Chapter 1950: Concentration of Power

"He also understands that if power is too concentrated, it is not a good thing for anyone."

"So that's how it is. It seems Teacher's consideration of matters is still quite thorough." Xueli nodded gently: "Fine, since the Holy Grail is no longer in Teacher's hands."

"Then I can set my mind at ease and handle that matter. Actually, regarding the Pope, I possess the power of supervision."

"As long as his thinking goes against the original intention of the Pope, I can take action to set things right. It is just that Old Ivan has not yet done anything too extreme, and I haven't found a suitable candidate for the new Pope, so I haven't taken action."

"Isn't your teacher the most suitable candidate?" Chen Yu said with a smile: "You should have confidence in him."

"Before this, he wasn't, because he possessed the Holy Grail. There cannot be a person in the Pope who possesses two Sacred Objects at the same time." Xueli said: "He is indeed the most suitable candidate; what I was worried about before was that he held the Holy Grail in his hands."

"But now it is different. The Holy Grail in his hands is in your hands, which is equivalent to a transfer of power. I can help you with peace of mind."

"Thank you. Then we can formulate a plan. After all, the Holy Staff is in Old Ivan's hands; it will likely be very difficult for others to take it away," Chen Yu said.

"I know him very well, and I can step forward to seal a portion of the Holy Staff's power, causing him to lose the ability to resist," Xueli thought for a moment and said.

"Good, then let's plan it out well and see when is appropriate." Chen Yu was delighted; this way, he could save a lot of trouble.

"No need to plan, let's do it today. Old Ivan is at the Pope right now; I will go talk to him," Xueli said: "And I can take you into the Pope; you just need to disguise yourself a little."

"Good." Chen Yu nodded. It seemed the matter could be resolved today, and he truly felt a sense of relief.

"Then let's begin. Some things are better resolved sooner rather than later," Xueli said: "I will take you to the Pope."

"Good." Chen Yu began to feel expectant. It was his first time going to the Pope, so he couldn't wait to see what those charlatans at the Pope were actually like.

In the blink of an eye, it was already midnight.

The Pope is located in a mountain range in Yizhou, with a grand cathedral built on the summit.

A full moon hung in mid-air, and in one of the Shrines of the cathedral, there was a huge statue of the True Lord.

An old man with a hunched figure was sweeping the floor in front of the statue tremblingly. He was of a great age, and his gait was somewhat tottering.

Moreover, his frail body appeared extremely thin and small, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

He slowly raised his head. The patch of ground in front of the statue was not very large, but he had spent a full half hour sweeping it.

He meticulously swept the ground in front of him clean. Only when the floor was spotless did he heave a sigh of relief.

"Truly... I am old," the old man muttered: "When I first came here to be an apprentice, I could sweep it clean in a few minutes. Now, sweeping this little bit of ground leaves my waist and back aching."

The old man was the Lord of the Pope, Ivan, and also the emperor within the Pope.

This old man, who appeared as if he could be blown over by the wind, stood at the peak of the Theocracy of the Western World, and the thing he did every day was to sweep the floor in front of the True Lord's statue until it was spotlessly clean.

Even though he had long since stopped receiving a response from the True Lord, and even though his faith had been shaken.

But now, he still maintained his respect for the True Lord.

He tilted his head, looking at the joyless and sorrowless face of the huge statue, then muttered: "My Lord... you have not given a response for a long time."

"It has been a full fifty years. Since I ascended to this position, you have only given me three responses. And you now have probably entered the legendary slumber, right?"

"When will you wake up? Will I still be able to wait for that day?"

There was not a sound in the huge hall, and the surroundings were terrifyingly silent.

Staring blankly at the statue, Ivan slowly shook his head and was about to retreat.

However, just at this moment, the door of the great hall opened, and Xueli slowly walked in.

She stood in front of the statue, closed her eyes, and then clasped her hands together, praying silently to the statue.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, unclasped her hands, and looked at Old Ivan beside her.

"Hehe, Xueli, you shouldn't be appearing here at this time." Old Ivan looked at Xueli with a kind expression; his gaze was gentle, just like looking at his own child.

"Yes, usually at this time, I should be in the Holy Temple," Xueli smiled slightly: "But many things have happened at the Pope recently."

"So I wanted to come over and see; perhaps our True Lord will give us some response."

"Hehe, our Lord is actually omnipresent," Old Ivan smiled. He raised his head and said leisurely: "It's just that now, he might be a little tired. When he has rested well, he will wake up."

"Ivan, do you really think so?" Xueli could not help but raise her head and look at Old Ivan.

"Hehe, my faith is the most trusted in this world," Old Ivan said with a chuckle: "If even I didn't think so, then what would the people below become?"

"But do you really not know what the Pope is like now?" Xueli asked.

Old Ivan did not speak. After a long while, he sighed softly: "Of course I know, because they cannot obtain feedback from the True Lord."

"So, you know about those things happening in the Pope, right?" Xueli asked.

"Although I am old, I have not yet reached the point of being senile," Old Ivan said slowly: "I clearly know what has happened, but regarding this situation, I am still somewhat powerless."

"That is because you think their methods are correct." Xueli finally uttered this sentence.

Old Ivan suddenly raised his head, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes: "Xueli, you are the Saintess of the Pope, so there are some things you are clear about."

"What everyone is doing may not necessarily be right, but there are some facts that you also see with your own eyes," Ivan raised his head and looked at the statue again: "We have indeed not received a response from the Lord for a long time."

"Everyone's power is increasing very slowly, with twice the effort for half the result, and many people are even stagnating. If this continues, how can we contend with the Dark Creatures?"

"So, opening the Dark Abyss, releasing the Dark Creatures, and then replacing the True Lord to be the one Absorbing Faith Power? To create a new Pope—is this method correct?" Xueli said with some helplessness.