Rekindling the Sacred Flame

Seven days later, the first draft of the Tear Knight Sacred Flame Node Register was delivered to the Governor's Mansion.

In the world of Long Night, areas illuminated by the Sacred Flame could continuously suppress the Blood Mist and restrict the movements of Dark Creatures.

Within the Sacred Flame Domain, humanity could build roads and towns, station armies, and keep supplies moving.

When a Sacred Flame was relit, the land around it became part of the defense line once more.

The register therefore focused on three things: the current condition of each Sacred Flame, what it would take to rekindle it, and whether the surrounding roads and garrisons still functioned.

Finally, it assessed how much restoring each node would strengthen the defense line.

As the first page was turned, conversation in the meeting room gradually died away.

Many Sacred Flame Altars were well preserved. Their foundations were sound, contamination was light, and their main structures were intact, making repairs straightforward.

But the regions around them had lain abandoned for years. Infrastructure needed rebuilding, roads needed reopening, and people needed to return.

Even once the Sacred Flames rose again, restoring those lands would take time.

Other Sacred Flame Altars presented a different picture.

They would be harder to repair and demand more resources, but they remained connected to functioning defense lines.

Supply routes still carried traffic, garrisons remained active, and settlements of survivors waited to come back under the Sacred Flame Domain's protection.

Once their Sacred Flames burned again, patrols could push forward.

As the discussion went on, the register's value became clear. It prioritized not ease of repair, but the practical benefit each restored node could bring to the defense line.

After several rounds of discussion, they chose the first Sacred Flame node to be formally rekindled.

It was an