Lord of the Fourth Hundred and Seventy-Four
‘Activity is rampant… and highly compatible with Northern Ufeiga culture?’
In the cabin of the passenger ship, Dorothy couldn’t help but display a look of doubt when she saw Bevvy’s response in the book “Navigation of the Literary Sea.” She hadn’t expected that a heretical sect of the Radiant Church would be so compatible with the traditional Northern Ufeiga culture. Could there be any connection between them and the First Dynasty?
“Who exactly is this Savior’s Incarnation Sect? And what connection do they have with Northern Ufeiga?” Dorothy continued to write her doubts on the pages of “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” and soon after, Bevvy replied almost instantly.
“The Savior’s Incarnation Sect can be considered one of the strongest heretical beliefs within the Radiant Church. Unlike the mainstream Three Saints sect centered around Sacred Summit, the Savior’s Incarnation Sect does not recognize the separation of the Radiant Savior into the three saints, nor do they grant the three saints the authority to oversee all beings. In their doctrine, the Radiant Savior remains the supreme and exalted being in the world. He is the only true deity and the only source of redemption; no one can replace Him.
“In their teachings, they claim that the three saints are false demons, deceitfully manipulating people under the guise of the Savior. The Three Saints sect of Sacred Summit is seen as the henchmen of these demons. They proclaim that one day, the Radiant Savior will descend again to save the world. At that time, the false three saints and their followers will be destroyed, while those who truly believe in Him will receive genuine salvation and enter His kingdom. This is how the Savior’s Incarnation Sect got its name. Due to its compatibility with the original traditional beliefs of Northern Ufeiga, it has significant influence in the region.”
As these words appeared on Dorothy’s page, she couldn’t help but ponder many thoughts.
‘They only recognize the Savior and not the Three Saints. Goodness, I didn’t expect such a significant gap between the mainstream beliefs of the Radiant Church and the Savior’s Incarnation Sect. It’s so different that it could almost be considered a separate religion. This fundamental deviation from the Three Saints doctrine makes them enemies with the Sacred Summit.’
Dorothy thought to herself, but she still had some questions. Holding these questions, she wrote further on the pages of “Navigation of the Literary Sea.”
“I understand roughly what the Savior’s Incarnation Sect is about, but you mentioned that this sect aligns with the traditional beliefs of Northern Ufeiga. Didn’t Northern Ufeiga used to be under the rule of the First Dynasty? According to my research, people there should have worshipped the Judge of Heaven, something about ‘Enlightenment,’ and how does the belief in the Radiant Savior’s ‘Lamp’ align with ‘Enlightenment’?”
Dorothy wrote down her questions, and shortly afterward, more printed text from Bevvy appeared on the pages of “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” explaining the relationship between Northern Ufeiga and the Savior’s Incarnation Sect. Her explanation surprised Dorothy.
“Who said it aligned with the worship of the Judge of Heaven? The First Dynasty and the Judge of Heaven were matters of the Second Era, which ended over seven thousand years ago. There was an entire Third Era in between. Do you really think anyone in Northern Ufeiga remembers the Judge of Heaven and the traditions of the First Dynasty? They are just a bunch of lost souls and ruins buried beneath the sands.
“What I meant by the traditional beliefs of Northern Ufeiga refers to another faith called the True Radiance Lord.”
“True Radiance Lord, what is that?” Seeing another mysterious deity name appear in Bevvy’s response, Dorothy responded confusedly. Bevvy quickly replied:
“The True Radiance Lord, or the Master of True Radiance, was a widely spread belief in Northern Ufeiga during the early centuries of this era. In this belief, the True Radiance Lord is the sole supreme deity in the heavens and on earth, the source of light that saves the world, and the master of all. It is a common deity worshiped throughout Northern Ufeiga. At the beginning of this century, it had great influence in Northern Ufeiga, being a genuine secular religion at the time.
“When the Radiant Church spread from the Main Continent to Northern Ufeiga, due to the Radiant Church’s aggressive missionary methods, the True Radiance Lord faith united to resist the invasion of the Radiant Church. Eventually, fierce holy wars broke out between the two sides.
“In these holy wars, although the Radiant Church had the upper hand, they suffered heavy casualties. To minimize losses, the Radiant Church adopted another method to spread its faith in Northern Ufeiga—incorporating the True Radiance Lord faith into the Radiant Church system, overlapping the True Radiance Lord with the Radiant Savior. They proclaimed that the True Radiance Lord is the Radiant Savior, your god is also ours, and promised that the original clergy of the True Radiance Lord, if they converted to the Radiant Church, could maintain their original positions. They could continue to perform their religious duties in Northern Ufeiga, but they had to declare themselves believers of the new title of the True Radiance Lord, the Radiant Savior.”
Bevvy’s words quickly appeared before Dorothy’s eyes. Reading Bevvy’s responses, Dorothy was stunned. She clearly hadn’t expected the church to adopt such a strategy when spreading its faith in Northern Ufeiga. It was similar to how she had used XiaTree to pretend to convert and disguise her faith, except that the True Radiance Lord faith was much stronger than XiaTree’s, strong enough to force the early Radiant Church to make concessions and propose merging their beliefs, whereas XiaTree had to operate covertly.
“The Radiant Church actually made concessions… That’s incredible. But would the True Radiance Lord faith accept such concessions?” Dorothy continued to write on the pages. Bevvy responded immediately.
“Certainly. You might not know, but there is a high degree of overlap between the True Radiance Lord and the Radiant Church itself. Both the Radiant Church and the True Radiance Lord Church are very similar in many aspects, even sharing the extraordinary inheritance of the ‘Lamp.’ Merging them wasn’t difficult at all. After the Radiant Church proposed the concession measures, the True Radiance Lord Church accepted it soon after. Then, the True Radiance Lord Church merged into the Radiant Church under high autonomy, using the title of the True Radiance Lord as another name for the Radiant Savior. The entire Northern Ufeiga region was incorporated into the Radiant Church’s sphere of influence.”
Looking at Bevvy’s response, Dorothy furrowed her brow and continued writing.
“You said that the True Radiance Lord Church and the Radiant Church… have many similarities, and both are inheritors of the ‘Lamp’? Why is this the case? What is the background of the True Radiance Lord Church? Why is its connection with the Radiant Church so close?” Dorothy asked Bevvy, but this time, Bevvy’s response did not clarify things.
“As for this… it’s not entirely clear. The only thing I can tell you now is that the connection between the True Radiance Lord Church and the Radiant Church likely dates back to the Third Era, often referred to as the Imperial Era in the Secret World. During that era, despite the proliferation of various religions, the most dominant was the imperial state religion, which revered the emperor as a deity.
“In the Third Era, the Main Continent and Northern Ufeiga were both under the rule of the empire. This means that Northern Ufeiga and the Main Continent were both influenced by the imperial state religion during the Third Era. Whether it’s the Radiant Church or the True Radiance Lord Church, they seem to have connections with the imperial state religion. Perhaps they are branches that emerged after the end of the era. Therefore, it’s possible that the Radiant Church’s claim that the Radiant Savior and the True Radiance Lord are essentially one deity might be true.”
Bevvy’s printed text quickly appeared before Dorothy, and seeing these seemingly information-rich words, Dorothy was stunned, her mind swirling with thoughts.
‘The Third Era Empire… the Imperial State Religion… This means that the True Radiance Lord Church and the Radiant Church are likely continuations of the Imperial State Religion in the Fourth Era. That’s why the Radiant Church could merge the True Radiance Lord Church.
‘And if I remember correctly, the empire was established at the end of the Second Era by the King of Light, who, along with his allies, won the Dawn War to establish the empire. The beginning of the Third Era seems to coincide with the establishment of the empire by the King of Light. Thus, the worship of the imperial emperor, which is essentially worship of the King of Light, and the King of Light is the deity of the ‘Lamp.’ The Imperial State Religion naturally became the ‘Lamp’ religion. Later, the Radiant Church and the True Radiance Lord Church also became ‘Lamp’ religions.
‘Could this unity mean that the Radiant Savior, the True Radiance Lord, and ultimately the King of Light are one and the same? Is the current Radiant Savior perhaps the former emperor?’
Sitting in her seat in the cabin, Dorothy pondered these thoughts as she read Bevvy’s words in her mind. Then, she immediately wrote down her questions on the pages.
“Is the King of Light, the True Radiance Lord, and the Radiant Savior essentially one deity?”
“Well… I’m not sure about that. After all, I’m not a scholar specializing in divine secrets; I’m just a construct. If you’re interested, you can research their relationships yourself. What can be confirmed is that although their specific relationships are unclear, their connections are undoubtedly significant. Some scholars even suggest that they are the same entity, which is a popular theory among those studying secret histories. Most people, once they learn a bit about secret history, tend to think this way.”
Bevvy’s response continued to appear on Dorothy’s pages, and looking at Bevvy’s words, Dorothy sighed with relief. She no longer worried about the relationship between the King of Light and the True Radiance Lord and continued to write on the pages.
“Alright, now I understand the relationship between the True Radiance Lord Church and the Radiant Church. So, how does this relate to the Savior’s Incarnation Sect’s active presence in Northern Ufeiga?”
“There is a deep connection. Did you notice that the True Radiance Lord Church is monotheistic, with believers believing that the True Radiance Lord is the supreme existence and does not have incarnations? On the other hand, the mainstream Radiant Church advocates the Three Saints theory, claiming that the Radiant Savior delegated responsibilities to the Three Saints and retreated to the Solar Palace. This deviates from the original True Radiance Lord Church.
“After the True Radiance Lord Church largely converted, the Radiant Church began promoting its Three Saints theory across Northern Ufeiga. However, due to many churches in Northern Ufeiga having been incorporated from the True Radiance Lord Church, they maintained a higher degree of independence, and the True Radiance Lord faith was deeply ingrained in the region.
“Therefore, while the Three Saints doctrine was being promoted in Northern Ufeiga, the worship of the Radiant Savior, who merged with the True Radiance Lord, did not weaken as much as it did in the Main Continent. Even today, although the Three Saints faith is widespread in Northern Ufeiga, the Radiant Savior’s faith still holds significant influence and hasn’t weakened to the extent seen in the Main Continent. Moreover, there are even people who despise the Three Saints and only recognize the Savior, which provides fertile ground for the Savior’s Incarnation Sect to develop in Northern Ufeiga. Many countries in Northern Ufeiga have traces of activities by the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, like the current civil unrest in Adus.
“The root cause of the civil unrest in Adus is the corruption of the Baruch Dynasty. Many powerful nations on the Main Continent, such as Farano, Prit, and Iwig, have significant influence over Adus. Under their puppets, the Baruch Dynasty continuously betrayed national interests and suppressed internal dissent, exacerbated by its own extreme corruption. This led to the civil unrest, which was then exploited by the Savior’s Incarnation Sect. The rebel leaders used the influence of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect to rally support and sought extraordinary assistance. With the help of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, this rebellion was much larger in scale than previous civil unrest in Adus and even successfully captured the capital. However, because the rebellion relied on the power of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, they attracted the attention of the church.
“Currently, the nobles of the Baruch Dynasty have written letters requesting military intervention from the church, supported by other countries on the Main Continent. Generally, the church should respond with military action, but unusually, they have sent an envoy group to mediate the conflict in Adus. This move has caught many factions off guard, who were watching the situation in Adus. No one knows the purpose behind the church’s actions. Perhaps they are trying to resolve some internal conflicts, or it might be the result of some political struggle.”
Bevvy’s detailed intelligence appeared on Dorothy’s pages, and reading Bevvy’s words, Dorothy gained a clearer understanding of the complexity of the situation in Adus.
The church, the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, the rebels, the old nobility of the Baruch Dynasty… many forces were involved. Dorothy knew at first glance that Vania’s journey would likely be fraught with danger.
‘Originally, I thought that making Vania a mere ornament in the eyes of the church leadership would keep her safe. Now it seems I was naive. Even a mere ornament is a piece on the chessboard, and it must play its part when needed… It looks like I need to act together with Vania on this trip.’
Reading Bevvy’s words, Dorothy thought to herself and immediately responded.
“I have a general understanding of the situation in Northern Ufeiga. Thank you for your intelligence. Given all this information, how do you plan to price it?”
“Come on, what pricing? What I said earlier are almost ‘public’ news in the Northern Ufeiga Secret World. You’re a long-time customer, charging for public information would feel too awkward.”
‘Your father charged for everything he could get money for…’
Seeing Bevvy’s response, Dorothy thought to herself. Considering the numerous transactions she had done with the White Stone Craftsmen Guild and even helped dismantle a Dark Gold Society outpost, she should be considered a VIP customer by now. Small fees should be waived for VIPs.
While preparing to conclude her communication with Bevvy, Dorothy suddenly thought of another question and raised it.
“By the way, you mentioned earlier that the Radiant Church initially had a holy war with the True Radiance Lord Church. Since the two churches fought and later merged through the worship of deities, did the Radiant Savior or the True Radiance Lord issue any divine decrees during this process?”
Dorothy wrote, wondering if the Radiant Savior and the True Radiance Lord were indeed one deity, wouldn’t issuing a divine decree beforehand have avoided the conflict? If they were not the same deity, then when the beliefs merged, the True Radiance Lord should have issued a decree clarifying the resistance, as the merger was essentially handing over their faith to the Radiant Savior.
However, neither side seemed to have issued any divine decrees. Neither the Radiant Savior nor the True Radiance Lord seemed to exist, and their followers had no objections regardless of how they described them. This was somewhat unbelievable in a world where there was a true deity.
Dorothy posed her question, and shortly afterward, Bevvy wrote a response.
