238: Chapter 238 Heading to the Church! Alia's Letter!

Golden Flame Castle, study.

Rowan stood by the window, holding a letter just delivered by a cathedral monk.

After opening it, the handwriting on the letter paper was neat.

It informed him of the church's decision—the church had decided to officially close the Gino City cathedral in one week, and all clergy would withdraw south with the team.

At the end of the letter, a sentence was added: "The Bishop invites The Count to the cathedral for a talk."

Rowan put down the letter and remained silent for a moment.

It was expected.

It just came a bit earlier than he had anticipated.

He folded the letter and walked out of the study.

...

Dawn Cathedral.

Rowan arrived as invited.

A young nun led him through the side corridor to the door of a quiet chamber at the back of the cathedral.

The nun knocked gently on the door, then pushed it open and stepped aside to let him in.

The quiet chamber was not large and was simply furnished.

Inside, there were two chairs placed opposite each other, separated by a small round table.

Bishop Cole sat in one of the chairs.

After entering, Rowan scanned the room, then walked over and sat down opposite Bishop Cole.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Silence spread through the quiet chamber.

A moment later, Rowan spoke first.

His voice was not loud, carrying a sense of emotion:

"Why has it come to this?"

Upon hearing this, Bishop Cole did not answer directly.

He picked up the teacup on the table, took a gentle sip, and then slowly began:

"How much does The Count know about the Red Moon?"

Rowan thought for a moment and replied:

"I have heard a little. The current chaos and turmoil in the North seem to be related to Him."

Bishop Cole nodded slightly:

"Then The Count should know that the Dawn and the Red Moon are incompatible."

"These are two completely different fundamental rules, like light and darkness, order and chaos."

"They can coexist under the same sky, but they cannot coexist within the same faith."

Rowan frowned slightly, a bit confused:

"What does that have to do with anything? The believers still worship the Dawn and still pray to the Dawn."

Bishop Cole was silent for a moment, then sighed softly: "As the Red Moon gradually awakens, His power will spread like a tide, permeating every corner of this land."

"Everyone, whether they wish to or not, will inevitably be infected by the power of the Red Moon."

"The faith of the Northern believers has already been infiltrated by the power of the Red Moon."

"Such faith is no longer suitable for the Dawn."

Rowan's brow furrowed even tighter:

"Why would that happen? The believers have not converted to the Red Moon; they are still devoutly praying to the Dawn. Why would their faith be contaminated?"

Bishop Cole did not answer his question directly.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question: "The Count, do you believe that a god should answer every prayer?"

Rowan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then frowned and did not answer.

Isn't that nonsense?

How could a god answer every prayer?

If a god really answered every prayer, there would be no pain, imperfection, despair, or tragedy in the world...

If a god really answered every prayer, what would be the point of the church? What would be the point of the Temple Knight Order? Everyone could just pray at home.

Bishop Cole looked at his expression, as if he had read his thoughts.

He did not continue to press the matter, but said:

"The Lord of Scarlet, He answers every prayer. As long as a suitable sacrifice is offered."

Rowan's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this.

For some reason, an inexplicable chill exploded in his heart, causing him to sit up straight involuntarily.

He seemed to understand something.

This must involve some deeper level of divine rules, a fundamental difference between faith and response that he had never encountered before.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask about the difference.

But Bishop Cole had already waved his hand, clearly not intending to continue this topic.

He took out a letter and handed it over.

There was no signature or mark on the envelope, only a pure white flame symbol.

"The Count, this is a letter that Priestess Windsor entrusted me to pass on to you."

Upon hearing this, Rowan suppressed the urge to ask further questions and reached out to take the letter.

He broke the wax seal, pulled out the letter paper, and quickly scanned the contents.

The letter was short, the handwriting elegant and concise, carrying a cold style unique to Aria.

The gist was that the situation in the North would become very dangerous, and she advised him to go south as soon as possible.

If he decided to go south, he could travel with the church's evacuation team, and she would have people look after him along the way.

After reading it, Rowan was silent.

Of course, he could not go south.

He could not go to the south to be a landless noble living under someone else's roof.

Bishop Cole looked at his silent expression and had already read his choice.

He did not say much more, just nodded gently:

"Since The Count has made his decision, then, may the afterglow of the Dawn still light the path ahead for you."

Rowan stood up, put the letter into his pocket, nodded slightly to Bishop Cole in greeting, and then turned to walk out of the quiet chamber.

His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, gradually fading away and disappearing into the twilight outside the cathedral door.

...

One week later, all the large and small cathedrals in the North began to withdraw to the south.

Long convoys from various places marched south along the official roads, and no one with any sense dared to disturb them.

In the cities and towns along the way, some people stood by the roadside, silently watching the departing procession, some knelt on the ground, drawing the holy emblem to pray for protection, and others clutched bundles, hurriedly chasing after the convoys, wanting to follow the church south.

Order began to collapse!

...

Holy Calendar 1852, Autumn.

Imperial Capital, Seran City.

In the square in front of the Dawn Cathedral, teams of clergy returning from the North arrived one after another.

Aria stood by a marble pillar at the side door of the cathedral, her gaze passing through the bustling crowd in the square and landing on the teams returning one after another.

Her expression looked very calm, but deep in her beautiful eyes, ripples were gently surging.

She had received the reply from Bishop Cole and also knew of Rowan's decision.

He had rejected her proposal.

Honestly, she was not surprised.

She sighed softly, withdrew her gaze, and turned to walk towards the Windsor Estate.

The leaves of the plane trees on both sides of the street outlined sparse lines against the grayish-white sky.

Her footsteps made a rustling sound on the stone road covered with fallen leaves.

Returning to the estate, she first went to see the children.

In the nursery, three cradles were placed side by side.

The three children, Melanie, Darian, and Jessica, were all being cared for by nannies.

When she pushed the door open and entered, the eyes of the three children turned towards her almost simultaneously.

Melanie recognized her first.

Her little mouth widened, revealing pink gums, and she let out a string of garbled, babbling sounds.

Darian was quieter, just looking at her with wide eyes, his little hands reaching out from his swaddling clothes, grabbing randomly in the air.

Jessica gave a small yawn, then narrowed her eyes, looking sleepy.

Aria walked to the side of the cradles, took a look, and then extended her finger to touch Melanie's little hand.

Melanie immediately grabbed her finger.

She extended her other hand, gently stroking Darian's soft hair; the little guy narrowed his eyes slightly, as if enjoying it.

She looked at Jessica, who had already closed her eyes and started to doze off, a mysterious smile appearing on the corner of her lips.

At this time, the nanny on the side said: "Miss, the three little masters are all very well."

"Miss Melanie drank a full bottle of milk this morning and is very energetic; Master Darian slept much more soundly than yesterday, waking up only once in the middle."

"Miss Jessica... well, apart from eating, she just sleeps, as well-behaved as a kitten."

After listening, Aria nodded, her gaze lingering on the three children's faces for a moment before she stood up straight.

"Thank you for your hard work," she said in a low voice, then turned and left.

Just out of the room, Aria saw her sister, Lyriel, walking over from the other end of the corridor.

"Sister, you're back," Lyriel said, walking up to her with a smile. "I've already finished inquiring about the large manor you asked me to look into last time."

"It is located in the core area, less than half an hour away from the Dawn Cathedral, with a vast area and well-maintained buildings."

"As for the price, many nobles returning from the North are snapping up properties now, driving the price up quite a bit; the owner of that manor is asking for three thousand magic crystals."

"If you want it, you have to act quickly; I heard it might go up further later."

Upon hearing this, Aria's eyes flickered, she was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "No need, sister. I was just asking casually before..."

Lyriel was slightly taken aback, looking at her with some confusion, but did not ask further, just nodded:

"Uh... alright then. If you change your mind, let me know anytime."