I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 685 The Pope Disappears, Turmoil Erupts in the Eternal Day! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Although Li Chen had been away from the palace for several months and many government affairs were handled online via mobile phone, a large number of memorials that required his personal handwriting and annotations were still piling up in the Imperial Study.

Looking at the memorials that took up almost half the wall, he couldn't help but rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Even the emperor couldn't escape his duties. He sighed softly, resignedly sat down at his desk, and began to bury himself in reviewing the documents.

Soon, several encrypted intelligence reports from the Southern Everlasting Day Empire caught his attention.

The memorial mentioned that the conflict between the royal family of the Eternal Day Empire and the Papacy seemed to have escalated to an irreconcilable point, with constant friction and a tense atmosphere.

Li Chen stroked his chin, feeling that this matter had nothing to do with him, and he did not get involved.

Of course, even if he may have unintentionally left some influence when he "traveled" in the Eternal Day Empire, the main conflict was by no means caused by him.

The conflict between the divine right and the imperial right in the Eternal Day Empire has been long-standing, a historical problem. Whoever yields first will lose their dominant position; this is a fundamental power struggle.

Just as he was deep in thought, his personal attendant, Eunuch Cui, tiptoed in and reported: "Your Majesty, there is an envoy outside the palace requesting an audience. He claims to be a special envoy of the Holy See of the Eternal Day Empire, named Carlos."

“Carlos?” Li Chen raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

He naturally remembered this person. Back when he was disguised as a guard of the Holy See in the Eternal Day Empire, this Carlos was originally a heretic of the Blood Demon Society. After he subdued him and cleared his identity, he was placed in the Holy See and became one of his confidants.

Logically speaking, Carlos should have stayed obediently in the Eternal Day Empire, keeping an eye on the Papacy's movements. Why would he suddenly come to Tian Ce as a special envoy?

"Let him in." Li Chen put down his vermilion brush, wanting to see what this kid was up to.

A short while later, Carlos, led by a eunuch, walked in with a trembling heart.

Although he was a special envoy of the Holy See, when he stepped into the solemn and majestic Tian Ce Imperial Palace, especially when he faced Li Chen, who was sitting on the dragon throne and had long since shed his disguise and resumed his identity as the Tian Ce Emperor, the invisible imperial pressure made him almost unable to breathe.

He was one of the few people who knew about Li Chen's dual identity.

He was once a highly respected key guard of the Holy See, and also the powerful Emperor Tian Ce who dominated the north!
With a thud, Carlos knelt down almost reflexively, his voice trembling slightly: "Carlos greets His Majesty Emperor Tian Ce!" He was so nervous that sweat beaded on his forehead; this was no place he had ever been before.

Li Chen found his cautious demeanor somewhat amusing and waved his hand, "Get up. Why aren't you staying in Yongzhou? What brings you here to see me?"

He knew Carlos; unless something extremely important happened, the kid would never risk coming here in person.

Carlos felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly stood up, still slightly bowing. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, before lowering his voice and saying nervously, "Boss, no, Your Majesty! The Holy See! Something terrible has happened to the Holy See!"

He subconsciously used the old title, then quickly corrected himself, "During my time in the Vatican, I noticed that the behavior of the cardinals had become very strange. After making some inquiries, I received some startling news—His Holiness the Pope seems to have disappeared!"

"Missing?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Chen's eyes.

How could that seemingly unfathomable old pope have disappeared?
Carlos continued, "The Vatican is trying its best to suppress this news, but somehow Emperor Charles of the Eternal Day seems to have heard about it and is said to be secretly mobilizing troops, probably to take action against the Vatican, which is now leaderless!"

Li Chen frowned slightly: "Charles has this ability? Even without the Pope, the Vatican has a deep foundation, and those cardinals and the Inquisition are not to be underestimated. They are still behemoths."

Carlos quickly shook his head: "Your Majesty, the power of the Holy See itself is indeed not afraid of the royal family, but the problem is that the Holy See has begun to fight among itself! The position of Pope is vacant, and which of those cardinals is not a Saint-level expert?"
Who wouldn't want to sit in that position? Right now, the Vatican is riddled with factions, fighting amongst themselves, and is simply powerless to unite against external forces! Li Chen suddenly realized, so that's how it is; a fortress is always breached from within.

Those cardinals were all shrewd, powerful, and ambitious. Who could resist the allure of the supreme papal throne?

When internal strife breaks out, even the strongest organization becomes vulnerable.

And among these cardinals, there might even be a 'mole'.

"Then," Li Chen's gaze returned to Carlos, "what brings you from so far away to see me?"

He didn't believe Carlos had simply come to deliver a message.

Carlos licked his slightly dry lips, a glint of fervor and anticipation flashing in his eyes, and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, do you remember? His Holiness the Pope once publicly declared that you were the sole heir to the papacy! Perhaps at the time it was merely a stopgap measure by the Pope to counterbalance Emperor Charles..."
But these words were spoken in front of numerous bishops and believers, and therefore have legal force! Now that the Pope has disappeared, you are his personally designated and rightful successor! Although Your Majesty, as the Emperor of Tian Ce, holds an incomparably high position,

However, I believe that if Your Majesty intends to expand your influence to the Eternal Day Empire, or even unify the continent, then vying for and controlling the position of Pope might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

These words can be described as Carlos's "loyal" advice after careful consideration.

As Li Chen's mole planted in Yongzhou, he naturally hoped that his backer would be as powerful as possible.

If Li Chen could become the Pope of the Eternal Day Church, then Carlos would be a meritorious official who helped him rise to power, and his status would inevitably rise significantly, far surpassing that of an ordinary special envoy.

Upon hearing this, Li Chen fell into deep thought.

He and Charles had a fairly good personal relationship and could even chat for a while, but that was limited to the private level.

On the chessboard of nations and interests, they are each the rulers of their own countries, representing different national interests.

His fundamental purpose in turning the Great Luo Dynasty upside down was to expand the territory and influence of Tian Ce, and ultimately unify the continent.

Now, the Eternal Day Empire is also embroiled in internal strife between imperial and divine power, which is indeed an unexpected opportunity.

The Pope initially designated him as his successor mostly to use him as a check on Charles, playing a game of power balancing.

Unexpectedly, the deception has now become a reality. The Pope himself has mysteriously disappeared, which has given the "sole designated successor" an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Although he has no roots in the Papacy, with this legal status, coupled with his own strength and methods, he may well be able to seize the opportunity in this chaos and bring the vast power of the Papacy under his control.

At this thought, a sharp glint flashed in Li Chen's eyes.

The chess game on the mainland seems to be getting more and more interesting.

I haven't even finished playing the Great Luo Dynasty yet, and the Eternal Day Empire has already started again!

(End of this chapter)