The Changes Brought by the Wind of Faith
It wasn't just Liadrin; Zul'ra had M'uru refute all the Sin'dorei who wanted to become monks. Firstly, as M'uru said, while they outwardly sought enlightenment, they were more likely escaping the harsh realities of life—a flawed ideology. ♞♢ ☢🐊
Zul'ra proposed the theory of causality, a Buddhist viewpoint that refutes the existence of fatalism. It uses the possibility of the future to urge oneself to strive for good in the present. However, it can also easily lead people to have extreme expectations for the possible future, thus creating a feeling that the future world can be an escape from everything in the present, which is a kind of superstitious nihilism.
If one approaches spiritual practice with the intention of escaping reality, no matter how much one practices, it will be tainted by a desire for quick success and instant benefits, which is unacceptable.
The second point is the current situation of Sin'dorei. Zul'ra's proposal of precepts and doctrines is essentially for the sake of the future influence of the religion on the Horde. After all, Buddhism itself did not have a good history of development in China. It took a long time before it was finally changed into China's native religion.
(Buddhism is an indigenous religion of China, there is no doubt about that, because China Buddhism is different from Buddhism in other countries. Monks in China are allowed to marry, have children, and eat meat. China Buddhism is the special one. The person who made monks have to be vegetarian was Emperor Wu of Liang, who went and became a monk himself and had his ministers pay to redeem him, resulting in the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties.)
Zul'ra's plan was good, but the final result was unexpected. After seeing the difference between monastic and lay life, the Sin'dorei believers thought that only by becoming monks and nuns could they reach the other shore. Regardless of this misconception, the Sin'dorei population itself could not allow its people to pursue the other shore in this way.
From all perspectives, Zul'ra couldn't allow too many Sin'dorei to become monks, so he had M'uru reject the Sin'dorei believers' request to become monks, and he also needed to give them a good talking-to on this matter.
M'uru did not disappoint Zul'ra. He had almost finished explaining the doctrines and logic, and then launched into a long, eloquent speech. He argued that monastic and lay practice were essentially the same; monastic practice with attachments was less effective than lay practice of good deeds. One could uphold the precepts just as well. However, Quel'Thalas was currently facing a great calamity. If you were to become monks, who would protect your homeland and continue your bloodline? Monks becoming monks did not mean forgetting their families. If so, wouldn't they be worse than dogs? How could they then talk about reaching the other shore of liberation? You need to carefully consider the situation before making any decisions...
M'uru rattled on and on, his words flowing like a silver tongue, a dazzling display of eloquence. Not only were the Sin'dorei followers deeply moved, but even Zul'ra couldn't help but take notice. Would M'uru truly attain enlightenment in the end? Was there really an afterlife?
Ironically, Zul'ra borrowed a lot of Buddhist doctrines and, together with M'uru, created this New Church of the Light, but in the end, he was skeptical of the religion he had created.
Leaving aside Zul'ra's suspicions, M'uru chose only a middle-aged Priest named Kasma to ordain him and gave him a three-year adaptation period. If he could not bear the precepts or had other ideas within these three years, he was allowed to withdraw his decision to become a monk, and Kasma gladly agreed.
Under M'uru's propaganda and influence, some old-school Sin'dorei Priest and new Blood Knights began to convert, but they could not become monks or Paladin because the New Church of the Light did not recognize either.
M'uru encouraged his followers to observe the precepts and practice asceticism, to overcome difficulties, and to strive to rebuild and restore Quel'Thalas. This approach also received the support of the Silvermoon City leadership, headed by Lor'themar, and the Sin'dorei, guided by their faith, quickly made changes.
The changes brought about by the winds of faith are not limited to their spiritual outlook; the Light, which had lost its power in the hands of the Sin'dorei, has begun to return to their grasp. Zul'ra had originally planned to lend the Light to the Blood Knights, but this was no longer necessary.
The Blood Knights still use the same Arcane methods to wield the Light, but the difference is that they no longer need to draw the Light from M'uru like a battery, but can directly summon the Light from M'uru, just like their past connection with the Sunwell. The Sin'dorei could sense the existence of the Sunwell even when they were far from their homeland, and the Amani Sunbearers also had a similar connection with the Sacred Pool, as did the Priests and Loa.
During his study of the New Church of the Light, M'uru gained a unique understanding. He not only forgave the Blood Knights who had stolen his power, but also became willing to give them his the Light. This forged a relationship between him and the Blood Knights that resembled that between Loa and a priest, allowing him to transmit the Light to those in need upon invocation.
With the Blood Knights establishing contact with M'uru, Zul'ra also lent a hand, Sunbearers ' training experience, which combined the skills of Priest, Paladin, and Monk, to them, allowing them to gradually refine and improve their strength.
Because of his magnanimous heart and new spiritual practice, M'uru was becoming more and more like a god, or even a Buddha. This made Zul'ra somewhat tempted to try practicing as well. However, when he thought about the strict precepts and the incompatible worldview, he gave up the idea. He did not reject Buddhism, but he really could not practice the Dharma, nor did he want to develop specifically in the direction of the Light.
As the New Church of the Light gradually came under M'uru's leadership, Zul'ra began to withdraw from that circle, focusing instead on exploring his own spiritual practice and paying attention to the negotiations between the Zul'Aman delegation and Quel'Thalas.
Zul'ra and Lor'themar have signed a new cooperation agreement, which includes a loan of two million Thalassian Gold Coin from Amani to Quel'Thalas. Lor'themar has formally made various material requests to Amani, and Zul'Aman has also sent a delegation to prepare to use the repayment from Quel'Thalas to hire people or purchase local specialties.
During her time in Silvermoon City, Zul'ra spent her time discussing doctrines with M'uru and gathering information from various places. She visited the Hall of Respite of the Sacred Relics Society and the Sunfury Sanctum in the Sunfury Spire, and had detailed exchanges with the Elves Archmage, obtaining a lot of information and making some plans in mind.
Under Zul'ra's instructions, the delegation consulted with Silvermoon City and ultimately recruited a group of Magister and calculators with high salaries. They would be put into Amani's shipyard and geography exploration, designing and building new types of ships, creating maps of the terrain explored by Amani, and teaching apprentices, etc.
Besides personnel, the delegation also purchased a large number of books, including those on mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Of course, Amani would inevitably have to hire a group of translators for these books, as most of them were written in Thalassian and needed to be translated into Common to read. While some people in Zul'Aman might speak Thalassian, very few could write it.
When the treaty was signed, Zul'ra seemed to have gained a great advantage by repaying the loan. However, in the subsequent transactions, much of that million-dollar loan was quickly spent, and it was unknown whether the hired personnel could fulfill their duties. But this was something Amani had to pay.
While instructing the delegation on negotiations, Zul'ra also received news from the north that the Giant Deer Army, a town under Cook, had successfully landed on the Northrend. After receiving supplies, they established a port and sent small teams to explore inland, where they made contact with the northern inhabitants, including Furbolgs and Ice Trolls.
There was no more at night.