Chapter 726: Secrets of the Mad Pope

Chapter 726: The Secret of the Mad Pope

Just like their journey from the classroom to this spot, the teacher walked ahead while Karen followed beside him. The teacher spoke, and Karen, for the most part, listened in silence.

Whenever they reached a specific point, the teacher would deliberately lay down a premise, pausing to wait for Karen to chime in or answer.

And Karen's brief responses invariably struck the absolute sweetest spot in the teacher's mind, causing him to take sharp, uncontrolled deep breaths, his body even beginning to sway slightly.

It was evident that the teacher was experiencing genuine, deep gratification.

In the eyes of many, history was dry and rigid, but in reality, it was alive. When tracing history back to its source, people always liked to compare it to a "long river of history." What many historians did was fish in this river. They not only had to know during which period a certain fish swam through here, but they also had to meticulously examine and record its scales, gills, and tail—even every single scale—while simultaneously figuring out where it swam from and where it was heading.

The difference between the divine historians within the Church and real-world historians lay in the fact that their perspective could look much further, because the "span of civilization" everyone focused on possessed a massive disparity.

This teacher truly possessed immense capability. Although it was just a simple lecture, and he had not prepared the lesson in advance, through his narration, the causes and manifestations of that divergence between the God of Order and the God of Light were reconstructed and presented with extreme delicacy.

Many of the historical materials cited were ancient versions of mythological narratives from the major orthodox churches, and many others were sourced from ancient texts of extinct churches that he had sought out himself. He had even participated in the excavation of many ruins during the first half of his life; his mind was packed with an unknown amount of "private stock."

As they chatted, the two returned to the classroom. The rest of the group was still fast asleep in sweet slumber, so the teacher had Karen sit in front of the podium, and the two continued to converse face-to-face.

"In fact, if one wants to look closely into a divergence, it is often inseparable from a consensus, and this consensus, in turn, is divided into several stages. Although gods have always been praised by us as omniscient and omnipotent entities—and I do not deny this view—at least in the early stages, gods also had their own processes of contemplation and cognition.

The earliest stage: [Light Awakened Order].

Mm, this specific record is no longer present in recent editions of *The Light of Order*. It existed in the old versions, and it was very clearly recorded in the mythological narratives of all major orthodox churches.

The awakening here is not something I want to simply and narrowly define as a method similar to our Church's 'Awakening,' as if the God of Light caused our God of Order to awaken.

I prefer to understand it as the propositions and ideals of the God of Light gaining the approval of our Lord, inspiring our Lord's own process of contemplation.

The beginning of the era of civilization was when the God of Eternity led the gods to lift the torch upon Mount Anraminde. It was the God of Eternity who ended the dark history of the eras; otherwise, the fault lines in previous civilization records cannot be explained.

But the fall of the God of Eternity meant he could no longer continue leading his faction to complete the next step of development after ending the darkness and opening civilization. He could no longer bear his subsequent historical mission.

Of course, it is also possible that the God of Eternity knew he could not achieve it, which is why he went to pursue the taboos of time.

In short, the bearer of the next stage of the historical mission was the God of Light. He shattered the era where gods enslaved humans, creating a hierarchical system where gods and humans coexisted. The method used to achieve this objective was the War of the Gods.

Do you know what the single factor during the War of the Gods was that truly exerted the greatest impact on the structural pattern and status of human destiny?"

Karen replied, "The widespread participation of the churches."

"Clap!"

The teacher clapped his hands, his goatee seemingly twitching upward.

"Yes! The War of the Gods, the war among deities. It sounds like a war between gods, but the slaughter on the battlefield didn't just involve deities. That period was the golden age for the rise and development of the major churches. Humans, functioning as followers of the gods, subordinates of the gods, and supporters of the gods, participated extensively in the wars of the deities.

Old gods kept falling, and new gods kept being born. Where did the new gods all come from?

Therefore, I have never entirely agreed with the narrative that the faction led by the God of Light established the new relationship between gods, humans, and the world. Because the participation of the churches' power was itself a very crucial factor in allowing the Light faction to ultimately win this war.

This shift in human status was not entirely dependent on charity bestowed from the gods above; rather, it was won by the humans representing the churches, wearing the raiment of the gods, fighting for it themselves.

Only when those above require your strength will they loosen the bonds on your status. By the same token, when your strength can manipulate the core interests of those above, you naturally obtain an elevation in status.

In short, whether actively or passively, the God of Light guided this reformation. That is to say, by this point, the God of Light had already completed his historical mission.

But history will continue to develop. Perhaps in many previous eras, it was stagnant, but from Eternity to Light, the wheels of history had already been set in motion.

The God of Light could no longer bear the mission of this continuous reformation, so history chose a new executor, which was our Lord.

It was at that time that our Lord began to continuously develop divergences with the God of Light. When the other master gods divided the fruits of victory, demarcated territories, and constructed wonders after winning the War of the Gods, our Lord explicitly raised objections multiple times.

But the God of Light was the representative of the faction; what he carried was the collective interest of that faction of his. Meanwhile, our Lord back then belonged to a special, minority existence within that faction.

Our Lord ultimately chose to break away from the Light faction. Around our Lord, a group of deities also gathered—not large in number, but at least sharing the same conviction. The most famous among them were the seven founding gods of the Earth Cave Church.

However, during this period, for a very long time, the contradiction between our Lord and the Light faction did not erupt sharply. Many historians believe it was because the God of Light was still around. You must know, a large part of the reason the Light faction could win the War of the Gods was due to the fall of Eternity, so they took it for granted that it was the disappearance of Light that allowed our Lord to see an opportunity.

I do not agree with this view. I feel it should be that the existence of the God of Light guaranteed the lower limit of the deities during that period. After the God of Light disappeared, the deities, having lost their lower limit, began to gradually transition toward the old gods they had defeated back then.

Therefore, in my view, our Lord's frenzied slaughter of the deities at the end of the last era, as well as our Lord's rise to hegemony, was not a betrayal of the God of Light, but rather..."

The teacher stopped.

Karen took up the thread: "An inheritance and a deepening of the reformation."

"Hiss... Hoo..."

The teacher began to shudder, like an old smoker who had been deprived of rations for a long time taking a fierce drag of a cigarette.

Karen said, "Teacher, in truth, you had already laid out the premise of the answer for me."

"Ah, as a teacher, being able to obtain the student's answer after laying down the premise is an enjoyment in its own right."

"I understand."

"In fact, from Eternity to Light, and then to our Lord, the roles they assumed over the span of two eras, along with the historical missions those roles carried, were all for one single thing—and that was to let this world... gradually return to a normal civilization.

Do you know what my historical mission refers to here? Wait a moment, I need to restructure my phrasing to let you answer better. It should be..."

"Are you trying to ask me about the perspective? The perspective of the historical outlook?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. You supplemented the question very well."

"It is humanity."

"Exactly, it is humanity. That is why I never consider my discourse on matters to be objective and impartial. I can even slap a label on my own forehead, called: absolute bias.

Because the foundations of my theories and research are all radiated out standing from the perspective of humanity. Because... I belong to this component. What do you think?"

"This is correct. One should stand on the position of the vast majority of humanity; the angle of thought should proceed from their most fundamental interests."

The teacher blinked, seemingly receiving some inspiration himself.

"I know that within human society there is darkness, injustice, oppression, and exploitation. But ever since I gradually witnessed the actions and practices of other churches, and after I went to the Earth Cave Church once to experience it personally at close quarters... only then did I deeply understand what it is that our Church is ultimately protecting."

"Yes, exactly. As a believer of Order, being responsible for divine history research within the University of Order is a kind of happiness, because our Church, our God, and our position happen to be aligned.

Of course, many people do not think so, and the divine historians in the churches outside do not think so either, because many of them no longer view themselves as human beings."

"They have detached themselves from humanity."

"Yeah." The teacher gave a great stretch. "Though this section of historical material isn't very easy to lecture on right now. You know, because in this era, our Church once experienced a protracted confrontation with the Church of Light. It has only been a thousand years since our Church achieved victory. Right now, believers of Light are still defined as remnants of Light."

"Yes, but this is a practical necessity."

"Heh, I have never lamented the disappearance of the God of Light, much less grieved over the demise of the Church of Light. Although Light once awakened Order, still..."

Karen spoke up: "A dead Light is the best kind of Light."

"Heheh, that's exactly the flavor. And it is precisely because Light is dead that we can sit here and talk freely about the historical role of the God of Light and the Church of Light, that we can reminisce a little with a slightly sentimental atmosphere. Otherwise, the theme of our chat should be the same as it was a thousand years ago—racking our brains thinking about what kind of method could be used to put it to death."

The teacher checked the time; class was almost over.

"Time really flies."

"Listening to your lecture, one truly doesn't feel the passage of time."

The teacher swept his gaze across the area below, his eyes gentle, looking gratified that the future flowers of the Holy Church had received the nourishment of a more sufficient sleep.

"By the way, you mentioned you've corporate with quite a few other churches, and even went to the Earth Cave Church. Student, your family conditions must be pretty good, huh, hehe."

"It was official business."

"Official business?" The teacher was slightly surprised. "You already hold a position now?"

"Yes, I do."

“It seems you are highly regarded by your family, and a bright future awaits you. I believe those who love history are better able to see the true nature of things with greater clarity. No matter which department you end up in, you will thrive—so long as you stay away from the history department.”

Kallen drew a class schedule from his pocket. He needed the professor to sign it here to prove he had attended the lecture.

Upon seeing this, the professor looked somewhat surprised.

“Oh, so you are an auditing official? It seems your superiors place great importance on cultivating your talents.”

Taking the form, the professor glanced over it just as he was about to sign, his eyes instantly widening.

“Ah, so the superior who regards you so highly is none other than yourself.”

After signing, the professor was in no hurry to hand the form back to Kallen. Instead, he smiled and said, “So

The District Head had mentioned she would arrange a dinner for him tonight, but Karen had not expected her to return so early, nor that the instructor of his very first class would turn out to be her grandfather.

Shedrod asked, "Karen, what kind of flavors do you prefer? Oh, you are from Wien, aren't you? We still have some soybean paste at home. Shall I whip up a Wien-style meal for you?"

"Instructor, let me do the cooking."

"How could I allow that? I invited you to my home for dinner, so how could I let you cook?"

"I will cook, and you can lecture me from the side. For instance, regarding that figure known as the Mad Pope."

"Would that be alright?"

"Exchanging labor for knowledge strikes me as an excellent bargain."

"Oh... damn it all, the Whip of Order has snatched away a future great scholar."

The kitchen was abundantly stocked with ingredients. Karen rolled up his sleeves and set to work, while Shedrod stood nearby in the kitchen and began his discourse.

He did not disappoint Karen; his narrative diverged entirely from the official historical records, for his opening words were:

"In his youth, the Mad Pope was an exchange student within the Church of Order. In the locked alumni albums of the school archives, his group photograph still remains. Among his peers at the time, there were two exceptionally brilliant alumni.

One of them is a man whose statue you can still find upon our campus, Budalas.

If one were to compare all the successive High Priests of our Church over the past three millennia, he would unquestionably rank among the top three in terms of contribution."

During the tenure of High Priest Budalas, the Church of Order triumphed in the protracted confrontation against the Church of Light that had spanned this epoch. The Church of Light vanished, and the Church of Order became the preeminent divine faith of the world.

His name was destined to be etched into the annals of ecclesiastical history, worthy of commemoration by generations of Order faithful.

Shedrod continued, "The other relatively famous classmate later entered the Temple of Order and became a Temple Elder. More than three centuries after Budalas passed away, his borrowing records could still be found in the school archives."

The lifespan of a Temple Elder generally ranged from three to four hundred years, far exceeding that of ordinary men.

While blanching the bitter gourd, Karen inquired, "So, was the Mad Pope a piece placed early on by our Church's grand strategy?"

"No, no, no, I do not believe so at all. In that era, the struggle between Order and Light was nearing a fever pitch. The entire ecclesiastical world was eager to divide into two camps and engage in open conflict. Although Order and Light did not launch a direct war, the proxy wars they backed behind the scenes never ceased.

Yet the exchange between Order and Light was never completely severed; instead, because of the atmosphere of that time, it grew even more 'intense.'

Exchange students...

Our High Priest Budalas and that Temple Elder had also gone together to study at the university of the Church of Light in those days, heh.

Furthermore,

I have examined unclassified documents and obtained, through my own channels, some of the assignments and essays written by the Mad Pope during his studies at this school. He was an exceptionally brilliant man, a man so brilliant that it bordered on terrifying.

Do you know, Karen? In the eyes of us historians, there is a clear template. What kind of person can achieve monumental greatness in the future fits a concept that is vague yet distinct.

The Mad Pope gave me exactly that impression.

Therefore, you must not be so naive as to think he was 'deliberately influenced' or 'loyally brainwashed' back then; he was never a spy of Light planted for the advancement of our Church.

In fact, later on, when he gradually ascended to key leadership positions within the Church of Light and during the initial period of his papacy, he even managed to reverse the decline of Light in its confrontation with our Church for a time.

As for his subsequent madness... ah? What sort of culinary method is this?"

Karen covered the pot with its lid and said, "It just needs a quick reduction over high heat. Please, continue."

"What I am about to share is my own perception, which may seem somewhat contrary to common sense."

"I have absolute faith in your caliber, Instructor."

"Though everyone refers to him as the 'Mad Pope,' I have never considered him a madman. I believe he was a genius... a genius that evokes sighs of admiration, praise, and even reverence.

He always knew the heavy burden of Light rested upon his shoulders, so he understood perfectly well that he had to deeply comprehend his future adversary, which was our Church.

Thus, he not only read our doctrines thoroughly but also conducted profoundly rigorous research upon them.

I would even venture to guess that he was the person who understood our Church more deeply than anyone else in that era, or even in the present day.

But the problem arose precisely from this.

He was too clever, and his research was too formidable, and then... he understood the true essence of Order better than the vast majority of the Order faithful in this world."

Karen lifted the lid and spoke while transferring the food onto a plate, "This... is truly unexpected."

As an adversary, researching the enemy in order to overthrow them, only to suddenly discover the truth through the course of that very research.

"Karen, do you remember the historical mission I spoke to you about during class?"

"I remember."

"The Mad Pope believed that the God of Light did not vanish, nor was he slain by our Lord. Instead, the God of Light believed he could no longer bear the subsequent historical mission. To clear the path for our Lord and create a world without gods, he chose... suicide.

Absurd, isn't it?

One's own master god had made such a choice in those days, yet he himself was still leading the Church of Light in a fierce confrontation against our Church.

And so, he climbed the Tower of Light, stood upon its spire, and cried out that single line:

'I do not believe there is a God of Light in this world!'

The world believed

he was indulging in a fit of madness,

but I feel

he was entirely sober in his agony."