Chapter 444: Fate
"Giant?"
The official was stunned, looking at Haldan's serious expression for confirmation.
"Scholar Haldan, are you referring to the giants from the fairy tales?"
Haldan nodded seriously. "Yes."
"How can that be!" the official laughed dryly. "Giants are just characters from fairy tales."
Haldan looked at the official's gradually stiffening face and said seriously, "Fairy tales often have a grain of truth. You didn't believe it because you hadn't seen it with your own eyes. Now, congratulations, you have witnessed it."
---
After the meeting, the entire area became a flurry of activity.
The number of reconnaissance planes in the air increased sharply. They were ordered to follow the footprints backward to track the legendary giant.
Meanwhile, the engineering teams around the boulder piles sped up their work.
"Put your backs into it! Once we uncover the base and find the cameras, this will be over!" someone shouted.
At the headquarters in Oslo, the capital and largest city of Norway on the Scandinavian Peninsula.
The Prime Minister's residence.
An elderly woman with white hair came out, handing a document bag to her waiting assistant before getting into one of the prepared cars.
"Prime Minister, these are the documents regarding Giant Peak," the assistant said, sitting beside her and handing over the documents to the solemn-faced Prime Minister.
"Hmm."
The Prime Minister took the documents, first seeing a very clear, giant depression.
"So, it's confirmed to be a giant?"
The assistant replied, "Scholar Haldan firmly believes that the giant depression is related to the giant. He says the distribution of the boulders suggests a massive impact from within, as if something broke out from Giant Peak."
The Prime Minister took a deep breath and continued flipping through the documents, noting that the footprints seemed to be heading towards Trondheim.
This indicated that the legendary giant was headed for Trondheim.
Trondheim is the capital and largest city of Trøndelag County in central Norway, situated at the confluence of the Nidelva River and Trondheim Fjord.
Since King Olaf I founded the city, it has been the coronation site for Norwegian kings, hence the name Trondheim, meaning "Home of the Throne."
It holds significant symbolic meaning and has become Norway's center for education, technology, and pharmaceutical research, housing many talents.
Realizing this, the Prime Minister's expression grew even more solemn, her face darkening. As Norway's Prime Minister, she held more power than the King and was privy to secrets unknown to ordinary people.
These included the true duties of the Church, the existence of world rifts, demons, and other such concealed matters.
Thus, she wasn't as reluctant to accept the reality. Upon seeing the footprint, she immediately knew it was an extraordinary event.
The giant depression indicated the giant heading towards Trondheim was enormous.
This defied conventional theories and biological concepts.
It also implied that human technology might be of little use, and even if it was, the outcome could be mutually destructive.
Humans are too fragile.
"Prime Minister?"
Her assistant's voice pulled her back to reality.
"What are your instructions regarding Giant Peak?" the assistant asked quietly.
The Prime Minister looked at the documents in her hand. "Deploy the army to Trondheim. Focus on the route between Trondheim and Giant Peak to investigate and find this suspicious creature as quickly as possible."
The assistant noted the series of orders, nodding in agreement.
"I understand, Prime Minister."
The Prime Minister nodded, her worries only slightly alleviated. Instead, issuing these commands made her feel even more burdened.
She couldn't fathom or estimate the danger posed by the suspicious creature or giant associated with the footprint.
Although she could imagine a towering giant, she couldn't picture its exact form.
Moreover, the biggest mystery was how such a massive giant could move so quietly that reconnaissance planes and more jets couldn't detect it.
Even the residents nearby hadn't heard any noise.
Except for the collapse of Giant Peak, no other sounds were heard.
Humans, even with just over a meter tall bodies, make noise when walking. How could a giant, possibly hundreds of meters tall, move silently?
It was baffling. The Prime Minister couldn't figure out how such a large creature could move so quietly and silently.
Deep in thought, she was jolted awake by her assistant's voice.
"Prime Minister, we've arrived at Oslo Cathedral."
The assistant, seeing the Prime Minister's startled expression, asked worriedly.
"Are you okay?"
"Phew." The Prime Minister exhaled deeply. Perhaps this was the price of being a Prime Minister, always thinking of the bigger picture, worrying about the safety of the people and the fear of creatures like the giant. The more she thought about it, the more she felt uneasy.
"I'm fine."
The Prime Minister shook her head, looking out the car window at the cathedral and the officials waiting by the roadside.
"You wait here."
The Prime Minister instructed, stepping out of the car before the official could open the door for her. As she got out, she turned to her assistant.
"We must find the whereabouts of this suspicious creature."
Seeing the Prime Minister's expression, the assistant felt a sense of impending crisis, swallowing nervously.
"Yes!"
The Prime Minister nodded in acknowledgment, heading towards the cathedral surrounded by officials.
She stopped in front of a door guarded by robed clergy.
"Prime Minister Valentina, Bishop Giorgi is waiting for you," one of the clergy said calmly.
The Prime Minister took a deep breath and nodded.
"Thank you."
The clergyman smiled and said, "Please follow me."
Following the clergyman's lead, the Prime Minister instructed the accompanying officials to stay put and followed alone.
The cathedral was large, with many clergy moving about, which gave the Prime Minister a sense of reassurance.
She knew that the clergy were different from ordinary people, possessing extraordinary abilities.
Like the legendary figures capable of moving mountains and overturning seas, the Church had such people. Even the second King of Norway, Olaf II Haraldsson, was from the Church.
The Prime Minister silently breathed a sigh of relief, following the guide through the grand area to a large door.
The double door was made of precious wood and inlaid with golden church emblems.
"Please enter, Prime Minister Valentina."
Hearing the clergyman's voice and seeing the door open, Valentina nodded and walked in alone.
Immediately, she felt a comforting atmosphere. The originally heavy mood lightened, the anxiety from dealing with extraordinary matters dissipated.
She instinctively looked ahead, seeing a room lit warmly and brightly, with exquisite murals and tapestries depicting biblical stories and religious symbols on the walls.
In the center was a large mahogany table covered with a soft silk cloth, the back of the chair embroidered with a golden church emblem, appearing noble and solemn.
The person attracting all her attention was the elderly man sitting in the chair.
"Bishop Giorgi," Valentina greeted respectfully.
Unlike with Ryan, Bishop Giorgi maintained a stern, expressionless demeanor. He nodded.
"Sit down. It seems you have discovered something."
Valentina nodded, sitting down in front of Bishop Giorgi and placing the document bag on the table, pushing it towards him.
"This is what we found. I think you'll understand everything once you see it."
Bishop Giorgi glanced at the document bag and shook his head. "I already know."
Valentina was taken aback, smiling bitterly.
"As expected of Bishop Giorgi. I only just found out. May I ask you a few questions?"
Bishop Giorgi replied indifferently, "Go ahead. I'm here to answer your questions."
Valentina took a deep breath. "Is this the legendary giant?"
Bishop Giorgi nodded. "The King of Giants from Norse mythology. It was said to be defeated and sealed by our Saint, Olaf II Haraldsson, in the Sognefjord, but no one knew the exact location of the seal. It seems it was sealed in Giant Peak."
Continuing, Bishop Giorgi added calmly, "It was your excavation that broke the seal, awakening the sleeping King of Giants."
Valentina's face turned pale. She only found out about the plan to tunnel through one of Giant Peak's mountains to connect to another town after this incident.
"It was our fault!"
Bishop Giorgi shook his head. "It's too late to argue about that. The situation has already progressed to this point."
Valentina understood this, sighing. "We found footprints heading towards Trondheim. I suspect something in Trondheim is attracting it. If we can find that, we can turn the passive into active and move the battlefield to an uninhabited area."
She paused, looking at Bishop Giorgi.
"Do you know what it might be?"
Valentina knew some secrets but wasn't as familiar with the extraordinary.
"Saint Olaf II Haraldsson's remains are buried in Trondheim's St. Clement's Church."
Bishop Giorgi's calm voice sent shockwaves through Valentina's mind.
Staring in shock, she saw Bishop Giorgi glance at her before walking towards the window.
"Rest assured, I have already made arrangements. This matter will be handled by the next Archbishop of the Norwegian diocese."
These words sent another wave of shock through Valentina.
The mention of the next Archbishop of Norway piqued her curiosity.
When was the next Archbishop appointed? Who was he? Could he handle this?
"Bishop Giorgi," Valentina said, turning stiffly towards the elder at the window.
"You..."
She was cut off by the elder.
Bishop Giorgi looked back at her coldly.
"I'm old and frail. Won't you let me retire?"
Valentina was at a loss for words.
"Don't worry." Bishop Giorgi turned back to the window.
"The new Archbishop of Norway is young and stronger than this old man nearing his grave."
Unseen, Bishop Giorgi smiled slightly.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here chatting with you. I'd already be out
there fighting the King of Giants myself."
---
"Is this old man trying to set me up!"
Several hundred kilometers away from Milda Town, deep within the Sognefjord.
In a mountainside flat area, Ryan glanced at Father Cameron and the clergy from the cathedral, silently cursing before looking back at the documents.
Finally, he understood everything.
It had little to do with him, just a coincidence.
It was purely coincidental, exploited by Bishop Giorgi.
The seal of the King of Giants from Norse mythology was indeed at Giant Peak.
Ryan believed Bishop Giorgi wasn't aware of this either. The only difference was that he didn't know, but Bishop Giorgi did know that the Divine Judgment Axe—Olaf's Fury—was one of the power sources maintaining the seal.
If he had only taken the axe, it wouldn't have mattered much, just removing one source of power.
But combined with the excavation, it awakened the King of Giants, who then broke the seal.
It was a coincidence upon coincidence.
Even if the axe hadn't been taken, the King of Giants would still have been awakened by the excavation and broken the seal.
"What a coincidence," Ryan sighed inwardly.
He believed Bishop Giorgi didn't know he had taken the Divine Judgment Axe, only that he had visited the church.
But just visiting the church meant he was involved.
As for being used by Bishop Giorgi, it was because the old man had someone bring him a relic of Saint Olaf II Haraldsson—a tuft of his hair from St. Clement's Church in Trondheim.
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