Heart of the Castle

Chapter 717

In the clear sky like a transparent blue crystal, a large alchemy flying boat dragged its devastated body and was slowly flying forward.Three green giant dragons are located above the flying ship and hundreds of meters away from the left and right sides of the flying ship to keep escort at the same speed. Behind the dragons are hundreds of elf knights riding silver-winged Pegasus .

These elven knights were all wearing finely crafted and gorgeous elven armor, and the mithril shields and scimitars in their hands gleamed in the sun, setting off the gloomy description of the knights in the sky riding the giant eagle. Having just experienced a disastrous defeat, the morale was extremely low, and even the movements of the giant eagles flapping their wings seemed weak.

This large alchemy flying ship is the Rimang, which carried the Shining Mission to the Kingdom of Arthur. After a fierce battle last night, the cabin, deck and mast were damaged to varying degrees. The alchemy ballista was completely destroyed, only the ballista at the stern had no chance to fire from the beginning to the end, but was missed by the demons, and became the only surviving self-defense weapon on the Rimang.

The Deputy Envoy of the Radiant Mission and the head of the Oita Branch of the Knights of the Condemnation Sword Standing with a gloomy face behind the podium in the captain's cabin, Triunissian looked through the crystal porthole and watched the crew of the Rimang busy on the deck. commonplace.Jon, the captain of the Rimang, stood carefully behind the ruthless sword-wielding grand duke. Due to the brutal beating in the battle last night, Captain Jon's left cheek was swollen, and covered The gauze and bandages covering half of his face make it almost impossible to see his original appearance.

In fact, Triunicion's appearance is not much better. His left wrist bone was cracked by the heavy slash of the death knight's shield. There was no immediate healing from such an injury, and his arm had to be immobilized with linen bandages and splints, and slathered with a pungent herbal slurry.For the same reason, the wound on Triunicion's head barely stopped bleeding, leaving behind a hideous scar like a centipede with many legs, and the bruises on his cheeks and chest did not dissipate.

However, the appearance of embarrassment does not mean that the danger of Triunicion has also been reduced at the same time. On the contrary, the expression of the head of Oita is horrifying, and the eyes flickering with angry flames make people dare not look directly at them.Captain Jon stood behind him with a half-bowed body, his face was pale, and there were big muddy beads of sweat on his forehead, and then a small stream of sweat flowed down his cheek, but he didn't even dare to wipe it off.

"Captain Yorn, have the Rimang's losses been calculated?"

Trunicien asked very abruptly, causing Captain Jorn, who was thinking wildly, to tremble violently, and his mind went blank.It wasn't until Captain Oita turned around coldly that he answered with a trembling voice as if he had just woken up from a dream. "Come out, come out, Rimang's loss is huge, huge..."

"It's very big, how big is it?" Triunicion's tone was so cold that it was almost suffocating.

Captain Jorn tried his best to restrain the trembling of his legs, and the voice he squeezed out was so low that it was hard to hear because of his clenched teeth. "Lord Treuni, the Rimang has suffered serious damage. According to preliminary investigations... the No. 1 main magic furnace was forced to shut down due to overheating, and it will take at least five hours to start trial operation again. No. 5 and No. 3 The core of the auxiliary magic energy furnace was melted due to excessive operation, and it can no longer continue to work. In addition, several structural breaks occurred in the outer keel of the ship's bottom, the front and rear main masts were broken, and only the alchemy ballista at the stern was still usable. There are also varying degrees of damage..."

Triunicion stopped Captain Jorn with a furious gesture, "Idiot! Just talk about these things with the alchemists on board, don't report to me one by one!" He walked behind the podium irritably Two steps, "I want to know two things. First, how much combat power is left on the Rimang? If you get rid of those elves, can you return to the holy mountain? Second, how much is the loss of the crew on board?"

Captain Yohn was overwhelmed by the stern tone of Captain Oita, and his heart sank suddenly, "Lord Treuni, after the battle last night, the alchemy energy reserve of Rimang has reached a very dangerous level, and the No. 1 magic furnace has been shut down. The biggest trouble is that the Rimang cannot run at full speed, and after the core of the auxiliary magic furnace is melted down, the magic shield can no longer be activated, so it is too dangerous to get rid of those elves and go on the road alone."

"As for the loss of personnel on board..." Captain Jon hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "The loss was very small, or... there was no loss at all. No one on the Rimang died in the attack. The most injured The serious one is Cardinal St. Nemok, he is still in a coma, but after the diagnosis and treatment of the elf druid, at least his life is not seriously affected."

"Saint Cardinal Nemok is still alive?" Triunicion's face was more suspicious than surprised, because he saw the cardinal flying more than 20 meters by the death knight's punch, even Crashing through the cabin of the Rimang, "Captain Yon, the sword of condemnation never forgives liars and deceivers, you should think clearly!"

Captain Jorn instinctively took half a step back, stroked his chest with his hands, and said with a deep bow, "Lord Treuni, how dare I deceive you? Cardinal St. Nemok is in the next cabin right now. Take rest, maybe you will wake up after a while."

"There...isn't there even a single dead person?" Triunicion's expression became more and more gloomy, "Captain Yon, slow down the speed of the Rimang, and if those elves ask questions, just say that the mana of the flying ship Furnace malfunctioned and couldn't get up to speed."

"I'll follow your orders right away, Lord Triuni." Captain Jon replied with a deep bow without asking any further questions.

"Find someone to take me to see Cardinal St. Nemok." Triunisian continued to order, "Also, bring some food."

"...This is what happened." After night fell, the only source of light in the small cabin was the candlestick on the low table, and the flickering candlelight lit the faces of Cardinal St. It is plated with a layer of cold orange, but also leaves a lot of shadows. "My lord cardinal, I think there is a problem with the attack on the Ridge this time."

"Of course there is a problem." Cardinal St. Nemok replied while thinking, "Brother Treuni, the Rimang's magic shield has the effect of avoiding detection, and it is almost certain that the devil can't find us at all, but The appearance of the death knight is also very strange... what did you say his name is?"

"I heard Marquis Osiris call him Eupondra the Doomsday."

"I have heard this name before. It is a trump card in the hands of the Council of the Dead - the head of the Doomsday Knights. His strength exceeds that of ordinary sword-wielding dukes, and he is even strong enough to compete with the Sky Knights." St. Nemok Cardinal The bishop's expression looked a bit deep, and the flashes of memories and thoughts flickered in his eyes. "According to your description, this Eupondra should not have broken through the final barrier of fighting qi sanctification, but in terms of strength, he has far surpassed you, the sword-wielding prince?"

Triunicion's expression and neck seemed a little stiff, and it took several seconds before he reluctantly nodded and admitted, "Yes, my lord cardinal, although I don't want to admit it, but the strength of that death knight It is indeed stronger than me, no matter whether it is a confrontation of swordsmanship, fighting spirit or strength, I have no chance of winning."

"The relationship between the deceased and the devil is entangled. They use each other and guard against each other, because the dark camp has always liked to kill each other." Cardinal St. Nemok took a deep breath, and then spit it out , as if to calm the mind. "So I think the attack that happened this time is indeed a bit abnormal. It turned out to be a death knight commanding the demon army..."

"What's even more strange is that no one on the Rimang died because of the attack!" Triunisian said bluntly.

"This is the second doubt." Cardinal St. Nemok shrugged and said, "The third doubt is that the elves' reinforcements came too timely, but this is also the best explanation for the doubts. The elves are likely to be After discovering the demon, they followed it, just in time for the Rimang to be attacked."

Triunicion clenched his fist with his right hand and slammed it hard on the low table beside the bed, "It's really abominable. If those elves could have arrived a few minutes earlier, the Rimang would not have suffered such heavy trauma!"

"Maybe they have arrived long ago, but they have been watching instead of rushing to help."

"How dare these bean sprouts do this?" Triunicion cursed through gritted teeth, "Aren't they afraid of the revenge of the Temple of Radiance?"

"Brother Triuni, this is why the elves did this. The reputation of our Shining Temple seems a bit too strong, and we have also had conflicts with the Temple of the Goddess of Life that the elves believe in. It is understandable for them to choose to wait and see." St. Nemok The cardinal sighed again, with a sad tone, "More importantly, these three giant dragons... If my feeling is correct, they are all high-level giant dragons, and at least two of them have grown up, in other words In other words, they are two legendary powerhouses."

"Those who cross the legendary threshold with blood power are the weakest legendary powerhouses!" Triunisian said in a cold tone, "In terms of strength, they may not be able to compare with a sky knight or even a sword-wielding grand duke."

"What you said is absolutely right, Brother Treuni." Cardinal St. Nemok nodded in agreement, and then shook his head with a wry smile, "but the legendary dragon is different, unless His Majesty the Pope leaves the holy mountain to do it himself, otherwise We have no good way to deal with them, even if the Rimang is intact, or if Captain Ingram leads the Knights of the Sword of Sin, it is impossible to defeat these darlings of the sky."

Triunicion thought about it for a while, and had to nod his head, "My lord cardinal, I'm really sorry that I wasn't considerate enough just now."

Cardinal St. Nemok shook his head, "No, it's not your fault, but we all made the same mistake before." He stretched out his hand, touched the bishop's scepter beside the bed, and stood up with support , "The blessing of the Lord of Radiance made us so proud that we forgot the feeling of awe. Brother Treuni, think about what we have done these years? From the Church of Wings of Liberty to the blind Looking at the Church of the Prophet, how many pagan temples have we wiped out? How many clergymen who believed in other gods have been killed? Hundreds of years ago, these people... these gods all had a relationship with the Lord of Light Flandala is juxtaposed above the sky!"

Triunicion's face suddenly turned extremely pale, "Lord Cardinal St. Nemok!" He stood up abruptly, his head almost hitting the ceiling of the cabin, "I heard you right! What did you mean just now? ?”

"You heard me right, Brother Treuni." Cardinal St. Nemok's complexion was actually not much better. It seemed to be covered with a layer of gray haze, and there were dense bloodshot eyes, but his tone But it is firm and unshakable, "I was just criticizing the actions of the Temple of Glory in recent years, and I think these actions are making us more and more isolated and excluded!"

"My lord, Cardinal Saint Nemok, don't say any more!" Triunicion roared in a low voice, "As the head of Oita of the Sword of Sin, I cannot tolerate anyone's criticism and disloyalty towards the Temple of Glory ! But if you shut your mouth now, I can pretend that I didn't hear all of your words just now!"

"Trunisian Oita Commander!" Cardinal St. Nemok looked over with piercing eyes, "Who is the object of your loyalty? Is it the supreme lord of glory, Flandala? That handful of clergymen who belong to the power of the Radiant Temple?"

Triunicion was a little confused by this question. He was silent for several seconds before shaking his head and saying, "What do you mean? Cardinal, don't we high-level people in the temple be the gods of the golden sun?" Believers? Isn’t the Temple of Radiance a group that represents the interests of the Lord of Radiance?”

"Of course we are!" Cardinal St. Nemok seemed to understand something crucial, the pallor on his face faded, and was replaced by a flush of excitement, "When it comes to the words of the Lord of Radiance, Flandara, At that time, what did you think of? His Majesty Pope Nicholas? Lord Ingram, the head of the sword of condemnation? Or the glorious council composed of four cardinals and four head of the knight order? Wrong, This is not all, but only a small number of dignified representatives of the great Lord of Shining Flandara believers! The faith of the Lord of Shining is a huge group, from the bumpkins who work on the fields to the nobles of the lords in the high walls , from the apprentice priest in white to the cardinal wearing a crystal crown, these are all devout believers of our Lord, and there is no distinction between high and low status in front of faith! Do you understand what I mean?"

Triunicion's bewildered expression didn't disappear because of this, he touched the beard of his chin with his right hand in a daze, and put it on the hilt of his waist again, "I, I don't quite understand, but it seems I understand a little... My Lord Cardinal, please continue."

"The Temple of Radiance is not owned by a small group of people—this is the premise of all theories. If this is affirmed, then the next thing will be easy to explain." Cardinal St. Nemok took a breath, and then continued, " Brother Treuni, what I want to say next is that the Temple of Radiance has been stagnant for a long time."

"But the Temple of Radiance has been developing all the time! The area of ​​control is constantly expanding, and the number of followers of the Lord of Radiance, Flandara, is increasing almost every moment." Triunicion retorted somewhat unconvinced.

"That's not the case in my eyes. The Temple of Radiance has always been expanding, rather than developing and improving!" Cardinal St. Nemok walked two steps in the narrow cabin, and there was an unignorable tone in his tone. Power, "If you don't think about it carefully, it seems that expansion and development are not different, but from ten years ago to now, what new research results have been found in our teachings? What is the essential improvement in our power? Yes, we are annexing There are several churches that have lost their strength, and the number of believers who believe in the Lord of Glory is tens of thousands, even 10,000+ more than before. What else is there? All affairs of the Glory Council are at the command of His Majesty the Pope Therefore, all the decisions of the temple are made by the Council of Glory, in fact, what we are implementing is not the will of the Lord of Glory, Flandala, but the edict of Pope Nicholas and Saint Huaiyuan!"

"My lord, Cardinal St. Nemok, please allow me to remind you that His Majesty the Pope is the only spokesperson for our lord Flandara in the mortal world." The tone of Triunicien's retort this time was not as loud as before, but At least it was firm.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Treuni, fortunately I haven't forgotten this." Cardinal St. Nemok forced a smile, and then stood still leaning on the bishop's scepter, "But let me remind you, His Majesty the Pope is golden. The statement that the sun is the only spokesperson in the mortal world was raised at the Glorious Council after His Majesty Nicholas Sheng Huaiyuan ascended the holy throne!"

Triunicion seemed to have been hit head-on by an invisible stick, staggered two steps back, and even hit the locked hatch with his back, "My lord Flandara, save your loyal believer Let's go!" He murmured a prayer in his mouth, and what Cardinal St. Nemok said was contrary to everything he once firmly believed in, making him feel that the iron-like belief in his heart was being subverted by these words.

"The last thing is the most important thing I want to say today." Cardinal St. Nemok added another heavy blow to Triunicion's shaky defense, "during the coma I did A dream, in which His Majesty Pope Nicholas walked down from the top of the holy mountain, his eyes weeping blood, and the dark shadows spread from his feet in all directions like the tide!"

(End of this chapter)