Chapter 183. The Pope
"Hmm... I understand, Governor Charles. I know of your wish. As your ally, I would also like to offer my assistance. However, I cannot let you have those things now," the Pope said.
"Why?"
"As per my earlier words, our Light God has spoken; the items—"
"Stop. I don't need you to reiterate. Don't try to brush me off with such frivolous words," Charles interrupted. His patience was wearing thin.
Facing Charles's skepticism, the Pope wasn't angered in the slightest. He lowered his head and calmly met Charles's gaze.
"Oh? Then how do you suppose that I, a denizen of the Subterranean Seascape, would know about the hard drives in the computers that are being used to store data? And how would I know of the great danger in Newbound City?"
Charles was stunned by the Pope's words. He scrutinized the statue before him as a whirlwind of thoughts swirled in his mind.
"There's no need to conceal anything from me. I can see all the doubts in your heart. Firstly, I'm not from the surface world like you. Secondly, neither am I a descendant of some Foundation. And Dawn One wasn't the one who told me about it. All knowledge I possess originates from the All-knowing, Almighty Light God," the Pope continued.
"What Light God are you talking about? That thing hanging in the sky in Newbound City can't even move! If the Light God truly exists, why has He not revealed Himself?" Charles retorted.
"He truly exists," the Pope said and raised a right hand before Charles could interrupt. "Don't be in a hurry to retort. Listen to my story first before you say your piece."
The Pope then began, "When I was eight, my father was lost at sea. My mother got addicted to joyfruit powder and abandoned me. Left with no other choice, I had to beg on the streets just to get a bite to eat.
"Thanks to my golden locks, I managed to find work in the harbor district and no longer have to wander on the streets."
Charles was slightly puzzled upon hearing the Pope's words. What work in the harbor would require golden hair?
"Prostitution," the Pope immediately answered Charles’ question.
"The sailors who returned from the sea needed a channel to relieve their mental stress. However, not all of them liked women. Some of them preferred men, or rather, boys. And that's my job—to satisfy their desires."
"Life was miserable for me back then. Every morning, I'd make the most humble wishes: that today's clients would pull my hair a little less harshly and that they'd pay me without trying to cheat me. I thought my life of misery would stretch on endlessly like that," the Pope continued. His voice was as calm as water, as though he was recounting someone else's childhood.
However, his voice abruptly rose, and his eyes lit up with a burning passion.
"But soon, my circumstances changed. The year I was eleven. I remember it was in July. I hadn’t had any clients for several days, and I was starving. I tried to steal some food, and unsurprisingly, I got caught. They beat me up until I was barely breathing and left me in a trash heap. It was then that a voice echoed in my mind."
"His voice was incredibly gentle and kind. I felt as though a tender hand was caressing my hair and face. He was the Light God. I received his calling. He healed my wounds, and out of countless others, he anointed me as the Chosen One."
"Under His guidance, I left my demeaning work behind and joined the Divine Light Order, which was being oppressed by the Fhtagn Covenant back then. I stood at the helm of our order and helped it grow using the divine knowledge He had bestowed upon me."
Charles stared at the Pope with a bewildered look. Why does it feel like I've read this plot somewhere before?
"How are you so sure that the voice belongs to the Light God?" Charles questioned. "What if it was something else? A random old man, perhaps?"
The Pope shook his head in disagreement. "Because the voice told me that He is the Light God."
"And you believe everything the voice is saying?" Charles countered.
"Yes. I believe every single word He said. He lifted my status from a miserable, lowly prostitute to the Pope of the Divine Light Order. No matter who He is, He is the one and only God I will forever revere."
The Pope then continued with unquestioned devotion, "When I first arrived in Newbound City, He instructed me to immediately erase all records in the city. And so, I carried out His orders."
Charles' brows furrowed together. He was uncertain if he should believe the old man before him.
After all, anyone could lie, and Kord had already warned him in the past about how some disciples in the Order didn't complete the initiation ritual.
"Governor Charles, do you perhaps still hold doubt toward my words? Lies meant betrayal. As a disciple of the Light God, I can never lie. How old do you think I am now?"
Charles carefully scrutinized the statue before him.
"Ninety? A hundred?" Charles made a guess.
The Pope shook his head. "The Light God has bestowed His blessings on my mortal body. I am a hundred and thirty years old this year. If you are still doubtful, then how about this? Are you going to remain doubtful after this?"
With that, the statue stretched his arms wide to the side. His gentle voice suddenly escalated in volume and turned into a tumultuous blend of male and female tones.
The three-meter-tall stone statue levitated, and cracks appeared in its gray form; soft white light seeped out of it as well.
"Light God, You are the Alpha, and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End! You create all, and You are all-knowing! All things come into being through You! All things meet their end in You!"
A resonance accompanied the palpable and oppressive aura that burst forth from the Pope. Charles was overpowered by the force and was pushed back.
Despite being subjected to such an invasive aura, Charles couldn't find a hint of resistance in his heart. But soon enough, an unsettling feeling began to ripple through him. His lips trembled slightly as though he was joining the Pope in singing praises of the Light God.
Hissssssss!
A creeping sound echoed in his brain as he felt the tentacle within starting to writhe and squirm violently, as though it was reacting in fear.
The sensation faded as soon as it came. Dumbstruck, Charles stared at the statue before him. It had already reverted to its original form. but Charles' thoughts were far from settling down.
Before visiting the Pope, he had thought that Dawn One was the Light God, but it seemed like he had been making the wrong assumption all this while.
Perhaps the Light God truly exists? Charles' conviction started to waver. A faint smile appeared on the Pope's lips as he observed Charles' stunned expression.
He was certain that Charles had finally realized how ignorant he had been.
"The Light God truly exists. It's an irrefutable fact," the Pope emphasized to Charles once again. "If He deems something to be dangerous, then it is dangerous. That is irrefutable as well."
Charles shot a piercing glare at the Pope as his expression darkened. He then turned to leave, but he had barely taken a step when the Pope called out.
"Wait. Aren't you searching for the exit to the surface? Our goals happen to align."
Charles pivoted on his heel and looked at the Pope again. "Don't you think you are mixing up the flow of the conversation?"
"No, no, no. I said I can't hand over those things to you. But I've never said anything about not being able to give you information about the surface world. The Light God is searching for the exit as well."
The weight of the Pope's words was immense. Charles had no clue about the actual identity of this Light God, but he was certain about one thing: even this omnipotent existence couldn't locate the exit.
"If your Light God is all-knowing and almighty, why can't He act on it Himself?"
The Pope shook his head. "Indeed, if He intervened, He could effortlessly bring us to the surface. However, He is currently bound by His own powers, and as such, He is unable to wield His divine strength extensively. He is in immense suffering at the moment, and He needs our assistance."
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