Game of the World Tree Chapter 870: Ignorance, numbness and judgment
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January 1, 1073, Eternal Era, the first day of the new year.
In the northern part of Saiges Continent, the Manyia Highlands where the Eternal Holy City of Manyia is located, also ushered in the first snow in winter.
The sky is gray, with goose-feather-like snowflakes falling in abundance, and it’s gloomy and cold.
However, Maniya City today is extremely noisy.
The center of the city, the Sacred Square.
This giant square with an area of more than two million square meters, located at the intersection of the Eternal Temple, the Imperial Palace and the Graycastle Parliament Building, has long been covered by crowds.
The cold and ruthless trial knights and the burly city guards maintained order on the scene and roughly isolated the curious civilians from the center of the square, and in the center of the square, a huge high platform had been erected.
The high platform is divided into three areas, with seats and gorgeous umbrellas set up, and even a magic circle for regulating the temperature.
This is where the clergy of the church and the rulers of the empire reside.
Among the three areas, the centermost is the Holy Seat of the Eternal Pope, which symbolizes the superiority of divine power over royal power.
On the right is the seat of the royal family, where the 14-year-old Princess Teresa, the successor of the empire, and other royal family members are sitting, including some former royal families who once elected the emperor.
The regent, Bishop Winston, was also present.
Before becoming a monk, this fief-bishop was originally a member of the current royal family, the Tres family.
On the left side, sit the Duke of Corens, the elector and speaker of the nobility, as well as other nobles and archbishops involved in the operation of the empire's center.
These people are the most powerful people in the entire Holy Mania Empire, and at the same time, they are also the most powerful people in the entire continent.
The current Pope Benedict II of the Eternal Church is a kind old man.
His beard and hair are all white, his back is stooped, and he is dressed in a gorgeous and solemn holy robe that makes him look both holy and majestic.
He is already very old, and his stooped body under the wide holy robe gives people the illusion that he will fall down with the wind at any time.
However, no one dares to underestimate this seemingly frail His Majesty the Pope.
Although he is nearly 300 years old and has long been close to the limit of human legendary lifespan, as a favored person of the true god, a strong man who can summon divine power and perform divine magic, even a demigod will treat him Some respect.
At the same time, Benedict II is also the longest-serving pope in the history of the Eternal Church. Today, he is already in his 83rd year in charge of the Holy See.
Under the high platform, the citizens looked curiously at the dignitaries above.
Although these archbishops and nobles who rule the church and empire have long been a household name, it is the first time for most ordinary people to see them with their own eyes.
Especially His Majesty the Pope, who only appears during huge celebrations, and Princess Teresa, who was only recently officially established as the heir to the empire in a daze.
This girl with pink makeup and jade is just fourteen years old. She has blond hair and blue eyes. Like other noble girls, she is noble and beautiful. It can already be seen that when she grows up, she will definitely be a beauty who will conquer the country.
She sat there quietly, looking around excitedly with her big shiny eyes, innocent and clear, as if she was quite curious about such a big scene.
However, when her eyes touched the solemn eyes of the regent, Bishop Winston, and the gentle smile of the speaker of the House, Duke of Collens, opposite her, she quickly sat upright again, giving people a well-behaved look. Feeling cowardly again.
But even so, she still couldn't help but glance around quietly, especially the long torture rack with thorns and barbs erected in front of the high platform.
Her large, unsullied, black and white eyes are full of novelty, like a piece of white paper that has never been stained or stained.
Next to the execution frame, stood several trial knights in black robes. Each one's aura was very powerful, far beyond that of ordinary gold professionals, making people afraid to look directly at them.
On the outside of the torture rack, heavily armed soldiers had already guarded the handles. They were all the best among the best, completely isolating the onlookers from the outside.
When Demacia blended into the crowd and came to the square, this was what they saw.
"Boss Dema, do you really don't need to make a big fuss in the square to rescue John, the God's Favored One?"
Beside him, another hooded player asked in a low voice.
A few days ago, the Eternal Church released the news of the trial of Old John, and for players who had been paying attention to the trends in the mainland, the news spread throughout the server immediately.
How dare the Eternal Church judge its own God’s Favored Ones?
This naturally aroused the collective sense of honor and anger among the players.
Although the distance was far away, a considerable number of high-level players gathered and contacted the underground forces of the Church of Life in Manyia City to discuss the feasibility of rescue.
And Demacia, who was the most powerful and had once broken into the prison of Dolorea Castle and recorded the preaching story of Old John, naturally became the leader that everyone proposed.
However, after hearing what her companion said, Demacia shook her head slightly and sighed softly:
"Rescue what? How to rescue? There are so many golden professionals and legends, maybe there are demigods and angels watching the show hidden behind them, just like us?"
"But Mr. Dema, don't you still have the God of Death?"
"But there is only one divine punishment..."
"What should we do?"
"Cold salad! Watch carefully and just do as I said before!"
"Isn't it? Doesn't that mean we have to sit back and watch John be burned to death?"
The player talking to Demacia frowned slightly and seemed quite unhappy.
Demacia was silent for a moment and sighed:
"This is also what he meant..."
The player was silent.
He knew who Demacia was talking about.
"Even...even if the price is death?"
He couldn't help but say.
"Yes, even in death... there is always something higher than life."
Demacia sighed.
Hearing these words, the player who was talking to him opened his mouth and looked at this big boss who was well-known throughout the server with some disbelief.
Seemingly noticing the strange look in his companion's eyes, Demacia turned around with a black line on his face:
"No, what's your expression?"
"Um...it's nothing, I just didn't expect you, Mr. Dema, to say such things...I have always felt that you are quite, um...very unrestrained."
The player scratched his head.
Demacia:...
"What the **** is unrestrained?"
"Um... maverick, dare to take risks? Or... always have some high-end operations?"
Demacia:...
You might as well just say that I love to die.
He complained in his heart.
Demacia knows his character very well, and he also understands what his companions said is right. He is indeed an out-of-the-box person who loves taking risks and seeking death.
Although he has been playing the game for so long, he still treats it more as a game than those players who have long treated "Elf Kingdom" as another life.
But even if he is like this, he will still be touched...
Recalling what Old John said and did in prison, Demacia's eyes gradually became solemn.
He has never admired any NPC in "Elf Kingdom".
But now, maybe there is.
Although, even now, from his true heart, he still feels that Old John’s choice of devotion is a huge loss to the Life Church...
Sighing slightly, Demacia looked at the surrounding square again.
His eyes swept over the gorgeously dressed archbishops and nobles on the high platform, and then glanced over the fierce and heavily armed guards below the stage, and finally stopped at a large number of people gathered in the square, with dishes on their faces. , on civilians whose clothes are simple and often have patches or even tatters...
The same square, but on stage and off stage, are like two worlds.
However, even the civilians gathered in the square are living a good life in Manyia City.
As a country in the entire empire and one of the most prosperous cities in the human kingdom, their living conditions are definitely at the top of the human society on the entire continent.
Those farmers living in the countryside and those living in slums are not even qualified to stand here and watch.
At this moment, Demacia truly felt the tearing apart of human society in the world of Segas...
“The existence of extraordinary power has accelerated the solidification of society, and the rapid increase of magic power has not only failed to destroy this solidification, but has intensified the contradictions and added more contradictions, making the already unstable society change. It becomes more unstable."
"Human society is dead. This world... needs a new force to inject life and vitality!"
Unconsciously, Demacia thought of these two sentences he heard Old John say in prison.
If a player said these words, he would not be surprised, but if it were replaced by an NPC, a person who had only accepted the teachings of life for less than a year, it would be really shocking and respectful.
Demacia was thinking wildly until the piercing bells came from the high platform. The indifferent black bishop came to the stage and announced that the heretics who blasphemed the gods and undermined the order of the empire would be brought up.
Gradually, there was a commotion in the crowd in the distance. Siward, the legendary swordsman who had surrendered to the empire, personally led the team and led a group of fully armed guards to **** a straight figure up.
That figure was none other than Old John.
Seeing Old John's appearance, Demacia's expression changed slightly.
Nothing else.
At this moment, Old John had all his clothes taken off, and he was naked and bound by the magic-forbidden shackles, with only a few strands remaining to cover the last trace of dignity on his body.
The **** whip marks that have not yet faded tell the story of how much torture this god's favored person suffered before he was taken over.
Prisoners with the same imprisoned power cannot harm him, but it is different if they are replaced by knights and priests from the Trial House.
But even so, Old John still held his head high and his eyes were clear and bright.
Like a green pine that will never fall.
The crowd of onlookers gradually became commotion.
I don’t know who took the lead. Suddenly, a stone hit Old John in the face.
Someone laughed.
Then, comes the second and third pieces...
Not only stones, but also some domestic garbage and common filth in the city were gradually thrown out like raindrops by the people on both sides, constantly hitting the escorted protagonist.
Faintly, you can still hear people cursing:
"Bah! Cultists disrupting order!"
"blasphemer! Die!"
"Smash him! Smash him!"
"Burn him to death!"
"Hahahahaha..."
Looking at the insensitive onlookers who happily threw filth in front of them, the players were stunned for a moment.
Demacia was also slightly startled, and then fell into silence.
He glanced at Old John with complicated eyes, and saw that the other man's face remained unchanged.
However, deep in the eyes of this God's Favorite, there seemed to be a hint of sadness.
But that gloom quickly passed by and turned into strong light and belief...
Demacia was stunned.
His eyes stayed on the civilians again, looking at their happy and excited eyes with mixed emotions.
At this moment, he finally understood why Old John made such a choice.
For the vast majority of civilians in the human kingdom, they have been enslaved for too long, their bones are completely numb, and they have long forgotten to resist.
The nobles control supernatural power, the church controls public opinion, and controls everything about them.
For them, coming to see the trials of heretics is as "attractive" as watching people kill pigs during the ancient New Year celebrations in Blue Star.
Precisely because they have neither the courage nor the belief to resist, they can only vent their emotions, vent their dissatisfaction with reality, and seek some psychological comfort by throwing stones at the pagans.
This is a dark era, an era full of ignorance and ignorance, an era of insensitivity...
Even if a spark is ignited under the leadership of players and life evangelists, a spark is still a spark.
Without an opportunity, this silent wasteland still cannot be shaken.
Fortunately, not all civilians are so numb. Deep in the crowd, many eyes can still be seen looking at Old John, full of complexity, worry and sorrow.
However, their figures have been lost in the boiling crowd.
"It's so cold, why don't you put some clothes on him?"
On the high platform, Princess Teresa frowned, glanced at Old John below the stage, and looked at the regent, Bishop Winston, uncomfortably.
Bishop Winston smiled gently:
"My beautiful princess, your kindness is admirable, but... this is the punishment of the gods for the heretics. He is a blasphemer and an evil element who undermines the stability of the empire."
"Pagans...destabilize the empire..."
Princess Teresa nodded in understanding, and looked at Old John with a hint of disgust.
The surrounding nobles were whispering to each other and looking condescendingly at Old John, who was escorted to the stage and tied to the torture rack. Their arrogant, playful and disdainful eyes were like looking at a monkey.
The bell rang again, and the bishop of the trial court in black robes came to the stage.
He held up a piece of golden parchment with a solemn look on his face. Under the effect of amplification magic, his loud voice spread to every corner of the square:
"In compliance with the Pope's decree, I declare——"
"The trial against John, the preacher of life, the blasphemer, the heretic, begins now!"