Chapter 341: Chapter 290: Old and New Faiths, Turbulent Undercurrents
The reserved seats for the council members were nothing special, not any more comfortable than any other seat in the venue. This was true except for the services of several "exquisitely beautiful" maids, a bunch of beverages and fruits whose presence in the spiritual world was a conundrum, and a desk bell that could summon various services. They were just closer to the chairman’s podium and received more attention, that was all.
Byron, for his part, didn’t do anything unnecessary and firmly declined the proposed massage services—of course, that had nothing to do with Violet sitting right beside him.
With Byron having broken the stalemate, the other country representatives lost interest in competing for second place. Anyone would do, as long as they prevented the Castilians from getting too arrogant. Thus, they entered one by one, casually taking seats wherever they wished. But they all couldn’t help but give Byron an extra glance. Especially the new Governor of Havana, Fox, who even made a throat-slitting gesture at him. He was completely oblivious that his predecessor—general, governor, the pair of sisters, family property—were all in the grasp of Lord Byron.
An elder shook his head. "Your Death Omen Star is shining bright, buddy!"
It seems that these nobles from various countries don’t know, just like Violet and I didn’t back then, that the council members of the Lighthouse Union are actually part of the package deal of the Lamplighters (Chapter 248). Nor do they understand the significance of the Lamplighters in this world, only treating me as an insider hidden by the Lighthouse Union. That’s just as well; it saves me a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Since he was there anyway, Byron decided to be at ease about it. After exchanging a glance with his aunt and receiving her teasing look that suggested, "You’ve kept yourself well hidden, young man," he completely ignored the curious, puzzled, and hostile eyes behind him.
Instead, the Lamplighter’s mark that had emerged on the back of his hand brought him an unexpected gain. Concentrating on the mark, he faintly sensed a feeling of kinship coming from above his head, probably from the topmost lantern room. Through the resonance between them, the information that slowly reached his heart gave him a deeper understanding of his council member role—one he had acquired without much effort and never really taken seriously.
The world itself is fairer than human society; where there is duty, there is right. They are necessarily matched. The Lamplighters of the Lighthouse Union and the Night Watch of the Church are known as the two most dangerous professions in the mortal world, with the probability of dying a natural death being close to zero. Besides advancing much faster than others, they also enjoy many privileges in their respective organizations before they die. Although, corresponding to the world rift’s level, I am just a second-level council member, the privileges I can enjoy in the Lighthouse Union are beyond ordinary people’s aspirations: a monthly stipend of one hundred pounds; priority in publishing articles in the Lighthouse Weekly with front-page treatment; constructing lighthouses at cost, saving at least a third of the construction budget; use of the Union’s network for postage of letters or small parcels; gratuitous sharing of intelligence below the second secrecy level, which includes the first-hand nautical charts compiled by the Union... There is also the right to vote in major decisions of the Union. And if one’s contributions are high enough, they could even vie for control over this Zero-Level Sacred Relic!
The world they lived in was a giant sailing ship cruising on the vast Sea of Origin Matter. The Source Tide and hidden knowledge seeping into this world through the "deck cracks" endowed humanity with various extraordinary powers. But should the cracks between the decks grow too large, water might leak through, allowing an excessive Source Tide to pour into this world, endangering nearby humans, or even the safety of the entire ship.
The Lamplighters’ duty was to confront the entities behind those cracks, using their lighthouses to plug them. These Lighthouse Sequence Transcendents who made significant contributions to the world naturally gained recognition from the world itself, bestowed with a Lamplighter’s mark that was absolutely impossible to forge. The world rift on Silvergold Island was Second Grade, hence Byron’s mark was naturally Second Grade too. The moment he heard the word "Luanyan Epoch" from those coral people’s mouths, he subconsciously associated the two.
I dare not imagine what would happen once the world rifts guarded by the Lamplighters are breached and the waters of the Sea of Origin Matter flood the ’cabin’ in large volumes; how many people would drown? At that point, a peaceful death might be a luxury.
At least for now, the situation seemed stable.
However, the world’s rifts, big and small, were numerous. Although the Lighthouse Union, with the help of the Zero-Level Sacred Relic Pharos Lighthouse, could monitor them in real time, as long as the cracks were within stable limits, there would be no excessive intervention. It’s like not attempting to fix the code with a perfectionist attitude as long as it still runs. After all, whether under the Great Pirate Flint or in Byron’s hands, the world rift on Silvergold Island had never reached a point of losing control. The crack had already closed in accordance with the contract and would not open until two years after the next prime-numbered year; unless Byron unexpectedly died, it generally would not cause any issues.
Against such a backdrop, and based on the principle that "the trick to fish farming is frequent changing of fish, and the trick to guarding the world is frequent changing of Lamplighters," a new face in the Lighthouse Union was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, they recognized the mark, not the person.
In that light, my initial forced assumption of the role of Lamplighter for Silvergold Island didn’t seem like such a bad deal. Well, that is, as long as the Greed Worm Mammon on the other side of the crack doesn’t suddenly drop dead.
Byron and the Governors and hunting teams of various countries waited again for over ten minutes, until they began to discuss amongst themselves whether there had been some unexpected development in the struggle for the Right to Protect. Only then did the meeting’s chairperson arrive belatedly.
Apart from an undisclosed vice-chairperson of the Lighthouse Union, the main actor in the struggle for the Right to Protect arrived: a Cardinal Archbishop from St. Peter’s Cathedral of the Holy See, with a ring of authority on his hand that shone brilliantly.
This was Byron’s first encounter with such an orthodox priest from the core of the Empire. So orthodox, in fact, that he was somewhat worried that the prelate might "strike in the form of a priest" in his dreams and reveal his true nature by shedding his religious robes.
Behind this Archbishop, two distinct groups of priests followed, clearly demarcated from each other. One group was expected by the representatives of various countries: the devout priests of Religious Orders who had recently arrived in the colonies and were not affiliated with any particular order. Unsurprisingly, they were led by Teresa from The Great Cathedral of the Holy Mother’s Mercy. But Herman, the Quasi-Sword Saint who was a mercenary of the Empire from their trio, was absent, leaving only Teresa and Brendan from the Holy Armed Forces Cathedral in attendance. Behind them were several unfamiliar faces, likely from the Religious Tribunal and other Religious Orders.
But the appearance of the other group caused frowns.
The insignias on their clothes belonged to the Havana Cathedral of Castilia. Although they, too, were clergy, they were a group of laymen marked heavily by the secular world. Each country had such individuals, and it was common for some to hold secular positions. The famous Cardinal of the Irisflower Kingdom, Richelieu, who was also a prominent member of "The King’s Right Hand" and the Prime Minister, was a quintessential representative among laymen.
But since they appeared publicly at this moment, it meant that Castilia’s plot to secure the Right to Protect was not a recent endeavor. They had evidently made early preparations, even having reserves of personnel, which made their sudden, unveiled aggression all the more alarming.
Byron, considering the ’prearranged outcome’ that Fox, the Governor of Havana, had just mentioned, couldn’t help but frown deeply. If he could figure out the cause and effect, then so could the other experienced tacticians. They were competing with Castilia out of necessity to preserve their colonial autonomy and national interests. Even if they couldn’t secure the Right to Protect themselves, they certainly did not want Castilia to succeed. Castilia’s overwhelming national power, coupled with their claim to a righteous cause, presented the greatest threat. The Right to Protect in other countries’ hands was inconsequential.
Seeing this development, they were no longer willing to stand back. Besides Castilia, the representatives of the other countries immediately showed a trend of banding together once more.
Someone already bluntly raised an objection, "Your Eminence the Archbishop, what is the meaning of this? Under the Creator’s watchful eye, is the Holy See now so blatantly favoring Castilia? What about the terms for securing the Right to Protect through the eradication of the May Wind scourge?"
The representatives knew that, although with the liberation of thought, many of the royal houses in countries that had long chafed under the Church’s influence had secretly been supporting Protestant Doctrine, the King of Castilia had publicly backed the Traditional Faction multiple times, criticizing the trends of Protestant Doctrine within the Church. Looking at it this way, there seemed to be some sort of collusion for mutual benefit indeed.
Following the seating of the priests of the Religious Orders directly under the Papal Basilica on one side, and the laymen serving the Kingdom of Castile on the other, the lines were clearly drawn.
The Cardinal Archbishop stood on the stage and, with the experience of an old hand, motioned with his hands to silence the noisy assembly before starting, "God loves all people. With every minute and second we delay, the lambs of God suffer. Now, I will speak on three points only."
And the first point he made had the representatives of the various countries perking up their ears.
"Firstly, the precondition for obtaining the Right to Protect will not be solely based on the killing of the May Wind, but rather on contributions. The top contributor will secure the Right to Protect, with the second and third-place contributors earning... exemptions!"
The moment his words fell, the not-yet-unified anti-Castilia coalition instantly crumbled to pieces.