235 Impac (2/2)
In the early morning, a bunch of newspaper kids were yelling on the streets energetically,
”Newspaper, newspaper! Latest Holm News! Earlier than usual!”
Hearing that, many people on the streets started looking for five Fells in their purses, as they knew that there must be something important in the newspaper.
Influenced by those magic schools, common people living here in Holm were more educated than the average people in other countries across the ocean, and they also more or less cared about the development of magic. Therefore, newspapers here, especially in Rentato, sold better.
Meanwhile, those nobles who did not need to rush to work were right now enjoying their breakfast while reading Holm News as usual, and those people included many pastors and cardinals.
A young pastor left his room and came to the cathedral’s dining hall. After his praying, there was buttered bread and sausages on the plates in front of him. Beside the plates, there was a pile of newspaper.
”Holm News?” the pastor was a little bit surprised, and he asked the pastor who was still in training sitting close to him, ”Isn’t this issue earlier than usual?”
”My Lord,” the pastor answered respectfully, ”I’m not very sure, but it’s said that something big just happened in Rentato.”
”Oh?” The pastor picked up the newspaper. As usual, the first page was about the old king, who just went for hunting the other day, followed by lots of nobles, but Prince Patrick was not there.
However, when he turned the newspaper to the second page, a striking black title appeared in his sight, ”An Experiment Simulating the Pristine Natural Environment.”
”Experiment?! Those sorcerers are on the newspaper now?” The young pastor was shocked. As he read it even further, he added, ”Lie! Shameless lie! This is blasphemy!”
The other pastors in training were all scared. When they saw that the pastor started throwing plates and bowls onto the ground, they all took a few steps back.
After a long time, the pastor murmured to himself in a puzzled way, ”Lie… This must be a lie! I’m gonna report this to the head Cardinal, and he will prove that it is a lie!”
The same scenario occurred in most of the churches and cathedrals in Holm parish, and almost simultaneously in churches in the Kingdom of Colette.
The Congress of Magic had shown its great influence!
...
”That's basically what happened.” The other cardinal slowly calmed down a bit.
Philibell asked seriously, ”But why would Holm News publish this experiment?”
”The headquarter and divisions of the newspaper are right now under the control of the Congress. They’ve printed out the latest issue of Holm News in every city,” the cardinal explained. ”However, all people involved in this had fled.”
Philibell was still confused, ”But how can they communicate with each other in real time? Sound transmission spells cost a lot and casting those spells means lots of work… How could they take action so fast?”
”So far, we have no idea yet, Lord Philibell,” answered the cardinal.
Vaharall said to Philibell seriously,
”Philibell, you stay here and control the situation. I go to see the pope for his instruction.”
When Philibell was left alone in the study after everyone got their own tasks, he signed slowly, ”What is your true will, Lord?”
...
Lance, the Holy city.
Benedict II, the Pope, was right now calmly looking at the cardinals standing in front of him. Then, lifting his scepter, he said to them seriously, ”Have you all forgotten the word from Lord? It is always the soul that goes up to Mountain Paradise, not one’s flesh and blood!”