From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 103: Refining History Once More

"Crown, the Vatican agents have discovered some special information among their massive archives. Should we design a little power for them as well?"

Sitting on a sofa in the White House, directly across from Golden Hair, Bai Yang heard Alvin's words.

"We were the ones who planted that history; you should know that well. The Church doesn't have much power left. Their strength was mostly depleted when their dark division was scattered. The personnel deployed during the American Civil War were the Church's last ripples!"

Bai Yang said with a beaming smile, "The process of them slowly finding their own people is also the process of reshaping the Church's history. As they continue their search, the various special characters from that ancient, distant history will reveal themselves one by one!"

"However, whether this historical search is truly in their control is another matter entirely!"

"As you know, quite a few people have shown up for this meeting!"

Alvin nodded slightly, recording all of this in the documents at hand while jotting down new notes. "Then I know what to do, Crown! The specific historical depictions and world information will be perfected in the coming days."

"European history is actually quite fascinating. We can easily start with a few major events, such as the Black Death, or the witch hunts..."

Bai Yang remarked casually, "Any of these events could harbor secrets belonging to the Church, couldn't they?"

...Meanwhile, inside Golden Hair's office, there were six other people present besides Golden Hair, Qian Si, and the Secretary of State.

They were: Father Angus Bennett from Luo City, Nun Carolyn Olsen, Holy Knight Lyon Lankechi, Saint George Stacey, Pope Mario, and the Cardinal of Luo City, Jared Bryan.

In a broad sense, all six of these individuals belonged to the Church. However, the only person the Roman Catholic Holy See could actually command right now was Pope Mario himself.

Golden Hair was actually quite irritable. After all, his son had been captured yesterday, and he still had no idea what the current situation was. Yet here he was, forced to host this Catholic meeting.

He knew, of course, that those people wouldn't dare lay a hand on Baron, but there was always that one-in-a-ten-thousand chance. What if some reckless fool completely disregarded the consequences and opened fire?

He could only wait for news; there was nothing else he could do.

As for the remaining few, they sat in disciplined silence, keeping their eyes lowered and their focus inward.

Angus and Carolyn both held low status within the Church and, naturally, had never met the Pope before. Thus, Angus was the first to speak. "Respected Your Holiness, I am Angus, a priest!"

Pope Mario was naturally a bit embarrassed, but having served as Pope for over a decade, he knew how to smoothly roll with the situation. "I have heard your stories. You have done very well, Father!"

Even though he had countless questions he wanted to ask this priest right now, he still maintained an incredibly dignified demeanor.

Because he was the Pope—The Lord's walker on earth, the representative of Christ, the successor to the Prince of the Apostles, and the Supreme Pontiff. Even if an angel were present, he could not bow his head first. Mario, of course, understood this perfectly.

He managed to keep his composure flawlessly. Seeing that no one else was speaking, he took the initiative to open the materials at hand and began his narration to reinforce the Church's standing!

On the plane ride over, Mario and the Cardinals had already reached a consensus: under no circumstances could they let outsiders sense the weakness of the Roman Catholic Holy See!

Even though they truly were weak, if they couldn't stand tall in this era of the Advent of the Supernatural, they would be utterly hopeless.

Even if they were only standing tall with mere words, it still counted as standing tall!

Fortunately, the Roman Catholic Holy See's archives were incredibly vast. During their flight over, the Church's personnel had discovered a few more pieces of evidence regarding the American Civil War.

Thus, using this evidence, they seamlessly compiled a story interwoven with history, entirely self-taught, ready to present to the people in this room.

"I received an invitation from the Great Leader and brought secret files from the Vatican here. Since none of us are particularly busy, how about you all listen to a story of mine first?"

Mario needed to seize the upper hand immediately; only then could he secure the initiative and the right to narrate. This was the instinct of a veteran pastor, priest, and bishop.

Upon hearing this, even Golden Hair, who had been anxiously worrying about his son's safety, looked up. He hadn't expected this old man, who was even older than himself, to be so proactive. Thus, he replied, "We respect every piece of unknown information. Your Holiness, please speak!"

Mario brought out a very thin silver sheet and said softly:

"The Vatican Secret Archives record the situation of 1,203 Werewolf converts imprisoned in a monastery on New York's Alister Island in 1866. In public history, this was recorded as our charitable work."

"In truth, the Church has constantly been battling against the darkness. However, to prevent the darkness from truly affecting everyone in the world, the Church has always insisted on cleaning up these supernatural and mystical matters in secret, keeping the crises confined to a very small scope."

The records written in Latin on the thin silver sheet were passed around among the people present, leaving them clicking their tongues in amazement.

'As expected of the Church. Had they really been fighting the darkness since so long ago?' Even Golden Hair and the others couldn't help but mutter internally. 'Did this performance imply that the people of the Church had just been pretending to be ignorant all this time?'

'Was it possible that they actually knew everything?'

"The second document is still at the Vatican, but we have brought photographic copies!" Pope Mario said, clicking the mouse in his hand to open the files on the computer. It was a special item that had only been dug out of the Vatican archives right as they were boarding the plane.

Naturally, it now formed a link in Mario's story. "This is a notebook belonging to Archbishop Hughes of Trinity Church in New York. It contains an application he wrote to support the Federation's monster-hunting operations."

"Alongside the application, there is a reply letter from the reigning Pope at the time, Pius IX. That letter is the 'Exorcising the Abyss' prayer, drafted with the assistance of the entire College of Cardinals!"

"Later, Pope Pius IX even persuaded Archbishop Lauscher of Austria to personally intervene. He carried Holy Relics from the Church across The Great Ocean to the other shore to deliver salvation!"

"Among those items were many expensive Church resources, such as special demon-hunting materials transported over to craft Silver-Plated Bullets: mithril, holy water, and scarab shell powder!"

The documents Pope Mario displayed were incredibly detailed, ancient records—things that made Golden Hair and the rest nod in agreement.

Through these words, Golden Hair and the others verified the events mentioned in Owen McDowell's diary. The bishop, Holy Relics, Silver-Plated Bullets, and Trinity Church's 'Exorcising the Abyss' prayer—everything matched perfectly.

If they didn't know for a fact that the Vatican couldn't possibly possess their specific intelligence, some of them would have begun to suspect that the Pope had only concocted this story after reading their files.

But as Mario continued his narration, everyone realized that was impossible, because the man held even newer evidence in his hands:

"I also have a photocopy of a memorandum belonging to President Lincoln. The original document reads like this:"

"Today, discussed cotton field pests with agricultural advisor Sturgis—confirmed the bollworm epidemic zone in Richmond: 37°32'N, 77°26'W. Sherman's advance should prioritize incinerating the diseased plants. Addendum: The European Church wishes to purchase land to settle Black Slaves; I rejected this in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution."

"This document comes from the 'Collected Works of Lincoln' published in 1890. You undoubtedly have copies of it, so I won't say more. However, you certainly do not know that this information was altered. The true, original text reads:"

"Today, held a secret meeting with Sturgis—confirmed the coordinates of the Richmond Blood Nest: 37°32'N, 77°26'W. Sherman's advance should prioritize incinerating the oak forests in that area, as they serve as the daytime resting grounds for the Vampire army. Addendum: The Vatican demands post-war disposal rights; I rejected this based on the principle of the separation of church and state."

Pope Mario sighed. "Regrettably, you rejected our request to establish a Holy Blood Council in the New World. As a result, we lost the opportunity to monitor this continent for the next century!"

"But according to our theories, one day in the future, these defeated Vampires will inevitably make a comeback and become a new Nightmare!"

This statement was actually completely fabricated by Mario, specifically to reinforce the Church's importance. By weaving truth with fiction, he aimed to make the other party comprehend this very point.

Fearmongering was one of the Catholic Church's favorite tactics, and these revelations plunged Golden Hair and the others into deep thought. 'Why aren't Lincoln's true records in our possession, but rather with the Church? What exactly transpired during that era?'

However, right as Mario was speaking, Golden Hair received a phone call. As the call went on, his expression constantly shifted. Finally, he hung up the phone.

"Great Leader, what happened?" Qian Si asked curiously.

Golden Hair looked at Mario with a complex gaze. "His Holiness the Pope was right. Just now, the Southern Blood Progenitor, Prince of Wallachia Vlad III, awakened in Illinois!"

"He slaughtered the core members of the Adams, Johnson, Morgan, and Joshua families—seventy-one people in total. And the death toll over there is approaching three hundred!"

"In other words, the Vampires really have made a comeback, and they are ravaging our lands!"

Everyone stared at Mario with bewildered eyes, as if saying: "The Church really has some tricks up its sleeve. Is this truly their hidden foundation?"

Only Mario smiled and nodded, seemingly basking in their gazes.

Even if he knew absolutely nothing, and even if that statement had been purely fabricated on the spot, he had to keep it together. Only by doing so could he maximize the enhancement of the Church's image.

As a Pope with grand ambitions, Mario understood this profoundly!