Demon Bible

Chapter 170: Abdication and Competition

Nemus flipped through the Book of Ages, observing the advancing historical trajectory.

Soon after, he faintly sensed a powerful external force approaching.

Before Nemus could further ponder what kind of external force it was, a voice rang out from outside—Rhine had convened an emergency meeting.

Grasping the situation, Nemus followed a guide to the conference room.

Upon entering, he spotted Rhine. However, today, Rhine was not sitting in the seat of honor; instead, he occupied the chair directly next to it.

An intrigued expression crossed Nemus's face. Before he could utter a word, a prominent figure suddenly appeared at the doorway.

Kiliman Robert.

The most powerful figure on the whaleback of the Azure Sky Whale.

Nemus's position as the Grand Knight of Tail Fin Town had been conferred by a single transfer order from this very man.

And now, without a sound, this prominent figure had actually arrived in Tail Fin Town."Grand Knight Nels, please take a seat." Kiliman sat in the seat of honor without a moment of hesitation, giving Nemus a curt nod.

So far, Nemus had not done a bad job in his position; he had excellently maintained order within Tail Fin Town.

This earned him a rather favorable impression from Kiliman.

Before long, anyone holding even a minor position within the Church had been summoned to the room.

At this moment, the majority of the attendees were completely baffled. They had no idea what was going on or why the Grand Commander had suddenly appeared here.

Only Isabella had a vague suspicion. She could not help but look at Rhine, attempting to find a trace of emotional fluctuation on his face.

Unfortunately, her emotional perception, which worked exceptionally well on ordinary people, faced immense obstruction when used on someone like Rhine.

"Just today, Bishop Rhine submitted his resignation to me, citing health reasons." Seeing that everyone had gathered, Kiliman skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase.

Hearing this declaration, everyone froze in stunned silence.

Although Rhine was rigidly formal and occasionally spoke in riddles, he was still perfectly competent when it came to carrying out Church missions.

Why was he suddenly being stripped of his position as Bishop?

As for the so-called "health reasons," absolutely no one bought it.

The idea that a Priest who was only one step away from reaching the Golden Rank, someone thoroughly proficient in Holy Affinity Spells and Divine Arts, would suffer from health issues was a completely unfunny joke.

This excuse was merely a way to allow Rhine to step down from the Bishop's seat with some dignity.

At this moment, Isabella could not wrap her head around the situation either. According to her reasoning, it was highly likely that Kiliman had come to back Rhine up.

After all, regarding the matter of the Covert Forces, Rhine might have been the presiding supervisor, but it was perfectly normal for someone behind the scenes to be aware of the operation and provide support.

However, the current trajectory of events had somewhat exceeded her expectations.

'So, is there some hidden truth behind all this that I am unaware of?' Isabella thought, momentarily taken aback. Her gaze involuntarily flicked toward Nemus, hoping to glean some information from him.

Meanwhile, Nemus himself found the situation rather surprising.

Rhine had always been an individual he was wary of; this Bishop lacked neither strength nor competence.

Furthermore, the man was constantly shrouded in mystery, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to grasp his true situation.

However, looking at it now, regardless of whether Kiliman had come to support Rhine or force his abdication, it was almost certain that Kiliman was the backer standing behind Rhine.

This supreme leader of the Enclosure Faction had presided over affairs on the whaleback of the Azure Sky Whale for a century... Right at that moment, Nemus instantly connected a few crucial pieces of information. He shook his head at Isabella, then turned and directed a question at Kiliman.

"Since Bishop Rhine is stepping down for health reasons, I wonder if the Grand Commander has any guiding suggestions for the next Bishop?"

"Over the past half-year, Nels has done quite well, proving that the young people of the Church possess genuine capability."

"Therefore, I also intend to select the next Bishop from among the youth." As soon as Kiliman finished speaking, Dong He, who was also seated in the conference room, suddenly grew excited.

It was clear as day that the Church currently did not have many Iron Rank Priests.

The number among the younger generation was even fewer.

Among them, Isabella and another young Iron Rank Priest had only recently completed their advancement. Their attribute values were twenty at most.

But Dong He was different. It had been several years since his advancement, and thanks to the resources brought in by smuggling, his cultivation speed was far from slow. Currently, his attribute value had already reached fifty.

In the younger generation, aside from him, no other Priest could possibly be his match.

As for the other Iron Rank Priests, most of them were well over fifty years old and could not be considered part of the younger generation by any stretch of the imagination.

Looking at it this way, the position of Bishop of Tail Fin Town seemingly belonged to him and him alone.

Overwhelmed by immense joy, Dong He was a mere hair's breadth away from leaping to his feet and pledging his undying loyalty to Kiliman.

"Dong He." The moment his name was called, Dong He immediately stood up, drawing sidelong glances from many in the room.

Kiliman cast a glance at him, his eyes devoid of much emotion, and simply continued calling out names.

"Roman Capo." Inside the conference room, another young Iron Rank Priest glanced around at his peers and the already-standing Dong He before rising to his feet as well. Though he was classified as young, he was actually already forty years old.

This man was none other than the Priest who had attacked Nemus at the gates of Westbin Manor—Brent's uncle.

"Isabella." Isabella stood up, fixing her gaze steadily on Kiliman.

"These three are the candidates I consider capable of becoming Bishop," Kiliman announced, looking at the three youths who had risen. He then elaborated, "I believe we can give all three of you an equal opportunity. Let the younger generation compete!"

With a single sentence, Kiliman had firmly set the tone for the proceedings.

He then stood up and declared, "I still have other matters to attend to in Sky Spring City. You will handle the competition amongst yourselves."

"Once the competition yields a result, submit the winner's name to me, and I will grant my approval." Having said his piece, Kiliman bid farewell to everyone, departed the conference room, and vanished into thin air.

He left behind the three candidates, who were currently staring at one another in dismay, entirely at a loss.

However, Dong He quickly broke the silence. "Although you two are young Priests, you are still a bit too green, and your strength is somewhat lacking."

"It would be best if you simply gave up right now. I, Dong He, believe I possess a fair amount of strength, and everyone here supports me in becoming the Bishop, right?"

Dong He intended to seize the initiative, preemptively securing his victory through sheer power and influence. He wanted to avoid any further hassle and lock in his position as Bishop today.

Today of all days!

As soon as these words were spoken, he immediately received a chorus of support from several people in the room.

The Old Bones Tavern, established by Dong He and his grandfather Dong Luo, carried a substantial amount of connections and prestige.

"Your Excellency, Grand Knight, do you support my bid for Bishop?" Dong He asked, riding high on his own success, yet unable to ignore the fact that Nemus had not voiced any support.

"You already have so many supporters; you have more than enough without me," Nemus replied, his eyes narrowing in a smile that seemed to crinkle the very corners of his eyes.