Game of the World Tree - Chapter 875

Chapter 871: Ignorance, Numbness and Judgment

January 1, 1073 of the Eternal Era, the first day of the new year.

In the northern part of the Segos Continent, the Mannia Highlands, where the Eternal Holy City of Mannia is located, also welcomed the first snow of the winter.

The sky was gray, and goose-feather-like snowflakes fell down, and it was cloudy and cold.

However, today’s Mannia City was particularly noisy.

The center of the city, the Sacred Square.

This huge square with an area of more than two million square meters, located at the intersection of the Eternal Cathedral, the Imperial Palace and the Graycastle Parliament Building, has long been covered by people.

The cold and ruthless Knights of Judgment and the burly City Guards maintained order on the scene, and rudely isolated the curious civilians from the center of the square. In the center of the square, a huge platform has been built.

The platform is divided into three areas, with seats and gorgeous umbrellas built, and even a magic circle for regulating temperature.

This is where the clergy of the church and the rulers of the empire are.

In the center of the three areas is the Holy Throne of the Eternal Pope, symbolizing that divine power is superior to royal power.

On the right is the royal family, where the 14-year-old Princess Theresa, the successor of the empire, and other royal relatives, including some former royals who once elected the emperor of the empire, sit.

Bishop Winster, the regent minister, was also among them.

Before becoming a monk, this fief bishop was also a member of the current royal Tres family.

On the left, the Duke of Correns, the elector and speaker of the nobles, and other great nobles and archbishops who participated in the operation of the empire’s core sat.

These people are the most powerful people in the entire Holy Mania Empire, and at the same time, the most powerful people in the entire continent.

The current Pope of the Eternal Church, Benedict II, is a kind old man.

His hair and beard are all white, his waist and back are hunched, and his gorgeous and solemn holy robes make him look both sacred and majestic.

He is very old, and the hunched body under the wide holy robes gives people the illusion that he will fall down at any time.

However, no one dared to underestimate this seemingly frail pope.

Although he was nearly three hundred years old, and had already reached the limit of the legendary life span of humans, as a true god’s favored one, a strong man who could summon divine power and perform divine descent, even demigods would respect him a little.

At the same time, Benedict II was also the longest-serving pope in the history of the Eternal Church. To date, he has been in charge of the Holy See for 83 years.

Under the high platform, the citizens looked at the dignitaries on it with curiosity.

Although these archbishops and nobles who ruled the church and the empire had long been household names, it was the first time for most ordinary people to see them in person.

Especially the pope, who only appeared when a huge celebration was held, and Princess Theresa, who was officially established as the heir to the empire in a daze not long ago.

This girl, who was just fourteen years old, had blonde hair and blue eyes. Like other noble ladies, she was noble and beautiful. It was already faintly seen that she would definitely be a stunning beauty when she grew up.

She sat there quietly, her big, bright eyes excitedly looking around, innocent and clear, as if she was quite curious about this grand scene.

However, when her eyes touched the solemn eyes of the Regent Bishop Winster beside her and the gentle smile of the Speaker Duke of Correns opposite, she quickly sat up straight again, giving people a feeling of being obedient and cowardly.

But even so, she couldn’t help but glance around quietly, especially at the long rack with thorns and barbs standing in front of the platform.

Her big, unstained, black and white eyes were full of novelty, like a piece of white paper that had never been rendered dirty.

Beside the rack, there stood several trial knights in black robes, each of whom had a very powerful aura, far beyond that of ordinary gold professionals, and people dared not look directly at them.

And outside the rack, fully armed soldiers had already guarded the guards, all of them were the elite of the elite, completely isolating the onlookers outside.

When Demacia mixed into the crowd and came to the square, she saw this scene.

“Boss Demacia, do we really not need to make a scene in the square later? Can we rescue the God-favored John?”

Next to him, another hooded player whispered.

A few days ago, the Eternal Church released the news of the trial of Old John, and for the players who have been paying attention to the developments on the continent, this news also spread throughout the server at the first time.

The Eternal Church dared to judge its own God-favored?

This naturally aroused the collective sense of honor and anger of the players.

Although the distance was far, a considerable number of high-level players still gathered and contacted the underground forces of the Life Church in Mannia City to discuss the feasibility of rescue.

And Demacia, which was the strongest, had once penetrated into the prison of Doloria Castle and recorded the preaching story of Old John, naturally became the leader pushed out by everyone.

However, after hearing what his companions said, Demacia shook his head slightly and sighed:

“What to rescue? How to rescue? There are so many gold professionals and legends, and there may be demigod angels watching the show behind them. How can we, the ugly ones, rely on us?”

“But don’t you have the Death God Punishment, Boss Demacia?”

“But there is only one God Punishment…”

“Then what should we do?”

“Just watch carefully and do what I said before!”

“No way? Wouldn’t that mean we have to sit and watch John burn to death?”

The player who was talking to Demacia frowned slightly, seeming quite unhappy.

Demacia was silent for a moment and sighed:

“That’s what he meant…”

The player was silent.

He knew who the “he” Demacia was talking about was.

“Even…even if the price is death?”

He couldn’t help but say.

“Yes, even if it’s death…there are always some things that are higher than life.”

Demacia sighed.

Hearing this, the player who was talking to him opened his mouth and looked at the big boss who was well-known in the whole server in some disbelief.

As if noticing the strange look from his companion, Demacia turned around with a frown on his face:

“No, what’s with that expression?”

“Uh… nothing, I just didn’t expect you, Boss Dema, to say something like that… I always thought you were, um… pretty unrestrained.”

The player scratched his head.

Demacia: …

“What the hell is unrestrained?”

“Uh… being unique and adventurous? Or… always doing some high-end operations?”

Demacia: …

You might as well just say that I love to commit suicide.

He complained in his heart.

Demacia is very clear about his own character, and he also understands that what his companions said is right, he is indeed a jumping person, who loves adventure and loves to commit suicide.

Although he has been playing the game for so long, compared to those players who have long treated “Elf Kingdom” as another life, he still treats it more as a game.

But even such a person will be touched…

Recalling what Old John said and did in prison, Demacia’s eyes gradually became solemn.

He had never admired any NPC in “Elf Kingdom”.

But now, perhaps.

Although, even now, in his heart, he still felt that Old John’s choice of dedication was a huge loss to the Church of Life…

With a sigh, Demacia looked at the surrounding square again.

His eyes swept over the archbishops and nobles on the high platform, who were dressed in gorgeous and noble clothes, and swept over the fierce and fully armed guards under the stage, and finally stopped at the large number of civilians gathered in the square, with pale faces, simple clothes, and even many patches or even tattered clothes…

The same square, but the stage and the audience are like two different worlds.

However, even these civilians gathered in the square can be considered to have a good life in the city of Mannia.

As the country of the entire empire, one of the most prosperous cities in the human kingdom, their living conditions are definitely upper class in the human society of the entire continent.

Those farmers living in the countryside, those living in the slums, don’t even have the qualifications to stand here and watch.

At this moment, Demacia really felt the tearing of the human society in the world of Segos…

“The existence of extraordinary power has accelerated the solidification of society, and the rapid increase in magic power has not only failed to destroy this solidification, but has intensified the contradictions and added more contradictions, making the already unstable society even more unstable.”

“Human society is dead, this world… needs a new force to inject vitality and vigor!”

Unconsciously, Demacia remembered the two sentences he heard from Old John in prison.

If it was a player who said these words, he would not be surprised, but it was replaced by an NPC, a person who had only accepted the doctrine of life for less than a year, which really made people feel shocked and respected.

Demacia was thinking wildly until the piercing bell sounded from the high platform, and the indifferent black cardinal walked to the front of the platform and announced that the pagans who blasphemed the gods and destroyed the order of the empire would be brought up.

Gradually, the crowd in the distance began to stir. The legendary swordsman Sward, who had surrendered to the empire, led a team of fully armed guards and escorted a straight figure up.

That figure was none other than Old John.

Seeing Old John’s appearance, Demacia’s expression changed slightly.

Nothing else.

At this moment, Old John was stripped of all his clothes and tied up n*ked with magic shackles, leaving only a piece of his last dignity.

The bloody whip marks that had not yet faded were telling what kind of torture this God-favored person had suffered before being brought here.

Prisoners with the same imprisoned power could not hurt him, but it would be different if they were replaced by the knights and priests of the Inquisition.

But even so, Old John still held his head high, his eyes clear and bright.

Like a pine tree that would never fall.

The crowd of onlookers gradually became agitated.

No one knew who took the lead, but suddenly, a stone hit Old John’s face.

Someone laughed.

Then, the second and third pieces…

Not just stones, but also some household garbage and some common filth in the city, were gradually thrown out by the people on both sides like raindrops, constantly hitting the escorted protagonist.

Faintly, the people’s curses could be heard:

“Bah! A cultist who disrupts order!”

“Blasphemer! Die!”

“Hit him! Hit him!” “Burn

him to death!”

“Hahahahaha…”

Looking at the indifferent and tireless onlookers throwing filth in front of them, the players were stunned for a moment.

Demacia was also slightly stunned, and then fell into silence.

He swept Old John with a complicated look and saw that the other party still did not change color.

However, in the depths of the eyes of this God-favored one, there seemed to be a hint of sadness.

But that sadness quickly flashed away and turned into a strong light and belief…

Demacia was stunned.

His eyes once again stopped on the civilians, looking at their happy and excited eyes, with mixed feelings.

At this moment, he finally understood why Old John made such a choice.

For the vast majority of civilians in the human kingdom, they have been enslaved for too long, and they are completely numb in their bones, and have long forgotten to resist.

The nobles control extraordinary power, and the church controls public opinion and manipulates everything about them.

For them, watching the heretic trial is as “attractive” as watching people slaughter pigs during the New Year in ancient Blue Star.

It is precisely because they have neither the courage to resist nor the belief to fight, so they can only vent their emotions, vent their dissatisfaction with reality, and seek some kind of psychological comfort by throwing stones at the pagans.

This is a dark age, an age full of ignorance and ignorance, an age of indifference…

Even if a spark is ignited under the leadership of players and life preachers, a spark is still a spark.

Without an opportunity, this silent wasteland cannot be shaken.

Fortunately, not all civilians are so numb. In the depths of the crowd, you can still see many eyes looking at Old John, full of complexity, worry and grief.

However, their figures have been submerged in the boiling crowd.

“It’s so cold, why don’t you put clothes on him?”

On the high platform, Princess Theresa frowned, glanced at Old John below the stage, and looked uncomfortably at the regent Bishop Winster.

Bishop Winster smiled gently:

“Beautiful Princess, your kindness is admirable, but… this is the punishment of the gods on the pagans. He is a blasphemer and an evil element that undermines the stability of the empire.”

“Pagans… undermine the stability of the empire…”

Princess Theresa nodded as if she understood, and looked at Old John with a hint of disgust.

The nobles around were whispering to each other, looking down at Old John who was escorted to the stage and tied to the rack, with arrogant, playful and disdainful eyes, as if looking at a monkey.

The bell rang again, and the bishop of the Inquisition in a black robe came to the stage.

He held up a piece of golden parchment with a solemn face, and the grand voice spread to every corner of the square under the effect of the amplification magic:

“In compliance with the Pope’s decree, I declare–“

“The trial of John, the preacher of life, the blasphemer, the pagan, begins now!”

Well, maybe there is not a chapter about the confrontation as everyone expected. I think there needs to be a chapter to write about the current status of the human empire, so I have this chapter, trying to reflect something through the comparison of different classes.

In this way, after the collective awakening later, there will be a sense of contrast, and the choice of old John will also seem more meaningful.

(End of this chapter)