Chapter 008: The First Pope

Blue-blooded people!?
Damn those blue-blooded people! I still have Wesley!
Du Fan forced a wry smile and couldn’t help but touch his nose again.
Seeming to notice Du Fan’s surprise, Anthony continued, “Of course, ‘blue-blooded people’ was how we called them back in those days. Meanwhile, they called us ‘red-blooded people’… But by the end of the Dark Ages, the blue-blooded people were no longer called that—they had a new name: humanity’s greatest enemy—the Demons!”
“Demons!” Du Fan took a deep breath. “It’s actually the Demons!”
Anthony nodded. “Yes… the Demons. The blue-blooded people, that is, the Demons, differ from ordinary humans in one key way: while we humans need certain aptitudes and talents to learn magic or combat energy, the blue-blooded people can easily master these skills. Thus, although the Demons are few in number, their combat strength is such that one of them can match ten ordinary humans… So, in those times, the Demons could be considered a privileged class among humans…”
“Then why…”
Anthony waved his hand and gazed sorrowfully at the mural before him. After a moment, he said softly, “If we’re to ask why, then perhaps all the reasons… stem from Leois I…”
“Why?” Du Fan couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s simple,” Anthony replied calmly. “Because Leois I wasn’t a blue-blooded person—he was a pure red-blooded person… It is said that Leois I had no parents; he was found in the wilderness by a stable boy. From a young age, he showed extraordinary talent. By the age of sixteen, he had surpassed the Saint level in both magic and combat. By twenty, he had reached the Domain level. Later on, no one could even gauge his true strength. At that time, across the entire Roland Continent, Leois I was unbeatable! The ultimate master—lonely as the best—was him. It was at the peak of his life that he received a divine revelation and founded the Holy Church… As we’ve mentioned before, Leois I claimed to be the God of Light and gained the faith of most humans, who were all red-blooded people. But some humans—the blue-blooded people—absolutely refused to believe this… Du Fan, do you know why?”

Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “I… don’t know…”
Anthony laughed and pointed to the bottom of the mural. It was then that Du Fan noticed there was another line of text at the bottom of the second painting.
He glanced at it several times but couldn’t understand it, so he couldn’t help asking, “What is this?”
Anthony sighed and said, “There’s nothing wrong with saying this sentence. We say it less than ten times a day—maybe eight times. The sentence is: ‘Before the God of Light, all are equal!’”
Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh.
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Anthony smiled bitterly again and said, “Du Fan, don’t have that look. In that era, this sentence was different from today. Back then, Leois I truly achieved this—ensuring that all humans had no class distinctions before the God of Light. He worked hard and was almost successful… In fact, he even planned to make all races equal before the God of Light. And he—as the representative of the God of Light on earth—although he called himself the God of Light, later many people considered him to be the representative—should not stand above others but rather serve as a guide for all races, allowing them to be bathed in the divine light…”
Du Fan nodded and said respectfully, “Lord Leois is the true saint!”
Unexpectedly, Anthony didn’t say anything. Instead, his face showed a hint of bitterness and helplessness. After a moment, he continued, “But back then, this was absolutely impossible to achieve. Even if Leois I was the greatest person on the continent… no matter how powerful he was, he was still just one person… Moreover, the doctrine he promoted fundamentally touched the interests of a certain group of people… namely, the Bluebloods!”
Du Fan showed an expression of confirmation. He didn’t say much more and just listened quietly.
Anthony’s voice, tinged with sorrow, continued to echo in Du Fan’s ears: “The Bluebloods, or rather the demons, due to their strong individual strength, held a dominant position in that era. The Blueblood Empire at that time covered the entire continent. Within the empire, Bluebloods were the highest class… Elves were the second class, vampires the third… and so on. But what’s most puzzling is that the Redbloods, who were hardly different from the Bluebloods, were the lowest class—slaves…”
Du Fan was stunned for a moment before asking, “Why… were humans the lowest-class slaves…”

Anthony sneered and then said, “Because although humans have a large population, they lack the magical talent of elves, the brute strength of beastkin, and even goblins, who are skilled in craftsmanship, are regarded by the blue-blooded as being slightly superior to humans… It’s only natural, then, that humans end up as the lowest-class slaves… As a red-blooded, Lioris I naturally wanted to change this situation, but his principle of equality absolutely clashed with the interests of the blue-blooded.”
“However, Lioris I was after all a powerful figure of his time. With him around, the blue-blooded, though dissatisfied, didn’t dare to suppress the Holy Church. Moreover, thanks to Lioris I, humans gained a leader and achieved unprecedented unity… Their strength grew continuously, and the strong among humans gathered under the Holy Church’s banner. Eventually, they were even able to confront the blue-blooded… After all, though the blue-blooded were formidable, their population was far too small.”
“This situation lasted for decades. By the time of Lioris I’s later years, the Holy Church had spread across the continent and grown immensely strong. At that point… if humans had risen up, it wouldn’t have been impossible to overthrow the blue-blooded rule. But sadly…”
At this point, Anthony couldn’t help but sneer repeatedly.
Du Fan knew that Lord Anthony was likely recalling past events and was upset, which was why he acted this way. He didn’t dare ask too many questions and simply listened attentively.
After a while, Anthony said in a sarcastic tone, “Fifty years have passed since Lioris I established the Holy Church. Among humans, most of his original followers are now old. Their descendants have taken over their parents’ duties as well as their powers… But this generation has never experienced the oppression of the blue-blooded. Having gained power, they don’t know how to protect their own kind. Instead, they use their power to gain more. As a result, even among humans, who were originally at the bottom of society, a concept of class has emerged!”
Du Fan was stunned and asked, “What about Lioris I? Didn’t he do anything to prevent all this from happening?”

Anthony sighed and said, “At that time, Leo I was already eighty years old, long past his prime. Though he still had strength and was still worshipped by humans, Du Fan, don’t forget—there were simply too many humans. Even if Leo I noticed these subtle changes, he would likely be unable to address them, because that’s just how human nature is. Some people need to rule, while others need to be ruled… It’s that simple. Back then, perhaps Leo I never imagined that the Holy Church he founded, aiming for equality among all, would turn into a tool to create classes among humans! The clergy and their relatives naturally held power, while believers were in a lower position. As for those who did not worship the God of Light, their status was even lower… In the end, even within the clergy, there were classes… Du Fan, do you know? The hierarchical system of our Holy Church was refined by later generations. In Leo I’s time, he didn’t even call himself pope—this title of ‘First Pope’ was one we gave him.”

Du Fan shook his head slightly, not knowing what to say.

Anthony gave another wry smile and continued, “Perhaps Leo I himself never imagined that his actions would lead to all this. Later on… Leo I passed away… As a result, the Holy Church almost vanished into the dust of history because of his death.”

Du Fan frowned and asked, “What does that mean?”

Anthony sighed and said softly, “Isn’t it all because of power? At that time, if Leo I had had a descendant or designated an heir for the pope position, it might have been better. But unfortunately, he didn’t do that. Though Leo I was a genius and a supreme warrior, his thinking was somewhat idealistic. He believed that after his death, the most virtuous person in the human world should take his place, so he didn’t need to choose. But who could have imagined that people’s hearts at that time were worlds away from his predictions!”