Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 204 Promotion Assessment and Arrangement

Afterwards, Luo Xiu chatted with Leonard for a while about some details and the process of "judgment" of Black Fang in Songyuan City, and then prepared to say goodbye to Leonard.

His main purpose in coming to the "Holy Judgment House" to find Leonard this time was actually to inform the old priest that he had officially been promoted to the "Quadruple Destiny".

For a clergyman who has reached this level of destiny, positions like "deacon" and "inquisitor" are no longer sufficient to accommodate his talents, and reporting to his "former superior" is a necessary step before promotion in the "Holy Court" system.

Before Luo Xiu officially served as the "priest" of the church, Leonard had already raised Luo Xiu's holy salary to the highest level within the scope of his authority.

Luo Xiu's original stipend was fifty gold coins per week. Leonard temporarily raised his stipend to one hundred and fifty gold coins per week, based on the standard of "candidate priest".

When he officially takes up the position of "priest", his stipend will be doubled, and it will be even more if he goes to Red Maple City to serve as "high priest".

This is a relatively stable income, Luo Xiu thought.

Although the returns are much lower than those from investing in the "Golden Country Bank", it can also serve as a guaranteed salary to ensure that his normal capital flow will not be interrupted, and will not affect the operation of the "Holy Abyss", his own extraordinary plans and daily life.

In Leonard's room, Luo Xiu watched Leonard finish writing the application letter.

In the letter, Leonard described in detail the experience of the priest "Roxiu Carlos" from joining the church to being promoted to the fourth-level destiny "Holy Light Judge", and mentioned at a key point his intention to let Roxiu go to Red Maple City to serve as the "high priest".

Once Leonard stamped the holy seal, put the application envelope in an envelope, and then stamped it with a gold wax seal, the application letter would have a very high priority and would be given priority by the parish.

"After that, I will deliver this application letter to the church's messenger."

Leonard said, "The journey to Songyuan City and the Holy Court Diocese will take at least a day. About three days later, they will send out a deacon to examine whether you are qualified to serve as the 'high priest.'"

"As for the assessment of the appointment of a 'celebrant', the diocese should send a senior deacon, which may be quite strict. However, I believe in your ability."

"..."

This was the final conclusion of the conversation between Luo Xiu and Leonard.

After that, Luo Xiu left the room and went to the bishop's throne of Bishop Fabion.

……

Sina City Church, the inner courtyard of the Cathedral of Glory, the Holy See of the Bishop.

Just like the purpose of talking to Leonard, it was also necessary to personally inform the old bishop about Luo Xiu's promotion to the "Quadruple Destiny".

This is also what Leonard meant. Although Fabien is not in good condition now, Fabien still has to make the final decision on all important matters in the church.

After getting Fabien's permission to enter, Luo Xiu went straight to Fabien's room and saw the old bishop half lying on the bed.

Bishop Fabien's face had become paler than when they met last time.

Fabian's body, corroded by the grey blood, is becoming weaker and weaker. Even if he can use the authority of "Glory" or the sacred arts to slow down the process of corrosion... but if he cannot completely eliminate the effects of the grey blood corrosion, he will eventually face the day when his flesh and blood will backfire and his body will collapse.

"Ah... Luo Xiu, you're back."

When he saw Luo Xiu, a faint smile appeared on Fabien's pale face.

"I... ahem... I heard from Leonard that you asked him for leave..."

"..."

"Yes, Bishop."

Luo Xiu nodded and said, "But I have already completed what I wanted to do. I think that perhaps the church needs me more now."

"Ahem... OK, good boy..."

Fabian coughed a few times, with a gentle expression on his face. "So... why did you come to see me this time?"

"..."

Luo Xiu didn't say anything, but silently took out a piece of letter from his arms.

It was another copy of the application letter Leonard had written to the diocese, which was given to Bishop Fabion.

When Leonard asked Luo Xiu to come to see Bishop Fabion, he also asked Luo Xiu to bring this letter to him.

It would save a lot of energy and time if he described again to Bishop Fabion the whole process of his promotion to the fourth level.

……

Fabien took the letter from Luo Xiu, opened the envelope and started reading it.

As he read on, a complex expression of surprise, shock, puzzlement and bewilderment gradually emerged on Fabien's originally calm face.

But as the bishop of the "Fifth Destiny", when Fabion learned from the letter that Luo Xiu was promoted to the Fourth Destiny in less than three months, his reaction was much calmer than Leonard's, and he did not rise to the level of self-doubt.

After reading the letter, Fabian folded it up and put it back into the envelope. He looked at Luo Xiu with a deep and peaceful gaze and said slowly:
"Leonard's letter... You have already reported this to Leonard."

"And now, Leonard's application to the diocese requires my final confirmation..."

"Kid, you really... have surpassed my expectations once again. I think Leonard must have been shocked beyond words when he learned that you were promoted to the 'Fourth Destiny'."

"You can be so proud of this, kid, it's a miracle of grace in a split second."

"..."

While saying this, Fabian returned the letter to Luo Xiu and said:

"Child, of course I agree with these. I agree that you can be promoted to the position of 'priest' of the church, and I have no objection to your wish to go to Red Maple City to serve as the 'high priest'... In fact, as long as you are capable enough to do them, I will not object."

After a pause, a faint sadness appeared on Fabien's face. He said with some concern:

"It's just that Red Maple City... that city located on the border, at the junction of the empire and the principality, have you really thought carefully about the dangers you may face in the future?"

"The original bishops of the diocese, as well as myself, all wanted Leonard to go to Red Maple City to serve as this holy office... After all, he is experienced enough to lead the 'Wartime Church' to make the right decision at a critical moment..."

"As a member of the Knights Templar, Leonard is also the most powerful priest among all the priests of the Church of Sina..."

"You are still too young, Luo Xiu. You don't have Leonard's rich experience, nor are you as proficient in the spiritual control of the 'Fourfold Destiny' as he is... To be honest, I am worried."

"..."

"Please be assured, Bishop."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly and said, "I know that I am inexperienced, but I think... the High Priest still needs to preside over the important task of the Holy Tribunal, and I want to do my best to share some of the burden with him."

"Please bear witness, Bishop, that I will pass the assessment for the diocesan deacon and prove that I am capable enough to shoulder these responsibilities. This will definitely be a better outcome for both me and the priest."

"..."

Fabian was silent for a moment. He looked at Luo Xiu again with his deep eyes. After staring at him for a long time, he slowly said:
"...Okay, Luo Xiu."

"I promise you, I will 'witness' all this, you can let go and do what you think is right."

"..."

"Thank you, Bishop." Luo Xiu nodded slightly and said to Fabien solemnly:

"Please believe me, Bishop. By the Holy Light, I will never let you down or betray your trust in me."

……

It was noon when we came out of Bishop Fabion's throne.

After Luo Xiu finished reporting to Leonard and Bishop Fabion, his schedule at the church could come to a temporary halt.

Now, Luo Xiu will not have any official tasks assigned by the church until the arrival of the "parish deacon" in three days, which is equivalent to extending his vacation by three days in disguise.

This allows him to make some subsequent schedule arrangements more calmly.

Previously, Luo Xiu expressed to Leonard his wish to succeed him and go to Red Maple City to serve as the "High Priest" of the "Wartime Church" to be established. This was also an important part of Luo Xiu's subsequent arrangements.

After all, the future Red Maple City will be the "main city of players", and Luo Xiu will naturally not let go of the opportunity to seize the high ground of the "Wartime Church" in advance.

According to Luo Xiu's memory from his previous life, Leonard was not the 'high priest' of the original 'Wartime Church' of Red Maple City.

He received the diocesan transfer order and was about to go to Red Maple City to take up his post, perhaps because he and Anthony had previously resolved the Rodif incident. "It really has a far-reaching impact..." Luo Xiu thought.

But this is a good thing. At least now the Glorious Church in Red Maple City is still under the jurisdiction of the Church in Sina City. If I or Leonard were to serve as the 'high priest', it would not fundamentally change this.

Judging from the current situation, the "Wartime Church" of Red Maple City will not be directly removed from the jurisdiction of the Sina City Church and operate independently as a special church as in the previous life.

And if it really is divided out as "independent", being able to serve as the "chief priest" would be enough as insurance... Luo Xiu is making plans for this in advance.

……

Luo Xiu was thinking about many possibilities about the future, and at the same time he walked towards the direction of the 'Holy Storage Hall'.

He now holds Leonard's latest stamp of certification and is a "quasi-priest" of the church. He no longer needs special permission to enter and exit the Holy Reservation Hall.

Luo Xiu then went straight into the Holy Storage Hall, took out several architectural drawings in the style of the "Holy Court", browsed through them roughly, memorized the contents firmly, and then put the drawings back to their original place.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu went to the storage hall where the sacred scrolls were stored and selected several sacred scrolls of the 'Quadruple Destiny' that were suitable for the priest profession.

After taking them out from the shelf and storing them in the bracelet, he took out twenty 'blank scrolls' from the storage room next door where materials were stored, and walked towards the door with these "harvests" fully loaded.

After returning to the main entrance of the Holy Storage Hall, Luo Xiu immediately left the information about how he took out the scrolls of holy arts and the blank scrolls to the clergyman on duty here. This was a necessary record.

The clergyman on duty carefully looked through the list that Luo Xiu had taken, and said to him respectfully:

"May the Holy Light always bathe you, Lord Luo Xiu. I hope these scrolls can truly help you."

"Thank you for your blessing, and may you be forever bathed in the holy light."

Luo Xiu nodded lightly, responded to the clergy on duty with a smile, then turned and left the Holy Storage Hall.

……

Afterwards, Luo Xiu walked along the nearest path to the church door, left the church, and walked towards the Triumphal Square.

Suddenly, he felt that the spirit he had left behind on a "fog shadow" on the foggy night of "Mist Hidden Raven" began to tremble slightly.

That was a communication request from an apostle, waiting for the "Lord" to access his spiritual transmission.

Luo Xiu then raised his arm and gently pressed his fingers on his forehead to "connect" to the spirituality.

“…Greetings to you, my Lord.”

A deep and rough voice came into Luo Xiu's ears. It was the voice of the "Berserk Swordsman" Bagli.

"According to your order, I will report to you the recent movements of 'Executioner' Koros and the 'Black Camp' he is in charge of."

"Yes." Luo Xiu responded to Bagli on a spiritual level, "Go ahead and talk. I'm listening."

"Okay, Lord."

Bagli's voice remained low:

"Three days ago, I followed your instructions and told Koros that the 'Fragment' was in the hands of the 'Pure Order' and that the targeted priest was a member of the 'Pure Order'."

"Koros believed it without any extra doubts. Then, he asked me to find the 'Hidden Omniscient' and contact one of their 'Hidden Elders', Baberon, and told me to tell him about the 'Pure Order' and the 'Fragmented Pages'."

"That elder Baberon was quite surprised after learning about the "Notes of Sayde"."

"His original words were, 'Said actually left behind a notebook, and that notebook actually fell into the hands of Koros. This is our [Intellectual] property and should never fall into the hands of outsiders.'"

"Baberon seemed to be quite dissatisfied. He condemned Koros for hiding this matter for so long. As an 'ally', Baberon thought Koros should have told him this earlier."

"Afterwards, Baberon asked me to tell Koros that the Hidden Omniscient One agreed to Koros's request and would help them deal with the Pure Order, but there were additional conditions."

"And the additional condition is - 'Koros needs to pay a large amount of hiring fees to the Hidden Omniscient and return the original copy of 'Sed's Notebook' to them'... But since Koros was the first to find the notebook, Baberon allowed Koros to keep a copy, but did not allow him to spread the contents of the notebook."

"Koros seemed distressed by this. He did not agree with the conditions proposed by Baberon."

"Finally, Koros and Baberon reached a new agreement - after taking back the remaining pages from the 'Pure Order', Koros will share the codex with the 'Hidden Omniscient', but the ownership of the codex will still be in Koros' hands, and Koros is willing to pay a higher fee for it."

"Baberon represents the 'Hidden Omniscient One' and agreed to what Koros proposed."

"And just yesterday, the 'Fang Head' and 'Black Fang' led by Koros, in collaboration with the warlocks of the 'Hidden Omniscient', have found a large base of the 'Pure Order' nearby and launched their first battle with them."

"In this first battle, all three parties suffered losses, but in the end, Koros and the 'Hidden Omniscient' still destroyed the large stronghold. However, they did not find what they wanted from the stronghold of the 'Pure Order'."

"…That's all I want to report to you, my Lord."

"..."

"Very good, Bagley."

Through spiritual conduction, Luo Xiu gave affirmation to Bagli.

"Keep a close eye on Koros, and report to me any important news at any time."

"…I will obey your will, my lord."

Bagli's voice finally uttered these words, and Luo Xiu severed his spiritual connection with him.

After "hanging up" the call with Bagli, a gloating expression suddenly appeared on Luo Xiu's face.

With his instigation, the "Executioner" Koros and the "Pure Order" actually started fighting...

And their fight even involves the Hidden Omniscient, which is an unexpected bonus!

When the horn of the "War of Judgment" is truly sounded, whether it is the "Dark Principality", "Hidden Omniscient" or "Pure Cult", they are all enemies of the Nolan Empire...

Luo Xiu was thinking about all this in his mind. His current camp on the surface was the 'Holy Court', so he could be considered to be on the side of the Empire.

While the enemies are fighting among themselves now, it is only draining their strength and easing the resistance that we may encounter in the future.

Luo Xiu remembered Koros's movements, and then used the ability of "Family Emblem" to send a message to Index.

After the transmitted spirituality was received, Luo Xiu "heard" Index's voice on the spiritual level, and he gave Index a new order:
"Intis, I will instill some images of the blueprints into you in a spiritual way."

"I need you to copy them onto paper and find an architect with a clean record to plan and build them in the Forgotten Court."

"Before we find the architect, I need you to keep an eye on the movements of other apostles. To expand the power and scale of Holy Abyss, we also need to pay more attention to the original forces behind the apostles."

"...I will arrange the follow-up matters later. Index, this is your mission now."

"..."

"I will obey your will, my lord."

Index responded to Ross's orders on a spiritual level, and then Ross broke the connection.

He had no other arrangements for the time being. Among the relatively important matters, the only one he had not sent anyone to investigate was the hidden mission [The Disappearing Gravel] entrusted by Mir.

But right now, Luo Xiu has no idea how to complete this task.

He was not prepared to easily assign this "hell difficulty" hidden mission to his apostles to collect intelligence, so as not to alert the enemy and attract the attention of some troublesome existence.

Luo Xiu was not prepared and just left the task vacant.

He then personally explored various taverns and adventurer guilds in Sina City, concealed his identity, and inquired about the relevant information indirectly, but did not get any useful information.

……

Three days passed in a flash.

On the morning of the fourth day, when Luo Xiu left the White Antelope Hotel and went to the church for his routine report.

The clergyman who was in charge of guarding the church gate told him an important news.

——A “senior deacon” from Songyuan Diocese had arrived in the evening of the previous day.

……

(End of this chapter)