“Do we still need evidence for what we do?”
Lucius countered, “Even if we rule out these speculations, we can be certain that this Pope Steven is an extremely powerful Esper. Can we afford to let him join the Kingdom of Golden Oak and pose a threat to the future Cercis Federation?”
“But this reason alone won’t convince your superior!”
Professor Luther was still rather skeptical about his plan, “You want to take this opportunity? The boss won’t agree to it.”
“If he disagrees, we just do it secretly, right? It will also be a good test of the Advisors’ combat effectiveness.”
A subtle smirk curled at the corner of Lucius’s lips, like a sly little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
…
Half a month later.
At the Federation airship terminal.
Today’s passengers clearly noticed something different.
The surroundings had not only become cleaner and tidier but were also filled with many fervent people dressed in religious attire.
“What’s going on?”
A wealthy, plump man called over a flight attendant, “Who are these people?”
“You probably don’t know, sir,” the flight attendant smiled, pointing to a sign and banner nearby, which read in Federation language: “Warmly welcome Pope Steven’s visit,” and similar phrases, “This is the Pope of the Church of Redemption, who has been invited by our Federation President to give a speech!”
“Redemption Church… sounds a bit familiar…”
The fat passenger muttered, “There are so many churches in the current Federation. Last time, two guys tried to sell me a religion worshipping werewolves. I have absolutely no interest in those furry monsters! The train station bombing three days ago was reportedly done by a group of cultists preaching some so-called apocalypse. What nonsense!”
“How can you say that?”
A passenger clearly belonging to the Redemption Church immediately became furious, “The priests of the Redemption Church are truly noble people with faith and virtue. Several of my friends have genuinely received divine blessings and regained their health. How dare you equate our Lord with those false gods?”
His neck turned red, as if he were about to charge forward and fight at any moment.
“Sorry… I just misspoke!”
The fat man inwardly cursed but quickly backed down verbally, for as soon as he heard the other’s voice, the surrounding believers had gathered around, their expressions rather unfriendly.
He seriously doubted that if he persisted, he would definitely get a severe beating, and no one would come to rescue him.
The saying “the law cannot punish the masses” was certainly not Wu Ming’s exclusive privilege from his previous life.
“Our Lord is merciful. Since you have realized your mistake, we accept your apology!”
A priest in a white robe smiled, suddenly turning his head, “They’re here!”
A line of black cars stopped outside the airship terminal, and many people got out—some were elderly with white hair, others were energetic young men. Their only commonality was the pilgrim-like expression on their faces.
“That’s the Dewey family; I’ve seen them before!”
A traveler nearby whispered in astonishment.
He was already speechless by then, watching the important figures he usually only saw in newspapers and heard on the radio walk past him with reverence, waiting respectfully in the corridor.
“That… Redemption God actually wields such tremendous power in the Federation?”
The fat man’s face turned red with embarrassment, almost wishing he could slap himself.
What was wrong with him just now? How could he dare to slander others’ beliefs? If he had offended someone, what would happen to his future?
Actually, this was entirely him scaring himself for no reason. Wu Ming had strict control over his subordinates. While there were indeed cases of people abusing their positions to bully others, minor incidents like this would definitely not be pursued relentlessly, as doing so would only lower their own status.
“He’s coming!”
At that moment, a colossal airship landed, and the fat man immediately saw many believers blocking the entrance and exit, holding up banners and placards. Some had even already started shedding tears.
Those who came to the airport to meet him were all truly devout believers, even bordering on fanaticism.
Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, first came eighteen tall and graceful priestesses, slowly stepping down the red carpet from the airship’s door.
Seeing this, all the outsiders inhaled sharply.
So the Redemption Church indeed had immense financial power, actually chartering an entire airship.
In fact, they didn’t know that the Redemption Church even had its own private fleet of airships. And this time, if it weren’t for Wu Ming’s insistence on keeping a low profile, they would have cleared the entire airship company.
“Kart, our believers in the Federation are quite devoted, aren’t they…”
Wu Ming, dressed in the Pope’s distinctive attire, slowly stepped off the airship, frequently waving his hand in greeting to the believers lining both sides of the corridor.
Bob and several other Holy Knights of the Punishment Division had to work hard to form a human wall to prevent the fervent believers from crossing the security line.
“Actually… the cream of the believers across the entire Federation is probably all here!”
Kart replied with a bitter smile.
Wu Ming understood this very well.
After all, if they weren’t truly devout or even fanatical believers, who would give up everything and specially come here to pick him up?
“Welcome, Pope Steven!”
At the entrance, several city hall officials and Federation diplomats had already been waiting there, their faces bearing professional smiles, “We hope you’ve had a pleasant journey and will leave a happy memory on Federation soil!”
“I also look forward to that!”
Wu Ming politely replied, then turned his gaze to their side.
The old man from the Dewey family, who had once fawned on him, was there too.
Of course, at this public place with many media present, Spock Dewey maintained his usual cold demeanor, but quickly stepped forward upon seeing Wu Ming.
“Welcome, Your Holiness!”
Seeing Wu Ming’s gaze, Spock immediately bowed.
He used the Redemption Church’s etiquette, making it clear to outsiders that he had joined the Redemption Church and become a believer of the God of Redemption.
“Thank you for coming in person!”
In front of outsiders, Wu Ming naturally had to give Spock some face. The two smiled and shook hands, a moment that was eagerly captured by the waiting reporters and paparazzi.
Although the patrol officers were already doing their best to maintain order, for the citizens of Cercis, Pope Wu Ming was still quite mysterious and thus more intriguing.
A young man who started from scratch and developed the Redemption Church to its current scale was indeed incredible.
Even Binford University had already listed Steven and Kart as outstanding alumni. After Kart donated a large sum of money, the university even considered building statues for both of them.
This matter eventually fell through due to opposition from some old professors, but Kart’s portrait had already been proudly displayed in the corridor of Binford University.
As for Wu Ming?
He was quite reluctant to attract such attention and directly declined.
After exiting the airship terminal, the streets were filled with believers, allowing Wu Ming to feel their fervor.
Yet beneath this enthusiasm, he sensed something more.
“Your Holiness, please get in the car. We’ve prepared the best hotel in the city for you! The mayor hopes to have dinner with you!”
At this moment, a diplomat opened the door of the limousine.
“Thank you!”
Wu Ming glanced at a certain place and then got into the car.
The convoy slowly drove away, while Lucius shivered all over at the place Wu Ming had glanced at, “He noticed us?”
“To be honest, I really don’t have much confidence in your plan!”
Beside Lucius, Luther was opening a briefcase and fiddling with the many strange instruments inside, “As you said, that Pope Steven is an exceptionally powerful supernatural being! And our advisory team consists merely of the dregs among the Reincarnators. The truly powerful ones wouldn’t even deign to accept our recruitment.”
“Alright, have you gathered his data yet?”
Lucius smiled confidently, “Just collecting data is a normal task for our Office of Supernatural Phenomena Handling. Even the boss can’t say much about it…”
“It’s… unbelievable…”
Luther adjusted his glasses, “How should I put it…”
He hesitated for a moment, “Based on the drawbacks mentioned in the last experiment report, I obtained some technology from the Main God Space from several Advisors, which allowed me to improve the X-Factor Detector, setting a minimum standard. According to the classification in the Main God Space, an S-class Reincarnator’s X-Factor concentration should be between 1 and 9, single-digit numbers. A B-class Reincarnator ranges from 10 to 99, two-digit numbers! And A-class is 100 and above! Do you know what this means?”
“The hierarchy among supernatural beings is strict, and the gap between each level increases geometrically.”
Lucius answered, “Don’t beat around the bush. Just tell me, how does this Pope Steven’s power compare to the levels of Reincarnators?”
“I don’t know…”
Professor Luther replied bitterly, “This latest detector’s peak is 9999! The theoretical limit for a fourth-level Reincarnator… but just now… it malfunctioned instantly. If it’s not a device failure, it means that Steven’s strength might have already transcended human limits!”
What are human limits?
Even third- and fourth-level Reincarnators would have to retreat temporarily when facing heavily armed armies, armored vehicles, and fleets stacked with artillery.
But there are different kinds of people!
In myths, the saints of true gods can make the earth flourish again, cause oceans to part at their footsteps, and command thousands of armies to kneel.
Such power is beyond the reach of earthly armies!
And at this moment, Pope Steven gave him exactly this feeling. In the Federation, there was almost nothing that could restrain him!
“That glance was definitely intentional!”
Lucius gritted his teeth, “It was a show of strength and a provocation!”
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