Chapter 349 (1/2)
Chapter 349: Passing On (Part I)
Translator: Meh/TransN Editor: – –
Standing on the top floor of the Tower of Babel, Mayne peered through the window towards the snow-covered city of Hermes.
Since the last attack by a large group of demonic beasts on New Holy City, peace temporarily returned to the icy plains, and the fall of snow weakened. The citizens of Hermes were able to enjoy an unlikely, but timely respite.
Even though this was supposed to be a time of happiness and celebration, Mayne continued to feel nothing but emptiness in his heart. During the attack, in order to kill the terrifyingly-large, hybrid, demonic beasts, a platoon of warriors from God’s Punishment Army dashed out from the side entrance of the city wall and fought them head-on. In total, 19 warriors were wounded and two were killed. As for the two beasts, they laid on the ground, growling for a long time after the warriors hacked off their limbs. Eventually, the city wall’s guards killed them with spears. Rather than the loss of the warriors, it was the timing of the demonic beasts’ attack that terrified Mayne.
After remaining silent for some time, he let out a long sigh and returned to his seat beside the table. He wanted to flip open the Canon and read through it carefully one more time.
“Even if you flip the book until it breaks, the result isn’t going to change.” Tayfun said as he walked into the circular room holding two hot drinks, and placed one in front of Mayne. “His Holiness O’Brien hasn’t agreed to meet you?”
“I’ve sent my request to the Pivotal Secret Area three times already, but there’s still no reply.” Mayne said anxiously. “And I have no idea what His Holiness is up to at such an important time…”
“Don’t worry,” Tayfun interjected, “as you’ve said yourself, the Canon was written by the first Pope, and hence there are bound to be mistakes. After more than four hundred years, who can guarantee that everything in the book is accurate?”
“But this time it’s different.” The Archbishop shook his head. “If the time is miscalculated, it’ll be a serious catastrophe for us! We’re investing a lot of strength and energy in unifying the kingdom to gather all the power of the mainland against the demons. But, if the time is shortened by half, we have no way to build up God’s Punishment Army sufficiently after the war!”
“Quiet, Lord Mayne.” The old bishop laughed and slowly sipped on his hot drink. “What’s done cannot be undone. We can’t change the fact that Fang of Hell appeared before us. But there might be two reasons for this.”
“What reasons?”
“Drink first and I’ll speak,” Tayfun said, stroking his beard.
Mayne picked up his cup. It looked like goat milk at first, but when he brought it closer, a spicy smell rushed into his nose. “What did you put in it?”
“Coltsfoot.” Tayfun tilted his mouth. “Although you aren’t able to directly drink Dreamland Water, drinking a bit of this will be beneficial for you. It’ll help you to release your tensions, soothe your nerves, and sleep easier.”
With one gulp, Mayne emptied the cup and soon felt a fierce burning sensation in his throat. Although the savory taste of the goat milk was supposed to dilute the coltsfoot juice, it was still extremely uncomfortable for someone who did not consume such drinks often. He coughed twice, wiped his mouth, and said, “Even a cup of Dreamland Water wouldn’t make me fall asleep. Can you speak now?”
“One possibility is that the Pope made a mistake in writing. Old men get dizzy spells and moments of amnesia very often, as I know very well.” Tayfun shrugged.
“That’s unlikely.” Mayne frowned. “This concerns the layout and arrangement of the Church, and more importantly, determines the destiny of Man. I’m sure he took great care in writing this down. What’s the second reason?”
“The second possibility is that there are circumstances we don’t know about that have changed everything.”
The Archbishop waited for a moment, and upon realizing that the old bishop had no intention to continue speaking, he questioned, “That’s it?”
“Well, that’s it.” Tayfun repeated.