Devil's Bible

Page 287

But in reality, if a person is stabbed too many times, they will break down.

Historically, those who were the main drivers of reforms, even if the reforms were successful, have almost always been subject to purging.

The essence of reform is to affect the interests of those who have already benefited from the system.

If the reforms succeed, those who have already benefited will only lose their interests, not their status.

They united to retaliate, and even Nemus, now holding the status of 'Holy Son', couldn't withstand it.

Therefore, although Hayes' proposal would sacrifice Naim's short-term interests, it would be beneficial to Naim in the long run.

If Nemes and Hayes mess up this mission, they will be blacklisted by the church in a short period of time.

Instead, it avoided the contradictions that had already accumulated to a certain point and was able to escape various disputes and troubles.

That's right, the reason Hayes made those moves and jumped around so enthusiastically at the beginning was precisely because he wanted to be the first to be eliminated.

Hayes believed that he already had enough power and that he had no need to covet a key position.

Becoming a cardinal would actually limit him.

The cardinals wield great power, but with them come great responsibilities.

Once he reaches that point, it will be virtually impossible for him to prioritize his own interests as he does now.

That position will push a person to change themselves little by little.

Jeff is an example of this.

Jeff may not have long to live, but every day he can live is a day more. Why would he be so foolish as to go to the abyss to die?

It's precisely because he was in that position that he would appear mediocre if he died quietly on the job.

To be mediocre until death in the position of Cardinal is a sin.

They have failed in their crucial role.

This sense of responsibility will gradually suppress the nature of the person in charge.

In Hayes's view, it was suicidal.

But now he can't refuse to fight for that position.

His status determines that although he is only a Gold type, he can obtain resources that other Gold types cannot accumulate in thousands of years.

Having acquired these resources, one must naturally bear the corresponding responsibilities.

His family, subordinates, and various factions were all pushing him to compete.

He can never say that he doesn't want to fight.

Just as Jeff was driven to his death by the desire for fame brought about by his responsibilities, he is now being pushed by various forces to fight for it.

Given the current situation, if he really wanted to fight, he might actually win.

At this point, how to retreat, and how to ensure that one's own interests are not harmed are the questions Hayes needs to consider.

That's how this whole series of events came about.

However, the old men above also realized this, so they put him back on the task.

Chapter 482 is unreasonable.

“I won’t do that,” Nems said, seeing through the situation perfectly.

Hayes's idea is quite good; he's just a greedy parasite who enjoys all the benefits of his status but doesn't want to take any responsibility.

He thought his methods were ingenious, but they were still seen through.

The same was true of the cardinals; they threw out a title and pushed Nemes to compete with them.

Even if Nemus completes this mission and obtains the status of a probationary, what good is it?

Despite her abilities, status, and achievements, those people still dared to secretly target her through Naimus.

Nemus was just an experimental subject, helpless and alone. Even if he was a legendary species, he was nothing more than that.

Obtaining a preparatory identity will only drive those people even crazier.

And when these people go mad, those above them have enough access to reform the upper echelons of the church.

By then, Nems would basically be scrapped.

However, this very fact has exposed the Pope's and Cardinals' lack of control over the Church.

Their power is immense, perhaps even greater than that of previous popes and cardinals.

However, when this power is compared to one's own strength, it appears very weak.

This internal decay is a top-down phenomenon.

“This shows that the Discipline Church is not far from being completely rotten.” Nemus was well aware of this, and it was indeed to his advantage.

"Don't you know what will happen to you?" Hayes frowned; he couldn't believe there were people in this world willing to be the knife.

“I know, but I know even more that the church needs a real change,” Nemes said with a smile, his expression firm and his conviction unwavering.

After saying that, Nems picked up the snacks on the table and turned to leave.

Hayes watched Nemes leave, and watched him hand out the snacks he was holding to a few trainee clergymen who happened to be passing by.

The murderous intent in his heart overflowed, but he quickly suppressed it.

When everyone prioritizes their own interests, even most cardinal bishops are only pushing for reform because of the responsibility imposed by the Church.

The appearance of a perfect and holy person like Nemus is a mockery of them.

The mockery brought about by this comparison was something he couldn't ignore, even if he wanted to.

However, Hayes also knew that Nemes had come into the Pope's sights since returning to Middle-earth.

His own murderous intent would only make him uncomfortable, because he couldn't bring himself to do it.

It's not worth wasting your emotions on something you can't do.

"Although the Pope is using Nemes as a knife, this knife cannot be broken before it cuts open the festering sore."

"They had basically planned everything out."

"It seems I have no choice but to fight for this position as a prospective cardinal, whether I like it or not." Hayes' eyes began to reflect his other backup plans.

With a wave of his hand, the demon butler appeared.

He bowed respectfully to Hayes, then flew away into the distance.

As ordered by Hayes, he needed to invite the other competitors this time.

Many of those people also disliked Naims.

While we can't kill Nemus, causing trouble for Nemus is definitely not a problem.

Meanwhile, Nems, having left the Parmeshi family, quickly returned to his residence in Middle-earth.

Only then did he realize that the gaze upon him was slightly concealed.

This gaze was extremely well hidden. If it weren't for the fact that his soul had become increasingly sharp as it continued to evolve, and that he hadn't possessed many destiny-related characteristics, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect its existence.

"In this region, only the Pope possesses this power," Nemus thought to himself, closing his eyes to begin sensing the changes in fate.

"Indeed, fate is driving the actions of Hayes and the others." Nemus carefully sensed that driving force of fate.

On it, Nemus could sense all sorts of subtle changes.

Nemes simply observed quietly without interfering.

The contradictions among the cardinals and the greed and selfishness of the higher-ups all indicate that there are serious problems within the Discipline Church.

Even so, Nems did not underestimate the Discipline Church.

After all, this church currently occupies one-seventh of the land in Middle-earth.

As a member of the Seven Gods Alliance, the exact number of floating whales he controls is unknown even to Nemus.

We can only speculate that it is roughly between two hundred and three hundred.

Each floating whale can carry millions of people, so the Church of Discipline has at least a billion people under its rule.

The Discipline Church, capable of steadily controlling such a large population, cannot be weak.

Given the severity of internal problems today, the fact that this rule, though weakened, still hasn't seen many rebellions speaks volumes.

“Pope, the one closest to God.” Nemus carefully observed the other’s manipulation of fate.

Nemes believed that the world is not lacking in stupid people, bad people, or smart people.

Do not overestimate the enemy's wisdom, but do not underestimate their intelligence either.

The Pope of the Disciplined Church is definitely not simple.

The other party is pushing all of this forward, seemingly to resolve internal church conflicts and thus promote reforms at the higher levels.

However, in reality, they may very well have other motives.

“The God of Discipline is not stupid. He began preparing to attack the Abyss a hundred years ago. He must know that he will lose more than he wins.”

"And the Pope, who is closest to God, is not stupid. He must be aware that this push will further exacerbate the contradictions within the Church."

“But these two intelligent people have been ignoring these things until now, and the methods they've offered are all conventional,” Nemus thought.

If he were in the position of Pope, he would have been able to use his power to promote internal changes and achieve the self-renewal of the Church long ago.

If he were in the position of the God of Discipline, he would have made arrangements long ago to ensure that even after the failed attack on the Abyss, the church's situation could still be stabilized, and the situation would not have deteriorated to such a degree.

Nems doesn't get the illusion that everyone else is an idiot and that he's the only one capable of doing these things.

Therefore, there are inherent irrationalities in all these matters.

Nemus has now become a demon lord, and the Azure Whale has become his base in the material plane.

There is no need for the Son of God to remain within the church and confront these internal power struggles.

However, one very important reason he stayed was to investigate why this irrationality had occurred.

"And at crucial moments, to push for change and disrupt their plans."

Nems grasped a key idea: the only way to truly defeat the enemy is to go along with what they are doing and then disrupt them at crucial moments!

He doesn't know what the Pope's purpose is right now, but the other party will definitely reveal it soon!

Chapter 483 A Ship Full of Perverts

Time flew by, and the team quickly assembled.

Although Jeff and the others who carried out the mission in the previous batch are now all gone, except for Nemus.

But to be honest, there are indeed a lot of "golden seeds" in the church now.

This is mostly relative to the past.

The purpose of the floating whales is simply to keep people away from the earth, thereby keeping them away from disasters.

However, the relatively enclosed environment of the phrystal whale makes it easier for resources to be both dispersed and concentrated, thus making it easier for the golden species to be born than during the Earth period.

In the past, if whale blubber was available, local commanders wouldn't use much; most of it would be sent to headquarters for important figures.

However, in the current era of floating whales, transportation is inconvenient, and the headquarters is located in the Central Plains.

Therefore, these resources are better able to remain in the local area.

This is one of the reasons why the Enclosureists, originally a small faction, were able to rise to prominence.

It can only be said that when the world is in chaos, opportunities actually increase for some people.

This is precisely why resources are less for those at the top than they might imagine.

Before the geological disasters, resources were more concentrated at the top, there were fewer gold seeds outside, and fewer people could be promoted to the top.

But things are different now.

Compared to the power at the top, there are clearly too many people who have been promoted to the upper echelons.

Nine Gold-tier individuals died in the previous Abyss Operation, but this time, as soon as the call was made, five or six middle-aged Gold-tier individuals who wanted to rise to power were summoned.

Of course, Nemes wasn't sure if there were people like Hayes who wanted to escape but were forced onto the bus.