Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 429: The Holy City of Light

TL: Etude Translations

Kevin leaned out of the car window and immediately caught sight of the towering bell tower of the Holy City, a sight so magnificent it took his breath away.

He had thought that the bell tower in the Gabella Empire’s capital was the tallest in the world, but now he realized he was mistaken.

After more than half a month of travel, Aldridge, a scholar and emissary from the Gabella Empire, along with Mond and Kevin, finally arrived at the seat of the Papacy—the Holy City of Light.

To Kevin, this seemed like a city no less grand than the capital of the Gabella Empire. Even before entering the main city area, the roads were bustling with people. There were merchants conducting business and many pilgrims who had traveled long distances. Among these devout believers, some even prostrated themselves towards the direction of the Holy City every few steps, undeterred by the blood on their foreheads from their devotion.

He even saw faces of different races among the pilgrims, a testament to the vast influence of the Lord of Light’s faith.

“It’s hard to understand those zealots,” he shook his head and settled back into the carriage.

“Hmm, you’ll see even stranger sights in the Holy City, but remember one thing,” Mond said with a smile.

“Don’t try to debate theology with the locals.”

“Why?” Kevin asked, suddenly anxious. “Could I be burned as a heretic?”

“Haha, it’s not that extreme. The Papacy isn’t so tyrannical. I mean, everyone in this city is a theological expert. Debating theology with them would only bring you embarrassment.”

“Even the beggars on the streets,” Aldridge, who had been silent, suddenly muttered, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

Kevin, surprised, asked, “In such a prosperous city, there are still beggars?”

Mond shrugged, “The larger the city, the greater its shadow. Besides, the Papacy often conducts almsgiving to attract believers, making the lives of many beggars quite comfortable, which in turn attracts more beggars.”

As the trio of teacher and students chatted, they entered the Holy City and went straight to the lodge designated for foreign emissaries.

Upon entering, Kevin noticed a large crowd gathered in a nearby square, engaged in a heated debate.

“What are they doing?” he asked the lodge’s receptionist.

The receptionist glanced at the square and said indifferently, “It’s probably members of the Council of Reason challenging someone to a debate again.”

“A challenge… to a debate?” Kevin was a bit confused.

“Yes, members of the Council of Reason love to engage in fights over bizarre issues. Like whether the Heavenly Father created man or woman first, or whether the Earth is round or flat.”

Kevin had heard of the Council of Reason during his studies at the Scholar’s Tower. It was a unique faction within the Church of the Lord of Light, dedicated to understanding the nature of the universe to get closer to the divine. This slightly changed Kevin’s previous impression of the Church as closed and conservative, albeit only slightly.

“Since we’re free now, shall we go take a look?” Mond suggested, patting Kevin.

“Sure!”

They walked side by side toward the square.

As they got closer, the debate became clearer.

“As everyone knows, when a ship sails far away, its masthead appears first, followed by the body, and then the entire ship comes into view. This can only be explained if the Earth is round. Also, during a lunar eclipse, the shadow on the moon…”

“Absurd, utterly absurd. If the Earth was round, why wouldn’t everything on it slide off and fall into the void?”

“I admit that our current knowledge is insufficient to answer your question, but that doesn’t invalidate the facts we’ve observed.”

“You call these ‘facts’ purely imaginary, utterly baseless fantasies.”

“You… how dare you slander our great discovery.”

“I am simply stating facts. Don’t spout nonsense in such a sacred place as the Holy City; it’s blasphemous.”

“You’re the blasphemer, you and your entire family are desecrating the divine.”

“Heretic! Heretic!”

“You’re the heretic!”

As the debate escalated, the words exchanged grew more offensive, eventually leading to physical confrontations.

It was unclear who threw the first punch, but a full-blown brawl ensued.

Kevin and Mond watched the spectacle from a safe distance.

Soon, a team of armored Papal knights arrived, wielding large clubs to forcefully separate the two groups. Due to the large crowd and the inability to identify the instigator, the captain of the knights could only sternly reprimand them.

Intimidated by the clubs in the knights’ hands, the two groups hung their heads in silence, their glares continuing to clash in the air.

After the captain finished reprimanding them, there was a moment of silence as he was about to disperse the crowd. Then suddenly, a voice rang out.

“In fact, there’s no need to argue about this now. In a few years, perhaps as few as one or two, or as many as three to five, this question will be answered.”

Everyone turned towards the voice and saw a young man approaching, followed by someone who looked somewhat embarrassed.

“What are you talking about, young man?”

Kevin cleared his throat and spoke loudly to the crowd: “As far as I know, in the Kingdom of Ordo, someone has already started to practically verify this question. They have dispatched three fleets, one of which sailed west into the endless ocean, and another began to sail east along the coastline of the continent. If the Earth is round, then both these fleets will circle back to Ordo. If the Earth is flat, then they will find the legendary edge of the world. By then, this question will have its answer.”

“Circle around?”

Even the adherents of the round Earth theory were startled by this idea. Although they believed in a round Earth, they subconsciously thought the continent they lived on was at the top of a sphere. Would they not slide off if they explored too far outwards?

Someone asked, “May I know who this person you speak of is?”

Kevin replied, “Count Paul Grayman, a lord of a bay in the northwestern corner of the Kingdom of Ordo.”

Hearing Kevin’s answer, a wave of murmurs rose among the crowd.

“How bold, doing what we always wanted to do but couldn’t.”

“If only I were a super-wealthy lord, I’d have done it myself long ago, not waiting for him.”

“Don’t delude yourselves. What kind of ship could withstand deep-sea voyaging? I bet Count Grayman must have some new naval technology.”

“Could it be sorcery?”

“Shh!”

As the law enforcement knights were also captivated by Kevin’s words, the debate reverted to its original argument.

“Listen up, everyone here! In a few years, when the results come in, we’ll meet in this square again. The wrong side will properly apologize to the correct side and gracefully admit defeat. How about it, do you dare agree?”

“Why wouldn’t we? Whoever doesn’t show up is the heretic.”

“Hmph! Just you wait!”

“You wait and see.”

Finally, under the knights’ orders, the debating parties dispersed.

Kevin and Mond were left sweating in the aftermath.

These people, are they really clerics directly under the control of the Papacy?

…

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