Work Prophet
Chapter 319 - 77 The Custodian

Chapter 319: Chapter 77 The Custodian

Priest Martina’s counterattack came swiftly. On the second day after entering Lake City, she immediately sent out carrier pigeons to the temples in various places.

First, she refuted Herodotus’s accusations against her one by one, then accused Herodotus of being the real murderer behind the assassination of High Priest Reves.

Not only that, but Priest Martina also stated that Herodotus had used despicable means to control the other High Priests. In other words, nearly the entire upper echelon of the Church had fallen under his control.

The Silver Moon Church had reached the most dangerous point in a millennium, so Priest Martina issued a call to action to all believers around the world, asking them to follow her in wresting back control of the Church from Herodotus!

Subsequently, Priest Martina sent messengers to all the major families in the Western Frontier, except for the Arias family, urging them to honor their ancestors’ sacred covenant and become the sword and shield in the goddess’s hands when the Church was in crisis!

The Marier family of Lake City was the first to respond, expressing their willingness to lend Priest Martina three hundred warriors led personally by Dordot, Uncle of Family Head Judith, to fight for the goddess.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Priest Kerkwon of Duolin City presided over a meeting of seven overnight. Although only four High Priests attended, they unanimously passed a resolution to expel Priest Martina from the Silver Moon Church.

On the next day, Goddess Pexia also issued an oracle, demanding the Church to change its millennia-old tradition. It called for selecting the most loyal and courageous believers, training them, and forming a guard to defend the Church, appointing Herodotus as the commander of this army.

Both sides were actively preparing for war, and the atmosphere in the Western Frontier suddenly became tense! Miss Rabbit was utterly baffled by what she saw.

After announcing her conversion to the Double Rest Sect on Saturday, she was prepared for the Church’s impending sanctions, but to her surprise, the sanctions hadn’t arrived, and the Silver Moon Church had begun to fall into disarray on its own.

Ireya was so engrossed in enjoying the drama that her mouth was almost twisted with glee, and then she promptly shared this joy with Li Yu.

However, Li Yu was not as optimistic.

"Haven’t you always said that powerful enemies tend to disintegrate from within?"

The Lady retorted, "The schism in the Silver Moon Church now seems inevitable. That should be good for us, right? Once Priest Martina and Herodotus are entangled with each other, they shouldn’t have time to bother with us."

"The Silver Moon Church is indeed split, but it has become more difficult to deal with," Li Yu said, "Especially on Herodotus’s side, he will likely take an extremist approach.

"And he plans to build a military force belonging to the Church. You’ve also studied in the Church before, how much do you understand about him?"

"High Priest Herodotus?" The Lady thought for a moment, "He is a disciple of High Priest Reves and also the youngest of the seven High Priests. Beyond that... there’s nothing else. He seems to have always kept a low profile, and after becoming a High Priest, he doesn’t appear to have done anything significant."

Adelle, standing by, added, "Many in the Church believe that High Priest Herodotus was able to defeat many competitors and become a High Priest because of his teacher, High Priest Reves."

"Oh?"

"High Priest Reves has an unusually intense obsession with power. After becoming a High Priest, he continuously sought allies and built his influence. My teacher, Priest Martina, does not like his approach.

"Moreover, they hold numerous divergences on many issues... High Priest Reves, in order to gain further initiative in the council of seven, pushed his disciple Herodotus into the position of High Priest after the death of High Priest Lysandertos.

"And Herodotus has been obedient. Even after becoming a High Priest, he still refers to Reves as his teacher and complies with him. Additionally, he is very polite to the other High Priests. I’ve heard that he hardly ever speaks in the council of seven."

"So, he’s just a pawn of High Priest Reves, isn’t he?" Miss Rabbit said. "Why did he suddenly act out of character this time? Is it possible... that High Priest Reves was really killed by High Priest Martina’s hand, and Herodotus wishes to avenge his teacher?"

"My teacher would never do such a thing," Adelle stated firmly. "She has always loathed resolving issues through violence."

"But this time, she took the initiative to contact the lords of the western frontiers, asking to borrow their troops."

"That is what I do not understand either. What exactly caused my teacher to waver in her beliefs?" The former priest seemed somewhat anxious.

Although Adelle had left the Silver Moon Church and joined the Double Rest Sect, there are some connections that cannot be easily severed, such as the mentor-student bond with High Priest Martina.

Especially with the drastic upheaval in the Silver Moon Church this time, High Priest Martina is at the center of this earthquake.

At this point, Li Yu suddenly interjected, "As far as I know, each High Priest in the Silver Moon Church has their specific duties, right? What is Priest Herodotus mainly responsible for on a regular basis?"

"He is the custodian, responsible for safeguarding the Holy Objects and various scriptures within the Church," came the reply.

"Sounds like a position with little power and a lot of idle time."

"Indeed, the custodian is not a prestigious position," Adelle admitted. "And High Priest Herodotus doesn’t make many friends in the Church either."

"Does he lack ambition?"

"Some people think so, but my teacher does not. Actually," the former priest recalled something, "my teacher once evaluated Herodotus, describing him as very dangerous."

"Dangerous? Why would someone who normally handles the safekeeping of Holy Objects and scriptures be considered dangerous?" The Lady was also piqued with curiosity.

"I do not know; my teacher did not elaborate at the time," Adelle shook her head.

Li Yu then asked Ireya, "The information you’ve got states that Herodotus led a surprise attack on High Priest Martina’s residence and then captured Priest Hesiod. How many men did he bring with him, and from where did they come?"

"The message doesn’t say, but I can ask Ona to look into it. Why are you interested in this detail? Unless there’s a surprise, it should be those young priests who have been misled by Herodotus or mercenaries that Herodotus has paid for," she guessed.

"Because High Priest Martina hasn’t gone home," said Li Yu matter-of-factly.

Li Yu produced a map of the western territories, pointing to a region on it, "You told me that High Priest Martina comes from the Bellon family, right? After escaping Duolin City, she hasn’t returned home."

"My teacher is worried about the pursuers behind her," Adelle’s heart tightened.

"And not just any pursuers," Li Yu said. "No mercenary in the Western Territories would dare to pursue a High Priest, and for sending young priests to pursue, Herodotus would not be stupid to that extent."

"Now that you mention it, that’s true. What exactly is High Priest Martina so afraid of..." The Lady began, then suddenly froze and blurted out, "The Black Armored Cavalry, it’s those Black Armored Cavalry!"