Chapter 1021: Trade-off
The truth of the Breeze Shadow Boots incident had been revealed, but there were still many mysteries in Chen Rui’s heart.
That was Tiffany.
Tiffany’s resentment toward Raizen was so deep that she gave up the throne of the Demon Realm and insisted on coming to the human world in order to find her mother. Raizen had said that Tiffany had the bloodline sensing ability which she could use to find her mother’s whereabouts. Now that she had become the apprentice of Holy Lady Eudora, then Holy Lady was likely to be Tiffany’s mother.
The time when Raizen had a relationship with ‘a certain woman’ which gave birth to Tiffany and the approximate time when the Breeze Shadow Boots were snatched were more than 100 years ago, so it could be inferred that the protagonists of these 2 events were Eudora, but the 2 major events should definitely had a sequencing issue.
The relationship of Eudora and Raizen was the result of Satan’s manipulation. The purpose was to use the physique of both sides to create a ‘key’ of light and dark body in order to enter the mystery and obtain the silver box in the future. This ‘premeditation’ has now become a fact.
Let’s say Eudora came to the Demon Realm because of training or some kind of mission. Then, she was captured by Satan, had a relationship with Raizen under his control, and gave birth to Tiffany. After Tiffany was born, Eudora lost her use value. With Satan’s strength, naturally, he would no longer take the life and death of this ant to heart. It was likely that Eudora escaped the Bloody Empire, ran into Isabella, and staged a scene where she disguised herself as a man to scam the Breeze Shadow Boots.
Chen Rui remembered that when Raizen entrusted him to come to the human world to find Tiffany, the last sentence was, “By the way, be careful with that woman.”
Being wary of others is a must. It’s definitely worth being careful after identifying the woman’s role in the Breeze Shadow Boots incident.
While Chen Rui was thinking, Zola had returned to the hall, holding Isabella’s hand. She was talking to Isabella at the side and Isabella kept nodding. I don’t know if Zola knows the truth of this matter, but Yini’s gaze is obviously more relieved now.
Ms. Fairy Dragon was actually very observant. Isabella had always had a good relationship with her, second only to Athena. Especially now that Yini was the daughter recognized by Meria and Span, so she was a veritable sister. Therefore, Ms. Fairy Dragon cherished her a lot.
At this moment, Chen Rui felt that the data in the Analytical Eyes was fleeting. At the same time, the 6-star imprint on his arm became hot. Python, who was still arranging the magic circle outside, had returned to the imprint, and she was a little anxious. The voice sounded in Chen Rui’s soul, “Watch out, Raphael is here!”
Chen Rui was taken aback. His mind moved as he looked at Isabella and Zola. He had activated the fusion power of the Star Conferring Platform, and the 2 girls were instantly included in the Star Conferring Platform.
This was not the first time Python had seen Chen Rui activating this bizarre ‘space’ ability. This time, it was as subtle as the last time. Even her, a peak stage Pseudo-God powerhouse, was unaware of it, so she couldn’t help but be secretly vigilant. However, now was definitely not the time to study this problem. Facing the imminent arrival of Raphael, Python could only fully activate the ‘breath lock’, enter a state similar to fake death, and hide all her breath as well as mental fluctuations so as not to be noticed by the other party.
Soon, a man appeared in front of him, and the magic circle in the main hall did not have the slightest sense. Even the Glorious Knight along the way didn’t seem to see it.
If it wasn’t for Python’s early warning, even if Chen Rui noticed from the Analytical Eyes, the other party was already in front of him.
Race: Unable to determine!
Comprehensive Strength Assessment: Unable to determine!
This was exactly the appearance of the ‘Rafael’ whom Chen Rui had seen at the Golden Estate. His eyes were closed all the time. The difference from last time was that this time, he was not an avatar, but a real original body.
Chen Rui was stunned for a while, showing a surprised expression, then he ‘recovered’ his composure and deeply bowed, “Sir Raphael!”
Raphael didn’t open his eyes, “Arthur, I’m amazed by the excellence you have shown. You are actually recognized by all 3 holy relics and triggered miracles. It seems that it was a very wise choice to designate you as the Holy Child in the first place.”
“The setback in the Dragon Bright Empire made me a little frustrated, but when I arrived at the Holy Light Mountain today, I felt full of confidence and strength again. I will not let sir down!”
“I have always had confidence in my vision.” Raphael nodded slightly, “You also have to have confidence in yourself. The gains and losses of the Dragon Bright Empire are just a piece of the puzzle; what you will get in the future is, everything.”
“Understood.” Chen Rui hesitated for a moment before he said with determination, “To tell the truth, I have been baptized by the will of the alchemy civilization for the past 7 years, and my original memory has almost been lost. Lex believes that, although my body is ‘Arthur’, my soul has become another person. Not only that, as a king who has full control of the empire, when me, the ‘son’, has shown outstanding talent far beyond what he expected and tolerated, the hideousness hidden behind the mask of family affection was revealed unreservedly. He even cut off the father-son relationship with me in order to completely eliminate my threat to the throne of the Dragon Bright Empire. This time, I was indeed too naive. I will not make the same mistake again.”
“I don’t know what a small empire needs, but at the Holy Light Mountain, talent is what we need most. Who cares about your identity? I can promise, as long as you show convincing abilities, you will never have to worry about other superfluous things. You are the Holy Child, the future Pope Arthur!”
“Thank you sir for your support!” Chen Rui bowed again.
“You have to sow in order to reap. You know that I have always given reward and punishment accordingly. You have made great achievements indirectly by eliminating the main altar of Evil God, and you have been recognized by the 3 holy relics. However, these are not enough for you to control the entire future of the Holy Light Mountain. You need to accomplish 1 thing. That is at the Holy Child canonization ceremony at the Holy Blessing Summit 3 months later, show the power of the Light God in front of everyone. Activate the Crown of Thorns’ Divine Blessing and convert 100 Divinity Temple Knights into pure light-element physique! If you can do this, you will have absolute and irreplaceable status. Within a year, you can directly be promoted to the pope!”
To be on the pope’s throne in a year was an incredible speed for any Holy Child or Holy Lady in the church’s past, but Raphael’s tone was confident. In fact, the pope or the Holy Child were just chess pieces used by the 3 archangels to control the faith, which could be discarded arbitrarily for value or benefit at any time.
“Yes.” Chen Rui suppressed his ‘excitement’ and asked puzzledly, “Sir, although Divine Blessing can draw in divine power, dispel all evil forces, and have the miraculous effect of purifying and transforming physique, its power is limited. The one-time success rate to convert an ordinary physique into a light-element physique is not high, and to convert 100 Divinity Temple Knights at the same time… Uh, I’ll be honest, it’s impossible.”
Raphael smiled lightly, “If it is converting directly, it will definitely not be possible, so it will take 3 months.”
Chen Rui suddenly realized, “Sir meant that the reason why the canonization ceremony is held 3 months later is because some relevant preparations have to be made to turn this ‘impossible’ into a ‘possible’?”
“Yes.” Raphael praised, “Your response is really quick. The Holy Blessing Summit is now actively preparing. You will know when the time comes. However, even with that kind of preparation, it is still not enough. First of all, your strength is too weak… I remember you said that this is because of the spiritual imprint inherited from the ancient alchemy civilization. The imprint will automatically convert the external force into the comprehension of the grand master of alchemy, so it is necessary to fully control the spiritual imprint to truly enhance the power. Although a mechanical grand master is of great significance to the entire human world, mechanical skills are not the skills to master for the Holy Child… No, the pope. The same is true for even the grand master-level mechanical skills. So, now you have to make a decision or a trade-off.”
“Trade-off?” Chen Rui faintly sensed something fishy.
“You must abandon the spiritual imprint of the alchemy civilization and become my believer, then I will activate a powerful baptism power for you. The faith power that gives you new power and god’s gift enables you to directly become the most peak stage Saint powerhouse and you may even have the opportunity to be converted into a true angel in the future. With this power, you can use the power of the Crown of Thorns to the extreme, turning the ‘impossible’ into a ‘possible’.”
It seems that the true magic of the Crown of Thorns requires the support of faith power.
But… becoming a follower of Raphael? This is not a simple contract where I can easily use the spiritual link to get away with it. Once exposed, all prior work will be futile.
The spiritual imprint was originally a nonsense excuse, but now I’m self-defeating.
Chen Rui’s mind quickly turned, then he asked tentatively, “Sir, can I… think about it?”
“I’m here today not to let you choose, but to announce my decision to you.” Raphael’s indifferent tone carried undoubted power, which forced Chen Rui’s delaying plan to fail.
In Raphael’s mind, as a powerful Pseudo-God, to acknowledge an ant-like existence like this was already a humiliation, so how could there be room for negotiation? He had to agree.
Python, who was in the ‘breath lock’ state, also heard this sentence, and she was secretly vigilant. If Chen Rui did not agree, then he would probably turn hostile on the spot, then her strength could not be hidden. Although Raphael’s strength was slightly inferior to Michael, she was just a soul entity whose strength was greatly damaged, plus this was the ‘home’ of the 3 archangels. If they really got into a fight, the best result was to run away like the last time.
If Chen Rui agreed and became a true believer in Raphael’s kingdom, then the consequences would be even more serious. All secrets would be divulged.
Just when Python was on full alert, Chen Rui, who had been thinking, finally made his decision.
“Sir Raphael, I agree.”