Chapter 1084: Chapter 1025: Stop Issuing Indulgences—There’s Inflation in the Celestial Kingdom!

Silvanic had a dream.

In his dream, he returned to many years ago, sitting opposite Senius in that small inn at the Machinery Court.

He tried hard to persuade Senius to stay, telling him about the prospects of the Holy Alliance, but Senius decisively took the students and left the Machinery Court.

Senius told him that at New Bridge University, a college graduate is equivalent to a non-hereditary knight, but in the Holy Alliance?

So Silvanic decided to stay, relying on his former student Marshall, whose students gradually joined the Holy Alliance Government.

As the Thousand River Valley War concluded, batch after batch of students graduated, and he became the president of Holy Machinery Court University.

When the sixth Great Duke meeting arrived, Silvanic moved into the Ivy Inn with Guslit, who was already a judge.

At Ivy Inn, he met his old acquaintance, Senius.

Due to the exclusion by the Falan people, Senius was destitute, even having to use his annual salary to support his students.

Because if his students couldn’t graduate, his reputation would be completely ruined.

Unlike Holy Machinery Court University, at New Bridge University, mentors and students were strictly bound, mutually chosen.

Senius’ reputation was ruined, he had no students, and after a few years, the professor committee of New Bridge University might even revoke his qualification.

Silvanic naturally didn’t mind giving his old friend a hand.

"Silvanic..."

Hmm?

Silvanic suddenly raised his head, and the person sitting across the stone table—turned out to be... turned out to be himself!

"Silvanic, it’s not that I hold grudges, you are neither of the Divine Essence Sect nor have unique academic achievements, it’s hard for me to help you..."

"After all, without value, who would help you?"

"Ah—" Silvanic woke suddenly from his dream, sitting on the creaking wooden bed, drenched in sweat.

"Master, have you woken up?" Guslit, who was sleeping on the floor, drowsily raised his head.

Silvanic ignored him, just lightly panting.

Guslit took out his pocket watch, glanced at it using the moonlight: "It’s only four o’clock, do you want to get up?"

Thousand River Valley small pocket watches have become quite popular in Red Leaf Hill in recent years, and Guslit bought one to avoid missing the time.

Within a week, he adapted to this method of dividing the day into twelve hours of day and night.

Silvanic waved his hand: "You continue to sleep, I’ll go downstairs for breakfast."

"Okay." Guslit turned over and fell asleep.

Groping around, Silvanic stepped over his sleeping students on the floor.

Exiting the room, down the corridor, descending the stairs, he reached the first-floor lobby, which had been transformed into a dining room and tavern at the moment.

"Bring a cup of black tea... oh no, coffee." Silvanic said dejectedly, sitting at a round table, to the lazily approaching attendant.

The inn needs to wake up early to provide hot water for the whole inn, so they must get up early to boil water.

But at this moment, the lobby was occupied by three or five elderly people, who seemed to have woken up prematurely due to less sleep.

Among the present monks, Silvanic was the youngest.

"Would you like a copy of the Truth Times? The latest issue." The attendant handed the tea tray to Silvanic’s hand.

"Take one." Silvanic took out some change from his pocket and handed it to the attendant.

During Silvanic’s wait for the newspaper, the other monks had already received the latest issue of the Truth Times.

But as they read, they widened their eyes, either in appreciation or in cursing.

Silvanic frowned and took a sip of coffee.

Just then, the newspaper was delivered, and Silvanic looked down, seeing the headline on the front page of the Truth Times—

"My Little Treatise, Blasting the Indulgence Ticket!", Author: Horn Gallar.

"Puh." Coffee flowed out of Silvanic’s nostrils.

You, Horn, isn’t the Pope, why are you clearly criticizing the indulgence ticket?

Putting down the coffee, Silvanic nervously read on.

The article began with a brief history description.

In the Miseria Church classic, it has always been instructed that those who believe in the Miseria Church and have good deeds ascend Paradise Mountain, and those without good deeds or faith descend into Fire Prison. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

In the original Ael text, Fire Prison was called "Sulfur Lake", just as the Imperial People now call Paradise Mountain the Celestial Kingdom.

However, this seemingly perfect system has led to a tremendous problem that remains unsolved to this day.

Where does a person with good deeds but no faith go after death? Where does a person with faith and good deeds but also evil acts, or a person with faith but no good deeds go after death?

This has always been a contentious issue within the Miseria Church.

Until the end of the 5th century in the Imperial Calendar, then Pope Johnny II provided his own answer.

Between Paradise Mountain and Sulfur Lake, there’s a place called Scorched Earth or Purgatory.

People who die with good deeds but no faith live in Scorched Earth, and can resurrect on Judgment Day, but cannot enter Paradise Mountain.

Those who die without good deeds but with faith must atone for their sins in Scorched Earth before ascending to Paradise Mountain.

As for those with no good deeds or those with wicked deeds and no faith, they must first atone in Scorched Earth, then are directly thrown into Sulfur Lake (Fire Prison), their souls completely annihilated, never resurrecting even on Judgment Day.

This rhetoric makes the scriptures appear quite flawless.

However, the problem remains that between the two volumes of the ’Gospel’, there’s no mention of Scorched Earth Purgatory in the descriptions of Paradise Mountain.

Thus, the priests supporting the Purgatory faction began their signature ploy, attempting to forge ancient scriptures to prove their point.

Yet, the ecclesiastics opposing the Purgatory faction were also adept at forgery and promptly exposed the actions of the other side.

This issue almost led to the Church splitting into two factions once again.

To reconcile this division, Rania the Seventh, the successor to Johnny VIII, gave Purgatory a definition.

The world created by the Holy Father is perfect, without errors, even if Scorched Earth doesn’t exist, there would be something else, we merely describe it as Scorched Earth.

Thus, the existence of Scorched Earth is possible, yet the existence of Scorched Earth is improbable.

At this juncture, it seems to affirm and praise the existence of Scorched Earth Purgatory, yet the latter part of the discourse takes a sharp turn.

This system functioned well for five hundred years but was mishandled in the early 10th century of the Imperial Calendar.

During the time to counter the crusade or what was called the eastward invasion by the Blood and Flesh Royal Court, Pope Sixtus VI announced the decree for selling indulgences.

Permitting believers without good deeds to obtain immunity from Scorched Earth punishment by purchasing Holy Relics or indulgences.

Satirical verses like "With money, the Holy Wind sends me westward" and "A jingle in the money box, and the soul ascends to the Celestial Kingdom." stem from this.

As for theoretical foundation, the Holy Tree is said to connect every believer, so good deeds can be shared.

The monks have performed so many good deeds, they’re already enough for the Celestial Kingdom, overflowing even.

You have so much, sharing a bit among everyone seems reasonable, doesn’t it?

Exactly when the Holy Father requires secular defense of faith, initiating those to ascend first to lead others seems reasonable, doesn’t it?

If I, a noble, have committed so many sins, it seems reasonable to buy some indulgences to avoid punishment after death?

If nobles can buy indulgences, doesn’t it imply as long as the money extracted from commoners exceeds the crimes committed upon them, that I can behave as I wish?

Therefore, good deeds flow to the wicked, the wicked act freely, and yet can avoid punishment.

Originally meant to encourage good deeds, but it resulted in encouraging wickedness.

It’s known that earning through wrongdoing is much faster than earning legitimately.

If a wicked person’s earning through wrongdoing outpaces the growth of their sins, they could become a great benefactor, couldn’t they?

Committing bad deeds first, then cleansing oneself—how is this different from a mafia?

Is the Pope’s Palace a mafia den? What’s the significance of Scorched Earth’s establishment?

From another perspective, indulgences are akin to a currency anchored to good deeds, which have clearly been overissued now.

Currently, the calculated existing Holy Relics and indulgences are enough for all believers to ascend to the Celestial Kingdom without punishment.

Overflow of good deeds is absolutely impossible anymore.

Thus, the face value of an indulgence versus the actual good deeds it can exchange for is absolutely mismatched.

But since it can only be redeemed after death, it’s fundamentally indistinguishable.

So those buying indulgences will likely still be punished after death, completely deceived.

In summary:

Indulgences are subverting Scorched Earth’s founding intention, the Pope’s arbitrary distribution of good deeds is a desecration against the Holy Father and warrants kneeling before the Gospels in apology.

Thus, good deeds cannot be sold or allocated!

"This, this, this..."

The coffee beside Silvanic had already cooled, yet the newspaper still trembled.

Horn as Pope, what does blasting indulgences imply? Don’t you use them yourself?

No, seems indeed never used them.

But by exposing this old issue, aren’t you afraid the Church might split?

No, seems already split.

As the morning sun rose, Silvanic hadn’t stood up yet but heard the clamor of arguing outside the window.

As for the content, Silvanic vaguely heard it seemed related to indulgences.

Listening to the increasingly intense quarrels, he realized—

The debate had already begun before the Great Duke meeting started.