Do you all know the future?

Chapter 106 The Panic-Stricken Church

With the arrival of spring, the garden is full of blooming flowers. A gentle breeze blows across the emerald green meadow, and petals fall one after another. A young girl holds a book of scriptures, and petals drift across her face, creating a harmonious and beautiful scene.

"The storm raises the sails, goddess..."

The girl was interpreting the scriptures, imagining the scene of the gods wielding their might in the myth. The scene was grand and solemn, but it lacked a sense of reality.

“Ms. Margaret isn’t here, alas… If she were, she could tell me how big this ship is, how much power God used, and what its purpose was…”

Theology is not superstition; it is a real force driving social change and must be studied. Lottina is like a greedy scholar, touching upon this terrifying knowledge.

I closed the book and looked up at the azure sky. The weather was lovely today, and the warm sunshine felt wonderful on my skin. Even without the power of laws, the sun's own temperature was the source of all things.

"Why hasn't Mom taken any action since she was persuaded last time? I also want to see Ms. Margaret; I have a lot of questions waiting for her to answer."

These were all thoughts in the mind of the girl who had nothing to show for it; on the surface, she simply looked around boredly, glancing towards her mother's room.

Diane brought Margaret into the palace. The girl was like someone going through drug withdrawal. After leaving the head maid, she felt like ants were crawling all over her body. She wished she could go into the palace right now to find Margaret for answers.

"The church people came today. Is it related to Diane in the palace? Is it because Lady Margaret is so humble and attentive to him that he is Queen Greta's son?"

Her slender, pale fingers tapped lightly on the book's hard cover. The girl was eager to know if the newly arrived archbishop could discuss meeting Diane with her mother.

She wasn't stupid, she just didn't care about these things. No matter how little she paid attention, the rumors in the church circle spread like wildfire that Diane had been invited by the gods.

"They don't understand true wealth!"

This is the girl's assessment of the gods. Even if Diane has holy blood, her value is not as high as that of Margaret in the girl's eyes.

Regardless, having won over Diane, Margaret, as Diane's maid and lover, would also be won over. Thinking of this, Lottina felt happy.

"If I'm to pay the price, will it be me? I'm not really prepared yet. If my mother wants her to go, that's fine. But if the church is choosing someone, it should be me."

The girl understood her mission: the existence of the children of the gods was to provide vessels for the gods' descent, and she had no complaints.

Enjoying top-tier resources and princess-like treatment from the church, the girl is not the kind of person who would run away and disappear when the church needs her, and besides, she has always been a believer in Ms. Tina.

“We should have the advantage of being local. We are the state religion of Tudor, so there shouldn’t be any problem with the Tudor princes’ faith. As long as Lady Tina steps in, everything will be fine. When Diane sees the goddess, he will submit to Lady Tina because of his lovers, and those gods’ conspiracies will not succeed.”

The girl felt the petals fall on her face, and gently brushed them away with her hand. She was filled with confidence. She didn't understand what the other churches were busy with. Were they fighting against the Breeze Church?

In this situation, it's unrealistic for Diane to choose either his wife's state church, Breeze Church, or any other church. He has to abandon his newlywed wife or his lover who is rooted in this country to pursue an unstable external church. Either he doesn't choose any church at all, or he chooses Breeze Church.

However, the two people talking in the room were not very optimistic, and were even somewhat silent.

"You mean Ms. Tina has perished?"

Mrs. Eve slapped the snake's tail in frustration, making Archbishop Mennon's sofa across from her tremble.

"It's not 'fallen,' it's 'disappeared,' you understand what 'disappeared' means!"

The elderly Archbishop Mennon coughed hastily, correcting Mrs. Eve's mistake.

"Isn't that the same as falling from grace? Either way, it means being unable to answer the prayers of believers. When did this happen?"

Mrs. Eve was straightforward; she could show some respect for her own god, but she could only say that she couldn't help others with theirs—she spoke the truth.

"Actually, it's been more than ten years. How should I put it? This kind of thing has happened before in history. When the gods go out to do things, it's not just our church."

Archbishop Mennon's old face was wrinkled. Disappearance and fall are not the same. Some are trapped in a certain space while exploring a certain place in the spirit world, some are sealed, and there are all sorts of strange reasons, such as taking a nap.

"It's not just your church, but most of the disappearances were eventually proven to be deaths. You've hidden it very well. If it weren't for Prince An's involvement this time, were you planning to continue hiding it?"

Mrs. Eve said irritably, her swaying snake tail appearing even more agitated. When it rains, it pours; Diane's appearance, in a sense, tore through the disguise of the Breeze Church.

"After all, once it's made public, most believers, apart from fanatics, are quite pragmatic, and even the royal family is pragmatic."

Archbishop Mennon sighed. "This world is nothing but naked self-interest. You have no God, you can't protect the church, you can't protect the country, so what kind of state religion are you?"

Of course, it won't happen that quickly, but other successors will emerge rapidly to fill this niche and create competition.

The side with God will naturally be invincible, while the side without God will often be forced to retreat in defeat, with no other choice, unless their God returns.

"So you just kept it a secret like that, and now you can't hide it anymore, are you panicking?"

Mrs. Eve sighed and rubbed her forehead, finding it difficult to comment on the Breeze Church's actions. They seemed to be driven to desperation and forced into this situation, but they were doing the right thing, which was somewhat humane.

"Of course I know. If it weren't for Prince An, we could have kept it a secret for a while longer, but with Prince An's appearance, well, how should I put it, it's not the right time!"

Archbishop Mennon's mask of anguish suggests that, given Diane's close relationship with Breeze Church (their wedding was officiated by Breeze Church), it's highly likely that Diane chose Breeze Church, but their God is not there.

This is the greatest pain. Even if Diane joins the Breeze Church now, the Breeze Church cannot protect him.

"Then let it go. What, you want to taint the holy blood?"

Mrs. Eve turned her head away. She was also one of those who had been deceived. She understood Archbishop Mennon and his group's actions, but she was still unhappy about them.

"We wouldn't dare. We're lucky if we're not being devoured and swallowed up by other churches. Prince An is a hot potato. The Queen has contacted us, but we refused."

Archbishop Mennon was extremely helpless. Fortune and honor are sought in danger, not in the abyss, for falling into it is a bottomless pit.

"If you don't have such thoughts, why did you come to me? I thought you were here because of the divine intervention of Lady Tina, and that Lady Tina was negotiating with Prince An."

Lady Eve was also very concerned about the situation of the various gods. Most major capital cities had temples dedicated to these deities, even if they had few followers. Recently, the goddesses' blessing activities had been in full swing, and with a little thought, it was clear what was going on. Lady Eve had somewhat anticipated that Ms. Tina would come to her.

Unexpectedly, Ms. Tina disappeared. Instead of receiving news of her disappearance, Mrs. Eve was at a loss for words to describe her feelings at that moment.

“Of course there’s a purpose to it. Marquis Eve has always wanted Prince Ann to be your son-in-law, and now the church has unanimously agreed, including the demigods stationed in Tudor.”

Archbishop Mennon smiled obsequiously, after all, it was they who were begging Mrs. Eve, not the other way around.

"You vehemently opposed and questioned my Lord's decision before, and now you realize you were wrong? Too late!"

Lady Eve felt a surge of anger whenever she brought it up. She had pressured the church to force Diane and Lottina to consummate their relationship, but the church vehemently opposed it, deeming Lady Eve's prophecy unreliable. Now, Diane had been snatched away by the Queen.

"We know we were wrong. After all, we are short-sighted mortals and cannot see the future that the gods see. This time, we only hoped to leave hope for the Breeze Church."

Archbishop Mennon bravely admitted his mistake; a mistake is a mistake, and he did not make any further explanations, in order to suppress Mrs. Eve's anger.

“Leave a sliver of hope, wait, you mean, you want Lottina to go to Diane's bed like a prostitute and steal his seed?”

Mrs. Eve was extremely perceptive; recalling what Archbishop Mennon had just said, she deduced his intentions.

"Don't put it so harshly, although it is true that I wanted to steal Prince An's spiritual essence."

Archbishop Mennon no longer concealed his purpose and admitted it. Sensing the change in Mrs. Eve's demeanor, he smiled bitterly and awaited Mrs. Eve's torrential scolding.

"You really dare to say that! You were open and aboveboard before, but now you want to do it secretly. Lotina isn't even married yet, and you want to force her into becoming a harlot? Just because your god is no longer here, do you think you can do whatever you want to His descendants?"

Mrs. Eve cursed angrily. These people were good at dragging her down and deceiving her. Now they actually wanted to use her meager so-called hope to get her daughter back. They shouldn't even dream about it.

“The descendants of the gods are the incarnation of God on earth. We hold them in the highest esteem. You have witnessed their performance over the years. If it weren’t for this critical moment, we would never have made such a shameful decision.”

Archbishop Mennon lowered his head, expressing his deepest apology, and his tone became urgent.

"Due to Prince An's unexpected exposure, our church's hidden plan has failed. We are now on the edge of a precipice, and could fall into an abyss at any moment. Any god could raise a butcher's knife against us, and we have no other choice."

Magicians and knights can choose not to join the church, or join another church, but priests are different. They are basically tied to the church's survival. Archbishop Mennon's tone was somber, as if he could already see the end of the Breeze Church.

“It doesn’t matter if we die, but the saintess cannot die. What we’re thinking about is to do everything we can to increase the saintess’s survival rate. Her descendants may be the reincarnation of the goddess.”

Archbishop Mennon said that Lady Tina was not dead, but he had already tacitly acknowledged that his god had fallen and was reincarnated.

"We considered many options, such as having you live in anonymity with the saintess, or having other gods protect her through an agreement. In the end, everyone felt that making the saintess Prince An's woman would be the best way to protect her."

Archbishop Mennon spoke with a calm and firm tone; he was also one of those who agreed to this plan, a rescue for the Church in its dire straits.

"First of all, Prince An is the person that all the gods are now vying for. No matter who he sides with, he will receive the support of that god. Protecting Prince An will also bless the saintess. Secondly, Prince An's holy blood and spirituality. If the saintess is fortunate enough to give birth to a child who contains the holy blood and spirituality, then that child will be the hope for the revival of the Breeze Church. Finally, this also confirms your prophecy, though perhaps not so accurate."

Archbishop Mennon clearly and explicitly told Mrs. Eve the results of the Breeze Church's discussion, because if Mrs. Eve didn't trust him, she wouldn't have handed over Lottina, let alone gone to find Diane.

"Fools, a bunch of fools! They were so opposed before, causing me to miss a great opportunity, and now they want to go through all this trouble. You ask Prince An if he's going to accept it now?"

Mrs. Eve continued to berate, but her tail drooped down, hanging on the ground, though she had actually opened a gap in it.

"There's no need to worry about that. We've discussed it with Her Majesty the Queen. There's an exchange: we need to protect Prince An before he makes his choice, and he accepts our representatives."

Mennon visibly breathed a sigh of relief; the most difficult part was now complete. Mrs. Eve was also quite worried about her daughter's future safety. The destroyed church would always burn something, and Eve didn't want her daughter to be buried with the Breeze Church.

"Exchange, representative, ah... I understand."

Lady Eve reached out and stroked her snake tail. She couldn't refuse this way of knowing everything, a way that was both selfish and loyal.

The church is now truly on the verge of collapse and is in a desperate situation. The pressure from the gods is too great, and they are resorting to any means necessary. Fortunately, Diane is a good person, and she has verified that; otherwise, they might very well have fallen into an abyss of no return.

"Then thank you very much, Marquis Eve. If the deal is finalized by tomorrow, we can enter the palace at the latest the day after tomorrow."

Archbishop Mennon bowed his head in thanks, stated the arranged schedule, and did not give Eve much time to prepare.

"Wait, I haven't agreed yet. I haven't even asked for Lottina's opinion. She's not my toy; she's my daughter!"

Mrs. Eve's stern face and piercing gaze made Archbishop Mennon freeze, suddenly realizing that an even more difficult task lay before him.

Lottina is notoriously difficult to deal with. Getting her to agree will require a lot of persuasion. I'm thinking of using some magic tricks to convince her.

"I promise, I promise for the glory of God!"

A girl's voice, neither warm nor cold, rang out. The two looked out the window at the same time. The girl had come to the window with the scripture at some point.

"Lotina, did you hear everything?"

Eve curled her tail, pulling Lotina into the room. She was somewhat surprised that her daughter had managed to hide so well that neither of the two angels had noticed.

“I heard everything. Since this is my mission, I am determined to accept it and carry on God’s glory!”

There was absolutely no excitement like being able to discuss theology with Lady Margarita after entering the palace; I had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

"But I... sigh, I..."

Mrs. Eve, who had just been persuaded by her daughter to seduce Diane and was still wavering, felt betrayed by the speed at which her daughter agreed.

(End of this chapter)