Chapter 4 Chapter 1 Merilon's Catalyst Saints

Everyone agrees that the kid is a living dead. The originally brilliant white marble floor was hastily replaced last night with a weeping gray blue by the unanimous consent of all the wizards, mages, and archmages floating in the shining halo above the floor; the black-robed wizards floated to their posts , in a more lifeless-looking stance than ever before; and all the Catalyst Saints, standing humbly on the blue floor in their austere robes, agreed as well. On the majestic Merillon Cathedral a drizzle fell, teardrops streaming down the arched glass of the crystal wall, weeping their assent.The softness conjured up by the wizards for the solemn occasion filled the cathedral air, and they agreed.Even outside the cathedral garden, the elegant branches of the golden and pale trees with pale and misty light agree...or should I say, they have agreed to all this in Saryon's eyes. In the rustling sound, I heard their low and mournful whispers... The prince is the living dead... The prince is the living dead...

The emperor also agreed. (Saryon conjectured bitterly: In order to get the emperor's consent, Bishop Vanya must have knelt on the ground all night, begging God to give him a tongue as flexible and kind as a viper.) The emperor hovered in the middle of the cathedral nave, floating to the marble In the middle of the altar, stop by the sandalwood crib.He stared at the baby, hands crossed over his chest expressing his disapproval.The emperor's stern face was carved with serious lines, and the only expression of sadness was that his golden sun-colored robes were gradually changing to the same weeping gray blue as the marble floor.Archbishop Vanya had already prophesied that due to the empress's weak and intermittent health, she would never be able to conceive again, and the emperor's only hope of heir to the throne had died with the little baby.Even so, the emperor still maintained the dignity of the king that everyone expected.

Archbishop Vanya floated above the marble beside the crib, not hovering above it like the Emperor.Standing on the ground, Saryon couldn't help but wonder if Van Ya also felt a jealousy from the mages, gnawing at all the catalyst saints present.Even in the midst of such solemn occasions, envious mages still hover over everyone's heads, flaunting their mighty power over the feeble Catalyst Saints. Only the mages of Simharon have such a powerful life force, and their talent allows them to travel around the world on the wings of the wind.In comparison, the life force of the catalyst saints is very weak, so weak that they have to save any power.Because of this, they must walk and be a car all their lives, and the symbol of the Catalyst Saints sect is shoes.

The shoes represented pious self-sacrifice and humility, but brought only bitterness to Saryon.He suddenly turned his gaze back to those mages, and focused his attention back on the ritual.He saw Archbishop Vanya's crowned head bowing to God with prayers, and he also saw the emperor watching Archbishop Vanya's every move, paying attention to his secret signs, and waiting for instructions.Following Van Ya's slight gesture, the emperor bowed with all the people present. Saryon murmured prayers absently, and this time, he glanced meaningfully out of the corners of his eyes at the mages floating above and around him.yes!Shoes that represent humility...

Archbishop Vanya raised his head suddenly, and the emperor followed suit. Saryon noticed that Vanya had a relieved expression on his face; the emperor had agreed to the fact that the prince was a living dead, and all the problems would be solved much easier.Saryon's gaze was distracted by the Empress, but there was a bigger problem here.The Bishop knew it, all the Catalyst Saints knew it, and so did everyone else present: in the emergency meeting last night, all the Catalyst Saints were warned how to react on the spot.Saryon saw that Van Ya tensed up, although on the surface, Van Ya just followed the records in the law code and went through all the ritual procedures with the emperor.

"...This lifeless body will be taken to the holy mountain, where we will hold a wake ceremony..." But in fact, Vanya was watching the queen closely, and Saryon also saw the archbishop frowned slightly.The color of the Queen's robes—which should have been the strongest and most beautiful weeping blue of all—was faded to a dull ember gray.Even so, Bishop Vanya resisted the urge to hint at her correction.Van Ya and the others were grateful when the woman regained control of her emotions.After hearing that her child was the living dead, the Queen, the most powerful sorceress of the tribe of Albanara, strongly expressed her indignation and grief; Bringing severe destruction to the palace, she was forced to cut off all channels that allowed her to draw the power of life.

But after the emperor had a deep talk with his beloved wife, she also agreed that the baby was a living dead. In fact, the only one in the audience who disagreed with the fact that the baby was a living dead was the one who was still crying with excitement, his cries lost in the huge vaulted crystal building of the church. Bishop Fanya turned his gaze back to the Queen, and started the next stage of the ceremony at a more hasty pace than in line with etiquette.Saryon knew the reason, the baby's body had been washed, and now only the bishop could touch him—Vanya was afraid that the queen would step forward and pick up the baby.

Due to the impact of dystocia and previous emotional outbursts, the queen was exhausted to the point that she no longer had any strength to resist Vanya's orders, and she even lost the energy to float in the crib; she could only sit on the ground beside her, crying For the crystal, shattered on the blue marble floor, the crystalline crystal represented her consent. With the melodious sound of crystal teardrops shattering on the floor, the muscles on Vanya's face twitched. Saryon even thought he saw the bishop laughing because he was relaxed, but Vanya straightened his face in time and put on An appropriate expression of sympathetic grief.

Under the auspices of Bishop Fanya, the ceremony finally went to the last stage.The emperor nodded solemnly, and his slightly trembling voice began to repeat an ancient text whose meaning had long been unknown. "The Prince is dead. The Day of Wrath has come, and the heavens and the earth will be burned to ashes, just as the prophets David and Sibylla foretold." As time passed, the ceremony was about to be completed, and Fan Ya gradually relaxed.He turned his head to look at the people in the court, making sure that everyone was standing in the appropriate position, and the color of everyone's robes was in line with their status.

His eyes turned from the cardinal to the two priests, and then to the three deacons.Suddenly, his gaze stopped, Archbishop Van Ya's eyebrows furrowed. Saryon began to tremble, and the Bishop was staring at him!What mistake did he make?He didn't even have a clue.Saryon looked around, frantically looking for hints from anyone around him. "The robe is too damn green!" Deacon Doches reminded him in a low voice with a grin.Hearing this, Saryon looked down at the robe on his body.He was right!The rushing water green robe on his body is particularly eye-catching in the weeping gray blue!

Saryon was extremely ashamed. His face was red, and he looked as if he was about to bleed like the empress's tears. He tried hard to change the color of the robe on his body, trying to match the color of those in the court; Only a little life force is needed to do it, and even a weak catalyst saint can cast this spell.Saryon appreciated that, and it would be a real shame if he had to ask other mages for help in changing the color of his robes.But on second thought, a clumsy man like him might not even be able to cast such a simple spell; the color of his robes changed from the green of rushing water to the dark green of still water, and then struggled painfully with that color for a while.In the end, though not perfect, the young deacon finally managed to convert his robes into weeping azure. Vanya stared at Saryon until he got the colors right.Now all eyes, including the emperor's, were on this poor young man.Saryon guessed distressedly: Fortunately, I am not a mage. If I were, maybe I would be ashamed to dig a hole on the spot.He could only stand there, cowering under the bishop's gaze.Van Ya, who was still frowning, finally finished his inspection, and then shifted his gaze to the nobles in the court. Van Ya turned to the emperor, and continued the last ritual of the living dead prince with satisfaction.Saryon was still immersed in embarrassment, he didn't notice what Van Ya said at all, he knew he would be scolded later, what excuse should he use to defend himself?Could it be that the baby's crying distracted him? Maybe that's true.The ten-day-old baby lies in the crib, strong, long and full of energy, crying out for the care, love and protection that will never be given again.Saryon knew that he might be able to use this reason as an excuse, but past experience told him that Bishop Vanya would only pretend to be very patient. "We cannot hear the cries of the living dead, we can only hear their echoes." Saryon heard the bishop say the same thing he said last night.Maybe this sentence is right, but Saryon knows that these echoes will definitely become his nightmare in the future. Maybe Saryon could tell the Bishop what his real distraction was: I was distracted because this child's death ruined my future. He thought dimly that maybe this should be the bishop's fault, but he had a hunch that Vanya should be more accepting of the second excuse than the first: forgive him for getting the wrong color of his robe because of distraction. Dorches suddenly pushed his ribs hard, and Saryon quickly lowered his head, forcing the ritual prayers out of his clenched teeth.He tried desperately to concentrate, but it was really hard, the cry of the child piercing his heart, how he longed to escape the hall.He sincerely prayed that the ceremony would end immediately. Bishop Vanya's prayers came to an abrupt end, and Saryon looked up to see the Archbishop watching the Emperor, waiting for his permission to perform the death care ritual.Their eyes met, and then, the emperor nodded and turned his back on the baby.Saryon felt that this time was too long. He stood with his head bowed in mourning posture in the ceremony, and sighed a long and relaxed breath.Deacon Docce showed a shocked expression, and gave him another slap in the ribs. He doesn't care so much, the festival is coming to an end. Bishop Vanya stretched his arms out and took a step towards the cradle.The queen, who had been bowing her head since everyone had arrived, finally raised her head when she heard the rustle of Vanya's robes.She watched Van Ya slowly approaching the crib in a daze, and the empress turned her gaze to the emperor, but only saw her husband's back. "No!" With a heartbreaking whimper, she stretched out her arms and tried to grab the cradle in her arms.Even though the queen was so sad, she still dared not violate the rules of the catalyst saints to touch her own child. "No! Don't!" She wept again and again. Bishop Fanya glanced at the emperor and cleared his throat meaningfully.The emperor did not turn around, he squinted at Fan Ya, and nodded slowly in agreement.Van Ya took a step forward resolutely, and then he ventured to open a life force transmission channel connected to the queen, trying to soothe her deep sorrow through the conduction flow of life force.Giving the power of life to the powerful queen, Vanya's behavior seems stupid, but maybe he knows what he is doing, after all, he has known her since she was a little girl, and their friendship has been as long as Thirty years. Fan Yasher gave up the official title and said: "My dear Ai Weinuo, the waiting time may be long and painful. You need to rest to recover your health. Please think more about your beloved husband. This matter is very important to him. The blow is not less than yours, and now besides his own sorrow, he has to bear the worry and pain for you. Please allow me, so that I can take the child away and perform the wake-up ceremony for the people of Simharun." The Empress raised her tear-stained face and looked at Vanya with brown eyes that shone like her black hair.She suddenly began to drain life force from the Catalyst Saint; the channel of magic that had been invisible to the naked eye now glowed blindingly between the two.Accompanied by an arc of dazzling light, the queen waved the archbishop back five feet.Fanya fell heavily on the weeping gray-blue marble floor. The Queen's powerful strength shocked everyone, and everyone present dared not move rashly. The originally frail queen absorbed the life force from the archbishop, and now she has the strength she lacked.She jumped up and hovered in mid-air in the crib, arms outstretched, whispering a spell.She conjures a flaming ball of fire that surrounds herself and her baby safely. "Don't even think about it! Get out! You bastards! I don't trust you, I don't trust anyone! Get out! You liars! My baby never failed your test! He's not the living dead! You're afraid of him ! You are afraid that he will usurp your precious power!" she screamed, her voice as hot as fire. A whisper came from the crowd, and no one knew where to look.It was indecent to stare at the bishop's indecent posture; Vanya's diadem fell to the ground, his bald head gleaming in the moonlight.The bishop, tangled in his ceremonial robes, struggled to stand up.Some tried to look at the Queen, but it was painful to look at her, and even more painful to hear her profanity. Saryon escaped reality by staring at his shoes, desperately wishing that he was now hundreds of miles away from this pathetic scene.Apparently many people present thought the same way. The color of the weeping gray-blue robe, which originally strictly marked the difference in status and status, changed due to the nervousness of the crowd, like ripples on the surface of a calm lake. The bishop finally stood up with the cardinal's help. His furious expression made everyone in the room cringe, and many mages even began to descend slowly.The emperor also turned, his face pale with the archbishop's anger, and Vanya adjusted his robes after the cardinal helped the bishop put on the tiara.As a calm and self-controlled person, the bishop's robe did not change color. He gathered the only strength he had and interrupted the life force transmission channel connected to the queen. The flaming orb disappeared, but the Empress had absorbed enough life force from the Bishop that she continued to float above her child, tears falling in crystals on the baby.The crystal teardrops shattered on the baby's naked and slender chest, causing him to burst into a hysterical scream and cry, and everyone present saw the blood flow down the baby's skin. Van Ya pursed his lips tightly.This was too much, and now he had to rewash and cleanse the baby.The bishop looked at the emperor again, this time Van Ya was not asking, but ordering the emperor, everyone present knew this. The emperor's resolute expression finally softened, and he drifted to his beloved wife, stretching out his hand to gently caress her touching and shiny hair.There were rumors among the royal family that the Emperor doted on the Empress to the point of giving her everything she wanted in order to please her.But apparently, the only thing she really wanted: a living, magical child, he couldn't give her. "Bishop Fanya." The emperor spoke to the catalyst saint, but his eyes avoided him. "Take the child away and let us know when the matter is over." Everyone was relieved, and Saryon seemed to be able to hear everyone's breath of relief.He looked around and found that the robes of almost everyone present had slightly changed color, and the sad blue rings that had been perfectly arranged were now suddenly mixed with pale green and dull gray. Even though the bishop was too weak to hide any longer, there was a look of relief on his angry face.A drop of sweat flowed out from under the crown of his head. Fan Ya wiped his sweat, took a deep breath, and then bowed to the emperor. The bishop walked forward at a pace that was slightly more hasty than formal, his eyes fixed on the emperor floating above his head from time to time.Fan Ya stretched out his arms to hug the crying baby, he turned to the chief law enforcement officer, and said in a low and hoarse voice: "With your ability, take me to the holy mountain." Fan Ya turned to the emperor and added: "Your Majesty, I'll let you know, please wait." The emperor looked at his frail wife, as if he didn't hear Van Ya's words, but Van Ya didn't want to waste any more time.The archbishop gestured to the cardinal who was second only to him, and the two whispered a few words.The cardinal nodded in agreement, turned his head to the chief law enforcement officer, and opened a transmission channel to the chief law enforcement officer with all his strength, giving him abundant mana so that he could use the teleportation corridor to reach the center of the church in Simharon - the holy mountain. Even distraught, Saryon found himself habitually counting the mana cost of the journey.It didn't take long for him to finish his calculations and find that the Cardinal had wasted his mana.For Catalyst Saints, this is a heinous crime; wasting mana not only makes them weak and exploitable, but also gives mages excess mana to store away for later use.But Saryon guessed, it shouldn't matter this time, even though the cardinal is an excellent mathematician, it still takes some time to get the calculation results that Saryon can understand in a few seconds, but both Saryon and the cardinal know that, He never dared to waste so long time. The sorcerer quickly carried out Vanya's order, and he entered the cracked blue disc in front of him.Fan Ya followed in with the baby in his arms.When all three people entered, the disk stretched, compressed, and then disappeared. It was finally over, the bishop and the baby had left. The palace was operating normally again, and the royal family floated around the emperor one after another, expressing condolences and condolences, and reminding the emperor that they were present.As all power was transferred to the chief lawman, the cardinal collapsed like a puppet, and the faithful stepped forward to help him. However, Saryon still stood in the crowd that had dispersed, not even moving.All his plans, hopes, dreams, were shattered like the Queen's tears on the weeping gray-blue marble floor.Lost in his own grief, Saryon still seemed to be able to hear the lingering cries of babies, and the mournful murmurs of the woods. "The prince is the living dead."

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