Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 319 Audience
After completing the commissioned quest [Night of Molten Iron and Burning Steel], I gained two feats, [Ironheart Hunter] and [Burning Steel Destroyer], both of which are very practical feats.

The rare specialty [Ironheart Hunter] further strengthens Luo Xiu's output strength, and the more low-health enemies are, the more suppressive they are;

The [Burning Steel Destroyer] is even more heavyweight. It brings Luo Xiu an impressive bonus to the "strength" and "resistance" attributes, and also significantly improves the "physical attack" and "defense reduction".

In addition, its biggest improvement is that it allows Luo Xiu to obtain up to 80% immunity to "fire" attribute damage! And 40% of the damage can be converted into a shield or used to counterattack the caster!

This harvest was quite sweet for Luo Xiu. Although he did not get the "Legendary" expertise, he still got a "rare" and an "epic" expertise, which were both hard upgrades.

After happily browsing the contents of the panel, Luo Xiu closed the panel and looked at the old blacksmith Balin who was still in a daze in front of him.

"You really brought... the head of 'King of Burning Steel' Harris..."

Balin stared blankly at the head with blood-stained hair in his hand, with an expression of disbelief and loss on his face.

"I have fulfilled my promise, Balin."

Luo Xiu looked at the old blacksmith in front of him and said calmly:
"So, what about you, Balin? Do you remember what you promised me?"

"..."

"I will also fulfill my promise."

Balin nodded slightly, organized his words, and said:
"I said before, if you can bring me the head of Harris, the 'King of Burning Steel', I can stay here peacefully and do things for you..."

"And there is the 'Steel Shield Mercenary Group' behind me. I will write a letter to my deputies in the name of the leader and ask them to follow you, just as they once followed me."

"Very good." Luo Xiu nodded with satisfaction.

"I'm glad, Balin, I'm glad you have this realization."

"I said I would not treat you unfairly. Later, I will have my apostles deliver all the materials, equipment, and weapons seized from the 'Steel Furnace' to you. You can study them, smelt them, and recast them at will. It's all up to you."

"In addition, there is the 'Burning Steel Furnace' - my apostles also recovered it from the depths of the Burning Steel Furnace's base. Although it was originally an evil furnace used for flesh and blood sacrifices, it also has powerful smelting and enchanting effects. I think you will be able to use it."

"Steel-burning furnace..." Balin murmured the name of the furnace in a daze.

He suddenly realized that the "Holy Abyss" not only killed the "King of Steel" Harris, but also completely destroyed the entire "Steel Furnace"!

This was even more thorough than Balin had expected... and he once again deeply realized that the power of the "Holy Abyss" might be beyond his imagination.

"I understand." Balin nodded and said solemnly:

"I will smelt them and recast them as you say."

"I will forge them into better and more powerful tools. I promise in the name of 'Ghostsmith'."

……

Afterwards, Luo Xiu left Bahrain's manor and returned towards the royal palace.

On the way, he met the "Executioner" Koros again. Koros was leading several other apostles with the second and third destinies, carrying furnaces, weapons, equipment and various materials seized from the "Steel Furnace" stronghold, and heading towards the "Bahrain Blacksmith Shop" that Luo Xiu had just left.

Luo Xiu left the decision of how to deal with the spoils to Balin.

He believed that Balin could handle them well, and all he had to do was wait for Balin to give him feedback on the finished product.

……

Until Luo Xiu returned to the royal palace.

He activated the seal on the back of his hand, teleported back to the real world from the Lost Royal Court, and returned to the room in the Wolf Hunting Tavern.

After finishing the work with Koros and Balin, Luo Xiu had no other arrangements in "Holy Abyss" for the time being.

He could then devote himself to preparing for his trip to the General Church. After tidying up his appearance, he walked out of the room and temporarily left in the direction of Songyuan City.

……

Around ten o'clock in the morning.

At the gate of Songyuan City, the guard on duty saw a figure in gorgeous clothes from afar.

The man was wearing the clergy clothing of the church, but the holy emblem on his chest was a five-pointed ring carved from gold, which symbolized the identity of a "bishop"——

The guards at the city gate immediately perked up. Before the "bishop" arrived, they stood in two rows under the city gate, holding long spears on the ground in their right hands and paying a rough sacrament to the "bishop" from a distance with their left hands.

When Luo Xiu approached the city gate, he took out the bishop's letter from his arms and said to the guards with a smile:
"I am Luo Xiu Carlos from the Red Maple City Church. I am here to watch the ceremony and meet the Archbishop at the invitation of the General Church."

After saying this, he handed the document to the soldier in front, who took it respectfully with both hands.

The soldier quickly confirmed the authenticity of the document and returned it to Luo Xiu. He then said piously and respectfully, "Welcome, sir, who has come all the way from Red Maple City! Please enter the city. I will notify our captain and have him introduce and guide you!"

"No need to trouble you." Luo Xiu nodded and said with a smile, "I want to move around by myself. You just stay at your posts. There is no need to alarm other people."

"Yes, we understand." The guard saluted Luo Xiu again, then returned to his original guard position. Together with the other guards, he watched Luo Xiu walk into the city and his back disappear at the end of the avenue leading into the city.

……

This is what it means to "come to Songyuan City"...

Luo Xiu rode on the "Golden Pegasus" and galloped towards the Cathedral, thinking about these things along the way.

Showing the "Bishop's Letter" - that was the time when he actually arrived in Songyuan City. If the General Church needed to mobilize and sort out the various affairs of the Red Maple City Church Bishop "Rosius Carlos" after arriving in Songyuan City, this would be the starting point.

About twenty minutes passed.

Luo Xiu has arrived at the main gate of the cathedral established by the "Holy Court" in Songyuan City.

A majestic cathedral stands majestically in the center of the city.

It was a huge church with a Byzantine style.

The first thing that caught Luo Xiu's eyes was the huge door made of pure white and sacred gold; on both sides were delicately sculpted statues, which were quietly watching the believers coming and going.

Above the door, the spire of the eaves tower almost pierces the sky; behind the door, round after round of towering arches overlap each other in the field of vision, lifting and extending the long stone steps sprinkled with golden light, as if leading to a sacred and solemn kingdom;

The long rows of slender pillars on both sides are carved with complex and gorgeous golden patterns, and every detail reveals a lofty, solemn and sacred atmosphere.

There were two paladins guarding the church gate, so Luo Xiu took a step forward and walked towards them.

According to Luo Xiu's panel detection, the two paladins were both paladins of the 'Quadruple Destiny'. They had noticed Luo Xiu very early on - because the clerical clothing he wore was too dazzling and eye-catching.

A paladin then came forward, and a clean, young male voice uttered from under his silver-white visor:
"Greetings, fellow Glory. I am Silver Knight Hume, and you are?"

"Red Maple City Church, Luo Xiu Carlos." Luo Xiu answered him briefly.

——Rosius Carlos! When he heard this name, Hume was obviously stunned, and a long inhalation sound came from under his helmet.

"Are you the newly promoted bishop?" After a brief moment of daze, Hume made an excited sound, but remained restrained and said to Luo Xiu, "We did not receive any prior notice from the Red Maple City Church... But it doesn't matter, just show me the 'scepter'."

What the "Silver Knight" Hume said was that when Luo Xiu held the ceremony of ordination to the bishop, the "priest" Hubert bestowed the sacred scepter on Luo Xiu on behalf of Archbishop Sid.

Luo Xiu nodded, and as the "Silver Knight" Hume requested, he took out the scepter symbolizing the identity of "Bishop" from his bracelet and handed it to him.

Hume took it with both hands, rubbed it for a while, and then handed it back to Luo Xiu, saying devoutly and respectfully:

"Welcome again, the bishop of the Red Maple City Church, Lord Ross Carlos. Please follow me and I will lead you to the 'Lord Temple'."

After saying that, he turned around, handed over his post to the "Golden Knight" on the other side, and walked towards the church gate.

Luo Xiu followed him slowly and entered the church door.

When he reached the end of the long steps, the scene in front of him suddenly became clear, and the main body of the sacred church came into Luo Xiu's sight.

Inside it is a rather huge courtyard.

Different sacred buildings are located in their respective corners, and they are cleverly designed to protect the main building.

——The "Lord's Temple" is the core building. It is mainly the residence of the Archbishop and the place where the highest-level meetings or decisions of the General Church are held.

Its status is equivalent to the "Holy See" of the Red Maple City Church, but it is endowed with more sacred meaning.

That was also Luo Xiu's destination, where he would meet the archbishop.

Following the footsteps of the "Silver Knight" Hume, Luo Xiu and he soon arrived at the door of the "Lofty Temple", restrained their expressions and steps, and walked in quietly.

Light filtered through the tall windows, spilling onto the floor covered with a white carpet, casting two long, narrow shadows at the corners of the corridor.

Sacred paintings filled with glorious spirituality are hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor.

Their frames were emitting a pale golden glow, as if they had been divinely enchanted. Just by passing by the holy paintings, Luo Xiu felt a warm feeling rising from the inside out. His [Glory] spirituality seemed to have become more active and purer. That was also the influence brought by the holy paintings.

On the way, Luo Xiu heard low and solemn prayers - the voices of prayers from a group of believers, accompanied by the heavy and long bells from the bell tower, and the music played by the organ and harp, interweaving into an ethereal and melodious melody, echoing between every beam and pillar in the temple.

"It's just ahead, Master Luo Xiu."

When Hume led Luo Xiu to a pure white door at the deepest part of the corridor, Hume stopped, turned around, and said to Luo Xiu:

"Please wait a moment while I go in and inform the Archbishop."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Luo Xiu nodded slightly, then Hume turned around, pushed open a corner of the pure white door, and walked in sideways.

Luo Xiu waited quietly outside the door.

The waiting time was not too long, only about two minutes had passed, and the "Silver Knight" Hume came out, performed the sacrament to Luo Xiuxing, and said:
"Please come in, Master Luo Xiu. The Archbishop wants you to come in immediately. He wants to see you immediately."

After Hume said this, he stood on the left side of the pure white door, drew a silver-white sword from his waist, and leaned it on the ground.

He was not planning to accompany Luo Xiu in, because Luo Xiu knew that as a paladin of the "Quadruple Destiny", Hume had the duty to report, but he was not qualified to accompany him to meet the archbishop.

He is now fulfilling his duty - the duty of waiting and guarding as a "Paladin Knight".

Luo Xiu nodded to Hume again, then walked into the pure white door alone.

After entering this door, the scene in front of him changed again——

The empty huge palace appeared in his sight. If he had not been there, it would be hard to imagine that there was such a large space here.

Various sacred utensils and ornaments are displayed on both sides. They have been spiritually activated and can be used at any time. Every place on the wall that can be painted is also "inlaid" with various ritual arrays and sacred inscriptions without omission. This is already an absolutely "sacred" area.

At the end of Luo Xiu's field of vision, at the highest point of the white carpet under his feet, a person wearing a pure white robe and a pure white crown was sitting on a pure white throne.

That is the "supreme authority" of the entire Songyuan Church, the archbishop who is in charge of the general church!
——Archbishop "Sid Lawrence"!

Next to Archbishop Sid, there seemed to be a slender figure sitting on the throne nearby.

Because he was standing too far away, Luo Xiu couldn't see clearly who the person next to Archbishop Sid was.

While thinking, Luo Xiu placed his left hand on his right chest, raised his right hand in an arc in front of him, bowed slightly, and performed the most standard audience sacrament to Archbishop Sid.

Then, according to the records in "Glorious Listening", Luo Xiu greeted Archbishop Sid loudly on the Holy Throne:

"Praise be to you, beloved Archbishop."

"I am Luo Xiu Carlos from Red Maple City. I have come all the way from the border to meet you and admire your sacred demeanor."

"I ask for your teachings to clear the fog, and I pray for your enlightenment to elevate me."

"..."

"Come closer, Luo Xiu."

A peaceful, not old voice came from afar. Archbishop Sid said:
"Come closer so I can get a good look at you."

"I obey your teachings." Luo Xiu nodded, then stood up and walked towards the archbishop's throne step by step.

He gradually saw the archbishop's appearance and the details about him.

Archbishop Sid Lawrence has a solemn and peaceful face, and the years have left traces of calmness between his brows.

Under that solemn face, a barely perceptible smile was forming on his thin lips, and his gaze from beneath his sword-like brows contained both majesty and kindness as he calmly watched the figure of 'Rosius Carlos' walking towards him.

In a trance, Luo Xiu seemed to see the archbishop nodded lightly.

At least the first step in the audience was right... Luo Xiu thought.

His gaze then fell on Archbishop Sid.

The distance was enough at this time, and Luo Xiu could see clearly who the slender figure sitting next to him was.

Suddenly, his pupils shrank slightly——

Luo Xiu did know the owner of that figure, but he never thought he would see her here...

That is the Holy Maiden of the "Holy Court"!

——“The Glorious Saint” Franya!

……

(End of this chapter)