Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 98

The short, or rather, very brief 30-minute live broadcast had ended.

However, that 30 minutes were enough to cause an immense stir in South Korea and even around the world.

First, the media.

<(Photo) Former Ground Zero revealed to the public.>

<3 million live viewers on MyTube. The live broadcast of the Limen Church, which set a record for overwhelming global #1.>

As soon as the broadcast ended, all the media outlets in South Korea flocked to the temple.

If it weren’t for the support of government hunters like Kang Chae-ah, it might have been difficult to stop all of them.

Some reporters tried to enter the temple, even at the risk of their lives.

Naturally, they were aiming for an interview with me.

Of course, once Luna created a crater with her hammer and Leo performed a circus trick by bending a huge stone, they quietly waited at the temple’s main entrance.

There’s a clear difference between the expression of someone who’s prepared to die and someone who’s really prepared for death.

Moreover, the chaos wasn’t limited to the media.

[Title: Those who saw it live are the winners]

Content: First, my hand. Those who couldn’t watch the broadcast live just lost 99.999999999% of their lives. It was truly patriotic. Is this really the South Korea we knew?

Nationalism? No, Limen-patriotism, yes

Limen-patriotism equals nationalism. Limen Church = South Korea. Didn’t you know?

This is right

Seriously, LOL

Who’s the winner from watching a live broadcast? The real winners are the people who went to the flower viewing with their girlfriends, not those idiots, LOL

Fact bomb, nope

T_T There are no winners here…

As you can see, various communities were burning up. Whether it was a female-dominated or male-dominated forum, no matter the preference, the discussions were all about me and our church.

“That’s dizzying.”

I turned on the TV for a moment to check the news, and I saw that a massive migration toward this area had begun from all over Seoul.

They said it was the worst traffic jam since the Dimension Opening, and the reason was my announcement just now.

To be precise, it was to see the garden that had risen in the former Ground Zero.

The black tumor that had once been lodged in the heart of Seoul had been completely removed. In its place was a beautiful garden unlike anything easily seen elsewhere.

And since today was the weekend, everyone was rushing to experience this miracle.

It was like an impromptu flower viewing.

Anyway,

As the crowds continued to gather here by the minute, I was in my office, maintaining the holy barrier while having a private conversation with our great goddess.

Limen was smiling as she watched the reactions on the internet through my smartphone.

“They’re interesting people, right? Isn’t that so, Siwoo? They’re making self-deprecating jokes.”

“It’s a South Korean tradition. They always play like that.”

“Look at this.”

She came over and showed me another set of articles.

These weren’t favorable articles about me, but negative ones.

Most of those articles were pushed by major media outlets.

I looked at the articles and casually replied.

“There are always people who don’t like it when our church gets attention. It’s not unusual.”

“Humans, compared to other species, hold many possibilities. This is what defines humanity—being able to blur the lines between good and evil, and having different thoughts about the same thing. That’s why so many gods are born and fade away, perhaps.”

“Are you dissing humans in front of humans?”

“I’m just saying that you’re remarkable, Siwoo.”

After putting down her smartphone, Limen immediately hugged me.

Since she was in her divine manifestation, I could feel the warm energy passing through her.

I coughed a few times at her sudden hug, and gently pushed her away.

“I think it’s time for you to explain why you’ve been out of touch. As you can see, I’m really busy. I have to give a word to the reporters, I need to think about what the president said earlier…There’s a lot to do.”

“Hm, where should I start?”

Limen slightly narrowed her eyebrows as she pondered, then continued in a very soft voice.

“Well, first, there’s been some erosion in certain parts of Eden. The divine beings from another realm were trying to cross over. It was the leftover demon forces that led the charge, but Eden was originally a closed dimension, so this kind of thing didn’t happen often.”

“Has it been resolved?”

“Thanks to the kids’ efforts, it’s mostly settled. I think the divine being from that other realm probably infiltrated through the portal I created when I brought you here.”

“The portal…couldn’t it be completely closed?”

“If that happened, the connection between you and me would be cut off. And that’s…”

Limen swallowed the rest of her words.

I remembered that she once told me she had seen my future.

The reason she couldn’t speak freely now was probably because it was connected to my future.

“…Anyway, I’ve been looking into the invaders, so I haven’t been in touch. This will likely happen more frequently in the future.”

“There have been many events on Earth too.”

“I know, even without you telling me. First of all, this.”

She floated the that I had sealed in a corner of my office into the air.

“It’s very similar to the creation of the divine being that invaded Eden. Not just the appearance, but also the divine power that makes it up.”

“Do you think those divine beings and the demon forces are connected?”

That was the question I really wanted to ask.

And Limen slowly nodded.

“I can’t say for sure that they’re allies, but there’s a high possibility that they’re trading with each other. The demon forces that fled to Earth need an opportunity to expand their power, and those unknown divine beings need a chance to return.”

“…A chance to return?”

“Yeah. A chance to return.”

Limen paused for a moment and quietly looked into my eyes. Then, she gently took my hand in hers and said.

“It’s hard to believe, but those beings originate from Earth. That means they’re divine beings that appeared in the distant past. Ancient gods. I think it would be easier for you to understand that way.”

I stayed silent for a long time, absorbing her words in my mind.

Limen’s explanation opened up several possible speculations.

The so-called ancient gods.

The story that deities existed in Earth’s past implies that divine power once existed on Earth.

However, she said that it was unclear exactly when these beings existed.

What we know is only that they were deities from a distant past, nothing more.

“Ancient gods,” I muttered.

Perhaps they could be related to the Baegmyeong Church, those guys. After all, we still don’t know what kind of deities they venerate.

Since she said ‘gods,’ it’s highly likely that there wasn’t just one deity, but rather multiple.

Sorry I couldn’t be of much help.

I recalled the words Limen had left before ending her incarnation.

Her divine powers, as the main god, were limited to Eden.

I knew very well that she could only use a very limited amount of power on Earth.

And already, she had done a lot for me. If she hadn’t pushed herself, I would have returned to Earth without any power at all.

How could I blame Limen under those circumstances?

By providing the clue of ‘ancient gods,’ she had already revealed a lot.

I knew that from this point on, it was up to me to investigate further.

For now, I had to collect information by running around and asking questions, within the boundaries that Earth’s systems allowed.

It seemed that growing that and taking on a quest was the next priority.

“Your Holiness.”

Just when I was deep in thought, Leo, who had been quietly sipping tea in front of me, spoke.

“Since Limen’s incarnation descended, did she mention anything else?”

“Anything else? What specifically?”

“New missionaries, things like that.”

“Ah, sending personnel?”

It’s been a while since Leo looked so eager.

I had brought Oh Junwoo in for training, but Leo was still in charge of educating himself on matters of priesthood and doctrine.

I acknowledged the heavy workload he had.

“I’ve already asked, but she says it might be difficult for now. Eden’s in a bit of chaos too.”

“I see. That’s a pity.”

“I’m a bit disappointed too.”

Honestly, I hadn’t asked Limen directly.

It felt a bit guilty to ask her for even more personnel when she had already sent Leo and Luna here.

They had already suffered a significant personnel loss by sending those two over.

Even if they could send more people, I intended to bring artisans rather than missionaries.

Our new players needed equipment.

It’s not that Earth’s players had poor production capabilities, but the dwarves from our headquarters were incredibly skilled. If I could bring one of them here, our faction’s equipment level would be significantly upgraded.

It was unfortunate for Leo, but…what can I do? When it’s time to call in subordinates, you call them in.

“By the way, Your Holiness, are you going to just leave the reporters outside like that?”

Luna pointed to the window outside my office.

Through the window, I could see reporters gathering at the entrance of the temple.

The police, dispatched immediately under President Seo’s orders, were trying to disperse the reporters, but they were facing strong resistance.

It was already 8 PM.

Despite the fact that it was long past sunset, a huge number of citizens were still walking around the temple, taking pictures.

There were no streetlight-like lamps, but the holy stones placed around the area for purification were serving as makeshift streetlights.

“Not only the reporters, but the citizens are cramming into the whole sacred site. Don’t you have any plans to take action?”

“I’m not planning on stopping them for now. The atmosphere is like a festival, it’s nice, don’t you think?”

“I’m worried it might damage the sacred site.”

“The government has promised to send police forces for security maintenance for now, so don’t worry too much.”

“The management staff is too small. It doesn’t seem like Jin Seojoon can handle it on his own.”

I nodded at Luna’s point.

Looking at the situation, it was clear that Jin Seojoon couldn’t manage such a large sacred site by himself. It seemed obvious that additional personnel would be needed to manage it smoothly.

Of course, I didn’t open the sacred site without any plans in place.

“I know what you’re worried about, Luna.”

“I took a quick patrol earlier, and I already saw some trash left behind by someone.”

“Embarrassing civic awareness, nothing to say about that.”

Things had definitely improved recently, but there were still people who would visit and leave their trash behind.

As more people came to visit, the number of such individuals would increase.

But Luna was overlooking one thing.

“Luna, do you know this is a sacred site?”

“Yes, I know, but…”

“If someone deliberately throws trash on a sacred site, that too counts as desecration, you know? We don’t need to worry about it, it will resolve itself.”

Any criminal activity in a sacred site is considered ‘desecration.’

Anyone who commits ‘desecration’ in a sacred site accumulates karmic debt, and those with accumulated karmic debt will face misfortunes.

For example, getting bird droppings on your head while walking, tripping over a stone, those kinds of misfortunes.

And this ‘misfortune’ applies to ordinary people who haven’t awakened as well.

It had already been proven in Eden.

It was a famous story when a man, drunk and causing trouble in a sacred site, suddenly went bald in real time.

“Anyway, we just need to inform them. After that, whatever happens is their responsibility. People will learn after a few experiences. Don’t you think so?”

“If that’s your opinion, Your Holiness, then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Luna nodded obediently. Then she leaned back in her chair and said:

“Since you called us at this late hour, I’m guessing you have something else to say. We have a company dinner today, you know?”

“A company dinner?”

What company dinner could there possibly be that I didn’t know about?

I looked at Luna with a displeased expression, and she took my hand and said:

“Unless it’s urgent, let’s talk while we’re on the way.”

“Where are we going?”

“To a place you’re familiar with.”