The group of barbarians went to Gonda City to enjoy themselves, and Si Kai went with them. The noisy room instantly quieted down, leaving only a few rabbit girls, Heather, Layton, Fugin, and Maisha.
Even that old fellow Sam, despite his age, still had a young heart, saying he saw some shamans in the tavern and was going to exchange ideas.
In reality, Li Wei saw this old geezer staring at an old prostitute's plump backside for a long time, unable to take his eyes off it.
However, he turned a blind eye to this kind of thing. It's human nature to satisfy physiological needs, as long as it's not too excessive.
"Layton, why don't you go to Gonda and see the sights?" Li Wei slumped in his chair, enjoying the rabbit girls' massage.
The fight just now didn't even count as exercise, instead making him feel uncomfortable all over.
This earth goblin seemed completely uninterested in the prosperity of Gonda City, still engrossed in his book.
To be honest, if the lord had one-fifth of his diligence, he wouldn't be unable to produce a few eternally famous poems.
"Gonda, no matter how many times you see it, isn't your own," Layton smiled, "but the knowledge in books, once read, is your own."
"High!" The lord gave a thumbs up, filled with solemn respect.
If the barbarians of Highcliff Fortress had this kind of awareness, they would probably all be scholars with knowledge as vast as the sea.
The few of them didn't go out, and ate lunch sent by the nuns at the Holy Light Church—bread, milk, and a dish of unknown green vegetables, very simple and plain food.
But having gotten used to rich and meaty dishes, eating something light suddenly felt better than expected.
"Li Wei, how was the food just now?" Fadier appeared out of nowhere, having changed back into her previous bishop's robe, looking even more holy and dignified than before.
"It's alright, but the milk could use a little sugar." Li Wei curiously looked at her: "Are the Holy Maidens of the Holy Light Church so busy?"
"This is the consequence of my being away in the south for so long," Fadier said very calmly, "Because I was too willful and threw my own affairs to His Holiness the Pope, and when I returned, His Holiness also left on the pretext of visiting a friend."
But no matter how calm the girl was, the defeated tone in her voice couldn't be concealed.
"The able are burdened with more work." The lord pinched his thigh hard, barely managing not to burst out laughing.
Maisha and Fugin curiously sized up Fadier.
In fact, because Firina wanted to introduce the Holy Light Church, the relationship between the two churches, which had always been separate, was now somewhat strained.
But this strained relationship was only at the higher levels.
"These two must be the priests of the Ice and Snow Church, Miss Maisha and Master Fugin. I often hear Li Wei mention you. I apologize for not being able to entertain you earlier due to being busy with affairs."
"It's alright, it's alright." Even if he was indeed impatient to obtain the complete "Holy Word Codex" in his heart, Li Wei could only wave his hand dismissively to save face.
"Everyone, if you want to wash away the dust and fatigue of a month's journey, you can have the Radiant Sisters take you to the special bathhouse. Li Wei and I will leave first." After Fadier finished speaking, she got up and headed towards the Holy Light Church.
Li Wei followed behind her, wandering around the Holy Light Church.
"Li Wei, do you know why I'm not telling you the final cultivation method of the 'Holy Word Codex'?"
Fadier walked ahead, and Li Wei followed behind, thoughtfully staring at the patterned floor. The corridor was just so small, and not focusing on the floor would inevitably lead to suspicion of being lecherous.
"Because you still adhere to rigid traditions," Li Wei replied casually without thinking.
He had considered asking the Holy Knights, but even Fadier wouldn't tell him, let alone those knights who strictly adhered to the Holy Light creed.
"Quite the opposite. If we were truly too rigid, we wouldn't have released the first part of the 'Holy Word Codex', allowing even commoners to cultivate it."
"We are now anti-traditional, committed to abandoning those outdated creeds to adapt to the new era, otherwise we will be overturned by the tide of time in history sooner or later." Fadier led Li Wei straight past the magnificent Holy Light Church, taking a small path to the back, the road lined with golden-leafed trees, looking very sacred.
"Oh, how are you being anti-traditional?" The lord was genuinely interested.
If it was about being anti-traditional, Li Wei could see a bit of it in Fadier.
After all, a Holy Maiden of the Holy Light with such a down-to-earth aura was truly unique throughout history.
After all, what Holy Light Holy Maiden would try to trick him, the lord of Highcliff Fortress, with clumsy rhetoric every day, even sacrificing her charm.
"You definitely won't believe it, but compared to before, the Holy Light Church has reduced the number of knight orders, even to the point of making them a page only recorded in history," Fadier said.
"In my opinion, that's a completely stupid thing," the lord criticized without any mercy.
You had to know that the number of knight orders in the Holy Light Church used to reach a terrifying hundreds of thousands, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to carry out the famous Eastern Expedition that shook the Seven Kingdoms, almost single-handedly resisting the undead sea that threatened the entire Medieval Continent.
Although other churches and countries also contributed a lot, these Holy Knights were definitely the backbone.
In his opinion, even if their brains had been eaten by goblins, they wouldn't have done something like actively reducing the number of knight orders. What was the difference between that and crippling themselves?
A hyena without claws can only become a puppet to be manipulated.
"No, it was precisely because we made up our minds and completed this difficult reform that the Holy Light Church didn't perish in history during the lowest ebb of the magic tide." The setting sun shone on Fadier, as if plating her with a layer of gold, making her appear even more sacred: "When magic elements were at their lowest, all spells were as laughable as tricks, and mages were given the ridiculous name of 'tricksters'."
"In this environment, if we continued to maintain a number of knight orders that kings feared, then we would usher in a tragic war."
"That was the era of the most intense conflict between royal power and divine power. Many churches perished in this period of history, and of course, some churches succeeded in vying for power in this war."
"Telesia is the church you're talking about, right? I heard that it's a country where royal power is granted by the church, and the priests there live more luxuriously than nobles," Li Wei nodded: "I understand what you're saying. No king can tolerate a force that can threaten royal power right next to his bed."
"When mages lost their powerful spells, and the church lost its extraordinary power to rely on, what else were they waiting for if not to kick a dog when it's down?"
"Therefore, we only retain the number of knight orders that royal power can tolerate, and the Holy Light priests almost only practice buff-type Holy Light spells."
Fadier suddenly stopped in front of a hall: "It's easy for us to win goodwill because no one will refuse a friend who can't threaten them but can provide help, which has allowed the Holy Light Church to stand in Gonda for thousands of years."
"I apologize for my words just now," the lord had always been someone who corrected himself when he was criticized.
After saying so much, it was actually just four words: survival strategy.
It seemed like only four words, but many people couldn't see through them.
Otherwise, the elves wouldn't have fallen to their current state, and the dwarves wouldn't have been able to do anything but forge weapons in blacksmith shops for thousands of years.
"Let's get back to the topic. The reason for not passing on the rest of the Holy Word Codex to you is partly because the rules of Gonda don't allow it. But the main reason is that the subsequent content cannot be recorded in memory."
The door was opened from the inside by two Holy Knights wrapped tightly, with huge crosses on their backs, made of unknown materials.
Li Wei knew that they were the Holy Cross Knights. Putting aside everything else, just their appearance was intimidating.
Li Wei followed Fadier's steps into the hall, and the sound of the door closing behind them.
The exquisite crystal chandelier above the dome and the wall lamps around them provided light as bright as day.
"The underground part of the church is a huge underground temple. This is where the church preserves sacred objects and scriptures." Fadier pressed something on a pillar in the center of the hall.
Soon, with a "rumbling" sound, the ground opened up, revealing a downward passage.
Fadier was obviously familiar with this and walked straight down: "Follow me. Before obtaining the 'Holy Word Codex', I have to take you to see someone first."
The two walked down the passage again.
Fortunately, both of them had cultivated Holy Light. After releasing the Holy Light, they proceeded downwards like two large light bulbs.
Li Wei discovered that the walls on both sides of the passage were covered with ancient runes and prayers, and they were also flashing with light. These runes definitely contained powerful divine power.
Afterward, they passed through a room where scriptures were preserved. There was an old man with all his teeth missing guarding the place. The other party didn't even look at him and Fadier properly, but just lay on the desk sleeping, completely unaware that even his saliva was drooling out.
But the lord didn't dare to underestimate the other party at all, believing that the old man had long used the Eye of the Mage or powerful divination to know of his and Fadier's arrival, and not waking up was just because he was too lazy to pay attention. This was the unique arrogance of a strong person.
Because according to the plot in novels, the old men guarding places that collect divine arts and scriptures were all hidden powerhouses.
"This is Grandpa Keli. Because he is too old and unable to support himself, I recruited him to do some chores," Fadier then explained: "Let's be quiet and try not to wake him up."
Okay, Li Wei admitted that he had indeed been reading too many novels recently. The other party wasn't some hidden powerhouse, but a backdoor powerhouse.
The two stepped into the passage again, but there were wall lamps on both sides, stretching their shadows very long in the passage.
"Actually, do you know?" Fadier suddenly opened her mouth, "The Twelve Saints aren't fabricated myths, but actually existed. The weakest of them are also legendary-level powerhouses."
After giving the lord a warning, she continued: "And the person I'm taking you to see is the last remaining saint in the world."
"Yes, I know." The lord nodded pretentiously and began to spout nonsense: "I also know that the Holy Light Goddess was born at the beginning of the world, is the embodiment of light and life, participated in creation, and the Twelve Saints all went to the goddess's divine kingdom to enjoy themselves after the Holy War."
"Do you think I'm joking?" Fadier asked calmly.
"It's not what I think, you're already joking." The lord rubbed his temples. If the person in front of him wasn't Fadier, he really wanted to open the other party's head to see if it had been eaten by goblins.
"Do you know how many years ago the last saint lived? A full three thousand nine hundred years! Even a legendary powerhouse would only live for seven or eight hundred years at most." Li Wei smiled slightly: "Such a long time is enough to bury everything. Even a boulder will be weathered into slag."
Living from nearly four thousand years ago to the present is no longer something that an old antique or an old zombie can describe, but a completely living fossil.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in the existence of the Twelve Saints, but that he didn't believe that these guys could live to this day.
"Li Wei, when the truth is placed before your eyes, people will naturally submit," Fadier pulled out a saying she didn't know where she had seen it.
"I'll wait and see," the lord just shrugged.
They soon arrived in front of a huge bronze door. Li Wei discovered that after arriving here, Fadier's calm face actually had a few traces of seriousness and awe.
"Li Wei, this door originally required several Holy Knights to open, but because of you, I didn't order them to come down." Fadier looked at the lord and said: "I'll have to trouble you."
"Happy to serve." Li Wei nodded, stepped forward, and pressed his hands against the heavy bronze door, which was seven or eight blades high, and pushed it to both sides.
As the bronze door slowly opened, the scene inside completely entered Li Wei's eyes.
And the result of this was...
"Damn!" The lord couldn't control his emotions, his face full of astonishment.
This was a huge temple, and the crystals around it emitting milky white light provided light as bright as day. The walls were also engraved with various secret texts.
In the middle of the temple was a huge pool of holy water, the water clear to the bottom, and in the pool was a man with his upper body naked, his eyes closed.
If it was just that, then it would undoubtedly be ordinary.
And what really made Li Wei lose his composure was—this man alone was nearly six blades tall! There was a golden sun mark on his forehead, palms, and chest, emitting a gentle light, as if it contained endless Holy Light power.
It was rumored that this was the eternal mark left by the gods when they descended and touched the bodies of the saints.
"This is the twelfth saint, Saint Igo."
