Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 203 Leonard: Huh?

The church courtyard.

Walking along the winding path with ease, passing two statues of guardian knights, Luo Xiu soon arrived at the main entrance of the "Place of Holy Judgment".

Since the previous invasion by the Original Sect, security has been stepped up everywhere inside the church, and the "House of Holy Judgment" also has new clergymen in charge of guarding the main entrance.

When the clergyman on duty at the Holy Judgment Hall saw the "deacon" Luo Xiu coming, he nodded slightly to him and said:

"May the Holy Light be with you forever, Master Deacon. The Master Priest is waiting for you."

"Well, may you be bathed in the holy light forever." Luo Xiu nodded slightly in response, then took a step and entered the "Place of Holy Judgment".

He walked straight to the door of Priest Leonard's room, knocked twice, and then pushed the door open.

Just like Leonard in his memory, the old priest was buried in the files piled on the table.

When he heard the door being pushed open and footsteps coming, Leonard raised his head slightly and glanced at the visitor.

When Leonard saw that the person who came was the church's "deacon" Ross Carlos, his frown relaxed a little, and he said with relief:
"Luo Xiu, you're finally back. I thought you would wait at least ten months before coming back."

"Master Priest, my 'preaching' journey in Songyuan City has come to an end."

Luo Xiu answered in a calm tone. He walked forward a few steps skillfully, pulled out a high-back chair from in front of Leonard's desk, and sat down on it generously.

Leonard put down the file and pen in his hand, looked at Luo Xiu calmly and gently with his deep eyes, and said:
"Some time ago, the church did receive a large amount of extraordinary materials shipped from the 'Law Department' in Songyuan City, and a letter from you was also sent along with it."

"Is it about the compensation for the previous Red Maple City Rodif incident? I had forgotten about this matter, but I didn't expect that group of Supremes would be so generous..."

"..."

Leonard said this with some interest, and the pen in his hand tapped lightly on the table as he spoke, making an interlude sound in unison.

"After all, that is the problem of the Attorney General's Office. They don't know the people well enough."

Luo Xiu spread his hands and said, "I just want to seek the compensation we deserve from them, from those people of the Supreme."

"..."

"Very good, Luo Xiu, you did a great job."

Leonard nodded, expressing satisfaction with the results of Luo Xiu's "preaching".

He then said to Luo Xiu: "During the time you were away, a lot of things happened in the church."

"Luo Xiu, I think you should have heard it when you came here... Pamier has also opened her 'door' and became the 'Knight of Judgment' of the Triple Fate. Now, she is also a 'Holy Inquisitor' like you."

"Although Pamier's promotion speed is not as fast as yours, and she is not a 'Son of Glory', but... since she was promoted to the second destiny, she has completed the promotion again in just one and a half years. This is quite good among your younger generation of clergy."

"Well, I did hear it from a trainee priest."

Luo Xiu nodded and said, "I came back in a hurry and didn't have time to find Pamier and the others... Are they in the church now?"

"No, they're not." Leonard shook his head.

"A new transfer order has been received from the Holy Court. They have been transferred to churches in cities on the borders of the empire, ready to carry out new missions at any time."

"We have received accurate information from the Imperial Court that the troops within the Dark Principality have started to move and are gathering towards the border of the Empire."

"..."

"You mean..." Luo Xiu frowned.

"...Well, it's what you guessed."

Leonard's tone suddenly became much more serious, and he said:

"Although the army of the Dark Principality has not yet truly invaded the Empire's territory, the war... the people of the Empire are still unaware of this, but the Holy See has already smelled the scent of war."

It turned out that from this time on, the "War of Revenge" first provoked by the Dark Principality had really begun to take shape... Luo Xiu thought to himself, and then he asked Leonard, "Where were Anthony, Pamier and the others transferred to?"

"Anthony, Pamier, and Connor, they were transferred to Red Maple City."

Leonard replied, "The clergyman of the Glorious Church in Red Maple City, the 'Holy Light Priest' Colum, reported your achievements in carrying out the 'Judgment of Heresy' to the deacons sent by the Holy See-Songyuan Diocese."

"The deacon was satisfied with your performance. The bishops of the diocese decided to transfer all the Holy Inquisition members of Anthony's Holy Inquisition Team who were participating in the mission to Maple City and to establish a 'wartime church' there."

"Originally, you should have been transferred there, Luo Xiu. After all, according to the situation at the time, you were the one who successfully completed that mission."

When he said this, the wrinkles on Leonard's face trembled slightly, and he said with a smile:

"But unfortunately, when the Holy See deacons came to the Sina City Church to conduct an 'assessment' on Anthony and the others, you happened to take a leave and missed this opportunity."

"..."

Maple City? Anthony, Pamier and the others were transferred to Maple City... The trainee priest who was on duty at the church didn't tell me this. Is this a confidential matter within the church?
Luo Xiu began to recall the "Red Maple City" which was the main city of players in his previous life. Although there was indeed a newly established "Wartime Church" there, Anthony and his companions were not among the clergy or judges of that church at that time.

This was related to the fact that he had perfectly exposed Lord Rodif's collusion with the enemy and successfully judged the pagans of the "Ancient Hermitage", and Leonard had also clearly stated the connection between them... Luo Xiu was thinking about this in a divergent way.

"…This is indeed a rare opportunity, Master Priest."

Luo Xiu considered his words and said to Leonard with a smile:
"If a war really breaks out between the Empire and the Principality, we will sooner or later be transferred to the frontline churches or cathedrals to preach truth, goodness and justice to those evildoers with the Holy Light. I am not in a hurry."

"From this perspective, Captain Anthony and his team are the pioneers who are paving the way for us."

"..."

"Haha, Trail Blazers." Leonard also laughed and said, "I like this metaphor."

"…There is one more thing, Luo Xiu."

Leonard changed the subject and said to Luo Xiu:
"The Holy See also issued a new appointment to me, asking me, Kalvigit, and Markis, three "priests" of the Sina City Church, to choose one person to go to Red Maple City to serve as the presiding high priest of the "Wartime Church."

"And I have been in charge of the 'Holy Inquisition' in the Sina City Church for many years. Luo Xiu, I can't get away..."

"Kalvegit and Malkis are in a similar situation to me. They are even less suitable than me to go to Red Maple City and take up such a position."

"In the end, this burden still falls on me, Luo Xiu... I may leave for Red Maple City in a few days."

"I have been waiting for you to come back because I want to tell you something."

Leonard paused for a moment, a look of sadness rarely revealed on his face, and said to Luo Xiu:
"Although you are only at the third level of destiny right now... but it shouldn't be too difficult for you to temporarily take over my job and handle the church's affairs regarding the Holy Inquisition..."

"..."

Luo Xiu saw that Priest Leonard, who was sitting opposite him, was looking at him earnestly, waiting for Luo Xiu to agree to his request.

"...No, Master Priest."

Luo Xiu shook his head and said in a calm and deep tone, "I can't promise you."

"..." Leonard seemed not to have expected Luo Xiu to reject his request, and was visibly stunned.

Then, he heard Luo Xiu continue to say: "I cannot take over your holy duties as the priest of the Holy Judgement of Sina City."

"But I can take your place and go to Red Maple City to serve as the 'Master of Ceremonies'."

……

——Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

In an instant, Leonard keenly noticed that the air waves around the "deacon" opposite him, Ross Carlos, began to surge violently.

At the same time, Leonard also felt the extremely surging spiritual power coming from Luo Xiu.

The sudden change made Leonard open his eyes wide, and he looked at the young praying man opposite him in disbelief.

"you you……"

Leonard seemed to be speechless due to his excitement, and he could hardly utter a complete sentence to express his inner surprise.

Leonard had felt it, a spiritual surge equal to his own extraordinary level.

——That is the spiritual surge that only those with the “quadruple destiny” can experience!
"You... Luo Xiu... you..."

Leonard felt the surging spiritual energy in the air, and looked at the priest opposite him with surprise, waiting for Luo Xiu's next words to confirm his original guess which had only a one in ten thousand chance.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Luo Xiu then said to Leonard gently but firmly:

"I am already a transcendent with the fourth destiny of [Glory]."

Leonard: "..."

"..."

"...Ah?" Leonard's heart was shaken, and he couldn't help but let out a cry.

Luo Xiu had personally said that he was at a truly extraordinary level, which finally confirmed Leonard's inner guess.

The doubts were dispelled, and what remained in Priest Leonard's heart was shock.

It was an extremely strong and incomparable shock.

He had never heard of any "Son of Glory" in the history of [Glory] who could be promoted to a transcendent being with a "quadruple destiny" in less than three months.

Such a fast promotion speed is difficult to achieve even for those "descendants of demigod" who can inherit the bloodline.

The person in today's "Holy See" who has achieved the fastest promotion to the "Quadruple Destiny" in history is one of the Pope's successors, the "Saint of Glory".

It is said that the saint of the "Holy See" was discovered to have talent and cultivated by the Pope of the Holy See when she was twelve years old. It took her nearly a year to be promoted to the fourth level of destiny, which has been regarded as a miracle by the archbishops and cardinals of the Holy See.

As for Luo Xiu, the reserved and gentle "priest" Luo Xiu Carlos, who was sitting opposite him, it took him less than three months to be promoted to the fourth level of destiny...

"This is the real miracle..." Leonard murmured subconsciously.

Leonard has confirmed Luo Xiu's current condition and has no doubt that he has truly been promoted to the fourth level of destiny.

"Luo Xiu...good boy, good boy..."

Inexplicably, whether out of envy or excitement, Leonard's eyes became moist.

"How... did you do it?" Leonard asked Luo Xiu in a soft voice.

"..."

"It may be because this preaching trip to Songyuan City allowed me to break through certain restrictions, see the truly bright future of [Glory], and be granted a lot of momentary divinity..."

As Luo Xiu spoke these explanations that he had already thought of, he also took out many tokens from Black Fang from his storage bracelet and introduced them to Leonard like he was telling them all:

"In Songyuan City, I destroyed three bases of the Black Fang, which belonged to the executioner of the Dark Principality... Look. There are a total of 18 tokens of the Black Fang and one token of the Fangshou..."

"..."

After listening to Luo Xiu's words, Leonard remained silent for a long time, just looking at the "tokens" displayed on the table with a somewhat confused look.

Then, Leonard gently picked up one of the sword guards with some mottled rust on it. It was the token of "Liaoshou" of the fourth destiny of [Ku Tu] that was "judged" by Luo Xiu.

"...You have already 'judged' a pagan of the fourth destiny. You don't even need to pass the test to become a true 'priest'."

Leonard sighed, stared at the sword in his hand for a long time, and then asked Luo Xiu:
"So... I haven't asked you this yet. When you were promoted to the fourth level of destiny, did you become the 'Judge of Crimes'?"

That was Luo Xiu's original glorious profession, "The Great Judge of Sin", the only higher-ranking profession that could be promoted through the normal route. But Leonard knew that there were some exceptions among his colleagues in the 'Fourfold Fate', so he asked Luo Xiu specifically.

"No, Priest... I did not become the 'Criminal'."

"I am now the 'Holy Judge'."

Luo Xiu answered solemnly.

"..."

"Holy Light... Judge..." Leonard murmured the name of this profession, with a look of relief in his eyes.

"This is better, this is better..."

Leonard had indeed heard of the "Holy Judge". When one was promoted from the priest route of [Glory], there was such a profession in the fourth destiny.

However, it does not have a specific promotion path, and is extremely rare among the [Glorious] transcendents of the same destiny level.

"I understand, Luo Xiu."

Finally, Priest Leonard nodded and said:

"Rosius Carlos, I have learned for sure that you have been promoted to the 'Fourth Fate' and become the 'Holy Light Judge'."

"As the incumbent priest of the Holy Inquisition of the Church of Sina City, I will terminate your position as Holy Inquisitor and submit a new application to Bishop Fabion and the diocese, formally applying for a new priest position for you."

"Now, we are on the same level, Luo Xiu. I no longer have the power to order you to do anything, but you can still regard me as a senior, a comrade, and even an old friend."

Leonard paused for a moment. When his inner surprise and shock gradually calmed down, a gentle smile finally appeared on the face of the old priest, and he said:

"I am very grateful to you, Luo Xiu. I will solemnly mention your willingness to volunteer to go to Red Maple City and serve as the 'High Priest' in my application to the diocese."

“I believe this will be a very important step.”

"For you, for me, and for our Sina City Church, we all deserve a brighter and better future."

……

(End of this chapter)