Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 277 [New Home] (5k6)

The high priest of the church? Ross Carlos? Thomas chewed on the name silently.

On the way to Red Maple City, he had heard the priest Mayyev mention this respected "High Priest" more than once.

From Mayev, Thomas learned many stories about "Rosius Carlos".

For example, he is the fastest person to be promoted to the fourth level of destiny among the existing clergy of the Holy Court, and he has killed countless pagans with third and fourth levels of destiny. He also led the Red Maple City Church to grow and develop step by step, and smashed the conspiracy of the enemy "Executioner" time and time again...

——Powerful! To Thomas, "powerful" is the synonym of Rossio Carlos.

Thomas looked around and saw that the originally restless players were now eagerly waiting. They seemed to have heard about the deeds of "Rosius Carlos" from other priests and were full of curiosity about him.

But the high priest of the church had not appeared yet. Thomas saw that other players who were regarded as "refugees" were still being led into the church one by one by the clergy. The number of players gathered here soon reached more than two thousand.

In addition to the players, the clergy also brought in some civilians from Red Maple City and refugees wandering outside the city.

It seems that this is not a gathering for the identity symbol behind the "players" group? But a gathering similar to the "Citizens' Assembly" in ancient Western countries? Thomas guessed.

Soon, more than five thousand people gathered in the church courtyard.

Most of the people gathered here are civilians, half of them are players, and the rest are real civilians.

Thomas's panel detection of them showed this result - those real civilians were just "ordinary NPCs", ranging in level from lv.1 to lv.5, and had not embarked on any extraordinary destiny.

Thomas realized this and stopped focusing on them. Instead, he chatted with other players in the [World Channel] while waiting silently.

Right around the crowd, more than two hundred clergymen of the first and second levels of destiny had surrounded them.

Although some players were eager to do something, after looking at the clergy who were standing guard meticulously, they chose to follow their hearts and temporarily suppressed the urge to commit suicide.

At this time, the players all bowed their heads and kept silent, discussing the matter enthusiastically in their minds. The citizens who were "invited" here whispered to each other, speculating on the purpose of the church summoning them this time.

Just when everyone was discussing in private, suddenly, the statue in the center of the altar lit up with a dazzling light.

Everyone's attention was attracted by the light of the statue on the altar. Thomas then saw nine clergymen dressed in sacred clothing appear on the altar.

At this moment, Thomas realized that Mayev, who had always been in front of him, had left at some point and appeared among the nine priests on the altar!
New characters suddenly appeared, diverting the players' attention and throwing detections at them.

Not surprisingly, the detection results showed that except for the names of the priests appearing on the altar, almost all other entries were question marks!
That is the first-class fighting force of the church, second only to the High Priest... It is said that their priesthood is "deacon"? Thomas thought to himself, and then he saw the "deacon" on the altar walked to the sides, leaving a large space in the middle of the altar empty.

The atmosphere in the field suddenly became silent. Suddenly, Thomas seemed to hear a sound like the neighing of a war horse.

There was a twitching sound of wind in the air, and Thomas felt as if a bright light flashed at the edge of his vision.

He then looked up and saw a scene that shocked him for a long time -

It was a golden Pegasus with wings on its back! It galloped through the air with its head held high, leaving behind a clear golden glow!
On the back of the Pegasus, a priest dressed in a gold-patterned open robe was riding it and descending toward the altar!
——Boom! At the moment when the golden Pegasus fell on the altar, a slight roar sounded, and a circle of bright golden light suddenly bloomed on the altar, stirring up a light mist that blocked everyone's sight.

"Woc, what is that!" Some players in the channel expressed shock, and many players echoed him.

Thomas was also greatly shocked - this was definitely the ability of [Glorious]! Moreover, in terms of special effects and strength, it was much stronger than the one that Maiev had used before!

Also, that golden Pegasus... is that some kind of summoned creature? Like a guardian beast, a divine beast, or something like that? It looks like the Fate of Glory also has a summoned creature system...

Thomas was thinking about these things with great excitement. His eyes were wide open, and he focused on the light mist that was slowly dissipating on the altar, not wanting to miss any details of the scene.

When the light mist dissipated, the golden Pegasus had disappeared, but the priest who rode it appeared in everyone's sight calmly with a smile on his face.

He was a priest with black hair, golden eyes, and wearing a white priest robe.

He looked quite young, but his face did not have the childishness that other people of his age would have. Instead, he had a calm expression as if he was keeping a secret.

The patterns on the clerical garments he wore were more complex and gorgeous than those of other clergymen, which seemed to indirectly indicate his identity.

The "deacons" around him performed sacraments to the newly appeared clergy, and the clergy scattered around the crowd also looked at him devoutly, their eyes full of reverence.

At this moment, Thomas saw that the civilians from Red Maple City who had gathered here all seemed to recognize him. Most of them also had respect in their eyes, which was enough to explain something deeper.

Afterwards, like most players, Thomas performed a panel detection on the newly appeared young priest.

The feedback was exactly the same as he had guessed.

Roch Carlos! That is indeed the "High Priest" of the church, Roch Carlos!
The panel detection of him showed similar results to the detection of the previous priest Mayyev, all of which were big question marks.

Even the detection results of "Rosius Carlos" only showed a question mark as to his specific fate!
Perhaps it was due to the huge difference in levels... However, Thomas was certain, based on what he had just seen, that the "High Priest" of this church must be destined to be "Glorious"!
As he was thinking about this, Thomas vaguely felt that the "high priest" on the altar seemed to glance in his direction.

But the feeling of glimpse soon disappeared, and Thomas did not see any changes on the face of the high priest on the stage. This made Thomas vaguely suspect that it might be an illusion caused by his excessive concentration.

While thinking about this, the "High Priest" on the altar slowly spoke:

"Welcome, guests from afar, and diligent citizens."

"I am the head of the church, Ross Carlos. I sincerely thank you for accepting the church's invitation to come here."

Invite? Thomas pondered the word. He looked at the civilians beside him. There was no special reaction on their faces. It looked like what the high priest said.

Luo Xiu Carlos then said loudly:

"I know that you are all loyal subjects of the Empire. In this remote place, you wanted to live a peaceful life away from disputes."

"But - war! An unjust and blasphemous war suddenly broke out, dragging all of us into the center of the vortex!"

"As everyone knows, the Dark Principality, the nest of evildoers, has invaded our country! In the name of revenge, they ruthlessly trampled on the land of the empire, destroyed ancient churches, kidnapped innocent people, insulted chaste women, broke the spines of young children, and made their heads into wine cups. They enjoy doing this and regard it as the pride of the victor!"

"Everyone - some of you have been forced to leave your hometown and come here because your hometown has been destroyed. Some of you have ancestors who were residents of Red Maple City, but you lost your homeland due to the enemy's shameless invasion."

"I understand your pain because I have seen too many, too many similar tragedies."

"But now, the city you are in - the fortress that has never collapsed or fallen despite countless enemy attacks - Red Maple City! This is the last fortress and the last home on the border of Songyuan Territory."

"However, this last home is facing threats from the enemy. Our home is being destroyed and invaded. But we are not lambs to be slaughtered. We should be fighters for freedom. We fight to defend our dignity and freedom!"

“For this reason, I urge you, I encourage you.”

"We will drive the vicious bandits out of our land. We will engage in a noble, holy war - a war of judgment!"

"Let all evil and oppression cease, and goodness and peace will eventually take root and grow!"

“We have gathered here for this purpose and now we can bask in the same warm sunshine.”

"But the war will not stop. I know you will be afraid, frustrated and even desperate - but don't be afraid. The moment will protect us, and the church will always stand by you."

"I promise you."

“No matter where you came from, since you are now standing here, on the land of Red Maple City, we are comrades with one will.”

"I will give you shelter, a place to keep you out of the wind and rain; I will give you clothes so that you won't curl up in the cold; I will give you money and food so that you won't be hungry."

"But the best of all is to give you hope that you can create a better future with your own hands."

"I invite you."

“I invite you to fight for Red Maple City and regard it as your true home.”

"..."

……

Thomas was indeed feeling a surge of emotion while listening to Ross Carlos's speech.

It has to be said that the high priest’s speech was indeed very infectious. Although Thomas was not a real “refugee”, he was also touched from the bottom of his heart.

The real "civilians" around him had excited expressions on their faces. Some of them had red eyes, bulging veins on their necks, and their eyes seemed to be burning with flames.

Compared to himself and other players, they are the real "refugees"... Thomas thought.

At the same time, in front of Thomas, his interface suddenly popped up. It was a prompt to accept two tasks -

[Main Quest: Judgment War (?? Difficulty)]

[Recommended level: lv.1~lv.100, first level of destiny and above]

[Task Type: Main Mission]

[Mission Description: At the end of the 767th year of the Apocalypse, the cavalry of the "Dark Principality" broke through the border of the Nolan Empire, and the Dark Duke officially declared war on the Nolan Empire.

You were born in the continent of Fanor in troubled times, and the Ring of Apocalypse gave you the power to choose your camp.

Should he join the "Nolan Empire" and cooperate with the Supreme to launch a just trial against the thieves of the "Dark Principality"? Or should he join the "Dark Principality" to overthrow the empire's dominance and achieve revenge?

Or you can become a witness of this war and join the "Holy Tower Kingdom", "Golden Country Federation" or "Kashyapa Pure Land"... Of course, you can also become a lone wanderer.

All the paths are open to you, and you only have to take one.

Now, make your choice and wait to witness the results of your choice. 】

[Main Quest Guide: Choose Your Camp]

【…】

Damn...it's the main quest!

Just after listening to the speech of the church's "High Priest", the main task popped up on the panel!
Thomas looked at the refreshed content on the panel with bright eyes. Although he didn't know the real principle of triggering the main line, it was obvious that he finally had a vague idea of ​​what he should do next.

And now, the flashing light on the panel seemed to be urging him to make a camp choice.

After listening to the speech of the church's "High Priest", Thomas decided to join the "Nolan Empire" without much hesitation.

【…】

[Main quest guide: Choose your camp (completed. Current camp: Nolan Empire)]

[Automatically generate mission objectives based on the current camp. The current camp is "Nolan Empire"]

[Phase 1 Mission Objective: Assist the "Nolan Empire" army to resist the invasion of the "Dark Principality"]

[Second stage mission objective: Assist the "Nolan Empire" army to capture the "Dark Principality" territory]

[Third stage mission objective: Assist the "Nolan Empire" army to destroy the "Dark Principality"]

[Main Mission Notes: Killing enemy units and successfully assisting your own team in completing specific goals will earn you mission points (the final mission completion reward will be calculated based on the completion of the stage mission goals and the number of points earned)]

[Current mission points: 0]

【完成奖励一览：基础经验+120000+、专属命途随机技艺*1~3、专属命途随机技能*1~3、专属命途随机专长*1~3、技艺槽位*3~10、技能槽位*3~10……视任务目标的完成度结算……】

【…】

After confirming his own camp, the content after the [Main Mission] quickly appeared on Thomas's panel.

When Thomas saw the list of rewards for completing the mission, his eyes almost popped out.

Damn, this reward...

The basic experience points awarded...are as high as six figures?!
Not only that, after completing the main quest, you will even be rewarded with skills, abilities, and expertise... Although Thomas has not yet embarked on his destiny and achieved extraordinary success, he has already felt how sweet the rewards he will get after completing the main quest.

It's worthy of being the main quest! Thomas secretly praised it. He looked at his character panel again. At this time, he was at level 1 and only needed a few hundred experience points to level up. He couldn't help but covet the reward after completing the main quest.

However, Thomas also knew that if he wanted to complete a [main mission] like this, he would have to wait a very, very long time.

Moreover, it seems that this "Judgment War" will not be over so quickly. If you want to quickly improve your strength, you still have to start with small tasks within your ability...

As Thomas thought about this, he remembered that the panel seemed to have skipped two tasks in a row, so he temporarily hid the main task aside and looked at the panel of the second task.

[Trigger the commission task]

[Commissioned Mission: New Home (Normal Difficulty)]

[Recommended level: lv.1]

[Task type: commissioned task]

[Mission Description: After listening to the speech of the "High Priest" of the Red Maple City Church, Luo Xiu Carlos, you are sheltered by the church as a "refugee" who has fled here, but you are not willing to accept this.]

[Among them, Luo Xiu Carlos has extended an invitation to you. He sincerely invites you to join Red Maple City and contribute to the defense and construction of Red Maple City. ]

[Mission Objective: Accept the invitation of Luo Xiu Carlos, obtain a job in Red Maple City under the arrangement of the church clergy, and actively participate in the work for more than 12 hours in total (current options: church patroller, city builder, city wall guard, forger apprentice...). ]

[Completion Reward: Basic Experience +1000, Luo Xiu·Carlos Favorability +10%, receive rewards from the church depending on your contribution, and may receive an invitation to officially join the church, the border court, or the square monument courtyard]

【…】

Oh...it turns out that coming to the church to listen to this speech also corresponds to a side quest...Thomas looked thoughtful.

He has already browsed through the contents of the [New Home] mission. Although the reward for completing it is much less than the main mission, it is a mission that players can complete now!
Moreover, although 1000 experience points may seem small, it is enough for players to upgrade their current level by 4 or 5 levels!

In addition, the most important reward for completing [New Home] lies in the half line of words behind it.

——It is possible to get an invitation to officially join the church, the border court, or the square monument courtyard!
This is the only opportunity known so far. Thomas looked thoughtful. This is the opportunity before him to gain extraordinary power!

This has to be done.jpg
After looking at the chat channel, it seems that many players have the same idea as me.

Thomas then secretly decided that after the party here was over, he would go to the clergy of the church to get a job. While slowly studying what this world was made of, he was prepared to work hard and try to complete the task within one day.

……

After gathering the "refugees" and citizens whose property had been destroyed and giving a speech in the church, Luo Xiu left the altar and left the rest of the matter to his clergy.

After that, he returned to the Holy See and observed the subsequent situation through the perspective of "Mist Shadow".

Most of the players seemed to be full of energy. After receiving new clothes and 5 silver coins of relief money under the leadership of the priests, they wanted to start working hard on their new "jobs".

Looking at the scene in front of him, Luo Xiu felt that his previous speech was quite successful.

He did manage to stir up the emotions of many "players". In order to further expand the appeal, he even had the clergy summon civilians to spread the feeling of hope in despair as much as possible.

Now, Luo Xiu felt that recruiting civilians in addition to the players was indeed the right choice.

Although this allocated a lot of manpower, it did allow players to experience the current situation of Red Maple City more realistically and immersively, and also avoided unnecessary suspicion caused by only players.

Although the players have nothing to do with this world, Luo Xiu knows that humans are ultimately creatures driven by emotions.

This can be seen from the fact that after the speech, in the main quest triggered by "participating in major events for a certain period of time", most players chose to join the Nolan Empire camp.

Afterwards, for the more than 2,000 players who chose to join the Nolan Empire camp, Luo Xiu paid more than 200,000 experience points and issued them a "commissioned mission" - [New Home], which gave the players a focus for their future actions.

After these steps, most players will now "play" according to his guidance, which is what Luo Xiu wants to achieve.

Then, what to do next is very clear.

Luo Xiu's eyes suddenly became deeper.

Regarding the "Bishop of the Dead" Passaro and his "Death-Birth God's Heir", the Gu that has been raised for so long is finally coming to the time of harvest.

There is also the "Holy Abyss", a hidden organization established by Luo Xiu himself, which is also the main base prepared for the players.

It is also waiting for the right time to debut.

……

(End of this chapter)