Chapter 605

Chapter 435: Propaganda

In the spacious office adorned with the style of the Radiant Church, a golden-haired woman dressed in crimson robes stood on the luxurious carpet, gazing out of the tall window with the curtains drawn. The radiant sunlight outside cast a dazzling scene, and her composed eyes revealed a hint of worry.

“Sir, there’s new news from Iwig…”

A semi-transparent, vague nun suddenly appeared behind the woman at a cold sound. Without turning around, the woman named Amanda responded slowly to the voice from behind.

“Oh, so their actions have started…”

“No, the rescue operation and purification operation originally scheduled to begin this morning at ten o’clock have been urgently postponed. The reason is that they received a message from the Priest of Abundance of the Summer Tree Archipelago. The Summer Tree side is willing to release all the pilgrims and have everyone convert to the Holy Mother in exchange for peace.”

The semi-transparent nun continued. Hearing this, Amanda, who was standing by the window, paused momentarily before slowly turning around. Although her expression remained calm, a clear sense of surprise could be seen in her eyes.

“What… The Summer Tree has compromised? They actually proposed a mass conversion? Is the intelligence source reliable?”

“This is a report personally submitted by Archbishop Antonio. I have confirmed it multiple times; there is no problem. The gray recluses have already arrived at the main island of Summer Tree and confirmed that all the pilgrims are safe. There was no resistance from the Summer Tree side…” the semi-transparent nun continued to answer. After hearing the nun’s words, Amanda’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Antonio’s conciliatory policy towards the Summer Tree has been ineffective for years. They have always been the most stubborn old believers in the Knossi South Sea. How could their attitude change so drastically all of a sudden?”

With a tone of caution, Amanda muttered. The nun in front of her quickly responded.

“According to the public telegram provided by Archbishop Antonio, the Summer Tree claims they were converted on the spot after being influenced by a nun among the pilgrim fleet.”

“A nun?” The expression on Amanda’s face finally showed a clear look of surprise. The semi-transparent nun continued.

“Yes, reportedly, this is a nun from Prit Nun, a Healing Priest who believes in the Holy Mother. She is said to have healed the people of Summer Tree with selfless love and debated with many elders, convincing them to convert.”

After hearing what the nun said, Amanda fell silent. There was no joy in her expression. After pondering for a moment, she spoke solemnly.

“Antonio has been the Archbishop of Iwig for over two years. To preach to the Summer Tree, he has used every means to win favor and sent many eloquent missionaries. None of it worked. For such a long time, the entire Iwig diocese couldn’t persuade the Summer Tree. Yet, they were suddenly converted by a mere Healing Priest?”

With evident skepticism, Amanda looked at the semi-transparent nun. Clearly, she did not believe that a single nun could convert the entire Summer Tree. In her view, there must be other factors behind the sudden conversion of the Summer Tree.

“Yes, the sudden conversion of the Summer Tree is not as simple as it seems. The explanation just now is only the direct reason given by the Summer Tree. According to Archbishop Antonio’s report, after the public announcement, the Summer Tree actually sent him a secret telegram explaining the deeper reasons.”

“According to the secret telegram from the Summer Tree, their Priest of Abundance claimed that the Summer Tree was actually infiltrated by the Abyss Cult. Their upper echelons had a spy corrupted by the Abyss Cult, and this spy was also an important source of intelligence for the Summer Tree. The ambush on the pilgrim fleet was the result of this spy’s deliberately misleading information.”

The nun continued to report seriously to Amanda. Upon hearing the nun’s words, Amanda’s expression did not show surprise but nodded knowingly.

“The Abyss Cult… I knew it. This suspicious incident is likely their doing. As expected, it is indeed so… So, the reason the Summer Tree suddenly took the risk to hijack our fleet was due to the misleading information from the Abyss Cult, leading to a misjudgment?”

“That should be correct. According to the Summer Tree’s secret telegram, the Abyss Cult provided false information about the fleet’s defenses being weak, then used other false intelligence to make the Summer Tree believe that one of the pilgrim fleets was very important. They thought they could use it as leverage to force us to withdraw the forced relocation resolution, hence taking the risk to initiate the hijacking.”

The nun in front of Amanda continued. After hearing her words, Amanda understood and said.

“So, the Summer Tree realized they were being used and that the only outcome was destruction. They urgently wanted to salvage the situation and decided to release the people and convert. On the surface, it was because of the preaching of the pilgrim nun, but essentially… That nun was also being used by the Summer Tree as a public excuse for their conversion.”

“That’s right. However, according to Archbishop Antonio’s statement, the pilgrim nun did play a certain role. Her efforts to heal and preach in the Summer Tree are true, but the effect wouldn’t be significant enough to make the entire Summer Tree convert immediately. The priests and elders of the Summer Tree probably used her actions as a pretext to justify their decision to convert.”

The semi-transparent nun responded to Amanda. After hearing her words, she finally understood the situation clearly. Essentially, although the pilgrim nun tried to convert the Summer Tree, it didn’t change their beliefs. It was the exposure of the Abyss Cult spy, realizing they were being used, that led them to accept the nun’s preaching and announce their conversion.

This made everything much more reasonable.

“I never imagined… The most stubborn Summer Tree in the Knossi South Sea would end up converting like this. In a way, we need to thank the Abyss Cult this time… Of course, there’s also that little nun who dared to preach even while being held hostage…”

Sighing deeply, Amanda said with emotion. At this moment, her face relaxed, showing that she was much calmer. The semi-transparent nun in front of her continued to speak.

“The Summer Tree voluntarily releasing the people and converting is the best possible outcome for us. The Summer Tree wasn’t destroyed in the purification but successfully converted, which is a merit for Archbishop Antonio. For you, who recommended Antonio, this could enhance your influence in the Consistory meeting.”

“Yes… I originally thought that after this, I would be suppressed by Hilbert for a long time. But I didn’t expect the situation to turn around so quickly. I think his expression won’t be good right now.”