The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 21 Church of the Seven Gods
  "That's about it, Lord Hugo. The Archbishop is looking forward to your visit to the Great Cathedral of Baelor."

Facing the archbishop's invitation sent by Bishop Lu Chen, Hu Ge looked at the gold-gilded seven-pointed star decoration on the envelope. He looked unhappy. He had just made up his mind not to enter King's Landing yesterday, but now he has received another invitation. The content of the invitation is exactly about A series of delivery of materials and power.

He still had to accept this invitation. The invitation from the Archbishop of the Church of the Seven Gods was important to him. If he was just an ordinary military leader, of course he would not have to pay attention to the puppet of the Iron Throne, but he was going on an overseas expedition in the name of the Seven Gods. If you are a leader, you must take into account the opinions of the archbishop.

Although the Church of the Seven Gods is a loose federation, the Archbishop, as the head of the Church of the Seven Gods, still has huge control over the power. Legally, he also needs the approval of the Archbishop. Moreover, what the Archbishop wants to hand over is also very important, representing the Church of the Seven Gods' recognition and material support for the expedition.

At first, Hu Ge wanted to find a reason to delay, but when he thought about it, it didn't work at all. The only reason he could use was to pretend to be sick, but yesterday so many people saw him lively and commanding the camp.

If he did this, he would definitely be considered a slight by the Archbishop, and it might cause some trouble. Besides, the matter couldn't be postponed, so he only had one option: entering King's Landing.

"I will accept the invitation, but Lord Lu Chen, I don't want to enter King's Landing with great fanfare. Please convey this intention to the Archbishop."

"Yes, Lord Hu Ge." Bishop Lu Chen was not surprised by Hu Ge's request. They all saw the situation in King's Landing and then retreated.

"Lord Hu Ge, I think I can express my point of view, and you can get in touch with some pious people." At this time, the old sparrow spoke. There was no change on his face, but Hu Ge always felt that he had succeeded. .

"Okay, you tell me." Alas, we have to enter King's Landing anyway, so let's say it.

Amidst the impatient shouts of the soldiers of the capital garrison, Hugo, Canatier and more than a dozen of their entourage passed through the king's Linju Dragon Gate. The person who led them was none other than Lu, the liaison between the expeditionary force and the church. Bishop Chen.

Hu Ge's team is not big, and he doesn't want to attract attention. According to the information obtained, someone must want to target him, so it is better to keep a low profile.

However, Hu Ge felt that one of the information about his entry into the city must be known, and that was the famous eight-clawed spider Varys, but he had no conflict of interest with that guy, and he must be busy now to stabilize his position in the new dynasty. Well, it won't cause problems if you think about it.

The expedition camp Hu Ge was handed over to the management of the old sparrow and the farmer. With these two people here, stabilizing the situation was not a problem at all. Before leaving, Hu Ge told the old sparrow a lot of things, the most important of which was that if something happened in King's Landing, What changes caused him to be trapped in the city? Old Sparrow will immediately send a team to the city to fish him out.

After entering King's Landing, leaving the main road, and seeing what the city really looked like, Hugo sighed in a similar way to the old sparrow, "This city is really like a walled concentration camp."

"Concentration camp? The word you use to describe our beautiful capital is really appropriate." Bishop Lu Chen heard Hugo's soliloquy, his tone full of humor, and then looked at the crowded streets and said, "But this is King’s Landing.”

When saying this, Bishop Lu Chen's tone was both mocking and proud. It must be said that this is a very strange emotion.

"I don't understand. Hasn't the Iron Throne thought about taking good care of this city?"

Looking at the poor people drinking brown soup on the street and the crimes that occurred from time to time on the street, Hu Ge couldn't help but said that in his opinion, King's Landing was really bloated and its sewer system was overwhelmed, but the whole city smelled bad. Xuntian, a population of half a million is too scary, a ten to two hundred thousand less would be about the same.

The city is still in turmoil. The original managers have no intention of managing the city. The capital garrison is completely flat, and the streets are further chaotic, making this crowded city even more disgusting.

"The big shots all live on high hills. The stench cannot stink them, and the crowds cannot crowd them. They are nothing like us. We have to enjoy the stench of King's Landing every day." Lu Chen rarely expressed his attitude directly. It seems that The bishop was also troubled by the poor environment in King's Landing.

However, as if he noticed that his performance was "unusual", Lu Chen changed the subject the next moment, "Speaking of which, you are really amazing. You found a local snake in King's Landing so quickly."

What Lu Chen was referring to was Reg's gang. Not long after they entered the city, the gang leader came to Hu Ge with several top thugs, expressed his loyalty and surrender to Hu Ge, and followed Hu Ge.

Reg's arrival was the product of Hugo's discussion with the old sparrow. Since he was going to see the Archbishop, he wanted to give recognition to the people of King's Landing who had joined the expeditionary force, so that they could get out of the damn cesspit of King's Landing as soon as possible.

Reg treated Hu Ge with great respect, which made Hu Ge feel uncomfortable for a while. From him, Hu Ge further learned a lot about King's Landing. With the previous chat, the gang leader was not so nervous.

"It's all the efforts of the old sparrow." Hu Ge did not take any credit, but said the credit of the old sparrow.

"Master Old Sparrow, it wouldn't be surprising if it was him." Lu Chen was not surprised by Old Sparrow's name, and even had a hint of it being true. "Although Master Old Sparrow is outside the church system, his His reputation has long been known to the church, even more than ten years before the expedition was organized, he was a very famous person."

"Old Sparrow's past? Lord Lu Chen, can you tell me about it?"

Hu Ge suddenly developed a strong interest. He didn't know anything about Old Sparrow's past. He only knew that he had traveled around the Seven Kingdoms for a long time.

"This is indeed a secret to outsiders. Not many people in the church still remember the past, but I like to read the previous records. Mr. Hu Ge, I can just tell you." Lu Chen made a reminiscence statement , "About thirty years ago, Old Sparrow was a rapidly rising debater in the Starry Temple in Old Town. When he was still studying the classics, he relied on his interpretation of the "Seven Stars Bible" to refute some The high-ranking priest gathered his own power within the church, and many religious students like him gathered together. Their purpose at that time was to eliminate corruption in the church and establish correct doctrines."

"However, the good times did not last long. As Lord Sparrow attacked the then Archbishop, his failure also came. First, his supporters died inexplicably, and then he was exiled one after another. He was even detained for a time. He was imprisoned for a period of time on suspicion of heresy, and after experiencing these things, Old Sparrow also gave up his identity and position in the church and became a monk at the lowest level, measuring the land of the Seven Kingdoms with his footsteps." Lu Chen's There was a hint of admiration in his tone. "This is really surprising." Hu Ge had many thoughts about Old Sparrow's past, but he never thought that he had once caused an uproar in the church. In that case, his ability makes sense. .

"Yes, when I first met Mr. Old Sparrow, it took me a lot of time to determine his identity."

Lu Chen's tone was also quite sighing. At this time, they had already reached the top of Visenya Hills. The buildings around them had become more decent, changing from the poor style to the middle class style, but there were no bright colors. Most of the people on this hill were devout believers. At this moment, Lu Chen looked ahead and pointed at the huge building.

"Lord Hugo, we are going to a place. Look, there is the Great Temple of Baelor."

Following what Lu Chen pointed out, Hugo looked at the Great Cathedral of Nabele. This building was built by "Blessed by God" Baeler. It replaced the Star Cathedral in the old town and became the center of the Seven Gods of Westeros. center of. It is located on the top of the Visenya Hills, surrounded by a white marble square. In the center of the square stands a huge statue of Baelor I. It stands calmly on the pedestal with a look of compassion.

Baelor the "Blessed" was a Targaryen monarch known for his extreme piety. During his reign, the Cult of the Seven continued to grow, and this huge temple was erected as a result.

At the entrance of the cathedral, several people wearing high-ranking priestly attire were waiting. Looking at their clothes, you could determine their identity. They were the archbishop, and behind the archbishop were ordinary priests arranged in order of religious rank.

The behavior of the two archbishops was elegant and majestic. Underneath the bishop's robes were probably expensive and delicate silk. Hugo also noticed that their palms looked soft. They had obviously never been polished by wind and rain. They were similar to those of the old sparrow. The monks formed a sharp contrast, which made Hu Ge understand even more why the old sparrow looked down on the church so much.

"May the Seven Gods bless you, Lord Hu Ge, and Brother Lu Chen."

"May the Seven Gods bless you." Hu Ge responded, while Lu Chen bowed respectfully to the two people who were higher than himself.

"Can I meet with the Archbishop next?" Lu Chen couldn't wait to ask about the meeting with the Archbishop. He had already sent someone to inform him of the news.

"Of course, the Archbishop is waiting for you." The Archbishop who was questioned by Lu Chen did not even look at him, but said very respectfully to Hu Ge. The Archbishop's attitude made Hu Ge feel more at ease. This was a good start. , and then he gave Lu Chen a comforting look, and the weasel bishop just smiled indifferently. It seemed that this was not the first time he had experienced this.

The gathering of so many high-ranking church figures naturally caused a commotion among the people and pilgrims praying in front of the cathedral, thinking that some big shot had come here. However, they were quickly appeased by the priests and then evacuated. This scene made Lu Chen If some people want to curse, can't they be more professional and evacuate the person first and then let him come? How many people have seen his face.

Next, under the leadership of the archbishop, Hugo was able to enter the headquarters of the Church of the Seven Gods. As for Bishop Lu Chen, he was left outside the church. This made Hugo very concerned, but it was difficult to inquire.

To enter the church from the gate, you have to walk through a long corridor. This corridor is called the "Hall of Lights." There are many colored lead glass balls hanging on the ceiling of the corridor. Hugo walked through this corridor, during which he learned about the Seven Gods. The wealth of the church kept sighing. There was nothing cheap in the entire cathedral. Even though so many gold and silver utensils were sent to the expeditionary force, it did not affect the magnificence of the cathedral.

After passing two doors, we arrived at the place where the monks prayed. Here, Hugo's entourage was left outside. Hugo had no objection to this. It was indeed very inappropriate for a group of laymen to see the archbishop.

Tall altars to the Seven Gods gathered under domes of glass, gold, and crystal, the sanctuary floors were paved with marble, and the huge windows in the walls contained stained leaded glass. In front of the altar, believers lit candles to worship.

In front of the largest altar, the Archbishop was praying to the Seven Gods. Looking at the Archbishop's figure, Hu Ge remembered the information he knew about the Archbishop: He was a fat man with a corrupt mind and a gluttonous nature. chatter.

The person in front of him indeed matched these descriptions. If it weren't for the Archbishop's robes and the gorgeous seven-sided crown, Hu Ge would never have realized that this person was the leader of the Church of the Seven Gods.

In a bad way, Hugo thought of a sentence, "The Archbishop is so pious that he has to eat a meal for each god." Next, Hugo only hoped that he was as stupid as he seemed. That's easy to deal with - but they have become the head of the Church of the Seven Gods, which also means that it is impossible.

"May the Seven Gods bless you, Lord Hugo. I have heard of your reputation countless times in King's Landing. Brother Lu Chen has already told me your information."

The Archbishop had a smile on his face, but Hu Ge could tell that it was just a superficial smile, and when he mentioned Lu Chen, he saw an elusive trace of disgust flash across the Archbishop's face, which made Hu Ge Ge was slightly uneasy.

"It is really an honor for me and the church that you can come to the capital. In this dark age of faith, there are still people who intend to regain the birthplace of the Seven Gods Religion and want to regain that great land. This is really touching. , this must be the manifestation of the will of the Seven Gods acting on the world."

Hu Ge admitted that although the Archbishop did not look good in appearance, after being the Archbishop for so many years, every move he made had the power he should have, enough to frighten the ignorant people. Even the flesh on his chin trembled with his words. The flicker caused a lot of points loss, but it was far enough away that no one could see it clearly, so it didn't hurt.

"May the seven gods bless you." Everyone, including Hu Ge, responded, and the archbishop asked the waiter to bring two chairs. The chairs were covered with gold and gems. Hu Ge looked at the chairs in surprise. , so rich?

"Lord Hu Ge, let's talk about it. There are many things we need to finalize next."

Hu Ge sat opposite the archbishop, and the waiter brought water to the two of them. After that, Hu Ge was very disdainful. How could he pretend to be poor in this way.

But contempt is contempt, and Hu Ge will never show such emotions on his face. Now it's time to have a good talk.

(End of this chapter)