The church stood in the city center, and believers often stopped around it to pray.
Whether clergy or monks, members of the Church of Light's Embrace mostly wore white, and their followers admired the same style. So when a group of worshippers in black robes adorned with dark gray concentric-circle emblems stopped at the church entrance, they were exceptionally conspicuous.
The contrast in color was simply too stark.
Any passerby with even a little knowledge of Terra's Four Orthodox Churches could tell that this was a group from the Nethertrace Order. Those with deeper learning could even see that it was a student group led by a teacher.
The people at the front tightly held thick, heavy scriptures bound in metal chains, each of them carrying an air of scholarship.
The Nethertrace Order had believers all across Terra, but just as Light's Embrace was mainly spread throughout the Seven Cities Alliance, the Central Empire, Ridgehold, and Frontier Reach, the Machina Church was primarily found in the Blazing Flame Lands, the City of Knowledge, and Farshore Island, while the All-Spirits Hall was concentrated around the Azure Heaven Royal Court and Canaanmore.
The Nethertrace Order's main areas of activity lay in Frontier Reach, Ganterigum, and the Nine Frostsilence Mountains. They also had an excellent relationship with Fairies.
Their only flaw was their low presence. They focused on studying the world of the dead, and toward the society of the living, their attitude was one of "avoidance"—or perhaps "observation."
Like funeral homes and crematoriums, they still existed within the human world, but unless people truly needed them, no one would deliberately get involved with them.
"Why are they here?"
Seeing the Nethertrace Order's group, Ian could not help but feel surprised. "And there's a 'Teacher'... this is an official clergy team."
As Harrison Port developed, missionaries from other Orthodox Churches had indeed arrived here. However, upon discovering that the Church of Light's Embrace had long since established a church in the area, they all chose to head for more remote rural villages, or gave up preaching altogether and merely set up offices.
A Nethertrace Order group had also come once several years ago. They had a small office in the new western district of the city, where they usually accepted requests for deathbed prayers.
Normally, that office was enough for communication, contact, and information transfer. There was naturally no need to station a Sublimer there, much less clergy.
And as official clergy of the Nethertrace Order, "Teachers" rarely left their sanctuaries—their "positions" used to connect with the Void Realm.
Something big is happening!
Ian thought this as he instinctively grew vigilant. "For a Nethertrace Teacher to be sent out, could another disaster have occurred in the South Sea?"
But Precognitive Vision showed no such omen.
He watched the Nethertrace Order group enter the church. After thinking for a while, he brought Elan and Elder Pude after them.
The Nethertrace Order group had arranged an appointment in advance, and Bishop White Mist personally came to receive them. But when he saw Ian following behind the group, he paused slightly before saying a few words to the Teacher at the front.
As he spoke, the Teacher curiously turned her head and glanced at Ian.
She was a woman whose skin was so pale it was nearly transparent, faint blue veins visible along her neck. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold, and judging only from her cheeks and chin, she looked quite young.
Yet her body was extremely frail, like that of a patient who had spent years bedridden.
However, an invisible force seemed to support her movements, giving her an air that could not be underestimated.
"It's him." The Teacher tilted her head. Though her eyes could not be seen, Ian felt as though their gazes had met.
She gave a lovely smile and said to Bishop White Mist, "Then you may speak first. We aren't in a hurry."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Bishop White Mist nodded. "You have traveled long and hard. Please rest in the quiet rooms at the rear hall first. We will provide food and incense."
After saying that, he actually left the Nethertrace Order group behind and walked straight toward Ian.
"It has been a long time."
The old man, his clothes patched and his beard and hair unkempt, smiled. "Welcome back to your hometown, Ian. Your accomplishments now make everyone look at you in a new light... Little Elan, are you happy to see your brother?"
He turned his head and kindly greeted the little boy, who was still eating a grilled sausage. Elan hurriedly swallowed his food, stood straight, and said, "Yes, Grandpa White Mist! I'm very happy!"
"Your brother and I have some matters to discuss, and we need a little time. Go outside and play with Posi and the others."
Elan hesitantly looked at Ian, but after his brother nodded, he happily went to find the children adopted by Light's Embrace.
In recent years, as Harrison Port's economy developed, the local Church of Light's Embrace had gained money and begun, like the areas around the Holy Mountain, to adopt orphans and train them as monks.
Some of those children trained and played with Elan, and they were very close companions.
"I'll keep an eye on the children."
Elder Pude, standing nearby with his hands behind his back, left after Elan.
He could naturally tell that Ian and Bishop White Mist had something to discuss that he should not know. Rather than being asked to leave later, he might as well go first.
Ian and Bishop White Mist headed for the reception room behind the church.
"That Teacher knew me. I don't think I'm that famous."
Ian did not exchange pleasantries along the way. He knew that speaking with true clergy of Light's Embrace required simplicity and directness. "Do the Four Orthodox Churches exchange lists of people like me, people who 'require observation'?"
"They do. But you underestimate your fame. Lady Fertile Soil is also an alchemy scholar, so she naturally knows your name."
Bishop White Mist was concise. "They came for the 'shell' left behind in the Great Redwood Forest Sea. But that is only the surface reason."
"Their true purpose is to find a 'Prophet.'"
"A Prophet..."
Ian repeated the word without changing expression. He had exposed too many identities already, so something like this could not surprise him. Even if the Church of Light's Embrace had long realized he was a Prophet, he would not show the slightest emotional change.
Like any normal person, he paused, seemingly digesting the "shock" brought by the word, before saying, "I never expected this to involve a Prophet."
A pale white radiance lit in Bishop White Mist's eyes. He deeply examined Ian, then answered just as calmly, "Yes. I never expected it either."
"Because the Redwood Natives have completely submitted to Harrison Port, Viscount Grant obtained many of the ancient texts they inherited."
"He entrusted us, the Church of Light's Embrace and the other Orthodox Churches, with handling these texts that recorded numerous bizarre and bloody rituals. From them, we obtained highly unusual information—the Foresight Twin Leaves from native legend were actually real. They are an extraordinary artifact that can grant people abilities similar to those of a Prophet."
"This information caught our interest, so Light's Embrace and Nethertrace conducted a collaboration. Lady Fertile Soil is an expert in this field. At the same time, this explains why the Prophecy Book had some 'strange errors' when foretelling matters around Harrison Port."
Bishop White Mist emphasized the words "strange errors," then looked at Ian. "Speaking of which, Elder Pude of your family is also very interested in this matter."
"Through his relationship with Viscount Grant, he also obtained quite a bit of information... Has Pude told you about this?"
"Not yet. I just returned and discussed cooperation matters with Viscount Grant."
Ian spoke the truth without changing expression, but he understood perfectly well that the Church of Light's Embrace most likely knew of his prophetic ability.
That was hardly surprising. It would have been strange if they had not noticed. Besides, he had spread the title Thunder-Striking Prophet precisely so that others would notice.
Not to mention that Radiant Sword had personally witnessed his near-prophetic choices in the Subspace Labyrinth. The Church of Light's Embrace had probably completely confirmed it from that moment onward.
So the white-haired youth said directly, "Putting aside the matter of Prophets, Bishop White Mist, have any strange things happened in the South Sea Grand Labyrinth recently?"
"And there should be clergy from Light's Embrace stationed in my territory. Yet neither Sister Reflected Light, who promised to help, nor Mr. Radiant Sword or Lady Redemptive Light have come. Did something happen to them?"
Ian changed the subject very bluntly, but Bishop White Mist did not pursue it. "The South Sea Grand Labyrinth has been very calm recently. Lady Hua An is responsible in her work. After receiving the local lord's permission, she is now surveying the details inside the Labyrinth. As for Miss Frost Butterfly... she is a lovely child."
They still need those two to survey the Labyrinth's interior? I gave them the map ages ago!
Ian grumbled inwardly. And judging by Bishop White Mist's words, those two Fairies had not been doing any proper work at all, had they?
Hua An at least put on a show of doing something. As for Frost Butterfly, even the clergy of Light's Embrace could not find anything nice to say about her and could only praise her for being cute.
But Frost Butterfly really was cute.
"As for the clergy who were meant to help you stabilize Xiahui Territory... they are all undergoing training."
By now, the two were seated in the reception room.
Bishop White Mist turned his head toward the north, where the Holy Mountain stood, and gave a slight bow. "Furthermore, Light's Embrace held two internal discussions regarding the observation operation directed at you. As people who had personally interacted with you, they too had to participate in those meetings, which delayed their progress."
"I see."
Ian fell silent for a while. He really had dragged Reflected Light, Radiant Sword, and the others into this.
He knew exactly what he had done. Ian understood that in the eyes of the Church of Light's Embrace, which likewise knew his true identity and abilities, every person and thing connected to him needed to be handled with caution.
After a moment of silence, the youth spoke. Ian raised his head and met the bishop's eyes across from him.
He asked bluntly, "Do the clergy of Light's Embrace... share souls? Or do they possess some kind of psychic network?"
"You may think of it that way. It is not a secret. At least, not to someone like you."
Bishop White Mist did not hesitate in the slightest. He seemed to have long expected Ian to ask these questions. "Having personally seen a Light's Embrace ritual, you surely know some of the details, but we cannot explain them."
"However, I must tell you this: the truth is more inconceivable than you imagine. I hope you will not be too surprised by it in the future."
Ian found it difficult to imagine how, given the Church of Light's Embrace's current state, the truth could become any more inconceivable.
To surprise him, it would have to be crazier than every lunatic on Terra he already knew... How much crazier could Light's Embrace possibly get?
Impossible.
Ian had come to visit the Church of Light's Embrace this time mainly because he wanted to ask about the "matter of faith" in his territory.
Even someone as confident as Ian would not believe that he could casually found a religion and then dominate Light's Embrace, crush the All-Spirits Hall, sweep aside Nethertrace, and stomp the Machina Church beneath his feet... The Four Orthodox Churches' influence over Terra ran deep into the foundation of its culture. Even people who did not believe in them would unconsciously say things like "May the All-Spirits watch over us" or "Light's Embrace bless us" when sighing.
Even cult leaders, or members of loose large organizations like the Dragon-Worshiping Cult, had many people within their ranks who more or less believed in the Orthodox Churches in their everyday lives... Was that strange? No, it was perfectly normal.
After all, unlike his homeland, Terra's cults knew very well that they themselves were fake and deceptive, while the Four Orthodox Churches truly possessed Prophets and clergy.
Believing a little did not cost anything anyway.jpg
With the tacit approval of the First Prince and Marquis Barton, the Empire officially recognized the Spirit-Veneration Church as an "advanced version" of Mountain Folk faith. But Ian still wanted to learn some important information from the Church of Light's Embrace...
For example, what exactly constituted an "Orthodox Church."
And how could one become an "Orthodox Church."
At the very least, could he become something like the Dragon-Worshiping Cult?
Only by following that standard could he avoid being suppressed by the Church of Light's Embrace. Ian did not want to be farming peacefully only to suddenly be treated like a dungeon raid. That would not feel good at all.
So he came directly to ask!
"An Orthodox Church..."
Bishop White Mist stroked his beard and pondered for a while. The white light in his eyes flickered before he finally gave an answer that was not really an answer. "An Orthodox Church is a sect that benefits Terra."
Seeing Ian frown deeply, he explained further, "Whether it is the Dragon-Worshiping Cult or the Ironheart Church, the Salt Cult or the Joyous Church, they have all indeed made indispensable contributions to the world."
"But they have positions tied to nations, or bloodlines. Even if everyone among them wholeheartedly strives toward goodness and helps others, they can only benefit one region."
"The Mountain Folk's Dragon God faith... and the Spirit-Veneration Church you mentioned, can develop only that far. At most, you can transcend the origin of 'Mountain Folk faith,' but you cannot transcend the position of being 'part of the Empire.'"
After saying this, Bishop White Mist sighed with some emotion. "Ultimately, ordinary sects have limits. They are constrained by the nations, peoples, and cultures in which they exist. Ultimately, they are confined by human ways of thinking."
"Unless they can transcend humanity."
"That is the foundation of an 'Orthodox Church.'"
If an ordinary person heard this, they would have complained long ago—transcend humanity? Transcend nations, peoples, and cultures?
What kind of joke was that? How could such things be transcended so easily? It sounded as though one had to eradicate nationalism itself. Was that possible?
It was not. As long as humans had differing appearances, this simple, easily understood distinction between "them" and "us" could never be transcended.
But Ian... Ian, who could vaguely see the true goals of the major Orthodox Churches, understood clearly.
Bishop White Mist was not joking.
He was clergy—he was speaking the truth.
"The clergy of Light's Embrace, and their operational model for responding to natural disasters, are themselves 'beneficial actions' that transcend all national, ethnic, and cultural positions... They even treat intelligent magical beasts equally. This is undoubtedly a sect that has transcended humanity."
"The Mechanized Spirit Order goes without saying. Their collection of Pre-Epoch Civilization materials, their attempts to unite humans and machines, and their ascension path of creating psionic machinery can benefit every nation and intelligent lifeform. That too transcends human limitations."
"I do not know much about the All-Spirits Hall and the Nethertrace Order, but they must have corresponding paths behind them... And from their names alone, one can roughly understand that their positions and actions indeed 'transcend humanity,' perhaps even 'transcend life and death'..."
At this point, Ian finally understood.
No wonder he had reached the level of the Fifth Orthodox Church on the Spirit Calamity Path—because the Spirit-Veneration Church, which spread the Undead Monarch technology and brought about the Spirit God Era, truly benefited all living beings. Whether in the Empire or the Blazing Flame Lands, the Azure Heaven Royal Court or Canaanmore, all intelligent life would benefit from it.
Even those magical beasts... those "aliens" who had likely lost their intelligence only because they lacked souls... would regain their wisdom through the wider spread of Artificial Souls, then be assimilated and integrated by humanity of the Gods Era.
Such a course of action and behavior was undoubtedly the standard of an "Orthodox Church"!
"If you are afraid that founding a sect will cause the other Orthodox Churches to suppress you... my answer is that as long as you do not harm intelligent life or conduct evil rituals such as human sacrifice, there will be no issue."
Bishop White Mist gave a clear answer to Ian's true question. "The Spirit-Veneration Church is also within our scope of observation. If there are discordant elements, we will issue three notices: a reminder, a warning, and a final notice. Only after those three notices will corrective action be taken."
"Do not worry, Ian. It is quite common on Terra for lords to establish sects in order to better control their territories. There is no need to be overly sensitive."
"Then I'm relieved."
With Bishop White Mist's endorsement as clergy, Ian could finally set down one burden in his heart—territorial management was not merely a matter of technical issues. More often, it was about human relationships and social conventions.
If every side was satisfied with his territory's development and hoped for it to grow stronger, then it could grow stronger and gain more assistance.
Of course, certain enemies were also necessary. Without enemies, the people of the territory could not distinguish between "them" and "us." Without that, there would be no cohesion or sense of crisis, and they could not develop with all their strength or unify their ideology.
"No wonder everyone likes to blame the Blazing Flame Lands. Having an enemy like that really is a great blessing."
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Ian said farewell to Bishop White Mist—the other man still needed to coordinate with the Nethertrace Order group, and there was plenty to keep him busy.
And Ian himself still had many things to do.
For example, he had already asked Azure Tide to find Sha Sha, Hua An, and Frost Butterfly. Once everyone was gathered, they would head to the South Sea Grand Labyrinth together, meet up, and check on the Crystal Dragon egg.
But just as Ian stepped out of the Light's Embrace Church's gates, he heard his younger brother Elan's confident voice.
"You're all wrong—my brother is the strongest!"
At that moment, Elan was surrounded by a group of children around his age.
Standing before the railing at the church entrance, he energetically declared to everyone, "The Viscount may be strong, but he is already old. Grandpa White Mist is clergy, so he would never compare himself to others through combat."
"Even if others have power, their knowledge is far inferior! Whether in alchemy or inscription, my brother is among the very best!"
"Perhaps you think there are many powerful people in Southern Ridge now, but they are all figures of the past!"
"As things stand, my brother is unquestionably the strongest in Southern Ridge!"
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