After the meeting, Lilith hurriedly made her way to the Central Church.
During the meeting, the Church had already invited Lilith to discuss some matters with the Pope after it concluded.
Lilith could sense that regarding the potion that turned the tide on the battlefield in the Northern Border, things were definitely not that simple.
At this moment, the Old Pope had just finished his sermon while sitting in his wheelchair, and the congregation was orderly exiting.
Seeing this scene, Lilith did not rush; she waited for the believers to leave before entering the Central Church with her guards from a short distance away.
Upon seeing Lilith arrive, the Old Pope smiled kindly. His health was deteriorating day by day, uncertain whether it was due to the demands of the religious reforms or simply his old age. Yet within the Church, there was still no suitable heir.
“Your Majesty.”
With the divine assistant’s help, the Old Pope attempted to stand and bow to Lilith. She hurriedly waved her hand. Although the Pope’s status was greatly diminished, it was still too much for Lilith to accept a bow from an elderly, frail Pope.
Since entering winter, the Old Pope’s health had been steadily declining. Although he was not yet in critical condition, he had begun to require divine techniques to maintain his health.
Unfortunately, in the current Goddess Church, there still had not appeared the ideal heir in the Old Pope’s mind.
In fact, Lilith had always been the most ideal successor in the Old Pope’s heart. She wasn’t very devout to the Goddess, would not be influenced by the Divine Revelation Lantern, and was clever enough to support the Church in furthering its secularization. However, it was a pity that Lilith’s identity was too complex to become the Old Pope’s heir.
At least not now; just repositioning as the Saintess had already triggered sensitivities in some people. By the time Lilith truly gained control of the Royal Capital, perhaps she could establish a political system similar to the union of church and state, or like Graywhite Territory, incorporate religious management into royal authority.
As it stands, even if this future could truly be realized, it would require a considerable amount of time, and the Old Pope likely would not live to see it.
The Church’s lack of suitable candidates was no surprise; since the Church’s split, significant fractures had appeared among the believers of the Goddess, and the position of Pope had to be considered carefully. To avoid becoming heretical like Lantern Dream, the Pope himself must not be too devoted to the Goddess.
Thus, the Old Pope had always entrusted the Lantern to Lilith. The lantern represents the source of light, symbolizing warmth and hope, while the Divine Revelation Lantern was intended to illuminate the path for believers, as it expresses the desire that the Goddess’s divine revelation would guide them through the dark times.
Even among the various faiths today, within the Church, holding a candle or a lantern represents certain important positions. The significance of light, bringing illumination, is very important, even outside the teachings of the Goddess.
No one would have expected that the two divine revelations left by the Goddess to create the lantern would ultimately lead to the Church’s split.
As for what the Saintess heard or saw within the lantern back then, the Old Pope dared not imagine, nor could he.
Now, the best course of action was to leave this divine revelation lantern with Lilith and find a cardinal who was both devout enough in their faith and supportive of religious reforms to succeed the Pope.
Of course, the position of Pope could also remain vacant, with the responsibilities divided among thirteen cardinals, but such a situation could lead to even more chaos than that of the nobility in the Royal Capital.
After a long sigh, the Old Pope said, “Regarding the Northern Border, I have very important matters to report to Your Majesty. Please follow me.”
After saying that, the Old Pope looked towards a secluded section of the Central Church. Lilith took the wheelchair handle from the priest and personally pushed the Old Pope into the private area.
Lilith noticed that the Old Pope’s current arrangement of guards and the divine revelation lantern was similar to before, indicating that they were about to discuss secrets that could overturn the Church. How did this secret relate to the Northern Border?
The Old Pope pulled out two vials of potion from his robe and placed them on the table, saying, “Your Majesty, do you remember what holy water looks like?”
One of the vials was a work of art; the body was meticulously carved from transparent crystal, the neck was delicate and elegant, and it was adorned with intricate gold and silver designs. There were symbols representing the Goddess, glimmering faintly under the light.
Furthermore, the vial bore intricate inscriptions. However, these inscriptions served no practical purpose but recorded which monks had continuously prayed to produce this holy water.
Just by looking at the bottle, one might believe it was holy water, especially since it truly emanated a faint holy light.
The other vial appeared much more ordinary, its bottle was a mass-produced item that could be found everywhere; it didn’t even have the most common Northern Wind Bear mark found on cheap potion bottles. Although of decent quality, it looked more like a product made by an inexperienced alchemist or a novice beginner’s practice piece, lacking any label.
Lilith was somewhat puzzled. The Old Pope continued, “Please, Your Majesty, tell me which of these two vials contains holy water.”
Was it even a question? Lilith, puzzled, picked up the ornate vial and examined it closely in the light. The liquid inside was radiating a faint holy light; it was undoubtedly holy water. Lilith even read the inscription carefully, confirming the monks who made the potion, and recognized the name of the newly appointed Saintess listed there.
Although it was strange, Lilith set down the ornate vial, stating, “This one is holy water, no doubt about it.”
“What about the other vial?”
As the Old Pope asked this, Lilith also picked up the other, relatively plain vial of potion.
The liquid in this vial was slightly murky, and aside from its lack of special characteristics, it looked like a practice piece from a novice alchemist.
Looking at the Old Pope’s expression, Lilith guessed there was an issue with this vial of potion, so she continued to observe it carefully. After taking a moment to examine it, suddenly, Lilith noticed that the liquid inside emitted a faint holy light for a brief moment.
Even those who had been watching Lilith closely would have thought they had seen it wrong if they weren’t firmly convinced that this vial of potion was problematic.
Connecting the dots, Lilith quickly uncorked the vial and poured a drop of the liquid onto her hand, feeling its cool touch.
“Holy Water…”
Lilith looked at the Old Pope in shock and said, “This vial is also holy water.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
The Old Pope’s once kindly face suddenly turned serious, saying, “This is the ancestral potion of Governor Lind from the Northern Border.”
