NOVPUBThe reflection of the stars gently swayed in the water, calling out to the stars in the sky in the distance, blurring the distinction between the heavens and the ground.
By this lake, Lanci and Sigrid were not at all bothered by the fact that the clock was nearing midnight, nor did they care what day tomorrow would be. They were still freely chatting.
"Huh? Didn’t you not want to associate too deeply with the Rebirth Church?"
Sigrid looked at Lanci in surprise.
After all, her Saint Heir was quite different from the other Saint Heirs and Saintesses of the Cardinal Bishops. He didn’t seem to have any interest in the position of a Cardinal Bishop, just the pure ambition of striving for success together with her.
"But I feel if one day you become the Pope, it would definitely be better than any other Cardinal Bishop becoming the Pope."
Lanci replied, his gaze filled with approval,
"And it looks like you want to be the pope of Hegemony, so I’ll definitely help you."
"..."
Sigrid’s deep purple pupils stared into Lanci’s eyes. Lanci did not avoid her gaze, and a silence ensued between them.
"...Since you’ve said so, then I’ll strive to become the Pope too, to give you the greatest protection."
Sigrid spoke slowly, not with the tone usually expected from bold declarations, but rather one of a promise.
"You can protect me just by breaking the seal, you don’t necessarily have to be the Pope."
Lanci felt as if Sigrid had just made a formidable resolution, so he said this.
She had suddenly elevated her challenge targets, which are major factors affecting one’s state of being along with personal ability. If the challenge is set too high, it can lead to anxiety or a sense of frustration; if it’s too low, it can result in boredom and a loss of interest.
Only when the challenge and one’s abilities are balanced can one fully enter the ideal immersion state.
As an educator, Lanci knows this well.
Both he and Sigrid are the kind that prefer to set their challenge targets a bit low, preferring to be casual and zen-like rather than feeling anxious.
Lanci would rather see Sigrid living comfortably and happily, experiencing no pressure.
However, Sigrid shook her head, seeming to think Lanci misunderstood her intentions.
"Did you know? If I become a little stronger, [Pope Sovereign] will become a divine object for me."
Sigrid asked earnestly.
"What is its use?"
Lanci also frowned, always feeling that Sigrid had become a lot more serious.
"It could potentially become the key for me breaking into the Ninth-order."
Sigrid explained to Lanci.
"So what?"
Lanci inquired further.
Whether Sigrid is in the Eighth-order or Ninth-order, she seemed unbeatable to him. The only difference would be that her power-leveling process would be faster.
"That means I’ll become the strongest woman in the world."
Sigrid stated dominantly and confidently.
"Oh!"
Just as Lanci opened his mouth in realization, Sigrid raised her finger and pointed it at his forehead.
"You’re not allowed to think any impolite thoughts."
"..."
Before Lanci could even utter a word, Sigrid refuted him and he had to close his mouth again.
"However..."
Sigrid continued to speak, her voice leisurely dragging out.
"However what?"
Lanci looked at her in confusion.
She only smiled and didn’t continue, leaving Lanci to guess what she wanted to say.
"..."
The Cat boss raised its head to look at the two, its feelings were quite complicated at the moment.
When it heard Lanci’s clear intention not to become a Cardinal Bishop, its anxious heart finally relaxed.
However, when it heard Lanci continuing to say he would help Sigrid, it sensed trouble.
It didn’t want to be a cat held by the Pope! 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
That would be outrageous!!
But why... did it feel that these two people...
No, it’s definitely not a Lanci-Sigrid fan!
"Regardless of what the future holds, we still need to win tomorrow first."
Lanci stopped guessing with Sigrid, looked at the lake’s surface, and murmured.
"Regardless of winning or losing tomorrow, I believe in you."
Sigrid too looked towards the lake and replied.
"Hearing that kind of thing sounds more and more dangerous."
Lanci frowned slightly.
"Why?"
Sigrid didn’t understand how her statement was dangerous.
"Sigrid, you’ve read a lot of novels and stories, right? Usually before danger arrives, the more someone speaks of certain things, the harder they are to achieve."
Lanci gestured as he explained.
"..."
It seemed like Sigrid kind of understood, then she held back a smile, looking towards Lanci,
"I still don’t quite understand, could you give me an example?"
Sigrid blinked, asking.
"Sigh. There should be similar scenes in the ’Chronicles of Holy War’. For instance, if, at this time, I suddenly say something like ’please go on a date with me after everything ends tomorrow’, once such lines are out, generally something will happen. Isn’t that really scary?"
Lanci sighed, picking the least dangerous example to illustrate his point.
"No, I’d be very happy. I’d think my Saint Heir is really wonderful, daring to ask a Bishop on a date. And then I’d agree to go on a date with you."
Sigrid replied with a gaze full of approval.
After finishing her sentence, she seemed to have released two suppressed giggles.
"...Did you just trick me into saying that line?"
Lanci looked at Sigrid in confusion. Somehow, he felt like Sigrid was baiting him.
"This is a reward for having a high level of affection. If the level of affection wasn’t enough, you’d just get one cold glance."
Sigrid seriously explained to Lanci, her gaze was like telling him - he always used to mockingly ask her what’s the use of having a high level of affection, now she’s showing him.
"How come this game isn’t over yet."
Lanci was stunned. Ever since he and Sigrid set out north to the Protoss Empire, they had been playing this game all along.
He thought Sigrid had gotten bored of it since she hasn’t mentioned it for quite a while, but now she was bringing it up again.
"Because I’m Sigrid now, Fifth-order Sigrid. If you don’t turn me back into Eighth-order Sigrid, I can only be Sigrid."
Sigrid rocked her upper body side to side, in a playful manner, not at all like a Cardinal Bishop.
Upon hearing this, Lanci laughed and gave her a look. Despite the fact that as soon as dawn breaks, there would be a critical test of life and death awaits her, She seemed not fearful at all.
Following this, Lanci once again looked up to the starry sky.
Maybe many things will happen tomorrow, and perhaps every look at tonight’s sky could possibly be one less in the future. Of course, it’s also possible that, after many years, when looking back on today, we’d find that it was a really good day.
Lanci has always been optimistic, he doesn’t worry about things that will happen tomorrow.
Now, the most important thing is only the present.
And what needs to be known at the moment is -
His journey to the Northern Continent, it was time to put a full stop to it.
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ps: Tomorrow, the final chapter of the Northern Continent opens, dear readers, please vote!
