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Chapter 523: Protection

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Camil had never agreed with Natasha and Lucien's test for Sard. She believed that it was too hasty and best be postponed until Natasha had a bunch of loyal supporters because it might infuriate the Church. However, she barely objected to Natasha's decisions after they were made, and she tried to cover the traces after they had determined their relationship.

At this moment, her solemn and rigid face looked somewhat strange. "A secret letter was delivered from the Radiance Church, reminding you that you should know your boundaries when you appease the nobles who are in favor of the Congress of Magic, and that you should not go to the royal magic tower of Holm too often, which would disappoint the devout and loyal nobles."

"Just that?" Natasha raised her eyebrow. It was a reasonable reaction, but the problem was that it was too reasonable. There was no telling what was on Sard's mind at all.

She, too, felt that Lucien's proposal was a bit risky, but she understood that the situation could not be changed if she did not overstep the boundary. Under the threat of the Congress of Magic and the Church, all the nobles would sit on the fence first before leaning to any side. The current situation was like a pool of dead water. She could not achieve a satisfactory result without churning it first.

Keeping the strange look, Camil continued, "Also, it encourages you to instigate Lucien Evans to repent, whatever it takes. As long as Lucien Evans betrays the Congress of Magic, and joins the inquisition and becomes a leader of the night watchers, it will be the greatest contribution. The Church will give you full support."

A grand-arcanist-to-be, and a talented sorcerer regarded as the future of the Congress of Magic, seemed to be in love with a certain pious believer. Such encouragement was more a reaction that the Church would take.

"The reaction is a little weird." Natasha paced back and forth, not knowing what Sard meant exactly. Did he really believe in her devotion and think that she could seduce Lucien over, or was he just covering the incident with a random excuse?

"It's hard to guess what an old fox is thinking…" Natasha raised her left hand and touched the communication earring subconsciously, hoping to discuss with Lucien. But then she realized that Lucien should've returned to Allyn. Therefore, she hurried to stop in case the purpose of the test was exposed.

When her long, vigorous fingers accidentally touched her earlobe, Natasha suddenly recalled how Lucien cared for it. Her lips immediately curled into a smile, and her eyes became gentle, too.

Camil turned around at the window, as if she found such an expression unsuitable to look at. It was not until Natasha was back to herself a few seconds later that she continued, "There's something wrong with Sard's reaction, but it is still reasonable. I suggest you stop testing him in such a way in case you cause a fire. Sometimes, you just need to wait for changes to happen."

"Aunt Camil, I understand. The most important thing right now is to improve my strength and to control the Sword of Truth as soon as possible." Natasha said calmly, not making any radical judgment because of ecstasy.

After Camil shut the gate of the palace, Natasha stood behind the desk and picked up the quil. Taking a deep breath, she began writing: "Protection, sympathy, justice, kindness, bravery…"

The words that represented chivalry flowed from her pen, fluent and magnificent at first but dim and obscure later, as if they were interrogating her own heart, faith and path.

After a long time, the only words below Natasha's pen was 'protection' and 'bravery'. Also, the strokes became clear and emitted firmness.

In such a way, Natasha sorted through her experiences so far, her recent confusion, the dawn she saw after she made up her mind, and the ideas that Lucien imbued with her, gradually locating the source of her chivalry and her faith, which was the love for her family and subjects and the bravery against enemies and schemes.

"Perhaps, this is the Lord in my heart."

Natasha dropped the quill. Looking at the words on the paper, she had a strong sense of relief, as if the dust on her heart had been wiped off. While her confusion and hesitation in the past hadn't been completely eliminated, she believed that she could definitely walk out of the swamp as time went by.

That would be the moment when she advanced into level eight and drew the Sword of Truth.

When that day came, she would not need to activate the defense in the Nekso Palace, or cover herself with Lucien's 'Congus Ring' next to her, when she intended to test Sard's reaction.

Warming up her body, Natasha suddenly had the desire of fighting that she hadn't felt for a long time. Therefore, she grabbed 'Pale Justice', opened the gate of the palace, and went to the 'Knight's Corridor' that had been intensified specifically, eager to unleash her delight by exhausting herself.

...

Inside Duke of Frenburg's residence…

The conservatives, who have waited for a long time, also rose when Rex finally walked in. They asked, "What's the Church's attitude regarding the incident last night?"

Rex sat straight and frowned, "His Excellency Saint Sard reminded Her Majesty that she should not visit the royal magic tower of Holm too often, and that she should have boundaries when she appeases the nobles who are inclined to the Congress of Magic."

"Only a reminder?" Count Barady observed in disappointment.

Rex snapped his crimson coat. "The queen is also encouraged to allure Lucien to betray the Congress of Magic."

"Isn't it feeding a goat to a tiger?" Duke York said angrily.

In his eyes, Lucien would grow into a grand arcanist and a legendary sorcerer sooner or later, finding his way into the Highest Council. Even though Douglas would be the president for a long time due to the longevity of sorcerers, it would still be much better than betraying and joining the night watchers.

It was not the War of Dawn where sorcerers could barely keep themselves safe. The current arcana system was not esoteric for him, either. Queen Natasha would only be seduced by him if she were to seduce him. It would be best to ask them to draw the lines.

Could they only use radical methods when the queen was already enchanted?

Duke Rex shook his head. "His Excellency Saint Sard was worried that radical methods would anger the queen and make her lean towards the nobles who favor the Congress of Magic."

Duke of York was a grand knight in his thirties. Not as patient as the older men, he couldn't help but stand up and pace anxiously. "Are we going to let things run their course? The queen's tendency is apparent now. It is balanced but more inclined to the Congress of Magic. Many nobles on our side are not firm. They are used to following the crown and their lords. It is estimable that more nobles will be working with James, Russell, Henson and the rest of them. Our comparison will be reversed in a year. We have to make preparations."

Duke Rex stared at Duke York. "What preparations?"

Looking around at the five dukes, three marquises and five counts in the room, Duke York said subtly, "We will make preparations like what you did when the late king was summoned by the Lord, president."

His family was Kritonia's family. That was why he spoke to Rex so boldly.

Rex changed his face. "York, I didn't do anything. I only accepted His Majesty's request to make Holm stronger. Did you hear any rumors?"

Duke Solefen coughed and interrupted Duke York. "York, do you want to divide the country? Do you want every noble in your territory to covet it? Order is the foundation for nobles, or we would've been separated and swallowed. We will only approach doom if we are too radical."

He raised his hands to stop other nobles from interrupting and went on, "I believe that the current circumstances are tolerable. Although the queen is likely to be biased towards the Congress of Magic due to Hathaway and Lucien Evans, her other decisions obviously show that she will not abandon us. She needs balance and stability, which are what I want to see, too, instead of a ruined Holm."

"Anyone who attempts to sabotage the stability of the kingdom will be the Solefen family's enemy."

He spoke bluntly without the rhetoric of nobles, but it was based on the fact that his father was the other legendary knight of the kingdom. Other people couldn't copy him.

"This is my opinion. I'll be on my way if that's all." Clearing his black cape, Duke Solefen rose and left, followed by two dukes, two marquises and three counts.

Duke York watched Solefen leave. In the end, he snorted, "Balance and stability. It seems that he has heard 'Arcana Voice' and 'News of the World' a lot."

The phrases began to spread from those channels.

Duke Barsaton looked at Duke York weirdly. How did you know their origin if you hadn't listened to it?

Then, he coughed and said, "As far as I know, the Solefen family has established alchemical workshops with sorcerers in private, earning abundant revenue from magic lamps, magic radios and telegrams. Also, they have vast lands in the alternate dimensions. The introduction of fertilizer has increased their family wealth because of the improved yield of the lands."

He was insinuating that, while most people in the Solefen family were firm believers, they were actually happy to see the 'balance' and 'stability'.

Duke York opened his hands. "Therefore, we need to make preparations."

Duke Rex and the rest of them looked rather gloomy. After deep thought, Count Barady said, "Maybe we don't need to do anything. Somebody has always been discontented…"

...

At night, the wind started to blow on Rentato, driving away the heat of the day.

Lucien, who had transformed, walked with Alferris, who was in the appearance of a little boy, was going to the 'Salvation Church' in the east district of the city.

"You will let me enter Richard's dream later with Dream Casting." Lucien said to Alferris.

Although he was capable of the sixth-circle magic, Alferris was one of the best experts in terms of illusions and dreams below the legendary level. It would be a better option.

According to the files, Richard was a renowned cardinal in the Holm parish. He was a native of the country and grew up in the Rentato abbey. He had never been away from the place during the hundred years when he turned from an intern priest into a level-eight cardinal. Many priests and bishops in the parish were taught and raised by him. However, because he was too gentle, and his interpretation about the Cannon was different from that of the Church, he was kicked away from the central circle of the Holm parish after the public sermon. He was a target that was worth getting in touch with.

Before, Lucien planned to ask the Affair Committee to send somebody to test and persuade him, and after the guy's ideas were figured out, he would be referred to Natasha for final observation. However, the files showed that the Affair Committee had sent a lot of sorcerers and liberals to persuade him, but to no avail. The Congress of Magic was certainly not so idiotic that they never thought of getting in touch with the appeasers before Lucien proposed.

Therefore, Lucien decided to meet Richard in person and get a comprehensive understanding about his opinions. But in the future, such things should be entrusted to the trustworthy sorcerers in the Affair Committee, because the most important thing for him was still to increase his strength.

Alferris licked the ice cream that Lucien specifically made for him and asked, "No problem. You can do whatever you want in the dream."

As a crystal dragon, he hated heat.

After they reached the Salvation Church, Lucien and Alferris found a corner to hide in, and Alferris cast the spell remotely. Now was the time of evening prayer in the church. The complete defense circle was not activated yet.

...

After the prayer, Richard was going to return to his house, but he ran into a young man in a black cloak when he just went out of the church.

Narrowing his eyes, Richard smiled, his white eyebrow shivered. "A dream? Who are you? Do you want to persuade me?"

Lucien thought for a moment and said, "I would like to discuss justification by faith with you, Your Highness."

Richard was stunned.

Many sorcerers and nobles had talked with him before, but none of them had ever discussed doctrines with him.

Chapter 524: Questions

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"I heard that you said god's love towards the mundane shows no preference. No matter if he's an ordinary folk, a sorcerer, or even a vampire, as long as he follows the Cannon, as long as he behaves himself, he is regarded as a loyal believer, and he can be saved." said Lucien calmly, like he was a scholar here for a theology discussion.

Lucien did not strictly follow the theological doctrine, justification by faith alone, as the Saint Truth was still different from the religion on the Earth. If Lucien just copied everything and used them here, it would be a big joke in Richard's eyes.

Therefore, Lucien further developed the content and meaning of justification by faith alone, and gave it a more comprehensive religious context.

Hearing Lucien's question, Richard gradually realized this young man's intention. He assumed that the young man was a sorcerer or a demon here to tempt and persuade him. So he smiled and said, "So the honest have no fear, he will live in the hollow realm; the kind have no fear, he will ascend Mountain Paradise; the just have no fear, he will be blessed…"

What Richard just said came from Cannon, and he said, "If a sorcerer or a vampire, like you said, can serve the Lord with their whole heart and soul, can strictly stick to their belief, he is righteous and will be saved. The night watchers are those who have been saved. But what the rest of the sorcerers and dark creatures are doing goes exactly the opposite way."

"So Cardinal Richard, I understand you're talking about those ancient sorcerers. They killed masses. They were crazy. They are everything but righteous. They shouldn't be saved, yes. But what about the sorcerers today? Most of them obey laws. They behave themselves, control themselves. Their ways of living comply with the instruction of Cannon." Lucien smiled.

Richard knew that the young man was talking about those arcanists who were fully devoted to their experiments, so he said seriously, "They are blasphemers. They are full of lies when they are with the true followers."

"You mean studying things in the world is regarded as blasphemy?" Lucien pointed at the sky, "Is there a line in Cannon saying that the world should not be explored? Did Lord ever tell the mundane that they shall never approach his realm?"

Richard indeed recalled, and he realized that the young man was not talking nonsense. There were warnings for those false believers, the evil, the bloodthirsty, but nothing strictly prevented the exploration of the world.

Lucien was well aware of what was in Cannon and what was not as he saw Francis transcribing the doctrines multiple times, and there were also books in his spirit library for reference. When Cannon was put together, it was many years before the congress was established. At that time, Douglas was probably still a middle-rank sorcerer, and there was no such thing as world exploration.

Therefore, in the Cannon, only bloody human body experiments were strictly forbidden, but most arcanists were not from the school of Necromancy.

After several minutes of silence, Richard said, "The mundane shall stay away. The mundane shall bow. That means human beings should not approach the realm of God."

Lucien was, for a moment, a bit speechless. Those priests could always get what they want from a doctrine by reading into it from different perspectives.

Fortunately, Richard added, "Also, in the Doctrines, it says that the mundane shall never step into the forbidden area of God."

That was the exact topic that Lucien wanted. He hurriedly said, "The Doctrines? But it isn't for God, but from the popes and some priests. Is it authoritative?"

Richard slightly frowned, "The Pope is the only speaker of God on the land. His words are words from Lord."

"But the North Church don't think so." said Lucien. He was very grateful that there was the great division in the Saint Truth, or he would never have the weapon to bombard the doctrines in front of Richard, a true theology expert. Also, Lucien wasn't here for a real discussion, but to guide Richard to figure it out his own thoughts, which was the psychological guidance part in Lucien's illusion!

When it came to criticize and denounce the North Church, Richard could go on and on. These words made Lucien's head extremely heavy, but all Lucien was waiting for was one specific sentence.

"… All the lambs shall receive baptism where the shepherds pray for them. Under the shepherd's guidance and help, they can be saved. The leader of the shepherds speaks my will." said Richard. The lines which set up the statues of a pope were more than familiar to him.

light flashed through Lucien's eyes and he instantly cut off Richard, "So justification by faith alone is not possible. No matter how devoted we are, no matter how we behave ourselves according to Cannon, the salvation has to depend on the priests and the pope, right? "

That was a question that had been bothering Richard for years. This was his first time facing the question thrown at him by someone else. Richard was, for a moment, completely speechless.

"God has love for everyone, but more for shepherds, right? God has love for everyone, but is unwilling to directly connect to an individual's heart, right? When a man prays, the praying will work better in a church than in his own bedroom, right? A priest can only get divine power when the pope nods, right?" Lucien seized the chance and threw at Richard a series of questions.

Richard tried to say something, but he knew that many priests got their divine power simply when they were reading Cannon or praying, without any extra guidance, so he remained silent.

Lucien raised his voice,

"If the pope is indeed the only speaker of God, why does he keep misreading Cannon? Why has he made so many changes to the Doctrines?"

"If God does not allow human beings to explore the world, why did the pope rewrite the doctrines and rebuild divine spells according to the arcanists' findings?"

That was the very reason why Richard's thinking had been messed up in the past twenty to thirty years. He did not know what to say.

"Therefore, I think, the Church, the pope… They are in fact standing between the followers and their Lord, because of their own desires for power. No matter if an individual has divine power or not, all the mundane should be equal in front of Lord, and those who betray the Cannon, including them, will be thrown into hell for what they've done."

"Those who demand and acclaim sophisticated church rituals and those who say that the Church must be served are the fake believers. They are preventing God from loving everyone of us."

"And those who keep changing the doctrines based on their will must be demons that are hiding!"

Before Richard could say anything, Lucien kept throwing the words at him, leaving Richard no chance to dispute.

"We should make those get out of the way who keep talking about faith and belief but are in fact blaspheming God's will."

"Say farewell to those monopolists who are sucking in power and wealth from common people's pure faith!"

"Between Lord and followers, there should be no barriers made by any. There should only be faith, and the faithful demeanour!"

Richard stared at Lucien. This young man had spoken out all the things that he had been thinking to himself but dared not say, and in a more detailed, more structured, and more radical way!

Lucien stopped here. He was waiting for Richard's response.

After a long time, Richard finally put on a bitter smile and said, "The power of the priests should be regulated. Lord gave them divine power to make them protect followers, not to make them rule."

Lucien grinned.

…

When the mist cleared, Richard opened his eyes. He realized that he was still praying in front of the cross.

He sighed, "Fallen Morning Star… He deserves the title."

Outside of the church, Alferris said in surprise with its two big amber-colored eyes open wide, "That's it, Lucien? Countless have failed persuading him!"

"I did not persuade him; He persuaded himself. If there was no root, my language trap would never do him in. He's a theologian, but I'm not," said Lucien calmly, "I was just giving him an idea, and the fact that he agreed with it was the most important part."

Alferris gave Lucien's theory a very general conclusion, "Anyways, you're smart!"

"I'm just good at mental guidance and know something about theology. In other words, among those who are good at illusions, I am the one who knows theology the best; and among those theologians, I'm best at mental suggestion." Lucien grinned.

Also, he had a whole spirit library in his soul.

Lucien felt a bit more relaxed now. If everything went well with Richard, he should be able to bring him to Natasha later. However, when he was about to leave with Alferris, he sensed a dangerous power approaching.

Someone was coming.

Chapter 525: Assassination

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The sense only lasted less than a second, like it was just a false hint. But the ring, Congus Ring, that Lucien was wearing was reminding him that it wasn't just an illusion.

"Lucien…" Alferris tried to talk to Lucien, but was stopped by him. Its big amber-colored eyes looked confused.

Who is it? What was the person doing here this late at night, near the small church located in the civilian zone of the city?

But the dangerous power never came back again. So Lucien said to Alferris using secret messaging, which would only produce tiny magic waves, "Someone was nearby, at least senior-rank. Now it seems that the person has gone into the Salvation Church. We gotta wait here for a bit longer to make sure Richard's safe."

Alferris all of sudden got excited. An enemy meant a fight; fight meant victory; and victory meant trophy!

Lifting its claw, Alferris wiped off its drool.

...

Standing in front of the cross, Richard reflected on the conversation he just had with the young man. All the messy thoughts that had been bothering him had now become more organized and consistent, which helped him reform his heart full of faith.

At this moment, he felt great peace. He prayed silently, "My Lord, if you think I'm twisting Cannon, please let the divine light devour me, because I deserve it."

In the course of time, Richard started to be covered in a layer of divine light, like he was a saint that got blessed by God. He opened his eyes and looked up again at the cross, and then he said in a deep voice, "You are one, and everyone. You are the moment, and forever… I think I understand why the Church should exist. The existence of the Church should protect faith, not interrupt it. Everyone is entitled to get enlightenment from Cannon, as long as they are devoted."

Richard had never felt more relieved than right now. His heart was full of joy and faith, thudding a bit faster in excitement. He even felt that now he was able to reach level nine although the progress had been rather sluggish for the past decades.

"It's all your blessing. Only truth lives forever." Richard crossed his chest.

In Lucien's eyes, Richard would have already stepped in level nine for a long time if it had not been because of his own confusion and struggling. His true faith and the deep understanding in theology would even bring him to the next level – a saint cardinal, legendary level.

Richard stood up. After all of the priests had left the hall, he headed for the garden. Breathing in the fresh air mixing with the flower aroma, he carefully thought about the reform that he was going to propose and felt truly blessed by his Lord.

No matter how difficult the reform would be, no matter who was going to step out and stop him, Richard was determined to carry it out.

At this time, he sensed someone walking to him.

It was someone with a red robe, wearing a biretta.

"Octave?" Richard recognized him.

Octave once listened to him preaching in Rentato, and he was the previous red robe in charge of the Holm Inquisition.

Octave was a serious-looking, middle-aged man, whose black brows were thick and light blue eyes sharp. He smiled and said, "You must have heard what's been going on recently. I'm a bit confused, so I wonder if I can talk to you."

"You have resentment in heart, so you are closing your eyes?" asked Richard using the lines in Cannon.

The look on his face and his voice was calm and soothing.

Octave crossed before he answered, "Yes, I'm afraid resentment will take charge of me and eventually make me forget my true intention – to serve the Lord. But sir Richard, should we just let the evil free and keep telling ourselves to hold ourselves back because of all the reasons? Isn't this betrayal to Lord's message?"

Then Octave cited the Cannon, "… because of faith, he showed no fear facing demons and flame. He threw himself into the crowd of the most dangerous enemies, and there was no retreat…"

He asked himself the question, and also the Church.

Richard shook his head, "What is evil? Why was the killed nobleman evil?"

"He listened to Arcana Voice; He worked with those sorcerers to make money." Octave raised his voice.

Richard pointed at the Cannon in his hand, "Lord only told us not to be greedy, not to lie, not to indulge, not to disregard lives. Which one did he fail?"

"He lied." answered Octave.

Richard smiled, "Those who lie will not ascend to Mountain Paradise, but linger on the land and be punished by lightning and flame. The Cannon never says that those who lie deserve death punishment."

"He worked with a sorcerer! He listened to Arcana Voice!" Octave did not know what else to say.

Richard said peacefully, "As long as the sorcerer is not evil judged by the Cannon. There's no such thing in the Cannon saying that he was not allowed to work with a sorcerer."

"How can a sorcerer not be evil? The Doctrines says…" Octave cited the lines.

Richard just smiled, until Octave's voice gradually lowered his voice.

"Since you're willing to follow the Doctrines, I'd assume that you respect the Church's decision. Why are you angry?"

Octave's face lit up with this new perspective, "I see. I'm not against the Church, not the Doctrines, but the pope and the leading priests who stand high above in divinity but keep misinterpreting the Lord's words. They have strayed away, thus they're no longer capable of delivering the correct messages! Sir Richard, I know that you've been against the revision of the Doctrines. Please step out and awaken the rest of them! We have to propose to resume the original Doctrines."

"What if the pope says 'no'?" asked Richard. He had just been through lobbying, and therefore he immediately noticed the indication in Octave's words.

"If he says no, then we will choose a new one! I believe that many grand cardinals share the same opinion!" said Octave excitedly, "In my mind, sir, you're an ideal candidate!"

"This Isn't what we want. The correct way to do it is to let every devoted follower to interpret the Cannon. That's justification by faith!" Richard shook his head.

Octave was a bit surprised. He did not expect that Richard's belief was even more radical than his.

Ocatave kept trying to persuade Richard, but Richard would not listen. Richard had made up his mind to stick to his reform.

In the end, Octave said in frustration, "Then I should leave you alone now, sir. I hope that one day you'll agree with us, and we always expect you to be one of us."

Us? Richard slightly frowned, but he did not ask.

After Octave had left, Richard went back to improve his reform proposal.

Meanwhile, at the end of the corridor, Octave suddenly stopped walking. There was a creepy smile on his face, and in his hand, there was a brown scroll which contained formidable power.

It was always much easier to use a dead person because his mouth was forever shut.

A Richard who got killed by a sorcerer was more of a trigger than a Richard who was alive!

The moment after Octave tore the scroll, the formidable power rushed out. Instantly, the grey color climbed onto Richard's body and infected the entire space within a certain radius.

Everything in the area had stopped moving under the power of the ninth circle spell, Time Stop.

Then Octave tore open another black scroll. The surging magic power targeted directly at Richard and removed all the defensive divine spells that Richard had, and the power could also by chance damage the items that Richard was wearing.

The ninth circle spell, Cracking (Advanced)!

However, when Octave took out the last scroll, Orb of Ultimate Destruction, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

The figure pointed at him, and then all of the divine items he was wearing instantly broke into pieces, including the red robe, and part of his body!

Octave was totally unprepared. He had lost the ability to take any actions either physically or mentally.

With New Alchemy, Lucien's spell, Elemental Order, had now had even stronger power, close to the ninth circle.

Although the divine circles had covered most of the magic waves from the spell, since Lucien was so close to it, he still sensed it and was now here to save Richard's life. To avoid being noticed by the legendaries in Rentato, Lucien did not choose to use Congus Ring.

In Lucien's eyes, what Octave just did was such a waste. Senior-rank scrolls were even more scarce than senior-rank items, since they could only be used once and the materials were rather difficult to find.

In other words, basically, Octave was trying to kill Richard using a great sum of money.

Lucien pointed at Octave again. He was going to lower Octave's magic resistance and then take him back using Petrification for further questioning.

At this time, someone suddenly jumped out from the darkness and his sword directly hacked at Lucien's neck!

Octave was not alone. There was another radiant knight, possessing the bloodline of Elimination!

He knew Lucien, and Lucien knew him, too. The radiant knight was the previous night watch leader from Aalto Inquisition, Lend!

Now Lend was already a level six radiant knight, and somehow he recognized Lucien. Driven by the exhilaration and anger, Lend could not hold himself back anymore.

Because of his bloodline, Elimination, Lucien defensive spells would be removed!

The edge of the sword cut in Lucien's body, but the body turned into foam. With a creepy smile, Lucien disappeared gradually.

Illusion! Lend's heart sank. He hurriedly wielded his sword for defence.

However, at this time, a giant creature showed up behind him. It's big, amber-colored eyes looked at Lend attentively. And then its mouth opened, and the freezing and numbing dragon breath came out.

Under the great pressure from the most powerful creature, Lend's mind blanked for a moment.

Meanwhile, Lucien appeared again beside Octave. And he directly jumped onto the level eight red robe.

Octave realized that Lucien had cast Baler's Transformation. He scoffed in his mind – A sorcerer turning himself into a radiant knight, how stupid was that?

So he laid a divine defensive circle in front of him against Lucien's attack. As long as he could get out of the place later, he could report to the Church that Richard was in collusion with the Fallen Angel!

However, to Octave's great surprise, Lucien's left hand had directly broken through the divine circle. The fist was covered with a layer of moonlight, and a mix of colors black, white and grey.

Octave wondered what it was.

He wondered if he was just in a dream.

Lucien's left fist went right into the side of Octave's face. Instantly, blood burst out and his teeth fell out.

Octave passed out.

Lucien controlled his power, or he would have punched Octave's brain out

Chapter 526: The Great Prophet

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Like a shattered kite in the air, Octave's body was fiercely punched backward by Lucien. Blood spurted out of his mouth, and he had totally lost his consciousness.

Suddenly, the look on his face distorted, and from his body, beams of light burst out. The light was shaped into four pairs of white wings behind his back.

Octave's light blue eyes slowly opened, but now they had become colorless. Looking down upon Lucien, the eyes were sheer cold.

"Angels on the Ground?" Lucien murmured.

Octave heard Lucien's exclamation and said triumphantly, "We're the righteous blessed by God, apostles who take Lord's true will. Of course, we have the power of angels. And you, you filthy Fallen Morning Star, should be cleansed by us!"

Octave said his words quickly. The lines came from the Cannon, and the language was from heaven.

However, Octave's mind was rather clear under the angel's power, and he knew that the power would not last long. Also, if the fight between them went on, the Radiance Church, Holm Royal Magic Tower, Nekso Palace could notice the chaos here at any time. Therefore, he flapped his wings, from where scattered light came out. The light spots then joined together, turning into a magnificent lightwave that rushed at Lucien with significant momentum.

Lucien, who was now with radiant knight power, was caught up in fighting against the light wave. Even the power in his left hand could not help him get out of trouble. Seeing that, Octave scoffed, and then, without hesitation, he reached Lend after a flash and grabbed him. Lend was already out of consciousness because of the crystal dragon's breath. Octave's four pairs of wings blocked the dragon's claws, and then Octave forced his way out of Salvation Church.

The wings closed, the light disappeared. Octave took Lend with him and both of them vanished into the darkness.

He knew that Lucien and his pet couldn't be chasing after them. Given that he was one of the biggest enemies to Sard, Stone, and the leading night watchers, Lucien had to leave the site as quickly as he could.

Octave cast a series of divine spells to remove the trace he left, and after Lend recovered, he made it twice as secure by asking Lend to use his blood power, Elimination, to cover their whereabouts. Then he finally headed for his real destination.

The night had quieted down because the fight stopped just in time. Those who possessed formidable power in the city were left in peace.

"I didn't expect him… Lucien Evans…" said Lend word by word in extremely bitter hatred. He hated himself for not being powerful enough to kill this cunning demon himself.

Octave sneered, "It was a sneak attack, or we wouldn't have been so passive. But his left hand is weird. The power in it is like your blood power, but even better in nature. It felt… It felt like his power had a much higher rank."

"Higher rank? Was Lucien Evans once the archangel, Fallen Morning Star, God's Left Wing?" said Lend out of astonishment. Although Lucien's titles were familiar to many night watchers, they never believed that it was true. They believed that it was the Pope's explanation to eliminate the negative influence.

Octave was afraid of the power in that left hand. He remained silent, as he didn't know the answer either.

In silence, they kept moving ahead. After a while, Octave said in a low voice, "We can ask the great prophet. He's the Angel King who carries the true will of the Lord. His mission is to defeat the corrupt pope, so he should know Lucien's secrets. In the future, we'll be able to be more prepared."

Lend slightly nodded, "We'll also have to confess to the great prophet since we failed our mission. Richard hasn't been on our side yet, and we also failed to kill him and cast the blame on a sorcerer. By the way, Cardinal Octave, I don't remember you being this talkative. You know, you didn't have to say that out loud…"

Octave did not have to say it – the part that mentioned killing the pope. Octave and Lend both knew about it since they were the core members of the secret group.

Octave touched his face. Although all the wounds had healed, he still remembered the unbearable pain he just went through. He said in a bitter emotion, "I got punched on my head. Yes, I talked too much. I feel that I'm still not able to fully control my body and my mind."

Lend nodded as he understood. Without saying anything further, he and Octave arrived at a small, shabby church.

Although the place looked shabby, the inside decoration was stunning. Its exquisiteness and luxury was a sharp contrast to its outside appearance.

Octave and Lend were very used to it. They quickly walked through the praying hall, heading for the confession room.

"You two are back." said a young man with sharp facial features who was walking towards them. He was in his early thirties, but was already wearing the red robe.

Octave slightly nodded, "Arthur, we failed."

The young man was the most promising red robe valued by the great prophet, and also the most talented priest in Holm Parish in the past fifty years. Before thirty-five, he had already become a level nine red robe. The man named Arthur was regarded as one of the most competitive candidates for the saint cardinal position. However, due to his radicalism, he was always excluded from the central power of Holm Parish.

Arthur's eyes slightly squinted considering that he wasn't expecting this answer, "Failed? With three level nine scrolls?"

"We were close, but then we ran into Lucien Evans. I believe that he was there to persuade Richard." said Octave. He did not mention anything about Lucien's left hand to Arthur, as he thought to himself that this should be a secret only accessible to the great prophet.

"He was hiding, so we were not prepared. He even had a dragon! We managed to run away using Angels on the Ground." Octave added.

Arthur's brown eyes lit up for a moment. He then thought to himself and said, "This is our chance. We will keep it a secret for now. Not telling anyone else that Lucien Evans is contacting Richard might be of benefit to our future plans. If we have no solid evidence, because of Richard's prestige, we'd probably be in trouble."

Lend said calmly, "I know what you mean, Arthur, but the decision should be left to the great prophet."

Arthur did not say anything but directly left for the abbey in Rentato.

Octave and Lend continued to walk along the corridor and then they were surprised to find that they had run into seven to eight red robes on their way, which meant that most of the senior-ranks in the secret groups were all here today, and they were all extreme radicals, consisting one fourth of the entire Holm Parish.

"What's going on here?" Octave asked Lend.

Lend had no idea, although he joined the group prior than Octave, "Maybe there's some emergency. We'll know very soon."

They knocked on the door of the confession room. The gentle but clear voice came, "Octave and Lend? Come on in."

Pushing open the door, Octave and Lend walked in. They bowed to the great prophet who had just finished his confession.

Space was limited here. The candle in the room was not capable of lighting up the entire room. Shadows stretching on the ground, the place seemed a bit intimidating.

The great prophet was standing in the darkness, his face was hidden, but his deep eyes had the power to attract anyone's attention, as if they could suck in one's soul.

Octave saw that there was a book in the great prophet's hand, but he could not see the name of the book clearly.

"You failed?" The prophet asked calmly and gently.

"Yes." Octave and Lend lowered their heads deep, and they recounted what happened in detail.

"This isn't your fault. I made a mistake. I did not ask for God's implication before sending you two there." said the prophet sorrowfully, as if it was him who failed the mission.

"But, it has proved the fact that we're on the correct path. If we take actions too late, the priests will fall into the vicious sorcerers' traps one by one! The pope and some of the grand cardinals are in fact helping the evilness!" the great prophet raised his voice.

"You're the great prophet; you lead us to confront the evilness," both Octave and Lend crossed, "only truth lives forever!"

"What do you two think of the Grand Cardinal Sard? Do you think he might join us?" asked the great prophet.

Octave and Lend both looked up at the great prophet in confusion. Why would the prophet be asking this question?

At this time, finally, Octave was able to see the name of the book:

The Interpretation of Dreams.

"The great prophet, why are you reading this strange book?" Octave could not help asking.

At this time, the great prophet's face started twisting and divine light burst out from his body. The white, light wings stretched out and filled the entire space. Behind the wings there was the bright sky. Suddenly they were up in the air, not in the confession room anymore!

The dignity and divinity made them have the urge to kneel down.

"Six-wing Seraphim… No, wait, this isn't right…"

Octave stared at the gorgeous-looking angel standing in front of him in astonishment, but somehow the face was quite familiar to him, as if he had just seen it.

Then the beautiful face put on a creepy smile. The answer struck Octave,

"Lucien Evans!"

The surroundings had all disappeared. Octave opened his eyes. Richard, the crystal dragon, and Lucien Evans were staring at him.

What was it? Was it a dream?

Seeing Octave panicking, Lucien grinned,

"The ones you saw in your dream came from your consciousness. I've got a rough idea about who the members are."

"The place looked shabby, but inside it was luxurious and grand enough to be compared to the Bright Hall, which indicates that in your belief, you're doing something righteous, even though it requires you to hide in the darkness and your hands will be covered in blood. You look upon heaven, however, you're in hell…"

"You couldn't see the face of the great prophet. This means that when you talked to him, the great prophet hid his face…"

"The confession room was narrow, dark, and intimidating. This shows that when you first came to the great prophet, you were in the darkest period of your life. Assumably, that confession room was the very one that you were in…"

"At the end, there were light wings. He once showed his great power in front of you, and that was perhaps where you got your power from, Angels on the Ground…"

Lucien's tone was dull, but Octave's face was getting pale.

In Octave's eyes, Lucien was blocking part of the light from the window of the Salvation Church, making it look as if he actually had the six pairs of light wings.

Chapter 527: "Angel King"

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Octave opened his mouth and was about to speak, when gentle, holy light suddenly illuminated inside his body, swallowing both his body and his soul.

After the light disappeared in spots, all the traces that suggested Octave's previous existence were gone, just like what had happened to Lend, captain of the night watchers.

"What is this?" Richard frowned, unable to stop Octave's death.

His hands inside the pockets of his long cloak, Lucien said gravely, "For them, 'Angels on the Ground' is not just a 'grace' that can increase their strength for a short while, but also an incurable 'poison' at critical moments. It should be a precaution in case they are captured and confess their secrets."

After knocking out Octave in one punch, Lucien did not feel anything yet, but the battle where Alferris teased with Lend on the other hand had great changes. Suddenly receiving the enhancement from 'Angels on the Ground', Lend had the overwhelming advantage. If Lucien hadn't finished his battle so quickly and offered help in time, Lend would've probably escaped. Even though the man failed to do so, Lucien could only watch him be swallowed by the power of angels without being able to do anything.

It was for that reason that Lucien did not try to move or wake up Octave, so that the guy could be brought back to Allyn for interrogation, but obtained his intelligence directly via Dream Casting while the power of angels was suppressed by the Silver Moon and the mysterious existence of the World of Souls. Otherwise, Lucien would have preferred to ask for the help of Atlant, the Eye of Curse, or Stanis, the King of Nightmares.

Richard found it unacceptable and shook his head. "How could the Lord's envoys do such things to the Lord's servant?"

It was almost the same as what demons and devils did to their worshipers. Also, since even he, a level-eight cardinal, was unable to do anything about, it was obvious that the enemy was no ordinary angel. The pure holy light just now convinced him of the source of the power.

"Angels are just God's messengers, but they do not necessarily represent God. The pope that Octave described as corrupt is still able to use God's Arrival. Perhaps, this is a test of the God of Truth." Taking advantage of Richard's bewilderment, Lucien directed him to what he wanted the man to think about.

Richard looked at the ground where Octave disappeared with the typical blue eyes of Holm and mumbled, "Was that 'prophet' really 'Angel King'? Could he really accomplish the religious reform through the pope and the Grand Cardinals?"

"At least based on Octave's subconsciousness, he was convinced that the Angel King had arrived through certain things." Lucien was more or less confused about that. When he first heard 'great prophet' from Octave in the dream, he thought that the Lord of Hell, his old friend, had come again, and was certain of God's relationship with Sard. However, Octave's unsuspicious attitude towards the prophet made Lucien doubt himself, because the Lord of Hell could not steal the power of the God of Truth on his own but had to count on the senior-rank believers.

Therefore, the Angel King, who was only second to the God of Truth in Mountain Paradise and had arrived for real, while not as strong as the Lord of Hell, couldn't have been deceived by the Lord of Hell directly.

Perhaps, the great prophet was just a puppet that the Lord of Hell introduced, and there were other masterminds such as Sard?

While thinking about those things, Lucien went on, "Also, Bishop Richard, you have announced that the right to the interpretation of Cannon should be returned to the devout believers. Then, why do you have to rely on the pope and the Grand Cardinals to perform a top-down reform? You should encourage your believers, count on your believers, and use their overwhelming strength to crush the obstacles that stand in the way of faith. Perhaps, that is the purpose of the God of Truth's test, and the reason why he did not stop the schism of the Church."

Richard turned around and looked at Lucien, stunned. He had never considered why the two parts of the Church both had divine powers after their separation from that point of view. Thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "The pope and the the Grand Cardinals are in possession of the extraordinary powers that the Lord grants. The reform will be pointless if I count on the weak believers alone, unless the Lord recalls the divine powers and grants every believer enough strength."

"Bishop Richard, you definition of believer is too narrow. Are nobles believers? Are radiant knights, gold knights and legendary knights believers? As long as your reform meets their wish to communicate with the Lord directly, so that you can make them join your cause, plus part of the conscious members among the Grand Cardinals, it will be possible to experiment on your reform on a small scale." Lucien did not elaborate on it but offered a simple tip. "By then, you will be the unique saint in the history of the Church. Chances are that you will be favored by the God of Truth and become his real spokesperson on earth."

Lucien did not have any god-related faith and naturally could not understand a pious bishop like Richard. Therefore, he habitually allured the man with power, fame and a position on Mountain Paradise after death. In Lucien's eyes, it was hard to push forward Richard's reform without the boost of interests.

Hearing what Lucien said, Richard's eyes suddenly shined. "Yes. I have to count on and activate the believers. They are the foundation of Mountain Paradise and the targets of the Lord's grace!"

Lucien couldn't help but wipe his cold sweat. As a non-professional who was mixed up with too many things, he found it impossible to imagine what the guiding principle and roadmap that Richard came up with in the end for his religious reform would be like.

They did not waste any more time. Fearing that the death of Octave and Lend would raise the wariness of the great prophet, Lucien and Alferris asked Richard to turn on the divine power circle and left the Salvation Church.

Alferris walked next to Lucien, grieved, with the translucent, amber eyes filled with sorrow. It repeated nonstop, "My trophies, my trophies…"

Lend was swallowed by the holy light without leaving anything, and most of the valuable items on Octave were destroyed by Lucien's Elemental Order. Therefore, Alferris caught no treasure at all.

Lucien patted it in a smile. "I'll keep the scroll of 'Orb of Ultimate Destruction'. The rest of Octave's items will be yours."

Alferris immediately turned around and lunged at Lucien. Extending the tongue, it licked his hands enthusiastically, "Boss, sign me up for another hundred years!"

Where else could it find such a rich, generous and prize-winning partner?

Alferris almost wanted to lock Lucien in its house and urge him to write papers every day!

Lucien was amused by the shameless crystal dragon. Tossing the last few items to him, he hurried to retreat his hand.

Alferris opened the storage bag that Lucien kept the items in temporarily. Its eyes glittering, it poured the treasures into its palm and licked them one after another, as if it were leaving its unique mark on them.

After licking, Alferris counted the treasures with great passion while he asked obsequiously, "Lucien, I didn't know that you had such a profound understanding about dreams."

"It's part of my research, but most of the things I said were far-fetched." Replied Lucien unconcernedly.

Alferris looked at Lucien, finding it strange. "Are you not scared that you reached a wrong conclusion?"

"The few key points are alright. Octave's impression on them was too deep. His reactions could've been analyzed in the dream without any tricks. As for the rest, it doesn't matter whether or not I was right. Does his mental faculty have anything to do with me? Am I responsible for his psychological health?" Said Lucien with a smile.

Alferris did not pursue the question any longer. Counting the lovely treasures, it said angrily, "Lucien, it was outrageous of them to say that I was your pet. We are obviously partners!"

"Yes, partners." Replied Lucien casually.

Thinking for a moment, Alferris asked curiously, "Are pets more important for sorcerers? I can tell that most sorcerers have pets."

It only studied the theories that it was interested in. Pets, which might share its treasures, did not interest it at all.

"Sort of. Pets are the extension of a sorcerer's body. They are the eyes and ears of a sorcerer…" Lucien generally introduced the functions of a pet.

Alferris fell silent as he talked. Lucien looked at it in confusion, only to discover that it was eyeing himself with glowing eyes.

Alferris suddenly lunged at Lucien and licked his left hand intimately: "Boss, recruit me as your pet!"

...

After getting rid of Alferris with a lot of trouble, Lucien returned to his magic tower and turned on the communication with Natasha.

"… After Richard sorts through his ideas, I will summon him and talk to him. If his ideas are in the interest of us and the nobles, I'll propose to Sard that he be appointed as the archbishop of the royal family." Natasha was in a good mood after hearing Lucien's voice, but she did not reach a decision recklessly.

After their test on Sard's reaction, almost everybody knew that she was still a 'friend' to Lucien. Therefore, Natasha was not afraid of communicating with Allyn anymore, as long as the frequency was not high.

Lucien was thrilled about it. A while back, he still needed to go to the royal magic tower of Holm cautiously, but the reality had changed much faster than he planned.

"Archbishop of the royal family?" Lucien did not quite understand what the job was about.

Natasha explained with a smile, "The archbishop is responsible for the religious problems within the royal family. The castles of the royal family and the private churches within the manors are under his authority, too. However, my grandfather had been in poor health for the longest time and relied on the treatment of the saint cardinal. Therefore, the Grand Cardinal of the parish was also the archbishop of the royal family. But as a matter of fact, the two posts are independent, and I have a say on the candidate of archbishop."

Lucien immediately realized that it should be a post that the Church set up to control the royal family before the Congress of Magic could compete with the Church, but it was something that Natasha could make use of now.

"Natasha, do you have any systematic ideas about the future of Holm? The Congress and I can only cooperate with you if you have a vision." Lucien asked gently.

Natasha chuckled. "I think we should discuss the question face to face. Lucien, I thought of you every time I saw the moonlight over the past few days."

She expressed her feelings boldly and straightforwardly.

While feeling happy and sweet, Lucien was more or less rendered speechless. Shouldn't he be the one doing the sweet talking?

Chapter 528: Manifestation of Influences

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Sensing Lucien's silence, Natasha asked rather confusedly, "You don't like me being so straightforward?"

"No, I love your spontaneity and your aggressiveness. You wouldn't be the Natasha that I love if you cringe shyly." Lucien expressed his feelings, too. "However, I feel that what your said was too 'tough', and it was more suitable for a man to say."

That was because the original quote left a deep impression on Lucien.

Natasha snorted and grimaced, "In fact, when I said that, I had imagined a scene in my mind, where I played Moonlight, building a peaceful, slightly sorrowful atmosphere, before I left the piano, walked to your front, fell on one of my knees, grabbed your hand, kissed the back of your hand, looked at you in your eyes, and confessed my love to you emotionally. Haha."

Lucien was amused. Had Natasha duplicated the romantic confession of love that she planned for Sylvia to him?

After laughing for a while, Natasha said delightedly, "I was just kidding. I know that you don't like it. But to be honest, it's quite strange. I used to be a knight who was so good at romance, but why are the topics always diverted to strange courses, ruining the atmosphere, whenever I want to talk sweetly to you?"

"You are good at romance and sweet talk? As I recall, I was the one who taught you that confession." with a smile, Lucien teased Natasha.

Natasha raised her voice and argued solemnly, "That's only one of them. I'm adept at sweet talking. It was exactly based on romance and sweet talks that I won Sylvia! Right, that is not my point. My point is, why does the romantic and sweet atmosphere between us always change weirdly?"

As time went by, she seemed to have forgotten the trauma of the past and could talk about Sylvia in a regular way.

"In fact, I like the atmosphere. I feel that it is relieving, joyful and warm to be with you, and I don't need to worry about the change of feelings if we continue on like this." Lucien thought for a moment and expressed his feelings frankly, too. However, Lucien felt that his face was flushing when he talked in such a way, and he was certain that Natasha was not.

Natasha chuckled and said emotionally, "Me too. It makes me feel very happy and comfortable, as if we had started since a long time ago and we will continue to the end of our life. When I was with Sylvia before, I was always worried that she might abandon me and choose you. But now that I'm with you, my heart is very peaceful, because I know that you will always be here by my side. It is not about gender or external pressure. Even if you were a girl, I believe that you still wouldn't give up."

"Lucien, although I had romantic experiences, I have never been intimate with a gentleman before. If I do anything wrong or overstep your boundaries, please do tell me so that I'll pay more attention in future. Problems occurred between me and Sylvia exactly because we were not candid enough to each other, and we did not communicate often. I want to protect our love."

Lucien smiled. He was somewhat excited but managed to control his voice and make it gentle, "Natasha, me too. I don't have much love experience. If I do anything terrible or clumsy, please don't despise me and just tell me straightforwardly."

"It is your clumsiness that I like!" Natasha's voice became hoarse, enchanting Lucien's ears. "I am looking forward to my birthday when I realized that we will celebrate it together."

"What gift do you want?" Asked Lucien half-jokingly. It could only be a surprise if he was the one who prepared the gift.

Natasha lowered her voice and chuckled, "You should know what gift I love most."

Lucien was immediately lost for words.

However, Natasha followed with a smile, "I was just kidding. I know it's your boundaries. You never encouraged me to abandon my family and responsibility and elope with you, and I will respect your thoughts, too. I will only imagine it in my heart until the day you are willing to do it yourself. For me, the best birthday gift is that you accompany me to pass the dawn."

"However, there's still more than one month to go before my birthday. There should be chances for us to meet in between. Lucien, I miss your temperature, your smile, your different looks, and… and your 'flavor'."

Lucien had thought that Natasha would be shy in the end, but out of his expectations, she spoke it out so openly. Therefore, to defend a man's dignity, he followed, "I miss you, too. I miss your everything."

"Really?" Natasha said in a slightly hoarse voice, "By then, I will wear your favorite dress and silk stockings. Do you want black or any other colors?"

Her voice was so captivating that Lucien's body became hot. He was about to reply, when Natasha cut off the electromagnetism messaging with an evil laugh. It was quite a bummer for Lucien.

Pacing back and forth in his library, Lucien thought to himself, "Last time, it was Natasha who pushed me over. Next time, I have to be more active and push her over, or I wouldn't deserve to be called a man."

"Huh, what should I do? What distance should I keep so that I can push her over without being pushed over by her?"

"After we enter the room, if she is in the front, I'll hug her from behind and kiss her earlobe, which will weaken her strength…"

"If we walk into the room next to each other, I'll distract her attention with other topics. Right, I can confess my love boldly so that she will be overwhelmed by surprise…

"Or maybe, I can trigger the softness in her heart with a romantic atmosphere, so that she will be pushed over by me willingly?

"But what if she is as straightforward as yesterday?"

Without him knowing it, Lucien began his 'meticulous' 'Natasha Push-over Plan'.

...

While the two of them who were in hot love tried to control the frequency of their communication, they had been talking every other day. Very soon, it was already the Month of Fire (July).

Cleaning his clothes, Lucien spoke to Leo, his butler, "You will audit the accounts of the few companies with a few assistants who are good at numbers. I've already talked to Arthur."

Although he was not in charge of specific affairs, Lucien maintained his interests in the Allyn Telephone and Telegram Company, the Mineral and Harvest Company and the Gift from Elements Company by seasonally auditing them. While those people couldn't have the courage to embezzle his revenues, it would be good for both himself and them if he was more strict.

"Yes, my lord." Replied Leo respectfully.

After seeking his revenge and settling his life, he had a plan of reestablishing a family and was now dating a middle-aged lady who studied magic.

After he left the magic tower, Lucien went to the Atom Institution, intending to continue the analysis on 'Magic Order', the eighth-circle magic, after a brief visit, so that his magic strength could be adapted to his cognitive world sooner.

Hardly had he entered his office when Lucien saw Annick, Sprint, Katrina and other students waiting for him, each holding one copy of Arcana.

"Katrina, Layria, has your paper on superconductivity been published?" Lucien thought that it was the reason for their excitement. After all, they had never published any paper on Arcana before.

Katrina said with a delightful smile, "Yes, it has, master. It's on the third page of Arcana of this issue."

"Also, many sorcerers of electromagnetics wrote letters to us. Some even visited us in person." Layria was also very happy. She was flattered by such treatment.

Lucien checked the arcana badge of the two girls. Realizing that they had been successfully upgraded to level four, he nodded his head in approval, "You will have to continue on the work. Right, is there anything else?"

Sprint, the most impatient of all, opened Arcana and said, "Master, take a look at the paper on page one. His Excellency Oliver has proposed a solution to the problems in Mr. President's light speed experiment. He has offered a transformation formula on the length reduction of materials in the motion against Ether."

"A solution?" It was not until then that Lucien realized that they were excited about Oliver's paper. Therefore, he took over the journal and browsed through it, checking if it was in accordance with their previous discussion.

His students looked at Lucien expectantly and solemnly, hoping that he could point out the problems of the paper. They were frustrated, however, because Lucien closed the journal calmly after skimming through the article.

"Master?" Heidi couldn't help but ask.

Lucien raised his eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Do you have any… thoughts?" After a brief hesitation, Heidi asked straightly.

Shaking the journal in his hands, Lucien asked back, "What thoughts do I need?"

After a brief silence, Sprint said anxiously, "Master, this is an explanation on Mr. President's light speed experiment with Ether! It's a strike on the particle theory! Now, all the sorcerers in Allyn who support the particle theory are waiting for the opinions of Mr. President, His Excellency the Lord of Storm, Her Excellency Hathaway and you."

After he broke the silence, other people immediately chimed in.

"The supporters of the wave theory are cocky again. They've found a new weapon!" Said Heidi in dissatisfaction.

"Master, did you find any flaws in this paper?" Annick asked cautiously.

"I feel something is wrong with the paper, but I can't tell what it is." Chelly rubbed her hair.

"It seems to be only an assumption…" Katrina and Layria said simultaneously.

Because their teacher had proposed the light quantum hypothesis, and they belonged to the elemental school, they were all supporters of the particle theory.

But after they wrangled for a long time, Sprint and his lot discovered that Lucien was as tranquil as before, as if the paper they read was just an illusion.

Heidi asked in confusion, "Master, are you not mad? Do you not want to refute them?"

"Why would I be angry?" Pointing at the journal, Lucien smiled, "I just checked it. His Excellency Oliver has only proposed a theoretical explanation that is still an assumption. It only suggests that things can be like this but cannot explain why things are like this. Also, it hasn't been proved by any experiment or phenomenon yet. Why should I be angry?"

Heidi patted her chest in relief and said, "That explains a lot. I thought you betrayed the particle theory, master."

The other students looked more or less the same.

Lucien looked at them and said solemnly, "When did I say that I support the particle theory?"

Huh? Heidi, Sprint, Chelly, Katrina's jaws almost hit the ground. Even Annick and Layria, who were usually calm, were stunned, too. Weren't you the one who came up with the light quantum hypothesis?

"Until the interference and diffraction can be explained from the perspective of particles, my opinion on the particle theory and the wave theory is the same. They are both flawed and cannot explain the nature of light." Lucien took the opportunity to inculcate his ideas into his students.

Dazed, the few young men did not know what to say.

At this moment, Lucien's monocle became hot. Somebody was reaching out to him.

"Lucien?" a loud voice echoed. "Have you read today's 'Arcana'? What's your take?"

After hearing that, Lucien suddenly smiled. No matter how many prizes he won and how many revolutionary theories he came up with in the past, he was never considered a real authority compared with the renowned specialists such as Raventi or Gaston, but only a genius who had earned something through inspiration. Therefore, when there was any problem that they wanted to discuss, they would never talk to him first. However, after the 'new alchemy' was submitted and he had a complete system that belonged to himself, everything had changed subtly.

One's influences in most cases were best manifested in other people's subconscious reaction.

Chapter 529: Busy Lucien

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lucien respected the honorable archmages who were dedicated to arcana studies like Raventi. He smiled and said, "I just got this issue of Arcana and haven't read it yet. However, if that is the paper you would like to discuss with me, it shouldn't be a problem, as I communicated with His Excellency Oliver in my teacher's place a few days ago."

"You discussed with him?" Raventi was slightly surprised. Oliver and Lucien were not associated in his impression, and Lucien should be the last person that Oliver turned to. However, Raventi soon found a reason. The Hand of Annihilation must've been over to discuss with the Lord of Storm, and Lucien happened to be there at the same time. Therefore, he was invited to join the discussion.

After thinking it through, he asked impatiently, "Do you think that the length of materials will be reduced when they move against 'Ether'? Is it necessary to explain His Excellency Douglas' experiment from the perspective of 'Ether'?"

Raventi was one of the Elementalists who was relatively open-minded but had his own persistence. He could accept that atoms could be subdivided, but he could not imagine that materials could be reduced in length during movement on their own without the integration of spiritual power.

"First of all, this is just an assumption, exactly like the assumptions that many supporters of the wave theory came up with before. It shouldn't be treated with bias because it is proposed by a grand arcanist." Lucien repeated what he said to his students earlier. Then he said, "Also, I don't think it's the reduction of the materials. If the reduction is real, I think it is more likely to be the reduction of space…"

Heidi and Annick both realized why their teacher was so calm after hearing the conversation between Lucien and Raventi. It was only because he had read it in advance.

"How cunning of you!" Heidi secretly complained in her heart. Then, the same thought came to Katrina and the rest of them, they listened to the discussion between their teacher and Raventi attentively, referring to the journal in their hands now and then.

After a long time, Raventi finally cut off the communication in great satisfaction. Lucien raised his eyes, only to see six pairs of eager eyes. They seemed rather relaxed, as if their previous anxiety had been cleared after he expressed his opinion.

"Master, I'm still confused about this." Katrina hurried to ask. Their master was on their side after all!

After Lucien explained their questions, Annick frowned and asked in confusion, "Master, you mentioned earlier that you are inclined to neither the particle theory nor the wave theory? Then what is light exactly?"

When he mentioned it, Heidi and the other students recalled the topic that astounded them a moment ago. They all looked at Lucien with confusion and worry.

Thinking for a moment, Lucien retained his serious attitude and said, "If you drop your preconceptions about the wave theory and the particle theory, and if you consider really based on the experiment phenomena and results, you will discover that light shows both the features of particles, as suggested by the photoelectric effect and the Brook scattering experiment, and the features of waves, as suggested by the double-slit experiment, the diffraction experiment and the Brook spots. Therefore, both the wave theory and the particle theory have shortcomings that they cannot overcome, and they cannot depict the light completely. I believe that waves and particles are unified on a higher level, except that they have different projections in reality."

It was the first time that Lucien explained the question in front of everyone. It was more of a psychological warm-up for his students.

Annick and the other students were deep in thought after Lucien's explanation, but they seemed more puzzled.

Lucien did not intend to continue the War between Wave and Particle. So, he shut his mouth in time, planning to return to his office and peruse Arcana of this issue. At night a few days ago, his cognitive world suddenly had hazy, cubic stripes all of a sudden, which were similar to the structure of a new legendary class that Fernando had mentioned repetitively. It made Lucien suspect that somebody had proved a certain prophecy in the 'new alchemy', but it was not about neutrons, the most important of all.

Lucien could've found the neutron on his own after repetitive experiments. However, his magic level was not adapted to his cognitive world yet, and he hadn't learnt a lot of regular magics. Because of his unconsolidated foundation, there might be hidden problems if he allowed for grand changes in his cognitive world. After all, even if the new legendary class was constructed, he couldn't put it into use for now.

Lucien believed that in a year or two, when his knowledge about seventh-circle and eighth-circle magics was abundant enough, and his magic level had been stabilized, it would be the best opportunity for him to 'discover the neutron'.

When he was about to step away, Lucien felt that his monocle became hot again.

"Lucien? Have you read the latest issue of Arcana?" It was Gaston's voice this time.

Lucien sighed with a smile. "I just discussed with His Excellency Raventi about it…"

They discussed for a while. Gaston expressed his ideas and listened to Lucien's opinion. In the end, he said, "I barely discussed arcana questions with you before. You are more distinguished than I expected. What other suggestions do you have regarding His Excellency Oliver's paper?"

"I feel that his transformation matrix can be applied to many other places. It may be worth studying." Lucien mentioned it subtly.

Gaston was certainly unable to capture Lucien's meaning between the lines yet. He smiled, "I also feel that the matrix can be used in many other research frontiers. Right, Lucien, I don't think you have heard yet. The Arcana Review Board has decided that with your expertise, you should not only be responsible for the revolutionary papers. A well-deserved authority, you should be in charge of the review of your fields."

"What fields?" Lucien grimaced. Ever since the untrained arcanists discovered that they could not make a breakthrough in his place, he hadn't reviewed any paper in a whole year and almost forgot that he was a reviewer. After all, there weren't many revolutionary papers.

However, Lucien did not refuse the Board's decision, because reviewing more papers was also an exercise and a way to obtain inspiration. Even the papers that cannot be passed might bring him a new insight.

Gaston smiled, "All board members agree that you are an authority in elements, alchemy, thermodynamics and mathematics. All the papers in the four domains may be forwarded to you. Also, you will also be responsible for the quantum photon papers in the school of Light-darkness and the papers related to X rays and electrons in electromagnetics. Is there a problem?"

So far, although Lucien had won the Prize of Immortal Throne and the Silver Moon Medal, nobody really considered him an authority in necromancy and electromagnetism, not to mention horoscopes, illusionary, transformation or summoning that he hadn't made any distinguished achievements in them.

"Not at all." Lucien replied.

Gaston praised him, "Lucien, you are the most amiable one of all the gifted arcanists that I've seen. One other thing. I am planning to establish an institute that belongs to myself like you. However, in the microscopic field, the resources of the Congress will surely be invested in the Atom Institution. Therefore, I'm planning to study something else other than the new alchemy. Do you have any suggestions? Is there any field worth paying attention to in the school of elements?"

Lucien could already imagine similar institutions and research centers growing larger and larger in number. Sorcerers were no fools. After the new alchemy was proposed, other than confirming his talents, they must've realized the advancement of such a research methodology — both in terms of results and in terms of funding.

Thinking for a moment, Lucien replied solemnly, "I believe that the studies on synthetic living matter is far behind the current development of arcana. It's a field worth digging into."

"Thank you." Gaston thanked him sincerely.

After the conversation ended, Lucien looked at the students who hadn't left due to curiosity with a smile, until they were almost crept out.

"Master, anything else?" Heidi, the boldest of all, asked in a shivering voices. Were there still quizzes and exams? They were almost middle-rank sorcerers!

Lucien shook his head. "Don't worry. I've found something for you to work on."

That's exactly what we're worried about! Layria and Sprint put on bitter smiles.

"As you may have heard, I will shoulder the full responsibilities as a member of the Arcana Review Board. Therefore, as my student, you have to help me with the review on the papers alloted to me." Said Lucien solemnly.

Sighs echoed. Sprint, Katrina were surprised at first, because it was certainly amazing to review other people's paper, but very soon, they were all frustrated.

Chelly said timidly, "Master, while our arcana level is now three or four, and we are some sort of middle-rank sorcerers, that's because what we are in touch with is the most cutting-edge stuff in the elemental field, and it's easy for us to obtain arcana credits."

"In fact, it's been only four years since we graduated. We haven't grasped enough knowledge or done in-depth research in many fields. I fear that there will be many problems if we review other people's papers. Even you may be blamed."

Including Sprint, who was often the most confident one, all the students nodded in agreement. One might trip himself if his step was too wide.

"This is exactly the way for you to build up your knowledge. I will re-review every paper you review. Whenever an error is discovered, the reviewer will have to write a report to be about why they made the error and what they can learn to avoid it. For the record, my re-review will be meticulous and rigorous in the first few years until you know what you are doing." Said Lucien solemnly.

"Yes, master." The few students immediately agreed with it.

Heidi, then rubbed her cheek in relief and smiled, "In fact, reviewing papers is not bad. It will help us to build our own knowledge system as soon as possible. I was freaked out a moment ago, because I thought that master was assigning ten knowledge points and exercises to us like before."

"A great proposal. I'll prepare a quiz for you when I have time. Hopefully, you won't be lonely before you become archmages." Lucien had thought to modify the Course of Theoretical Physics 1 directly, but too much knowledge about the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics was in it. After the general acceptance of the two theories improved, his students and more arcanists would definitely 'enjoy' it.

"What?" Heidi's face was pale, as she felt the eyes of Sprint and other students who were going to tear her apart.

If she wasn't lonely before she became an archmage, she would certainly be lonely for the rest of her life…

At this moment, the smile on Lucien's face was like the smile of a devil.

...

After dismissing the scared students, Lucien began reading the papers. Very soon, he noticed an article which was titled as 'An Analysis On the Spectrum of Hydrogen Lines Based on the New Alchemy'.

"… So, they found the Balmer formula [2. Johann Balmer, a Swiss mathematician, discovered (1885) that the wavelengths of the visible hydrogen lines can be expressed by a simple formula.] based on the theories, which befits the experiment result." Lucien realized the source of his gains. It was different from Earth where the formula first came up based on experience.

When he was about to read the paper more carefully, Lucien's monocle became hot again.

"Who's calling me this time? What a busy day…" Lucien complained, as he hadn't enjoyed a moment of peace in the whole morning.

Chapter 530: Rock's Suggestion

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After he activated the communication circle, a mature, pleasant female voice came from his monocle, "Lucien?"

Lucien was stunned for a moment, unable to tell who it was. It was not until the speaker opened her mouth again that he finally realized that she was Lady Florencia, the wife of Grand Arcanist Oliver.

"Lady Florencia, is there anything I can help you with?" Asked Lucien in confusion.

Florencia chuckled, "Do you think I have nothing better to do? I wouldn't have contacted you if there weren't anything. What's your opinion on Oliver's paper? You must've read this issue of Arcana, right?"

Lucien was even more baffled. You and your husband could've discussed it in private. Why do you bother to ask an outsider? However, Lucien recalled that the couple seemed to be in conflict. He smiled and said, "I have read it and discussed it with His Excellency Raventi and Mr. Gaston. If you don't mind, I'll start from the beginning. Is that okay?"

"Yes." Florencia replied quickly.

After exchanging their views on the paper, Florencia was silent for a moment. Then she lowered her pleasant voice and said, "Lucien, did Oliver ask you to work on an opera together with him? You'd better refuse him."

"How did you know?" Oliver's intention to please his wife had been found out by Florencia? That was rather a surprise for Lucien. What a terrible secret-keeper!

Florencia's suppressed voice emitted delight. "He always complained that there were no real musicians in Holm, and that nobody could adapt his script into an excellent opera. So, if he intends to please me with a new opera, how can he forget you, a grand master who ranks very high even in the entire history of music?"

"Then, how did you know that he would please you with an opera?" Lucien finally understood that Florencia inferred it based on her understanding about her husband and their previous married life. Having just started his own love life, he asked curiously.

Florencia chuckled again, but her laughter seemed to contain complicated feelings. "He's always like this. It's either jewelry or emotional poetry, or a new opera, that he creates in person. The previous two choices were recently used. Considering his personality that he would not use them repetitively, it is easy to infer that he's going to make an opera this time."

"Then, why did you ask me to refuse him? You don't want to forgive him?" Lucien patted his face after the question. How could he have asked it directly? It turned out that he had a gossip side, too.

Florencia laughed without any delight. She teased with bitterness, "After you wrote For Sylvia, Sylvia died. If you write another opera that is meant to mend the relationship between a couple, only to separate them in the end, I believe that your love music will become a curse in everybody's mind. It's for your own good that I asked you to refuse him."

Lucien captured Florencia's meaning between the lines keenly. "My lady, are you going to renounce your marriage with His Excellency Oliver?"

"Yes." Florencia responded. Then, she poured her feelings out. "I tolerate him again and again, but he never really regretted. I'm too exhausted and desperate to deal with him any longer. I have my own arcana and magic studies. I have teachers, students and friends. It's not like the value and significance of my life will be gone after I leave him. Sometimes, love can't cover everything. Perhaps I can find new happiness after we are separated."

She spoke rationally without any tears or yelling, which made Lucien hear the resolution in her words. It seemed to be a decision that was made after deliberation, not a spur of the moment decision. Therefore, he did not persuade her but simply smiled, "In that case, I'll wish you a happy new life in advance, my lady."

However, based on Florencia's familiarity and understanding about Oliver that she revealed unconsciously, could their relationship really be cut so easily? Lucien was quite suspicious about it.

Florencia said in a low voice, "Lucien, you are really a good man. I often think that if I hadn't run into Oliver but encountered you who are both more talented and more loyal than him, my marriage would've been so happy that it made other people jealous. I envy young Natasha."

She was Morris' student, and Morris was a member of the royal family of Holm and a junior that Hathaway thought highly of. So, she had a general understanding about Lucien and Hathaway's dialog the other day and learnt how Lucien refused all kinds of temptations over the past years.

"Thank you for your compliment." Although he had received a good-man card, Lucien was not bothered at all because he already had his love. He simply smiled and thanked her.

Florencia suddenly chuckled, "In fact, I once had the idea of retaliating against Oliver, and I planned to have a soulful and physical relationship with another gentleman exactly like what he did to me. At that time, you were one of my targets, but you completely ignored my charm. Also, I couldn't overcome the psychological barrier myself, either."

"Now that you have little Natasha, there's no way that I would do that. I've suffered the pain myself, and I will not let another girl suffer such unforgettable pain again. Lucien, be nice to young Natasha. If you have another woman, I'll seduce her and get her away from you completely. Hehe. She lost her mother when she was still young. She must be very into a mature women like me."

Lucien rubbed his chin in embarrassment and hurried to change the subject, "My lady, you mentioned that I was one of your targets. Did you have other candidates?"

Florencia felt much more comfortable after the revelation. She held back her laugh and said, "I am very demanding. Few people met my requirements. Also, they had to have strong backgrounds so that they would not be killed by Oliver. Therefore, besides you, I planned to seduce my teacher. However, after careful analysis, I found that the odds of success were not high. Lucien, do you think if my dress is fully embedded with the Wave Stones, the Sun Stones, the Ice Crystals, the Dragon Hide and other precious materials, my teacher will be captivated by me?"

Lucien pointed it out directly, "I believe that His Excellency Morris would take off your dress, push you to the bed, and leave with your dress."

"Haha! I think so, too!" Florencia was stunned at first. Then she burst into laughter.

Lucien raised his eyebrow. Feeling that it was inappropriate to make fun of the seniors behind their back, he hurried to ask, "It's been a while since I met His Excellency Morris. What studies is he busy with now?"

"My teacher almost drooled after you proposed new alchemy. That's a field that controls the changes of materials. If anyone can get to the bottom of it, they would have however many treasures they want. Therefore, my teacher has been completely devoted to it ever since." Florencia said jokingly. As a matter of fact, for a ninth-circle elementalist such as Morris, Donald and Raventi, new alchemy had shed the light of legendary for them. How could they not devote themselves to it?

Lucien replied equally humorously, "If Alferris were not a dragon, I would've suspected that Alferris is His Excellency Morris' natural son. He truly guards his fortunes like a dragon."

After some chit chat, Florencia said, "Lucien, you should work harder and try to have a child with Natasha soon. If Oliver and I weren't that into a childless relationship, we probably wouldn't be like this today."

"The situation today is still too dangerous for us to have children. Also, it's been less than one month since she was crowned. There are months to go before any urge or pressure." Lucien had talked with Natasha about that, too. There would be a lot of changes in the coming years, and pregnancy would weaken her and keep her in danger. Therefore, they should consider the question after Holm was stabilized.

Natasha couldn't have agreed with it more. She wanted to be married to Lucien openly and let their child be born in a complete family.

Regarding the problem that the higher one's rank was, the more difficult conception would be, the 'Forced Conception' on the Pink Book was certainly not developed for nothing. It was a creation of a certain legendary in order to continue his bloodline. When he saw that magic at the beginning, Lucien had the idea that he could establish a clinic in Allyn that specifically treated infertility.

After ending the conversation with Florencia, Lucien more or less hesitated. Considering the closeness, Florencia was Morris' student, and Morris was Natasha's senior, so he should refuse to cooperate with Oliver as per her request because they were on the same side. However, he had already promised Oliver, and it was inappropriate to go back on his words.

After thinking for a moment, Lucien made a decision. "I'll wait until their marriage is waived. If His Excellency Oliver still wants an opera to get back with her, it would be in no conflict with Lady Florencia's request."

"… Also, does Lady Florencia's request that I should not work with her husband suggest that she is still wavering and scared that she may be swayed under the opera?… I hope their relationship would not end in tragedy even if they are discovered…"

Suddenly, the monocle became hot again. Lucien rubbed his eyebrow helplessly and turned on the communication circle.

"Lucien." Morris's voice came from the monocle.

Lucien exclaimed and replied somewhat awkwardly, "Good morning, Your Excellency Morris."

"Why do you sound weird?" Asked Morris in confusion.

Lucien smiled. He couldn't confess that he had just made fun of the grand arcanist with the grand arcanist's student just now. So he simply asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Your Excellency Morris?"

"Have you read the latest issue of Arcana?" Morris' question was the same.

Just like that, Lucien spent the entire morning discussing with familiar archmages and senior-rank sorcerers. However, the legendary sorcerers such as Douglas did not reach out to him, because their wisdom was enough for them to see the problems in Oliver's paper.

Lucien was not free again until noon. He planned to continue reading Arcana after lunch. If he did not study and follow the latest papers, he might commit horrible mistakes even though he had the spirit library.

At this moment, Rock, who was wearing a black tuxedo, walked in and knocked on the door of Lucien's office. "Lucien, do you have a moment?"

"Have you accomplished the mandatory task?" Lucien invited him in with delight.

Rock said relaxedly, "Of course, as a member of the Atom Institution, the mandatory task for me was very simple. Lazar must be returning soon, too. Lucien, the reason why I'm here is to inform you that we are running out of hands and space as our research programs grow larger in number."

"I'll file an application to the Magic Research Board, so that we will have the other unoccupied laboratories on the eighteenth floor." Lucien replied. He was already an unquestionable authority in the field of atomic research. It was not difficult to do. "As for hands, don't we have many arcanists?"

Counting himself, there were ten arcanists in total.

Rock opened his hands. "We have too many arcanists. Nobody is willing to run errands anymore. Your students all have their own research programs as they grow up. Therefore, we need to hire a batch of magic apprentices."

"Then, go to the Task Zone to issue tasks, or contact the magic school and ask them to recommend the best students." Lucien asked suspiciously, "Why do you care about that?"

Rock did not look like a man who cared about that sort of thing.

Rock chuckled but admitted honestly, "I'm getting anxious seeing that you and Lazar have both found your love. This is the place I spend most of my time in. How can it work out if there is no 'fresh blood'? The few female students of yours are quite good, but they are all too proud because of you, and they do not think that I'm a big deal at all."

"No coercion or intimidation." Lucien reminded him.

Rock rose in satisfaction, "I'm looking for a partner for the purpose of marriage. Why would I do that? I'm going to the Task Zone. Considering the reputation of the Atom Institution, countless apprentices will apply for it. Well, would it be too troublesome?"

"Resume review, written exams, and interviews. You can screen them through three procedures. It's all yours. I'll supervise it in person once in a while." Lucien said rather mischievously, hoping to give the magic apprentices a lesson about job hunting.