Chapter 50: Church Schemes! Splitting the Church

Dragons are truly incredible sleepers!

Duncan felt that if he didn't manually intervene, his second mortal avatar—the dragon—would alternate between eating and sleeping for decades straight.

His first avatar had figured out the state of the world within just a few days.

His second avatar, however, was still completely clueless and couldn't even manage to leave that frozen lake.

The crucial part was that this time, it had slept for a full seven days straight.

Duncan felt that controlling it required a stroke of luck, as his consciousness was primarily active in his first avatar. Whenever he occasionally found the time to enter the dimensional space, the young dragon would be operating on autopilot via its "draconic ancestral memories," having fallen right back into a deep slumber after finishing its meal.

"Cross-dimensional inscriptions between different mortal avatars are only valuable for the most crucial abilities."

"Ordinary skills are completely unnecessary."

"However, the fundamental soul reinforcement must not stop. It is obvious that my second avatar has also benefited from the blessings of soul strengthening."

Based on the current situation.

If his second avatar wanted to accumulate legendary renown, it would probably need a very long time to mature. Right now, only his first avatar possessed the strength to challenge legends.

"It's a bit like a high-level character carrying a low-level character in a video game, though right now the dragon is more like an unbuilt high-level character."

Sleep, sleep, sleep!

Let's see how many days you can sleep.

Duncan withdrew from the dimensional space and walked along the muddy paths of Southampton. His soul strength was not yet sufficient to split off any more avatars; one of the two mortal avatars always had to remain on autopilot.

His military training during this period had yielded some results, specifically transforming the British auxiliary militia into the British Garrison Legion.

With his second avatar sleeping soundly through day and night, he suddenly found himself with nothing much to do.

Anya, on the other hand, was having a great time.

Since Duncan had no wars to fight, his boundless energy had nowhere to vent day after day. When he wasn't finishing military drills and single-handedly fighting a dozen men in the training grounds to stretch his muscles, he would take her out for wild horse rides to relax his body and mind. After a long while, even she started finding it a bit too much to handle. Having starved for so many years, she was suddenly being fed far too abundantly. At first, she would linger around looking for chances to sneak a taste, but later she actually fled outward to develop maritime trade.

She had suffered some minor abrasions and needed a solid half-month of proper recovery.

Thus, after spending a few days living the life of a landed lord, Duncan finally grew restless and decided to use this rest period to further enhance his own strength.

Severus was up to his ears in work.

When Duncan found him, he was discussing the next steps with the Raven Queen, Triss—specifically, how to balance the issues of faith among the Church, Avalon, and the Norse pantheon. The barbarian foreign legions were stationed along the coastal regions, while the believers of the Church and Avalon mostly lived inland; the primary friction during this period was the religious conflict between the Church and Avalon.

Duncan took the seat of honor and listened for a moment before suddenly asking, "You must know about the Arianism, right?"

The Arian heresy primarily spread among the barbarian regions.

Unlike other ecclesiastical factions, this sect believed that Jesus was subordinate to God, and that God alone was the supreme and only true God.

These points weren't actually the crucial part; the key was that they opposed the Church's accumulation of vast wealth. They believed the Church should place greater emphasis on the mind and spirit rather than worldly possessions, and they commanded immense support within the monastic system.

This date back roughly a few decades.

The Arian sect had suffered a crushing defeat, and the theological doctrine of the Trinity had been basically established. They were once again denounced as heretics and lost all momentum from then on, surviving only in their spread among the Germanic barbarians and eventually fading away slowly in history.

Yet at this moment, the Arian faction still possessed considerable strength. Many Franks and Goths were believers of the Arian path.

The Raven Queen Triss reacted the fastest, her eyes brightening at the words as she asked, "What are you planning?"

Duncan glanced at Severus and said in a deep voice, "Divide the enemy and conquer them from within!"

"The Church is simply too powerful."

"Moreover, the monastic orders hold numerous sacred relics; even we would find it difficult to confront them head-on."

Overly radical measures were not suitable to be introduced right now.

Protestantism might suffer from cultural incompatibility, and reckless alterations were prone to disaster. Therefore, building upon existing foundations, they could support the weaker faction to create a tripartite standoff against the Church.

As long as the Church remained internally divided, the outsiders would gain breathing room.

Hearing this, Severus looked thoughtful as well, his expression turning spirited as he said, "The Arian sect has immense influence in the Gaul region, and the Visigothic Kingdom also has many believers."

"Their monastic orders are very strong!"

"If we support them, it can indeed instigate internal strife within the Church. They have deep roots among the barbarians for spreading their faith and have never truly submitted to the Roman Church."

The Raven Queen Triss mused, "But what if they grow too powerful?"

"Will they turn around and deal with us?"

"Keep in mind that we are, after all, the heretics in their eyes, and the Church has always acted in a unified front externally."

Duncan took a leisurely sip of water and replied indifferently, "Remember that witcher we encountered?"

The Raven Queen Triss nodded. "Saint George, the Dragon Slayer."

Duncan said calmly, "Why do you think he chose to retire into seclusion? To avoid the internal strife within the Church?"

"The internal fighting of the Church is far more fierce than we imagine."

"Even someone revered in the name of holiness can hardly bear to watch anymore and simply wants to hide away for some peace and quiet."

Should the Church possess vast wealth?

Should the vision of the Papal States be realized?

Duncan didn't know about the latter yet, but history held the answer: the wealth controlled by the Church was currently the greatest source of contention.

Those monks of the monastic orders.

They were the true foundation of the Church, yet most monks lived austere lives and actually possessed very little wealth. It was precisely because of this that the Roman Church and the Arian faction each propagated their own beliefs, and their defeat back then involved the intervention of the imperial emperor.

Duncan paused for a moment, looking at the two deep in thought, and continued, "This is only the first step."

"The second step is to give birth to a church that belongs exclusively to the Britons."

"To completely indigenize the Christian faith."

A substitute of a fake for the genuine.

Historically, the majority of Celtic mythology was preserved by monks, and the church on the British Isles did not submit to the Roman Church either. They possessed their own lineage system, meaning that converting to Christianity did not entirely signify abandoning Celtic heritage; the priests of the old gods transformed into the monks of the church, secretly preserving the ancient myths.

At this, both of them understood.

Severus said with a stirred expression, "You mean? Let some of the priests join the church as well?"

Duncan shrugged. "Why not?"

"Who decreed that one can only worship a single deity?"

"Whichever deity is benevolent, you worship that one."

"If all else fails, just worship a few more; gods aren't going to personally descend to save mortal suffering anyway."

Why not?

It could actually be done this way!

Duncan's words brought instant enlightenment to the two present, especially the Raven Queen Triss, who thought of Julian the Apostate back then. If they had played this card at the time, they wouldn't have failed so rapidly. However, Rome was the Church's stronghold, and that trick couldn't really be played there.

There was one crucial point Duncan hadn't spoken aloud.

Everything was rooted in his own strength as the baseline; only by being powerful enough would he have the right to speak.

The British Isles were a remote overseas territory, so they could play it this way for the time being.

But in the future, he would use overwhelming momentum to directly suppress the Roman Church.

This was merely the opening gambit of the early phase, where petty tricks and unorthodox paths could be utilized. In the future, he would have to subdue the Roman Church with absolute strength; only then could religious conflicts be quelled and everything stabilized within a relatively controllable scope.

As for things millennia later, he couldn't care less—mortals could worship whomever they pleased.

Severus was already growing impatient.

He immediately stood up and said, "I will go and make secret preparations right away. In the Welsh region and Cornwall, there are still Druid priests; they can completely convert to the Church, infiltrate the enemy from within, and then find a way to make the local church completely independent."

Duncan glanced at him and said deeply, "Conversion is conversion, but don't forget the most important thing: the coexistence of faiths, rather than a single dominant monopoly."

When divine authority is weak, royal authority is strong.

The Raven Queen Triss watched Severus depart. When her gaze shifted back to Duncan, her eyes gleamed brightly, filled with deep affection. She seemed to have discovered some new traits in Duncan; this man could always surprise her, possessing an acute intuition for handling everything.

Duncan chuckled, grasped Triss's fair hand, and pulled her soft, voluptuous body into his embrace.

The Raven Queen Triss blushed, obediently sitting down, before suddenly starting as if pricked by a needle. She half-bounded to her feet, her eyes swirling with natural allure, flustered and trembling slightly as she stammered, "I have things to attend to, I'll come back later."

Duncan smoothed his clothes, watched the Raven Queen Triss sway away in a fluster, and smelled his fingertips, where a soft, snowy fragrance seemed to linger.

There was no help for it; he couldn't help himself—being a nineteen-year-old mortal avatar meant his vitality was simply too high.

The Raven Queen Triss stepped out of the lord's manor and drew a ragged breath. She had realized something was wrong shortly after sitting down; of course she knew very well—she had even consulted Anya—but she still lacked confidence in her heart, fearing she might accidentally break her vow of chastity.

All afternoon, the Raven Queen Triss was a mess of conflicting emotions, until she finally gritted her teeth and stamped her foot, returning to her quarters as night fell.

Anya had said there was another way, but one had to keep their mouth shut and not let it spread outside.

She decided to throw caution to the wind.

Southampton, port district.

Over the past half-month, the port had undergone some minor renovations. The Britons naturally engaged in fishing, and with Duncan's financial support, the fishermen were finally living a good life. Since everyone had money in their pockets, they all wanted to eat some meat, and in this era, fish was undoubtedly the cheapest.

The impact Duncan brought went far beyond this.

He hailed from Rome, and as was widely known, Romans loved pleasure; the empire's decadent culture had a long lineage. Although Duncan's life wasn't extravagant, he still had certain standards when it came to food.

Consequently, the Britons emulated their Lord Governor and finally managed to produce some decent culinary dishes.

A touching sight.

The Britons began learning to use spices and seasonings to prepare food, occasionally picking up a few imperial cooking techniques. Although they still couldn't compare to the Franks across the strait, at least it was a start. Centuries ago, the indigenous British nobility had begun their process of Romanization precisely by imitating the Roman governors.

Now, their diet was also beginning to evolve toward a civilized nation, starting to pursue the texture and taste of food slightly.

Fantastic!

Early in the morning, feeling refreshed and clear-headed, Duncan rode his horse at the head of his guards to circle around Southampton. If he didn't exercise his muscles every day, he truly had nowhere to vent his boundless energy. Along the way, townsfolk constantly bowed their heads in deference, and some even dropped to one knee, with no shortage of cheering crowds showing their devotion.

This wasn't even the most exaggerated part.

Back when Duncan first held the Oathkeeper and announced the abolition of their status as slaves and serfs, granting them land and the status of free citizens, some people had even fallen to their knees to kiss the ground he walked upon.

Where Duncan trained daily, townsfolk gathered outside every day, cheering enthusiastically for his valor, and frequently dazzling young maidens would appear dressed in their finest attire.

If Duncan didn't prefer gorgeous witches, those indigenous maidens would likely have thrown themselves at him wave after wave.

"You're back?!"

With a surprised look on his face, Duncan headed straight for the docks. Anya hadn't returned yet, but the scouts he had dispatched had finally come back.

Supernatural creatures existed right there in the north, in Scandinavia, nestled within the coastal mountains.