The Sea of Instability is as its name suggests, unpredictable in both mood and fortune. When lucky, one can cross the entire sea as peacefully as the embassy of Castile; when unlucky, one might capsize just after leaving the harbor.
To prepare for setting sail, the Gray Robe had made a significant effort to acquire knowledge about navigation, and with the Avars who were prisoners aboard, the journey was relatively smooth.
Along the way, the fleet encountered several sea monsters, but Regas didn’t even need to intervene; the cannons dealt with these monsters efficiently. Enhanced by enchantments, ordinary sea monsters posed no threat to the ship’s hull. If not for the limited knowledge humans and dragons had about the ocean, Regas might have been tempted to taste what these sea monsters were like.
At this moment, the Gray Robe was gazing at Regas, who was enjoying a hearty meal in the cabin, lost in thought. Though the blue dragon is said to symbolize wisdom in legends, to the Gray Robe raised on the Solun Continent, dragons embodied either brutality or even more brutality, and Regas, in front of him, definitely had nothing to do with brutality; he even seemed… somewhat innocent.
Just as the Gray Robe was lost in his thoughts, a crisp cough came from beside him.
“Lord Gray Robe, where were we just now?”
The speaker was Bernice. Although a nun of the Lantern Dream, the current Lantern Dream resembles more of a research institution. Due to the awkward relationship between the Lantern Dream and the Central Church, the nuns of the Lantern Dream are now nominally under the Northern Border Church. Bernice, however, is more special than the other nuns, as rumors say she has a close relationship with Your Majesty the Emperor through the Sisterhood, and she has even joined the Battle Nun faction.
“Faith, the faith on the Solun Continent.”
The Gray Robe immediately sat up straight. Although he was a high-level Mage, Bernice always gave off a dangerous aura that made him feel cautious. He even thought that the forbidden knowledge Bernice possessed might surpass that of all the high-level Mages on the Solun Continent.
“I just mentioned how, after the arrival of the dragons, the faith in the Solun Continent, both official and popular, underwent tremendous changes.”
It was precisely because he discussed this that the Gray Robe had been distractedly looking at Regas beside him.
“During the most intense struggles of faith, bolstered by the dragons, those emerging sects that worshiped dragons and power quickly defeated the original faiths of the Solun Continent, leading to a strange and distorted state of belief.”
The Gray Robe promptly continued with his previous conversation. He had already organized this information for Your Majesty the Emperor of the Ror Empire, and as they were preparing to land on the Solun Continent, it was essential to clarify everything with the others, especially with Bernice, who held the highest status in the fleet.
“The Dragon Church has taken an absolute dominant position on the Solun Continent and serves as a tool for the dragons to exploit and amass wealth. Of course, the dragons themselves are not particularly concerned with worldly affairs. To my knowledge, the dragons do not actually gain much wealth from the Dragon Church; most of the wealth is embezzled by the clergy of the Dragon Church.”
After speaking, the Gray Robe glanced at Regas, who was full and contentedly licking his fingers.
“Originally, the greatest faith on the Solun Continent, the Endless Abyss, could still contend with the Dragon Church given its vast following… Rather than contend, one could say they reached a sort of cooperative relationship, mutually non-interfering.”
“However, other faiths fared much worse; most were destroyed by the dragons, and even their religious texts were completely wiped out, including the once-great faith, ‘Lord of the Morning Star.'”
Then the Gray Robe proceeded to detail these faiths to Bernice. After listening, she grasped the general idea: the Mother of the Endless governed conception and creation; with the Solun Continent’s exploration of the ocean, it extended to the authority of the sea, while the authority of the Lord of the Morning Star overlapped somewhat with that of the Goddess, similarly pointing towards light, purification, and the night sky.
Of course, the authority of the Lord of the Morning Star pales in comparison to the Goddess. Unlike the day and night alternation of the Goddess, this authority focuses primarily on the night. Moreover, the faiths on the Solun Continent are chaotic, with many overlapping aspects, unlike the M Continent where the gods have distinct roles. Bernice even felt that the divine revelations might not be real, although there were miracles, which significantly differed from the evident miracles of the M Continent that are well documented in history.
Primarily, the concern is that this continent lacks proper divine magic. While there are things similar to divine magic, they merely represent a certain specialized form of magic compared to the divine magic of the M Continent. Yet, it is also possible that true gods may indeed confer magic; this still needs thorough investigation.
The Gray Robe also had his own beliefs; he worshiped the Goddess of Magic and was a shallow devotee common among Mages, more a shield during proselytization than a true believer.
“To my knowledge, the Morning Star Church has not been completely wiped out.”
The Gray Robe continued to introduce further details to Bernice: “This is a common secret among high-level professionals who have reached a certain level on the Solun Continent. Despite being eradicated by the Dragon Church, the vast organization of the Morning Star Church still has many followers hidden in the shadows. They renamed themselves the Night Sanctuary, lurking in darkness, waiting for the right moment to act while controlling the continent’s resources behind the dragons’ backs.”
As he spoke, the Gray Robe shook his head: “The Night Sanctuary has increasingly turned into a cult. They seem to have mastered a certain secret technique; I do not even dare to call them by name on the Solun Continent, lest I be sensed by them. Even many royal members are unaware of their existence, or rather, they might know, yet it remains uncertain just how deeply the Night Sanctuary has infiltrated.”
Bernice frowned slightly; the fact that merely saying their name could trigger a response piqued her interest.
Now, Bernice, as a cyber security expert specializing in Dream Web, had a deep understanding of the Sea of Consciousness. Moreover, during this voyage, she had been permitted to carry the Divine Revelation Lantern, personally appointed by Your Majesty the Emperor. There was no harm in proselytizing; it was said that she could bring the Divine Revelation Lantern to the Solun Continent and let the Goddess see what it was like.
“Could you elaborate on how saying their name triggers a response?”
Curiously, Bernice followed up with the Gray Robe, who glanced at the bards tinkering with their instruments on the other side of the cabin. Whether it was the signaling device or the communication methods of the bards, they were unusable after leaving the coastal waters. Even the Empire’s technology could not transmit messages over the Sea of Instability; surely the Night Sanctuary could not either?
With this thought, the Gray Robe began to detail the Night Sanctuary’s so-called inability to be directly named.
The more he explained, the more Bernice formed some conjectures. This might have been a small trick related to the Sea of Consciousness and Dreams. Rather than an outright prohibition against uttering their name, it seemed that the Night Sanctuary had found a way to connect to the Sea of Consciousness, enabling them to retrieve information quickly from it. In this situation, one would only need to use a false signal to bypass detection, or even to conduct a reverse trace.
This was far removed from the genuine prohibition against naming.
Of course, these were merely speculations; one would need to face the opponent directly to get a clearer understanding of the situation. However, this only made Bernice more curious. Was the Sea of Consciousness on the Solun Continent interconnected with that of the M Continent? Could communication be established via the Sea of Consciousness with the M Continent? Bernice gazed longingly toward that continent.
