**Chapter 549 Continued**
Northern Ufeiga, Kankdar.
At noon in Kankdar, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, and many locals were bustling about in the heat, tending to the local residential and port areas. In the foreigner residential area, countless expatriates employed in Kankdar were enjoying their lunch break, and various restaurants were suddenly filled with a large influx of customers.
In a well-known restaurant, gentlemen from various countries on the main continent were seated in a comfortable environment, leisurely enjoying their meals while engaging in various discussions. The hottest topic of conversation was naturally the recent bombshell news: the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army had announced that the Three Saints Church was the only legal church within Adus and had severed ties with all heretics.
When this news broke, it caused an uproar throughout Northern Ufeiga, especially in Kankdar. The heretic issue in Adus… the deep connections between the Adus Revolutionary Army and heretics were well known. The upper social circles in Kankdar knew more than those on the main continent about what the Adus Revolution truly was. It was the local resistance force of Adus joining forces with foreign heretics to spark a war. As such, the relationship between the Adus revolutionary forces and heretics was incredibly close; even if there were distinctions and contradictions, it would still lean towards the heretical side being stronger than the local revolutionary forces.
Thus, most people in Kankdar believed that the Adus Revolution would fail due to its inability to resolve the issue of integrating with heretical forces, leading to the intervention of the Sacred Summit Church. The outcome would inevitably end in failure, and the earlier visit of the Church’s envoy group, which yielded no results, seemed to confirm this viewpoint. Although rumors of small-scale conflicts kept emerging from within Adus, suspected to be clashes between local revolutionaries and heretics, the people of Kankdar expected those conflicts to end in victory for the heretics. Yet the reality was beyond everyone’s expectations.
The local revolutionary army in Adus actually severed ties with the heretics? They purged the heretics without a large-scale civil war?! When the people of Kankdar read this news in the newspapers, they could hardly believe their eyes. The enthusiastic discussions about Adus had already been ongoing for two days, and the fervor showed no signs of waning. Refugees discussed when they would be able to return home, businessmen speculated on when the situation in Adus would stabilize enough for investment, and devout believers talked about how Sister Vania managed to rescue Adus, a nation teetering on the brink of heretical abyss…
In the restaurant, discussions in many languages filled the air. At a window in one corner, Nephnis listened attentively to these voices while eating a bowl of noodles before speaking to the woman opposite her, Doro.
“Miss Doro, it seems this incident has caused more commotion than the previous assassination case. But it feels like a lot of people’s stances lean towards the Baruch royal family, with little goodwill towards Shadi; they seem to wish for the Church to intervene rather than for peace in Adus.”
“Adus is an important country in Northern Ufeiga and borders Kankdar. The internal turmoil in Adus has greatly impacted trade in Kankdar, so naturally, people here pay close attention to the situation in Adus. Most of the upper-middle-class people in Kankdar are foreigners from the main continent, basically a group of leeches sucking off the Northern Ufeiga people, so it’s understandable for them to feel discontent towards Shadi, who represents the local revolutionary army.”
“However, it wouldn’t be accurate to say they all want the Church to march into Adus and fight, because the instability in Adus has already led to significant losses in trade for Kankdar. Most people still hope for Adus to stabilize soon. Those who were staunchly anti-Shadi are mostly the ones who held privileged interests in Adus and are deeply tied to Baruch.”
While sipping on a glass of juice, Doro responded to Nephnis, who pondered for a moment with her fork poised, glancing around before speaking again.
“By the way… Sister Vania’s reputation has completely turned around. Many people are discussing how she managed to snatch Adus back from the heretics… Previously, everyone said she was just a decorative vase.”
Waving her fork, Nephnis spoke, her curiosity ignited. As a university student, she was quite adept at gossiping about various news. Initially, she felt dissatisfied when she heard derogatory remarks about Vania, but now she felt much more at ease.
“Doro, did you know? In some places, rumors are already circulating that Sister Vania is a blessed saint favored by the Holy Mother, and some even go so far as to say she is the incarnation of Her!”
“The incarnation of the Holy Mother? Heh… has the rumor escalated to such ridiculous heights?”
Listening to Nephnis, Doro chuckled softly and, after spearing a piece of steak with her fork, continued.
“Thinking about it, it seems the Church hasn’t had a public figure with as much influence as Vania for a long time. With the incident involving XiasTree, plus this current situation in Adus, it’s enough to turn Vania into a legend… Many people are likely experiencing her for the first time, just like a character from the Sacred Text stories. A bit of exaggeration is understandable… after all, she is a star being fervently promoted by a major faction of the Church…”
With such comments, Doro felt that the higher Vania’s public reputation, the more stable she would stand amidst the currents of turmoil and internal strife within the Church.
During the XiasTree incident, Doro could not have anticipated it would develop to such an extent. She had originally intended to give Vania credit to help her move into the upper echelons of the Church, hoping she could access some high-level secret transmissions. However, she didn’t expect this would directly plunge her into the whirlpool of internal power struggles within the Church, where numerous people sought to undermine her. Had she known this would be the outcome, Doro might have opted for a different approach during the handling of the XiasTree incident. She truly did not want Vania embroiled in political conflicts; not only would it put her in danger, but it would also make it difficult for Doro to ask Vania for help discreetly.
“By the way, Miss Doro, according to the latest newspaper this morning, Sister Vania has been appointed as the guardian of a sacred relic. Do you know what this position entails?”
“Oh, that? It’s said to be a sacred post involving the possession of a relic and traveling to preach. It’s one of the very old and important positions within the Church. The news in the newspaper is actually a bit behind; the envoy from Sacred Summit arrived in Kankdar yesterday and conducted the relic handover ceremony with Vania. She has officially been appointed now,” Doro said, finishing her last piece of steak and wiping her mouth. Upon hearing this information, Nephnis’s eyes widened in surprise.
“They’ve already arrived? Miss Doro, please tell me, what is this relic like?”
With curiosity sparkling in her eyes, Nephnis inquired, and Doro recalled her communications with Vania the previous day, a shallow smile forming on her lips as she remembered.
Doro still vividly remembered her happiness upon learning that Vania had obtained the right to guard a relic called the “Lamp.” She had been worried about how to procure the remaining sacred objects, only to have this “Lamp” come to her almost serendipitously.
After a flurry of activity in Karnak, Doro had finally secured the divine blessing object known as “Silence.” She had thought acquiring the other remaining sacred objects would require significant effort as well, but she didn’t expect this one to be handed to her so readily. Having Vania guard it and borrowing it for a while would be no problem at all! It was essentially a gift that had landed right in her lap.
Upon learning of this delightful surprise yesterday, Doro had joyfully walked around the Kankdar gardens several times and then rushed to the library to read several books to help temper her emotions. Vania communicated that surprise to her through prayer; Doro almost responded directly in Akka’s tone, saying, “Well done!” If Vania had been in front of her at that moment, Doro suspected she might not have been able to refrain from hugging the little nun and kissing her cheek.
“The name of that relic… I believe it’s called the Holy Relic Scroll. It is said to have once been the burial cloth of a saint named Vitamio, which was then used by another saint to write scriptures, thus gaining the blessing of two saints and becoming a sacred artifact through a special ritual.”
Controlling her surging excitement, Doro replied to Nephnis, who seemed to recall something upon hearing her words.
“Vitamio… If I remember correctly, he was a saint from several centuries ago, said to be a heroic educator who was martyred during the Iwig corruption war. Because of his remarkable contributions during his lifetime, he was canonized after d*ath… So that means the relic that Sister Vania received is connected to this saint…”
Listening to Doro, Nephnis contemplated, biting her lip. As a university archaeology student, she had a solid understanding of this world’s secular history, and the mention of the relic piqued her interest. Doro, intrigued by Nephnis’s words, thought of her own knowledge of the corruption war.
“Vitamio… So he was a martyr during the corruption war, which means he was contemporaneous with the ‘Light King’ Emmanuel and the ‘Pride King’ Leo… He stood with the Radiant Church against the Placenta Sect during the chaos of Iwig… This Vitamio was a key martyr for the Radiant Church at the time, which is why he was canonized posthumously. This relic was originally his burial cloth…”
Hearing Nephnis’s words, Doro immediately recalled her own understanding of the corruption war, a conflict characterized by a rare direct confrontation between heretics and the Radiant Church. The Pride King Leo directly attacked the various countries of the education, significantly impacting the region; Doro had even had the chance to view Emmanuel’s crown up close.
“But speaking of which, Miss Doro, you mentioned this Holy Relic Scroll was modified by another saint… who could that other saint be? Since they were canonized, they wouldn’t have also been martyred, would they…” Once again, Vania asked Doro for clarification, and Doro shook her head in response.
“I wouldn’t know. The information Vania received from the Church did not specify the identity of this other saint, just that there was one…”
“There’s no detailed information…? Could it be that this isn’t an ordinary saint, but a Living Saint?”
Listening to Doro’s words, Nephnis speculated. After hearing Nephnis’s conjecture, Doro paused slightly before slowly speaking.
“It’s possible…”
In the secular world, a saint is the highest honor bestowed by the Radiant Church for significant contributions to the holy faith. Typically, only devout believers who were martyred for the faith would receive the title of saint, and Vitamio was one of them. However, beyond the regular designation of saints, there exists the special title of Living Saint, which one can hold while still alive.
Within the structure of the Radiant Church, the criteria for recognizing a Living Saint differ entirely from ordinary saints; they are completely opaque and fixed in number at seven, neither increasing nor decreasing. The titles of the seven Living Saints are also established and remain unchanged.
It is said that the seven Living Saints were the seven apostles chosen during the incarnation of the Savior. These seven apostles form the pinnacle of the Radiant Church, the foundation of existence. As the seven apostles gradually passed away, they each selected the most devout believers as their successors. These seven individuals inherit the apostles’ titles and ecclesial positions, known as the Seven Saints. The leader of them serves as the Pope, while the other six are Cardinal Bishops, together constituting the highest authority of the Church.
Unless under special circumstances, typically, the seven Living Saints hold lifelong positions. When the tenure of a Living Saint expires or they step down, one successor is chosen to inherit the title from the original seven apostles, while the former title must be concealed. Thus, throughout the Church’s more than 1,300-year history, all Living Saints retain the same title.
Whenever the seven Saints publicly appear, they wear masks to conceal their faces; therefore, the public cannot ascertain the appearance of these Living Saints, leading to confusion regarding when each has been succeeded, and how many generations have changed. Thus, in the eyes of the public, the past and present Saints appear almost indistinguishable from the original seven apostles over a thousand years ago, as if they were the very disciples stepping out from the Sacred Texts. However, observing the changing governance styles of the Saints indicates that the succession of Living Saints indeed occurs.
Seated in her position, Doro reminisced about shared information regarding the saints within the Church’s teachings from both secular and hidden perspectives, as well as speculating on the reasons behind the Church’s secrecy regarding the identity of the other saint related to the Holy Relic Scroll. Perhaps this saint is a Living Saint, and the Holy Relic Scroll might have been modified by a current Living Saint who was active in a typical believer’s role before their canonization, with the Church maintaining strict confidentiality about the identities of Living Saints prior to their ordination, thereby not disclosing any associated information.
With this thought in mind, Doro suddenly had an insight. After her interactions with Rahman, she understood that many clandestine organizations and nations today, to stabilize the lineage of high-ranking extraordinary positions, engage in succession rituals beyond the typical advancement systems to lower the barriers to entry, such as Adus’s royal refinement rituals. Given that Adus operates this way and many nations do as well, could the most significant extraordinary organization, the Radiant Church, also be employing a similar method?
For the Radiant Church, creating a stable system to produce extraordinary beings of Red Tier would not be challenging, but what about those of Gold Tier and above? Even if they could gather the Church’s collective might to stable cultivate a couple of normally promoted Golds, would that be sufficient to dominate the world?
“So… could it be that the Church’s extremely unique system of seven Saints is akin to a stability-based extraordinary succession system like the royal refinement ritual? In the public’s eyes, the names of the Seven Saints have never changed; in a certain sense, the seven Saints, through a form of self-erasure, have continued the influence of the original seven apostles. In the eyes of the public, these Saints are not seen as successors but as continuations of the seven apostles. The seven Saints could potentially be seven individuals capable of stable succession, who won’t unexpectedly dwindle in number…
The so-called ‘Lamp’… didn’t it just happen to involve a domain related to public perception… ?”
