Inland North Africa, the capital of the Adus Kingdom, Adis.
After Sister Vanya and her group successfully arrived at Adis station on the desert arrow train, they were grandly welcomed by the Adus Revolutionary Army. Upon exiting the station, Sister Vanya and her accompanying guards were taken by special car to the palace of the former Baruch Royal Family, where they rested for the night. After breakfast the next morning, Mr. Shadi, the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, came to visit and invited Sister Vanya to tour Adis with him. Naturally, Sister Vanya had no reason to refuse.
In the morning, the rising sun in the east was still more than halfway from its highest point in the sky, and the day's temperature had not yet reached its peak. Taking advantage of this, Mr. Shadi took Sister Vanya and a group of accompanying personnel to the streets of Adus. The once grand and prosperous central street was now very dilapidated, with many houses showing obvious damage, rubble everywhere on the ground, and traces of burning in some places. The formerly tall statue of the King in the middle of the intersection had been pulled down and broken into several pieces on the ground. People were busy everywhere, either repairing houses or cleaning the streets. The stone statue of the King, which had been smashed into pieces, was being shoveled onto carts and transported away. Revolutionary Army soldiers could be seen standing guard at various street corners, holding weapons and maintaining order.
"This was originally Golden Scepter Road, the most luxurious area in Adis and the entire Adus, a place specifically for the upper class and foreigners to experience a life of decadence. The Baruk Dynasty invested a lot of money to build this place. Originally, there were traces of Baruk royal power everywhere. We are now cleaning them up one by one and repairing the damage caused by the fighting. After everything is finished, this place will be open to everyone."
"There were many foreign merchants here before, but they have all left now to avoid the war. Although we have overthrown the rule of Baruk, we do not hold any ill will towards any foreigners. While ensuring the self-interest of Adus, we are willing to interact with all foreign friends. Those foreign businessmen who left can return here to do business. As long as they are willing to accept the fairer laws of the new Adus and restrain their former arrogance, we welcome their arrival and will fully guarantee their safety..."
Walking on the street, Mr. Shadi introduced the surrounding situation to Sister Vanya. During the introduction, he also explained the various policies and principles of the Revolutionary Army. Sister Vanya listened and nodded repeatedly. Frankly speaking, she quite agreed with the various policies and measures Mr. Shadi mentioned.
"Before, when I was on the Main Continent, I often saw reports in some newspapers about the fringe worlds outside the Main Continent. There were often various kinds of rioters attempting to resist the rule of their own countries. In the newspapers, these rioters were depicted as barbaric, uncivilized, uncultured bandits, who only knew how to kill and rob, and their goal seemed to be to burn, kill, and loot the entire country..."
"At first, I also thought that Mr. Shadi and his subordinates were like what the newspapers said, a powerful group of bandits capable of savagely stealing a kingdom. But reality shows that I was wrong. Your planning and the discipline displayed by your subordinates have made me look at you with new eyes..."
With a gentle tone, Sister Vanya spoke to Mr. Shadi, maintaining her proper dignified demeanor in her expression and tone. Sister Vanya was not good at handling such important formal occasions, but since last year, she had encountered such occasions more and more often. Fortunately, every time she encountered such a situation, she could ask Dorothy for help, from providing suggestions internally to directly letting Dorothy control her to handle the situation.
With Dorothy's help, Sister Vanya had seen all sorts of occasions, from dealing with the Judge to dealing with the Wolf Blood Society, from dealing with Elder Natsuki to dealing with Archbishop Iweig. Having seen more of the world, the current Sister Vanya had also gained experience and was gradually starting to handle things herself without relying on Dorothy, just like now.
"Hehe... It's normal for the newspapers on the Main Continent to look down on us whom they consider to be barbarian and uncivilized. But what they say is not entirely wrong. Among the various resistances in North Africa, very few can be called revolutions. The vast majority can only be considered riots. Most of the so-called resisters not only shoot at their former oppressors but also shoot at those who were originally the same oppressed as them. Bloody and disorderly riots do often occur in many resistance incidents. Those like me are relatively few."
Mr. Shadi said this to Sister Vanya. Listening to Mr. Shadi's words, Sister Vanya couldn't help but nod thoughtfully. Then she continued to walk with Mr. Shadi until they came to a square where there were many long queues. Countless civilians in robes were lining up here, seemingly waiting for something.
"This is..."
"Ah, we are distributing flatbreads to those affected by the war. The normal life and production order in Adis and even the entire Adus have not yet been restored. Many people affected by the war need this kind of relief."
Mr. Shadi responded to Sister Vanya's words, and Sister Vanya immediately replied after listening.
"I see. That's good... We brought some food and medical supplies from Kankdar. We hope it can help the people here. The supplies are still on the train, Mr. Shadi, please send someone to pick them up and arrange for them to be distributed to those in need."
"Ah... You even brought aid supplies? That's really great. We are in need of these necessities right now. Thank you, Sister Vanya, for sincerely thinking of the people of Adus, and thank you for your respect for me."
After listening to Sister Vanya's words, Mr. Shadi said to Sister Vanya with a hint of sincerity. He was not surprised that Sister Vanya brought relief supplies here. What surprised him was that she gave the supplies to him herself and let him decide how to use them, instead of having her people distribute them directly to the civilians in the name of the Church to win people's hearts. Sister Vanya's action just now undoubtedly implicitly respected Mr. Shadi's dominant position in Adis, which immediately raised Mr. Shadi's evaluation of Sister Vanya by a notch, slightly increasing his expectations for this negotiation.
Facing Mr. Shadi's gratitude, Sister Vanya continued to speak with a devout posture.
"May the people of Adus have a bright future under the light of the Holy Mother."
Sister Vanya finished devoutly. As soon as her voice fell, an old voice sounded not far away.
"Heh... The light of your Holy Mother probably won't shine on Adus. Of course, the same goes for the other two."
Hearing this voice, Mr. Shadi and Sister Vanya couldn't help but look in the direction the voice came from. Then they found that Mr. Muktar, dressed in a robe, was walking towards them accompanied by several attendants. Mr. Shadi showed a hint of surprise in his expression after seeing Mr. Muktar, then he spoke.
"Mr. Muktar, shouldn't you be preaching in the Temple this morning?"
"Yes, but since there is the first round of meetings in the afternoon, I wanted to rest a bit, so I came out for a walk and also to practice what I preach by trying to preach on the street myself. I heard you two were here, so I came to see you." Mr. Muktar said so, then he cast his eyes towards Sister Vanya beside Mr. Shadi, with a hint of sharpness in his eyes. Sister Vanya paused slightly after seeing this, then smiled and spoke.
"So it is Mr. Muktar, Captain. As one of the important figures of the Southern Sect, your personal preaching is admirable, but if the scriptures you preach are slightly distorted, it may affect your reputation..."
After seeking advice internally, Sister Vanya politely said to Mr. Muktar on the surface. Listening to Sister Vanya's words, Mr. Muktar's eyes fixed, and then he continued to speak.
"Yes, the scriptures cannot be distorted, cannot be tampered with, but I wonder if it is us or you who are tampering with the scriptures..."
"The Lord resides in the Sun Wheel, illuminating all things. The Light of Save the World, the great deeds of Save the World, come from the Lord and return to the Lord, not others. Those who feel grateful and believe are the Save the World. The Lord saves everything, and everything should be grateful to the Lord, not to anything else..."
Mukhtar said to Vanya with a hint of seriousness, and Vanya also responded devoutly after hearing Mukhtar's words.
"That is correct. The Save the World saves everything, and everything should be grateful to the Save the World. However, the Three Saints are manifestations of the Save the World and are also the Save the World's true form. The Three Saints are also the Save the World, and the Save the World is also the Three Saints. There is no difference in essence, so how can you speak of anything else?"
After Vanya finished speaking in this manner, Mukhtar paused slightly upon hearing her words, then continued to speak.
"The Lord's divine power is boundless. He can Save the World and shepherd the world without needing any so-called manifestations."
"The Save the World's divine power is boundless, and his status is exalted. He does not need to condescend to personally Save the World and shepherd the world."
Vanya simply continued to respond to Mukhtar's words, while Mukhtar, holding a scripture, proceeded to question her.
"The Lord possesses the supreme merit of Save the World, so he should personally gather the wishes of all living beings. Manifestations are merely for handling matters; why do they need to seize the wishes of billions and steal the host's thunder?"
"The wishes of billions of living beings are also the thoughts of billions of living beings, the desires of billions of living beings, the suffering of billions of living beings, the sins of billions of living beings... Since the Save the World possesses the supreme merit of Save the World, why should he be troubled by the myriad mixed thoughts and desires in this world? He resides in the Sun Wheel divine palace, cultivating and overseeing the world, listening to the principles of the people's prayers, and entrusting them to the Three Saints. Everyone in this world is born under the Save the World's grace of Save the World. Since we have already received grace, why should we unfeelingly demand that the Save the World do everything himself?"
Vanya then said to Mukhtar. She gave her answer almost the instant Mukhtar finished stating the problem, even counterattacking him within her words. Mukhtar clearly hadn't expected this seemingly young Sister to be so articulate, which left him slightly speechless for a moment, as he hadn't fully prepared beforehand.
Mukhtar was at a slight disadvantage in the debate, which also surprised Shadi, who was standing nearby. At first, he was merely a silent observer listening. After Vanya's continuous responses to Mukhtar, his gaze couldn't help but lean more towards Vanya. Seeing Shadi's reaction, a hint of slight indignation appeared in Mukhtar's eyes. He paused for a moment before continuing to speak.
"The Light of the Three Saints only shines on your Main Continent. Your Church is deeply colluding with the strong nations of the Main Continent, exploiting the people of Adus. When the people of Adus suffered, not a single believer of the Three Saints saved them. Instead, it is us, under the guidance of the Lord's glorious Light, who are saving this Kingdom."
Mukhtar continued to speak frankly. Hearing his latest argument, Shadi's brows furrowed imperceptibly. Then, Vanya turned her gaze to Shadi beside her and spoke.
"The greatest hero in saving this country is Mr. Shadi. It was through his persistent struggle that he ultimately achieved his great feat. Mr. Shadi also worshipped before the Saint Child's altar when he was young. He went through many twists and turns, constantly growing amidst infinite crises, and finally became the hero who saved the country. This is an achievement difficult for ordinary people to accomplish. I think there must be some wonderful destiny contained within this, and it was under some kind of guidance that Mr. Shadi reached this point today..."
Vanya said this to Shadi. She attributed the greatest credit for saving Adus to Shadi, rather than the Savior Descends Faction, and implied in her words that Shadi was a believer sent by the Three Saints. After hearing Vanya's words, Shadi examined her again, but Mukhtar on the other side laughed.
"Heh heh... You mean to say that Shadi is a believer of the Three Saints, right? Shadi, tell us yourself, who do you believe in?"
Mukhtar said this to Shadi. Hearing Mukhtar's words, Shadi fell silent for a moment, then took a breath and slowly spoke.
"I believe in... the supreme Lord."
"Be specific! Who exactly is the Lord you're talking about? Is it one of the Three Saints, or is it the Lord? You used to be able to explain your position very clearly." With a serious tone, Mukhtar continued to speak to Shadi. After hearing his words, Shadi did not answer immediately but fell into another round of silence. His originally resolute eyes were filled with many emotions. His entire aura began to become oppressive, like a silent volcano. Looking at him, a hint of worry couldn't help but appear in Vanya's eyes.
"I believe in... the god who brought freedom and peace to Adus... and that god is..."
"Commander Shadi! There's a conflict between migrating tribes and locals over water at the camp outside the city! Several hundred people are gathered there! It could lead to a large-scale bloodbath, the situation is somewhat urgent! Please go and take a look!"
At this moment, a Revolutionary Army soldier suddenly ran over from a distance and said urgently to Shadi. Hearing the soldier's words, Shadi breathed a sigh of relief as if granted amnesty and spoke to Vanya and Mukhtar.
"There's an urgent matter outside the city, I must go and take a look first. I won't be able to accompany you two for now. Let's meet again during the afternoon negotiation..."
After Shadi finished speaking, he quickly left the scene with the Revolutionary Army soldier. For a moment, only Vanya and Mukhtar remained. After exchanging glances, both sides left without saying a word.
Soon it was afternoon, and the first round of talks officially began. In the meeting hall of the Adus Royal Palace, representatives from the three factions, led by Shadi, Mukhtar, and Vanya, sat at the negotiating table and began formally discussing the issues of Adus.
Just like the conversation between Vanya and Mukhtar this morning, this meeting was not pleasant. The factions began a heated discussion primarily on the issue of faith, with the core of the discussion being whether the faith of the new Adus should officially endorse the Savior Descends Faction.
Vanya represented the Church. The Church's bottom line was that otherworld faiths within Adus were absolutely not allowed to be formalized, and the new Adus must draw a clear line with the Savior Descends Faction. The Savior Descends Faction, on the other hand, demanded the expulsion of all Three Saints Churches and that people from the Savior Descends Faction take over all Hui Guang Churches. The views of both sides were almost diametrically opposed, incompatible like fire and water, with huge differences.
And at such a time, the attitude of Shadi, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, became the key of keys. However, he spoke very little throughout the entire meeting, remaining silent most of the time, and did not make a clear statement until the meeting ended.
Finally, the first meeting ended unhappily without achieving any constructive results. After the meeting dispersed, Shadi, who had been almost completely silent throughout, returned to his residence by carriage after seeing off both parties.
On the carriage, Shadi's expression was still incredibly troubled. He looked out at the street outside the window, his mind lost in thought.
Just at this moment, an ethereal voice sounded beside him.
"Hey... I warned you long ago that cooperating with those faith fanatics of the 'Light' would cause big problems sooner or later. Now you're tasting the bitterness of being in a dilemma, kid."
Along with this figure, a phantom image appeared beside Shadi. It was the phantom of a mummy, almost completely withered, wearing a long and slightly curved golden crown, a veil over its face, and adorned with luxurious gold ornaments in the style of the ancient North Wu First Dynasty. Eerie fire burned in its pupils. After witnessing the phantom beside him, Shadi showed no surprise but instead murmured.
"Setuot... what should I do now..."