King-Chapter 1117 - 168, Frank Church_3

"Don’t even think about fudging this, the problems that have emerged this time are no ordinary matter. Aside from the dispatched Treasure Hunting Team, only we, the high-ranking members, knew about the Divine Artifact’s loss.

It has now been confirmed that the entire Treasure Hunting Team has been annihilated.

The only way the news could have leaked is either there is a traitor among us or the Divine Artifact has fallen into the hands of some major power.

Only by finding the person pulling the strings behind the scenes can we retrieve our Inherited Artifacts and restore the Divine Right of Law of our Church!"

The words of Shelter VII sent a shock through the crowd. The likelihood of a leak was almost zero—having reached the upper echelons of the Clergy, one would have to be outrageously misguided to become a traitor.

"The lost Divine Artifact falling into the hands of a major force" was undoubtedly very bad news for the Dawn Sect.

Fortunately, they didn’t show up directly, which at least proves that the one behind the scenes isn’t the Frank Kingdom. If the Franks had obtained the Divine Artifact, by now they would have used the Inherited Artifacts to establish their own Church.

"Your Majesty, we must take the long view on this matter. To secretly hide an Inherited Artifact and dare to stab us in the back at such a time, the person behind the scenes must be well-prepared.

What we have found so far may not even be the truth. Verifying the truth is not something that can be achieved overnight.

In the short term, it is unlikely that the Inherited Artifacts will be found. Our immediate concern should be to resolve the current difficulty first.

Amidst the encouragement of the major powers, the public sentiment is very unfavorable to us. If we delay in producing the Inherited Artifacts, I’m afraid..."

Bishop Soren’s voice grew quieter and quieter. In the end, he could not continue.

But everyone was still very capable of understanding the gravity of the situation. Even without it being spelled out, they knew how much trouble the Church was in.

Under such scrutiny, they wouldn’t even dare to consider faking it!

The Divine Artifact is not a mere cabbage that mortals can forge, let alone an Inherited Artifact of the Church.

...

Compared to the headaches at the Church, on the other hand, the Frank Kingdom was witnessing a different scene.

Since the news of the Church Inheritance Artifact’s loss had been confirmed, the Conservative Faction, which had originally opposed the establishment of a new Church, had now switched sides.

Almost overnight, rumors that the Lord of the Dawn had abandoned the Church spread to every major city in the Kingdom.

The reaction of the faithful was more intense than anyone had anticipated. Innumerable people attributed the Divine Spirit’s lack of miraculous appearances to the Church’s loss of virtue, which had angered the Divine Spirit.

Observing the favorable trend, Charles III didn’t bother to hide his intentions and took a bunch of cronies to establish a New Church.

Representatives from the churches of various nations also showed great face—although they did not immediately join the New Church, they participated in the foundation-laying Sacrifice Ceremony.

What a pity it was that there was no response from the Lord of the Dawn; otherwise, it would have been perfect.

Unlike the Church on the Holy Mountain, the New Church led by the Frank people didn’t establish a Pope; instead, they set up a Bishop Group to act with papal authority.

Undoubtedly, it was a very clever arrangement. Without an Inherited Artifact in hand, there was no Divine Right of Law to speak of.

According to the rules, the Pope must receive the acknowledgment of the Inherited Artifacts to ascend. In the past, this was not a limiting condition.

Any Eighth-order Light Follower could receive a response from the Inherited Artifacts—there wasn’t a Pope who failed to ascend due to lack of acknowledgment.

But now, with no Artifact, there was no chance of acknowledgment. Rather than forcibly appoint an illegitimate Pope, it seemed better to leave the position vacant.

Coincidentally, the monarchs of various countries did not like the Pope, either. According to the hierarchy of the Continent, Kings already stood at the apex of the Nobility, yet the Pope stood even above the Monarchs.

Within the system of "Divine Right of Kings," only the Emperor could contend with the Pope; in fact, within the religious hierarchy, even the Emperor was ranked lower.

To many monarchs, such a highly powerful Pope should not exist at all.

Just on this point alone, it was enough to make many countries side with the Frank Church.

Of course, there was still the matter of price. If the new Church was the same as the old one, what would be the point of establishing it?

"Archbishop Edward, how is the establishment of the churches going? How many countries are willing to join us?"

asked Charles III, brimming with confidence.

The effort of several generations of Kings had finally taken root and blossomed in his hands.

Having overcome the biggest obstacle on the path of development, the Frank Kingdom was poised to reach new heights under his reign.

"Your Majesty, the progress is very smooth. So far, six national churches have clearly stated: they recognize the legitimacy of the Kingdom Church and will no longer accept the jurisdiction of the Holy Mountain Church.

The representatives of the other national churches are also very receptive. Although they have not joined us outright, they have expressed a leaning toward us.

We are working hard to attract more allies. I believe in the near future, the Kingdom Church will replace the Holy Mountain Church as the orthodox spokesperson for the Lord of the Dawn in the mortal world!"

Archbishop Edward said cheerfully.

Although he had not instantly become the supreme Pope, his status as the leader of the Bishop Group had greatly elevated his position.

The only pity was that in order to entice various countries to join, the Frank Church had ceded many rights to local churches, greatly diminishing the power of the Church Headquarters.

But Edward was content. If he had become Pope, his position would be awkward.

With both the King and Pope in the same city, whose orders should be followed?

Compared to Charles III, a Monarch with real power, Edward’s foundation was lacking. If divine authority clashed with kingly authority, he might become the shortest-reigning Pope in history.

"Well done, keep working hard in this area. Every country we bring on board weakens the Holy Mountain Church a little more.

With such a wrench thrown in their works, their collection of wealth from across the Continent this year will likely dwindle significantly.

If we keep dragging this out, they may well be toppled by financial strain without us lifting a finger.

The New Church has been established; our next mission is to locate the Inherited Artifact as soon as possible and thereby establish a foundation for the Divine Right of Law.

Everyone must cooperate closely and work in earnest.

This round of rumors is not simple; according to intelligence gathered from the Church, the Inherited Artifact may very well be in the hands of the person behind the scenes.

Compared to the Holy Mountain Church, we have more room to maneuver. Besides forcefully taking it from the person behind the scenes, the Kingdom can also trade with them.

If possible, first let the Holy Mountain Church play the villain. Next, we can jump in to relieve them and, incidentally, buy back the Artifact.

After all, this incident has indirectly helped us, so consider it returning a favor!"

Charles III spoke with full confidence, as though he had already...

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺