ALL NOVEL chapter 97
Chapter 10: On Religion
Qin Ji looked at the Pope. The old man was looking at the two of them with a kind smile.
Seemingly sensing his hostility, the Pope nodded slightly, his face kind and gentle like an ordinary old man.
Qin Ji instinctively grabbed Xia Yuxiao’s hand. This way, if the other party showed any hostility, he could immediately take her and run.
However, Xia Yuxiao shook her head.
“I do not recommend you go.”
Qin Ji gave his warning.
Among so many people, the Pope called out to the two of them… Clearly, there were other Eastern faces in the church, and their fake identities were not particularly outstanding. Why did the other party suddenly call out to them?
Qin Ji could only assume that their identities had been exposed.
This was not impossible. Although the Holy Church was mysterious, many of their holy techniques were truly effective. If it was the Pope himself, then it was very likely that he had some powerful means.
So he did not recommend Xia Yuxiao to go. After all, this was the Pope, and this was the territory of the Church. If the other party harbored ill intentions…
Qin Ji could probably handle a few Holy Knights, and he could also retreat safely from those so-called “Battle Priests”—also known as executioners—but this was based on a small number of them. If there were a group of Holy Knights, no matter how strong he was, he couldn’t take them all on.
Qin Ji was silent for a moment.
“Alright, please follow me.”
The paladin said politely, then led the two of them towards the Pope.
The Pope said nothing, walking in front, with the paladin leading the two behind him, through the corridor at the back of the church, all the way to the lounge reserved for clergy.
“Please, have a seat.”
Watching the two walk into the room, the Pope signaled the paladin beside him to close the door, then smiled and pointed to the soft sofa in the room.
Xia Yuxiao adjusted her dress, then naturally sat on the sofa, her arm resting very relaxedly on the armrest, leaning back slightly.
Goodness, she made the sofa look like the dragon throne in her own palace.
“You two are the most surprising guests I’ve had today.”
The Pope sat opposite Xia Yuxiao, his smile unwavering.
“It’s an honor to meet the legendary ‘Pope’, Your Excellency Leonoxi.” Xia Yuxiao nodded slightly.
“I am also honored. The famous Emperor of the Great Xia Central Empire has graced me with a visit,” Leonoxi’s white beard trembled slightly with his smile, looking somewhat cute, “I apologize, I didn’t know Your Majesty would come personally today, so I didn’t prepare enough etiquette.”
“No problem, I came uninvited today, I hope Your Excellency won’t mind.” Xia Yuxiao also appeared relaxed.
The two stared at each other, as if trying to read something from each other’s expressions.
“Your Majesty, your presence here to celebrate my birthday is the greatest honor. How could an old man like me have any dissatisfaction with you?” As he said this, the paladin brought in snacks and milk from outside, placing them on the table in the middle, “I’m just curious, in my impression, your country doesn’t seem to believe in the Holy Church.”
“We don’t, but personally, the Holy Church has existed for so long and spread so widely, it must have its significance. I also want to understand what kind of religion the Holy Church is.”
“After experiencing it firsthand, what do you think?”
“It’s quite good.”
Xia Yuxiao could only give such an evaluation.
“You flatter me. As the Pope, I have always hoped to spread the gospel of the Lord to the world. As the Lord’s servant, this is my lifelong duty. If you can give me such an evaluation, it at least proves that we are still somewhat acceptable.”
After saying this, Xia Yuxiao was a bit confused by the old man’s logic.
No, old man, do you really not understand good and bad words? Do you really think I’m praising you?!
“Yes, I don’t oppose your church’s philosophy,” Xia Yuxiao unconsciously switched her self-reference, “I believe that anything that promotes goodness is good. Sometimes, for a sect, the ideology is the purest, but when people understand its ideology, they often bring in other factors.”
“Your Majesty is right,” the Pope agreed, “Many believers today are not devout enough, which is a problem we urgently need to solve. And for those who do not believe in the glory of the Lord, I think they just don’t understand the greatness of the Lord, hence they oppose it.”
“In the end, the obstacle to the glory of the Lord is essentially the understanding between people, Your Majesty, do you think so?”
“Exactly,” Xia Yuxiao secretly kicked Qin Ji under the coffee table—this guy had just secretly kicked her calf, she had to retaliate, “Believers and non-believers just lack understanding. However, whether they understand or not, both have their reasons, so I think mutual respect between the two is also very important.”
Hearing this, the Pope’s smile slowly faded: “You are right, but since we need mutual understanding, guiding others to understand our sect is also a very important step. Only in this way can we avoid conflicts as much as possible.”
“I agree with your view, but such work is not easy to do, just like trying to make a devout believer not believe in the Holy Lord. Ideals are often good, but reality often deviates.”
“Your Majesty, the people of your country seem to have their own beliefs, right? This is a good thing. It is very sad for people to have no faith.”
“This is true, but I still have to explain that there are many beliefs in Daxia. Generally speaking, we still believe in our ancestors. We respect the Holy Lord, but the Holy Lord is somewhat elusive to us.”
“I see, but the Holy Lord’s glory…”
“The Holy Lord’s glory is too heavy for us in Daxia. We cannot bear the Holy Lord’s grace,” Xia Yuxiao finally smiled happily. “You see, the Holy Lord has left almost all the holy relics with you. We have none. Maybe the Holy Lord never intended to give us grace.”
“In Daxia, there is a saying, ‘Heaven’s will cannot be violated,’ which means that the will of heaven cannot be easily defied. Since the Holy Lord is unwilling to give us grace, we should not force it.”
PS: The third update today!