"A fascinating concept from topology—something you'd only learn in an advanced class beyond the advanced mathematics class. Anyway, I understand what you mean now. As long as there's nothing wrong with my self-perception, other people's thoughts about me won't affect me, right?"
Richard nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, with the Empress of the Empire being cursed by people all day long, wouldn't she have been cursed to death long ago?"
That made a lot of sense.
"So Cognitive Interference only works on objects?"
"Not necessarily." Tata took over. "Do you remember Mira, the high priestess of the Mother Goddess of Life? We suspect she may have been affected by Cognitive Interference."
There had been follow-up investigations on the prince's side. Mira had always believed that [Loving Mother] was under her control, yet she had unknowingly been manipulated by It instead.
Theus seemed to come to a realization. "So her self-perception had been altered?"
"Yes. The lives of Mother Goddess priests are often short. Their souls are gradually devoured by the evil god, and weakened souls cannot maintain a sufficiently firm self-perception, creating a vicious cycle. In the end, she sank deeper and deeper until she could no longer turn back."
Tata sighed. "That is why the churches of the righteous gods all suppress heretics. Their power is acquired through improper means, making it easier for them to lose their self-perception and become puppets of evil gods."
"Then Moth Chasing Flame—"
"Oh, we're different. What we pursue is knowledge, not power or evil gods. The Moth Lord is merely a tool used to clear away Pollution. Speaking of which, I haven't been able to sense the Moth Lord lately. Richard, do you have any idea why?"
Theus's body stiffened.
That Moth Lord seemed to have been accidentally purified by him.
Sigh, he