Chapter 540: Chapter 485: The Old World Turns People into Ghosts, the New World Turns Ghosts into People!
Gustav’s words filled Ivina with an immense rage, and a chill involuntarily rose in her heart.
What does it mean to become a part of the Lord…
Lynn was pondering this question as well, even more astonished by Gustav’s unquestioning tone of voice, Joshua had said something similar before.
It seemed like the Church had been ruling the continent for hundreds of years with some ultimate purpose in mind. That false god, Elia, must be preparing to do something related to faith, and it had reached a critical moment!
Taking advantage of the moment when Gustav’s emotions were most volatile, Lynn suddenly asked, “Tell me, what exactly is on the other side of the Space-Time Gate?”
This was a question Lynn had always been very curious about. Why were there several Space-Time Gates scattered across this planet, where did they lead to, were they naturally occurring or man-made?
Lynn could only think of the Einstein-Rosen bridge when it came to such space-time wormholes…
The Wizard Council had once sent a team to explore them and also used numerous spells for probing, but the result was silence, no one returned!
In Ivina’s memory, some elite members of the God’s Punishment Army had entered them, but as to the outcome, the girl was unaware.
But Gustav, as the leader of the God’s Punishment Army, must know something!
Although the other party might not tell her…
Lynn was prepared for Gustav to remain silent, but unexpectedly, Gustav’s voice rang out.
“That is the origin of everything, the root of all evil…”
Gustav’s words were sharp, with a tremble in his tone.
Lynn’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, his mind whirled with numerous possibilities in an instant, then he questioned again, “What does that mean?”
Gustav did not answer; the emotions stirred by Ivina’s appearance had calmed down once more. He bowed his head again, remaining silent as if he were already dead.
Lynn did not press further; he believed that if there were any effective methods, Vittorio would have already tried them, and it was unnecessary for Lynn to waste his efforts.
Now, it all depended on how much information Vittorio could extract from Gustav’s fluctuating thoughts…
After one last glance at Gustav, Lynn turned and left without hesitation.
Ivina, still in a daze, came to her senses and followed Lynn out of the secret chamber.
The warm noonday sun showered upon the girl, making her feel comfortable, yet Ivina’s heart remained cold as ice…
Two years ago, after joining the God’s Punishment Army, she thought she had found the meaning of life and that she would spend the rest of her life with like-minded comrades, fighting to the end against the followers of the Evil God who endangered the Empire’s citizens, spreading fear, plagues, and death.
However, the truth told her that everything they did was utterly meaningless.
Ivina took a deep breath, forcing herself to emerge from her anger at Gustav and her own confusion. She looked up at Lynn, who stood a head taller than her, and asked,
“Can you tell me, after the Wizard Council defeats the Empire, how will you deal with us, deal with… the God’s Punishment Army?”
Ivina wanted to defend the God’s Punishment Army but didn’t know how to begin.
After all, many in the God’s Punishment Army were former witch-hunters, and the animosity between the two sides was deep.
Yet Ivina knew that the God’s Punishment Army was diverse, with many who were purely manipulated by the Church, whether hunting witches or dealing with the followers of the Evil God, they did it all for the sake of maintaining peace.
“There are a large number of Elia’s followers within the Kingdom. Do you know how we deal with them?” Lynn asked in return.
Ivina pursed her lips and did not reply; dealing with enemies usually meant killing them, possibly with the addition of torture.
Lynn, however, enlightened her on the Kingdom’s laws. “First, we account for their crimes one by one, executing those who have committed unforgivable offenses.”
“Then we gather those who are guilty but stubborn, assigning them to hard labor like mining or road building… until their service redeems their wrongs.”
“As for the rest, we conduct thought reform and basic enlightenment. The Council has special individuals handling this.”
Lynn spoke confidently about the various decisions made by the Council.
“Just like that? You’re not planning to kill them?” Ivina asked, astonished.
Kill them? Lynn glanced at the girl.
The entire Empire had been under the Church’s control for hundreds of years, and faith had taken root in every person’s heart; there were likely nearly ten million lay believers and millions of ordinary believers. The Council could not and did not need to kill everyone.
Apart from the mad zealots who needed to be dealt with directly, the majority could be transformed to break free from the Church’s rule.
At least in the Kingdom, they had already achieved some success, proving that this approach was feasible…
Even the wizards of the Council in charge of this matter had discovered a peculiar phenomenon: the impoverished whose faith collapsed suddenly showed intense hatred towards the Church.
Initially, the Council suspected it was feigned, but after scrutinizing their memories, they found it to be the individuals’ true thoughts, leaving the spiritual energy wizards puzzled.