Chapter 1553: Chapter 1547: Trial Substitution
Couldn’t possibly tell you, I’m just a small nun in the retreat, right?
Ronald reached up and scratched his head.
The questioning continuously touched on his areas of ignorance, completely exposing himself.
At this time, continuing to play dumb would not only be treating the other as a fool, but also deceiving himself.
"Sigh—"
He sighed, relaxed his body from the chair, which had been sitting upright, and responded openly:
"Alright, it indeed seems unfeasible now."
"Sir, unknown to me, do you know of a spell, developed from the original trials, ultimately named the Shrine Trial spell?"
"Shrine Trial..." Hearing this term from Ronald, the gray figure immediately understood, "That indeed explains quite a bit."
"But your unfamiliarity with the classics is obvious, you can’t be from the church."
"And without the corresponding identity, you probably wouldn’t have the qualification to attempt the Shrine Trial, would you?"
Ronald averted his gaze, no longer looking directly at the other:
"Didn’t I just say, times are always changing."
"..."
This was a rather direct hint.
With the wisdom of the gray figure, he immediately grasped the deeper meaning in Ronald’s words, realizing certain possibilities made the usually calm and composed figure somewhat flustered:
"The Holy City... No, in the future, did the church encounter something... does the church still exist?"
One sentence, changing the direction of inquiry three times.
This quick reaction convinced Ronald further that the figure before him was someone he could communicate with.
So he immediately nodded and answered with a very serious attitude:
"Of course, the church exists, and it’s developing quite well."
"In fact, it’s because I have a good relationship with the successors of the church, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to answer the first question."
Upon hearing this answer, the voice of the gray figure immediately held a tone of relief:
"If that’s the case, then can you enter the Holy City...?"
At this moment, honesty in communication is most important, so Ronald straightforwardly stated the current situation:
"In my time, the Holy City is already a relic lost in ancient history."
Sure enough, the gray figure also fell into a standstill.
The Holy City, this glorious city of faith, would eventually become a relic of history.
This point was evidently hard to accept.
But after pondering for a long time, he only sighed deeply, not showing any other loss of composure:
"Child, are you willing to tell me about the things of the future?"
"And I can clearly tell you, there’s a way to get you out of the Shrine Trial here, you can rest assured about that."
"I have some urgent matters to attend to, so let’s make it short." Ronald first proclaimed his pressing situation, then began to summarize, "In the crisis you face, the church split into two factions, one remained in the Holy City, while the other ventured overseas..."
Ronald informed the other party as much as possible about the future development of the church.
And to show his close relationship with the church, he also made a point to mention some details about socializing with church members to gain goodwill from the other party.
Sure enough, after his narration ended, the gray figure made no hostile actions.
The other party pondered for a moment.
Only responded to this piece of history with a profound nodding gesture.
Then without wasting time, upheld his promise and began to introduce the method of leaving the Shrine Trial:
"To leave the Shrine Trial, quite in-depth research on the church’s classics is required. My original suggestion was — you could stay here and diligently study the classics, which would be beneficial for you."
Ronald furrowed his brow, immediately about to express his dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, the gray figure quickly supplemented:
"But since you are pressed for time, as an outsider, we can try to provide you with an alternative trial method. As long as you can successfully pass it, you can leave the trial as well."
After all, the Shrine Trial is a spell with a clear purpose.
Under the premise that standard procedures cannot be satisfied, using other trial content to confuse the spell’s judgment can be understood.
Ronald expressed agreement and straightforwardly inquired:
"Then what is the content of the alternative trial?"
The gray figure, seeing this, turned his head and pointed to the Sacred Grace Cathedral they were in.
In an instant, along the corridor leading to the Divine Hall, gray figures emerged from the air, all looking at Ronald with the same gaze.
Previously, the questioning appeared to be just by the lone figure before him.
But on the hidden side of the cathedral, actually, there were more phantoms observing the entire selection process, and they had also completely listened to the conversation.
"The Sacred Grace Cathedral is the core of faith inheritance."
"To ensure certain things are not cut off, people have researched rituals to preserve the thoughts of the sages in a fragmentary, personified manner here."
"Child, use your intelligence and answer honestly."
"You just need to express your thoughts to them, gain recognition, and you will obtain the qualification to leave!"
With those words, the gray figure before Ronald slowly dissipated within the shrine.
The spiritually exhausted figure did not leave even with a single sigh.
And from the position closest to Ronald, two new figures approached with steady steps, asking in unison:
"The first question."
"Is the wizard a heretic!"
Ronald replied without hesitation:
"The spells of this world all originate from the classics. Both are from the same source and are opposing because of the differing ideas leading to different paths. I am not in a position to judge the thoughts of people in the past. But for me, the term ’seeking common ground while preserving differences’ is the most suitable answer for this situation."
The two gray figures nodded in satisfaction and then dispersed.
Then two more voices came from behind:
"The heretic often says: faith suppresses nature and corrupts the human heart, what is your view on this?"
Ronald immediately responded:
"Since the era of ignorance, faith has been an essential means for humans to overcome many difficulties. It may decline with the development of the times and even be eliminated, but this does not negate the important role it once played in human history."
The two gray figures neither agreed nor disagreed.
Just because at this time another person came alone, not in the usual pair.
"Latecomer, what is your opinion on deities?"
Ronald gave only a very brief view:
"The true god exists only within everyone’s heart."
"Hahaha!" This time, the single gray figure directly laughed heartily and even proactively praised, "Not bad, you’re really quite good!"
Then he didn’t delay any further, vanishing instantly before Ronald.
Following the earlier questioning by the lone figure, the two new figures approaching were obviously more deliberate and cautious:
"The church replacing the role of the state, do you think it’s a good thing?"
"Both the emperor’s power and the divine authority are management methods that arise from different contexts. With the progress of time and productivity, more advanced ways of governance will inevitably replace the outdated past."
Relying on knowledge that belonged to the future for the Holy City, or rather more distant knowledge.
Ronald answered every figure’s questions methodically, calmly, and with due propriety.
For a while, the Sacred Grace Cathedral became lively, as if the river of thought was flowing endlessly.
