Storm of Gods

Chapter 209 Duel Agent

Upon seeing the two leaders of the Order of the Church lying unconscious on the ground, urgent shouts immediately rang out. Soon after, Simmons and Celia were carried away, and a while later, Li Xin was also carried away.

The three were taken to the hospital, where they underwent a series of examinations and cleanings. To be honest, Li Xin found it quite comfortable, as it was much more convenient than dealing with it himself. Later, he simply stopped pretending and allowed his body to enter a dormant repair state, essentially dying for a while.

People kept coming and going, it seemed Simmons' injury was not serious. Before long, there was a commotion around him, and he could clearly feel his body temperature rising and his soul trembling. It was a big shot who had arrived.

Indeed, a very important person has arrived; the incomparably esteemed Metropolitan of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess has come.

Old George looked at Simmons, who was still unconscious, his face showing no anxiety, his emotions remaining calm. "Walner, why haven't these three children woken up yet?"

Wolf is the Metropolitan of Heldan, a very high-ranking position. He looks to be in his sixties or seventies. In the major churches, above the level of bishop and below the level of cardinal, there are actually no strict requirements for academic qualifications. The main criteria for promotion are contributions to the church. Only when one becomes a cardinal will there be new requirements. Of course, connections and reputation within the church are also very important.

Reaching the level of metropolitan bishop means being a prominent figure in the Church. To become a cardinal, one must go through the metropolitan bishop stage unless the Pope makes an exception and appoints a bishop who has made a great contribution to the Church.

It was clear that the metropolitan had a very good relationship with old George. The two spoke very casually. Werner stroked Simmons's forehead, frowned slightly, and then touched Celia's forehead, his eyes revealing a strange look. Finally, he looked at Li Xin, but only glanced at him. "This young man is fine. He has the marks of the moon goddess's protection on him."

The Metropolitan looked at Earl George, who nodded. "They are night watchmen, no problem."

The Metropolitan nodded. That wasn't surprising. He still glanced at Li Xin a few more times, after all, those who could receive divine favor were all exceptionally talented. "Celdia shows signs of being invaded by the power of the abyss. Fortunately, she was wearing that necklace. Her soul suffered some minor damage and she needs to recuperate for a while. She needs to go to the church for a check-up every week for a period of time to avoid any future problems. The intruder who was able to break through the seal must have been of a high level. Simmons's condition is a bit strange. There were three powerful extraordinary wills within him. After they drove each other away, his body couldn't withstand it and he fell into a coma. What were they doing?"

"Three extraordinary wills?" Earl George said slowly.

“One is the power of the Moon Goddess, one is the power of the Abyss, and there’s another one that’s unclear, it has a hidden feel to it, but it’s the authority of the Moon Goddess, yet it’s not the Moon Goddess’s, it’s very strange,” Volner said, shaking his head.

Curiosity is understandable, but as clergy, they have considerable restraint at this stage. It is best not to investigate matters involving divine authority. The stronger a person is, the more they need to control themselves, otherwise it is only a matter of time before they fall into depravity.

"Is this kid going to duel with Didia? There are traces of the Gate of Truth left at the scene. It seems something went wrong when he entered the sacred land, and he's rushing things," Old George said.

Walner was certainly aware of this matter as well. The duel between Simmons and Didia had caused quite a stir in the city. The Anthony affair had come to a conclusion, with His Majesty the King emerging victorious. However, what followed was the counterattack from the old aristocratic class.

"You've pushed me too far. Why are you getting involved in these things now that you're old?" The metropolitan couldn't figure out what his old friend was thinking. He had inexplicably retired from public life back then, and now he was getting involved again at such a sensitive time. One wrong move and he would be crushed to pieces.

Old George's eyes never left Simmons, and deep in his eyes, worry was still evident. "Life is never as one wishes. Don't you know my personality? I have no choice in what I do?"

The Metropolitan didn't inquire further, as it wasn't his place to get involved, but he couldn't help looking at Li Xin again, "Are you sure this person is alright?"

“No problem, but there can’t be any problems,” old George said softly.

Metropolitan Volner understood. "I'll perform an exorcism for them. All three of them need to be baptized in the church regularly. Having been in contact with the Abyss may cause some hidden dangers that we cannot yet understand. Of course, there's no need to worry too much. In our world, as long as we maintain our steadfast faith..."

"Why are you still rambling on at a time like this? Hurry up," old George said, rubbing his beard.

"It's my occupational hazard." Werner chuckled awkwardly. The reason a preacher is a preacher is that he has to preach his faith at all times.

Earl George dismissed the others and left last, closing the door behind him.

Metropolitan Vorna's expression turned serious. He took out a golden cross and placed it in front of his chest. Immediately afterward, a powerful and vibrant holy light emanated from it, creating two separate worlds between the room and the outside world. The path of the preacher is not best suited for fighting, but for exorcism and healing.

Li Xin could feel the warm and healing power emanating from the bishop. His damaged body began to heat up and was recovering at an extremely fast pace. His wounds were also healing at a visible speed. He knew he was just incidentally benefiting from this, but he was a fool not to take advantage of the situation. He was enjoying the healing from the bigwig of the Vatican. It felt so good.

Even for someone of the Metropolitan's caliber, healing three people at once was quite tiring, and the exorcism process was more troublesome than he had imagined. He had to completely remove those powers. Evil forces are adept at parasitizing the dark corners of the soul, slowly developing, and will suddenly erupt once they come into contact with the corresponding medium.

The Metropolitan was dutiful. With a groan, Celia woke up, and Li Xin opened his eyes as well, then felt the gaze of the Metropolitan from the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess.

Wow~~~
Simmons, who looked like an eagle, did a lazy roll and vomited a large amount of black liquid. He vomited loudly, and it looked like there were many small, black, translucent insects wriggling in the black liquid. Li Xin and Celia felt a chill run down their spines.

"Why does it look like a worm larva?" Celia murmured.

Volner did not answer, but the holy light between his hands was unmistakable. It shone on the liquid, causing the black liquid to hiss and begin to burn, quickly turning to ashes.

After all that, Simmons was pale and his eyes were lifeless, as if he had been ravaged by countless burly men. The metropolitan was also covered in sweat. This was a bad deal. The cost of this operation was enough to give the nobles a dozen or more baptisms. Old George would have to settle the score later.

Upon seeing Warner, Simmons and Celia quickly bowed, supporting themselves. Archbishop Warner was their godfather, and they had been baptized by him at birth. "You two little ones are being a bit reckless. The sacred ground isn't mandatory, and it can't be forced. What happened?" "Father, I know I was wrong. I accidentally came into contact with the mist, but luckily Brother Li saved me," Simmons said. "Brother Li, this is Archbishop Warner of our Earth Mother Goddess Church, and also Celia's and my godfather."

Metropolitan Walner looked at Li Xin and smiled slightly, "I watched these two little ones grow up. What happened to you?"

Simmons and Celia were both looking at Li Xin. Li Xin didn't know how much Simmons knew, but Simmons always acted with a sense of purpose, so he pretended to be thinking seriously. "When Simmons was about to cross the Thunderstone Bridge, he was hit by a huge lightning attack and was blasted away. He came into contact with the mist, and then I used the psionic rope to try to pull him back, but an irresistible force tried to drag us both in. We couldn't resist it at all, but the Moon Goddess Medal on my body suddenly burst out with light and protected us. Then there was an explosion. I'm not very clear about that part, and then I returned to the Church Council's base."

"The Order of the Moon?" Werner looked at Li Xin. "That's awarded only for those who make extraordinary contributions. I remember there were only about a dozen."

“Uncle Luo gave it to me,” Li Xin said.

"Luo Jin?"

"Yes, sir, you know that too?"

Walner nodded. This was not surprising. Luo Jin had been included in the internal reports of the Earth Goddess Church. It was quite unusual for a Night Watchman to be included in the internal reports of the Earth Goddess Church. The status of an enforcer was incomparable to that of a preacher, unless he made a contribution that could prolong the life of the Church's faith.

As a law enforcer, he is indeed a respectable clergyman.

Walner could clearly sense the fluctuation in Li Xin's emotions at this moment. He had been very stable before, and it was impossible to tell whether he was being genuine or not, but at this moment it was real.

Old George said there couldn't be any problems, and he understood, but as a member of the Vatican, he still had to be cautious.

“Be careful in the future, don’t be too eager for quick success. There are many border areas in the sacred land, which are extremely dangerous. With your current strength, you should honestly build a solid foundation. You were lucky this time, with the protection of the moon goddess, but it may not be the same next time,” Volner said seriously.

“Father, I know I was wrong. It won’t happen again. But I’m doomed. What am I going to do tomorrow?” Simmons smiled bitterly. Although he had received treatment from Metropolitan Warner, his body could not fully recover. In this condition, fighting Didia was no different from courting death.

Volner just smiled slightly and looked at Celia, "You must get some rest these next few days. You may have nightmares at night, but remember, they are just dreams. Don't let them affect you. Go to church every week and visit me once a month."

After saying this, Warner left. The people outside bowed down to the ground when they saw Warner. They thought Earl George would come in, but strangely, no one came in after a long time. The doctor who came in told Simmons that the Earl had gone home and that he should handle it himself.

Simmons, who had been hoping his grandfather would save him, was completely dumbfounded. "Celtis, what's going on? Am I doomed?"

"Judging from the current situation, yes." Celia nodded vigorously. "The whole of Heldan knows about this duel, His Majesty the King is watching, and everyone from the Knight Academy and the Order of the Church is waiting. Unless you really mutate, you can't avoid it tomorrow."

"Thank you so much for reminding me." Simmons collapsed weakly onto the hospital bed, his eyes glazed over.

He wasn't reckless; he was confident about venturing into the sacred land this time. After countless replays and with his own improved strength, he genuinely felt he could succeed. In fact, he really did achieve 99% success. But who the hell could have imagined that a sudden change would occur at the end? Originally, he and Didia were evenly matched, but now it's 0.10.

At this moment, the anxiety that had been hanging over me finally died.

"Is there really no way to deal with this kind of sudden change? I think everyone has unexpected situations, right?" Li Xin asked. Duels are a tradition in Montaleta, a way for nobles to resolve issues. Essentially, it's about pursuing fairness and justice in certain matters, while upholding honor. If one side suddenly encounters a problem, it obviously throws things off balance. "Can't it be postponed?"

"The duel between Simmons and Didia is not a personal feud, but because of our two families. Postponing it means admitting defeat. Regardless of whether Simmons is truly injured, others will see it as cowardice, which is more shameful than death," Celia said earnestly.

“Celtis, you must have been adopted,” Simmons said through gritted teeth.

Celia smiled. "Besides postponing it, there's another way: we can ask the duel proxy to share the responsibility for the duel's outcome."

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the ward changed. Simmons' eyes lit up with eagerness as he turned to look at Li Xin, "Brother Li..."

"Mr. Simmons, we're not actually that close..."

"Brother Li, brother, brother~~~" In front of Li Xin, Simmons no longer cared about his image.

Celia couldn't stand it anymore. Was this really the Simmons she knew? If she had known he was so spineless, she should have scared him a little longer.

"Simmons, don't get your hopes up too high yet. We still need to see if Prince Aklis approves."

If one of the duelists encounters unforeseen circumstances and needs a duel proxy, a notary's permission is required.

(End of this chapter)