Chapter 661 — The Oracle

"Saint Ivan bore our errors for us, and so departed this world. But by his great sacrifice, the Holy Light summoned him early, and before he left this world, He spoke through his mouth and delivered these truths to us…"

Virodai's voice echoed through the Hall of Great Light. The high-ranking clerics listened in silence, and even when her voice faded, they raised no objection. Instead, they praised in unison: "Praise the Holy Light, praise our Lord, praise our new guide and protector, praise His Eminence Wright Aiviken…"

Amid the praise, Wright raised his warhammer high.

A radiance more holy and more powerful than any before descended from the heavens, piercing the sea of holy light clouds atop the Hall of Great Light and shrouding Wright.

The high-ranking clerics in the hall were moved one after another and praised again, and in this unison of praise there now seemed to be a measure of sincerity…

"Disperse," Wright said, lowering his warhammer amid the radiance. "Go tell the believers this good news: there will be no unrest, no one will be cast out or face unjust judgment. The Holy Light still shelters every soul."

The church attendants opened all seven doors of the hall. The high-ranking clerics departed one after another, and soon the holy hall fell quiet.

Wright sighed softly. "…In the end, they still need a 'Lord' to praise…"

"After all, it must be done step by step. The Northern Church has lived on this land for seven hundred years; its devout faith runs deep. We cannot make them abandon the Lord all at once," Virodai said softly. "And besides… we both know that 'Lord' truly exists."

Wright glanced at this "Defiant" and gave a slight nod.

Whether it was Gao Yang, who backed the Southern Church, Wright, who promoted the new doctrine, or the Defiants who opposed the gods—none of them had ever denied the true existence of "God."

The existence of gods was an objective fact of this world. The Defiants had never been atheists from the start, and that was precisely what made them most awe-inspiring:

They acknowledged the gods' existence, and on that premise they attempted to oppose them.

"Using the new concept of the 'Will of the Holy Light' to gradually replace the old title of the God of Holy Light, and promoting the true way of the Holy Light in the process—that is indeed a relatively safe approach, but you must also beware of the concept of the 'Will of the Holy Light' becoming a new shackle…" Wright said gravely. "Surely you've considered this?"

"If the old system of faith and doctrine does not change, the shackles will not change. Merely giving the god a new title cannot fundamentally liberate the human heart—we both understand these simple truths," Virodai said with a faint smile. "But it is precisely these fundamentals that we intend to change, are they not?"

At this, the Defiant paused, then continued in a calm, unhurried tone: "So it can also be understood this way—if everyone realizes that the transcendent power of the Holy Light belongs to everyone, if everyone realizes that each person may freely interpret the doctrine, that each person treats the god merely as a spiritual anchor rather than as a supreme shackle of commandments and the master of their fate—then even if everyone still believes in the God of Holy Light, that shackle will have loosened of its own accord, will it not?"

Wright pondered the deeper meaning of Virodai's words in silence, and only after half a minute did he raise his head. "Is this some conclusion from your research as a 'Defiant'?"

"I suppose you could call it that," Virodai said with a smile, "though not a final conclusion… Perhaps not until the day mortals can stand and face the gods directly, not until we find the realm of the gods and find the gods themselves, will we understand what the gods truly are, and how They truly operate. On that day, we may finally call it a final conclusion."

Wright mused for a moment, but did not press further. Instead, he turned to the practical matter at hand: "The reform of the Northern Church will begin at Saint Sunir first. As the first step, I will establish a clerical hierarchy here modeled on the Southern Church, with the key positions filled by clerics dispatched from the south. Do you have any suggestions on that front?"

"The old episcopal council is gone, so at this level you will encounter little obstruction, but once you begin to touch the interests of the mid- and lower-tier clerics, resistance is inevitable—yet the lower the tier, the more such clerics can be dealt with by worldly means. Compared with those inclined toward 'divinity,' they have more of the weaknesses of human nature. Money, violence, divide and conquer, psychological pressure—all these methods will prove effective against them.

"Second, you must ensure you have sufficient armed force to sustain the whole process. The White Knights are mighty, and their strength is well suited to this. Do not be merciful. The situation in the north differs from the south; here there are many ultra-obstinate conservative clerics, and they will not tolerate your mercy.

"Finally, for the vast majority of the faithful, the power of the two words 'divine oracle' is boundless. Make full use of those two words, make them believe and follow—in the north, this method works best. But beware: do not abuse those two words. 'Borrowing the name of god to smooth one's own way' is a tremendous temptation; lose yourself in it, and you will be no different from the original Northern Church, and you will unknowingly fall into the shackles of the deity."

Wright gave a slight nod.

Virolai's advice was much the same as what Gao Yang had told him in private, yet it was more detailed and better suited to the particular circumstances of the north—which perhaps confirmed, from another angle, that this "Defier" before him was worth cooperating with.

"Divine oracle..." Wright murmured softly, with a faint sigh. "Then it becomes necessary for us to further strengthen the glorious image of Saint Ivan III..."

"To make our reform proceed more smoothly, and to lend the 'divine oracle' greater orthodoxy and persuasiveness, a noble sacrifice is indispensable," Virolai said quietly, and turned her head to look at the empty holy throne at the center of the hall.

"Glory to the dead. Since His Holiness the Pope has already been gloriously called home by the Lord, we may now boldly and safely attribute all righteousness to him..."