Only God
Chapter 272 - 234: Abolishing the Church’s God

Chapter 272: Chapter 234: Abolishing the Church’s God

Daniel sat on the camel, gazing at the Great Temple in front of him.

This Great Temple, dedicated to Kagawus and to God and the Gods, was the foundation of the entire Kingdom. There was once a prophecy: as long as the Great Temple stands, the Kingdom stands; if the Great Temple falls, the Kingdom falls.

The steps of the Great Temple were built of fine earth and stone, surrounded by torch stands constructed of marble. The camel moved slowly across all the steps, carrying Daniel into the midst of the Great Temple.

An elderly priest came to meet him, his hair white and face wrinkled. The moment he saw Daniel, a hint of hostility flashed in his eyes.

He was Hetep, the new High Priest of this Great Temple.

Over the past few years, the Great Temple had undergone drastic changes. Since the death of Queen Isis, the former High Priest Ora had retired and voluntarily left the Great Temple to serve in temples of other city-states. Due to Hetep’s origins from the same city-state as Anuket and his favor with the new King Anuket, Hetep had been appointed and favored as the High Priest by the new king.

In this process, there must have been many covert struggles. However, ultimately, Hetep had become the High Priest of the Great Temple and, backed by the support of the new king, held a status and control over the Great Temple far surpassing that of the former High Priest Ora.

Upon seeing the High Priest, Daniel lowered his head and performed a bow, showing the respect due.

Hetep said nothing. He quickened his pace, distancing himself from this free Stone Slave.

Daniel flashed a look of displeasure, then shook his head and sighed.

From Hetep’s behavior, it was evident that with the Church’s growth, the hostility of the priests towards the True Believers had deepened, and they might soon align with the King’s position.

Daniel held the camel’s reins tightly, always cautious to avoid a misstep. With practiced ease, he made his way to a certain study room of the Great Temple and then knocked on the door.

After a moment, Antion opened the door and saw Daniel on the camel.

"May your God watch over you and may you be safe,"

Daniel greeted.

Antion smiled and returned the greeting before inquiring about Daniel’s visit.

"The teacher asked me to bring this letter to you."

Daniel handed the letter written by Xilan to Antion.

After opening it on the spot and reading it carefully, Antion nodded to Daniel.

"I will think of a way."

Daniel showed a grateful smile and praised Antion before pulling the camel’s reins and slowly leaving the Great Temple.

More than ten days later.

Antion’s reply was delivered into New Rule Garden.

Xilan opened the envelope himself and read the contents carefully, his hand unconsciously clenching.

Daniel noticed this Prophet Disciple’s excitement and, after the messenger had left, asked,

"Teacher, how is it?"

Xilan grasped the letter in his hand and said,

"Thanks to Antion and thanks to God for protecting us."

After speaking, Xilan handed the letter to Daniel.

Daniel quickly read it several times.

In the letter, Antion told them that he had recently visited the Palace to see Anuket. The new King had inquired about the will of the Prophetic God Kagawus and had also asked about New Rule Garden and the True Believers.

Antion hadn’t directly defended New Rule Garden, as doing so might inadvertently lead to prejudice. Instead, he explained the origins of the Church as a priest of the Great Temple and clarified that the God they worshipped was not a new, unknown deity; rather, there had always been a temple specifically dedicated to Him in the Great Temple.

Besides these points, Antion also discussed the contributions of New Rule Garden to the Royal City and the inspiration it provided to priests in their rituals.

In any case, it was an excellent defense, and Xilan believed that he wouldn’t have done better than Antion had he been in his place.

At the end of the letter, Antion informed them that, after much contemplation, Anuket had told Antion that he hoped Xilan and the others would personally draft a statement or defense document about the Church.

"God protect us."

After reading the letter thoroughly once more, Daniel gratefully exclaimed.

Even though the letter didn’t signify a change in Anuket’s stance toward the Church, it hinted at a possible turning point.

Anuket’s willingness to let Xilan and others write a statement or defense document indicated that the King was rational, willing to consider all sides before making a decision.

"Daniel, there’s no time to lose..."

Xilan had not finished speaking when a mud-covered Stone Slave burst into New Rule Garden in a sorry state.

"Preacher Xilan! Preacher Xilan!"

The Stone Slave cried out, his voice hoarse and shrill.

Xilan turned around and hurried forward,

He saw the Stone Slave in utter disarray, his clothes tattered and his body mixed with the smell of mud and fresh blood.

"What happened?!"

Daniel also came forward to ask.

"Shaka, Preacher Shaka, he, he’s dead!"

The Stone Slave said with a quivering voice,

"He didn’t heed your advice and went to preach near the Royal City in a neighboring city-state. Then a mob, instigated by the priests there, caught him, stoned him, and threw him into prison, where he died the next day!"

Both Xilan and Daniel were stunned; this was the first time they had heard of a preacher being persecuted to death.

Before this, although preachers were occasionally harassed by devout followers of Kagawus, due to Queen Isis’s presence and the Prophet’s influence, the preachers mostly just suffered verbal abuse or were driven out of the city-states, and at most, they were imprisoned for a few days.

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