Chapter 450

Letter 353

In the northern suburbs of Tivyán, outside the east gate of the Royal Sacred Crown University, lies Green Shade Town.

During winter in Green Shade Town, the sky is gray and cold. The roads and lawns, recently dampened by light rain, quickly develop a thin layer of frost. The partially frozen ground becomes slippery, requiring extra caution when walking to avoid slipping.

As New Year approaches, some households in Green Shade Town begin decorating for the holiday. Green leafy branches woven into wreaths hang under the eaves, while simple wooden carvings of altars dedicated to one of the Three Saints stand at the entrances. Small flags bearing the sun emblem hang from the rooftops.

According to Radiant Church tradition, the new year is considered the day when the Savior of Radiance triumphantly drove out the evil deity. It is said that the Radiant Church designated this day as the start of the new year. One week after the first Sunday of the new year, the Savior of Radiance officially returns to the Sun Palace, taking up the guardianship of the world through the three saints. This day is known as Ascension Day and is an important festival for the Radiant Church.

Although some households in Green Shade Town have decorated for the New Year, it is not common. This is mainly because most residents here are students from wealthy families at Crown University, which closes for the holidays. Students usually return home, making it unnecessary to decorate. Among the few houses that have been minimally decorated, number 17 stands out.

A cold wind blows through the streets of Green Shade Town. In house number 17, where a simple altar to the Holy Mother is placed at the entrance, a crackling fire in the hearth dispels the chill in the living room.

Dorothy, with her silver-white hair flowing freely, wears a light blue cotton-padded pajama set and white wool slippers. She sits on a single sofa by the fireplace. A steaming cup of coffee sits on the coffee table in front of her, along with several scattered books. In her hand, she holds an old, yellowed book, engrossed in its contents.

The book Dorothy is reading is a Secret Transmission sent by the White Stone Craftsmen Guild on behalf of the An Yin Bureau. Yesterday, after parting ways with Misha, the latter promptly fulfilled her promise, exchanging three past Secret Transmissions confiscated from societies as payment to “the detective.” The postal service of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild was swift; within a day, these Secret Transmissions were delivered to Dorothy’s hands.

Misha adhered to her agreement with Detective Ed and sent three Secret Transmissions that were needed for Dorothy’s spirituality. Two of the three Secret Transmissions were related to “Lamp,” and one was related to “Shadow.” At this moment, Dorothy held one of the two “Lamp” Secret Transmissions, titled Faith and Holiness.

…

The author of Faith and Holiness is a scholar well-versed in the secret world, who has a keen interest in the development and attitudes of the Radiant Church’s faith. Consequently, he conducted extensive research.

In this Secret Transmission, the author explains the Radiant Church’s unwavering support for the faith in the Three Saints. For them, any attempt to change or challenge the faith in the Three Saints is absolutely forbidden. In areas influenced by the Radiant Church, the appearance of heretical beliefs or other religious practices would provoke a strong reaction from the church.

In the text, the author provides examples of actions taken by the Radiant Church against heretical beliefs, ranging from eliminating a society to launching wars. They even went so far as to cleanse and replace a government, all to ensure the dominance of the Three Saints’ faith in that country.

Among the examples cited by the author, the largest involved the peninsula nation of Iwig. Centuries ago, due to the royal family’s long-standing tradition of the Path of Waves, the Sea Abyss Cult had gradually corrupted the country, leading to the public worship of the Abyss Serpent. The Radiant Church organized neighboring countries to launch a holy war against Iwig and successfully defeated them. After purifying the country’s belief in the Abyss Serpent, they promoted another faction within the royal family.

In historical records, this holy war was downplayed, with the names of the Sea Abyss Cult and the Abyss Serpent erased, and the conflict was explained as a normal military clash between Iwig and its neighboring countries.

…

‘The Radiant Church places great importance on heretical and other religious beliefs. If these beliefs remain hidden in the secret world, they can slowly develop. However, once they cross over into the mundane world and spread among the general public, they face immediate and severe suppression, even to the point of war. Even if the Sea Abyss Cult manages to control a country, it cannot win a holy war against the Radiant Church.’

After finishing the Secret Transmission, Dorothy reflected on this thought. She realized that her own Akka faith had only a few followers, far from reaching the level that would attract the Radiant Church’s attention. As long as she did not foolishly preach to the masses, the Radiant Church would not come looking for her.

“From the current intelligence, although the Radiant Church actively clears out heretical and other religious beliefs, their efforts do not reach the level of a national government agency like the An Yin Bureau. However, once heretical beliefs begin to spread to the general public, they will immediately take strong action, demonstrating a force much stronger and more violent than that of a government agency. They would even be willing to wage war to eliminate larger competing faiths…”

Dorothy mused to herself, then placed the completed Secret Transmission on the coffee table in front of her. After drinking a sip of coffee, she picked up another “Lamp” Secret Transmission and began reading.

This Secret Transmission is an incomplete translation of another transmission called The Sacred Flame.

…

The Sacred Flame was originally written in Imperial Language. Misha provided a partial translation of this text, summarizing it.

The original text of The Sacred Flame is a hymn praising the Deity, the King of Light. It describes a breathtaking battle fought by the King of Light during the Dawn War against the Burning World Giant.

In the description, the Burning World Giant is a colossal figure, many times taller than a mountain, burning with fierce flames. Wherever he goes, he incinerates the sky and earth, turning everything into flames. He is naturally combative, having challenged the Lord of the Mountains and fought with him. Defeated, he was trapped deep within the earth, spending thousands of years breaking free from his seal, nearly drying up the young sea tides before being ultimately defeated by the King of Light.

…

‘The Burning World Giant… sounds like a deity of extraordinary flames in the “Lamp” domain, and one who is quite ancient and fallen. Since it mentions that he was defeated by the King of Light in the Dawn War, this giant must be a deity from the Second Era.

And it also mentions the Lord of the Mountains. According to Beverly, this is another name for the Prince of Stone. And the sea tides… seems to refer to the deity of the Path of Waves, which might also have fallen…’

After reading The Sacred Flame, Dorothy thought about it. After reading this Secret Transmission, she gained some speculations about the situation in the Second Era.

‘This Burning World Giant fought the Prince of Stone and almost dried up the sea tides… and in the end, he was defeated by the King of Light. It feels like the deities of the Second Era often clashed fiercely with each other…’

Dorothy pondered this, then closed the book The Sacred Flame and placed it back on the coffee table. She then picked up the third Secret Transmission, the last one sent by Misha, which was related to “Shadow.”