Chapter 632: The Struggle for the Papacy

Viola's expression shifted slightly. "Did you figure it out?"

"I'm not a fool," Lei En said with a helpless laugh, shaking his head. "Those three legends don't treat you like guards treat their master. The two women who rushed in are very wary of you; the demon swordsman outside is a bit better, but he has his own agenda and isn't very loyal."

The Soul Eye saw through it instantly; although those three appeared very respectful and maintained deference, they were not aligned with Viola.

Among the dozen or so extraordinary guards in the villa, few were truly Viola's people.

"They're all followers of the Lady," Viola said. "The Lady worries about my safety, so she issued a divine decree and dispatched a batch of the most loyal believers from the Church to stay by my side."

Lei En didn't understand. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Viola gave a wry smile. "They do protect me diligently, but they also watch me. Outwardly it's protection; in reality it's like house arrest, with them constantly by my side reporting my every move to Madam Ileisa."

"Who is she?" Lei En asked.

"She is the President of the Empire's Art Association, the Crowned Pope of the Beauty and Goodness Church, and also another Divine Chosen of the Lady," Viola introduced solemnly. "Madam Ileisa knew early on that I was also a Chosen One of the Lady. When I first arrived in Nuosiruier, she was very enthusiastic toward me and gave me a lot of help."

"She is a high‑society socialite of Nuosiruier, with extensive connections and great at management."

"I was able to quickly establish myself in the Imperial Capital, open the market for Phonographs and Cameras, and that was impossible without Madam Ileisa's support. She even nominated me to become Vice President of the Empire's Art Association."

"But later my power rose rapidly, and she noticed it."

Viola fell silent; Lei En already understood.

This Madam Ileisa discovered that the Longhaired Lady's favor toward Viola far exceeded that of an ordinary Divine Chosen, threatening her own position within the Church and even possibly usurping the papal throne. Naturally she grew wary, instantly shifting from collaborator to competitor, even to an adversary.

Madam Ileisa has controlled the Beauty and Goodness Church for years; the believers in the Church are all her people.

As long as they don't violate the goddess's decree, the Church hierarchy will certainly be more inclined to obey Madam Ileisa than the newly arrived, young Viola.

"Haven't you tried to win over some people?" Lei En asked.

"I've tried," Viola said helplessly. "Madam Ileisa's reputation in the Church is extremely high, and she's very good at swaying hearts. She has been Pope for over a hundred years; the priests, deacons, and countless believers all strongly support her. I have virtually no chance."

Lei En nodded. "What about the Lady's wishes?"

The Beauty and Goodness Church serves the Longhaired Lady; its structure is relatively loose, but who is above whom and what positions exist are decided by a single word from the Longhaired Lady, and the believers must obey.

"The Lady also trusts Madam Ileisa very much," Viola said, troubled. "Moreover, the Lady does not wish to interfere with the Church's power changes, nor does she like to force Her Willpower onto the believers, stirring conflict among them—that would violate Her doctrine. She has already hinted that if I want to become Pope, I must fight for it myself or wait."

Lei En was at a loss; this made things very difficult.

Such internal Church power struggles cannot be settled by force like a true enemy; even if Viola borrows strength from Duke Silver Star, it won't achieve much.

Viola sees only one possibility for advancement: Madam Ileisa voluntarily abdicates in favor of a worthy successor.

The Longhaired Lady's number of believers in the Empire is far fewer than that of the Empire's Three Gods, but she is still a mid‑level deity; Her influence over mortal churches is not to be underestimated, and the Pope wields immense power. Who would be willing to give it up?

Moreover, with Phonographs and Cameras, the number of believers has surged, and the Beauty and Goodness Church's strength will continue to grow.

Unless…

Voluntary abdication is impossible, so what about being compelled?

Viola, being inside the Church, cannot do many things for fear of incurring the Longhaired Lady's displeasure, but she can handle it for her. A dangerous glint appeared in Lei En's eyes. "What's Madam Ileisa's strength?"

"Lei En, don't act rashly."

Viola hurriedly reminded, "Madam Ileisa is an outstanding dance Master and also one of the Empire's most famous musicians. She never displays her power in public, so few know that she was a female sorceress from the Elatusa Sorcerer Academy centuries ago, secretly advanced to Saint Rank decades ago, and is now a Level 21 Destroyer!"

Lei En felt a chill; she was a Saint Rank spellcaster!

Destroyers above Level 20 are weaker than Holy Soul Wizards, yet they are true spellcasters and far stronger than most extraordinary Saint Ranks of the same level.

Even if one is confident, one would not dare claim to be a rival of a Destroyer.

Madam Ileisa is not one to be trifled with!

"What exactly is her background?" Lei En was curious. Since her name carries "Madam," she must have other titles and connections.

"Madam Ileisa's husband is Marquis Sinadalo."

Viola whispered, "Marquis Sinadalo is one of the Empire's oldest great noble families. Their fief lies in the province of Mortinweis, right west of the Imperial Capital, covering one‑fifth of the province and containing the Empire's richest mineral resources, so the Sinadalo family possesses immense wealth."

So that's how it is; Lei En's mind cleared.

It's another classic Elatusa Academy transaction: sending a beautiful female sorceress to a high‑ranking man to gain entry into the power core.

Only Madam Ileisa took it to the extreme.

She not only became the Marquis's wife, but also leveraged her family's wealth and influence to ascend to Pope and advance to Saint Rank.

Lei En suddenly thought of a question. "Madam Ileisa lives in Nuosiruier long term; what about her husband, Marquis Sinadalo himself?"

"Marquis Sinadalo is a legendary Demonkin hunter, extremely mysterious; I've never met him, but I've heard he's been hunting Demons in the Abyss these years, seeking a chance to break through Saint Rank. So Madam Ileisa built a teleportation array in the manor, allowing her to return to the fief at any time to manage family affairs," Viola said, glancing at Lei En.

He immediately understood and replied, "When I get back, I'll send people to build a teleportation array as well."

Viola was finally satisfied and smiled.

"Demonkin hunter…"

Lei En stroked his chin and instantly thought of Master Roger and Meili Ge, wondering why female sorceresses always seem to get involved with Demonkin hunters.

Could the scent of Demons have a unique allure for female sorceresses?

A thought sparked in his mind, and he asked, "Viola, do you know which school Marquis Sinadalo belongs to as a Demonkin hunter?"

"Wolf School," Viola replied.

What a coincidence.

Master Roger is also of the Wolf School.

There are over a dozen branches of Demonkin hunter schools; among them the Wolf, Bear, Cat, and Snake Schools are the most famous and the strongest.

Each school has a secret training base, and hunters of the same school know each other to varying degrees. Since Roger and Marquis Sinadalo are both from the Wolf School and are legendary hunters, they might be familiar and could obtain some hidden information about the Marquis.

"Got it," Lei En thought, already forming a plan.

First investigate, then make plans.

He directly used primal symbiosis to send a mental message to Tairien, who was stationed at the Jin Gang Fort base, instructing him to take two Extreme Warriors and set out immediately for the White Crow Manor on the outskirts of Zhubi Le Mountain City.

Master Roger has spent these years living there with his lover Meili Ge, enjoying a rare peaceful life.

Tairien had been a mercenary in Zhubi Le Mountain City for many years and knew the area well. Lei En specifically instructed them to shed the Extreme Warrior armor, switch to ordinary mail, and only carry a greatsword and a Bolt Gun, moving discreetly to Zhubi Le Mountain City to avoid attracting outside attention.

"I'll set off right now, boss."

A few minutes later, at the Jin Gang Fort base, Tai Li'en and two Extreme Warriors took off riding a fire dragon.

After arranging everything silently, Lei En looked at Viola, "I can't help you become Pope for now, but we must first solve the problem of you being monitored. Can you have the Church recall its people?"

"If I communicate with the lady, it should be fine," Viola said anxiously. "Doing so will upset Madam Iliesa, who will think I'm acting against her and stir up conflict between us."

She added, "Moreover, my manor also needs staff; traveling without guards will inevitably bring trouble. The waters of Nuosiruier are too deep; I can't be careless."

Lei En nodded.

Viola's caution was justified; even though she is now very powerful, equivalent to the Legendary Peak, she still can't handle everything herself.

She also runs two companies, and the display of travel guards is often useful.

"I haven't been in Longshande these years, and haven't paid much attention to managing the Dongting Territory, so my relationship with the Duke is a bit distant, making it hard to ask her for the Secret Fire Guard..."

Viola sighed; she had given up many things for her career and ideals.

Lei En put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her and laughed, "Leave the guard duty to me. This time I came to Nuosiruier with two squads of Extreme Warriors, and I'll assign one to stay by your side. Once the manor's teleport array is built, I'll rotate the Extreme Warriors so there's always a team protecting your safety—definitely stronger than the Secret Fire Guard."

"Extreme Warrior!"

Viola's eyes brightened slightly, but she still had doubts.

She had heard of the Extreme Warriors' deeds and reputation in Nuosiruier, but only a few years ago, when Lei En passed by Dongting Fort, she saw an Extreme Warrior once, which left a deep impression, though she had never witnessed their strength firsthand.

"Don't doubt the Extreme Warriors' strength," Lei En hummed, then leaned close to Viola's ear and whispered, "Let me tell you a secret: every Extreme Warrior under my command is a legend; they are the world's most powerful superhuman legion."

"Ah…"

Viola's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, "All legends?"

How could that be!

"You'll know when you see them," Lei En said with a faint smile. "Today you can report to the lady and recall those Church superhumans. After the Extreme Warriors take over the manor, I'll clean the whole place, pulling out any hidden nails."

"What about Madam Iliesa?" Viola still worried.

"Unless you don't want to become Pope, your relationship with her will never ease; the conflict that will eventually erupt is better resolved while I'm in Nuosiruier." Lei En could see that Madam Iliesa's power and status exerted huge pressure on Viola, making her hesitant.

Viola thought for a moment, then nodded, "Alright!"

The two discussed some details; outside, the sky had brightened, and servants began preparing at the door to attend to her waking and washing.

"I should go."

"Hmm…" Viola verbally agreed, but kept holding Lei En's arm.

Lei En could only promise to return that night and move into the manor as soon as possible; Viola then happily gave him a fragrant kiss and helped him get up and dress.

Dressed neatly, Lei En opened a portal under Viola's lingering gaze and slipped inside.

After several jumps, he returned to the Fei Xin Pafen Hotel.

He enjoyed a refreshing breakfast, and soon someone delivered a name card requesting a meeting. He screened the more important groups of guests and spent the whole morning receiving them, getting to know them, showcasing himself in Nuosiruier, and at noon engaged in vigorous meditation training.

In the afternoon, several members of the oversight group also checked into the hotel.

Lei En sent a magical transmission, summoning several Mo Du representatives for a private meeting.

Soon, three Legendary Peak wizards teleported into the villa's upstairs reception hall.

Andelo, whose appearance was rather ordinary, stepped out with a beaming smile and greeted, "Lei En, it's been three years since we fought side by side in Matos; when will we have a chance to pull off another big job together?"

Lei En, impressed by this Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard who specialized in summoning fish armies, smiled, "There will be a chance. Congratulations on your promotion to Legendary High-rank."

"Hahaha…" Andelo laughed heartily, "Then I'll wait for your notice."

Lei En looked at the other wizard.

He was a handsome young man, seemingly under twenty, of medium build, dressed in a plain white magical robe, scholarly and slightly shy, giving the impression of a young apprentice with modest power, not worth much attention.

But Lei En would not dare to underestimate him.

This was the famed Alamans, student and lover of the Storm Queen. His Soul Eye pierces magical veils; Alamans is a 19th‑level Arcane mage and has already mastered a Nine-ring Technique!

He truly is the strongest among this generation of young wizards.

Of course, the title now belongs to me.

Seeing no hint of hostility in Alamans' soul, only curiosity and surprise toward himself, Lei En proactively greeted, "Lord Alamans."

Alamans promptly replied, "Speaker Lei En."

In the room, another wizard cloaked in a loose black robe, his complexion pale and gloomy, black hair draped over his shoulders, was the Vice Dean of BrewotzAcademy, the "Viper" whose name alone could make students tremble, Sidney Rickman.

Lei En said warmly, "Vice Dean Sidney."

The Legendary Peak dark mage gave a slight nod, his face unchanged, uttering a faint "mm" before falling silent.

Lei En was unfazed; his Soul Eye had already perceived Sidney's true emotions.

He was still friendly toward him.

"Please sit, gentlemen," Lei En, naturally assuming the role of faction leader and host, said gravely, "I invited you three here to discuss. Tomorrow the oversight group officially forms; our goal is clear: to prevent Naiser from falling into Duke Hong Shi's hands."

Andelo and Alamans both nodded in agreement.

Sidney said nothing, but Lei En, seeing his soul's hue, knew he supported him.

Lei En continued, "My plan is simple…"

(End of Chapter)