The Truth

Deep into the night, inside the Dragon God Cathedral.

The old Archbishop pushed open the large doors and ambled into the quiet Dragon God Cathedral.

Although the Dragon God Cult was the state religion of the Great Dragon Divine Dynasty, and the people of the Dragon Tribe deeply believed in the Dragon God, it differed from human belief.

When humans believed in a deity, that deity’s church would be bustling with constant incense and endless streams of people. Dragons, however, found such practices troublesome and disdained them.

They believed that revering a deity never required such complicated formalities.

If they had time, they would come to the cathedral to pray.

If not, they would focus on their own affairs at home, continuously honing their strength to become more powerful. This was the common way the Dragon God’s people worshipped their deity.

In the mornings, there might still be some believers, but at night, the Dragon God Cult cathedral was truly silent.

The old Archbishop walked unsteadily towards the Head Sister, Zenora, who was one of the very few dragons who set aside time daily to devoutly worship before the Dragon God statue.

“Zenora, still praying to the Dragon God so late?”

Watching the lingering incense smoke before the Dragon God statue, the old Archbishop smiled gently as he approached.

Hearing the old Archbishop’s voice, Zenora, who had been in deep prayer, instantly snapped back to awareness. She unclenched her overlapping palms, stood up, and patted the dust from her nun’s robe, her smile still respectful and warm.

“Your Grace the Archbishop, I am praying for Her Highness the Saintess.”

“Oh, are you worried about her?”

“Mhm, judging by the time of the secret message, Her Highness the Saintess will likely arrive in Imperial City tomorrow. Her Highness’s return this time will surely face obstruction and threats from certain individuals along the way. Therefore, I pray again, hoping that Her Highness the Saintess can return safely and smoothly.”

Compared to other Dragon Tribe Head Sisters, Zenora’s personality was nothing like a dragon’s. Although female dragons were much gentler than male dragons, female dragons were still within the category of dragons.

As long as that volatile dragon blood flowed in their bodies, the female dragons’ personalities would not differ too much.

Even during the physiological period when female dragons were prone to irritability, no one had ever seen this great female lose control. She always faced every believer who came to pray with gentleness and warmth.

In the eyes of those Dragon Tribe believers, Head Sister Zenora might truly be a Dragon Girl from the Dragon God’s side descended to the mortal realm. Her gentle and compliant nature, coupled with her nobility, was comparable to those noble ladies among humans.

“Hehe, you certainly consider her well.”

The old Archbishop smiled kindly. A cold wind blew through the open doors of the cathedral.

The cold wind was biting. The Archbishop, whose face had been normal moments before, shivered, a hint of discomfort appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Zenora quickly said.

“Your Grace the Archbishop, I will go close the cathedral doors, lest the cold night wind chill you and cause you discomfort.”

“Go, go. It’s so late, I doubt anyone else will come…”

The old Archbishop nodded in satisfaction. He came before the Dragon God statue, hunching his back, and reached for a new candle, lighting its wick with the flame of an old candle.

The faint, flickering light swayed. The old Archbishop looked at the burning candle in his hand and sighed softly.

“Alas, what difference is there, really, between dragons and humans? The Dragon Tribe looks down on humans, considering them greedy and cunning, but ironically, such desires are not uncommon within the Dragon Tribe itself. For power, they can disregard blood ties; for profit, they can even sell their own souls and nation.”

Preparing for the Dragon God Trial was an extremely complex matter; it couldn’t just be initiated with a casual word. As the most senior Archbishop in the entire Dragon God Cult, he had to personally oversee such an important affair.

These past few days, he had traveled between various noble families and old friends.

The matters at hand were finally almost settled, but he was no longer the young Hodmogh. Old and infirm, combined with the long travels of late, his body was now utterly exhausted.

Perhaps it was the many things he had witnessed while preparing for the matter these past few days, or perhaps past memories stirred his emotions, but the old Archbishop’s voice always seemed to carry some other meaning, hoarse yet conveying a sense of clarity.

“Your Grace the Archbishop, why worry? The innocent are innocent. Those whose eyes are blinded by greed will eventually receive righteous judgment. Lord Dragon God will not let go of any treacherous scoundrel, nor will He slander any innocent good person.”

Zenora said softly, closing the door.

“Yes, the innocent are innocent. All things will eventually come to light. No matter how well hidden, what is false is ultimately false and cannot become true.”

“Hehe.”

The old Archbishop looked at the candle flame and finally chuckled twice.

“Indeed. But we should also rest early. Your Grace has toiled all day, and even more important matters await us tomorrow…”

Zenora, having closed the cathedral doors, stood quietly beside the old Archbishop. Her nun’s habit, predominantly black and white, accentuated her proud figure, exuding a sacredness yet an alluring temptation that could lead one to sin.

“Tomorrow’s matters are indeed important, but Zenora, do you think this old man, me, will still be alive to see tomorrow?”

The sudden words made Zenora freeze. She looked at the old man, whose smile remained peaceful, uncomprehendingly.

“What do you mean by that, Your Grace? Are some ill-intentioned individuals trying to harm you?”

She first paused, then, as if gathering courage, her eyes shone with a touching bravery.

“Naturally, there are.”

“Who exactly? Your Grace, please tell me; I will definitely help you…”

Zenora was about to say something indignant, but when she saw the direction the old Archbishop pointed his finger, her words caught in her throat. She couldn’t utter a single sound.

“Your Grace, you…”

“Stop pretending, Zenora. Haven’t you always been the one who wanted my life?”

The old Archbishop looked at the astonished nun with a half-smile, his seemingly murky golden eyes now shining like broad daylight.

“You don’t actually think I’ve gone senile, do you? Or do you think my golden eyes are as dull and clouded as my skin?”

“Spy from the Demonic Abyss Empire, you wouldn’t think that by unknowingly annihilating a dragon’s soul and silently occupying her body, you could make no one notice anything unusual, would you?”

Archbishop Hodmogh’s words were like a pair of scissors, mercilessly tearing through all the disguises of the person before him. Finally, under the barrage of words, Zenora’s astonished expression shifted from shock to a sinister, gloomy sneer.

“Hehe, I never would have thought, you old dragon, almost dead, would be the most observant one in the entire cathedral.”

“This old man is old, but not muddled. As long as my golden eyes have not dimmed, your petty tricks will not escape my sight for a single day.”

The benevolence on his face faded, and Hodmogh looked down at the Demon Tribe spy occupying the dragon’s body with a condescending and mocking gaze.

“If I’m not mistaken, Lady Elizabeth must have believed your slander, which reignited her desire to replace Saintess Aurelia’s position with her own daughter…”

“As for Roniel, I know his character. While possessing great strength, his ambition is also considerable. He must have already established a cooperative relationship with you demons, right?”

No one had expected that the seemingly oldest Archbishop, whose mind appeared to be long muddled, had, with just a pair of eyes, seen through most of the truth hidden behind the subtle clues.