No one expected that a case of assassinating the Pope would involve two archbishops.
This can definitely be said to be the biggest scandal in the history of the Holy See of Light.
Everyone's faces were filled with shock and panic, because everyone knew that once it was confirmed that the masterminds were really the two archbishops, the entire Holy See would inevitably usher in a purge.
The Great Purge of the Holy See is far more terrifying than the Great Purge of the outside world. The Great Purge of the Holy See basically represents death, and a large number of deaths.
"Archbishop Gandalf, do you have anything to say?" Francis looked at Gandalf and asked.
"I have nothing to say." Gandalf smiled and shook his head.
"Don't you have anything to say? In other words, you admit everything Pine said?" Francis asked.
"Yes, everything Archbishop Pine said is true." Gandalf nodded.
Francis was a little stunned by Gandalf's words. He frowned at Gandalf, pondered for a moment and said, "Since you admit what Payne said, it means that you are willing to accept the consequences of it all."
What are the consequences?"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Pope." Gandalf nodded.
"Okay, send me the oracle to remove all priesthood from Gandalf from now on and hand him over to the Tribunal for trial. Because Payne has merit in the prosecution, he has decided not to pursue the relevant responsibilities and just expel him from the Holy See."
Francis said.
"Obey the oracle." Les was the first to bow and shout.
"Obey the oracle!" everyone shouted together.
No one stood up to excuse Gandalf, not even the people from Gandalf's faction, because Gandalf had already admitted that he was the culprit behind the scenes, and assassinating the Pope was a serious crime. Who dared to excuse Gandalf at this time?
Lin Zhiming looked at Francis and then at Gandalf.
Just at this time, Gandalf and Francis looked at him together.
There was a hint of gloom on Francis's face, but there was a slight smile in Gandalf's eyes.
This kind of performance made Lin Zhiming a little baffled.
"Today's events are organized by the Oracle and communicated to believers around the world," Francis said.
"yes!"
"You all please step aside, Archbishop Lin will stay," Francis said.
"yes!"
Everyone bowed and retreated, leaving only Francis and Lin Zhiming in the Temple of Light.
"Zhiming, I have always thought that the two of us are friends." Francis looked at Lin Zhiming and said.
"We are indeed friends!" Lin Zhiming smiled and nodded.
"Since we are friends, we cannot do things that harm our friends. Tell me, do you know that Gandalf is the culprit who assassinated me?" Francis asked.
"I know." Lin Zhiming nodded bluntly.
"If that's the case, then why did you tell me that the murderer was just the assassin? If I really believed what you said, wouldn't I just let a person like Gandalf, who had ulterior motives for me, stay by my side?" Francis asked
road.
"I told His Majesty the Pope that the murderer was just the assassin, but His Majesty the Pope dug up Archbishop Gandalf in just one hour. Obviously His Majesty the Pope should have known that Gandalf was the culprit earlier than me, right?" Lin Zhiming
asked.
Francis' pupils shrank slightly, then nodded and said, "I just opened a breakthrough here in Pine."
"Is Payne really an accomplice of Gandalf?" Lin Zhiming asked.
"Yes." Francis nodded.
"Did he betray Gandalf in exchange for his own safety?" Lin Zhiming asked.
"Almost, you haven't told me yet, why did you help Gandalf hide his identity?" Francis asked.
"I just feel that Gandalf had a reason for what happened, and he is already old, so it would be meaningless to capture him," Lin Zhiming said.
"Do you really think so?" Francis asked.
"Of course, it's just that I didn't expect that His Majesty the Pope would be so wise and powerful and capture Gandalf in such a short period of time." Lin Zhiming said with a smile.
"The Holy See is my Holy See," Francis said.
"I think so too." Lin Zhiming nodded.
"Zhi Ming, I don't want this matter to affect our relationship. You and I both know that with the help of the Holy See, you will get more conveniences in this world in the future, and what happens inside the Holy See is essentially different from you.
It doesn’t matter,” Francis said.
"Yes, if you think about it seriously, this is just my friend's family matter." Lin Zhiming said.
"In this case, I won't argue with you about your responsibility to help Gandalf hide his identity. I hope you can be honest with me if you encounter such things in the future." Francis said.
"That's for sure!" Lin Zhiming said.
"That's good...there's nothing wrong now. Next, I will cleanse Gandalf and the people in his faction. You can take this opportunity to recruit some people from his men to work for you, so that you will not be in the Holy See after you leave the Holy See.
No one," Francis said.
"Thanks to the Pope for reminding me, but I don't care about the power within the Holy See. There are still a lot of things that have not been done outside. Everything within the Holy See should be decided by the Pope!" Lin Zhiming said with a smile.
"You are right, then you should go back first." The Pope nodded.
Lin Zhiming smiled and bowed to the Pope, then turned and walked out of the Temple of Light.
Outside the Temple of Light, the originally bright sky was actually covered with dark clouds.
Lin Zhiming let out a long sigh. He didn't know why. Although all this had nothing to do with him, he felt that he was not very happy.
He couldn't explain in detail where that unpleasant feeling came from, it was just an inexplicable unhappiness...
Lin Zhiming shook his head, throwing all negative emotions behind his mind, and then walked straight outside the Papal Palace.
Inside the Temple of Light.
Francis frowned as he looked at Lin Zhiming's leaving figure.
"Lin Zhiming, what are you thinking about? Do you really have no idea about the power of the Holy See? If so, why did you help Gandalf hide the facts?" Francis murmured to himself, regarding Lin Zhiming
, his trust level has dropped a lot.
On the other side, inside the trial court.
Gandalf has been imprisoned in the Inquisition, but like Pine, he lives alone in a single room.
At this time, a priest was sitting opposite Gandalf. The priest said with a serious face, "Archbishop Gandalf, the master of the palace asked me to tell you that he will save you at all costs."
"Tell him no." Gandalf smiled and shook his head and said, "Go back and tell Eldor not to interfere in any of the Holy See's purges against me."
"But if this is the case... you and many people below you will die." The priest said seriously.
"There is a saying in the Dragon Kingdom that no one has ever died since ancient times. As long as my death can bring about the future of the Holy See, it will be considered a worthy death." Gandalf said.
"But His Majesty the Pope will not make changes because of your death." The priest said.
"It is true that I will not let him change, but someone will make him change." Gandalf said.
"Is there someone? Who?" the priest asked doubtfully.
Gandalf shook his head and said, "The seeds of distrust have been planted, and cracks will inevitably appear as the seeds take root. I am very happy that when I was almost desperate, I met the person who can carry all my hopes."
.”
The priest looked at Gandalf in confusion, wondering who Gandalf was talking about.
"Go back, otherwise you won't be able to leave if you wait. His Majesty the Pope's people will be here soon," Gandalf said.
"Then...okay." The priest nodded, then opened the door and left.
Not long after the priest left, several priests walked into the room.
"Archbishop Gandalf, His Majesty the Pope has asked us to send you on your way." One of them said expressionlessly.
Gandalf smiled and said, "Tell His Majesty the Pope that the God of Light has arrived. Anyone who disobeys the will of the God of Light will be purified by the Holy Light, even if he is such an incarnation of the God of Light."
Several priests said nothing and surrounded Gandalf in the middle...
…
Lin Zhiming walked quickly outside the Pope's Palace.
People were coming and going around him, many people were walking quickly, and there were faint sounds of exclamation, roaring, and crying from some distant places.
The purges against the factions of the two archbishops, Pine and Gandalf, have begun. Many people are destined to leave this world or leave the Papal Palace during this purge.
"Archbishop Lin!!"
Lin Zhiming suddenly heard someone calling him, so he stopped and looked to the side.
A priest hurriedly walked to Lin Zhiming's side.
"What's the matter?" Lin Zhiming asked.
"Archbishop Lin, I am a subordinate of Archbishop Pine. Archbishop Pine asked me to ask you something." The priest said excitedly.
"Ask me for something? What is it?" Lin Zhiming asked with a frown.
"He asked me to beg you to save his daughter, the warrior Daphne!" the priest said.
"Daphne? What happened to her?" Lin Zhiming asked in surprise.
"Archbishop Payne said that His Majesty the Pope threatened the Archbishop with the life of the divine warrior Daphne, and asked Archbishop Payne to accuse Archbishop Gandalf of being the culprit in assassinating His Majesty the Pope. Now that he has completed the task, His Majesty the Pope's character will definitely kill their father and daughter.
Kill them all to silence them. Archbishop Pine knows that there is no hope of survival, so I hope you can save his daughter's life. After all, the divine warrior Daphne is also your subordinate!" the priest said.
Lin Zhiming stood stunned on the spot.
He never thought that there would be such an inside story about Payne's testimony against Gandalf.
In order to eliminate Gandalf, Francis even asked Payne to give perjury! No wonder Gandalf didn't mention Payne when he confessed to him that he was the murderer.
Lin Zhiming's eyes slowly became sharp.
He didn't want to meddle in other people's business, and he didn't care at all about the life and death of most people in the Holy See, but the priest in front of him made an important point.
Daphne is his subordinate!
Although he was only here for gilding, he had successfully subdued Daphne and others not long ago. As a result, Francis had captured Daphne without even saying hello to him, and there was also the possibility of murder and silence. This was too unfair.
Take him seriously.
As a tyrant, the reason why so many people follow him is because he protects his shortcomings.
He will not allow anyone to harm his subordinates, even if they have just started.
After thinking briefly for a moment, Lin Zhiming picked up his cell phone and made a call.