retreated into the shadows under their agreement, no longer swaggering into the world.
The existence of extraordinary power may seem to have endless allure, but it is a real obstacle to the overall development and progress of the human race.
People with extraordinary powers wreak havoc, and the Pope, whose divine corpse exists, suppresses social development once every century. Such actions are truly like drinking poison to quench thirst, exerting unimaginable pressure on human society as a whole.
Therefore, rather than imprisoning Norton within the Holy See and repeating the experience of the Holy Lord Empire, it would be better to completely seal him away and forget him in the long river of time, so that the succession of humanity and regimes would no longer be linked to the divine corpse.
As the Pope, he knew better than anyone how restrictive religious beliefs were to people's thoughts. Over the years, he also knew better than anyone how much harm religious rule had done to the people. So, after much deliberation, he finally decided to ban Norton, decentralize the power, and allow the Papal State to no longer rule the Southern Continent, but to let the various countries develop as they wished.
Such an idea is truly astonishing; even Archbishop Duoxia regards him as a true saint!
"No, Duoxia, rule is not conducive to the development of mankind. Similarly, I find it hard to trust whether the next pope can lead by example as I have. Putting aside the fact that the people of the Southern Continent do not share the same language and culture, the Church cannot have the power to rule simply because of the sealing of the divine corpse."
After all, I might not touch that divine corpse for the sake of ruling, but what about the next pope? And the popes after that?
Rather than having to go to great lengths to maintain their rule, they should completely decentralize power, retaining only the religious tradition. This would allow successive popes to be free from worries about their rule and personal safety, and naturally, they would no longer need to set their sights on the divine corpse.
Therefore, the power of governance must be delegated, but not by me.
Duoxia, after me, I want you to be pope for a while, until this generation is completely old and the time comes to devolve the power... I believe in you!
Similarly, this is why I allowed the term ' Catholic Church ' to be preserved. (Due to pronunciation issues in the Southern Continent, 'gong' also means 'heaven,' so some people call it Catholic Church.)
Although the God they worship depicts ' Norton ' in the fictional history created by the progenitor, this is also a way to erase the name of the Vampire Progenitor Norton... Centuries later, when people mention Norton, they can only think of the ' Catholic Church ' God, and will never think of the Vampire Progenitor Norton, again.
Forgetting is the best seal.
"Alas..." Upon hearing Saint Peter's words, Archbishop Duoxia could only let out a deep sigh.
This was something His Saint Peter had already told him.
Norton's existence must be concealed, and the Common Lord Faith created by Abraham is an excellent way to replace Norton's name. Furthermore, decentralizing power is also a way to solidify Norton and that of the Holy See.
With the decentralization of Church authority, the Holy See will be revered as a 'holy land' in the Southern Continent.
With the reputation of New Faith today, such a holy site will forever remain untouched by war, which is the best way to protect the divine corpse!
Duoxia's eyes were filled with tears, and he felt even more deeply the greatness and glory of Saint Peter.
However, just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly saw a figure walking unsteadily in the rain in the distance.
"Who?" Duoxia, who was in the middle of the conversation, suddenly stood up and shielded Saint Peter behind him.
The middle-aged attendant beside him also quickly stood up, flanking Saint Peter.
Saint Peter, true to his pope's air of nobility, showed no fear and calmly looked in the direction of Duoxia's gaze.
The torrential rain filled the entire sky, and the density of the rain was even more blinding than a thick fog, making it difficult to see anything beyond 30 to 50 meters.
The gloomy weather made the world seem extremely gloomy, as if covered by a dark blue filter, giving it a rather dark feel.
In their line of sight, amidst the deep blue torrential rain, at the edge of the jungle, a strangely shaped figure swayed and staggered towards them from the edge of the dense forest.
Its walking posture is extremely strange, even somewhat inhuman.
However, its eerie movement was somewhat unsettling.
This feels like a non-human species trying to act like a human!
As they drew closer, Duoxia realized that all the people who had been wandering and working around the area had vanished, leaving only the three of them behind!
The three men, Saint Peter, gathered under the awning, growing increasingly tense, their eyes fixed on the strange figure that was drawing ever closer.
"Who's there? Don't come any closer, or I'll make my move!" Duoxia became increasingly nervous. He reached for a wooden pole and raised it, his eyes fixed on the figure swaying in the downpour as it approached.
As it drew closer, its bizarre form became increasingly grotesque. Finally, the thick, dark blue rain could no longer conceal the approaching figure.
With the white fur becoming clearer, Duoxia, with his Vampire -like superhuman eyesight, finally made out the figure's appearance.
In the thick rain, a goat straightened its body and, like a human, wobbled out of the jungle on its two hind legs, walking towards them.
"A sheep?" Duoxia exclaimed in surprise.
A tingling sensation ran through his body.
Without further hesitation, he reached out and threw the wooden stick in his hand at the two-legged goat that walked like a human.
"Thud..." The immense force carried the wooden stick through the goat's body, and the two-legged goat collapsed to the ground, lifeless, as the stick pierced through it.
"Whoosh..." The downpour intensified, and the sound of the rain grew louder.
Amidst the commotion, as the goat fell to the ground, faint cries seemed to rise again, accompanied by the growing sound of rain.
"Heave-ho... Heave-ho..." Figures reappeared in the distance through the rain, and the enthusiastic shouts of workers grew clearer.
Only His Saint Peter and his middle-aged entourage, under the canopy, felt their hands and feet were ice-cold, and their backs were drenched in cold sweat.
"Your Majesty, please rest here. I'll go and see you!" the middle-aged attendant mustered his courage and asked Saint Peter for permission, then rushed into the downpour despite his attempts to stop him.
The two sides were not far apart. As the middle-aged attendant ran to the fallen goat in a few steps, a cry of surprise rang out.
"Your Majesty, this is a dead sheep; it's already rotten!"
"Boom!" Thunder roared, and streaks of lightning intertwined and stretched across the sky, echoing throughout heaven and earth.
With the sound of thunder, the already torrential rain intensified even further.
"Splash, splash, splash..." The piercing sound of rain blocked out the sun and drowned out all other sounds.
His Majesty Saint Peter's heart tightened, and his face turned extremely pale.
He looked up at the increasingly gloomy sky accompanied by arcs of lightning. His old face was full of sorrow and vicissitudes, but the worries in his heart, which turned into a thousand thoughts, could only be expressed through a deep sigh.
"A great catastrophe is about to befall the Southern Continent!"
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(Just one chapter today, a long one)