North Africa, Kankdar.
At noon in Kankdar, the scorching sun hung overhead. Many North Wu locals in the residential and port areas were busy working in the heat. In the foreigner residential area, countless foreign employees working in Kankdar were enjoying their lunch break, and restaurants of all sizes were suddenly filled with a large number of customers.
In a relatively well-known restaurant, well-dressed gentlemen from various countries on the Main Continent sat in a comfortable environment, leisurely having lunch while engaging in various discussions. The most heated topic, naturally, was the shocking news that had just broken out: the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army announced that the Three Saints Church was the only legal church in Adus and severed all ties with all otherworld forces.
When this news came out, it caused an uproar throughout North Wu, especially in Kankdar. The otherworld issue in Adus... the deep connection between the Adus Revolutionary Army and the otherworld forces was well-known. The upper-middle class in Kankdar were even more aware than people on the Main Continent of what the Adus revolution was truly about – it was a war jointly launched by the local Adus resistance forces allied with foreign otherworld forces. Therefore, the relationship between the Adus revolutionary forces and the otherworld forces was extremely close; even if there were differences and conflicts between them, the otherworld side should have been stronger than the local revolutionary forces.
Thus, most people in Kankdar believed that the Adus revolution would inevitably end in failure due to its inability to resolve the issue of incorporating otherworld forces, leading to the intervention of the Holy Proximity Mountain Church. The fact that the Church's special envoy delegation's visit yielded no results seemed to confirm this view. Although small-scale conflicts were subsequently reported from Adus, suspected to be clashes between the local Revolutionary Army and otherworld forces, people in Kankdar still believed the conflicts would end with the otherworld forces winning. However, the reality was something no one had anticipated.
The local Adus Revolutionary Army actually cut ties with the otherworld forces? They cleared out the otherworld forces without a large-scale civil war?! When the people of Kankdar read this news in the newspapers, they could hardly believe their eyes. The heated discussions about Adus in Kankdar had been going on for two days, and the intensity showed no signs of weakening. Refugees discussed when they could return, businessmen discussed when the situation in Adus would stabilize enough for investment, and devout believers discussed how Sister Vanya had managed to save Adus, a country on the verge of falling into the abyss of heresy...
In the restaurant, discussions in various languages were incessant. By the window in a corner of the restaurant, Naifnis ate a plate of noodles while pricking up her ears to listen to the various voices around her, then spoke to Dorothy opposite her.
"Miss Dorothy, it seems this incident is even more sensational than the previous assassination case. However, I feel like many people's stance is on the side of the Baruch Royal Family, with basically no good feelings towards Shadi. It feels like they hope the Church will attack even more than they hope for peace in Adus."
"Adus is an important country in North Wu and borders Kankdar. The turmoil in Adus has significantly affected Kankdar's trade, so people here naturally pay close attention to the situation in Adus. And the upper-middle class in Kankdar are basically foreigners from the Main Continent; to put it bluntly, they are a bunch of people sucking the blood of the North Wu people, so it's natural for them to be unhappy with Shadi, a local North Wu Revolutionary Army leader."
"However, it's not necessarily true that they are all warmongers who want the Church to fight another war in Adus. The unstable situation in Adus has already caused considerable losses to Kankdar's trade, and most people still hope that Adus can stabilize as soon as possible. Most of those who are determined to oppose Shadi are just people who originally had privileged interests in Adus and were deeply tied to Baruk."
Dorothy replied to Naifnis while sipping a glass of juice. Naifnis, sucking on her fork, thought for a moment thoughtfully, then scanned the surroundings and spoke again.
"Also... Sister Vanya's reputation has completely reversed. Many people are talking about how Sister Vanya managed to snatch Adus back from the hands of the otherworld forces... Before, they were all saying Sister Vanya was just a pretty face."
Waving the fork in her hand, Neff said this. As a female university student, she was quite interested in gossip about various news. Before, she felt quite indignant when she heard disparaging remarks about Vanya, but now she finally felt much better.
"Do you know, Dorothy? Some places are already quietly spreading rumors that Sister Vanya is a saint favored by the Holy Mother, and some even more exaggerated ones directly say Sister Vanya is an incarnation of the Holy Mother!"
"An incarnation of the Holy Mother? Heh... Has the rumor spread to such an absurd extent?"
Listening to Naifnis's words, Dorothy chuckled softly, then forked a small piece of steak with her own fork before continuing.
"But if you think about it carefully, the Church hasn't had a new star with such public influence as Vanya for a long time. The Natsuki incident... plus this Adus matter, is enough to legendaryize Vanya... Many people now are probably encountering a character like Vanya, who seems to belong only in saintly stories, for the first time, so it's understandable that the rumors are exaggerated... This is a star that a major faction within the Church is strongly promoting..."
Dorothy said this. For Vanya, the higher her public reputation, the more stable her position would be within the Church, which was full of undercurrents and internal divisions.
At the time of the Natsuki incident, Dorothy had not expected things to develop to such a point. She had originally intended to give Vanya credit so she could move up into the Church's upper echelons and perhaps gain access to some high-level secret transmissions. But she had not expected this to directly push her into the vortex of power struggles within the Church, with a group of people wanting to harm her. If she had known this would be the outcome, Dorothy might have handled the Natsuki incident differently at the time. She really didn't want Vanya to be involved in political struggles; not only would she be in danger herself, but the risk of Dorothy asking Vanya to secretly come out and help would also be high.
"By the way, Miss Dorothy, according to the latest newspaper this morning, Sister Vanya has been appointed by the Church as a Holy Artifact Patrol Officer. Do you know what that job is?"
"Ah, that, it's said to be a saintly position that involves holding holy artifacts and traveling around to preach. It's one of the very ancient and important positions within the Church. The news in the newspaper is actually a step slow; the Holy Mountain delegation arrived in Kankdar yesterday and held a ceremony in the Church to hand over the holy artifact to Vanya. She has already been formally appointed." After finishing the last small piece of steak, Dorothy wiped her mouth and said, while Naifnis, upon hearing this information, showed a look of surprise in her eyes.
"They've already arrived? Miss Dorothy, quickly tell me, what kind of holy artifact is it?"
Naifnis asked Dorothy with curious light in her eyes, while Dorothy recalled her conversation with Vanya yesterday, a faint, unsuppressed smile on her lips as she reminisced.
Dorothy clearly remembered how happy she was when she learned that Vanya had actually obtained custody of a ""Light"" holy artifact. While she was still worrying about how to get the remaining few blessed artifacts, this ""Light"" blessed artifact had actually delivered itself to her doorstep.
After a lot of effort in Kanak, Dorothy finally managed to obtain the ""Silent"" Divine Artifact. She originally thought that getting the remaining Divine Artifacts would require just as much trouble, but she didn't expect this one to deliver itself to her doorstep! It's completely fine for Vanya to keep it, and for her to borrow it for a while! This is like getting half of it delivered right into her hands.
After learning about this surprise yesterday, Dorothy was so happy that she walked around the Kankdar Garden several times and then went to the library to read several books to control her emotions. Vanya told her about this surprise through prayer. At the time, she almost responded directly in Aka's tone saying, ""Well done!"". If Vanya had been in front of her then, Dorothy suspected she might not have been able to resist hugging the little Sister and giving her a kiss.
"The name of that Holy Relic... seems to be called the Holy Shroud Scripture. It is said to have once been the shroud of a saint named Vita Meo, and was later acquired by another saint to write scriptures, thus receiving the blessings of two saints' power, and was specially subjected to a ritual to obtain Divine Blessing, elevating it into a Holy Relic."
Controlling the joy in her heart, Dorothy responded to Neff, and after hearing her words, Neff seemed to remember something else.
"Vita Meo... If I remember correctly, he seems to be a saint from several hundred years ago. It is said that he was a hero who died a martyr during the Turbid Current War in Iweig, and because of his outstanding achievements during his lifetime, he was canonized after death... So the Holy Relic that Sister Vanya obtained is related to this saint..."
Listening to Dorothy's words, Naifnis touched her lips and muttered in thought. Regardless, Naifnis was a student of archaeology at university and had a deep understanding of the secular history of this world. Upon hearing about the Holy Relic, Dorothy's eyes also turned with interest after listening to Neff's words.
'Vita Meo... So he died a martyr and became a saint during the Turbid Current War. That means he was a figure from the same period as 'King of Light' Emmanuel and 'Arrogant King' Rio... He was on the side of the Shining Light Church when the Fetal Garment Cult caused chaos in Iweig... This Vita Meo was an important figure who died a martyr on the Shining Light Church's side at the time, which is why he was canonized after death. This Holy Relic was originally his shroud...'
Listening to Naifnis's words, Dorothy immediately thought of the Turbid Current War she had learned about. That was one of the very few wars in the history of the Fourth Epoch where otherworld religions directly confronted the Shining Light Church. The Arrogant King Rio, supported by the Fetal Garment Cult, even directly attacked the countries defending the faith, reaching the very doorstep of the Shining Light Church, which had a huge impact. Dorothy herself had even visited Emmanuel's crown up close.
"But speaking of which, Miss Dorothy, you said this Holy Shroud Scripture was also used and modified by another saint... Who is this other saint? Since he was canonized, he wouldn't have also died a martyr, right..." At this moment, Vanya asked Dorothy again, and Dorothy shook her head in response.
"I don't know about that. The information Vanya received from the Church didn't include information about this later saint, it just said there was one..."
"No detailed information... Then, that wouldn't be an ordinary saint, but a living saint, right..."
Listening to Dorothy's words, Naifnis said speculatively. After hearing Neff's guess, Dorothy paused slightly, then slowly began to speak.
"That, it's possible..."
In the understanding of the secular world, a saint is the highest level of honorary title bestowed by the Shining Light Church upon those who have made significant contributions to the saint church. Generally, the title of saint is only obtained after a devout and renowned believer has died a martyr for the faith, as was the case with Vita Meo. However, in addition to these ordinary saints, there is a special existence called a living saint, who can possess the title of saint while still alive.
Within the Shining Light Church system, the conditions for canonizing a living saint are different from those of ordinary saints; they are completely undisclosed and non-transparent. Furthermore, their number is fixed at seven, neither increasing nor decreasing, and the saint titles of the seven great living saints are also fixed, never changing.
It is said that the origin of the seven great living saints lies in the seven Apostles chosen by Save the World in the mortal realm when he descended. These seven Apostles are the top structure of the Shining Light Church and its foundation of existence. Among the seven Apostles, there is a chief Apostle, who is the Church's first Pope.
After the seven Apostles successively passed away, they each selected seven of the most devout believers as their successors. These seven fully inherited the Apostles' titles and status within the faith, and are called the seven saints. Among the seven saints, the leader is the Pope, and the other six are Cardinals, who together constitute the Church's highest authority.
Unless there are special circumstances, the seven living saints generally serve for life. After each living saint passes away or resigns, a successor will be chosen to inherit the title from the original seven Apostles, while their own original name must be concealed. Therefore, throughout the Church's history of over thirteen hundred years, successive living saints have all used the same title.
Because the seven saints wear masks to conceal their faces when they appear in public, the public is completely unable to determine the appearance of these living saints. As a result, it is unclear when they were replaced or how many generations have been replaced. Therefore, in the eyes of the public, successive seven saints are almost no different from the original seven Apostles from over a thousand years ago; they are just like the Apostles themselves walking out of the Holy Scripture. However, judging from the constantly changing ruling style of the seven saints, the replacement of living saints is indeed real.
Sitting in her seat, Dorothy recalled the common information about the Church's saints in both the secular and hidden realms. She also speculated on the reason why the Church did not disclose information about the other saint related to the Holy Shroud Scripture. This might be because that saint is a living saint, and the Holy Shroud Scripture might have been modified by a living saint who was in office before being canonized, while still acting as an ordinary believer. The Church strictly keeps the identity of a living saint before their succession confidential, so it would not reveal related information.
Thinking of this, Dorothy suddenly had another idea. After interacting with Rahman, Dorothy understood that many hidden organizations and countries now involve inheritance rituals outside the normal promotion system to stably inherit the power of high-level Extraordinary ranks, thereby lowering the threshold for advancement, such as Adus's Royal Refining Ritual. Since Adus is like this, and many countries are like this, is the largest Extraordinary organization, the Shining Light Church, also like this?
Given the scale of the Shining Light Church, it is certainly not difficult to stably cultivate Crimson Tier Extraordinary individuals, but what about Golden above Crimson? Even if they can gather the strength of the entire church to stably cultivate one or two Golden who have advanced normally, is one or two Golden truly enough to dominate the world?
'So... could it be that the Church's current extremely special system of seven saints is a stable Extraordinary inheritance system similar to the Royal Refining Ritual? In the eyes of the public, the titles of the seven great saints have never changed. In a sense, the seven great saints, by erasing their own identities, have continued the influence of the seven Apostles in the eyes of the world. In the public's eyes, they are not some other successors, but directly a continuation of the seven Apostles. Could the seven saints be seven Golden who can stably inherit power and will not have accidental reductions in number...'
'The so-called ""Lamp""... doesn't it just happen to involve this area related to public perception...'