I'm an antique shop owner, so it's reasonable for me to know some magic

Chapter 379: Secret Talk, the Vatican’s Dilemma

Su Fan was stunned.

He was somewhat confused about the real intentions of the cardinal opposite him.

The other party first said solemnly that he had something important to discuss, and then suddenly became concerned about the relationship between Theresa and him.

...Of course it was himself and Theresa...This girl's thoughts were indeed very easy to understand as he said.

It is like transparent crystal, so pure that one can't help but want to protect it.

"Why? Is this question difficult to answer?"

Fergus asked meaningfully.

"It is a good thing for the Holy See to respect Theresa's wishes."

Su Fan replied with a smile.

"As long as it is her decision, I will understand and support it."

Fergus stared at Sufan for a moment.

"It looks like our conversation is going to go very well."

"But before that, please allow me to perform a small miracle."

After seeing Su Fan nod slightly, Bishop Fergus waved the scepter in his hand.

Suddenly, a transparent force field spread out, as if a layer of sound-proof film was wrapped around the two of them.

"This is a miracle to prevent prying eyes. In addition to the soundproofing effect, it also adds a layer of false illusion to prevent anyone from knowing the content of our conversation through lip reading."

As if to reassure Su Fan, Fergus began to explain the effects of the miracle he had released.

"It's so secretive, it must be related to the top secrets protected by the Holy See. Can I know the contents?"

Su Fan joked, but was also ready to end the conversation at any time.

You can explore secrets on your own, but if you listen to information revealed by other people, you may be forcibly pulled into the same camp by the other party.

Because some things, once you know them, you have no control over them.

"Of course you can tell, because you've noticed it, haven't you?"

Fergus was direct.

"The power of God has vanished from the earth, and His grace and power are no longer widely bestowed upon mankind."

"This is why the devil is so rampant."

"Why? God once again feels that mankind is hopeless, so he is preparing to launch the Last Judgment?"

Su Fan's half-joking words did not elicit a response from Fergus.

The old man looked at Su Fan for a long time, and his eyes seemed to be saying something.

You know.

Seeing this, Su Fan's expression became a little serious.

The old man in front of him, who had been a Catholic all his life, was unable to utter those words.

But Su Fan knew what it was.

God is dead.

Nietzsche's often misunderstood statement has now become a reality.

If someone else said this news, people would just think he was a madman trying to attract attention, or some kind of metaphysical philosophical theory.

But in today's era of rampant weirdness, when it was said by Fergus, one of the seven bishops of the Holy See, the meaning was completely different.

The will of the omnipotent God in the Bible, who possesses supreme status and power, cannot be manifested in the world.

Su Fan, who grew up in America in this life, knows clearly the power of religion.

Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Judaism all have fierce disputes over scriptures and doctrines, but they all have consensus among themselves.

There is an omniscient and omnipotent creator in this world, the so-called God.

If anyone knew that the mysterious being disappeared or died, the shock caused would be devastating.

Once faith is overturned, the mental blow it brings is enough to make a sunny and optimistic believer commit suicide immediately.

No wonder Fergus is so cautious.

"Have the top leaders of the Holy See confirmed this news and have they reached a consensus?"

Su Fan gave Fergus on the opposite side enough time to answer this question.

The latter didn't make him wait too long.

"No, only I, the Pope, and two other bishops know and believe so."

Fergus shook his head.

Not knowing everything means that the remaining bishops and the Pope are not on the same side, or cannot be fully trusted.

This shows that the bishops were not united, and it is possible that there were even many factions.

But the problem also followed.

"You didn't tell me this secret, even the bishop cannot know it completely. Aren't you worried that I will spread the news?"

Su Fan's tone suddenly became threatening, and his eyes revealed sinisterness and cunningness.

But such a look did not scare Fergus.

The old man with white hair and beard smiled kindly, did not answer, and just looked at Su Fan.

He has seen too many people who look kind but have evil hearts, and he knows best what a hypocrite looks like.

Who would bring their conspiracy and intrigues out into the open?

The other party is always full of sweet words and promises to make people let down their guard and turn their backs to them so that they can stab them in the back.

On the contrary, those who seem difficult to get along with and always say unpleasant things are more real.

Maybe they are just making their bottom line clear in advance.

"You and I both know that you are not that kind of person."

Fergus spoke slowly.

"It's no good for you to see the world burn, and you don't want to see that, do you?"

Su Fan did not answer, but did not refute either.

Fergus did not pause, but continued speaking.

"One of my purposes for coming here this time is to deal with the traces left by Valak and other demons. Another reason is that the Pope hopes that I can be his spokesperson and have a good conversation with you."

"I was also very shocked when I received the Pope's request. Theresa's report and news from the outside world mentioned you many times, a young man who does not believe in religion and uses Eastern Taoism."

"Your actions are irrational and random, and you have enough power to be a dangerous factor. Is it really okay to tell you such important news?"

"Until just now, I was completely convinced that the pope's decision was correct."

He seemed to have suddenly lost the dignity and remoteness of a bishop, and his voice became slow and leisurely.

He gives people the feeling of being the lonely old man next door who comes out to bask in the sun in winter. He is friendly but nagging.

“What? Didn’t my attempt to test you under the guise of caring about Theresa’s feelings reassure you?”

“First of all, I really like this lovely girl, Theresa, and I really care about her feelings.

Secondly, leaning towards Theresa only proves that you are not a moody being who is close to a natural disaster, but a person with likes and dislikes.

It doesn’t prove you’re a good person.”

nice guy?

Su Fan felt quite surprised to hear the old man opposite him calling him like that.

"In modern society, being regarded as a good person is not something to be happy about. When girls reject you, they always add a sentence like 'You are a good person, but we are not suitable'..."

Hearing this, Su Fan turned his head and looked at him with a strange look on his face. He knew all this.

Is the old man next to me really a bishop from the Vatican? Why does he feel like a trustworthy old man in the village?

“How can we spread the gospel of God in society without understanding it?”

In response to Su Fan's strange look, Fergus simply explained briefly and continued.

"But when I say good people, I mean something different."

"You have performed many exorcisms and even fought against cultists. You must have experienced many hardships and dangers, and you have been mired in conspiracy and intrigue."

"Don't people who have survived many dangers and proved themselves to be smart enough, possessed strength and wisdom, and were able to resist temptation deserve to be called 'good people'?"

When Fergus said this, a hint of sadness appeared under his eye wrinkles.

He had seen too many cases of young dragon slayers becoming evil dragons, whether among mortals or supernatural beings. Such things always happened one after another, and even happened several times to people he knew.

When they parted, he was still a young man with firm faith and great ambitions, but when they heard the news again, they realized that he had already fallen into the abyss of desire and had changed beyond recognition.

Fergus quickly gathered his memories and continued.

"The Holy See has also sent a large number of personnel to investigate the cause of the current situation."

"In Hell, we are looking for an exorcist who roams the shadows, and in Heaven, the Pope himself is seeking information."

"The results of it?"

People have gone to heaven and hell to inquire, the Vatican really has extensive connections.

"Heaven refused to respond, and Hell didn't bring back any specific news, but there are still some fragmentary clues after all."

"Ancient bronze city...seaside town...only these two keywords"

"In order to find out the truth, the Church organized many secret teams to investigate... This also led to a lack of internal resources, and they were unable to spare manpower to deal with the demons that were increasingly rampant in the world."

Fergus sighed, looking quite helpless.

"But fortunately, we have found some very reliable partners during this period."

The exorcist couple Rowling and Ed immediately appeared in Su Fan’s mind.

However, he was more curious about the mysterious man who had brought back the news from hell.

"The exorcist that you mentioned earlier who roams in the darkness, is he also one of them?"

"Of course, his talent is outstanding. If it weren't for some moral flaws, he might have become an excellent exorcist priest..."

When Fergus said this, it seemed like he had something to hide.

When Su Fan saw the other person's expression, he knew that this so-called "flaw" should not be simple.

Thousands of miles away from here in Los Angeles, America, a taxi stopped at the door of a simple apartment.

"Can I come down with you?"

The boy who looked underage in the driver's seat looked expectantly at the man in the passenger seat.

But what responded to him was the other party's ruthless and boring orders.

"Stay here and don't come up."

He opened the car door, took out the last cigarette and put it in his mouth, then crumpled up the empty cigarette box and threw it casually to the side of the road.

The lighter clicked on, and a flame rose, lighting the cigarette.

The man took a deep puff, feeling the pleasure of nicotine, and then strode into the apartment.

The person who asked the church for help was an Asian woman, who claimed that her daughter, who was disabled and unable to walk, suddenly used her hands and feet like a spider to crawl on the ceiling.

This is undoubtedly a sign of demonic possession.

She didn't have enough money to hire a professional exorcist, so she had to turn to the church.

But she didn't know that among the free exorcists, there were also very capable ones.

For example, this man in a black windbreaker has dealt with many terrifying demonic incidents.

Although not many people know him in the world, his name is very famous in hell.

Of course, there is no famous outlier who can kill demons in a row.

Along the way, the Asian woman was describing the situation, but the man didn't care and interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

"Have you done the preparations I told you to do before coming here?"

The woman was stunned, then nodded.

"Then let's get started."

He came to the door, walked straight to the bed, and held down the girl who was writhing because of the demon possession.

"My name is Constantine... John Constantine!"
-
"What were the results of the investigation?"

"As a result, almost all the teams that were sent out lost contact."

Fergus' words caused Su Fan to think, and before long, he guessed which force was behind this.

"The demons were already very dissatisfied with us. After learning that our forces were dispersed, they began to attack the investigation team all over the world."

"There are nearly 20 confirmed dead, and the remaining dozen or so are still missing."

“The situation is now quite serious.”

Su Fan nodded slightly when he heard this.

"Aren't you curious about the World Government's attitude towards this?"

Fergus was quite surprised to see that Su Fan did not continue asking questions.

"What are you asking? They are just using the excuse of maintaining social stability to do nothing... Oh no, they have already taken their leave. Perhaps they have already reserved a way out for themselves and are looking for other mysterious forces to cooperate with."

“I want to be a passenger on the Noah’s Ark of the new era.”

Su Fan never expected the government to respond to anything strange or extraordinary.

It would be nice if we could really form an exorcist alliance like in superhero comics.

But exorcists who can deal with demons and many evils are extremely scarce resources. Such things must of course be firmly grasped in one's own hands.

Judging from Fergus's expression, Su Fan might have guessed right this time.

"The power that is enough to defeat miracles is slowly rising."

Fergus spoke up.

"They will destroy all the powerful forces belonging to mankind. The Church has lost its source of power and is no longer a threat to them."

"All that's left is..."

Su Fan frowned when he heard that.

The first bird to stick its head out gets shot, right?

That shouldn't have come to him.

Since the talismans and Taoist magic are real, there are at least some Taoist practitioners in the Eastern country.

In addition, the gods and immortals invited to the altar for the ritual should also be within the target range of that group of mysterious beings.

Suddenly, Su Fan thought of a possibility.

What if the Eastern gods and immortals do not exist in this world?

His eyes gradually became deep, and he had the idea of ​​going to that land in person to inquire about its origins.

"I understand what you mean, thank you for reminding me."

Su Fan nodded slightly.

"I wonder if you could share with me the destinations of the investigation teams that lost contact."

"can."

(End of this chapter)