Saint

The deck was dead silent.

In the eyes of the servants and crew, Young Master Yug was still just a child. As the eldest son of the current Speaker of the Council, he had completed his first voyage with the fleet at the age of seven.

Yug was approachable and always mingled well with them, leaving a good impression on everyone.

However, they all felt that perhaps the young master was more suited to be an adventurer sailing freely on the sea than a senator. This was the first time they had heard the young master comment on his country's domestic affairs, and it was a comment that would shock the world.

The Empire was on the verge of civil war.

They could imagine the shock that would ripple through the council once they received such feedback.

They only felt that the young master, being so young, couldn't possibly understand what the identity of an ambassador truly represented—once this voyage ended, every word he spoke upon returning to the council could have a profound impact on the council's future policies.

The Captain quickly said, "No, no, no, young master, you can't joke about that. How could the Empire possibly have a civil war?"

"At the latest, within a year of His Majesty Henry's passing."

Yug remained unmoved. He propped his chin on his left hand and continued along this topic, "Lily, when the Lofik Consortium and the Pope met with us, they both asked the same question—which would the Conglomerate or the Church prefer to establish a long-term partnership with, the Deep Sea Council?"

"That's quite normal, young master. Years ago, both had already expressed their desire to establish chambers of commerce and churches in our coastal cities to the council," Lily said. "With sea travel now open, the relationships between civilizations have become much closer."

"As far as I know, the Empire's succession law differs from the council's; they place more importance on bloodline. The next heir to the throne will only be chosen from among His Majesty Henry's descendants. However, they haven't even mentioned these heirs once."

"The struggle for the Imperial throne has always been like this," the Captain said. "His Majesty Henry himself gained the support of the Netheriel Holy Church and succeeded to the throne through his heroic feat of dragon-slaying. Regardless, any chaos is only temporary."

"That's true, but chaos creates opportunities for others. The times have changed. In this era, even ordinary people can kill a well-trained Kingdom Army if they are equipped with weapons produced by the Imperial Military Industry."

Yug sat in place, confronting the Captain and Lily from the floor, yet not a single crew member had joined his "camp."

After all, the judgment sounded too outlandish.

Lily shook her head bitterly. "Such a rebellion wouldn't last more than three days at most. Once the Empire deploys a Saint, the rebels have no chance of winning."

The evaluation system for supernaturals was proposed by the Empire. Once humans stepped into the realm of the Third Order, they became beings incomprehensible to ordinary people. However, above the Third Order, there were two higher ranks. Regardless of the path taken, once one ascended to the Fifth Order, they would be granted the title of Saint.

It was like a Deity walking among mortals.

This was how people evaluated Saints.

Although the Empire was severely weakened in the battle against the Winter Witch, even setting aside the soon-to-be-deceased Henry IV, they still maintained close ties with at least three Saints.

Her eyes suddenly dimmed. Looking down, she said, "In the face of a Saint, mortal struggles are meaningless."

Even if the young master's prediction came true, she could foresee the end of such a grand rebellion—being crushed like ants, their heads severed and hung on the city walls as a warning to future generations.

Their names would be written in history books as heinous criminals, nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Yug noticed Lily's unusual demeanor and changed the subject, asking, "Speaking of which, the Containment Bureau wasn't established the last time Father visited the Empire, was it?"

The Captain, with keen insight, picked up the conversation. "Oh, I've heard of them. They are said to be an organization specifically handling abnormal cases in the Empire. They were only established in the last few years. The previous Director was an incredible figure; he was awarded the title of Fourth-Order Scholar by the Enlightenment Society at just 30 years old. It's a shame he met with an accident, otherwise, the Empire might have seen a new Saint born within a few years."

Yug: "Rather than saying they handle abnormal cases, I think it's more accurate to say 'dealing with Evil God cultists.' After all, most of the cases they investigate are created by Evil God cultists. It's a naming strategy game."

"Naming strategy?"

"If you omit 'Evil God' from the naming process, the situation appears less serious. Don't you find it strange? Since the Fourth Era, the cultists of Evil Gods have never disappeared, but why has the Empire now established a special department to deal with such incidents?"

Yug paused deliberately. He saw the Captain's hesitant expression and knew that the other party actually knew the answer but dared not speak it.

"This indicates that the cultists of Evil Gods are becoming more numerous within the Empire, so much so that the Empire has had to establish a special department to deal with the activities of Evil God cultists... Are the cultists of Evil Gods growing out of the ground?"

Yug took out a sheepskin book from his inner pocket. The cover read A Guide to 100 Dark Creatures. "I bought this at a bookstore in the Imperial Capital. The author is an experienced old Hunter. While reading this book, there was one question that I couldn't figure out."

"The old Hunter said that the faith of Evil Gods can twist human bodies and souls, turning them into monsters that are neither human nor not-human. They lose their ability to think, develop all sorts of peculiar habits, such as an addiction to drinking blood and cannibalism. Even their closest loved ones would fear them. They would also be hunted by the Empire, living in perpetual fear, no different from rats in a gutter wherever they fled."

No normal person would wish for their life to turn out this way.

Yet, in the Empire, the number of people who had fallen into becoming cultists of Evil Gods was increasing, and there had even been an unprecedented case of a Saint falling.

When Yug visited the Imperial Military Industry's factory and saw the way the workers looked at them, the question buried in his heart finally found its answer.

The Empire had always been very effective in its propaganda regarding Evil Gods. Even ordinary people in remote cities knew the dangers of believing in Evil Gods:

"Believing in Evil Gods will turn you into a monster, ruin your family, and plunge you into the abyss... However, I think perhaps Evil Gods have never denied this to their followers. They only promise their followers one thing—as long as you abandon all this, you will gain power."

This was the unbearable weight of life, and the most tragic life Yug could imagine.

Until he discovered that, for some people, this did not seem like a price to pay.

Because, "Many are already there."