Chapter 159: The Holy City VI

We enter the church and see a mass gathering of people. Most are surrounding a man in extravagant robes. Whoever he is, I'm not going to get in the way of that group. "I'm going to check my messages really fast. If you want to send anything to anyone, nows the time to do it." Sally nods her head, follows me over to the message board, and does what everyone does. I check my mail and see that I've gotten two. One is from Amelia, and another is from Jackson. I should get Jackson's mail out of the way first since it's probably nonsense about being a part of his kingdom or something.

"I was wondering if we could talk about something important. The next time you're in Zenith, visit me. I also want to inform you that your mother is adapting well to her new lifestyle. She is the most important person in this kingdom now. I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe. -Signed King Jackson"

Nobles and their politics are something I'll never want to be a part of. I can understand it, but there are some things in life that need to be avoided. In a sense of irony, I brought this attention to myself. How was I supposed to know that Jackson would be king with my interference with the future. At the time of meeting him, I just wanted to get a good quest to level up. If I didn't get tunnel vision, I might have seen something like this coming. "You know a king..." I hear Sally's voice and look to see her snooping about by letter.

I sigh and place it in my inventory. "You know many will consider that very rude. You're lucky I trust you with information like that. I guess I can put nosy on the traits that you have." She frowns slightly at being called nosy. "Who were you sending a letter to anyway? You haven't told me much about friends you have." She has kept a tight lip about personal connections with people. Having someone powerful like a noble or slaver use your loved ones against you is a fear she might have. So she has probably kept a lot of people at arm's length.

She looks at the folded paper in her hand and smirks just a little. "Jessie Marlow took me in after I escaped slavery. She taught me how to read, write, and the common languages. As a slave, you aren't educated. The dumber you are, the fewer chances of you escaping in. Besides, they don't like it when their outlets start to think..." Fuck Sally... If I ever meet anyone who does this to people, I'm going to enjoy killing them. Sally was smart enough to learn how to fight, and she escaped. All the more reason to trust her, in my opinion. She knows what evil is and hates it.

Jessie Marlow seems like an incredible lady. To take in a stranger like that and help them. "If you ever want to go after the people who did this to you and your mother. I'll help you. Many wouldn't know the pain of losing a loved one and killing the men who did this to you might bring you some peace, but I don't know. That's just how I feel." Sally has been through a lot from a young age. She wouldn't respond the way I would. She might be stricken with fear seeming their faces. When I see that man again, I'm going to enjoy taking him a part piece by piece.

She stays silent and sends the letter. "So, who is the second letter from? If you have a king sending you letters. I'd like to see who else is sending you letters." It's been a while since I heard from Amelia. The last time I heard from her was right before I sent Hailey off. "Are you going to open it or just stare at it?" I smile and start to peel the letter open. It has the same ornate designs as last time, but not on the same scale as Jacksons. If I remember correctly, she said she was made into a Countess in her last letter.

"I was getting worried not hearing from you for so long. I'm so happy you are safe. I couldn't help thinking you got into serious trouble. You're making your poor mother 10 years older. I'm a little sad it's going to be a while before I get to see you again, but everything in my life has been great as of late. King Jackson has been a big help in adjusting to the lifestyle of a noble. The kids are having the time of their lives and have even started going to school for the first time. They are getting smarter every day. The next time I see you, I'm expecting a strong man with a good heart. I can't wait to see how much you've grown. -Love, Your Mother"

historical

I can feel the worry and nervousness in her writing. Change is never easy to accept. "It's been so long since I've seen her face... I bet she is having a fun time learning the ins and outs of nobility..." Sally giggles as I say that. She has read the paper too. "Amelia is a very special person, even my father Michael saw that and treasured her. So much so he knocked her up..." In truth, that's impossible with my existence. So another mystery yet to solve. I'll play that role, though. I take out a piece of paper and write back to Amelia.

"I'm in The Holy City right now. Doing a mission to unlock more of my power. I've made a friend and now have a person to travel with. Her name is Sally, and she is a half-elf. She is someone I can trust with my life, and I hope you two will get to meet each other one day. The next time I can be in Zenith will have to be after I'm done with something in Bellvia. What I'm doing right now can take a while, so I can't give you a time frame. I'm happy to hear from you, and I hope to soon. -Signed Your Son"

I fold up the piece of paper and put it in the envelop and send it. I turn around and see a man in his mid 30's to early 40's walk up to us. He is wearing very opulent robes. "This must be your first time in the church. I haven't seen either of you before." Sally lowers her hood further and moves behind me. He looks slightly insulted but shrugs it off. "I'm The Pope, I remember most faces that come through here, and I know I've seen your face before... I can't place it anywhere. It's driving me nuts..." I cross my arms and look the man in the eyes. So this is him, Alexander Leopold.

I don't see how he could recognize me, but this is the perfect chance to ask about who I'm searching for. "Hello, Alexander Leopold. I'm Zern, and this is my friend Sally. This is the first time we've been in The Holy City. We are searching for someone. Do you think you might be able to help us?" He gives a very critical look. He closes his eyes and nods his head. "I'm looking for The Secret Keeper of Titans. Do you have any information on her whereabouts?" He immediately looks at me with surprise and slight worry.

He recomposes himself and clears his throat. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. She is a very secretive person. She is the one to select who The Popes are. She has been alive for as long as the church. Well, not alive. Her spirit is still very active, though. She resides right here in the church, down on the lowest levels. However, only officials of the church can see her. She usually goes by The Blind Speaker." I've heard about The Blind Speaker. She plays an important role in the religious government.

I would never have thought that she is also The Secret Keeper of Titans. "Do you think we could speak to her? We are on a really important mission that requires her wisdom." As soon as I say that, a notification goes off. It's probably the quest updating. Since The Pope isn't responding, I open the quest to see the new update.

[Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest]

[Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it's a known fact the rarer a class is, the harder the quests will be for that class.]

[Objective 1: Now that you have found out where The secret Keeper of Titans is, you must convince The Pope to let you see her. It's up to you on how to do so.]

[Objective 2: Complete the quest she gives you and get the first clue to the location of your Divine Mana Aura.]

[Difficulty: Divine]

[Rewards: Information about the location of your Divine Mana Aura]

[Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.]

Talk about a real kick in the ass. "I'm sorry young man, but not just anybody can speak with The Blind Speaker. If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." He starts to walk off, but I block his path and give him a very serious look. I need to try and convince him right here and now, it's my only shot.