The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 165 - 01: Distant Places

Chapter 165: Chapter 01: Distant Places

Holy Calendar 10757, June. It was exactly four years since Gray appeared in the surface world.

Salted Fish Port.

Two angels concealed their forms and floated in the air.

Abod’s eye twitched because, in the courtyard of the inner court of Salted Fish Port Castle, there was a blond boy who looked somewhat like Shelley playing. Shelley was standing nearby, watching with a look of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

"Is this... the child born five months ago? Don’t you think he looks at least five years old already?"

"Maybe he grew a bit faster," Catherine replied, expressionless.

*"Is it just that simple, growing faster?" Abod was shocked.*

*"You need to know, he’s not human. So a bit of anomaly is normal."*

*"But he’s not a lich either. So, what exactly is he?"*

*"I don’t know," Catherine shrugged, "I think they might have created a new species."*

*"You’ve been by his side all along, don’t you know what’s going on?"*

*"Even if you were by their side, you wouldn’t know what happened. He used the power of the Demon Lord, Vivian was involved, and they also summoned several high demons for help. Can you understand advanced black magic? Creating new species is something demons are quite good at."*

*"So is this really Gray and Shelley’s child?"*

*"You could say..." Catherine thought for a moment and replied, "Yes."*

Just at that moment, Abod suddenly noticed the child below was holding a ball and staring at him.

*"He... can see us?"*

Before he finished speaking, Little Richie had already run towards Shelley, "Mom, Mom, I see two bird people flying in the sky, can I shoot them down?"

"Bird people? Where?"

Little Richie indeed pointed towards Abod and Catherine, startling them both.

*"Can he really see us?"*

Sure enough, Shelley stretched her neck but saw nothing, "Where?"

"I’ll shoot them down so you can see."

Then, Little Richie raised his hand.

*"What’s he trying to do?" Abod squinted and watched closely, and the next moment, his eye twitched again because he saw Richie forming a black fireball bigger than his head in his hand!*

*"What the hell is this!"*

Richie waved his hand, with a "shoo," the black fireball rushed towards them.

The two angels were so scared, they dodged immediately. The black fireball grazed between them and singed Abod’s wing. The feathers on the wing started burning...

*"What the hell is this stuff?" Abod quickly endured the pain and plucked the burning feathers to save himself, sweating in fear.*

Looking back, Abod and Catherine found Shelley was already scolding Little Richie sternly.

"Where did you learn this?"

"It was... Aunt Vivian did it, and then I learned it," Little Richie said, sucking his finger with grievance.

"You can’t learn this, you know? Only bad kids learn this. Richie is a good kid, what if you hurt someone?"

"But they are bird people, not humans."

"Bird people are humans too. We should treat all races equally and not discriminate against them. After all, your dad is a lich."

"Oh, I understand..."

"From now on, you mustn’t use it again, okay? Or else I’ll punish you by not allowing you to eat snacks."

"I understand, Mom. I will be a good kid."

Holding Richie’s hand, Shelley left the courtyard.

The two angels were sweating profusely in shock.

*"Were we just discriminated against?"*

*"Seems like it. I think this child is even more dangerous than Gray..."*

*One person might not really be able to change a world, but if it’s a whole species...*

*...*

At this moment, in the distant north, within the Gustav Empire, Gray was riding a horse, leading his Silver Moon Knight Order slowly forward.

It was raining, and the ground was muddy.

Everyone in the group who feared the rain was stuffed into carriages, while those who didn’t fear the rain brazenly trudged through it.

The rainwater slid down the armor, seeping inside.

"This is terrible. Why do we have to travel in such weather? I feel the whole world is wet. It’s too awful," the Black Cat complained inside the armor.

"We need to reach Azlan Mountain soon," Gray said softly.

"What’s the use of us arriving? The Pope is already dead, and even if we get there, we can’t change that. We might as well wish him well in Heaven."

*"I think there’s something wrong."*

"What’s wrong?"

Gray shook his head, *"I don’t know, just a feeling."*

"Isn’t the problem obvious?" Vivian said softly in Gray’s mind, "The Pope’s death means all Holy Knights and cardinals, bishops from all places must attend the memorial ceremony. But that’s just the title. The real meaning is to elect a new Pope. You have one vote, but do you know who to vote for? Levi and others have votes too."

"Isn’t the Pope chosen by the Holy Spirit?" the Black Cat asked.

"It used to be, but not anymore. When I say ’used to,’ I mean more than five thousand years ago. They found that even with the Holy Spirit’s support, an unpopular candidate within the Church couldn’t get anything done due to internal strife. Humans have short lifespans, a few decades pass quickly. So, they let the Church elect its own Pope."

"Then why didn’t they cultivate a new Pope before the old one passed away? With the Holy Spirit’s support, gaining popularity should be easy, right?"

"You’re right, but the Holy Spirit might have different views about humans," Vivian replied softly, "They don’t want a Pope chosen under their strong intervention but one elected by the Church itself."

"Oh, in that case, Gray should just vote for himself."

The rain drizzled, splashing crystalline droplets on the verdant leaves.

In the sky, Belinda, wearing a mask, hid her form, spread her wings, and closely followed. On the other side, Zeda also concealed his form and spread his wings. The two glanced at each other unconsciously.

The dwarves were squashed in the carriage like goods, watching their kin outside, dead, yet walking in armor in the rain, indifferent with a look of hopelessness.

"Suddenly, I think dying and becoming a Skeleton Soldier might not be that bad. Why do we have to squish with elves in the carriage?"

"Hey, hey, hey, shouldn’t I say that?" Andrew, equally cramped in the carriage, said angrily, "I didn’t mind your smell, but you stinky dwarves are complaining about me?"

"What? Not satisfied? How about a fight?" Kroth suddenly got excited.

The whole carriage started shaking, but the Undead Knights around seemed used to it. If elves and dwarves weren’t quarreling, then you’d need to check if something was wrong.

"Can you guys not move so much? It’s already so crowded!" Jones yelled in the carriage. Dora shrank back feeling aggrieved.

Azlan Mountain, the location of the Church. Specifically, it’s less than five kilometers from Saint Lorenza in the Gustav Empire. Saint Lorenza is the second-largest city in the Gustav Empire.

It must be said, the distance from Salted Fish Port to Saint Lorenza is remarkably far. Even with spacious roads and the Silver Moon Knight Order, it would take at least two to three months for a round trip.

"I kind of miss Shelley and Richie," Gray said.

"You’ve just left Salted Fish Port not long ago..."

"Can’t you miss them after just leaving?"

"Okay, you can. It’s always like this as a first-time dad."

"We need to quickly finish our business and return, or the child will grow up lacking fatherly love. Maybe I should have brought them along."

"Um..." the Black Cat said helplessly, spreading his hands.

Thus, the Silver Moon Knight Order rode wantonly through the storm.

A cavalry team came head-on; the lead knight respectfully saluted Gray, "Holy Knight, I’m here to clear the way for you!"

"Can you keep up with our speed?"

"I’ll try..."

*...*

Meanwhile, Azlan Mountain, the Church.

The majestic halls, intricate murals, lifelike statues, splendid stained-glass windows, the ancient, vine-covered corridors.

Just as solemn as ever. Perhaps due to the Pope’s death, the entire Church became quieter. Occasionally, one could hear the wind or the chirping of birds in the courtyard. Everyone stepped lightly, almost making no sound.

The Pope’s coffin was already placed in the main hall.

Rays of sunlight poured through the glass window of the dome, falling on his wrinkled, pale face. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was slightly open, as if there were still words left unspoken. Surrounding him were countless flowers.

The cardinals and Holy Knights stood quietly on either side.

People entered the main hall one by one, including clergymen, nobles, and merchants. They paid their respects to the Pope’s remains, bowed, and placed their flowers beside the coffin.

"Will he come?" one of the cardinals whispered.

"He surely will. I heard he’s already on his way," someone replied.

"Why is he coming? We extended a symbolic invitation, not a genuine one."

"It doesn’t matter if he comes. He only has one vote, what can he change?"

"No, he has two votes. Besides being a Holy Knight, he’s also a Saint. And, Holy Knights can’t participate in the Pope election, but Saints can. Have you thought about that?"

"Does it matter? No one will vote for him. Who would vote for a lich as Pope?"

"Shush!"

"Oh, sorry."

"What we need to think about is, if he runs for Pope and loses, how do we deal with that? Also... should he continue serving as both Holy Knight and Saint? Remember that book from years ago? I’ve had a million copies printed."