Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 316 Even Tigers and Leopards in the Western Territory Bow Down

The second month of summer has arrived, and temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere continue to rise.

The dungeon [Sealed Grounds of the God-like Abomination Kunkath] has refreshed its challenge attempts, but Lin Bo did not enter it immediately.

Due to the level penalty, he can no longer gain experience points and disaster coins from story missions.

As for epic dimensional events like affix mutations, they don't happen frequently. Besides, each time a world boss monster appears, it usually takes several months or even more than a year to defeat it.

The last affix mutation was resolved by Lin Bo in a single day, and now there is a relatively long window of opportunity.

The [Sealed Land] instance was like a ten-day vacation for him, which he could use to study.

Since completing the forging of the High Philosopher Stone, Lin Bo has basically finished learning advanced magic knowledge.

At this stage, there are no systematic textbooks available for reference. He can only purchase academic papers and subscribe to journals to learn about the research results of other high-level spellcasters.

Subscribing to the journals isn't expensive; a few thousand Calamity Coins usually cover ten years of continuous journal delivery. Correspondingly, the journal content is relatively brief, lacking detailed alchemical procedures, magical incantations, or other crucial information; it simply shares the researchers' thoughts and perspectives.

Lin Bo subscribed to magazines on several magic-related trading platforms, such as "Frontier Alchemy," "Arcane," "Stellaris," "Myth," and "The Art of Deviation," covering alchemy, rituals, enchanting, spells, psionics, and many other fields. Some were monthly publications, while most were semi-annual, annual, or even five-year publications.

Professional magic journals generally don't submit many articles. On the contrary, popular science and introductory-level publications often publish weekly or even daily.

As for professional academic papers, the knowledge they contain is profound and dangerous, requiring special paper to be used. Often, when the paper is completed, the manuscript will spontaneously transform into a magical item, possessing miraculous power.

Therefore, these kinds of goods are generally expensive, with prices ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan.

Lin Bo selected an empty room in the underground workshop as a restricted book area, specifically for storing these kinds of papers and classics with special powers. The door was always locked, and each book was placed in an iron box and sealed with a spell to prevent the books from coming to life and running around.

He read very quickly, so the boxes of books in the forbidden book section piled up rapidly, and his disaster currency balance flowed out like a waterfall.

Seeing his wallet shrink by a quarter in just half a month, wealthy Lin Bo deeply reflected on his spending speed and decided to limit his daily book purchases to ensure a balance between income and expenditure.

Time flowed by, and Stone Pagoda Town remained peaceful and uneventful, the whole world existing in a strange state of equilibrium.

With the arrival of a miracle, the two military blocs that were eager to fight were abruptly halted, and the war that had already broken out was forced to a halt. Although the countries have not yet lifted their declaration of war, the anti-war sentiment among soldiers and civilians has risen exceptionally high, and all logistical and command work has become unsustainable.

The Vatican's announcement recognizing the Church of Miracles as orthodox did not cause much chaos among the people, because this religious revolution was a bottom-up movement. The black-robed monks came with the will of the people, and their success, though thunderous, was what the masses desired.

There are three main factions of the Five Gods in the world: the orthodox faction in the western part of the Bountiful Continent, the Good Mother faction in the eastern part, and the reformist faction popular in the colonies of the New World.

By joining the orthodox tradition, one has already gained control over the faith of one-third of the world's population.

However, fully inheriting the Vatican's legacy cannot be achieved overnight. In this era of limited information dissemination, any news that shakes the world takes a long time to truly reach everyone's ears, and for those living in remote and impoverished areas, the tremors of heaven are irrelevant to their lives.

Hunger and disease were the main problems affecting their lives.

The Cult of Miracles has continued its journey, distributing potions, and did not linger in the Holy Kingdom of Sinvi. The Western Kingdoms reacted differently to this religious upheaval, with official statements mostly expressing "shock and concern" rather than directly stating their position.

Only a few small countries with populations of only tens of thousands expressed indignation and refused to recognize the Papacy's religious status. The clergy in these small countries often controlled vast amounts of land and political resources. When the black-robed monks led the pilgrims through the area, the disobedient priests were stripped of their authority, parish property was redistributed, and the countries subsequently ceased their opposition to the Papacy.

Ships departing from the Sail Islands carried newly produced medicines from the factory, along with a large number of Christian monks who were responsible for re-editing the scriptures, spreading the gospel of miracles, and guiding priests in various dioceses to update their rituals.

The old priest remained at the Papacy, comforting the bewildered monks and helpless people, managing personnel, conducting diplomatic negotiations with various countries, explaining the reasons for the changes, and inviting leaders of the Western Kingdoms to the Papacy to participate in the holy rites.

The emperor of the Holy Kingdom of Xinwei was the first to respond, followed by Kening, Gott, Wilma, and many other national leaders who believed in the orthodox Five Gods, either personally taking action or sending envoys.

In the middle of the second month of summer, under the unbearable heat of the continental climate, the visiting authorities, their clothes soaked with sweat, dismounted in front of the Church of St. John and looked up at the light blue banner fluttering in the air.

This is a token brought from Stone Tower by the old priest, who is now the pope, a treasure bestowed by the miracle worker. It has now replaced the papal banner and stands on the long pole at the top of the tower.

Journalists from all over the world had already gathered, using cameras and pens to record the demeanor and words of leaders from various countries. Some were somber and silent, others had gentle smiles, and still others were stern and cold. Occasionally, one or two would pause before the carpet, their eyes gleaming, their voices sharp and loud, answering the reporters' questions, but their words were all rather vague.

The old priest's invitation to the current rulers of civilization was like putting lions and tigers in the same cage.

But all these jackals and tigers remained silent, gazing intently at the new pope at the head of the table.

With a calm expression and demeanor, he declared: "From this day forward, immediately withdraw the declaration of war, dissolve the military alliance, do not increase military spending for any reason, and do not allow any armed forces to cross the border."

The old priest could feel those burning, searing gazes, like branding irons, roaming over his cheeks. These overlords were all swallowing their anger, and no one dared to speak first in rebuttal.

Apart from Emperor Krenin, Kovin Ewin, who simply stared ahead indifferently, as if everything were none of his concern, the other leaders were secretly terrified by his appearance.

"This is not a suggestion, everyone. This is the will of God, which mortals cannot disobey. Do not seek suffering upon yourselves, only to repent after enduring divine punishment." The old priest dispelled all doubts with a single sentence.

Ending a war is by no means easy; it is often the result of a host of conflicts rather than the cause. But sometimes it is quite simple: if the war affects not only the children of the poor and exploits not only the pockets of the poor, then it can be ended quickly.

In front of journalists from around the world, the leaders of the two major war blocs on the Plenty Continent shook hands and made peace, thus averting a man-made disaster that could have affected the entire world and caused the deaths of millions.

At that moment, the banner fluttering atop the spire of the Holy Church transformed into a streak of light and vanished without a trace.

The old priest did not stay at the Papacy for long; he would continue his journey, traveling across the land ravaged by the plague, a journey known as the Pope's Pilgrimage.

Stone Tower Cape Lighthouse.

A ray of light shone through the window, landed in the monk's hand, and transformed into a light blue banner.

Lin Bo gently stroked the remnant.

"Confirm the sacrifice."

(End of this chapter)