Chapter 565
Our Cause Is Not Righteous
Eivass immediately understood Pure White’s meaning.
The Church’s way of handling matters was essentially, “Give me some face, and let this matter end here.”
— In essence, it was about whose “face” was bigger.
It was euphemistically called a “sect-based nation,” but more bluntly, a mafia state.
This was likely why Cardinal Loki’s affairs had been difficult to handle previously but were now easier.
It was because Loki was dead.
As the leader of Controlled Fire, he was not only recognized as a ring leader by the Candlemaster but was also essentially the “commoner elf” of the entire Church – or more accurately, an object of worship for those elves whose parents couldn’t provide them with a lineage.
The Church valued influence above all else, not bloodline or wealth. Normally, this influence could be inherited, such as through being “so-and-so’s son,” “so-and-so’s daughter,” or “so-and-so’s student.”
If a person’s parents lacked achievements, friends, or influence, they couldn’t inherit that influence, essentially making them equivalent to “commoners” of other races.
Controlled Fire’s basic support came from this group of elves. Since they had no lineage, they advocated for abandoning the lineage system altogether to ensure fair resource distribution.
Now that Loki was dead, his charisma and influence would inevitably decline. Furthermore, the Pope’s Guard had uncovered evidence of his crimes. While a complete conspiracy hadn’t been established, this would cause significant upheaval among his followers.
With the person dead, how many would still be willing to follow a deceased individual?
There would certainly be fanatical followers, but for most people, a dead person couldn’t lead them. If Controlled Fire failed to produce a new leader in time, the organization itself might collapse. Even if a new leader emerged, its influence would surely be greatly diminished.
“…From this perspective, killing a prominent figure in the Church actually carries less consequence than injuring one.”
Eivass understood Pure White’s point and found it somewhat ironic, “Truly… peculiar customs.”
It was akin to provoking a gang leader versus killing one. The former would lead to an unending vendetta, while the latter offered a possibility for absorption.
Despite being a nation of devotion, it felt like a turf war.
“That’s just how the Church is,” Freya said nonchalantly. “Why else do you think I’m researching here… The biggest convenience is that the administrators here are more susceptible to bribery. Except the bribes that can influence them aren’t money, but ‘deeds of helping others.’
“For example, me taking that furnace out is already breaking the Church’s rules. But because I promised to ‘heal Amber,’ it could be temporarily kept with me. If I ultimately fail, I’ll just return it and submit what I’ve completed. These things are negotiable.”
“Exactly,” Pure White nodded, looking at Freya. “The research on ‘Tears of Time’ is very dangerous. I hope you will halt your research.”
“I have already terminated the research and destroyed all samples,” Freya quickly defended, raising both her hands.
“That’s good,” Pure White nodded, her expression solemn. “Although Mercedes’ and Gloria’s deaths are not your fault, the incident ultimately originated with you…”
“Is there anything I can do?” Freya asked.
“Since your research results were exploited and indirectly harmed others, I will thus penalize you by having you dedicate yourself to healing others. I hope you can develop a treatment that is at least 80% cheaper than existing ones and has at least half the efficacy.”
Pure White continued, “I will sponsor your research and protect your patent. Afterward, the Church will receive permanent production rights for this medicine. We will distribute them to local churches as a form of ‘holy water’ to alleviate the issues of insufficient mana and excessive fatigue among grassroots clergy. Of course, you can still sell it to others or produce it yourself.”
“Give me three months,” Freya agreed readily without bargaining, nodding affirmatively. “At most, three months.”
“All right,” Pure White also nodded.
Then, both of them looked at Eivass simultaneously.
Freya chuckled lightly and shrugged. “See, Eivass? In a sense, the Church is the most pragmatic – because it allows for ‘atonement through good deeds for bad.’ So it’s most suitable for researchers like me who occasionally cross the line.”
“What if others can’t do what Sister Freya does?” Eivass asked.
“Then go help others,” Pure White replied without hesitation. “Go save lives, go heal, go do community labor. Even in prison, produce something or perform labor. If a person cannot contribute anything beneficial to others to atone for their sins, or if they are unforgivable, only then will we attempt to punish or destroy them.
“But in the Church, ‘punishing sin’ itself is meaningless. Everyone is born with sin. Most people are not innocent but have simply not been discovered or punished. This world lacks so many things. Instead of mourning the dead, it’s better to do something for the living… or contribute something.”
“…What do you mean by ‘destroy’?” Eivass keenly realized that Pure White said “destroy” and not “execute.”
“You are perceptive, that’s good,” Pure White nodded appreciatively. “It will be helpful for your future life in the Church.
“—Yes, the Church generally does not employ capital punishment. Because life is extremely valuable… If a person must be killed, their death must benefit others or even society as a whole.
“Extraordinaries on the Path of Devotion can use their lives to heal normally incurable disabilities, even to mend damaged souls; if they lack healing abilities, their remains can be used to create various materials.
“Blood essence, bone powder, organ extracts… Or drug experiments, autopsies, organ transplants, necromancy. A person’s life should always have some meaning. If living only brings destruction, at least dying should bring some meaning.”
Looking at the stunned Eivass, Pure White’s expression turned solemn. “If you truly intend to become a Cardinal, you must face this ‘Necessary Evil’.”
“…Necessary Evil?” Eivass heard the familiar term again.
“Precisely. Punishing sin is penalizing evil, but exploiting sinners isn’t; destroying corpses is even less so—we must first acknowledge it as a sin, which already crosses the boundary of ‘penalizing evil.’
“What we do is not righteous. But we must bear this sin to benefit more innocents and the populace. As a Cardinal, no law in the Material Realm can punish you, so only you yourself can supervise yourself—what is compliant and what crosses the line is up to you to decide.”
“…I understand,” Eivass nodded solemnly and with a heavy heart.
Undoubtedly, this was a “sin” that ordinary residents of the Church would not be aware of.
He also understood why he always felt that the Cardinals were somewhat insane… As emissaries endorsed by the Pillar Gods, Cardinals were, in a sense, among the highest-ranking individuals in this world.
If an ordinary person said this, one could say, “You don’t have the authority to do that”—but Cardinals truly had the authority. And the Nine Pillar Gods, who governed the souls of the deceased and oversaw the entire world, granted them that authority.
It was akin to “divine right of kings” — although they were not monarchs, they possessed supreme authority equivalent to that of monarchs. This was also why Cardinals could govern regions in the most powerful nation in this world.
The Nine Pillar Gods who granted them authority did not specify the exact scope of this power.
As long as their actions could be justified, they could act freely.
Until they completely overstepped, and the Nine Pillar Gods withdrew their authorization.
In other words, the only supervisors of a Cardinal’s actions were their own conscience and morality. They had no way of knowing the Nine Pillar Gods’ specific judgments or scoring, and could only rely on their feelings; moreover, there was no reference value, as the Nine Pillar Gods’ evaluation standards even varied. Different Cardinals, while all in the Church, drew their authorization from different sources.
With this in mind, Eivass once again realized something—
…The Path of Devotion did not necessarily mean being a “good person.”
In a sense, devotees were perhaps the most cruel.
Because they sometimes knew they were doing evil… but resolutely carried on for the ultimate good.
The most terrifying were not the wicked who did evil, but the wicked who firmly believed they were doing good.
As the atmosphere in the living room grew heavy, Pure White clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s, especially Eivass’s, attention. “All right, this matter ends here. But as an elder, I have one special request for you, Eivass…”
The young Saintess, who appeared to be in her early twenties, said this to Eivass.
“I know,” Eivass interrupted directly and replied, “I will apologize to, heal, and compensate those innocent priests who were affected by me.”
Pure White nodded with relief at Eivass’s understanding. “Although I think explaining the situation clearly would suffice. Everyone is very good-natured and knows the Art of Fire Worship; they can heal themselves quickly… The key is attitude. As long as you are not too proud, thinking you are superior, and leave without explanation after hurting someone.
“But you can handle the specifics as you see fit. If you don’t understand something, or if you encounter any other trouble, you can come ask me, or you can find Cardinal Matilda.”
“Yes,” Eivass nodded in agreement.
“The entire Controlled Fire will be investigated afterward, so they shouldn’t have time to trouble you. However, having said that, you still need to be cautious of their revenge… Loki still has some fanatical followers.”
Pure White cautioned.
She observed Eivass and asked, “Do you really want to learn High-Tier Divine Art?”
“…Hm? Why not?” Eivass, sensing something off about her tone, retorted, “Is there some life-threatening danger involved?”
Upon hearing this, Pure White immediately laughed. “That’s unlikely. This is the Church, after all. It won’t put you in any life-threatening danger.”
—That’s not necessarily true, Eivass thought.
He had been in the Church for less than three days, and he had already encountered so many incidents.
“If you want to learn, you need to prepare yourself now,” Pure White said seriously. “High-Tier Divine Art is not as simple as some kind of extraordinary knowledge; it’s essentially a complex ritual. It’s divided into three stages. The first part is mastering the skills, the second is selecting a deity to complete a long ritual, and the third is passing the deity’s assessment and gaining recognition. The first stage alone has stopped countless people… so you don’t need to rush.
“Although your Avalon bishops are not all here yet, you can start learning in advance… I will deliver the corresponding books to you tonight. If you don’t understand anything, you can come ask me for guidance. I will be in The Eleventh Ring all this time repairing the damaged ritual mirrors, and I won’t be going anywhere. You don’t need an appointment or to make a reservation for The Eleventh Ring; you can come anytime.”
“Understood,” Eivass said with sincere gratitude.
(End of Chapter)
