Chapter 2063: Prophet
I asked Illyret, and according to her, among the fellow believers of Mannan she knew, there were French people, Vikings, Merfolk, Vampires, and even Orcs.
Such a motley crew of believers generally led to only one outcome: a very dispersed church structure. I had observed the characteristics of various religions, and the more unified the belief, the more stable the church structure.
First, there are monotheistic religions. A single God concentrates faith, and a simple system is easier for believers to understand, making missionary work faster and dividing it into a simple hierarchical structure.
Next, the believers’ composition is best if they are of the same race, the purer the better. Not only the same race, but even sub-races are divided. For instance, Dark Elves, Dark Elf, and High Elf. Although their myths and legends are common, the gods they believe in are different.
A church composed purely of a single race would be more united, more devout, and more steadfast. Don’t think that the same faith can unite everyone; that’s impossible. Let alone different races and sub-races, even different ethnicities are very difficult to unite.
This is why the Beelzebub Church was the supreme state religion when it was a Canaanite god, but became a scattered mess when the faith spread to various races. It is also why the Orthodox Church and Protestantism emerged from the strictly structured Christian Church, all because of this reason.
The higher the purity, the firmer the faith, and the more united the internal structure. Therefore, large-scale orthodox religions are actually a process of purification, with believers within being die-hard loyalists.
A god like Mannan, to whom any race responds, would certainly not have a unified church. In fact, it was just as I suspected.
Illyret said that although Mannan’s believers were spread all over the world and he was recognized as a True God in many countries, allowing free preaching, there was still no authoritative church or leader.
However, I heard from Illyret that the Sea God Mannan had a Demigod among the living, and it was a girl. Although she had strong appeal and could rally the Mannan believers with a single call, she still could not unify the scattered believers of various races across different regions.
Such a loose church has its advantages. First, there are not so many strict constraints, not so many rigid rules and regulations, and no suffocating hierarchical relationships.
Take Illyret herself, for example. Without the merit of guidance, she might never have become a Holy Grail Maiden. But she only served as a navigator a few times and smoothly became a Sea God Priestess, able to use various Divine Spells granted by the Sea God.
Navigating ships is a widely spread method of practice for Mannan’s believers, as are diving for fish, swimming, and engaging in pirate or maritime adventure activities. These are all ways to please Mannan and obtain Divine Favor, and this Knowledge is publicly circulated.
“So that’s how it is, I understand. I wanted to ask, can you make some scrolls of those Sea God Divine Spells for me to buy?” I inquired.
“Huh?” Illyret had just spent a lot of effort explaining everything from the history of the church to the methods of practice, but the other party was only interested in Divine Spells?
“The price is negotiable. I can offer ten gold coins per scroll, or you can choose to settle with diamonds,” I said, which was already a very high market price.
“So, is your purpose really just to buy Divine Spell scrolls?” Illyret asked somewhat speechless, feeling that all her previous explanations were in vain.
“If I’m going to convince Older Brother Jayad to join the church, you have to give me some benefit, right? Besides, I’m not taking advantage of you. Selling Divine Spell scrolls is a normal business for the church,” I said.
“Okay, how many do you want? I can make seven or eight, but let me tell you beforehand, my level as a Sea God Priestess is only introductory, so I can’t make very advanced scrolls,” Illyret sighed.
“Seven or eight isn’t enough. I hope for at least a hundred, and preferably intermediate and advanced Divine Spells that can be used in actual combat. The price is negotiable,” I said.
“A hundred?! I understand, you want to do business, right? Well, you’ve coincidentally met me. The first stop of the cruise ship is the Balearic Islands, where we happen to have a Mannan church. I can introduce you there, but whether you can reach a transaction is up to you,” Illyret said helplessly.
“Excellent, thank you. I will talk to Older Brother properly,” I said, standing up and toasting with Illyret. I drank the Blue Beauty in one gulp before pushing the door open.
“Parul, how did the discussion go?” Older Brother Jayad asked, standing up.
“Mhm, it went very well. I’ve already agreed to get Older Brother Jayad to join the church,” I said with a smile.
“Oh, oh, that’s good… Huh? Parul, you agreed?” Older Brother Jayad’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, she agreed to sell me Sea God scrolls, so Older Brother, please bear with it,” I chuckled.
“Hey!” Older Brother Jayad angrily tapped my head. He had just refused, only for his Younger Sister to sell him out.
“Ouch! It was just a joke, Older Brother. It’s like this: even if we don’t agree, she’ll keep pestering us. You know how fervent they are about Divine Revelations. It’s better to agree, and I’ve already made arrangements.”
I leaned closer to Older Brother Jayad’s ear and told him the win-win solution we had discussed. Older Brother Jayad’s expression finally improved considerably.
“But, is this really okay?” Older Brother Jayad still hesitated.
“What’s not to like? Anyway, you have a lot of Divine Power on you now. As I said, having more skills doesn’t hurt. Besides, that Priestess might be useful,” I said, my voice getting softer and softer until I was almost muttering.
“What did Parul want to say?” Older Brother Jayad asked confusedly.
“No, nothing,” I shook my head. I thought of the second level of the Lady of the Lake Church’s Priestess, the Lake God Prophet. Legend had it that Lake God Prophets possessed a certain ability to predict the future.
I had always been curious why Older Brother Jayad received the favor of so many gods. When observation yielded no results, I naturally thought of Occultism.
But I soon discovered that Older Brother Jayad, like me, was immune to divination. Unlike me, who seemed to be specifically protected by some high-dimensional being (likely Beelzebub), Older Brother Jayad’s destiny seemed too complex and intertwined, with multiple Divine Powers interfering, making it difficult to calculate accurate information.
But if Illyret could become Older Brother Jayad’s exclusive priestess, like the custom in the Lady of the Lake Church, and become his guiding prophetess, then it might be possible to calculate Older Brother Jayad’s future?
