I'm really a serious wizard.

Chapter 248 Who are the natives? (Part 2)

The next morning.

Ron got up very early.

Three days have passed since that tragic night.

During this period, as the new pope, he was not idle. On the one hand, he inspected all aspects of the Holy Light Church and tallied up how much legacy Cyrus VII had left behind.

In a gesture of respect to the Pope, Ron also organized a banquet and temporarily abolished the doctrine that clergy were forbidden from drinking alcohol.

That night, the deacons, bishops, priests, and saints of the Papacy sang together, bidding farewell to the ashes of Cyrus VII with joyful laughter.

He must be very satisfied with such a respectable appearance, right?
Ron felt completely at peace.

Even if the two sides are enemies, he will bid farewell to them with the highest respect.

It is worth mentioning that, after years of accumulation by Cyrus VII, the wealth accumulated by the Papacy has reached an immeasurable level.

In other words, they're so poor they only have money left.

The annual taxes, donations from believers, and the lease of large tracts of land make up the string of zeros for "sin" on the ledger.

These wicked zeros, even shamelessly flirting, used their round bodies to tempt Ron into committing crimes, unconsciously giving rise to some wicked thoughts in him.

But as an upright pope, he chose to say no to these glamorous and shameless women.

Besides cash, the Papacy owns countless properties throughout the kingdom; almost every large town has a church.

Good news: as the Pope, he can use these legacies at will.

The bad news is that, as the Pope, these legacies nominally belong to the Holy Light, are public property of the Vatican, and are used to maintain the faith and pay the salaries of clergy. He merely has the authority to safeguard them for 24 hours a day.

This was truly sad news for Ron.

The life of a wealthy person, where he could eat one pot of stewed meat and then throw away another, was becoming increasingly distant from his dreams.

After taking stock of the financial situation, Ron turned his attention to the cursed objects controlled by the Church.

According to internal records, the Holy Light Church can be traced back to the end of the Golden Age, 17,600 years ago.

Logically speaking, a power that has existed for so long, despite experiencing many changes in the times, must have accumulated no less cursed artifacts than stardust.

But the actual situation was far beyond Ron's expectations.

Within the vast Vatican, only three items are recorded as "miracles" level cursed objects.

One is the papal scepter held by Ron, the other is the first draft of the Radiant Bible by Mino, and the last one is sealed underground in the Vatican, said to have come from the heart of a certain demon king.

The "false monarch" wasn't even recorded, and was most likely the private property of Cyrus VII.

However, considering the similar role played by the "Holy Light Kingdom" and the Temple, Ron no longer found it strange.

Those cursed objects, whether powerful, peculiar, or bizarre, were most likely taken by the Holy Light God Lord to forge his divine kingdom, much like scepters.

Thinking of this, Ron felt like he had forgotten something, and frowned as he looked at the papal scepter.

"Boy, I've been trapped here for over a thousand years. The appointed time has come. Let me out."

The voice from within the scepter resurfaced, making the blond boy realize that things were not so simple.

But being a man of his word, he still inquired:
How can I let you out?

"."

Upon hearing this, the voice within the scepter fell silent, as if it hadn't expected Ron to ask it a question in return.

"Don't you know that this is something you should be handling?"

It asked tentatively, with a cautious apprehension of shattered hope.

"I do not know."

Ron answered honestly.

"How could you not know? Kid, don't try to fool me!"

Did I lie to you?!

Upon hearing this, Ron rolled his eyes and immediately understood what had happened.

The guy in the scepter is probably of questionable intelligence but is very useful.

So the Holy Light God made a promise, and they obediently worked for him for over a thousand years.

Holy crap, is this supposed to be a god of holy light? His heart is truly black.
Thinking of this, Ron grimaced, then spread his little hands and said sincerely:
"I think you should go and settle accounts with Octavia."

This scepter looks very troublesome, and it even made time slow down during the battle with Cyrus VII, so Ron plans to push all the problems onto the irrefutable Holy Light God.

Seemingly sensing Ron's perfunctory attitude, the voice within the scepter sneered:

"I never expected that an honest virgin like you would know how to play the game of kicking a ball around."

"Hehehe, you're not as honest as you seem."

Hey! Just say what you want to say, why resort to personal attacks?
Ron's lips twitched, and he gripped the scepter tightly, saying in a deep voice:
"Who are you? Why are you locked up here? If you tell me in detail, maybe I can actually find a way to get you out."

"hehe."

However, the voice inside the scepter only gave a cold laugh before falling completely silent and never showing itself again.

?

He's quite an arrogant guy.

Seeing that the voice inside the scepter remained silent no matter how he tried to entice it, Ron gave up on trying to communicate with it further.

He dressed and poured the alchemical potions he had collected from the Vatican to restore his spiritual body into the bracelet.

After observing carefully for a while, Ron found that Grandma Fiona had not woken up and was only slowly absorbing the medicine, which made him somewhat disappointed.

Receiving envoys from the New World was an important matter concerning the kingdom's dignity.

Not only did Her Majesty the Queen entrust him with this important task, but the guild master and Miss Snake Woman also wrote to him.
This made Ron realize the current shortage of talent.

As an ancient person from over a thousand years ago, Fiona's grandmother would most likely have some knowledge of that continent.

To leave a lasting impression on the other party, Ron needed to learn about its culture and, incidentally, showcase the excellent customs and traditions of the capital.

-

White Harbor, Tide Town.

Gusts of sea breeze swept through the damp air, rustling the white tower with its peeling paint.

"To destroy a building like this, all you need is a cluster of bombs. Even if there are mages inside the fortifications, they can't just throw a few more."

Verex gently stroked the tower used to defend against the sea monster with his palm, and unconsciously sighed softly.

In the eyes of this envoy, it would be incredibly easy for the Federation to invade this territory, without even needing to deploy its entire army.

Look at those poorly clothed peasants, greedy and arrogant nobles, knights who only know how to ride horses and wield longswords, and the faith that traps people within their hearts.

These outdated symbols are undoubtedly stumbling blocks hindering the progress of civilization.

Although he looked down on them, Verex still did not forget the purpose of his and his sister's visit.

"Ms. Tina, has the Pope arrived yet?"

Glancing at the blazing sun, Vivian couldn't contain herself any longer and asked the white-robed bishop beside her, who was dressed like a noblewoman and leading the way. Tina, a gentle woman who appeared to be in her thirties, nodded politely and smiled expectantly.
"Your Excellencies, His Holiness the Pope has been waiting for some time in his study within the Church of the Tides."

"Please be respectful during your audience, otherwise..."

"You'll die!"

Will I... will I die?!
Vivian was shocked and couldn't imagine what kind of society it was, where someone could be executed simply for the sake of etiquette.

Recalling the kneeling ritual that Bishop Tina had taught her, Vivian felt that her back wasn't so straight anymore.

Admittedly, in her view, the human kingdom of Oran was developing slowly, but after all, it was their territory, and their ships had been damaged when they arrived, leaving them nowhere to run.

Finally, led by Tina, the two federal envoys arrived outside the study.

Tuk-tuk-tuk——

A slightly dull knock sounded, and Vivian and Verex entered at the same time.

Their steps were steady. One of them had slightly curly long black hair, wore a headdress that resembled a small crown, and was dressed in an elaborate gown that Ron had never seen before.

The other one has short hair and a cross earring hanging from her right ear, giving her an unusually mysterious and dangerous look.

The two vampires bowed simultaneously.

Velex placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and performed a common greeting among the Kingdom of Oran.

Vivian, however, was different. The vampire girl immediately knelt down and prostrated herself, leaving Ron stunned.

Why are you being so polite? Should I kowtow to her in return?
The study fell silent.

With his mind racing, Pope Ron could only cough and say in the face of such an awkward situation:

"Ahem, please rise. Your Radiant Federation is much more polite."

Upon hearing this, Vivian seemed to sense that something was amiss.

She immediately stood up, looked at her brother who had turned his gaze elsewhere, and then at Ron, who was even more handsome than in the newspaper, and finally realized that she had been fooled.

"Brother, why didn't you warn me sooner?!"

The vampire girl looked at her useless brother with a questioning gaze.

Verex's gaze was also quite telling.

"I thought you already knew."

After all, what law in this world would punish someone for a lack of courtesy? The white-robed archbishop was clearly playing a prank, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Verex sensed that the atmosphere in the study was not as unfamiliar as before, so he seized the opportunity and walked over with a light laugh.

"Your Holiness, my sister has made a fool of herself."

"It's okay, I've received professional training and I don't usually laugh."

Ron nodded; he wouldn't laugh at anyone who had a dream.

What you're saying.
Vivian's expression was complicated upon hearing this, feeling both respected and offended.

After glancing at the siblings' features, Ron confirmed the accuracy of the information.

"These two don't seem to be human, but rather vampires?"

"I went to the beach this morning to see your giant ships. I have to admit that the Kingdom of Oran could not have produced such weapons without a century of development, whether in terms of industrial system or technology."

"I wonder if you two have come with peace, or with war?"

Ron rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed intently on the faces of the two vampires.

Wow, that's really direct. Although he's not very old, he's very farsighted, unlike those old-fashioned people who believe in theocracy as recorded in historical documents.
Verex was taken aback, and his initial contempt subsided considerably.

An open mind is often more dangerous than talent.

"Your Holiness, we have come here in peace."

As he spoke, Verex waved to Vivian, who was standing to the side.

The latter reached to his waist and pulled out a small, exquisite gift box.

Verex took it and placed it in front of Ron.

"This is a small gift prepared by the Federation. It is one of the most advanced technologies in our country and symbolizes the communication and connection between the two continents."

Upon hearing this, Ron raised an eyebrow, opened the box, and saw a metal object the size of a palm.

It's square, similar to a cell phone from the previous generation, except that there's no screen on the metal surface, only a rectangular piece of pure white crystal that radiates a magical glow.

Seeing the young pope standing there dumbfounded, Verex finally showed some confidence.

Even the most visionary person cannot imagine the products of a changing era.

Just as he was about to explain to Ron how to use the communication device, he suddenly saw the blond boy frown and ask:
"How far can this thing communicate?"

How could he know! ?

Upon hearing this confident question, Verex was completely stunned.

It's not scary for someone to have foresight, nor is it scary for them to be able to glimpse the specific changes that will occur after a period of societal transformation from the smallest clues.
What's terrifying is that a person can not only foresee change and adapt to it rapidly, but also use it without hesitation.

Seeing Ron confidently poking at the small crystal screen and typing in a series of channel numbers, Verex was no longer astonished, but horrified.

It's such a pity that such a character was born in a backward country, bound by faith and ignorance.

He simply couldn't imagine what Ron would have accomplished if he had been born in the Radiant Federation.

Verex took a deep breath, barely calming himself down, and asked curiously:

"Ahem, Your Holiness, have you seen the Chrisel communication device?"

Yes, I've seen it. In my past life, I played something much more advanced than yours. Yours is just a cheap old-fashioned mobile phone at best.
Ron sighed inwardly and said honestly:
"Never seen anything like it in the world."

"By the way, is communication its only function? Can't it be used to listen to music, view videos, download learning materials, or exchange information across the entire continent?"

what?
Verex's face flushed slightly. For some reason, at this moment he felt like a native being shown off his technology by an alien civilization, rather than a civilization with brilliant magical technology.

Finally, he could only respond sullenly:

"No, it can only be used for communication."

Upon hearing this, the young pope nodded slightly in disappointment and offered words of comfort:

"It's alright, you guys are already very capable."

Verex's lips twitched, and he inexplicably felt a sense of frustration.

But just then, he suddenly saw the boy in front of him skillfully handling the communication device and asked with unusual curiosity:
"You said it's called the Chrisel Communication Device?"

"Was its inventor named Chrisel?"

"Yes, Your Holiness, Chrisel was the most brilliant inventor more than a thousand years ago."

Vivian added from the side.

really
Ron nodded calmly.

It wasn't that he wanted to explore the history of the communication device, but rather that after the other party uttered the name "Chrisel," he suddenly heard Grandma Fiona's sentimental voice.

"Sigh~ I never thought I'd hear her name again after all these years."

(End of this chapter)