novelhk Chapter 240 Conferment Ceremony
Chapter 240 Conferment Ceremony
Chapter 240 Conferment Ceremony
Anne had already returned to the Holy City two days ago.
Once today is over and the inauguration ceremony is finished, she can set off to return to the Herald Academy.
She should have been focused on today's ceremony, but ever since returning from Lieyang City, her thoughts have inevitably drifted to what she had gained over the past few days.
Anne deduced from the details in historical records that the Scarlet Prince's wife became pregnant and gave birth after he disappeared.
It was further speculated that Lady Gaia had once gone to sea to search for her husband.
This formidable woman not only saw her husband again, but also brought back his child, and—
A nautical chart of the legendary Luoyu Island.
After glancing at the nautical chart, Anne returned it to Lord Wayne of the small town.
But Anne had a photographic memory from a young age; she could remember every detail on a piece of paper or a drawing with just one glance.
At this moment, there is a blueprint on the table in front of Annie.
That was a nautical chart that Annie copied from her memory after she returned.
Anne has beautiful handwriting, but painting is not her forte.
She couldn't guarantee the map was absolutely accurate, but it was at least enough to indicate the approximate location of Fallen Feather Island.
Anne stared at the nautical chart, a variety of thoughts running through her mind.
Its existence proves many things.
First of all, Fallen Feather Island is not a legend, but a real place.
This further suggests that the legendary embodiment of knowledge and wisdom—the Stone-skinned Parrot—may not be a mere rumor.
Furthermore, since Gaia was able to bring back the location of Feathered Island, it means that Ferdinand's ship may have also arrived at Feathered Island.
This explains why Gaia conceived Nance after Ferdinand went missing.
Anne had a question: since Gaia successfully returned to Sun City, why didn't Ferdinand come back with her?
To understand this question, we must first know why Ferdinand started this journey.
His motives are clearly recorded in historical texts.
Ferdinand went to find Featherfall Island in order to find the Stone-skinned Parrot.
But why was he looking for the Stone-skinned Parrot?
Anne didn't believe Ferdinand had a collecting obsession, and from the information Anne had gathered about the Scarlet Prince during this time, the legendary figure always had a clear purpose and was always able to stay focused.
Thinking from this perspective, Anne felt that she might be able to uncover the truth.
The stone-skinned parrot is said to be a rare bird that possesses all the knowledge in the world.
If someone were to ask this wise, long-lived bird a question, it would surely be able to give a clear answer.
Anne thought that Ferdinand probably had some doubts and wanted to seek answers from the stone-skinned parrot.
But what is that problem?
Anne continued to rack her brains, and soon she came up with a potentially valuable clue.
Lance Justinian was not Gaia's only child.
She and Ferdinand also had a daughter, but the little princess died unexpectedly at the age of eleven.
According to the story recorded in "The Rippling Waters", Ferdinand married Gaia three years after arriving in Sun City.
If Gaia becomes pregnant immediately after the two get married, then the little princess should be born ten months later.
Historical records indicate that Ferdinand began building an army five years after being exiled, and seized the throne with lightning speed.
Ten years after donning that crown, Ferdinand set sail aboard the Blazing Golden Gun in search of Feathered Island.
Coincidentally, it was exactly eleven years from the birth of the little princess to Ferdinand's departure at sea.
Anne felt that this might be more than just a coincidence.
The death of his daughter may be the real motive behind Ferdinand's departure to sea!
If that's the case, then his reason for wanting to find Fallen Feather Island becomes obvious.
He planned to ask the stone-skinned parrot if there was any way to save his daughter!
There is no record in historical materials whether Ferdinand took his daughter's coffin with him when he went to sea.
It is also impossible to verify whether Ferdinand actually saved his daughter.
But one thing is certain: he must have seen the stone-skinned parrot and obtained the answer.
Otherwise, Anne couldn't think of any motive that would make Ferdinand stay on the island.
Anne couldn't be sure that her idea was correct, but all sorts of historical materials coincided with her guess.
History is difficult to prove, but it can be disproven.
However, Anne couldn't think of any evidence to disprove her idea.
Following this hypothesis, Anne discovered that there were even more questions worth considering.
Why couldn't Gaia bring her husband back?
Why didn't she fight for the throne for her son?
Why did Eugene and Gregory choose to let Sun City go?
Why has Lieyang City achieved its current status in a theocracy?
If all these questions point to the same answer,
Anne believed they must be protecting some secret.
Perhaps in the eyes of these people, the fate of individuals, families, and even the nation seems superficial and childish in the face of this secret.
As for what this secret is, only the city lord of Lieyang City probably knows. This secret is definitely not as simple as the location of Luoyu Island; it must be something far more significant or even dangerous.
There is no evidence left to help Anne deduce any further information.
But it is enough.
What she discovered was more than enough for him to write a paper.
Moreover, she had a premonition that her paper would definitely cause a sensation.
However, Anne was unsure whether she should make this public.
If this secret, which has been protected for thousands of years, were to be made public rashly, it would likely cause a huge upheaval.
Moreover, the Justinian family would certainly retaliate against Anne for this.
Anne wasn't afraid of retaliation; at worst, she could just go back to the library and hide.
There is no safer place in the world than the library of Abraham.
However, if a huge disaster were to occur because of Anne, she would inevitably feel guilty.
"Hmm...—"
Anne sighed; she felt this was a difficult situation.
And this nautical chart in front of her—her intuition told her that this thing absolutely could not be obtained by anyone else, much less made public.
But this was undoubtedly invaluable intelligence, and Anne couldn't bear to burn it.
Her eyes darted around a few times, and she quickly came up with an idea.
Once we return to Emblem City, we will give this map to Laura.
Why not just have Lola pass it on to Aaron?
Anne wondered what Aaron's expression would be if he knew that she had discovered a secret from a thousand years ago.
At that moment, Anne suddenly missed Aaron terribly.
Time flies; almost two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
She was fourteen when she left the library; now she's sixteen.
I wonder when I'll be able to go back to the library again.
Anne sometimes envies Lola, who can travel freely all over the world.
No matter where the person you care about is, you can go see them when you miss them.
Anne bets that Lola must often go to see Aaron behind her back!
After all, his younger sister was very clingy.
Damn it—I suddenly miss Lola so much again—
Fortunately, this trip is almost over.
Once the inauguration ceremony is over and she returns to the Herald Academy, she will be able to see Lola again!
In that case, should we bring Lola a gift back with us?
Anne saw a pair of shoes with thick soles at the market that Lola would definitely love!
Oh, and we should also prepare a gift for Aaron!
Just as Anne was immersed in anticipation, a voice interrupted her:
You look very happy.
Anne turned her head; it was Seth.
Her smile vanished instantly: "What is it?"
"It's getting late, Miss Anne, we should get going."
Anne nodded: "Wait for me outside, I want to go back to my room to change my clothes."
"Yes, ma'am."
As Seth spoke, he gently lifted a strand of long black hair from his temple with his index and middle fingers.
After he left, Annie carefully put away the drawings and placed them in her bosom.
Then she went back to her room and changed into a dress.
Joseph prepared this outfit for her, since she was the representative of the Herald Academy, and important figures from all directions would definitely attend the ceremony, so she had to take good care of her appearance.
This is a blue and black dress, a color scheme that matches the composure and wisdom of the Herald Academy.
However, Anne didn't like this color.
She would prefer a red or green dress, which are the colors of her and Lola's eyes, respectively.
Anne straightened her hair, trying to appear dignified.
However, she felt that her hairstyle was not good.
When she was little, Aaron would take care of her hair, but Aaron was very unreliable. Sometimes, to save time, he would just tie a knot in her hair to make do.
After Lola arrived, the two sisters tied each other's hair together.
However, Lola's aesthetic sense differed greatly from Anne's, so Anne did not improve her skills in dressing up or presenting herself.
Upon arriving at the Herald Academy, a school with a predominantly male student population, she was also left without any instruction on how to dress.
If it weren't for Annie's good looks, she would definitely be frequently invited to give advice and suggestions.
Seeing that her head was still a little crooked, Annie finally gave up.
After all, she couldn't guarantee that removing it and trying again would yield better results.
After Anne finished dressing, she immediately went outside.
Seth had been waiting for a long time. As soon as he saw Anne, he walked over to her and extended his left hand.
Anne placed her right hand on his left, and Seth bent down and kissed the back of her hand.
"Miss Anne, you look especially beautiful today."
"Thank you for the compliment," Anne said, withdrawing her right hand. "Let's go, Seth."
Seth nodded, then followed behind Annie.
During the walk, Seth said to Anne:
"The Vatican has only granted two seats, therefore, I am the only one protecting your safety today."
Anne wasn't worried about this.
Although she hadn't seen Seth make a direct move, she could sense that Seth's combat power was definitely not to be underestimated.
Soon, they arrived at the Vatican's church.
Anne handed over the invitation, and after the Vatican official reviewed it, he reported the seat number recorded in the register before inviting Anne inside.
Upon entering the church, Anne was immediately overwhelmed with emotion.
A huge, colorful statue of God stands at the deepest part of the church.
Sunlight streamed through the glass dome above the statue, shining directly onto the face of God.
The golden light made the statue appear incredibly sacred.
At the feet of the Lord were statues of various gods, but their size was incomparable to that of the Lord.
White silk draped over the marble altar, giving it an air of supreme purity.
Below the altar are rows of stone chairs fixed to the floor.
Anne suddenly realized that the entire church was probably carved from a single block of stone!
At this moment, half of the seats in the church were already occupied, and people were still pouring in.
Anne and Seth also took their seats.
In less than half an hour, the church was packed.
According to the schedule, the entire morning will be a Mass presided over by the Pope himself.
Anne didn't attend Mass much.
Although among many faiths, Anne chose God.
However, she did not rely excessively on her own information.
This was probably influenced by Aaron, who seemed to be an atheist.
Anne remembered asking Aaron what his beliefs were.
Anne still doesn't quite understand Aaron's answer; he only used the word "people."
Anne thought it was probably because Aaron was very loving.
In short, the Mass left Anne feeling somewhat drowsy and without any sense of spiritual purification.
Only the choir's singing and the organ accompaniment, combined to create a soothing and melodious sound, finally brought Annie some joy.
However, she was not there to enjoy herself, so she had to force herself to stay alert throughout the entire mass.
The Mass is considered completely concluded only after the Eucharist and the Blood of Christ are delivered to the believer and consumed by them.
At noon, the Vatican prepared a sumptuous banquet for all the guests.
However, this was not a noble banquet; it consisted of only a simple lunch, without any entertainment or ball.
In a somber atmosphere, everyone finished the meal.
Next came the conferment ceremony.
Anne returned to her seat.
Pope Nicholas X, holding a heavy book, read a "divine" declaration to the crowd.
Then, a middle-aged man dressed in a white robe stepped forward and knelt before Nicholas, who was also the icon of God.
In the silence, the man began to swear an oath.
In the oath, the man identified himself as Angel Saint Parolin, an archbishop.
Anne already knew the name of the person to be appointed, but this was the first time she had met him.
Angel looked to be in his forties, but on the church altar, he was definitely the youngest one.
After the oath was taken, a bishop presented Angel with a holy robe, while Nicholas personally placed a holy crown on Angel's head.
Subsequently, all the bishops of the Papacy were required to anoint Angel's forehead with holy oil.
The ceremony was supposed to proceed smoothly, and Anne silently prepared her congratulatory remarks for later.
However, chaos erupted on stage.
Seth said to Anne, "It seems a bishop named Felix has gone missing."
Gone?
Anne was confused.
How could it suddenly disappear at such a critical time?
Just as Anne was pondering, suddenly, a shadow fell onto the stage from above.
It was a body.
The immense impact overwhelmed their physical bodies, causing blood to splatter everywhere, staining the white robes of these priests.
Annie was stunned and shocked by this sudden accident.
She subconsciously looked up, and then...
"Oh my god—"
She saw that the word "仁" (ren, meaning benevolence) was etched prominently on the face of God.