Chapter 299 - 272: New Candidate

Chapter 299: Chapter 272: New Candidate

"What is it? Why do you ask?" Bishop Luther set down his pen, smiling. "Typically, the Church prays to the Main God, who then selects a Divine Chosen One. There have been instances where the Main God has sent down a decree appointing a specific person, but that is exceptionally rare."

He looked at Sofia, who was lost in thought by the door, and asked, "Has something happened?"

"It’s nothing. It’s just... Vissans is dead." Sofia lowered her head slightly, deliberately avoiding the Bishop’s questioning gaze. After a two-second pause, she continued, "In that case, would the Main God ever choose a member of a non-human Race to be a Divine Chosen One?"

"A non-human?" Bishop Luther smiled, leaning back in his chair. "In the past several thousand years, our Main God has never done such a thing. The other three gods, however, have indeed chosen non-human Divine Chosen Ones. I recall that in the Fifth God War, the War God chose a Dwarf."

"You mean the war at Snow Mountain Peak? But didn’t the War God’s Divine Chosen One fail?" Sofia bit her lip, finally asking, "I want to know... would the Main God ever choose a goblin to be a Divine Chosen One?"

"A goblin?" Bishop Luther burst into a hearty laugh. "Absolutely impossible. How could such a lowly creature ever become a Divine Chosen One? They are only fit to hide in their holes and await humanity’s judgment."

Hearing the Bishop’s answer, Sofia frowned. She said nothing more of what she knew, especially not about Shire’s seemingly casual remark that a man named Luther was deeply connected to Vissans’ death. Instead, she bowed, silently pulled the heavy door open, and walked out of the office. Back on Bishop Luther’s desk, two cups of coffee were still steaming gently.

"A goblin becoming a Divine Chosen One..." After Sofia left, Bishop Luther shook his head and chuckled, clearly finding the idea laughable. ’Something like that... only those fools from the Destiny God Church would ever do.’

The thought had barely faded when he frowned. A strange voice pierced his mind, causing a flicker of discomfort. He reached out and pressed the bell on his desk. A moment later, a nun pushed the door open and entered. "Lord Bishop, what are your instructions?"

"For the next hour, do not allow anyone to disturb me," Bishop Luther said calmly.

"Yes, Lord Bishop." With that, the nun exited, and the heavy door shut with a CLANG.

Once the door was shut, the Bishop glanced at the two cups of coffee, then folded his hands over his stomach and settled back into his chair. He slowly closed his eyes, as if he were about to take a nap.

’A meeting at a time like this? I still have so much paperwork to deal with.’

「...」

In an ethereal space, phantoms shimmering with a faint blue light began to materialize around a long table formed of green smoke. A voice rang out, "Luther, it’s about time you showed up."

"I had matters to attend to. I only just became free," one of the phantoms replied. The voice was unmistakably that of Bishop Luther from the Holy Oak Cathedral.

"Almost everyone is here." A figure at the head of the long table tapped its surface, sending a ripple of smoke spreading outward. "Let’s begin the meeting."

"We’re still missing one person," a somewhat elderly female voice pointed out.

The one who had spoken was clearly the highest-ranking individual present. Without waiting for further comment, he said, "I know. Farah is dealing with a few troublesome matters. We will not wait for him."

At his words, all the phantoms settled down quietly, waiting for the meeting to proceed.

"Luther, any news on Vissans?" The one presiding over the meeting ignored all other matters, directing the first question straight at Bishop Luther.

"Archbishop," Luther’s voice was filled with respect. "There is news. I was just dealing with this very matter."

Seeing that all eyes were on him, he wasted no time. "The latest news is that Vissans is dead. It appears to be a suicide."

"Dead?" The phantom who had been hostile toward Luther earlier immediately cried out, "How could he be dead? Weren’t we supposed to capture him and bring him back?"

"I believed that dispatching a large force to capture him would have certainly attracted the attention of the other three Churches. Therefore, I sent only a single person. She was the one who brought back the news of Vissans’ suicide." Luther scanned the phantoms around the long table. "As for who I sent, I believe you are all familiar with her. It was Sofia."

"Sofia?" a female voice asked. "The child is very devout. She was raised by the Church since she was young. Her words should be credible."

"But if that’s the case, what about our Divine Chosen One?" the phantom hostile to Luther demanded again. "We never should have let Vissans handle that business with the Evil Book."

"Everyone agreed to let Vissans handle it at the time," Luther immediately retorted. "We only wanted him to develop a bit more, hoping he could learn the unnatural knowledge within the Evil Book. But now it seems that book is far too difficult to master."

"Enough. What’s done is done." The presiding figure rapped on the table twice. The rolling mist stilled the members’ murmuring. "What now? Remember, the Cardinal’s soul is still waiting, and time is short."

"With Vissans dead, our only choice is to find a new candidate," one phantom spoke up. "And it must be done quickly, otherwise we’ll end up like the Destiny God Church."

Hearing this, several phantoms along the table laughed aloud. One of them said, "Relax. They’re probably still looking for their Divine Chosen One."

"I doubt they could ever imagine their Divine Chosen One would turn into a goblin."

"Indeed. How interesting. To have a goblin as a Divine Chosen One."

"Luther, how did you discover it in the first place?" one of the phantoms asked with a chuckle.

"It was nothing remarkable," Bishop Luther said calmly. "After learning something had happened to Shire Merlot, I immediately dispatched men to conduct a thorough search. They soon found the unconscious Shire in a small town’s prison. The strange part was, he had somehow turned into a goblin."

"Him turning into a goblin isn’t the most important part. Your best move was throwing him into the Nightmare Forest," the presiding figure added. "This way, the Destiny God Church will run around like a headless chicken, searching the world over for their Divine Chosen One. It’s a shame that if Shire dies now, it will be at the hands of some Junior Adventurer who just wants to cut off his ear."

"Then is it possible other Churches are interfering with our own search for a Divine Chosen One?" the elderly female voice that had pointed out the empty seat spoke again. "Just as we discovered the Destiny God Church’s secret ahead of time."

"That possibility exists," the presiding figure sighed. "The great Churches have long since resorted to all sorts of schemes in preparation for the God War."

"So, let’s discuss it," he tapped the table, and the room fell silent once more. "We need to choose a new Divine Chosen One to serve as a vessel, and quickly. Do you have any candidates in mind?"

All the phantoms fell silent. After a few seconds, Luther’s voice broke the silence:

"What do you all think... about Sofia?"