Chapter 395

Chapter 19 That Is My Grandfather

Golden light broke through the clouds, showering down in abundance. The sound of divine miracles echoed in my ears, and the entire training ground was instantly enveloped by gentle, warm light. It felt as if countless particles of light were suddenly scattered before me, forming golden rivers above my head that swallowed up my vision. The multitude of heads became hazy, and the clamor gradually subsided. I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes, waiting for my heartbeat to slow down. Complex emotions surged within my chest, and at this moment, the old man holding the orb slowly spoke from amidst the golden light.

“I am honored and relieved to see your safe faces at this time and at this juncture.”

His voice was old and low, yet powerful and clear. The words he spoke slowly and methodically seemed to resonate from the heavens, and with just this simple and ordinary opening remark, everyone was stunned, their attention fully captured.

“Times have changed. It’s been three years since my last visit to the royal city. The meeting with Cardinal Nero is still vivid in my memory. We discussed the issue of reforming orphanage education and argued endlessly. Those children, like you, are indispensable forces for the future of humanity. However, in many cities, they are not valued by the nobility… According to Cardinal Nero’s opinion, we should provide them with more resources and force the nobles of each city to pay an educational tax. I do not agree with this idea; I believe it will only exacerbate conflicts.”

“But Cardinal Nero is a very stubborn person. Over the years, he has been pushing this matter behind the scenes, despite minimal results, yet he remains persistent… In my memory, he has always been like this, traveling tirelessly for the sake of countless children of the gods, dedicating his time and life to the stability and prosperity of this world. Such a person recently returned to the embrace of the gods.”

At this point, there was a pause in his tone.

The crowd began to murmur.

My mood suddenly became indescribably complex, and the peas I was chewing lost their taste.

Saint George…

If I’m not mistaken, he is the troublesome old man that Angel mentioned, the one who gave him headaches. He and Cardinal Nero should both be opponents of His Holiness. Although his tone was calm and his narration unemotional, what he said was clearly aimed at maintaining Cardinal Nero’s positive image.

Why don’t you mention what he did in the royal city?

Regardless, after he said those words, I truly felt uncomfortable, even momentarily thinking that perhaps Cardinal Nero might be a good person, before shaking my head and rejecting that thought.

People are complex…

At least, the Nero I saw had already lost his mind…

He was prepared to face eternal infamy, risking his life and honor to kill me, and even wanting the citizens of the royal city to suffer with him. This is something only a fanatic or madman would do.

But now it seems…

He may not be as despised as he thinks.

As I lowered my head in thought, the old man’s voice continued to reach my ears: “Orderly City, this beautiful and prosperous city, is a great miracle in human history. It has endured countless disasters and wars, yet it stands firm after hundreds of years. The gods protect the people here from evil, and as servants of the gods, we enjoy great blessings. Therefore, we should dedicate ourselves to contributing to the stability and prosperity of our human brethren…”

The old man spoke with great conviction, uttering grandiose words. I listened somewhat dismissively, unable to resist pursing my lips, wanting to eat a few more peas, but then heard a click of the tongue beside me.

“Tsk.”

I turned my head and saw Beaudry with an impatient expression, looking somewhat uncomfortable and uneasy. After sensing my gaze, he turned his head too, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I shook my head at him first, looking straight ahead and no longer paying attention to him. Two seconds later, I couldn’t help but ask: “Are you… feeling unwell?”

“Huh? Peyelo, are you worried about me?”

“…

I asked him nothing.

There was some anger in my heart, but since we were not familiar, I didn’t bother to scold him. I grabbed a small handful of peas and ate them, then heard Beaudry say again, “What do you think about what Cardinal George said, Peylo?”

“Nothing.”

In fact, I had stopped listening.

“I hate hearing these things… If it wasn’t a required course for theology, I probably wouldn’t be standing here at all. It’s meaningless. Wouldn’t it be better to do something practical? What do you think?”

Hey…

There are still many people around. Is it really okay to say this kind of thing?

Fortunately, everyone around was listening attentively, no one paid attention. I looked at Beaudry with wide eyes, somewhat surprised.

He smiled at me.

“Of course, I’m not saying bad things about Cardinal George. I understand he is a respectable person. I just don’t pay much attention to what the Church always preaches… It’s like they always talk about the grace of the gods, saying they are servants of God, constantly saying these things, as if humans have never strived on their own. We can only have today because we follow the will of the gods. Without the gods, it seems we couldn’t survive. But actually, most of those who eliminated the Abyss were the Papal Knights, and those who built the cities were mostly ordinary people. Among them, very few actually possess the power of faith; it is all our own strength.”

Beaudry spread his hands, leaned in, and lowered his voice.

“But the Holy Church… especially the upper echelons, they always deliberately ignore these things. They speak grandly to the public, making everyone believe in the gods and attribute everything to divine grace. Privately, however, they know exactly what truly matters. For example, Cardinal George, do you know how he got his position?”

“…By killing the Abyss?”

His words piqued my interest, and I couldn’t help but respond softly, then saw Beaudry shake his head gently.

“No, because he owns the Saint George Bank.”

“Oh…”

So that old cardinal standing in the golden light actually holds the financial power of the human world?!

The Saint George Bank is the largest bank in this world, and the only one with branches across various countries in West Continent, almost every city has one. This was something I already knew. I still had over 900,000 gold coins stored there. The Holy Church strictly controls the minting and circulation of currency, and also rigorously controls money exchangers, not allowing any small banks other than the Saint George Bank to develop across regions. Even the Central Workshop’s mint cannot privately retain Vallon coins. The source of gold and silver, as well as the number of coins minted each year, are all decided by the people of the Saint George Bank.

I thought it belonged to the entire Holy Church, but I didn’t realize it was controlled by a cardinal… This is completely different from Nero’s concept of becoming a cardinal by killing the Abyss. No wonder Angel found him troublesome.

“But… He is called a legendary cardinal.”

I was puzzled in my heart.

If it’s just because of this, why is Cardinal George so highly respected?

“As I said earlier, Cardinal George is a respectable person. Of course, he doesn’t just own the bank. He is respected because of his lifelong achievements, such as almost all the orphanages in the Holy Church being built by him. When he was young, he did kill some Abysses, but now few people remember. After all, for many commoners, the Abyss is still somewhat distant. Those who truly felt the terror of monsters are mostly dead. People live in the beautiful dreams woven by the Church, naturally focusing on things that benefit themselves, especially those who don’t even know what they’ll eat tomorrow. Cardinal George has done many things for the poor, providing shelter and food, preventing them from starving. Doing such things repeatedly naturally earns great respect… It sounds simple, but the details involved are hard to explain in a short time. In short, without the support of the Saint George Bank behind him, he wouldn’t become the ‘legendary cardinal’ in people’s mouths, nor would he have the ability to do so many good deeds.”

“How do you know so clearly?”

“Because Cardinal George is my grandfather.”