Mu Xuan left the task of arranging the knight escorts to Cistelline and approached Lucerchi and Morson.
He reached out and pointed toward a nearby giant tree.
Lucerchi and Morson nodded in understanding. They glanced at the civilians, and seeing that Cistelline had everything organized and under control, they followed Mu Xuan behind the massive trunk with peace of mind.
There were certain conversations that could not be overheard, especially since some among the crowd did not have pure intentions.
These were the people who hadn’t suffered enough within the Black Mist and still fantasized about their former wealth and power. Bringing them back would eventually cause issues.
However, simply killing them wasn’t an option either, as it would incite panic.
Mu Xuan didn’t plan to deal with them now; he would simply avoid them for the time being.
“Sage Lucerchi… was that Messenger Sparrow from the Dwarves?”
After a moment of hesitation, Mu Xuan finally asked.
It had been far too embarrassing back then; he had nearly been scared to tears.
“Yes… it was.”
“Why would it target me?”
This was what Mu Xuan wanted to know most.
If he had been targeted even before he crossed over into this world, it might have been an issue with the original owner of this body. However, Mu Xuan felt it wasn’t that simple.
“A prophecy!” Lucerchi sighed again, seeming somewhat helpless regarding the matter.
“So… that’s why you were wandering there?”
Mu Xuan remembered that Lucerchi had been roaming the area with a flock of sheep when Buzachi encountered him.
Morson spoke up from the side. “Teacher Lucerchi sensed something, which is why he decided to deliver the Tear of Arlus.”
Lucerchi waved a hand to silence Morson before explaining, “It was indeed a prophecy. Whether it is the Saints of the Church, the Sages of the Mage Tower, or the top-tier existences of other races, they all have means of peeking into the future.”
Hearing Lucerchi’s words, Mu Xuan’s expression turned grim.
“Then I am in great danger…”
If that were true, wasn’t he completely exposed?
He hadn’t even dealt with the horrors within the Black Mist yet, and he was already being watched by other factions. Furthermore, he had no idea if they held good or ill intentions.
If they were like Lucerchi, it would be fine, but if they meant harm…
“Your Eminence, prophecies are not as omniscient as you might imagine,” Lucerchi said with a sigh, noticing Mu Xuan’s unease. “The limitations of a prophecy are immense. Depending on the direction of the prophecy, the results you obtain will differ.”
“Furthermore, the results are usually extremely vague—a certain location, a specific time period, or an object. My three prophecies resulted in a ball of light, a flock of sheep, and… the unknown.”
Hearing this, Mu Xuan couldn’t help but ask, “So, your prophecy regarding the sheep was actually pointing to those sheep in the valley?”
If not for that, there was no way Mu Xuan would have gone looking for Buzachi.
After all, the sheep were part of his resources!
“Yes… Morson is my last student. I had to at least try to save him. And the only one capable of liberating this place is you…”
“Teacher…” Morson was deeply moved. Despite being nearly 300 years old, he felt a lump in his throat as he watched Lucerchi’s helpless expression.
After he had become an Archmage, Lucerchi hadn’t taken the initiative to contact him again.
He never expected that when he was in danger, Lucerchi would be willing to go to such lengths for him.
Not only did he deliver the Tear of Arlus, a quasi-divine artifact, but he also…
Sensing the magic circuits within Lucerchi’s body, which had almost completely ceased functioning, Morson felt a sharp, agonizing pang in his heart.
“What are you thinking? These old bones of mine are still sturdy!”
Lucerchi felt a chill as he noticed Morson’s expression. The man was looking at him as if he were already in the grave, his face full of sorrow and his aged eyes even shimmering with tears.
Lucerchi hadn’t expected that Morson wouldn’t use the Tear of Arlus to seal his own body as well.
Now, Morson’s level of aging had caught up to his own.
‘Tsk… the middle-aged Morson was much easier on the eyes.’
“So, what might they have prophesied?” Mu Xuan asked, still worried despite Lucerchi’s explanation.
Hearing the question again, Lucerchi gave Morson a look.
Morson understood immediately and obediently left to help Cistelline manage the group.
Once Morson was gone, Lucerchi spoke with a heavy tone.
“The Saintess’s heart’s blood…”
Mu Xuan stared. ‘What the hell?’
Didn’t he just say prophecies were only vague pointers?
Why was there such a clear lead now?
“If you hadn’t carved out your heart’s blood, their prophecy would still be vague.”
Seeing Mu Xuan’s confused and dazed expression, Lucerchi shook his head and continued, “It is just that… your act of carving out your heart’s blood at that moment completely solidified the identity of the Saintess.”
“What do you mean!?”
“It means that the prophecy will now be able to point clearly toward the Saintess.”
Mu Xuan hissed. ‘So, if I hadn’t dug out my heart’s blood then, the prophecy wouldn’t be able to point to me, right?’
“Yes. If the heart’s blood hadn’t been exposed, they would still only be able to find the current Church to test the waters, rather than setting their sights directly on the Saintess.”
“Furthermore, those of a different race will always have different motives. It is unlikely they are benevolent…” Lucerchi added, as if knowing what Mu Xuan was thinking.
Hearing this, Mu Xuan twirled his scepter, feeling like he wanted to cry but had no tears left.
‘What kind of mess is this?! I helped solve a massive disaster, only to attract even more trouble!’
“So, Sage Lucerchi… what do you suggest?”
“Hide,” Lucerchi said solemnly.
His shepherd’s crook was worn and uneven, but he didn’t care. The calluses on his palm rubbed against the wood repeatedly.
Right now, the Black Mist shrouded the world, cutting off communication between humans, let alone between different races.
The Goddess had not announced the establishment of the Saintess to the world, the Church had no records of a Saintess ever existing, and the message from the “Messenger Sparrow” had not been sent out.
Currently, the only ones who knew the Saintess’s true identity were Cistelline and himself.
Therefore, in Lucerchi’s view, hiding the Saintess’s identity was the key to dealing with the other races.
—
Historically, every Pope had been male, and every Saintess had been female. As long as Mu Xuan could keep his identity as the Saintess under wraps and appear only as the Pope, no one would ever suspect anything.
No one would imagine that the Church had already established a Saintess—and that the Saintess was the Pope himself!
The prophecy might point toward a Saintess, but as long as the news of her appointment remained hidden, they could exploit the information gap. They could make others believe that the time for the Saintess to appear had not yet come. Of course, this was only a hypothesis.
There were many old monsters still alive among the other races.
Mu Xuan quickly grasped Lucerchi’s idea.
‘Exactly! They’re looking for a Saintess. What does that have to do with me, Pope Mu Xuan?’
When the time came, he would simply insist that the Church had no Saintess. Who would ever suspect that the Pope was the Saintess?
Besides, he really didn’t want to be this Saintess!
Mu Xuan looked at Lucerchi and couldn’t help but offer a smile full of gratitude.
“The Church has never established a Saintess…”
“I, in the name of the Sage of the Eastern Tower, guarantee that the Church has never established a Saintess!”