The astonishment and conflict in the Archbishop's eyes flashed by, and he quickly adjusted his emotions.
"As far as I know, he has never been married," Zane said rather cautiously. "In fact, I never ask about the private affairs of other clerics."
Su Cheng had just been looking for a random excuse.
Although she was indeed a bit curious about this question.
And the answer wasn't bad.
"So," she continued to ask, feigning distress, "he most likely isn't married, but if he already has a romantic partner, you might not know, right?"
The Archbishop looked at her in silence for a few seconds before sighing softly, "...No."
—Perhaps they had a pretty good personal relationship?
So even if he didn't actively ask, he could still answer this kind of question?
Su Cheng felt that was enough, pretending to just realize the other party had something to do. "Were you planning to go out just now?"
"Yes," the blond young man lowered his eyes and glanced at her. "I'm going out to see if anyone is injured. If there are, I can help them."
Su Cheng: "?"
Not going back to the temple?
And was he serious?
Let alone an Archbishop, even for a regular Bishop, getting them to personally treat the wounded was incredibly difficult.
Even ordinary imperial nobles might not be able to achieve that.
Unless it was during certain ceremonial rituals held by the Holy Church, specifically for putting on a show to bless the believers and let ordinary people enjoy the deity's grace, such a thing would be impossible.
In a daze, she finished the remaining fried potato balls and asked the boss to pack some things to go.
The drunks in the hall seemed to have sobered up a bit. They were staring at the blond man in uniform, constantly rubbing their eyes, seemingly suspecting they had drunk too much and were hallucinating.
There were already quite a few people on the street outside. They probably all felt the earthquake just now and looked like they had lingering fears.
As soon as Su Cheng came out of the tavern, she saw some distinctive figures.
A group of teenagers stood at the intersection ahead. Their clothes and dressing style were obviously completely different from the nearby residents. She immediately recognized her ex-fiancé among them.
Su Cheng: "..."
Su Cheng turned her head away. "What bad luck."
Although she only looked for two seconds before looking away, it was enough for a fifth-tier warrior to sense it.
In the crowd at the intersection, Murong Yue turned around and happened to see a familiar side profile.
The girl was holding a large paper bag of food, her fluffy, curly black hair casually tied behind her head. She was looking up and talking to the person next to her.
The tall blond young man lowered his head slightly, listening to her earnestly, his emerald eyes as gentle as water.
The man wore a snow-white lapel coat with gold trim rolling along the cuffs and lapels. On his back, two crossed scepters were enveloped in a halo of holy light.
Murong Yue trembled slightly.
—Two scepters and a ring of holy light!
An Archbishop!
Not long ago, his classmates said they wanted to come out for a stroll. Murong Yue originally didn't have the mood for it, but his mentors kept dropping hints, hoping he would reconcile with Su Cheng.
He really didn't want to listen to their nagging and couldn't stay in the hotel any longer, so he simply came out with his juniors.
These people were all capable. Even if they went to the slums, they weren't afraid of being robbed, not to mention that Golden Amber City was the most prosperous city in the southern part of the empire, and its lower district wasn't that bad yet.
Everyone scattered to wander around. Who knew a couple would say they saw Su Cheng from afar, adding that she seemed to be on a date with a cleric.
However, they weren't too sure.
Because they saw Su Cheng and that man enter a shabby diner by the street together.
Even though she wasn't a noble, she was at least from a wealthy family. Would she actually be willing to go to such a place to eat and drink?
Murong Yue suspected something was wrong, so he simply followed their directions and came over to take a look, and as a result, he really saw them.
"...Senior?"
A junior next to him looked at him in confusion. Seeing Murong Yue standing there like a statue, he couldn't help but follow his gaze.
"Holy crap, isn't that—"
Two other classmates also noticed.
"Who is that man? That insignia... he's no ordinary priest, right?"
"Damn, that's the Holy Fire Ring and Scepters! And two scepters! It's, it's, it's an Archbishop!"
The students of Nanhe Academy came from various backgrounds. Those who could follow along for student recruitment in the south this time all wanted to broaden their horizons and had done their research before coming.
What was the status of an Archbishop?
Looking at the entire Holy Church, high-ranking clerics with the title of Bishop numbered in the tens of thousands.
After all, the scope of a standard diocese was usually a single core city and its affiliated villages and towns, and in some cases, it would include multiple small and medium-sized cities.
However, an Archbishop was different. In an archdiocese governed by an Archbishop, there could be a dozen standard dioceses, or there could be dozens or even hundreds.
It depended entirely on the region.
Therefore, the number of Archbishops in the Holy Church was only in the hundreds.
The vast majority of Archbishops could no longer be promoted upwards, because further up were either the Cardinals, who only had twelve positions, or commanding the Holy Knights. However, an Archbishop was only half a rank lower than a Legion Commander, and Legion Commanders were often promoted from those Division Commanders with outstanding military records; these positions never lacked people to fill the gaps.
However, His Grace the Archbishop of the Golden Amber City Temple was not only a student of a Cardinal but also the God's Favored of the God of Light.
Although this wasn't something everyone knew, anyone who knew about it wouldn't dare to look down on him.
His term of stationing in Golden Amber City was almost up. Once he returned to the Holy City to report on his duties, he would most likely be promoted.
Once he became a Cardinal, he would also become a candidate for the next Pope.
—After all, it was well known that every Pope was a Favored of the God of Light.
Nowadays, there were only a very few Favored under the crown of the God of Light.
Murong Yue's face darkened slightly.
He remembered that Su Cheng had once mentioned Ling Yang, who was exactly one of the two great Legion Commanders commanding the Holy Church's Holy Knights stationed in the empire.
Although he didn't regret breaking off the engagement at all.
But before going to break off the engagement, they had never imagined that this orphan who seemed to live under someone else's roof actually had such intricate connections behind her.
Moreover, involving the forces of the Holy Church, these things were very difficult to find out even if one wanted to investigate.
Although he didn't understand how the deity had chosen her, no matter what, this was already an established fact.
Since she was a God's Favored, her relationship with the Holy Church was completely logical.
The Holy Church had always liked to win over and control those people—the Favored of the main gods allied with the God of Light.
"...What are those two talking about?"
A classmate next to him muttered softly.
They were all low- and mid-tier warriors, every one of them having sharp eyes and ears. Under normal circumstances, it was easy to hear a distant conversation.
It was just that there were many people on the street, and all kinds of noises were chaotic. If they really wanted to eavesdrop on others, they would have to put in some effort, otherwise they wouldn't be able to hear.
Murong Yue was just about to tell them not to meddle in other people's business when he suddenly felt that junior channeling his battle aura.
He was startled and was about to intervene to stop him.
That person suddenly shuddered, let out a miserable and agonizing scream, and fell to his knees covering his ears, dark red blood continuously flowing from both ears.
The other two classmates turned pale with fright, not to mention the surrounding passersby, who all retreated a few feet.
That person rolled on the ground,
The battle aura within her body was chaotic and darting around wildly, as if her meridians had been shattered. For a moment, she couldn't even stand up.
Murong Yue widened her eyes in shock, and only after a delayed reaction did she look up into the distance.
Su Cheng heard the scream and seemed to want to turn her head to look, but her shoulders were wrapped by the blonde man beside her.
He took a half-step back, leaned a bit closer to her, and stretched out his long arm, completely shielding the scene behind them from her view.
Thus, she didn't get a clear look at what happened behind her.
"?"
Su Cheng tilted her head up in confusion. "What did you just say you needed my help with?"
"Since you have already decided to study at the Cross Star Academy," the Archbishop smiled and looked down at her, "then you should also be heading to the imperial capital. I would like to trouble you to deliver a letter for me to Duke Batten, the current Minister of Justice, and the lord who is a favored of the God of Magic just like you."
Su Cheng took a sharp breath.
Why would an Archbishop of the Holy Church need a nobody like her to deliver a letter? They had all sorts of communication methods!
This was clearly offering her a stepping stone to introduce her to the Minister of Justice! It was practically the same as writing a recommendation letter!
Su Cheng hurriedly thanked him.
The Archbishop winked at her. "Since I'm asking for your help, I should be the one saying thank you."
They exchanged a knowing smile.
Su Cheng instantly forgot the little interlude from just now, or rather, she couldn't be bothered to care anymore.
Regardless of his motives, Lin Yun always wanted to attract his fiancee's attention, make her regret, or slap her in the face.
But she only wanted to stay away from Murong Yue.
After all, looking at an eyesore for even a second longer would ruin one's appetite.
So she hadn't paid much attention to that guy in the first place.
As for who had let out a miserable shriek, it was probably some blind pickpocket. This place was quite chaotic anyway.
The gloominess between her brows was swept away. Seeing that Zane wasn't in a hurry to rush back to the temple, she felt even more at ease and began to chat with him about random things.
His Grace the Archbishop was quite knowledgeable. Having been stationed in temples across the northern and southern continents, he spoke of the local customs of the Crimson Sun Empire in a vivid and interesting way.
When he talked about a time he assisted the knights of the Inquisition in capturing heretics, he suddenly paused and looked at her thoughtfully.
Su Cheng thought he regretted talking about the internal affairs of the Church.
"There is one thing," Zane pondered for a moment. "That criminal who once passed by your house escaped from the prison of the Inquisition. Did you know that?"
Su Cheng widened her eyes. "What? No! I don't know anything about that person—"
Her heart sank.
The Inquisition was an organization directly under the core power of the Church. Internally, it dealt with issues like dereliction of duty, corruption, and betrayal among the clergy; externally, it was responsible for capturing heretics.
The clergy of the Inquisition were all elites and held immense power. When pursuing enemies outside, they could mobilize local garrisoned Holy Knights to assist them.
So here came the problem.
Since Zane said this, it meant the fugitive didn't escape from Ling Yang, because Ling Yang was a proper commander of the externally garrisoned Holy Knights, not from the Inquisition.
"...Sir Ling Yang had another mission. He only assisted in tracking down that fugitive because it was on his way."
The Archbishop said softly, "The people of the Inquisition are still looking for him. And as far as I know, the highest authority of the Inquisition has already set out for this matter, leaving the Holy City."
Su Cheng silently cried out in dismay.
The head of the Inquisition, the current Grand Inquisitor, was a massive sadist in the original novel. The male lead was nearly tortured to death by her.
The God of Purity would at least kill people directly, but this Grand Inquisitor was not that simple.
She was obsessed with playing with her prey and greatly enjoyed pain—whether it was her own or others'. In a sense, she was an absolute psychopath.
Su Cheng couldn't help but feel incredibly remorseful.
She had no memory of the subsequent plotline regarding the fugitive demon.
Regarding the storyline of the Grand Inquisitor, she only remembered the male lead being abused and toyed with by this person in the prison.
Of course, because that person's appearance was exceptionally stunning, and the male lead had plot armor and thick health so he couldn't die, this part of the plot actually seemed quite thrilling.
But if it were herself—
Su Cheng took a difficult breath. "Didn't you say before that the fugitive had already gone to the Southern Continent?"
"That's right."
"Then... did the Grand Inquisitor also chase after him? Or what?"
The Archbishop did not answer her.
Su Cheng couldn't help but feel irritated.
She didn't even know how the male lead got locked up! Was it related to the demon, or was it because of something else?
Why did she skip chapters when reading the novel back then!
She thought despairingly.
"I rarely interact with Lord Qin Jing—"
Zane looked up at the distant street, where the magnificent outline of the Church's temple faintly appeared under the moonlight.
"It is also difficult for me to guess the Grand Inquisitor's thoughts," he said softly. "But no matter what..."
The Archbishop paused again as he spoke, looking thoughtfully at the street corner.
"What's wrong?" Su Cheng also instinctively turned her head. "Is someone eavesdropping on us?"
"Not quite," the Archbishop slightly curled the corners of his lips. "I am very sure that no one will come to eavesdrop again. It's just that Her Excellency the Grand Inquisitor might not have set out solely to pursue the criminal."
As they talked, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Lin family mansion.
Just as Su Cheng wanted to ask a question, she caught sight of Lin Zhen pacing back and forth in front of the door, looking somewhat anxious.
Suddenly, the head of the Lin family turned his head and saw the young man and woman walking over, and wild joy appeared on his face.
Su Cheng: "..."
She witnessed the entire process of her so-called uncle's face changing.
Lin Zhen's face was splitting with a smile, as if he had already imagined their wedding from this single scene.
Of course, this did not affect him spouting all sorts of extremely flattering words to the Archbishop.
And none of them were repeated from last time.
Su Cheng had originally wanted to ask about the Grand Inquisitor, but it was no longer convenient to speak up now.
She could only watch helplessly as the Archbishop exchanged pleasantries with her so-called uncle before turning and leaving gracefully.
...
The East Wing of the Golden Amber City Temple.
Moonlight poured into the hall through the stained glass windows, flowing over the gilded and stone-inlaid walls, and illuminating the radiant golden doors suspended in mid-air.
Those teleportation portals were arranged in an arc, floating at a height of seven feet off the ground, as if secured in place by an invisible force.
The door frames were engraved with intricate runes that shone with dazzling light, resembling solidified lightning.
Outside the hall doors was a long corridor. More than a dozen clerics were sitting or lying on the ground, all of them injured, with bloodstains left on the obsidian floor tiles.
Zane walked through the corridor, a gentle white-gold light emerging at his hand. Wherever the white light brushed past, the injuries of the paladins and priests were instantly healed.
"Your Grace the Archbishop!"
They regained their senses and bowed to him one after another, then looked toward the inner temple with anxious eyes.
Zane slightly raised his hand, signaling them not to panic.
"No matter what you have come for—"
He stepped straight into the great hall ahead.
His gaze swept over the floating teleportation portals in the air and looked directly below the centermost door.
A white-haired man stood there. The cold, silent moonlight spread through his snow-colored hair, tracing the curling arcs of the tips.
His body was clad in a pale half-armor battle robe, the fitted metal and fabric outlining his lean, imposing physique.
The moment Zane spoke, the white-haired man turned his head. A smile devoid of any warmth hung on his breathtakingly handsome face.
His light, jade-green eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, his pitch-black vertical pupils narrowing into fine slits, as sinister and cold as a viper.
"...None of this is an excuse for you to hurt them, Lord Grand Inquisitor."
The archbishop spoke calmly.
"They believed that since I used the portal to enter your temple without authorization and lacked His Holiness the Pope's written decree, I should wait here until you returned."
The white-haired youth tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing an icy smile. "See, I complied. I have been waiting all this time for you and that Divine Favored to return."
He paused for a moment. "And I am also very curious. You monitor the portal so strictly, yet you allow filthy vampires and despicable heretics to freely enter and exit your halls. Furthermore, when that criminal entered Golden Amber City, you just happened to be away from the temple. Is this really a coincidence?"
"First of all, this is not my temple. I am merely the director here, Lord Grand Inquisitor, and my schedule is usually quite full."
The archbishop interrupted him. "You have made a very serious accusation. If you cannot provide conclusive evidence, I will have no choice but to ask the Conclave to arbitrate, at which point you must bear all the consequences that follow."
"Ha, who doesn't know that you are the darling of the Conclave, the beloved disciple of Lord Berna—"
The white-haired man began to chuckle low, his laughter inexplicably tinged with a sense of amusement. "I can smell their foul stench, and it won't be difficult to track them down. Care to make a bet?"
