Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

「Holy City.」

In a corridor outside the Pope’s Office.

Lucius Valen, a Cardinal of the new faction, stopped before a door in the corridor. He took a deep breath and straightened his crimson cardinal vestments.

At forty-seven, he was the youngest of the three new-generation Cardinals promoted after Elizabeth initiated her reforms. He was in charge of the Church Court’s civil administration and public works.

Behind the carved wooden door before him was the side hall where Pope Vesta I handled daily affairs.

"Come in," came Elizabeth’s voice from within.

Lucius pushed the door open and entered, gently closing it behind him.

The room was spacious and bright, with large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Holy City Basin.

Pope Vesta I was sitting behind a large desk, a report in her hand.

"Good day, Holy Throne." Lucius stopped five paces from the desk, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed slightly.

"Good day, Lucius." Elizabeth set the report down and looked up at him, a gentle smile in her eyes. "Please, sit. You look troubled."

Lucius sat in the chair before the desk, placing his hands on his knees. His fingers tightened slightly.

He was silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking. "Holy Throne, forgive my bluntness. Regarding the implementation of the Tower of Revelation and the Path of the Priest... I am somewhat confused, and also uneasy."

"Continue," Elizabeth said calmly.

"Holy Throne, I am not against the reforms." Lucius’s speech quickened. "For the past ten years, I have witnessed firsthand how your new policies have revitalized the Holy City. Electric lights illuminate the streets, factories produce new machinery, and the people’s lives are genuinely improving. I have worked tirelessly for this, and I take pride in it."

His brow furrowed. "But this is different. Cardinal Adrian and the others... the Cardinals of the old faction, their reaction this time is too strange. Ordinarily, they should be the ones most vehemently opposed to the Tower of Revelation. Yet in the College of Cardinals’ regular meetings and work coordinations these past few days, not only have they not caused any obstruction, but on the contrary..."

He paused, searching for the right words. "On the contrary, they’ve been unusually cooperative. Cardinal Adrian has taken the initiative to coordinate the revision of the holy scriptures with the Holy Temple Research Institute, and Cardinal Ambrosius has also offered to use his old connections in various countries to handle the preliminary communications for establishing the Tower of Revelation. Something is not right, Holy Throne."

Lucius looked up, meeting Elizabeth’s gaze directly. "Why would they do this? It doesn’t make sense. Unless... unless they have ulterior motives."

Elizabeth listened quietly. "Lucius, you’ve noticed that Cardinal Adrian and the others are able to ’accept their tasks well’ and ’push the work forward.’ That is good. It shows you are very observant."

"But I want to ask you another question. Why do you think that you and your colleagues are unable to achieve the same level of cooperation and progress, or at least, not as well as they can?"

Lucius was stunned.

He opened his mouth to protest, but Elizabeth gave him no chance.

Elizabeth’s dark, profound eyes stared at Lucius. "Cardinal Adrian has been a part of the Church Court for nearly fifty years. His network of contacts extends into every corner. He is intimately familiar with the mindset and interests of those old scholars at the Holy Temple Research Institute. He knows how to deal with them, how to nurture the seeds of something new within the old framework."

"Cardinal Ambrosius presided over diplomatic affairs for many years. He has countless ties to the Royal Families, nobles, and even some hidden powers across the Continent. He knows the taboos and bottom lines of different nations. He knows how to discreetly pave the way for the future of the Tower of Revelation."

"These," Elizabeth said, word by word, "are the experience and abilities they have accumulated over many long years. These abilities don’t just vanish because they belong to the old faction, nor do they become useless just because they may inwardly oppose the Path of the Priest."

Lucius’s face paled slightly. He tried to argue back, "But, Holy Throne, they... they are against this deep down! They are just going through the motions, putting on a performance! They will set up obstacles in secret, use all sorts of seemingly reasonable methods to delay and misinterpret..."

"And so?" Elizabeth interrupted him calmly. "Compared to those who can’t even ’go through the motions’ or ’put on a performance’ properly, who can’t even provide effective cooperation on the surface, who even struggle to push forward concrete matters in their own areas of responsibility—who is more valuable?"

Lucius felt as if he’d been struck a heavy blow. He froze in his chair.

He thought back on the past half-month, on the preparations for the Tower of Revelation’s site selection and basic construction that he was responsible for.

Site selection disputes, delays in budget approval, difficulties in assigning artisans, the need to appease the resistance from lower-ranking Clergy... There were a thousand loose ends, and progress was slow.

Meanwhile, on Cardinal Adrian’s side, it was said that he had already drafted two preliminary textbook revision plans with the Holy Temple Research Institute and had begun selecting instructors to train the third batch of "Scripture Interpretation Priests."

Of course, this was not because Lucius was incompetent, but because deep down, he still harbored resistance to the new policies.

"I..." Lucius’s voice was a little hoarse. "I have not been slacking, Holy Throne. It’s just... some things are truly..."

"They are truly difficult, I know." Elizabeth’s tone softened. She sat back down, a trace of understanding in her gaze. "Pushing for a reform that touches the very roots of our faith is like navigating a boat in rapids. Resistance is everywhere, and difficulties arise one after another. But Lucius, you must understand one thing..."

She paused, her voice becoming firm and clear. "Everything we are doing today—establishing the Tower of Revelation, implementing the Path of the Priest—is not a deviation from the path of Oriane. On the contrary, we are fulfilling it more completely."