**The Six Hundred Sixty-Eighth National Adoration**
In the Palace of the Goddess under the setting sun, within the Hall of Glory, Sander, the Governor of Faraluo, stood amidst a display of various Bourbons’ honors, engaging in conversation with Adele, a descendant of Bourbon. His recent remarks sparked a hint of curiosity in her.
“I had heard that the former extraordinary system of Faraluo was different from the present one; is it true that the current system is entirely established by the Church? How interesting…”
“One could say that. As a descendant of Bourbon, you must have heard the rumors that the Church played a vital role in inciting the Cold Moon Revolution. I can now clearly tell you that the Church was absolutely the leading force behind the Cold Moon; they secretly collaborated with the anti-Bourbon factions within Faraluo at that time, exploiting the greed of the king, which intensified various conflicts in the country. Ultimately, they organized the anti-Bourbon forces to incite a revolution and overthrow your ancestors’ rule.”
With his hands still behind his back, Sander continued speaking to Adele in a leisurely manner, while she tentatively posed another question.
“Why did the Church want to overthrow Bourbon? Was it because they sought the power of the Path of Desire?”
“Why else? The King Charles was obstinate, dreaming about ‘Faraluo should have its own strength’ and ‘the King of Faraluo should not submit to others on his own land,’ while actively seeking the power of the Lord of Flowers. Not only did he commit a major taboo against the Church, but he also acted in an extremely eccentric and aggressive manner.
“Although the former Bourbon royalty had been secretly pursuing the legacy of the Lord of Flowers, it was done cautiously and discreetly. However, the King Charles went too far. Many of his methods were blatant. Under his command, Bourbon’s research progress on the legacy of the Lord of Flowers advanced rapidly, almost reaching the point of completely breaking free from the Church’s extraordinary dependency. This crossed the Church’s bottom line; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone through so much effort to plan a regime change.”
Sander spoke to Adele with an air of inevitability, while he took out a cigarette case from his clothing and lit a cigar. After listening to Sander’s words, Adele revealed a hint of confusion on her face.
“Completely breaking free from the Church’s extraordinary dependency… So, before King Charles, the Bourbon Dynasty’s extraordinary system was still dependent on the Church? Was the extraordinary system possessed by Bourbon similar to the current one in Faraluo?”
Adele expressed her doubts, while Sander inhaled deeply from the cigar and exhaled a puff of smoke before slowly responding.
“No, it’s not the same. The current extraordinary system in Faraluo is entirely dependent on the Church’s establishment. It is based on national identity, ethnic identity, law, and culture, creating a robust extraordinary system that draws on the recognition of all citizens of the country. At its core is one of the extraordinary paths held by the Church, the strong subspecies of Hard Abstinence—The Path of Regulations.
“Previously, the extraordinary system of King Charles’ Bourbon Dynasty had a similar framework. The Church helped the former Bourbon establish an extraordinary system based on national and ethnic identity, but the one operating on this system was not the Path of Regulations. Instead, it was the Path of Desire that has existed in this land since ancient times. This system is referred to by the Church as… the National Adoration Monarchy…”
As he puffed on his cigar, Sander slowly relayed this information to Adele, who momentarily paused, furrowing her brow in thought before speaking again.
“The National Adoration Monarchy… this ‘Lamp’ system of extraordinary capabilities can also operate other extraordinary abilities within the spiritual systems? These spiritual aspects don’t match, right? How can ‘Lamp’ endow others with the ‘Cup’s’ spirituality and abilities?”
“Don’t get it twisted. The National Adoration Monarchy is not the source of abilities and spirituality; the specific sources of abilities and spirituality rely on a nation’s recognition and historical legality. There is no ‘Cup’ or ‘Enlightenment’ of the Path of Desire on the land of Faraluo, but it heavily existed in the past. Although the Lord of Flowers is no longer present, the various cultures and traditions fostered by her rule still broadly exist in the lives of the people of Faraluo. In customs, festivals, and history, this is hard to erase.
“The purpose of the National Adoration Monarchy system is to draw out these powers embedded in historical legality and culture, re-integrating them into extraordinary capabilities and bestowing a position capable of carrying these abilities. The power of the Path of Desire belongs to Faraluo; the National Adoration Monarchy is merely a tool nested within Faraluo. Before King Charles, Bourbon had continuously utilized the National Adoration Monarchy to ineffectively tap into the abilities of the Path of Desire.”
While puffing on the cigar and exhaling smoke, Sander continued explaining to Adele. After he had spoken for a while, he made it a point to find a seat to sit down. Amongst the conversation, Adele’s expression had grown increasingly serious, prompting her to ponder for a moment before continuing her inquiry.
“When did Bourbon start using this system to acquire the abilities of the Path of Desire?”
“From the very beginning, during the mid-stage of the Heir War, the Duke of Bourbon executed the Forest Dancer, who once aided him in achieving victory, in his territory under the pretext of witchcraft. From then on, he received the full support of the Church to win the Heir War, conquering not only the domestic competitors but also driving away the howling guns from Prit. After the war’s victory and the Duke’s coronation, the Church established the first version of the National Adoration Monarchy for him, providing extraordinary assurance for the Bourbon Dynasty for the next few hundred years.
“Heh, according to the documents at the time, after their defeat, the Howling g*n Dynasty sent a substantial number of letters to Faraluo, mocking Bourbon for willingly becoming the Church’s dog. Then they erupted into the Wind King’s Rebellion, and the subsequent Windflower that took over wasn’t much different either.”
With a hint of mockery in his tone, Sander relayed this information from his seat, causing Adele to show surprise.
“Wait… are you saying that the famous witch who once bewitched the Duke of Bourbon in the legends was actually the Forest Dancer? The Forest Dancer saved the Duke of Bourbon in a moment of peril, and afterwards, he executed her to please the Church?” Adele exclaimed, astonished. She had never considered that the two most crucial women in the legends surrounding the Duke of Bourbon were, in fact, the same? That the Duke had executed his benefactor?
“Yes… this is one of the greatest scandals that Bourbon wishes to keep hidden. The scandal is so immense that even I don’t want to disclose it; even if it were to be revealed, no one would believe it and it would only lead to allegations of poison recognition. It is one of the most deeply hidden secrets of the Bourbon Royal Family. Had it not been for Bourbon’s downfall and the confiscation of their properties and secret records, we would still be unaware that such things had ever happened…” Sander stated, flicking the ash from his cigar into an ashtray. Adele, meanwhile, continued with a look of puzzlement.
“So, who exactly is the Forest Dancer…?”
“This, I cannot say. Records about her are extremely scarce, even in Bourbon’s literature. For now, we can only speculate that she might be a remnant of the faith in the former Lord of Flowers before the era, seeking to use the war in Faraluo as an opportunity to establish a faction to rejuvenate the faith of the Lord of Flowers. It is truly tragic that it ended up this way…”
As he took another puff from his cigar, Sander sighed slightly, while Adele fell into a momentary silence, her thoughts drifting to her own teacher, Dalena. She, too, was one of the hidden inheritances of the Path of Desire in the seldom visited lands of Faraluo, and the Forest Dancer might share a similar identity.
Reflecting on the tragic fates of both the Forest Dancer and her teacher, Adele felt a wave of sadness rising within her, though she soon regained composure and asked Sander another question.
“You mentioned earlier that the situation of the Windflower Dynasty that rose to power after the Wind King’s Rebellion is somewhat similar to the Banquet, meaning they also possess the National Adoration Monarchy given by the Church?”
“Of course. Currently, Despenser was also crafted by the Church from the internal disturbances in Prit. It’s unthinkable not to control the situation. However, the Windflower’s situation is somewhat better than the Banquet. They only have most positions above the Red Tier granted by the National Adoration Monarchy while still retaining a normal inheritance method for Apprentices to Red Tier. However, normal Red Tier can only allow one person.”
“Actually, not just Faraluo and Prit; many major countries on the Main Continent share similar circumstances. Over the past thousand years, the Church has intervened in the foreign and internal affairs of various nations on the continent for diverse reasons, taking advantage of tumultuous moments to prop up regimes favorable to itself while attempting to abolish or weaken traditional extraordinary inheritances, forcing their National Adoration Monarchy into place, fostering extraordinary dependency on themselves.
“Many nations have faced this situation, albeit to varying degrees. Currently, Prit’s situation is lighter, while Faraluo and Iwig are heavier.”
After a long exhalation of smoke, Sander slowly elaborated. After listening to his words, Adele fell silent, eventually gathering herself to speak again.
“If what you say is true… the Church has been dedicated to weakening and eliminating traditional extraordinary inheritances in various countries over the past thousand years, forcefully embedding its influence. Is their primary goal to ensure the spread of the Three Saints faith in these nations?”
“That seems likely, as if you trace the roots of every nation’s traditional extraordinary inheritances, they would likely intertwine with various foreign god faiths from before the era. Allowing those inheritances to remain not only obstructs the spread of the Three Saints faith but may also resurrect these extinct foreign god beliefs. Therefore, the Church strives to implant its influence into the extraordinary systems of various nations,” Sander continued, and Adele, lifting her tone, resumed the dialogue.
“So… what King Charles sought to do was effectively to break free from the National Adoration Monarchy’s system and help Faraluo rediscover its rightful Path of Desire inheritance?”
“Indeed. Although my overall assessment of Charles is not particularly high, I must concede that he is a genius, rare in both his roles as king and extraordinary being. He originally seemed like many ordinary Bourbon princes, unremarkable. However, after falling ill during a trip to the ancient Bourbon duchy, recovering from a fever, he transformed into the person described in later records: flamboyant, extravagant, confident, energetic, and gifted.
“Charles had always been particularly interested in the covert secrets underlying Faraluo’s culture and pursued deep learning. He openly rejected the Church’s extraordinary inheritance. While feigning acceptance of the National Adoration Monarchy, he was constantly contemplating how to thoroughly break free from it. Before he ascended to kingship, he traversed Faraluo, exploring hidden histories and secrets across the land under the guise of experience, joining various secret societies, and utilizing his influence as the heir to gather resources for research—yielding remarkable results.
“Even before his coronation, Charles restored the orthodox inheritance of the Path of Desire for Black Earth and White Chalk Tier. After his coronation, while governing the nation, he mobilized national resources to pursue his research, eventually succeeding in ascending to Red Tier and realizing his dream of possessing Red Tier power without relying on the Church.
“Upon achieving the orthodox Red Tier, Charles was committed to liberating Faraluo from the Church’s influence, transforming it into a genuinely independent nation. However, his excessively flamboyant and confident nature ultimately led to his downfall. During the execution of his plans, he took too great a leap without considering the need for restraint in the face of the overwhelmingly strong Church. His series of bold actions finally prompted the Church to find him intolerable, ultimately leading to his premature demise, cutting his life as a Red Tier extraordinary being short…”
After extinguishing the nearly finished cigar in an ashtray, Sander spoke with a note of evident regret, and after silently absorbing his words, Adele pressed on with another query.
“The historical records state that Charles died in a shipwreck accident upon returning from a campaign. Is there any involvement from the Church in that incident?”
Listening to Adele’s question, Sander leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath before responding.
“The Church’s suspicion is significant, but even I cannot find any clues to reconstruct the specific circumstances of that time. Charles’s d*ath remains an eternal riddle in Faraluo, and the answer to this riddle likely rests solely with the seven on Sacred Summit.
“After Charles, the Greedy King fumbled around for another twenty years, leaving Faraluo in utter disarray. Seizing this opportunity, the Church enabled Bourbon’s complete downfall, severing all ties to its traditional extraordinary inheritance. The National Adoration Monarchy given to us by the Church was outfitted with the powers that never belonged to us.”
