Royal capital, Petersburg.
In the dark room, a white candle stood on the empty table. Archbishop Henry stared at the flickering flame with deep eyes.
Rapid footsteps sounded in the corridor, and soon, a black monk opened the door and said to Archbishop Henry who was sitting on the sofa: "Duke Ivanovich is here."
"finally come...."
Archbishop Henry smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes and took a deep breath: "Invite him in."
The monk in black stepped back to report, and not long after, Duke Ivanovich in military uniform walked into the room and said, whether jokingly or sarcastically: "The Winter Palace is really well guarded, even I need to verify my identity. ..”
"This is an extraordinary time, Your Excellency, please forgive me."
Archbishop Henry seemed not to hear the deep meaning of Duke Ivanovich's words, and pointed to the sofa opposite: "Please sit down."
"I want to see your Majesty first."
"Your Majesty is fine. He has fallen asleep."
"It's only 9pm. Your Majesty usually goes to bed after midnight."
"Your Majesty handled a lot of government affairs today, so he went to bed early."
His eyes scrutinized Archbishop Henry, whose face flickered in the candlelight. After a while, Duke Ivanovich sat on the sofa. He did not mention the meeting with Paul I again, but asked: "Why are you looking for me so late?" What happened?"
Since Paul I returned to Petersburg, Duke Ivanovich and others have never seen him again. At first, it was because the army was stationed around Petersburg and generals were needed to take charge, and later because Archbishop Henry interfered. They were not allowed to see Paul I.
Archbishop Henry's behavior was transgressive. Everyone knew it, but no one dared to accuse him.
For some reason today, Duke Ivanovich, who was inspecting the army, suddenly received an order to quickly enter the city and head to the Winter Palace.
At first, Duke Yinvanovich thought it was Paul I who wanted to see him. Later, he thought, why did Paul I, who had been ignored, summon him under the surveillance of the Wisdom Cult?
The one who really summoned him must be Archbishop Henry.
"It's actually not a big deal..."
Archbishop Henry's face was expressionless, his face as hard as stone, and he said lightly: "I heard recently that His Excellency the Duke's faith is not very firm."
I have never believed in the Wisdom Religion at all, so how can I believe in it?
The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and Duke Ivanovich responded: "Is the Archbishop doubting my loyalty to His Majesty the King?"
"No, His Excellency the Duke's loyalty is unquestionable, but I think that under the current tense situation, it is necessary for everyone to sit down and have a good talk."
Archbishop Henry asked for hot tea and cigars, and after signaling Duke Ivanovich to help himself, he continued: "The recent operations of the secret police have been very smooth, and of course Mosk cannot be counted... In short, we have arrested Thousands of reactionaries have been killed, and the prisons can no longer hold them. All this is thanks to His Excellency the Duke."
Duke Yinvanovich, who was lighting a cigar, glared and said quickly: "No, no, no, it's all thanks to you, Archbishop. I acted on orders."
He was very polite, but in his heart, Duke Yinvanovich had already greeted the members of Archbishop Henry's family with "cordial" greetings.
Who doesn’t know that the secret police are notorious and hated by everyone?
This is not a merit, but the target of public anger....
"No matter what, His Excellency the Duke is the first to bear the brunt." Archbishop Henry said with a smile: "Those areas that have restored peace will definitely be grateful to Your Excellency the Duke."
"...."
"Although we will definitely win the final victory, there is always a contingency in everything. In order to dispel the worries of His Excellency the Duke and other nobles, I have prepared a backup plan for you." Archbishop Henry said: "If an contingency happens, Your Excellency, the Duke, can flee to the Popang Kingdom, and I believe His Majesty Yin Fan Fourteenth will receive you with the highest courtesy."
Prince Ivanovich narrowed his eyes, held a cigar in his mouth, and said in a deep voice: "What does the Archbishop mean?"
"The Romanov Kingdom has not been very peaceful recently..." Archbishop Henry said with a smile: "Isn't your Excellency the Duke worried about the safety of his family?"
The palms of his hands were clenched tightly, and the frown on his brows relaxed. Duke Yinvanovich said calmly: "If you have anything to say, please speak directly to the Archbishop."
"In order to prevent unexpected situations from happening, His Majesty Yin Fan Fourteenth is willing to use the highest standards of etiquette to receive your Excellency and other noble relatives. They will live in the safest place, eat and live with His Majesty the Pope, and no one will be harmed. "
"So the archbishop wants to capture me and other nobles' families and use them as hostages?"
"Don't get me wrong, this is definitely not a hostage. After the Romanov Kingdom returns to its previous peace, you will naturally be able to reunite with your family. Even if something unexpected happens, you will be able to go to the Popon Kingdom and live a prosperous life." Archbishop Henry Tanshou said, "Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
“Are you crazy?!” Duke Ivanovich was furious, “Imprisoning my family and sending them to the Popon Kingdom?! You are insulting my character!
! "
Archbishop Henry rubbed the gold ring on his finger and said in a calm voice: "The name Finn Drost should be familiar to Your Excellency the Duke..."
"you...."
With a thump in his heart, Duke Yinvanovich swallowed: "I have never heard of it."
"I've never heard of it. That's naturally the best." Archbishop Henry smiled: "The Free Society is mysterious, but they are not invincible. The Wisdom Religion dares to name itself with Wisdom, not because of arrogance... Duke Your Excellency, none of us want to see things develop to this point, but there is still room for redemption. As long as you cooperate with us, I assure you that nothing will go wrong."
"What if I don't agree?"
"This is not a discussion, but a notification." Archbishop Henry looked at the clock on the wall: "Now you and other nobles should have boarded the train to the Kingdom of Popon. Don't be in a hurry to get angry... Only by being calm can you judge the situation.”
Prince Ivanovich put out his cigar, pushed the black monk at the door, and rushed out of the room without looking back.
"Archbishop, is this really okay?" Basile, who had the badge of the Knights of the Holy Silver Cross on his chest, walked into the room, looked at the angry back of Duke Ivanovich and said, "Push the aristocracy to a dead end. What should I do if they jump over the wall in a hurry?"
"There is only one month left before the date of the prophecy. We must ensure that the Church of Truth will not develop too large before the date of the prophecy arrives." Archbishop Henry said: "This is our most important task. As long as the aristocracy can be obedient, Just a month will do...How is the situation with the secret police?"
"It's progressing very smoothly. Many small churches have been picked out. Under strict scrutiny by the secret police, they had to move out of the city and find other places to stay."
"Where in the world can there be room for them?" Archbishop Henry stretched out his finger and stroked the flickering flames, "Food should have the fate of food. Didn't we also come from food step by step? "
"There are more and more believers in the Church of Truth. Archbishop, the secret police seem to have aroused public anger, and many workers have begun to join the riots."
"Don't be nervous, the noble faction is the sacrifice we use to calm the people's anger."
At this point, Archbishop Henry suddenly laughed: "In fact, we are already sure of victory... The power of a god is determined by the number of believers. Anatole, who has nearly ten million believers, is definitely not a god. The newly promoted gods can't compete unless... In the next month, the Church of Truth can develop tens of millions of believers, which is simply wishful thinking."
Basil licked his lips, feeling that it was impossible, but he just couldn't settle down.
The growth rate of the Truth Church is really too fast. It has added hundreds of thousands of believers in half a month, and this number is still expanding. Although the specific number is not clear, judging from Archbishop Henry's somewhat eager actions... ..
He is not as calm and calm as he appears on the surface.
"Give money to the people, Basil." Archbishop Henry suddenly said: "Use the reserve funds of the treasury, and then let the aristocrats spend money to provide subsidies to the people."
"What?" Basil said in surprise: "Doing this will put the government into an economic crisis!"
"Just hold on for a month..." Archbishop Henry said: "Our task is to suppress the Church of Truth as much as possible before the prophesied day arrives."
"...I understand, I'll do it right now."
After Basil left, Archbishop Henry blew out the candles, walked to the window, and looked at the dense night, feeling a little uneasy.
He was indeed not as calm as he appeared, but he gave it his all.
The crazily expanding Church of Truth has shown strong momentum. This feeling...
Archbishop Henry couldn't help but think of the Apocalypse Cult that was born more than two thousand years ago as recorded in the classics preserved by the Wisdom Cult.
At that time....
Apocalypse Theocratic Religion, like the Church of Truth, is respected by all people, and the old pantheon cannot stop their rise.
And the God of Wisdom, the Three Goddesses of Fate, the God of Fertility...
It was also at that time that he joined the Apocalypse Cult.
History is repeating itself, but this time, the protagonist is no longer the Apocalypse Cult, but...
The Church of Truth!
"The great god of wisdom, Anatole..."
Archbishop Henry whispered a prayer:
"Please bless me, bless the Wisdom Cult..."
