The Four Hundred and Seventieth Sacred Ground
On the northern coast of Conquer Sea lies Iwig.
Iwig is an important nation in the northern part of Conquer Sea. Its entire territory is a huge peninsula extending southward from the Main Continent into the sea.
In the southern part of the Iwig Peninsula, there are continuous Qiespinal Mountains running from south to north along the spine line of the peninsula, dividing the entire Iwig Peninsula into two parts, east and west.
Since ancient times, the Qiespinal Mountains have played an extremely important role in Iwig’s history. There are many military strongholds and natural scenic spots on the long mountain range. Therefore, there are many military fortresses and tourist attractions along the entire mountain range. However, these places are not the most famous places in the Qiespinal Mountains. The most famous place in the Qiespinal Mountains is located in the south.
To the south of the mountains, near the coastal area at the southern end of the Iwig Peninsula, there is a place called Laichel Valley. This valley is renowned worldwide and has a profound influence on countless people. It is the most important sacred ground of the Radiant Church’s Holy Mother faction and the final destination for countless Holy Mother pilgrims.
At the southern end of the Qiespinal Mountains, there is a lush and beautiful valley. In the wide valley between two green slopes, a clear stream flows out from the depths of the valley, rushing forward toward the front of the valley. On both sides of the river, every ten meters or so stands a stone stele covered with vines and moss. The steles are inscribed with numerous verses praising the Holy Mother.
On the calm waters, small boats are being rowed upstream by human power. These boats carry pilgrims from all over the world who, after a long journey, have finally arrived at this sacred ground in their hearts.
The pilgrimage point in Laichel Valley is the Redemption Cathedral deep in the valley. Legend has it that it is a large cathedral built under a waterfall. The clear river flowing through the valley originates from the Redemption Cathedral. The last leg of the pilgrims’ journey is to row upstream against the current by boat, traveling by water to reach the Redemption Cathedral, where they will complete their pilgrimage ceremony.
It is late March now, and Laichel Valley has welcomed a new batch of pilgrims from around the world. They are currently rowing together towards their final destination in small boats. Soon, they will reach their ultimate endpoint.
In Laichel Valley, countless small boats are rowing forward vigorously, starting the final leg of their pilgrimage journey. At the entrance of the valley, a vast square paved with marble and lined with tall obelisks is crowded with tourists much more numerous than the pilgrims. They gather here to admire the entrance to the sacred ground.
To maintain the tranquility of the sacred ground, not everyone can enter the valley for pilgrimage. The number of slots available for pilgrimage each day is limited, mostly reserved for people proven to have devout faith, arranged by the church. Other ordinary people can only come to the square to look at the interior of the valley from afar. Although they cannot see anything valuable, due to the fame of the sacred ground, many tourists still come to visit every day.
On the vast square, countless tourists without pilgrimage qualifications gather here, curiously observing the surroundings. Despite the difficulty of entering Laichel Valley, these tourists still show great interest in the entrance to the sacred ground, as its fame has made it a must-see attraction on the tourist route.
In the bustling square, in front of the tall statue of the Holy Mother at the center, a rugged-looking man is leading his eleven or twelve-year-old son to view the statue. Their clothing indicates that they are not from wealthy backgrounds. This father and son, seemingly from rural areas, are amazed by the grandeur of the giant statue of the Holy Mother and begin discussing matters related to the sacred ground.
“It’s really a huge statue, Dad. It’s much bigger than the statues in the city’s churches. How much stone would it take to carve such a big one? Why did they build such a huge statue?”
“Yes, I guess only a sacred ground like this could have such a huge statue… As for why it’s so big… I think it might be that the bigger the statue, the more benevolent the Holy Mother is…”
Scratching his head, the man, who seems to have a low level of education, speaks to his son. His son then continues:
“Is it because this is a sacred ground that there is such a huge statue? Then why is this a sacred ground, Dad?”
“Well… why is this a sacred ground…”
Hearing his son’s new question, the man suddenly finds himself struggling. He tries hard to think about why this place is a sacred ground, but his limited knowledge leaves him unable to come up with a satisfactory answer.
At this moment, a clear female voice suddenly rings out nearby.
“Because this is where the Holy Mother once descended to the world.”
Hearing this sudden voice, the father and son turn their heads to look in the direction of the sound. They then see a beautiful nun in her mid-teens wearing a white habit and glasses walking toward them with a smile. Seeing the nun, the man exclaims in surprise:
“A nun in white clothes…”
“Oh, it’s a sister! Sister, you mean this is the Holy Mother’s sacred ground because the Holy Mother came here?”
Seeing the nun approaching, the boy continues to ask curiously, his innocent expression showing none of his father’s surprise and shyness.
“Yes, the Holy Mother first descended to the world here in Laichel Valley. The great and benevolent Holy Mother stood on this Iwig land over thirteen hundred years ago with our ancestors, protecting the people she loved from the calamities from the sea.”
Responding to the boy, the white-clad nun begins recounting the myth recorded in the Sacred Text. A look of curiosity appears in the boy’s eyes.
“What calamities from the sea? What kind of calamity could come from the sea? Is it a big wave?”
“That is something far more terrifying than a big wave. It is an evil deity, one of the three enemies of the three main deities, one of the three beasts of calamity…”
“The three enemies, three beasts of calamity…” Listening to the white-clad nun’s response, the boy’s curiosity deepens even further. The nun then turns her head toward the southern horizon, continuing to speak as if she could see the distant sea.
“Yes, according to the Sacred Text, the Savior descended in the Radiance and spent four days pacifying the largest land, completely destroying and expelling all evil spirits from our land. All the evil spirits in the world began to hate the Savior, joining forces to attack him. Among them, the strongest were these three.
“One beast came from the southern sea. It was a female beast, greedy, lewd, and unclean.
“This female beast was so greedy that its belly was perpetually hungry. Everything living and moving in its path would be devoured. After finishing the sea’s offerings, it would come ashore.
“This female beast was so unclean that when it breathed, its breath was foul and filthy, spreading for thousands of miles. Anyone who inhaled this breath would suffer from a deadly disease, struggling in agony. Before it reached the shore, a great plague had already erupted.
“This female beast was so lewd that it was both the most beautiful and the ugliest. It seduced countless powerful beings into becoming its servants. Its belly never ceased to bear countless wicked creatures, giving birth to its minions at all times. It was a beast of calamity and a mother of calamity.
“This female beast came from the abyss of the southern sea. The sea submitted to it, turning into red bl**d. It stirred up massive waves, flooding countless lands. Together with the crimson tide, it advanced northward onto the land, challenging the Savior on Sacred Summit from the south. The crimson tide submerged the land, and it and its offspring devoured all life, leaving nothing untouched.”
Gazing southward, looking at the horizon, the white-clad nun recounts the myth recorded in the Glorious Holy Scripture. Listening to the nun’s words, the father and son listen attentively, and the boy, after hearing the story, asks curiously.
“What a terrible beast. So what happened afterward? Did the Savior defeat it?”
Listening to the boy’s words, the white-clad nun smiles slightly and continues her narrative.
“There were three beasts, coming from three directions. The southern beast, the western beast, and the northern beast all attacked Sacred Summit together. They swore to destroy everything saved by the Savior. The Savior surveyed the disaster rising from three directions simultaneously and transformed into three rays of light flying toward the three directions. One ray flew toward the south, landing in a valley. The ray transformed into a beautiful and benevolent woman, who became the Holy Mother.
“The Holy Mother appeared in Laichel Valley, stopping the northern advance of the southern beast. The Holy Mother used her power to save the people tormented by the beast’s plague, saving those who were seduced into servitude. She purified the seawater stained red by the beast and defeated the southern beast and its unclean offspring, driving their remains from this world. This is why Laichel Valley became the Holy Mother’s sacred ground.”
The white-clad nun continues to narrate the stories from the Sacred Text. Hearing the nun’s story, the boy opens his eyes wide with curiosity and, after a pause, excitedly says:
“Oh… So that’s how it was. The Holy Mother descended here, defeating the evil beast. That’s why this is a sacred ground. Now I understand. Thank you, sister.”
“Haha… Thanks to your explanation, we are from the countryside and have little education. The child asked me, but I didn’t know why. Today, we’ve learned something new…”
Beside the boy, his father also smiles and replies. After listening to their conversation, the white-clad nun continues to smile and respond.
“It’s nothing. If there is still someone in this world who hasn’t heard of the main deity’s deeds, we should spread the word. This is our duty, and I am just fulfilling it.”
“Oh… So this nun is truly a devout believer.”
After telling the story of the Holy Mother, the father and son bid farewell to the white-clad nun and go to other places to visit. The scene then leaves only the nun standing there, gazing southward and pondering something.
‘The story of the Holy Mother’s first descent to oppose the southern beast… Although I have read it many times in the Sacred Text, although I believed it deeply before, revisiting it now feels different.
‘Not to mention the aspect of the Holy Mother, the description of the southern beast in the Sacred Text inevitably makes one think of the Cup Mother, the main deity revered by the Placenta Sect. Many descriptions of her are very similar to those of the southern beast. Could it be that the southern beast is actually the Cup Mother?
‘But if that were the case, wouldn’t the story in the Sacred Text imply that the Holy Mother, a mixed-color deity, defeated the pure-color deity, the Cup Mother? This theoretically shouldn’t be possible. According to Miss Dorothy’s statement, pure-color deities should be of a higher rank than mixed-color deities. How did the Holy Mother manage to defeat the southern beast? Or is the true history really as described in the Sacred Text?
‘Looking at the southern horizon, at the direction where the southern beast is said to have come from in the Sacred Text, Vania thinks to herself, and as she does, she realizes something doesn’t seem right.
‘No… Wait, why am I doubting the contents of the Sacred Text, even questioning the power of the Three Saints? We should believe that the Holy Mother could defeat the southern beast. These are things that should be unquestionable, things that should be believed without reservation. Why am I starting to doubt?
‘This is truly disrespectful, Vania…
Tapping her forehead, Vania scolds herself inwardly. In the Radiant Church, the Sacred Text must be believed without question. Suddenly having a rational analysis in her mind is sacrilegious, especially when it questions the combat power of the Three Saints. Such thoughts are not what a nun should have.
‘Mm… Recently, I’ve been communicating more with Miss Dorothy, and I’ve been unconsciously influenced by her. She always wants to analyze everything, even the gods…
‘So should I reduce my interactions with Miss Dorothy recently and focus on cultivating my devout faith? But if I don’t communicate with Miss Dorothy, there’s no one else in the church who can talk openly with me… Lord, what should I do?
Standing in front of the tall statue of the Holy Mother, Vania thinks gloomily, and at this moment, a voice suddenly sounds behind her.
“Sister Vania, I found you here.”
Hearing this voice, Vania turns around and sees a somewhat elderly cleric walking toward her. Upon seeing the other person, Vania immediately responds.
“Cleric Volkah, are you looking for me?”
“Yes, the last batch of boats is almost ready. Sister Vania, we can now go to the dock and wait for departure. The ceremony preparations at the church are ready, waiting for you.”
Facing Vania, the cleric named Volkah speaks frankly. Hearing this, Vania feels a bit surprised.
“Huh… The ceremony preparations are ready? So soon? I thought it would be held after the pilgrimage.”
Vania says with some confusion, and Volkah explains directly.
“At first, it was indeed like that, but you are now the evangelist preaching the gospel of Summer Tree. We have included activities promoting the conversion of Summer Tree in this pilgrimage. You need to play a more important and special role in this pilgrimage, so your rank cannot be too low. Therefore, we decided to advance your promotion ceremony.
“All the conditions for the ceremony are now ready, meeting the best standards. Just waiting for you. So let’s hurry.”
Volkah says this, and upon hearing the other’s words, Vania is momentarily stunned, then nods in agreement.
“Oh, I understand. Let’s go.”
Thus, Vania follows Volkah to the dock at the valley entrance, boards a small boat prepared in advance, and rows into Laichel Valley, sailing upstream into the depths of the valley.
On the boat, Vania rows symbolically while admiring the steles and beautiful scenery along the riverbank. After nearly an hour of travel, she finally reaches the deepest part of the valley.
At the end of the valley, there is a massive waterfall cascading down between two mountains. Underneath the waterfall stands a large cathedral spanning the river, resembling a grand bridge. On both sides of the cathedral, there is a dense cluster of religious buildings. Vania knows that this is probably the Redemption Cathedral of Laichel Valley.
Arriving at the end of the valley, Vania expects the boat to stop, but to her surprise, the boat continues forward, passing under the bridge and cathedral. It then proceeds toward the massive waterfall ahead. Vania expresses concern, but Volkah reassures her not to panic.
“Don’t worry, Sister Vania. We are heading to the real Redemption Cathedral. Everything is fine.”
“The real… Redemption Cathedral?”
Hearing Volkah’s words, Vania suppresses her emotions and watches the boat sail into the turbulent waterfall. She realizes that even without rowing, the boat is steadily moving forward in the chaotic currents.
As they enter the waterfall, Vania is astonished to find that the rushing water miraculously avoids their boat, not a single drop entering. Without getting wet, Vania crosses the waterfall and enters a cavern illuminated by lights.
In the narrow cavern with a hidden river, Vania’s boat continues to navigate for twenty minutes before emerging through a small opening and suddenly finding itself in a vast space.
Beyond the cavern exit, Vania sees another world, an expansive and fertile valley. Clear streams flow from afar, and trees shade the banks where countless flowers bloom among the grass. Various wildlife, like deer, drink peacefully by the riverbanks.
At the end of the river, Vania sees a castle-like structure, several times larger and more exquisite than those outside. The towering bell tower of the cathedral sends melodious chimes echoing throughout the hidden valley. Behind the cathedral stands a colossal tree with a diameter of hundreds of meters, its canopy shading the sky, seemingly enveloping half the valley.
Seeing the enormous tree, Vania momentarily stands there in astonishment, not from awe but from surprise.
She has seen similar trees elsewhere, yes. The massive tree that shelters the abundant altar on Summer Tree Island seems to be of a similar variety. However, the tree in the Holy Mother’s sacred ground is much larger than the one on Summer Tree Island.
…
Hmm… Can’t resist falling asleep. When I wake up, it’s already afternoon.
