Chapter 237 The Darkest Hour of the Northern Continent

Late January, southern coast of the Protos Empire, Northern Continent.

Snow was not a common weather phenomenon in this region along the warmer coastline.

Lilom City had always been a warm, bustling city with the sea as its backdrop.

Due to its location on the southern coast, far west of the Protos Empire's major southern port, and the vast forests inland behind the city, with the nearest inland city hundreds of kilometers away, it was mostly just a tourist city.

Although not particularly wealthy, the scenery was beautiful.

The entire city was spread across a series of small coastal islands connected by bridges, making the artistic bridges a very prominent feature of Lilom City, facilitating transportation and providing excellent vantage points for sea views.

However, this year, in this rare and extremely cold winter, the storm seemed to have swept from the northern imperial capital all the way to these border cities.

A light snow fell silently in the night.

The light on the lighthouse appeared faintly in the thin snow curtain. The ships docked in the harbor were covered with a light layer of white. Seabirds no longer chirped but hid in the cabins or the warm holes of the lighthouse. The masts formed a psychedelic silhouette against the distant lights in the light snow.

Snowflakes gently landed on the city's stone-paved roads, merging with the existing snow on the ground.

The long road from the port to the city hall was covered in snow, and the light became soft and hazy through the snow layer of the lampshade.

After dark, there were few pedestrians on the road, and those who occasionally appeared were wearing thick coats and hats, hurrying past.

Their footsteps left traces of water on the ground, dyeing the newly fallen snow black.

These citizens did not seem to be afraid of the cold.

Rather, they feared the harmonious yet strange changes in the Protos Empire recently and the silver-robed clerics who could walk on the streets openly.

In this deep night when even the moonlight was almost obscured.

Not far from the city hall, in a mansion befitting family status and power.

Crimson tapestries hung on the walls, with detailed embroidery depicting scenes of war, trade, harmony, and prosperity, showcasing the history and glory of the Protos Empire.

In the parlor, two men sat calmly in chairs crafted from moonwood and metal, sharing drinks across the table.

This was like a feast of villains that had never disappeared in the history of the Northern Continent.

"Great Sir of the Rebirth Church, I offer you a toast on behalf of the lord."

The man dressed in fine clothes specially tailored for his obese figure was clearly the local magnate. He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

"Viscount Francis really doesn't know how to read the signs and can't see the current situation of the empire."

The nobleman shook his head and sighed with a look of heartache, like a noble figure concerned about the world.

As for who he thought was qualified to govern this city-state, his attitude towards the Rebirth Church cleric in front of him spoke volumes.

"...Actually, I quite admire that lord."

Across from the nobleman, the silver-armored cleric with a sapphire heteromorphic holy seal hanging around his neck, a believer in an evil god, shook his glass lightly and murmured.

The holy seal on his chest was a blue, precious quality [Token of Rebirth - Hegemon].

Members of the Rebirth Church with this level of [Token of Rebirth] were all high clerics with considerable positions. The purple, rare-level seals above were almost all direct soldiers or confidants of the bishop, not the big shots they could see in this small border area.

Pink sacred was the holy son and holy daughter selected by the bishop, even further away. The epic level was the [Bishop's Token].

Under normal circumstances.

Members of the Rebirth Church would try their best to hide their [Token of Rebirth], only displaying it when they needed to prove their identity to colleagues.

Almost no crazy guy would directly turn it into a seal and wear it openly.

But now.

In the Protos Empire, the Rebirth Church had been recognized as a legal religion.

And the Cardinal, who had always been notorious in the Northern Continent and feared and hated by all races, had now become the Archbishop of the Protos Empire who needed to be admired by the people.

This earth-shattering situation was not forced by the Rebirth Church, nor did the Rebirth Church have the ability to force the Protos Empire. This was the empire's active choice.

A few years ago, everyone would have thought the empire was crazy.

But now this was the truth.

"But that lord... Viscount Francis, he has a serious inclination towards the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and his attitude towards your Rebirth Church is even more obvious, full of fear, especially... he could not possibly believe in the theories of the Hegemon Sect."

The nobleman said this, carefully sipping his red wine and sizing up the silver-armored cleric's expression.

"Then it seems... he is indeed guilty."

The silver-armored cleric turned his head, looking at the small fountain in the courtyard, and muttered to himself thoughtfully.

The entire mansion, from the inside out, was warm and pleasant, with gurgling water, peaceful and completely different from the city's atmosphere, or rather, they were the source that determined whether the atmosphere was good or bad.

"Indeed, so in order for you to preach more smoothly in this city, and to prevent malicious power holders from maliciously smearing your image, I think the upper echelons of this city need a change."

The nobleman revealed a satisfied chuckle and drained the wine from just now, wiping the red liquid from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

"...Although our Rebirth Church is now recognized as the orthodox sect of the Protos Empire, we cannot blatantly violate the imperial law, otherwise we will still be imprisoned as criminals."

The silver-armored cleric seemed to think for a while, and then slowly said.

Taking action against Viscount Francis, the orthodox nobleman of the empire and the lord of this Lilom City, once the imperial upper echelons launched an investigation and found out, he, as a highly ranked Rebirth Church cleric, would also face serious crimes and be killed as a warning to others.

"Did you know? The lord's daughter has some ancestral demon characteristics. Even if her parents are undoubtedly human, people with demon characteristics like her will still be regarded as half-demons and have no right to inherit the territory. Once Viscount Francis is gone, I will quickly turn her into my family member, and I will be in control of this city-state by then. I guarantee that the aftermath of this matter will sink without a trace. She has no chance to have anyone from the imperial capital come to verify the cause of Viscount Francis's death."

The nobleman raised the corners of his mouth, and the fat on his face swayed, probably because he had dirty thoughts.

Called wives and concubines, in reality, that kind of dirty thing was only fit to become his plaything and slave.

"You really are a bad guy."

The silver-armored cleric smiled and picked up his glass.

Although dealing with this kind of nobleman would leave a handle in his hands, he doubted that he would dare to play tricks on their Hegemon branch clerics.