NOVPUBChapter 789: 521. Such Ark
Meanwhile, in the Glorious Divine Kingdom.
This once mighty nation that had occupied half of the world had now turned into ruins. Only from the desolate remnants of churches scattered across the barren lands could one recall the former prosperity of this realm.
However, the drifting torrential rain was washing everything away. In a few years, this place would become a vast ocean, and by then, the flood would have submerged all traces.
This was indeed the ultimate disaster recorded in the Gospel of heaven—the great flood that would destroy the world.
As recorded in the Gospel, this was the great Deities’ wrath towards humanity’s sins and ugliness. They felt the world had become filthy, and such a world needed cleansing, hence the flood was sent to purify everything.
Yet, this apocalyptic calamity was not completely hopeless because the Gospel also recorded that before Divine Punishment was ultimately unleashed, the Deities found a good man named Noah among a world filled with wicked people.
The Deities were moved by Noah’s goodness. They instructed Noah to build an ark so that when the apocalyptic flood came, Noah and the “Righteous Ones” he recognized could board the ark to avoid the disaster.
The Deities promised Noah that after the flood, the survivors would repopulate and thrive on the cleansed earth.
Now, the apocalyptic flood was gathering, but Noah’s Ark had already been constructed. At this moment, it stood silently there, towering in what was once the capital of the Glorious Divine Kingdom—the Bright Holy City.
Or more precisely, there was no longer a Bright Holy City; Noah’s Ark was made from the city itself, a ship so vast it surpassed human imagination.
It was a massive ark with about three levels, approximately as wide as the former city and six times as long as it was wide, ten times as tall.
At this moment, it stood there silently like a mountain range, its massive shadow making even the tallest humans feel diminutive, and even the flood destined to destroy the world could only submerge the very bottom of the ship.
Perhaps, when the flood finally accumulates enough to end the world, this ark for crossing the world could truly set sail.
And now, the last survivors of the Glorious Divine Kingdom, or rather the so-called “Saints of God,” were staying on the ship.
There were as many as five hundred million crew members, and even for an ark of such magnitude, accommodating such a population was not easy, but fortunately, the ark had three levels.
Thus, approximately 500,000 people lived on the highest level of the ark, where the nobility resided. Everything here was as beautiful as it had been before the apocalypse, maybe even better.
The noble families still had their private estates here, with racetracks, hunting grounds, vineyards, and all manners of excess and pleasure.
About 49.5 million people lived on the second level. Honestly, the environment here was also quite nice, with beautiful detached villas. Even the slightly lesser environments were at least semi-detached—everyone had large houses to live in, and the area was equipped with thriving commercial districts, the best hospitals, schools, opera theaters, and so on.
This level was for the administrators.
And the last 450 million people lived on the lowest level. Although this area was the largest, accommodating so many people…
Well, it was tough even to provide pigeonhole living; having a bed here that could shelter them from the elements was considered good fortune, let alone avoiding living directly on the deck.
This was the enclosure for the lambs.
It was clear this was a kingdom of nobility and faith where, even at the end of days, the class distinctions were starkly evident.
At the central position of the uppermost space, the former Central Cathedral of the Holy City had been completely relocated here. Arrayed around this great cathedral were various equally exquisite and luxurious smaller churches, which together formed a small city of churches.
This was the core of the ark, and also the Holy City aboard the ark, where the Divine Envoys and servants of the Deities, namely the priests and nuns, resided.
As for the other nobles, they could only reside around this Holy City; the closer one’s residence to the Holy City, the greater their former power.
However, what should have been a tranquil and sacred place filled with holy chants and illuminated by the glory of the Gospel had now also been tainted by worldly affairs.
“Your Holiness, please, you must help us! Those lowly commoners are becoming increasingly difficult to manage; this can’t go on,” one pleaded.
“Yes, Your Holiness, our family has made significant contributions to the construction of the ark.”
“Exactly, my family too. You can’t ignore us,” another added.
“Where is the Divine Envoy? We want to see the Divine Envoy.”
…..
A group of sumptuously dressed, portly nobles encircled the front of the cathedral, each adorned with gemstone rings so large they resembled knuckledusters. Rattled and solemn, they were desperate to burst into the cathedral.
However, the Templar Knights guarding the cathedral door, gleaming with the cold light from their Powered Chainsaw Swords and clad in Powered Ceramic Steel Armor standing about five to six meters tall, forced these nobles to calm down and reminded them where they were—not a place where they could flaunt their power as usual.
Yet, faced with their anxiety, after a long while, only a timid young nun emerged from the luxurious cathedral where the Pope resided.
