Chapter 113
Zhou Yun Sheng was sprawled on the bed, holding two puppets in his hands, making very different voices with his mouth and talking to himself.
“Come here, my child.”
“Father God, are you calling me?” The tone had an excited pitch.
Loving laughter, “Who wouldn’t call you? Who kneels in front of my statue every day praying? Who swore to devote everything to me? Who said they loved me more than anyone else loves me?”
“It’s me, it’s me, that’s all the things I said! Father, you can hear me?”
“Of course, I’ve been watching you my child. Come here, come into my arms, I want to hug you tightly.”
The small puppet went into the big puppet’s arms and Zhou Yun Sheng had on a silly smile.
In the Ninth Heaven above, the God of Light was sitting in front of the water mirror, because of that desirous smile, the exquisite wine in his hand splashed a little bit. Immediately, a god kneeled before his seat to wipe it clean, but he waved them back. This was the happiest time of his day, he didn’t like being disturbed.
Zhou Yun Sheng played with the two puppets for a while, then his shy expression suddenly grew cold. He threw the two of puppets away, then walked to the mirror and sneered, “Well? Have you had enough fun today? Then obediently squat in the corner, don’t interfere with my business!” He could only use these puppets to satisfy his delusions, how sad!
Brainless Sheng hid in the subconscious, crying big plops of tears. But today was Boel and the Second Prince’s coronation ceremony, in order for it to go well, he had to let Rational Sheng control his body, otherwise, Brainless Sheng would likely cause a scene, offending all the people in Sagya Kingdom, including the Church. Then Joshua’s fate would be worse than it was originally, and without the A-Class world’s energy from completing this task, Zhou Yun Sheng’s schizophrenia would be very difficult to cure.
In short, the consequences were serious.
Seeing this scene, the Light God sighed regretfully. His Little Believer does this routine every morning, he’ll play in pleasure for a while, then he would stand in front of the mirror and scold himself, repeatedly admonishing his mirror self that the Light God would never fall in love with him, don’t dream.
He really had too low a self-esteem, but his little tangled expressions looked so cute, perhaps he should go to him earlier, so he could always live in peace of mind and happiness forever. The Light God anticipated seeing his lively expression, his mouth rose in a gentle smile.
Zhou Yun Sheng put on a grand and gorgeous priest robe, combed his hair into a long braid, and tied it with a golden ribbon. He looked at himself in the mirror, made sure that his elegance would not lose to Boel’s, and walked toward the door. Although he wouldn’t make a scene like Brainless Sheng, he could still grab a little of Boel’s thunder.
When the door closed behind him, his calm expression slowly turned into a hesitant struggle, after a moment, he quietly sighed, then walked back into the room and picked up the two thrown puppets, wiped the dust off them cherishingly, then placed them back in their original location.
Boel only wore a simple white robe, his waist was tied with a colorful belt. He didn’t need to be dressed up because during the coronation ceremony, His Holiness the Pope would personally put a red gold-rimmed robe on him that only the Bishop could wear, then the King would put a heavy gold crown on his head.
He would stand on the high altar, overlooking the people of Gagor, and during their warm cheers, he would light up the pigeon-egg sized light stone on the ring on his index finger, and illuminate the entire Sagya Kingdom with the Father’s glory.
He would become the most powerful Bishop of the millennium, stronger than even the Pope, causing all the creatures of the continent to remember his name. When he does this, the Father would forgive his sins and return him to the Temple of God, giving him the golden blood that only gods could possess.
Boel grew more and more excited at these thoughts, he shed some faint tears, his cheeks glowing red with excitement. But when he looked up and around, his eyes slightly darkened.
He saw Joshua. No, it should be said that all the dignitaries who were in the temple to attend the ceremony saw Joshua.
He was like a beam of light suddenly descended to the mortal realm, lighting up the surroundings. When his gentle eyes looked over, everyone’s excited hearts calmed down. He looked so noble, holy, and kind, people couldn’t help but want to get closer to him, but they were also afraid that getting too close would taint him.
He was the most fitting image of a light priest in all of their imaginations, more illuminating than Boel who came from the Temple of God.
Many of the aristocrats bowed to salute him, they wouldn’t disrespect him just because he’d lost his Bishop position.
“Joshua, you look very beautiful today. That red robe should be lining your skin, but unfortunately …..” Boel had a look of regret, as if he was blaming himself, saying, if not my appearance, you could wear the red Bishop’s robe.
Zhou Yun Sheng smiled lightly at him, but didn’t bother answering. Catfights were Brainless Sheng’s territory. Joshua’s 18th birthday was three days after the coronation ceremony, after the baptism ceremony, he would immediately leave Gagor, avoiding any trouble the protagonist and his harem could bring him.
He suppressed Brainless Sheng, who was stirring from the insult, then walked to where the Elder Bishop stood.
“My child, that position is yours. No matter what other people think, the things that belong to you cannot be stolen.” When he said this, the Elder Bishop didn’t lower his voice, so Boel was extremely embarrassed, and the King and the Pope frowned in dissatisfaction.
“Old friend, I know that Joshua is the child you raised, and your heart has always been set on him, but Boel is the best person for the job. He was chosen by the Father and His Holiness the Pope, you should obey the will of the Father.” The King preemptively scolded him, in fear of angering the Pope.
“Choosing Boel is the will of the Pope, not the will of the Father. I’m not the only one who raised Joshua, he was also raised by the Father. If the Father himself were here, he wouldn’t pick anyone else but Joshua.” The Bishop responded.
“Byrd, you are old, your closed mind has made you unable to hear the Father’s words. It seems that it was the right decision to let you abdicate at this time.” The Pope coldly opened, then he glanced at the dignitaries in the hall with his imposing eyes.
The nobles bowed their heads, afraid to object.
Zhou Yun Sheng was very grateful for the Elder Bishop’s love, but he still pulled his sleeve, indicating that he should stop arguing.
The Elder Bishop glanced at the King and sighed. One day, they will know how unwise it was for the Sagya Kingdom to renounce Joshua and give the Bishop’s position to another!
While the people remained silent, a cold female voice suddenly sounded, “When His Holiness the Pope arrived, the Sagya Kingdom changed, not only has the Bishop candidate changed, even the royal family had an inexplicable death. His Holiness the Pope is the messenger of God, he should bring blessings, but he seems to be bringing disaster.”
“Elena, shut up!” The King loudly roared.
Standing behind Zhou Yun Sheng’s line of sight, a lady snorted in contempt. She was the wife of the late prince. She believed that her husband’s death was a murder from the Second Prince and the Pope’s collusion. The Church had a lot of secret spells, they could easily find a way to control a dark beast. If they fell for it, and the confused old King died, the Sagya Kingdom would sooner or later become a lackey for the Church!
The Pope was itching to cast a purifying spell to burn all the eyesores, but his outward image was generous, tolerant, and merciful, he couldn’t get angry, especially before the Father’s statue. He waved his hand with a smile, and a cleric walked into the temple and kneeled, holding two volumes of documents.
He untied the red silk, which was bounding the documents, then recited the jointly written will of the Pope and the King, so the Father in Ninth Heaven above would hear. After reading, the Pope was handed golden holy water, which he sprinkled on the documents, then he re-tied them and handed one to the Second Prince and one to Boel.
They walked side by side to the temple’s statue and kneeled in front of the statue to pray, then they placed two white roses, specially handpicked that morning, at the feet of the Light God to show devotion.
When they finished all this, the King walked up to them and placed a crown on their heads. The top of the crowns were inlaid with a soybean sized light stone, when a demon was near, it would flash a white warning light, if light power was poured in it, it could be turned into a sharp weapon to kill the demon. This was the most precious treasure the God of Light had left on the continent, it required top materials to produce it, and the resources were very scarce.
Even the all-powerful Pope only had four stones, not to mention others. Therefore, when Boel showed his big, pigeon egg sized light stone ring, everyone was convinced of his origins. Who would insult the Darling of God? Even the most vicious bandits in the mainland didn’t dare think about stealing the ring. The reason Boel made it safely through his journey, to a large extent, was thanks to the ring’s blessings.
The King finished the coronation, then turned aside and respectfully opened, “I ask the Pope to put on the new Bishop of my Kingdom’s robe.”
A maid walked out holding the robe, she kneeled at the feet of the Pope, both hands holding up the new Bishop’s robes. Because it was sprinkled the holy water, the robe faintly radiated a golden light, it looked very dazzling.
Boel quickly glanced at it, his heart thumping wildly.
The Pope picked up the robe and shook it, then he walked up to Boel, smiling, “My child, you have the most devout faith, the purest soul, the kindest heart, what you have done is worthy of becoming an honorable light priest. The great light power in your body is so strong, it is clear that the Father has great love for you, and since he has chosen you as the messenger of light, then I cannot disobey his will. I’m here to declare that you, Boel Britte, from today on, will become the new Bishop of Sagya Kingdom. Stand up my child, and let me put on your robe.”
Boel broke out in tears, he performed obeisance to the Father and the Pope, then stood up.
The Pope draped the red robe on his shoulders, and was about to tie his belt, when the gown’s surface suddenly burst into golden flame that surrounded the two men. The appallingly high temperature almost scorched the floor.
Boel screamed, then dropped to the ground and kept rolling. The Pope was very calm and immediately cast a spell to extinguish the flames, but he soon discovered that the flames were not ordinary, it could burn a big hole in the blessed robes he was wearing.
What is the origin of this flame that can destroy holy robes? Is it the fire of the Light God?
The Pope’s heart slightly shook, his cold sweat couldn’t stop falling. If this was the fire of the Light God, it meant that the Father had especially lowered it to burn nothing but his and Boel’s robes. Does that mean he is dissatisfied with the new Bishop and his decision to anoint him? Now what? Will the Father burn them to ashes?
For the first time, the Pope felt like his life was on the front line. He stopped releasing spells and kneeled in front of the statue to repent. Fortunately, he still had a trace of divine power, so he just felt uncomfortable pain, not agonizing pain.
On the other hand, Boel, who was lashing himself and screaming in pain, looked more miserable. His skin was still smooth, this was because the flame wasn’t burning his body, it was burning his soul directly, the filthier the soul, the more pain the bearer would suffer.
Currently, Boel was wishing for death, he mournfully cried out, “Help me, no matter who, please save me! Or please, take a knife and kill me! It hurts! It hurts so much! Father, please forgive me!” He’d seen a servant being burnt by the Father’s flames before, he knew what kind of fate awaited him.
Even at this point, he still didn’t have the courage to confess aloud his sins and deceptions.
The King, the Second Prince, and all the dignitaries were petrified. The solemn coronation ceremony turned into a disaster in the blink of an eye, no one could process it. It was not ordinary people that were burning, but the Pope and the Darling of God, and that was enough to make them horrified. But, even more unbelievable, the all-powerful Pope, the highest saint, actually tried to put out the sudden flames, but was unsuccessful. What is the origin of this flame?
Everyone glanced at the cold face of the statue of the God of Light, suddenly felt that they understood the origin, and immediately knelt in repentance. At any rate, one of the burning victims was the newly appointed Bishop of Sagya Kingdom, the people of Sagya couldn’t escape responsibility. If the Father became angry with the whole Kingdom, Sagya would disappear off the continent’s map.
That’s terrible!
The King was pale with fright, his lips were trembling, and he kneeled on the ground, whispering incoherently: “God of Light, please forgive my sins, and bring all the calamity on my head, please spare my people.”
Zhou Yun Sheng had long ago pulled the Bishop to kneel in the least populated corner, he sat on the sidelines and watched the miserable scene.
Boel had howled until his voice thinned, but the new Bishop was still twisting in pain. His forehead was full of sweat, his lips were bitten bloody, and the pain didn’t seem to be easing.
A few minutes later, the golden flames finally stopped burning, and the Pope’s robe had been burnt to ashes, exposing his body. In order to avoid embarrassment, he immediately took out a new robe from his space ring and replaced his dress, then his heart shook fiercely.
He’d found that the trace of divine power in his body had disappeared, and he didn’t have much light power left. Without the divine power, he wouldn’t be able to beat even the Elder Bishop, Byrd.
Every time a dark war broke out, the Pope had to stand in the rear with a number of light priests and cast light circles to support the three forces. He was the embodiment of the God of Light in the mortal world, the spiritual ruler of all the continent’s creatures. He’d enjoyed such lofty honor and status, he simply couldn’t afford to lose it.
His mind was in turmoil, he almost couldn’t suppress showing a distorted expression, his throat filled with blood, it touched his teeth but his forcefully swallowed it down.
He must never let anyone know about this!
Boel’s condition was even more depressing. His soul was burned for a long time, but it didn’t burn to ashes, instead, all the advantage he’d gained from living in the Temple of God’s atmosphere for so long disappeared. Meaning, the pure spirit and tough body he had achieved after five or six hundred years, a body that made him ripe to become a god, was stripped from him.
He could still use his power of light, but he couldn’t add it back through meditation like before, every use would lessen his supply, until he became a downright mortal.
He laid on the floor, barely breathing, his robes were burnt to ashes, revealing his naked, love-stained body.
The Church required every light priest to keep their virginity, because only pure people were qualified to serve the Father. They could fall in love with someone, but only in their hearts, they couldn’t do carnal things, and couldn’t leave heirs. Of course, it was another matter if the Father loved and showered favor on them.
But because of the scarcity of light priests, the Church wouldn’t severely punish a priest for losing their virginity, but their opportunity to inherit high positions would be revoked. Boel’s body clearly showed why the Father punished him, because he didn’t qualify to become a Bishop!
When a human’s body was licked by flame, they would cramp their hands and feet, and unconsciously curl up. At the moment, Boel’s posture was very ugly, he looked like a boiled shrimp, curled up into a ball, his back bent to the limit, revealing his spine. Red hickeys ran along his vertebrae, all the way to his hip and inside his thighs. Everyone could see the results of the intense and wild sex he’d enjoyed.
His buttocks were slightly parted, and his red and swollen hole was clearly visible, causing even the most licentious and self-indulgent nobles to heat up in shame upon seeing it.
The Second Prince staggered back, his eyes reddening in anger. He hadn’t touched Boel these past few days, so who left those traces? The Pope, who Boel treated with an ambiguous manner, was the only suspect.
No wonder the Father dropped golden flame to burn the two people, their sin deserved such wrath! Thinking of this, the Second Prince’s angry mood turned fearful. If the Father knew about Boel and the Pope’s scandal, of course, he would surely know his scandal. Would the Father punish him too?
He fell limp, his legs no longer had the strength to support him.
The nobles erupted in murmurs, then, afraid to disturb the Father, they quickly quieted down and silently repented. When they thought that things couldn’t get any worse, the documents that the Pope and the King had jointly written, the ones which canonized the Second Prince as Crown Prince and Boel as Bishop also began to burn, in the blink of an eye, not even ash was left.
Then, the two white roses the two had personally picked and placed at the Light God’s feet quickly withered, emitting a rotten odor.
This series of events caused everyone to freeze, their hearts filling with panic and despair. The Father was always benevolent, why would he use such an extreme way to vent his anger? This showed the extent of how infuriated he was with the two guilty parties.
They recalled the Pope’s declaration, that Boel was the Darling of God, and that he and the Father had unanimously selected the most appropriate Bishop candidate. But, looking at the current events, that was undoubtedly a big lie! Obviously, the Pope was the one who wanted to choose Boel, and, before the ceremony, didn’t the Elder Bishop assert that Boel was not the Father’s choice?
The King also thought of this sentence, he looked at the Elder Bishop for help, and Bishop Byrd, who had already taken off his Bishops robe, calmly looked back at him. The King wanted to kill himself in regret! Bishop Byrd had travelled to the palace three times, asking him to take back the will that canonized Boel, but he had rejected him.
He was afraid of offending the Pope then, but if he’d known that he would offend the Father instead, he would have torn the will apart.
“My child, go and appease your Father, so his anger will calm.” The Elder Bishop pointed to the statue.
In one second, Brainless Sheng forcefully took control of the body in excitement. He glanced at the Pope and Boel’s terrible conditions and felt very happy.
If the Father rejected Boel, does that mean I still have a chance? Can I take Boel’s place?
His eyes sparkled, and he immediately kneeled before the Father’s statue, intending to repent for a while and confess, when he saw the smelly flowers still placed by the Father’s feet and reached out to clear it away.
Suddenly, a wisp of gold wrapped around his hand and forcefully pulled him up, causing him to land in the Father’s arms, his hot face placed on the Father’s lap. He struggled to get up, but suddenly felt a warm and wide palm stroking his head, the other hand gently rubbing his spine.
Is this the Father? Is he caressing me?
He couldn’t believe this conclusion, so he laid stiffly in the Father’s arms, motionless, reluctant to even blink. He feared that if he moved a little, the caressing he was feeling would disappear like a popped bubble.
He opened his big, tear filled eyes, but didn’t dare let his tears easily fall, he even restrained his trembling. He could only bite his lip and look very pitiful.
The Light God had projected an apparition to replace the statue that was holding the boy, he lowered his head, gazing at the boy with indulgent eyes as he gently wiped his tears, then he intimately caressed his thick and curly eyelashes. Seeing his panic-stricken blinking, and involuntary trembling, he laughed joyfully.
He turned his palm, and a flower crown woven of red China rose appeared in his hand, he placed it on top of the young boy’s head, kissed between his brows with strong love and divine power, then faded from the temple.
He came and went very quickly, so no one saw his true body in the temple, but the suddenly appearing rose crown on the boy’s head was real, causing everyone to marvel, while giving the Pope and Boel sharp glances.
They’d guessed that all the suffering today was thanks to them. But they now knew that Joshua was the true Darling of God, and since the two had moved against him, they could only await death, the real sense of death, where even the soul was destroyed.
“My child, did the Father forgive his ignorant believers?” Seeing the child was just holding his crown and giggling, forgetting everything in his surroundings, the Elder Bishop had to remind him.
“Father didn’t say anything. I want to repent to the Father alone, can I?” The boy blinked his wet eyes.
“Of course you can. Let us all retire, the Father doesn’t want to see us right now, including His Holiness the Pope.” The Elder Bishop spoke very bluntly. After angering the Father, the Pope’s good days would definitely come to an end, not to mention, he would later have to explain how those traces got on Boel.
Even if he let others take the rap, winning the trust of the foolish mortals wouldn’t impress the omniscient Father. The Father would take back everything he had bestowed upon him eventually.
Two maids wrapped Boel up in a robe and helped him out. They hadn’t expected that the noble and pure looking priest Britte had such lustful bones, after taking care of him, they should go to the holy pool and wash their hands.
Instead of leaving, the bigwigs stared at the Pope and the King with condemnation, asking them to give an account. Didn’t you say your decision was sound? That the new Bishop is the Darling of God and a messenger he sent to us mortals? Was that the so-called Darling, the messenger? Are you kidding?
The Pope was ashamed, but he bluntly said that he was deceived by Boel, and he would hold him for interrogation, then he used his injury as an excuse to go back and rest. He was still, after all, the Pope, no one dared to embarrass him, so they had to let him leave and hold the King accountable instead.
The King gave then a very sincere apology and was preparing to announce Boel’s withdrawal from the Bishop position, when there was a loud snap, and the light stone on the Second Prince’s crown broke, crumbling to dust on the floor. At the same time, the shimmering crown quickly rusted and became old, as if time had fast forwarded.
Everyone stared in dazed shock, then the late prince’s wife laughed with vigor, “Hahaha, do you see? This is punishment for your sins from the Father. Those with an evil heart can only wear a corrupted crown.”
“No, that’s not true! I didn’t do anything!” The Second Prince held his crown and shouted, under his forceful hold, the pinched crown actually changed shape, it now looked like a cheap jester’s hat.
“Do you dare swear to the heavenly Father that you have nothing to do with my husband’s death?” The late prince’s wife questioned.
The Second Prince’s face paled as he shook his head, under everyone’s sharp gazes, he turned around and escaped in a panic.
The King seemed to age dozens of years in an instant, he covered his face, and bent over, his thoughts unknown. The venerable Elder Bishop came out to say that he would solve this disaster acceptably, so the still terrified elite finally left.
“Joshua is the true Darling of God, right?” When the others were gone, the King assuredly asked.
“Correct.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I remember telling you many times. But you chose to trust in Boel Britte, not me.”
The King was silent.
“What does the red rose mean, do you remember?” The Elder Bishop patted the King’s shoulder and slowly walked away.
The King looked down in thought for a moment, then his heart started climbing from the abyss of despair and up the mountain of hope. A red rose – pure love ah, I love you dearly. If this was the Father’s true message, then the Sagya Kingdom would have a bright future as long as it had Joshua.
That’s great, we have hope. Thank you for your patience Father, and please forgive us our stupidity.
================================================