Alien Knights

March 17, 1174, Musai Cathedral Rear Hall, 7:30 am.

After taking off the dress he usually wears and putting on the old knight armor, Huggins straightened his spine, walked to the door of the auditorium, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Your Majesty, it is time."

Accompanied by the creaking sound of the door hinge, two guard knights pushed open the door from the inside, and a group of monks in white robes came out with scriptures.

Todd, who was wearing a moon-white holy order robe, slowly walked out of the auditorium holding a scepter representing the identity of the Patriarch.

Looking at the calm king, Huggins himself became a little nervous: "Your Majesty, everything is ready."

Todd nodded, and walked towards the main hall of the cathedral under the guard of the guards.

From the beginning of construction to the completion of the first phase of the Muxi Cathedral, it took two and a half years.

Although only the main hall and two auxiliary towers have been completed here, those who have visited here agree that whether it is architectural style or interior decoration, looking at the entire continent, there is no other church that can match it.

The smooth mirror-like marble floor can reflect the appearance of people; the beautiful religious murals seem to make people feel like they are there; the expensive and luxurious tables and chairs make people admire the wealth of Muxi City.

When the king of Muxi City, who was full of holy orders, appeared at the side of the hall, thousands of people in the main hall of the cathedral stood up one after another.

Among them are kings from afar, famous nobles, respected scholars and wealthy businessmen.

Everyone looked at the man guarded by the knights, and in addition to marveling at the young king of Muxi City, they also wondered what the so-called Protestantism would look like.

Speaking of the two major sects that continued from the Taylor period, the Church of the Father and the Orthodox Church, the internal structure of both is modeled on the monarchy, with many levels set up, with the Pope at the top.

Such a setting is conducive to the development of religion, but it passively concentrates power on one person, which is easy to breed corruption and abuse of power.

Therefore, with regard to the Protestantism established in Muxi City, most of the people who came to watch the ceremony had doubts in their hearts. Can the King of Muxi City, who is called the Holy Son, really promote the smooth progress of the religious reform?

Todd stood on the podium with a towering cross in front of him. He followed the pre-rehearsed procedure, recited the prayer aloud, and completed the prayer action meticulously.

The whole ceremony lasted for one and a half hours, and the symbolic flag of Protestantism, the umbrella cross, was raised on the top of the cathedral, and cheers like mountains and tsunami came from outside the square. Only now did the audience realize that the ceremony was over.

Handing over the scepter and honor to Brother Joe, Todd stood at the table on the podium and nodded towards the people in the church.

Realizing that he was about to deliver an enthronement speech, everyone present cheered up and pricked up their ears.

"The Bible says that people are burdened with sins from the day they are born. In the days leading up to the sins, the sins will continue to increase. Only piety and confession can be redeemed."

Todd paused for a moment, held up a piece of paper on the table, and said to everyone: "Does anyone know what this is?"

Everyone looked closely, it was an indulgence ticket from the Church of the Heavenly Father.

"A piece of paper made of straw ash and wood pulp, with two holy texts written on it, and a seal on it, has the effect of washing away all sins. Compared with this, don't you think that the original sin that God bestowed on mankind has become a complete joke instead?"

Todd put down the slip of paper and continued: "Whether it's tithe tax or church tax, the clergy use a few words in the Bible, take them out of context, and receive money from believers. Isn't this the greatest sin?"

Todd's words made everyone unconsciously nod their heads in agreement, and while they were overjoyed, they vaguely understood the deep meaning of the new pope.

Todd's next speech was more straightforward, so straightforward that everyone was a little at a loss.

"The so-called church is not a superior existence. Even if there is no guidance from the clergy, as long as believers have God in their hearts, they can still communicate with the supreme with a pious heart. In my opinion, what are the so-called popes, bishops, and priests? They are not the spokespersons of God, but should be the servants of believers."

As soon as Todd's words came out, all four were shocked.

The duty of the church is not to speak for God, but to serve believers. Some people may have said this theory, but it has never come from the mouth of the clergy.

Today, someone said this, and this person is actually the Pope of Protestantism.

"The job of a farmer is to farm, and the duty of a knight is to defend honor. The same is true for the clergy of the church. Our purpose is to bring more believers closer to God. This profession should not have any utilitarian color, and it should not be linked to money." Todd raised the Bible in one hand and the cross on his chest in the other.

Todd's words deeply moved everyone present. The monks in white robes marked the cross and sang praises in unison, and the audience stood up and praised God's blessings.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Todd smiled and waited for the people to calm down, and said, "As the Pope of the Protestantism, I hereby announce three major purposes for this sect."

"First, Protestants will not in any way threaten or induce believers to pay money or things."

Facing the excited gaze of the crowd, Todd added: "The Protestants will abolish all religious profit-making tools such as indulgences, tithes, and church taxes, and only accept donations from believers."

"Second, Protestantism will only recognize the Bible written in Hebrew, and the Protestant church does not recognize the religious legitimacy of the newly added documents in the later history of the Bible."

Todd paused and continued to explain: "About this article, the most important thing is the "justification by faith" we proposed before. We firmly believe that the church should be a service center for believers and a gathering place for beliefs. It is not a place where a group of high-ranking people use believers to amass wealth. Protestants will do everything they can to provide believers with faith-related help, instead of using religious power to suppress and control believers."

Todd's words made the kings present widen their eyes inconceivably. As long as they were not too stupid, they could understand the meaning behind these words-the Protestantism would respect and recognize kingship.

"Third, the Holy Order of Protestantism will adopt a flat structure, and the power of affairs will be jointly managed by all believers."

This sentence confused everyone present, and almost no one could understand what Todd meant by these words.

According to common sense, Todd began to explain: "The so-called flat structure is to reduce the number of church management as much as possible. Let me use an analogy, the Church of Heavenly Father, which regards Protestantism as the enemy, has the following hierarchy of holy order-the pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop, priest, etc... This kind of management of holy orders will not only lead to power struggles, but also foster corruption. Therefore, Protestantism will only have two classes in terms of affairs management-pastors and believers."

"As long as you have joined the Protestant church membership, you are a believer. The believers in a region gather together, conduct elections, and elect pastors who can represent this region. Pastors from various regions come to the Protestant headquarters in Muxi City regularly, and use democratic resolutions to handle and determine relevant affairs in the church."

Someone heard this and suddenly realized that there were some contradictions in Todd's speech.

A king sitting in the front row suddenly asked: "My lord Pope, you just mentioned that there are only two classes in Protestantism, priests and believers, but how do you deal with your identity in the church?"

Todd said with a smile: "As the Protestant pope, I will only be the spiritual symbol of the sect, I will not interfere in any affairs, and I will not participate in any voting and decision-making..."

Brother Joe heard this, stepped forward in a panic, and whispered to Todd: "My lord Pope, I have never heard you say this..."

Todd first glanced at Joe who was in a hurry, and then said to everyone: "Look at what the Church of the Heavenly Father has done these years. I don't think there are any believers who are good-hearted among them, but it is because of the absolute power of the Pope himself that has caused absolute corruption. In the church, any power must be restricted and supervised. The management of one person will lead to the demise of the sect sooner or later."

The people present stood up and cheered when they heard this speech.

Todd continued: "The denomination council composed of pastors will have the power to manage the church's affairs, promulgate decrees, make rewards and punishments, and organize believers; while the pope, as the spiritual symbol of the denomination, is mainly responsible for external diplomacy and internal ceremonies."

After saying these words, Todd made the sign of the cross and said loudly: "By the name of the cross, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Protestantism is supreme, Amen."