Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 459: The Abyss Secret Cult, Confusing and Complicated (6300)

The visitor glanced at the strange-looking corpses of nobles on the ground with disgust, and classified them as [Paladins]:
"They are all fallen people who ignored the teachings of God and brought disaster upon themselves.

There is no place for you in heaven!"

Even the most sages who are strict with themselves and lenient with others would find it difficult to ignore these devilishly depraved and exotic nobles.

But when he thought about the behavior of some traditional clergy in the church, it seemed that they were not much better than theirs.

Some people are not worth saving, and some are not worth working with. The Paladin's belief in making his own Protestant sect break away from the traditional church and become independent as soon as possible is becoming more and more resolute.

“It’s just that the Protestant forces are weak and need to rely on secular monarchy more than the traditionalists.

Now several saints within the sect are planning to take the lead in helping some princes of the Holy Silver Empire who have been most deeply poisoned by the traditionalists to gain independence.

It is a pity that the House of York is a staunch lackey of the traditionalists, otherwise Hattings, as an offshore island country, would be one of the natural strongholds of Protestantism.

Even the powerful traditionalists do not have the strength to embark on a cross-sea expedition."

Of course, these plans would obviously not be leaked in advance. No matter how his thoughts were surging in his mind, his face was as solid as a rock and did not show a single trace of it.

At the same time, Catherine stopped her combat state and returned to her original elegant and dignified appearance as a countess.

She lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and curtsied to the Paladin, her manners impeccable.

"Good day, Lord Oliver. The Creator is with you."

Because any religion that wants to preach must have the cooperation of secular royal power, it is very common for clergy to enter and leave the court.

The brother and sister have met most of the high-ranking clergy in the Kingdom of Hastings.

Before leaving, the brother and sister learned from their father the identities of their collaborators in the Protestant Church, so they naturally recognized each other at a glance.

The paladin with the name of "Holy Hammer" was originally thinking seriously about what these strange evil spirits that had never been seen in the Kingdom of Hastings were and why they appeared here.

It was not until Catherine bowed that she realized she had met an unexpected old friend.

After being surprised, he immediately returned the greeting meticulously, and his face, which was as serious as a rock, showed a rare touch of kindness:
“It’s actually Countess Greenville?
Miss Catherine, may the glory of God shine upon you forever!
I heard that you were transferred to the Bantaan Islands last year. It must be the blessing of the Creator that I can meet you again in your hometown today.

I'm so glad to see you're okay."

He looked up and down for a while at this somewhat unexpected combination in front of him.

One was the adopted daughter of the Lancaster family, and the other was actually the legendary "great loyal minister" of the York family, the commander-in-chief of the bandit suppression, and the Earl of Stromgarde who sank the Blue Dragon King for the second time.

No matter how little the Paladin cares about current affairs, he is still familiar with the name of Sea Hunter.

The legend of the reincarnation of the Holy Spirit is questionable, but no one can deny that he is indeed the best young man in the Kingdom of Hattings this year, without a doubt.

Perhaps I misunderstood something and thought that the only explanation for this combination was that Lancaster's adopted daughter had to compromise under the tyranny of York's loyal ministers.

Life must have been very hard.

The eyes that were originally as pure and bright as a baby dimmed a little. Not taking into account that the "Loyal Minister of York" was right beside him, he apologized to Catherine with a bit of shame:
“I’m sorry about the House of Lancaster.

If you encounter any trouble in the capital, you can send someone to Westminster Abbey to find me. I can't guarantee anything else, but I will definitely have no problem escorting you out of Kingston safely."

One of the reasons why the traditional church faction supported the White Rose York family to destroy the Red Rose was that Lancaster became closer to these Protestant clergymen and secretly provided a lot of help.

It also allowed the Protestant teachings to spread widely in the country.

But in the sudden turmoil in the Strait of Dover, Protestantism was of no help to Lancaster.

White Rose used her super-sized existence to help change the world overnight, and they didn't even have time to react.

Even the subsequent pursuit of the York family's collusion with the Kraken was blocked by the Inquisition controlled by traditionalists.

As a good man who is strict with himself, [Holy Hammer] Oliver obviously feels guilty about this matter.

Byron did not say anything because of his inappropriate status. Catherine sincerely comforted him:
"The dispute over secular monarchy has nothing to do with you and Protestantism. Father and the others will definitely not blame you, so please don't blame yourself."

These were not polite remarks; the two of them and the Lancastrians did not vent their anger on this Protestant collaborator.

Because the doctrines of the two sects determine the different codes of conduct, Protestantism is supposed to stay away from the secular world and the royal power.

The traditional doctrine holds that: "The Virgin Mary gave birth to the Son and needs to be worshipped; the Pope is the Creator's spokesperson on earth and needs to be worshipped."

Protestants, on the other hand, are more pure, and they regard the Gospel of Genesis as supreme, believing that: “Besides the Creator, there are no other gods, and idols must not be worshipped.

Everyone has their own duties, and working hard is the best way to repay the Creator."

The essential difference between the two parties is that the latter wants to make God's representatives on earth unemployed and completely strip them of their privileges!
The current struggle between new and old doctrines on the Old Continent is essentially a struggle for power.

This is the result of the traditionalists exploiting the world for thousands of years through various means such as tithes and indulgences, and the desperate resistance of people with conscience both inside and outside the country.

It was also a fatal blow to the heart of the traditionalists.

In fact, to put it bluntly, Lancaster chose to support Protestantism because it saw that Protestantism had weak organizational strength. The essence of the decision was to weaken the religious power in the Kingdom of Hastings and strengthen the royal power.

Such an ally is naturally not as strong as the power-hungry traditionalists, not to mention that they actively seek eternal life like the traditionalists, trying to become angels or even gods on earth and occupy the supreme authority forever.

It is particularly reassuring.

You choose your own path, so you can't vent your anger on others.

Even if Byron came to power in the future, he would still have to cooperate with Protestantism for the sake of his royal power.

Even if you really can't see eye to eye with these saints, the worst that can happen is that you can set up your own royal state religion and become both the king and the supreme leader of the church.

Anyway, Byron never thought about completely breaking away from the church and working on his own.

Do you think you are still in the previous life where "you have to sweat for your own food, do your own things, and rely on others, and you are not a hero if you rely on others like you or your ancestors"?
My lord, the world has changed!

In addition to accepting the title and presenting the "Emperor's New Clothes", Byron's other main purpose of returning this time was to examine the strength of his partners.

Evaluate in advance whether these former partners can help share the pressure from the traditionalists once a war breaks out between him and the York family.

Hearing Catherine's words of comfort, [Holy Hammer] Oliver also realized his own misconduct, glanced at Byron and straightened his expression:

“On behalf of the church, I would like to thank several people for their timely intervention to prevent the disaster from spreading.

Please evacuate first, and leave the rest to us [Night Watchmen]. "

"That's fine. The identity of the victim and the way he died are both somewhat sensitive, so it's not appropriate for us to get deeply involved. Thank you for your help, sir."

Byron had learned from his father that Paladin was Oliver's extraordinary profession, and Night Watchman was his main job.

The Night Watch is an independent organization within the church, and they exist in any church-state that is recognized by the Silver Law.

They never interfere in worldly affairs and exist only to protect the human race.

Organization motto:

"We swear to protect this world and fight against the 'deep sea'!"

"We hide in darkness and have no chance of power!"

"We are the ones who hold the sword, and one day, we will die by the sword!"

The organization itself bears a powerful curse from the Sea of ​​Element: "No one has a good end."

No one in this organization will survive to old age.

The job of the Night's Watch, which is selfless and focused on public interest, is indeed very suitable for most of the [Paladins] who have no children and only firm beliefs.

This is also why the traditionalists, knowing clearly that many people in the Night's Watch and Paladins are dissatisfied with their actions and have secretly joined the Protestant religion with purer beliefs, cannot kill them, nor dare to do so.

If they dare to throw away the ballast stone, the first one to be hit will be the church itself.

When Byron and his party were about to leave the hall, the Paladin suddenly spoke up and reminded them:
"I seem to smell the scent of evil gods and their lackeys here. If you get any news of heresy, please report it to the Night Watch immediately.

Especially, Mr. Saint Byron, if you are interested in joining the Night Watch, I am willing to be your guide. "

The evil gods mentioned by the church are the old gods, but as a monotheistic religion, they will never admit that those guys soaking in the sea of ​​source have ever stood shoulder to shoulder with the Creator.

"Sir Holy Hammer, no problem. My investiture ceremony will be the day after tomorrow, and I don't want anyone to disrupt it.

As for joining the Night's Watch? There's a chance we can work together."

Byron agreed, but he sneered in his heart:

“Report a suspected heretic who has converted to the evil god?

Boring, this time I just want to see a river of blood!"

Although he admired the noble sentiments of these paladins and night watchmen, he would never be able to become one of them.

As long as it doesn't affect civilians, he would like the royalists and the earls to kill each other.

If the fight wasn't brutal enough, Byron might have deliberately added fuel to the fire.

He walked out of the building with Catherine and Salant, and the dark crowd of [Deathwings] behind him lined up in two neat rows, following silently in the rain.

Tap tap tap.
The invisible sense of oppression made the follow-up arrive late, and the City Guards and the Star Chamber Court, who were only responsible for cleaning the floor, swallowed their saliva and automatically moved to the sides. No one dared to come forward to talk.

However, Byron's [divine vision] fell into the increasingly thick cumulonimbus clouds a few hundred meters above his head.

The logbook was smudged with ink: "Painter No. 10, God of Rain Notos, created by [Painter of Hell] Leonardo."

His eyes flashed, and he already knew why the death stranding accident occurred even though the material world had just entered the "intertidal zone".

"It is difficult to flood the whole area, but it is easy to flood part of the area, for example, a heavy rainstorm plus a bloody massacre in the palace.

Things are getting more and more interesting.”

[Secret: The Death Stranding incident under the bipartisan dispute, historical impact 28] The decoding density jumped to 46%.

A few streets away from the crime scene, a loft in a building with a great view was carefully decorated to look like a studio. The small space was filled with exquisite paintings of all sizes.

It's just that although these paintings look lifelike, the contents on them are all a bit too gloomy and bloody.

Most of the paintings are numbered from one to eighteen, and have a uniform prefix in their names: "Eighteen Scenes of Hell".

A young painter was holding a brush and palette, painting an equally gloomy oil painting of the Kingston city outside the window.

The main body is an almost one-to-one perfect replica of the royal capital city, and the center is exactly the Ganquan Palace that has belonged to the White Rose York Family.

However, a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns spread its wings in the sky, casting a dark shadow that covered the entire Ganquan Palace and several nearby streets.

Melrose Avenue, not far from Ganquan Palace, is one of them.

If anyone has studied the Gospel of Genesis, they will be able to recognize at a glance that the extra image in this painting is [The Messenger of the Abyss, the Great Red Dragon Abaddon]!
According to legend, it is the incarnation of the devil. During the war of gods at Ragnarok, it wanted to devour the son born of the woman clothed in the sun, that is, the Son of the Trinity of the Creator, but was knocked to the ground in the battle.

Then he was captured by angels sent by the Creator, tied with huge chains, and thrown into the bottomless pit at the edge of the world, to be imprisoned for fifteen hundred years.

The great red dragon Abaddon is known not only as the Messenger of the Abyss, but also as the Lord of the Abyss and the King of Harmful Grasshoppers.

He wields powerful powers such as "Land of Destruction", "Realm of the Dead", and "Plague".

However, a few ancient explorers like Byron knew that all the villains mentioned in the Gospel of Genesis were old gods believed in by various races in the mythological era.

For example, the great red dragon king Abaddon was originally the ruler of the Channel Islands during the era when the Dragon Court ruled the entire Old World.

Even the famous ancient [Knight King] has the blood of the red dragon and is called the "Red Dragon of Hattings".

As for now, this person is most likely another avenger who has been lying dead in the sea for more than a thousand years and is seeking to make a comeback.

"Leonardo, what's going on? I just received a message from the city guards. Why was the 'Death Stranding' triggered early?!"

The French network was intertwined in the studio, and a burly shadow with gray hair but full of majesty appeared behind the painter and questioned him urgently.

At the same time, the dark [Headless Knight] in oil painting No. 3 suddenly let out a scream.

Then it fell to the canvas in pieces as if it had been chopped.

Then the paint turned black and flowed all over the canvas.

The painter then stopped his brush and turned around with a frown.

It is clear that Leonardo, the "Painter of Hell" with mysterious methods, is just a handsome young man in his twenties.

He was wearing an ordinary white shirt and black trousers. His long golden hair was braided and hung down to his vest. His olive green eyes were extremely deep.

No matter where he goes, he is regarded as a standard artist in the eyes of ordinary people.

And there is indeed the eccentricity of art practitioners.

He completely ignored the questioning of the [King Maker] Earl of Warwick, and instead took out a pile of powder and remixed the pigments as soon as possible.

He then poured out from a small glass bottle beside him a magical liquid that was as light as gas and as heavy as mercury.

It makes ordinary paint present an extremely real dreamy texture.

One can't help but wonder, in the next second these pigments may turn into cream bread, clouds, castles, night sky, and other real existences.

[The Kingmaker] Warwick had long known the character of this collaborator, and his tolerance for him was clearly high.

But seeing him paint with the extremely precious "fifth element" made me feel a pang of pain.

The forbidden book "The Seal of the Beast of the Abyss" obtained from the secret society "The Abyss Esoteric Society" to which the other party belongs says:
“The fifth element is mercury, which has a dual nature of spirit and life in itself, and can handle all that is not solid and imperfect.

It is eternal brilliance, the panacea that can fulfill all wishes, the phoenix that blesses the glory of heaven, the most precious treasure of all wealth, and the most important property of the entire nature.

As long as the soul obtains a steady supply of the fifth element, it can achieve immortality!
Although it is not as perfect as the blood of eternal life, it is also a treasure in the world.

All the [Evil Spirits and Lost Homelanders] born in the Death Stranding accident are essentially just extractors of the fifth element.

It can absorb the existence and lifespan of living people and transform them into this precious substance."

[Painter of Hell] Leonardo picked up his brush and painted, quickly repainting a more ferocious [Headless Horseman] on the canvas.

Theoretically immortal being was discovered by Byron and killed, and a new cursed spirit was born again.

The painter looked at his work and nodded with satisfaction. He then looked at the King Maker behind him and explained to him casually:

“The water level is not high enough for now, and the death of less than five people at a time will not cause an accident.

This time, a group of nobles were holding a monster party and encountered a monster rampage, and their death was not so dignified.

The souls of many extraordinary beings with strong resentment were born at the same time, which accidentally triggered the "Death Stranding" incident in a certain area.

Although there was a minor accident in the middle, it was handled in time and did not cause the situation to get out of control.

Please rest assured, sir, this kind of forbidden knowledge has never appeared in the Old World before, and they do not know the nature of 'Death Stranding'.

By the time the Inquisition and the Night's Watch find some clues, our plan will have already succeeded.

However, Your Excellency the Kingmaker, you are really bold. You dare to come to me in the royal capital by using the legal projection of the [Iron Law of Kingly Power].

Aren't you afraid that His Majesty the King will notice it?"

[King Maker] Warwick heard the other party's explanation and knew that this accident would not affect his future plans. His expression relaxed a little and he said with some pride:
“Although I am not from York or Lancaster, and I am not a descendant of any branch of the Plantagenet dynasty, the Kingdom of Hattings still has half of my kingmaker Warwick.

Add to that the Earl's party that I control, and I'm afraid that the so-called 'Majesty' may not have as much weight in the Magna Carta as I do."

In fact, the special effects of the title "King Maker" are somewhat similar to Byron's stocks. As a powerful minister and the first meritorious official, supporting a king to ascend the throne can divide half of his power.

Even staying overnight on the dragon bed is only one step away.

As long as his son-in-law George, Duke of Clarence, can successfully ascend the throne, Warwick will personally put on the crown that originally belonged to Edward IV for him and can also share half of the power.

By that time, the entire Kingdom of Hastings was in power, and the son-in-law, the new King George, was just a puppet in public.

It was enough to allow him to reach the ultimate level of a powerful official from another family - commanding the princes with the king.

more importantly.
Warwick's eyes flickered with a fiery flame.

“The fourth-order mythical creature corresponding to the forbidden book “Seal of the Beast of the Bottomless Pit” is the [Devil] that rules the Bottomless Pit of Hell!
Although they are spiritual creatures, they can also gain immortality through trickery.

It is because the soul and the fifth element are the source of the devil's eternal life that they become the currency of the devil's transactions.

As long as the soul is immortal, it can possess other people at will, replace its own body which will eventually age, and live forever in the world.

The best person to possess is one's own bloodline descendant, whether it is a direct bloodline or a grandson!"

Yes, grandson.

The succession to the throne in the Old World has always been based on bloodline. Under the [Iron Law of Royal Power], only nobles with royal bloodline and who are higher in the order of succession have the opportunity to become king.

Although the Kingmaker Warwick was powerful and could help Edward IV obtain the throne, he had no advantage in this regard and would never be recognized by the law.

According to common sense, no matter how powerful he is, he can only be a powerful relative of the king's mother's family, helping his grandson suppress his uncles with the same surname.

But the forbidden book "The Seal of the Beast of the Bottomless Pit" gave him a brand new opportunity.

Therefore, Warwick the Kingmaker had only one goal, which was to become the person with the greatest influence on the king and let his daughter give birth to a child with York's puppet king.

Then take over the grandson's body.

As long as he obtains the blood of the House of York, wouldn't it be easy for him to take the throne of this country by taking both approaches?
He doesn't even care whether it's a girl or a boy.

Anyway, if the plan goes well, Warwick will change his body every few decades, and sooner or later he will have his first experience with a woman.

Moreover, this is not just speculation, but successful cases are right before our eyes.

According to legend, there is a super all-rounder who is a painter, sculptor, scientist, military engineer, architect, etc. - Leonardo, the "Painter of Hell".

The true artists of these palace sequences are so perceptive that when they open their spiritual vision they can often see many things they shouldn't see.

And it is called: inspiration.

Maybe it would be okay in peacetime when the [Silver Law] strictly protects it.

But as the world slides into the "intertidal zone", they have gradually become walking time bombs.

For example, Leonardo, the "Painter of Hell", is said to have visited hell while in a coma after an accidental hit on the head. After waking up, he suddenly gained extraordinary painting skills and painted countless scenes of hell, each of which was a powerful cursed object.

Moreover, he knows everything without studying and is familiar with countless advanced knowledge that is unknown to the public.

But in fact, his body has been occupied by his ancestors from countless generations ago and has become someone else's vessel of immortality.

He is also a role model.

[King Maker] Warwick looked at Leonardo with burning eyes and said coldly:

"The day after tomorrow will be the knighthood ceremony for Byron Tudor. I want him to die miserably and the blood of the royalists to flow like a river!"

[Painter of Hell] Leonardo nodded calmly.

"as you wish."

He picked up the paintbrush and painted two more strokes on the oil painting in front of him. The heavy rain in the sky immediately became heavier, and the water on the ground rose higher and higher.

After being castrated, the [Iron Law of Royal Power] no longer has the power to command nature. Two days later, Ganquan Palace will surely become a swamp.

The rising water level will also become an excellent breeding ground for countless "lost people"!

Warwick left with satisfaction, and did not notice the hint of mockery that flashed in the eyes of the [Painter of Hell] behind him.

(End of this chapter)