336: Do you want to be the Pope?

In recent years, Soto City has seen rapid development, especially after the establishment of the church, the Knight Academy, and the Magician Academy.

Of course, the Magician Academy in Soto City is only an Elementary Magician academy; after all, there are very few people within the region governed by this city who possess magical talent.

But even if this Magician Academy is only an Elementary Magician academy, with fewer than one hundred students across all six grades, it still holds a prestigious status.

The dean of the Soto Magician Academy was among the first batch of late-stage Intermediate magicians to graduate from the Holy City's Advanced Magician Academy; having served as dean for over thirty years, he is considered one of the most distinguished individuals in Soto City.

Beyond that, Soto City is home to several Count families personally enfeoffed by the Pope. These families were rewarded for their meritorious service in clearing out magical beasts. Now, they enjoy high status and numerous privileges, including admission quotas for the Holy City's Knight and Magician academies, causing many families who did not actively participate in the magical beast hunts back then to regret it deeply.

And now, those Counts and Barons have all flocked to the church, with the sole purpose of securing the position of an attendant beside one person.

Although Count families in Soto City already enjoy boundless glory, their strongest members are merely Silver Knights; Count families possessing a Gold Knight are rare. A future Gold Knight of the Holy See is naturally something people covet.

The twenty-meter-high black city walls gradually approached. The massive city gate, cast entirely from refined iron, resembled the maw of a giant beast. Beside the gate stood rows of guards in silver armor, the lowest of whom were Black Iron Knights.

When the unicorn appeared, those knights all offered a salute.

The noble unicorn walked with leisurely steps, heading toward the grand church in the center of the city.

At the very center of the city is a huge circular garden. Bordering the garden is a wide street, with the City Lord's Mansion and the church located on the other side. Beyond that, there are various large shops, taverns, and auction houses; it is several orders of magnitude more prosperous than it was decades ago.

"Mr. Townsend, this is the Soto City church. There might be some trouble ahead; many people from those families and guilds want to meet you. Do you need me to help you decline them?" the Bishop of Soto City asked.

Townsend—Tang Ping had casually chosen a name for himself to blend in, as this clearly appeared to be a Western fantasy world.

"No need. I might as well take a look and see if there are any suitable candidates for the other attendant position."

Tang Ping also wanted to see what the nobles of this other world were like, and while he was at it, pick an attendant; after all, these people had likely already brought out the most outstanding descendants of their families.

Compared to Tang Ping's calmness, Kaya was significantly more nervous, to the point where he couldn't even walk steadily. The boy's face was burning, and he didn't know where to put his hands in his anxiety.

Tang Ping patted Kaya on the shoulder: "Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of. You must know that the master you follow is the most distinguished among these people. In the future, you might even see the Pope often and enter and exit the mansions of the Descendants of God. And you, as my follower, will inevitably become a Holy Gold Knight. Among these people, besides a few, who can compare to you? Your status is higher than theirs, your future is brighter than theirs, burn... ahem, young man, raise your head and walk!"

Upon hearing this, Kaya thought, 'Hey, that seems to be the case!' Who was he? He was the master's Holy Apostle! How could he embarrass the master? The boy's face immediately tightened! He strode forward with his head held high!

"Master, I will not embarrass you!" Kaya said loudly, seemingly trying to bolster his own courage.

"Townsend will never feel that my little guard is embarrassing, haha, let's go."

Inside the spacious church, as the doors opened, those sitting on the long benches were not the usual commoner believers, but the top-tier elite of Soto City. At this moment, they all stood up, their gazes finally falling upon the black-haired young man, their eyes filled with inquiry, awe, envy, and a determination to win.

As for the black-haired people—those who were once called the dark fallen ones, traitors to the human race—perhaps there were old stubborn fools who dared to be disrespectful, but they certainly dared not show it, especially inside the church, beneath the statue of the holy lord and the scepter statue symbolizing the Pope.

Kaya tensed his body. Although his silver armor was ordinary, it shone brightly. The gazes that fell upon him were clearly not so kind—disdain, contempt, greed, and even murderous intent.

"Hmph!"

The Grand Bishop of Sotou let out a cold snort, and the scepter in his hand, which symbolized status and strength, struck the ground. The scepter in the center of the church, which symbolized the Pope, was triggered. A peerlessly powerful pressure swept across, and the eyes of those people instantly cleared.

And Tang Ping, upon seeing the scepter statue standing in front of the holy statue, which symbolized the Pope, felt a flash of amusement in his eyes.

"This must be the Descendant of God, right? Deserving of being the child of the holy lord, truly an outstanding young man!" The first to come forward and speak was the City Lord's grandson; only fifty years old, he was already a late-stage Gold Knight and a strong contender for the position of City Lord.

The Grand Bishop of Sotou beside him frowned. Using such a tone—the kind used to praise a junior—when addressing a Descendant of God was clearly a very rude behavior. Even he had never done such a thing. What, did a City Lord's grandson think his status was higher than his own?

Disrespect toward a Descendant of God was disrespect toward the Holy See. If they were disrespectful toward the Holy See, wouldn't that mean they would dare to trample all over him tomorrow?

Hehe, and you want to be City Lord? The Grand Bishop of Sotou narrowed his eyes.

Before the Grand Bishop of Sotou could speak, Tang Ping ignored the sarcasm in the other person's tone, didn't even give him a glance, walked straight ahead, and turned his head to say to Kaya, "Kaya, did you hear anyone talking to us?"

"I don't think anyone was," Kaya said hesitantly.

Tang Ping sighed with a smile, "Grand Bishop of Sotou, the soundproofing of your church is not very good. You must renovate it properly. Are you short of gold coins? When the Pope baptizes me later, I will personally request a batch of funds for you."

The Grand Bishop of Sotou beamed, "Hahaha, then thank you, Mr. Townsend. The church in our small place is indeed a bit shabby; all sorts of messy sounds have drifted in. It really needs to be repaired, so as not to disturb the holy lord's peace."

At this time, the City Lord's grandson, who was standing to the side with his hand outstretched in a stiff gesture, turned varying shades of blue and white, and finally, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Those Count families, guild elders, presidents, and so on, were overjoyed. Good! Now, the City Lord's most outstanding grandson could forget about ever becoming the City Lord!

Everyone says the church does not participate in the City Lord election, but who ends up being City Lord doesn't depend on the face of the Grand Bishop?

A Count shook his head slightly, "A pampered, ignorant, and arrogant fellow, spoiled by the old City Lord. This Sonia's path has come to an end."

A guild elder next to him smiled brightly, "Hahaha, isn't that just right? It's our gain. Now we have one less major competitor!"

Counts, Countesses, guild presidents, elders, and the outstanding descendants of these people immediately began whispering, their eyes filled with schadenfreude; aside from their luxurious clothing, they didn't seem to be anything special.

"See? I told you there was no need to be so nervous," Tang Ping said, turning his head toward Kaya.

Suddenly, a glint of cunning flashed in Tang Ping's eyes. He leaned in and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Young man, do you want to be the Pope?"