Hearing the other party's words, Cheng Lin clearly showed an expression of surprise, which was indeed beyond his expectation.
He only arrived in the Extreme South Territory yesterday, and according to Lord Nolan, the "Temple" should not be close to here. How could the other party know of his existence?
Before he could ask any questions, Nolan, who was standing aside, said:
"Priest Emporio knew of your arrival yesterday, so he came to visit late at night and inquired about the matter. I did not hide it. Afterwards, he reported the matter to the church headquarters through the church's special communication method, and received it this morning.
reply."
So that's it... No wonder... Cheng Lin suddenly realized that the commotion caused by his arrival yesterday was not small. Being known by this organization was not an accident, but inevitable.
At this moment, information appeared in my mind again:
[Congratulations on completing the task (2)]
[Task (Part 3): You received an invitation from the "Temple" and decided to follow and talk to the high priest]
…
Okay, the plot was clearly laid out.
With a sigh in his heart, Cheng Lin nodded under the gaze of the two people and said with a smile: "Okay, when will we set off?"
…
…
Following the orders of the "Temple", the priests of this small territory naturally did not dare to delay and arranged their itinerary that day. Cheng Lin hesitated for a moment whether to move forward with his sword. This was not difficult. He only needed to get the map.
However, considering that it was just a deduction and I didn't care about the time, I just gave it up as a sightseeing tour and just left it to the priest named "Amborio" to arrange it.
That afternoon, Cheng Lin said goodbye to Nolan, then took the carriage arranged by the church and headed north, quickly arriving at the dock near the territory.
As the largest support for the transportation of materials in the entire Southern Territory, the dock is quite solidly built. This time we rushed to the "Temple" headquarters by water. In this era when there were no airplanes, it was a relatively fast means of transportation.
"Please." He led Cheng Lin to a specially arranged cabin in a sailboat transporting goods. Immediately, Priest Emporio exited the door and went to rest next door. He did not talk too much with Cheng Lin. It could be seen that
, he was very nervous under his calm appearance.
…
The sails were opened, and riding on the warm wind of midsummer, the sailboat quickly sailed along the river and left the extreme south, heading further north.
Cheng Lin sat in the cabin with nothing to do, and often walked to the deck to look at the surrounding scenery, which was quite leisurely.
According to the map, this waterway runs through most of the cities in the entire kingdom. Yes, for a country whose territory is about the size of a province, most of the large cities are built along this river, leaving
In the remote Southern Territory, Cheng Lin also saw a lot of scenery along the way.
The further north you go, the larger the cities along the way become. Although you have not yet landed, more and more boats are clearly visible on the river. The urban buildings on the river bank are lined up in rows, giving you a unique and exotic feel.
Just admiring the beautiful scenery, in the early morning of the third day, Cheng Lin and his party arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Dipispo.
"Woo..."
When he heard the heavy whine of the huge bronze horn erected on the dock, Cheng Lin walked out of the cabin and felt suddenly enlightened.
In the early morning, the red sun rose, illuminating the huge and broad river bank brilliantly. An unprecedentedly huge dock burst into his sight like a crouching giant.
In the distance, the towering city gates and majestic buildings all reveal the majesty of the royal capital.
"Your Excellency, we have arrived at the royal capital." The priest named Emporio came out and said.
"Well, are we going to go ashore next?" Cheng Lin asked.
"Yes, the 'Temple' headquarters is at the northern end of the royal capital. We can arrive there at the latest in the afternoon." The priest from the Extreme South Territory also seemed to be relieved. Although there was not much communication along the way, Cheng Lin's presence
It obviously put him under great pressure.
Cheng Lin smiled and nodded, breathing in the fresh air, feeling the warm sunlight pouring over him, and hearing the noisy shouts of workers and ship owners on the dock and nearby ships, his heart suddenly felt peaceful.
"please."
When the cargo ship under their feet docked, the sailors put down the wooden planks. Cheng Lin and Emporio walked down, then followed the flow of people, passed through the towering city gate, and entered the capital of the Kingdom of Dipispo.
Walking on the "Royal Capital Avenue", as far as you can see, there are people dressed in unique styles. On the other hand, Cheng Lin, who is dressed in strange clothes and looks strange, also attracts the attention of many civilians.
Cheng Lin didn't know whether the royal family had already known about the arrival of his figure, but it was obvious that ordinary people did not know. This made him let out a breath and jokingly said to the priest beside him:
"I was worried before that I would be watched."
Priest Emporio, who had an ordinary face, smiled apologetically and said:
"We thought you probably didn't like to be disturbed."
"Indeed." Cheng Lin said without concealment.
The two of them talked and left. When they passed through a section of the city, they suddenly saw people gathering. There was a faint sound of music playing. It was very festive and there were many people watching.
"What's that?" Cheng Lin asked curiously.
Emporio took a look and explained: "It must be that a certain pioneer was awarded a medal, so a celebration was held at his residence."
"Is this so? Are similar awards very frequent?" Cheng Lin asked.
At the same time, he remembered the information he had obtained from his previous conversation with Prince Nolan. Those who had made outstanding achievements in developing territories would be legally awarded the title, and the developed territories would be included in the kingdom's territory.
"It was very rare in the past few years, but it has gradually become more frequent in the past two years. It usually happens once every two months." Emporio sniffed, as if he was not used to the air in the royal capital, and said.
"That's it." Cheng Lin nodded and didn't alert anyone. He just watched the excitement for a while and then followed Emporio to leave. Then he hired a carriage and headed north to the "Temple" headquarters. This whole process
All went smoothly.
…
At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Cheng Lin got off the carriage and looked at the magnificent spire in front of him.
The headquarters of the "Temple" is actually a white tower with a fantastic shape, which is actually six stories high. This is firmly ranked first in the entire royal capital, and is much taller than the buildings of the royal family.
In front of the White Tower, there is a smooth square paved with stone bricks. There are some carriages parked nearby, but it does not seem lively. It is much cooler than Cheng Lin expected.
"This church is a bit deserted." Cheng Lin said bluntly without hiding it.
The priest on the side shook his head and said: "Although the temple is open to the public, only extraordinary people and some nobles usually come, and civilians rarely set foot."
"Is that so..." Cheng Lin's eyes moved, but he was not too surprised. From Nolan's previous narration, he could tell that this so-called religion was just a formality, more similar to a club of extraordinary people. Naturally, in the belief
I don't really care about it.
In particular, the belief in "the unknown in the starry sky" is not very close to the people, and it is difficult for ordinary people to accept it, and the church does not seem to care about it at all.
"Please." Emporio put his right hand in a gesture of invitation, and he led the way. When the two of them entered the square, they had already attracted the attention of the gatekeeper of the church hall.
They were two young men wearing gray clergy robes. They seemed to have anticipated their arrival. They didn't ask any more questions. They just said, "I will inform the high priest." Immediately, one person led Cheng Lin.
Entered this church.
…
"Dong...dong..."
When Cheng Lin actually walked into the church and saw the interior clearly, even though he was already prepared, he was still a little surprised. The interior of the building was actually more magnificent than the outside.
The "magnificent" here refers to the ceiling that is almost as tall as a giant. Walking in a long and narrow corridor, Cheng Lin can clearly feel the empty space above his head, which can only be revealed after going through at least three floors.
Effect.
Inside the building, the walls were golden yellow, as if they were piled with gold, and the floor was as smooth as a mirror, thickly waxed and spotless, so much so that Cheng Lin almost had the illusion of walking on glass.
The classical windows on the wall are more like decoration. What really provides light are the wall lamps embedded in the wall and the gems inlaid on the head. All these make the interior of this church full of a certain fantasy beauty.
And the heavy crimson curtains hanging on those windows give people a sense of sanctity.
"Please, the high priest is waiting for you up there." The gray-robed priest said respectfully, leading Cheng Lin to move forward.
The footsteps of the two people stepped on the floor, making a crisp and rhythmic sound.
Cheng Lin had to admit that this place was more peaceful than he expected.
After passing through the corridor, a slowly ascending staircase appeared in front of him. The staircase actually spiraled upward. As he walked, Cheng Lin's field of vision increased and he discovered that a starry sky was painted in an abstract style on the wall of the church hall.
There is indeed no "god statue" visible in the entire church. Those bright gems represent the stars. But for some reason, probably because of the color, Cheng Lin had the illusion that there were countless pairs of eyes staring at it.
Own.
"Dong dong..."
Finally, a brown wooden door appeared in front of them. The gray-robed cleric knocked twice, and a calm voice came from inside: "Please come in."
The door opened silently, and Cheng Lin stepped inside and found that it was a huge room with simple tables and chairs.
An old man wearing a holy robe painted with dense patterns sat calmly in a chair.
Behind him were bookshelves that filled the entire wall, with countless books placed on them.
The four windows on the side wall let in rays of sunlight, making the interior look particularly bright.
"Please sit down. Are you the strong man who awakened from the ruins as Prince Nolan said?" The old man with a regular beard and a typical mixed-race face looked over and stood up to ask.
He is indeed old, but his figure is very tall, larger than ordinary people. His eyes are dark and the pupils cannot be seen, so he looks a bit strange.
His eyes fell on Cheng Lin, as if he had weight. At the same time, Cheng Lin was also sizing up the high priest of the "Temple", and he was keenly aware that the other party was stronger than himself.
As for whether it is the eighth grade or the ninth grade...it cannot be measured unless the two of them fight, or the other party fully demonstrates their strength.
Cheng Lin felt a slight shiver in his heart, and secretly thought that his guess was indeed correct. There are high-level powerful people in this world. He recalled the information he got from asking Emporio on the way, and remembered that the high priest seemed to be called "Orr."
Kurt".
"Indeed, but I need to correct something." Cheng Lin smiled softly and raised the corners of his mouth.
"Oh?" On the old face of High Priest Alcott, a pair of dark eyes widened slightly, looking a little scary.
"In front of the high priest, I am not considered a strong person." Cheng Lin answered calmly. He was still happy to show some respect for the powerful beings in the deduction world.
Of course, weak lives are no exception. This was something he was particularly concerned about after the Dragon Civilization deduction.
High Priest Olcott was stunned for a moment, then let out a deep laugh, then raised his broad right hand, motioning for Cheng Lin to sit down, and he himself returned to his original position.
Cheng Lin did not shirk, he sat down naturally, and immediately heard the old man say with emotion:
"My strength is just the accumulation of living for a few more years, but it is not a real strength. Compared with those powerful humans before the 'Era of Catastrophe', this is really not worth mentioning."
Hearing this, Cheng Lin tried his best to suppress the urge to twitch the corners of his mouth, ignored the strong men before the so-called "Era of Catastrophe", and said seriously:
"I also learned about the history of this era in the Southern Territory. To be honest, I think you may have some misunderstandings about that era."
Alcott made a soft sound, as if he was very interested, but he did not talk about this issue in depth, but asked:
"So, you did live a thousand years ago?"
"I'm not sure," Cheng Lin shook his head gently, "My perception of time is not accurate. To be honest, entering this era is also an accident."
His words originally referred to his entering the "time distortion field". When he thought about it, the high priest would definitely ask him about the details of the disaster.
However, Alcott's reaction was far beyond Cheng Lin's expectation. When he finished speaking, the tall old man shook his head and stared deeply with his dark, pupil-less eyes.
Looking at him, he said:
"Do you really think this was an accident?"
"What do you mean?" The other party's reaction was indeed beyond Cheng Lin's expectation.
Immediately, the old man sighed deeply, folded his two withered hands together, put them on his knees, and said:
"In fact, I am not very surprised by your appearance, because all of this... has long been recorded in the great oracle handed down from the stars."
After a pause, Alcott suddenly put his hands together and said in a pious tone:
"Or, to use a more appropriate word to describe it, it should be the revelation of the gods."
Inspiration from the gods...
Hearing these words, Cheng Lin's originally calm face froze slightly. What caused his mood to change was not the magic words, nor the high priest's overly "calm" reaction, but...
Hearing the word "revelation", Cheng Lin almost instantly thought of the deduction of the dragon civilization.
He thought of the words he learned from the head of the dragon, Adelaide, in the Dusk Dragon Palace.
I remember, that time, Adelaide once said that the reason why it foresaw Cheng Lin's arrival was because it had received "revelation" from its fate.
Revelation…revelation again…
Cheng Lin squinted his eyes, and a string in his heart was suddenly touched. He sat up straight and said, "I would like to hear the details!"