In March of the year 909 in the royal calendar, the Tree Worship Church Theocracy, the Holy City, was established.
In this shattered world, no city can compare in size to this Holy City.
Theoretically speaking, this city can maintain its operation without any external resources.
Cities typically do not produce food, so the larger the city, the more complex the transportation network needed to provide the necessary supplies.
However, this does not apply to the Holy City, because it is inhabited by people in a vegetative state who can survive on sunlight and water alone.
Needless to say, sunlight plays a crucial role, and the cycle of day and night is equally regular in the territory of the Tree Worship Church.
As for water, people mainly rely on rainwater and snowmelt. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, there are also many deep wells in the city, which can provide a stable water supply even during the dry season.
Although such places exist throughout the entire Tree Worship Church, there is no doubt that the residents of the Holy City live slightly better than the Tree Worship Church Cult members outside.
Unlike the remote and high-altitude northern part of the Aduolin Province, the Holy City, while the stronghold of the Stained Ones, is also the place with the most Pure Ones.
Here, even Cardinal Sailesi, the Stained Ones, thinks twice before acting, let alone those Stained Ones below him.
Stable tax revenue indicates that the Symbiotic Tree has not been forcibly fostered.
Therefore, the vast majority of residents in the Holy City have relatively normal body types, and only a very small number of people will experience symptoms similar to malnutrition due to congenital problems or poor coexistence with the Symbiotic Tree.
All these factors combined have made the Holy City one of the most prosperous cities in the world at present.
This day in early March also holds special significance for the people of the Holy City.
Throughout the winter, the Holy City received only a light snowfall less than three times.
On the morning of that day, residents were surprised to find that the snow had clearly melted after they got up.
In the Tree Worship Church, people celebrate this day every year.
Initially, the entire Theocracy celebrated, but later, due to various events such as the rise of the Stained Ones, the scope of the celebration gradually diminished.
A century has passed, and now only the Holy City Church celebrates this day that signifies the end of winter.
The ethereal voices of the congregation singing hymns filled the vast city, their soothing melodies permeating every room of every building.
Only once a year, the people here are completely immersed in a sea of joy.
Even with such a strong atmosphere, some people still find it hard to be happy.
That was Mr. Sailesi, one of the three cardinals of the Tree Worship Church.
He clutched the military intelligence report he had just received from the Archbishop of Fitz Province in his right hand.
In the past week, the archbishop's men have repeatedly spotted traces of rebel scouts in the border region between the Aduolin Province and Fitz Province.
Although neither side was large in scale, they fought as soon as they met, and after several battles, each side had its own victories and defeats.
Sailesi had a relatively high opinion of the archbishop's personal abilities.
The rebel scouts were already able to hold their own against her Holy Crusaders, indicating that the enemy's strength was rapidly increasing.
Since we've decided to fight, we can't back down. We can't just watch the Aduolin Province fall and choose to surrender.
The cardinal knew better than anyone what the Stained Ones had done; he was someone who, even if he surrendered and received a lenient sentence, had no chance of survival.
Moreover, the enemy has absolutely no reason to treat them leniently.
Even if all the Stained Ones were accepted by the Tree God, I, as the leader of the Stained Ones, would still die a terrible death.
He was not only the proposer of the plan and the founder of the Stained Ones, but also the one who put forward the slogan "If you can't control the Tree God, just kill it."
Whenever he thought about this, Sailesi felt a tremendous weight on his shoulders.
He really wanted to lead the most elite group of Stained Ones to the front lines and bring peace back to the northern part of the Theocracy.
However, he couldn't do it. The situation in the Holy City was extremely complicated. Although he kept encouraging his trusted Stained Ones by saying things like, "I've already kept that old Luxiusi in check, so you can go ahead and do it," he couldn't.
But from another perspective, while he restrained Luxiusi, wasn't it also Luxiusi who restrained him?
As things have progressed, the struggle between the two sides has long since transcended mere power dynamics; it has even evolved into a physical contest.
Within the vast underground region of the Holy City, the roots of the two cardinals kept a close watch on each other at all times, ready to launch an attack and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.
The power struggle between the two sides was originally at a very balanced stage, but now Aduolin's war has swung in favor of the other side. This will not only affect his open and covert struggle with Luxiusi, but may also push the opportunist Geliwusi to the other side.
That coward Geliwusi was originally chosen as a peacemaker to mediate the conflict between him and Luxiusi, but unexpectedly, times have changed, and now the outcome is largely in his hands...
Thinking about the problems he faced, Sailesi couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Why did it have to revive now of all times... Is this world truly just your plaything? This world has never needed a tyrannical god..."
He put down the military report in his hand, intending to later transfer some more knights from other provinces to Fitz Province to await orders.
Spring is here, and the Corpse Tide is about to rise again in the Wilderness of Chaos. Sailesi knows this is an opportunity for the Stained Ones. By joining forces with the Corpse Tide to attack the Aduolin Province, the enemy will surely be in a state of chaos.
Perhaps that is the opportunity I have been waiting for, an opportunity to reclaim lost territory and expand outwards.
Having made initial mental calculations and arrangements, Sailesi felt he was being a bit too anxious, so he closed his eyes and began meditating, which effectively regulated his breathing and emotions.
Even though he has reached High Tier, due to the influence of the symbiotic plants, Sailesi's control over his emotions is actually not as good as Luxiusi and Geliwusi's.
While this granted him the most bizarre and powerful ability among the three, it also caused some disruption to his daily work.
He sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and a projection of his body at that moment appeared in his mind.
Within that illusory outline, he could see clearly the roots of plants, the tissues of the human body, and the surge of Psionic Energy.
Sailesi slowly inhaled and exhaled, adjusting his physical state like a mechanic.