Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 346 Return to Sina City

After the carriage had been bumping along for two whole days, Luo Xiu lifted the curtain and could already see the outline of a city.

The walls of Sina City vaguely appeared before his eyes. As the second largest city in the entire Songyuan Territory, it had become an important transportation hub during the war, responsible for transporting batches of supplies to the border front.

The convoy disguised as a merchant caravan soon approached the gate of Sina City. The guards, who were three times more numerous than in peacetime, stopped them and demanded to show the corresponding pass.

The "rich businessman" Luo Xiu then got off the carriage, walked up to the guards, and showed them his certificate as the "deacon" of the Sina City Church:

"I am the deacon of the 'House of Holy Judgment' of the Sina City Church. I am on duty outside the city under the orders of Bishop Fabien and Priest Leonard. I am now returning to Sina City with the caravan to complete the mission. I request immediate passage."

He was not wearing the attire of a "bishop" now, but a gorgeous robe like a real businessman. The guard took the certificate skeptically, and opened the list specially issued by the church in his hand, and began to examine it carefully.

Luo Xiu waited patiently until the guards finally found the name on the witness document from the densely packed list. The expressions on their faces suddenly changed from doubt to respect. They handed back the document with both hands and said:

"No problem, Your Excellency the Priest."

"Please forgive me, the situation is tense now, we have to be cautious, this is also an order from above."

"I understand." Luo Xiu nodded calmly, then walked back to the carriage and got back into it.

“——Let him go!”

The captain of the guard who had checked the documents earlier loudly ordered the other guards to let them pass.

He and the other guards immediately made way for Luo Xiu's carriage and saluted the team of "priests", watching their carriages creaking into the city.

……

In the city of Sina.

It has been almost four months since Luo Xiu left this city and has not returned.

Coming back now and admiring the scenery along the street through the curtained window, Luo Xiu felt like he was seeing something after a long separation.

The street he was traveling through with the convoy was the main street of the Triumph Square, where he had walked countless times and carried out "Holy Judgment" missions countless times. However, the Triumph Square, which was always bustling with activity, now seemed a little deserted. There were even a lot of fallen leaves piled on the street, and no one had cleaned them up.

——War, it is indeed subtly affecting all aspects... While recalling his past in Sina City, his convoy was about to arrive in front of the church of Sina City. He could already see the faint golden light emanating from the open barrier.

Not until the carriage actually stopped at the door of the church did Luo Xiu get off the carriage again. He had changed into the attire of a "bishop".

The clergy who accompanied him saluted him and waited for him to give new instructions.

"You stay here and don't move."

And Luo Xiu just ordered them like this:
"I'll go in alone and be back soon."

……

Church of Sina.

Luo Xiu mastered the knowledge of the "Golden Barrier" technique that originated from the Sina City Church. The opened barrier could not reject a bishop, and of course he had no reason to reject it.

Luo Xiu went straight through the barrier. The clergy who sensed the vibrations of the barrier rushed over one after another, but when they saw who was coming, they were stunned.

That's Luo Xiu! Luo Xiu Carlos!

This name has unparalleled weight in the hearts of the vast majority of clergy in the Sina City Church. It has even become a living legend.

In addition to Bishop Fabion, there is also "Rosius Carlos" - the youngest bishop of the "Holy See". The countless sacred achievements he made in Red Maple City have been passed back to Sina City, which has inspired countless younger clergymen to regard Rosius as their only role model.

Apparently, many old clergy in the church recognized Luo Xiu, and even if the new clergy did not know him, they had at least heard of his name.

"That's Luo Xiu...that Luo Xiu Carlos!"

"He's back? He's back!"

"Rosius Carlos is back!"

"..."

Luo Xiu heard that the clergy around him were discussing something eagerly, and the way they looked at him was full of respect and piety, and the light in their eyes was as hot as the holy flame.

A smile appeared on Luo Xiu's face. He nodded slightly to the clergy who were gradually gathering around him, then walked deeper into the church and entered the inner courtyard of the church.

Following his familiar memory, he went straight to the "Holy Court" and came to the door of the room where Priest Leonard should be.

I knocked on the door lightly, and a response came from the other side of the door -

"……Come in."

Priest Leonard's voice seemed to be much hoarser than before... Luo Xiu thought to himself as he pushed open the door and walked in.

He saw the old priest in his memory, bent over the table, dealing with a mountain of files.

His muscular body was still as eye-catching as ever, even stronger than before they parted, indicating that Leonard had made further progress in his "strength" training - but he didn't know if it was an illusion, but Luo Xiu always felt that the old priest's hair had become much whiter and thinner.

What Luo Xiu did know was that ever since he left the Sina City Church and went to Red Maple City to serve as the "High Priest", the burden on Leonard's shoulders had become much heavier.

Because almost half of the "priests" and "deacons" of the Sina City Church were transferred to wartime churches in various border areas, and Bishop Fabion's health was still deteriorating, basically the affairs of the entire Sina City Church fell on Priest Leonard. Even if there were people to share some of the workload, the workload was several times the usual time.

And the moment Luo Xiu pushed open the door and walked into Leonard's room.

Leonard raised his head and took a look -

Then, the pen in his hand fell with a "click" and his pupils trembled uncontrollably.

"Luo Xiu..."

The old priest murmured:

"… Is it you, Luo Xiu?"

"It's me." Luo Xiu smiled and nodded, "I'm back."

"..."

"Haha."

"You've lost weight... Luo Xiu."

Leonard's eyes swept back and forth over and over again at Luo Xiu. He was excited, but he tried hard to control his excitement:
"When did you come back?"

"In the morning," Luo Xiu responded casually, and at the same time walked to the table opposite the old priest, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I just came back from Songyuan City. I passed by Xina City and came to see you."

"So..." Leonard murmured and nodded.

"You are already a 'bishop', Luo Xiu... I often hear about you."

The old priest said this with some emotion, and sighed softly. The realm of "entering the sainthood" was a threshold that he had never been able to cross in his life.

Leonard was not as talented as other clergymen who were ordained before the age of forty. Moreover, he was burdened with too many things other than "cultivation" - as a member of the "Knights Templar", he should have fought on the battlefield and twisted off the heads of enemies in the name of holy light, but now he could only and had to sit in this small office to handle various sacred affairs, so he had long lost the thought of further promotion.

But when looking at Luo Xiu now, Leonard could feel the quiet and deep sacred aura emanating from the youngest "bishop" in front of him, which once again ignited a kind of burning fire in Leonard's heart.

"It's just luck..."

Luo Xiu smiled awkwardly and said:

"When I first went to Red Maple City, it was indeed full of dangers... but fortunately, I survived in the end."

"Because of this, I have broken through some kind of shackles. I am now more and more certain that the battlefield over there is indeed my destination."

"..."

"Haha, okay." Leonard smiled and nodded.

"You did a great job, Luo Xiu."

Priest Leonard said, "Looking at you now... Luo Xiu, you are already our pride."

……

Afterwards, Luo Xiu talked a lot with Priest Leonard, talking about what happened in Sina City during the four months since Luo Xiu left Sina City and went to Red Maple City...

As a rear hub near the front line of the Judgment War, the city of Sina has also suffered enemy infiltration and invasion several times.

However, with the joint efforts of Bishop Fabien, Priest Leonard, [Supreme] and [Wisdom], these crises were eventually resolved, and the city of Sina did not suffer a major disaster.

But Bishop Fabien still fell ill - just as Leonard said in the letter, the old bishop's body could not withstand the intensity of the continuous work, and the "Gray Blood Curse" in his body finally broke out again after years of hard work, and he had to recuperate in the Bishop's See.

"……Ugh."

When talking about the old bishop, Priest Leonard sighed deeply and a sad expression appeared on his face.

"Bishop Fabion...he may not have much time left, Luo Xiu."

Looking into Luo Xiu's eyes, Priest Leonard said:

"The fact that he can still hold on until now is already a miracle of his own...but we all know that miracles don't last forever."

"According to the advice of Archbishop Sid from the diocese, Bishop Fabion can no longer use his extraordinary powers. His divine spirituality is now poison to him and will only accelerate the burning of his life."

Archbishop Sid's suggestion... That means even the archbishop is helpless in dealing with Bishop Fabion's situation... Luo Xiu lowered his eyes, averting his gaze from Priest Leonard, thinking about this.

But Luo Xiu decided to give it a try, so he asked Leonard:

"Can I see the old bishop?"

"..."

"You want to see Bishop Fabien..."

Leonard hesitated for a moment and said:

"In fact, Bishop Fabien, who is seriously ill, has not seen anyone."

"We were afraid that he would get emotional and his condition would get worse if we weren't careful..."

Although he said this, Leonard did not mean to refuse, and continued:

"But Bishop Fabion...even when he was in a state of confusion, he would always say your name."

"So, Luo Xiu. If it's you... I can take you to see him."

……

The greetings with Leonard ended, and without wasting even a minute, they walked out of the room and headed towards the bishop's seat where Fabien was.

On the way from the inner courtyard to the Holy See, Luo Xiu felt the gazes of many clergymen, a mixture of curiosity and respect. The news of his return to the church in Sina City had spread, and many new clergymen wanted to see what the legendary "Luo Xiu Carlos" looked like.

Bathed in these adoring gazes, Luo Xiu had arrived in front of Bishop Fabion's throne. He and Leonard then passed through the golden barrier and arrived in front of the magnificent main gate.

After entering, Leonard led Luo Xiu up to the third floor, came to the door of Bishop Fabion's residence, and knocked lightly.

But no one responded - Luo Xiu vaguely heard an old man's unclear mumbling in his sleep coming from the other side of the door.

"Bishop Fabion is resting, Rosius."

Leonard said:

"I'll take you in. Please be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb his sleep."

As he said this, he placed his hand on the door handle and gently turned it clockwise.

With a click, the door opened gently. Leonard pushed the door open carefully and motioned for Luo Xiu to go in with him.

Luo Xiu then stepped lightly across the threshold of the room, and his keen senses also smelled a very pungent smell at the same time -

It was a smell like rotting meat, and its source was the simple bed in front of him, where a hunched, sickly old man lay.

His cheeks were deeply sunken, his face had a rather sickly color, his hair had almost fallen out, and gray blood was flowing out of the corners of his mouth uncontrollably...

That was Bishop Fabion... If the faceplate detection had not revealed the name "Fabion Novellan", Luo Xiu would not have dared to be sure.

His condition was indeed worse than before they parted, and the old bishop in front of him was now resting with his eyes tightly closed, his head slightly leaning on the pillow, and his breathing was heavy and sounded like sticky phlegm.

"As you can see, Luo Xiu."

Priest Leonard sighed, looked at Luo Xiu and said:
"This is Bishop Fabion's current state."

"..."

He seemed to want to say something else, but in the end he didn't.

Luo Xiu just nodded slightly in response to Leonard, and his attention was focused on checking the status panel of Bishop Fabion.

This time, Luo Xiu, who had already reached the "fifth level of destiny", was able to detect almost all of Fabion's conditions through the panel detection.

And he finally learned from the panel detection why even Archbishop Sid was helpless against Bishop Fabion's "Gray Blood Curse".

Because, in Fabian's status column, [Gray Blood Curse] is not just a negative abnormal state that cannot be purified or removed -

That is a considerable number, and they are still multiplying and dividing. So far, they have accumulated thousands of abnormal states of [Gray Blood Nightmare (unpurifiable and unremovable)]!
……

(End of this chapter)