Translator: Cinder Translations
...
After Marquis Foster presented his suggestion, a heated debate erupted once again in the hall.
"Your Excellency, the last meeting already raised the Church's vigilance. Will convening another international conference against them not provoke their retaliation?"
Some council members were worried about this. Before the last meeting, the Church had secretly instructed people to kidnap the wife and sister of Duke Eaton. Fortunately, they were rescued in time, avoiding a major diplomatic incident, but the memory still left them uneasy.
Marquis Foster responded, "Last time we were unprepared and did not anticipate their methods. I believe as long as we are well-prepared this time, there shouldn't be any major issues."
As council members, they enjoyed the benefit of discussing any matters openly under the guise of protecting the alliance's interests, even actions against the Church, which was deemed sacred and untouchable by the common people. Despite the Church's significant influence, the Bay Alliance was ultimately controlled by the descendants of its founders.
Though the devout Simons was deeply angry about how Horas and Foster were trampling on his faith, he couldn't truly stop them. After all, devout followers like him were in the minority in the council. If one is in the game of power, one must play by its rules.
"Mr. Speaker, Your Excellency the Marquis! Honorable council members!" Simons stood up to capture everyone's attention.
"I want to remind you all that although we can unite the strength of the Bay Alliance, the Church of Bay also has its backers. The Papacy is a massive entity; all churches on the continent respect and are governed by the Papacy. If we take extreme measures against the Church of Bay, provoking the Papacy behind it, we might face sanctions from the entire human civilization in the worst case!"
Simons was somewhat exaggerating. The relationship between the Papacy and local churches could be compared to that of secular Chinese kings and local lords, where local lords might disobey the king, just as local churches might disobey the Papacy.
"Mr. Simons—or should I call you 'Devout Simons'—we are not intending to take extreme measures. We are merely trying to defend the normal commercial order of the Bay Alliance. The truly extreme measures are those taken by the Church. Their witch hunts have severely affected our daily lives. Bay Alliance now has a bad reputation, and outsiders are afraid of being falsely accused of practicing witchcraft. How can we conduct business like this?"
From morning till night, the council debated this issue, and eventually, the faction supporting restrictive measures against the Church gained the upper hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Speaker, presiding over the meeting, pounded the table with a wooden gavel to bring silence to the hall.
"Now, I declare the voting to begin. Please take your sacred vote seriously, as it will determine our next policy!"
Meanwhile, in the grand cathedral of Niceport, a handover ceremony was taking place.
Elvis—the Bishop of Niceport—was stepping down from his position today as he was promoted to a higher role—the Archbishop of the Bay region. The former role only covered the area around Niceport, while the latter oversaw church affairs throughout the Bay region. Although Niceport was merely a city, its status as the capital of the Bay Alliance made its bishop's role comparable to those in other small nations within the Bay Alliance.
The role of the Bishop of the Alliance would be taken over by another highly respected cleric, Angelo.
In fact, Elvis was not fully supportive of Angelo taking his position because, within the Church, Angelo had always criticized his witch hunts, claiming they were too radical or doctrinaire, leading to many wrongful convictions and tarnishing the Church's image.
It was truly outrageous. Didn't he understand that it was better to wrongly kill a thousand than to let one go free? Witchcraft was like the fangs of a venomous snake—if bitten, one must be prepared to amputate the entire arm.
However, the appointment of Angelo was the decision of the Papacy, and he couldn't stop it. The Bay region was wealthy and a significant source of religious taxes. The Papacy had always maintained tight control over churches in this area. Moreover, Angelo, coming from a life of asceticism, was indeed well-regarded in the Niceport church and a local figure, making him eligible for the position.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Archbishop of Bay—Lord Elvis."
The host of the handover ceremony was a special envoy from the Papacy—Anthony—who offered his congratulations to Elvis.
"What promotion? Regardless of the position, we are all servants of God."
Elvis spoke humbly, but his eyes held a grateful look when he looked at Anthony.
When Anthony had last visited the Bay, he had hinted that his task was to evaluate the conduct of local bishops and provide recommendations for the Papacy's selection of the new Archbishop of Bay. Since Elvis had achieved this position, Anthony must have spoken highly of him. Of course, his outstanding performance over the past year, striving to eradicate heretics in Niceport, was also crucial.
"Well said." Anthony said with a broad smile and turned to Angelo, "Congratulations to you as well, Archbishop Angelo."
Angelo also modestly nodded, "I will not fail to honor the glory of the Father and will diligently perform the duties of a shepherd."
"Archbishop Angelo, I think it's necessary to remind you!" Elvis said to him, "After I leave, the witch hunts in Niceport must not slacken in the slightest."
Although Niceport was the capital of the Bay's largest political power, it was not the residence of the Archbishop of Bay. The secular power there was relatively strong. The Archbishop's residence was in the inland country of Collins, a monarchy where everyone, from the king to the commoners, was devout and followed the Archbishop's instructions closely.
"This... I will certainly follow your instructions, Lord Elvis."
Angelo hesitated before replying. Since it was a day of promotion for both of them, it was best not to make things too awkward in front of the Papal envoy.
Elvis sensed Angelo's reluctance and sighed. It was indeed concerning to leave the affairs of Niceport to such a person. However, now that he was the Archbishop of Bay, he had ways to influence Niceport through his position and remaining network. If he discovered any misconduct by Angelo, he would take action.
Anthony, observing the interaction between the two, had a fleeting, inexplicable glimmer in his eyes.
(End of the Chapter)
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