King
Chapter 861 - 861 81 High Position and Great Power

861: Chapter 81, High Position and Great Power 861: Chapter 81, High Position and Great Power Jade Palace, a group of The Royal Family’s big shots were closely examining the “Staff of Glory,” and many who had supposedly died long ago were now crawling out of the woodwork.

Even Caesar IV, the King himself, found himself squeezed out of a position, reduced to sipping tea and munching on melon seeds together with Earl Hudson.

Seeing that Archbishop Tyron had also been squeezed out, Caesar IV quickly approached to inquire:

“My great-uncle, how is it?

Is it really the Staff of Glory?”

It wasn’t that he was making a mountain out of a molehill, the matter was simply too significant.

As the iconic Divine Artifact of the Clergy, its disappearance would cause an uproar across the entire Continent if word got out.

“Of course it’s real!

If there were any issue with the artifact, would we be taking this so seriously?”

declared Archbishop Tyron with certainty.

While the old timers of the Royal Family cared about the Divine Artifact, Caesar IV couldn’t help but ponder the political implications its emergence brought with it.

“Earl Hudson, has the news about obtaining the Staff of Glory been leaked?”

Hearing this, Hudson secretly rolled his eyes.

If the news hadn’t leaked, he would have appropriated the artifact for himself long ago; why would he have otherwise turned it over?

Although using the Divine Artifact had its prerequisites, after ten or so years, who wouldn’t become a Grand Light Mage?

Mounting a Giant Dragon, wielding two Divine Artifacts, maximizing Magic Attack and Physical Attack at the same time—the thought of it was thrilling.

“Your Majesty, it was the Dalton Family that first noticed something amiss, and I got involved in the action at Earl Piers’s invitation.

The moment we strangled the Pirates and seized the Staff of Glory, I immediately ordered a lockdown on the information.

However, the event of the Divine Artifact’s emergence caused a considerable commotion; during the clash, the enemy unleashed a forbidden spell with the artifact, and almost everyone in the fleet witnessed it.

Although they don’t know what Divine Artifact it was, there are so few on the Continent that can employ a light-based forbidden spell; the Clergy will certainly be able to put two and two together.

There are still remnants of the Pirates on Poison Dragon Island, and due to the veil of mist, we couldn’t fully eradicate them.

If any of the survivors manage to escape alive, it will become even more troublesome.”

Hudson explained nonchalantly.

Locking down the information was purely wishful thinking; everything else could be falsified, but the losses suffered by the Dalton Family fleet were not something that could be easily covered up.

Combining the “Pirates'” disappearance with the timeline of the Dalton Family fleet’s expedition, any reasonable person would start to put the pieces together.

Unless all members of the fleet were silenced, with even a little investigation, the Clergy could confirm that their Inherited Artifact had fallen into the hands of the Alpha Kingdom.

“Chancellor, find a pretext to temporarily close the shipping lanes in the Misty Marine Region along the coast.

We absolutely cannot allow the Clergy to obtain evidence that the Staff of Glory is in our possession.

Military Department, in the name of preparing for war, summon the Major Nobles from everywhere to the Capital for discussion!”

Caesar IV commanded with a grave expression.

The excitement of acquiring the Divine Artifact had vanished, replaced by endless trepidation in his heart.

Alpha Kingdom had long harbored the idea of breaking away from the Dawn Church, and by the era of Caesar III, this plan had been clearly outlined and put into motion.

All the various branches were already established, and they needed only to declare their independence publicly to pull together a small New Church immediately.

With the acquisition of the Staff of Glory, they had undoubtedly filled the legal void for establishing an independent church.

The claim was simple: “Bestowed by the Lord of the Dawn.”

According to the Church’s doctrine, the all-powerful Lord of the Dawn’s will is infallible, so if the Divine Artifact fell into the hands of others, it too was the will of the Lord of the Dawn.

“Your Majesty, the loss of the Staff of Glory is a very serious religious and political incident, directly impacting the legitimacy of the current Pope.

There has been no news so far; my guess is that the bureaucrats within the Clergy dare not take responsibility.

Since they aren’t talking, we might as well play dumb too.

The military action taken by the Southeastern Province was merely a purge of pirates and has nothing to do with the Clergy.

Whether we establish a new church or trade away the Staff of Glory, we can still decide after the war on the Continent is over.”

urged Prime Minister Duke Newfoundland.

As a member of The Royal Family, his first concern was stability.

The prospect of continental war was uncertain, and provoking the Clergy at this juncture was unquestionably unwise.

“Chancellor, a stitch in time saves nine!

The Staff of Glory entails too great a consideration; whether we establish an independent church now or not, the Clergy will not let it go without a fight.

If we’re destined to become enemies, we might as well take the opportunity of the continental war to draw in other nations of the Northern Continent.

Once we make our move, the Frank Kingdom will surely press forward.

With their influence, we need not worry about a lack of followers.

The Clergy will be divided at least into three parts, and if the other major countries have their own designs, the Clergy will splinter even further.

With new churches sprouting everywhere, the Clergy will have to focus on stabilizing their base, thus they won’t have the resources to take revenge on us.

If the situation becomes dire, we can always step back and, upon establishment, the New Church can temporarily function without a Pope.”

Archbishop Tyron countered.

For the sake of establishing an independent church, the Kingdom Church of Alpha had made many efforts, and now they were only short of a decisive opportunity.

If they missed this chance, even if they achieved independence later, it would just be a regional church with limited influence.

The hope of disputing the rightful legacy of the Dawn Church with the Clergy would be even less likely.

Without claiming the rightful legacy, how could one face the Lord of the Dawn after death?

In this regard, religious figures were particularly steadfast.

…

As a qualified onlooker, Hudson quietly watched the debate unfold.

From the Divine Artifact to establishing a new church, and onto the grand continental war—the topics were branching farther and farther apart.