Chapter 567: Conflict will arise, Archbishop Byron
But Guther Pendragon was very unlucky, and his baptism failed that year.
Now he has reached 117 years old and has entered a serious stage of aging.
This was the trigger for conflicts in the royal family.
Not counting the illegitimate children among the people, King Guser had a total of five direct heirs in the royal family.
The eldest, second and fourth are all princes.
The third and fifth children are princesses.
Among them, the fifth child, the little princess Jenny Pendragon, is the most beloved by old King Guser!
Princess Jenny was smart since she was a child, and she also learned good tailoring skills from the maid.
But according to royal convention, the princess cannot inherit the throne of the king.
This has no precedent in the history of the Avalon royal family.
The human kingdom in this world still follows the eldest son system.
The person most likely to inherit the throne of the king is the eldest prince.
However, King Guser had previously expressed his cultivation of Princess Jenny.
This made the other princes very worried.
And except for the eldest prince, the second and fourth sons are not fuel-efficient either.
They began to develop their own power in the kingdom and win over noble groups from various places.
The princes and nobles of this world have long since become as smelly and long as foot bindings.
This also gave the princes the soil to play with blood and power.
They took root in various areas within the Kingdom of Avalon.
Even the third princess is like this.
She controlled important ports and cities on the eastern coast such as The Hague City, Elaraya Port, Whirlpool Bay, and Kekalima Islands in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Avalon.
On the contrary, the fifth princess Jenny Pendragon, who was deeply loved by the old king, disappeared some time ago!
For this reason, Guther Pendragon even issued a kingdom reward order.
Anyone who can find Princess Jenny and escort her back to the main imperial city can obtain the noble title of a hereditary earl and a giant city-level fief, as well as a huge sum of five million dinars and a large group of Avalon elite warriors.
According to rumors, the disappearance of the fifth princess is related to other princes.
King Guser also conducted strict investigations on several princes.
Unfortunately, there is no direct evidence.
The palms and backs of his hands were all flesh, and Guser was helpless against his children's overt and covert struggles.
He is indeed old, and the Kingdom of Avalon cannot be left without an heir.
So he can only acquiesce to the fight between his children.
The previous Calamity Raven Church was linked to the second prince Carter Pendragon.
He exchanged the church's support for him for the right to preach within the kingdom controlled by the second prince.
It's a pity that the guy suddenly regretted it later.
Therefore, the Calamity Raven Church retaliated by sending a group of apostles to raid Odo Village near the Boneyard.
On the one hand, it is to dig out the remaining soul of Balnazzar and use it as a sacrifice to summon the raven spirit.
On the other hand, it can be regarded as a show of force for the second prince.
Because Henry Lancaster, Marquis of the giant city of Lentax, has joined the second prince's camp.
The princes and the third princess are not good people.
Only the fifth princess who disappeared mysteriously was not involved.
Under such circumstances, the Kingdom of Avalon may soon enter a state of complete chaos.
It could take as short as three years or as long as five years before the old king Guser would die.
The nobles, big and small, who are in charge of the major cities and states in the kingdom also need to take a stand in advance.
This is why the Calamity Raven Church wants to take advantage of this juncture.
The Calamity Raven Cult doesn’t know much about the news from other kingdoms.
But for the three kingdoms of Avalon, Nord, and Vaegia, the church has a unique intelligence system.
Some of the black street rats in major cities also work for the church.
Rats are the ones who have milk and are mothers.
As long as you give me money, I will say anything.
Except for the Kingdom of Avalon.
The Nordic Kingdom in the north is not peaceful either.
That Queen Zandina is not a good girl. She has served King Ragnar for many years, and behind her is the super family Trivasin. She secretly develops her power, and even the prince is at her mercy. There seems to be a conspiracy brewing.
As for the northernmost Kingdom of Vigia, the situation is also very complicated.
The Lister family of Finance Minister Finn Lister seems to be very concerned about developing the land north of the Great Wall. They are the richest family in the Kingdom of Vaegia.
It almost monopolizes half of the traveling merchant organizations in the north, and its subordinates are also extremely powerful.
Even the royal family has to be afraid of it.
Recently, there have been some conflicts between Finn Lister and King Yarogluk of the Kingdom of Vaegia.
For this reason, he has left the royal capital and returned to the family's sphere of influence in the northern part of the kingdom.
According to reports from the fanatic believers in charge of intelligence in the church, a large amount of supplies are converging on the Eternal Winter City, the Frost and Snow City, and the Cold Forest City in Virginia these days.
In short, these kingdoms are not peaceful internally.
It seemed like an undercurrent was beginning to surge.
As for the Kingdom of Swadia, the Kugit Empire, the Kingdom of Rhodok, and the Sultanate of Salander.
Due to geographical separation, the Calamity Raven Church does not understand the situation of these kingdoms. ,
In the vast continent, their hands cannot reach this far.
As for why the Calamity Raven Church is concerned about the situation in the human kingdom, the reason is actually very simple.
Because the most important responsibility of any church is to spread the faith and gain believers.
Only the major human kingdoms have the largest populations.
Just because divine power and royal power are incompatible, all major kingdoms basically reject the church.
The two giant city-level strongholds of the Calamity Raven Church are both in the northern part of the continent.
One is the Jackdaw Valley where Safuri is now.
It is located on the border between the Northland Plateau and the central part of the continent.
The other is the Isle of Disaster, located in the gray fjord on the northwest coast of the mainland.
The entire northern part of the continent is the territory of the Kingdom of Vigia.
The reason why the Calamity Raven Church was able to establish a stronghold in the north was also the result of the acquiescence of the kingdom's top leaders.
It involves some very complex interest games.
But this acquiescence does not mean that the Kingdom of Vaegia will openly allow the Calamity Raven Church to preach within its jurisdiction.
In fact, there are hundreds of churches in large and small places throughout the continent.
The Calamity Raven Church can only be regarded as a second-class force among all churches.
Most churches with more radical and paranoid doctrines are called heretics by the major kingdoms.
Only forces with relatively mild and neutral doctrines such as the "Temple of the Holy Kingdom", the Church of Radiance, the "Church of the Star God", etc. can avoid being labeled as "heresies".
It is not as easy as imagined for most churches to spread their faith.
They could only establish churches and send out church pastors in small villages in remote areas.
It is completely seeking development in the cracks.
Even if they get mixed up to this point, conflicts often break out between churches to compete for believers.
The entire Endless Continent is not a place where divine authority is supreme.
This is the real current situation of the church in mainland China.
If the Church of Calamity Raven can take advantage of the fact that the Kingdom of Avalon is about to fall into the chaos of the royal family's struggle for power, and find a way to acquire several giant cities, then Calamity Raven will have the opportunity to become a first-class church force in the continent.
The number of believers and the power of the apostles can also expand rapidly.
Enter a virtuous cycle.
This is the true purpose of the Calamity Raven Church.
Raven Saint Safuri herself naturally knew this.
This is an opportunity for the development of the Calamity Raven Church and an important turning point.
It is precisely because of this that Safuri feels that the responsibility on her shoulders is too great.
Of course, she is only part of the church's operations.
In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, the Calamity Raven Church selected three targets at the same time.
In terms of difficulty, the part she was responsible for was indeed the least difficult.
Jackdaw Valley is a giant city-level settlement.
It governs 12 cities and 146 villages.
The total population within the jurisdiction of the power has reached tens of millions.
No towers were built outside the valley.
It is a large open settlement.
A large number of forts were built on the periphery, and there were neat patches of farmland around it.
In order to ensure basic food supply, a large area of farmland was cultivated, almost surrounding all open land outside the valley.
The crops in the north are very monotonous, but a crop called highland barley is also grown here.
The overall output is pretty good, and coupled with the blessing of the natural magic circle, it can basically meet the food supply of the population within the jurisdiction.
The area under the jurisdiction of Jackdaw Valley is basically filled with believers of the church. Every village and city has built [Raven Tower] and prayer churches of different levels.
These [Raven Towers] can summon the surrounding ravens.
Therefore, the raven has become an alternative companion animal in Jackdaw Valley.
The deacons in the church can control the raven through special magic.
You can even gain vision of the raven for detection or harassment.
Strictly speaking, this valley should be a large basin.
The overall terrain is relatively flat.
To the north is the cold forest of permafrost.
To the south, it is adjacent to the Kingdom of Swadia in the middle of the continent.
From the perspective of continental location, it belongs to the edge of the Kingdom of Vaegiya.
It is precisely because of this that the Calamity Raven Church can gain a foothold here.
Right in the center of Jackdaw Valley stands a towering cathedral.
This cathedral has tall towers.
There is also a large stone statue of the Raven God at the highest point.
The wings on the body are carved with a stripe path, which is filled with mithril, fine gold, gem powder, rune stones and other materials. It is not as simple as a simple statue.
At this time, Raven Saint Safuri was on one of the high towers of the cathedral.
This is already the commanding heights in Jackdaw Valley.
The biting cold wind blows from the northern plateau, bringing the cold air from the north to the central part of the continent from north to south.
Safuri was leaning on the stone stacks at the top of the tower, and beside her was a huge black crossbow.
She was wearing a big fur coat and a red fox fur scarf around her neck.
She also wore a velvet hat on her head, which could cover her ears under her hair. She was looking at a place very far away with clear eyes. Her eyes seemed to have no focus and were in a state of being empty.
Just when Safuri was in a daze, an old man walked out of the top door of the tower behind her.
This old man looks quite old.
The beard and hair on his face have turned white.
The wrinkles at the corners of the eyes are layered, revealing the depth of time.
He wore a red cloak with three black ravens sewn on it.
A well-dressed ecclesiastical fur jacket, sewn from the finest northern fur bear fur.
On his feet were leather boots made of Gwell flower deerskin from the northern plateau.
His expression was as calm as water, and he looked kind-hearted.
This is also the appearance characteristic of the church’s top leaders.
This is true from the lowest level pastors to church deacons, apostolic elders, and church elders.
No matter whether their inner thoughts are extreme or nasty, at least they always look kind on the surface.
This is their unique skill!
It is a unique look that was developed after years of practice.
If they look too vicious, how can we preach?
Sally heard the footsteps coming from behind and slowly turned her head.
After seeing the old man, he quickly turned around and bowed respectfully to him.
"Archbishop Byron, why are you here?"
The old man in front of him has a great background. He is one of the three archbishops of the Calamity Raven Church.
He is also the archbishop in charge of Jackdaw Valley.
The three Archbishops are the real powerful figures within the Calamity Raven Church besides the Pope.
Even Safuri, who is a saint, has to bow and bow when meeting her.
Two of these three archbishops are in charge of the two strongholds of Jackdaw Valley and Disaster Island respectively.
There is also an archbishop who controls the apostles and the Judgment Army under the church.
As for Raven Saint Safuri, she actually doesn’t have much real power in her hands.
More like a mascot in a church.
Even his status in the church is not as good as that of the archbishop.
It's just that he is much higher than those church elders.
After Sally bowed, Archbishop Byron nodded slightly, with a kind smile on his face.
"Saints don't need to be polite."
"Are you ready for this operation?"
“Please be prepared for everything.”
"Your target is the giant city of Lentax."
"And in three weeks it will be time for Lord Henry Lancaster to hold a banquet."
"At that time, all the nobles of all the major cities under the jurisdiction of the giant city of Lentax will attend the banquet!"
"As long as we control these guys, we can control the entire giant city of Lentax without spending a single soldier."
"This is an important part of the "Dragon Devouring Plan" and cannot be missed!"
Archbishop Byron said emotionally.
The emblem of the kingdom of Avalon is the nine-faced dragon god.
The meaning of this "Dragon Devouring Plan" is obvious.
In response to the Archbishop's words, Raven Saint Safuri just lowered her head deeply.
"I understand Archbishop Byron."
"Safuri will definitely dedicate her blood and soul to the church!"
"Capture the great city of Lentax, and let the glory of the Raven God shine upon the earth."
"Archbishop, I met a friend during the operation in Odo Village."
"He is very powerful and may be able to help us."
"If it hadn't been for him when we were in Odo Village, I might have been captured by the Knight Squadron Captain Qenir and the Dragonborn Knights from the giant city of Lentax."
After hearing Safuri's suggestion, Archbishop Byron shook his head.
"No! Sally, this shows how important this operation is!"
"Never reveal it to any outsider!"
"Unless you can make him become a fanatical believer in the church."
"Let him complete the believer's transformation ritual..."
"Perhaps I will agree with your suggestion."
Archbishop Byron said calmly.
Raven Saint Safuri was stunned for a moment before nodding.
"I...I understand, Archbishop!"
Hearing Safuri say this, Archbishop Byron smiled with satisfaction.
"Very well, Raven Saint Safuri."
"Never let down the Pope's expectations of you."
"Don't let down the church's cultivation and upbringing for you."
"May the Raven God protect your soul forever!"
He tilted his chin, raised his right hand and gently brushed Safuri's head.
As he waved his arm, a silver-white frost trail appeared above Safuri's head.
Raven Saint Safuri didn't answer, she just bowed her body downward.
After Archbishop Byron finished speaking, a pair of blue and white frost wings formed on his back.
Then, the pair of wings flapped, and with each flap, white snowflakes emerged and fell to the ground. Then Archbishop Byron flew directly from the top of the tower.
The frost wings flew very fast, pulling out a blue-white stream of light under the night sky, and disappeared into the night sky in the blink of an eye.
It can be seen that this old guy has high attainments in frost magic.
This is also a normal situation. If you don't have a few brushes, how can you become an archbishop?
Moreover, the Raven God worshiped by the Calamity Raven Church already has two characteristics.
One is the characteristic of frost magic, and the manifested monsters and magic are the frost raven and frost magic.
Zong Shen's current person in charge of refrigeration in the territory is the frost raven he captured before.
As for the other characteristic, it is the disaster characteristic.
This is a very peculiar property.
Represents characteristics such as plague, natural disaster, and misfortune.
Therefore, the top leaders of the church basically control the power of frost or the power of disaster.
Including Raven Saint Safuri herself.
She received special bloodline enhancement when she was baptized by the Raven Spirit.
Even the blood in the body carries bits and pieces of frost power.
Therefore, when the Calamity Raven Church was excavating the burial ground, the magic circle deployed to suppress the undead needed to use Safuri's blood as a main material.
It is because her blood is rich in the power of frost that it can suppress the resurrection of the undead to a certain extent. This is the power of the blood.
After Archbishop Byron flew away, Safuri slowly raised her head.
Her expression was solemn as never before.
Lentax will be her last chance to prove herself.
If she fails again, according to the church's tradition, the frost bloodline in her body will most likely be taken away.
This is a very cruel fact.
When she is unable to gain benefits for the church, she will also lose everything the church has given her.
Even as a saint of the church, she cannot avoid it.
She has a very deep understanding of this as she grew up in the church.
It can be said that no one understands the cruelty of the church better than Sally.
