Passing through the dark corridor, Mayne rode the cage into the huge hole deep underground and came to the front of the Pivotal Secret Temple again.
His Majesty O 'Brien was already waiting at the door.
He looked older than the last time. His eyes were sunken in, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes spread across his cheeks like a spider web. However, his smile was still gentle and full of concern.Mayne couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes. He knelt in front of him. "Your Holiness, we …"
"Get up, child." The Pope's voice was calm and steady. "I heard you're in trouble? Let's talk in the hall. "
Today was not the day of conversion, so there were no candles lit along the walls in the hall. There were only candlesticks placed in a few corners. The Pope returned to the main seat and took a deep breath. "Tell me, what happened outside?"
Mayne was well aware of the importance of His Holiness O 'Brien's responsibilities. It was not that he did not know what was happening outside the Holy City, but that he did not have the time to deal with these trivial matters. That was why he had set up three archbishops to jointly manage the church affairs. He should try his best to avoid disturbing Her Holiness with these things, but he was powerless to solve the current troublesome situation.
Mayne quickly recounted what had happened from beginning to end.
"Heather is dead …" O 'Brien was silent for a long time after listening to the story. Then he sighed, "She was an observant, clever and devout little girl. I watched her slowly grow up."
"My condolences, Your Holiness."
"The murderer will definitely be punished." The Pope nodded. "So, the current situation is that Garcia and the Kingdom of Wolfsheart are helping each other? The new poison didn't work? "
"It played a miraculous role in the capture of Broken Tooth Castle. The defenders managed to hold out for a month before all of them died. The Army of Judges quickly broke into the city, and there were almost no living people in the residential area. However, when we attacked Wolfsheart City, the poison didn't seem to have the same effect. Now, the enemy's resistance is still tenacious." Mayne reported.
"You made two mistakes," O 'Brien said slowly. "The illness caused by the poison will cause death within seven to ten days. You should have taken advantage of the first peak of the illness to launch an attack, and then quickly treated the residents in the city. This would have greatly reduced their hostility. Don't forget that we need as many people as possible, not empty cities. "
"The second point is to wait a month before taking action. Although it can minimize the casualties, it will also give the enemy enough time to react and find a way to cure the disease. The essence of the new poison is demonized demonic beasts. According to the Holy Book of Magic, there are more than 70 kinds of abilities that can restrain its infection, and more than 30 kinds of abilities that can directly kill it. It's not surprising that such a witch would appear in a city with tens of thousands of people. "
"You mean, they colluded with witches?"
"At the moment of life and death, who cares if they are the Devil's minions or not," the Pope said calmly, "Regardless of whether this witch took the initiative to stand out, or was exposed and forced to treat the disease, it is not good news for the Church. If they can really stop our attack, the reputation of the witches in the Kingdom of Wolfheart will change dramatically. They might even … be regarded as heroes. "
"It's all my fault," Mayne said, bowing his head in pain.
"It is indeed a mistake, but it is not serious. You formulated such a strategy in order to reduce the losses of the Army of Judges and the God's Punishment Army." O 'Brien tapped Roland's shoulder with his scepter. "Moreover, the three Princesses of Graycastle and the King of Wolfheart are gathered together. This is also an opportunity for us."
"Opportunity … meeting?" The Bishop was startled.
"Yes, an opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop." O 'Brien stood up. "Come with me."
Under the guidance of the guards, Mayne followed the Pope out of the Pivotal Secret Area and slowly walked into the depths of the cave. The huge God's Stone of Retaliation emitted a dim light, illuminating the path under their feet. Gradually, the light became dimmer and dimmer. Mayne could not help but look back, only to see that the Pivotal Secret Temple and the God's Stone had already been left far behind. At this time, the guards also lit torches to avoid tripping on the gravel on the ground.
"Where are we … going?"
"We have arrived, child." His Holiness O 'Brien stopped, breathing a little quickly. "Phew … I'm getting old. It's so tiring to walk such a short distance …"
A guard came forward to support him. "Your Holiness, let me carry you."
"It's okay. I just need to rest." He stood still for a while and then ordered, "Light the brazier."
At this time, the Bishop noticed that there were several towering iron shelves erected on the side of the stone path. If it weren't for the guards holding torches approaching them, it would have been difficult for most people to discover these metal objects hidden in the darkness.The guard climbed up the ladder and lit the turpentine basin at the top. Several dazzling flames suddenly spurted out. Mayne first squinted his eyes, and after adapting to the change in light, he looked forward.
In the flickering light of the fire, a dusty canvas appeared in front of everyone. It bulged high, and it was obvious that a huge object was covered under it.
"I originally planned to use it in the last two years to resist the increasingly ferocious demonic beasts, but now it seems that it will have to be activated in advance." O 'Brien waved his hand. "Take off the cloth."
"This is …" As the canvas fell, Mayne could not believe his eyes for a moment.It was a huge, ferocious-looking four-wheeled iron carriage. Just one of its wheels was taller than him. It did not have a carriage, only a terrifying metal ram and a beast bone frame. In the middle of the frame was a bone shield that was full of barbs. It was as big as three or four doors. Two perfectly straight iron poles, one on the left and one on the right, stretched out from the openings on the shield. They pointed straight forward, like sharp arrows that were ready to be shot. On both sides of the iron carriage, there were dozens of such iron poles. Each pole was as thick as his thigh, reflecting a dull metallic luster under the brazier.
"In the Holy Bible, it is named the Siege Beast." The Pope walked to the side of the iron carriage and patted the solid iron pole. "It can only be activated by magic, and it requires three or four witches to operate properly. The attack range of the Siege Beast is far greater than that of a catapult or a ballista. It would be very difficult for an ordinary city wall to withstand the destruction of iron arrows. A sailboat made of giant wood would be like thin paper in front of it. Whether it is destroying the strong walls of Wolfsheart City or blocking the advance of the Black Sail Fleet, it would be a piece of cake for it. "
"This … is also a weapon developed by the Pivotal Secret Temple?"
"No." O 'Brien shook his head. "You should be able to guess that it comes from our enemies, the Devils of the Abyss of Hell. This is also the reason why the Church hid the Siege Beast in the depths of the cave. Remember, when you use it, you must do your best to hide your whereabouts and not let the civilians see what it looks like.
"I understand." Mayne bowed his head.
Why can the Devils' weapons be controlled by witches? Could it be that they also have the same magic as humans? He suppressed the doubts in his heart and did not continue to ask. It was obvious that he would only be qualified to understand these things after he became the new Pope.
"In addition, in order to prevent Garcia and the Wolf King from escaping again, I will send two Pure Witches to assist you in battle." The Pope said in a solemn voice, "No one can escape from their hands … Go, use the blood of these blasphemers to send Heather off."
His Holiness the Pope's Pure Witches!His heart trembled. The witches raised by the Church and survived were all called Pure Witches, but the witches under the Pope's command were the strongest ones selected from thousands of people. Their abilities were not even recorded in the Holy Bible of Magic. Compared to Heather, Tayfun and the few witches under his command, there was a world of difference! Now that His Holiness had personally said that they couldn't escape, the fate of the two had already been decided.