For the inhabitants of the Star Capital, today was definitely not a good day. The old emperor had passed away, the Empire and the Church had officially gone to war, and with the great battles against the believers and Elisa, nearly half of the Star Empire’s capital had been destroyed. King’s Avenue, the most renowned thoroughfare in the capital, was now nothing but ruins. The houses and shops along the road had been reduced to ashes, enough to show how fierce the fighting had been and how ferocious the Church believers and Elisa became once they bared their fangs.
Of course, most people conveniently overlooked the fact that the vast majority of this destruction had actually been caused single-handedly by Ye Chui.
Intelligence brokers lurking in the shadows swiftly used their fastest channels to spread news of what had happened here in all directions. Wandering bards and singers began composing lyrics to describe this event that was bound to be epoch-making.
More residents returned to their homes after the fighting ended, only to find everything destroyed. Grief and rage boiled over, and they vented it all upon the Church. They gave no thought to whether there had been any conspiracy or whether the Empire had provoked it first. The old emperor was dead, and he had died before the battle even began. The capital had suffered such terrible devastation. Any other explanation was pointless now.
It was all the Church’s fault!
The fury of the Star Empire’s people had never burned so fiercely. Enraged citizens even spontaneously organised themselves and stormed into churches, frantically smashing everything inside.
In this world without science, people needed faith. The Church had always tried to bring the citizens of the Star Empire under their belief system. Yet the emperors of the Empire had spent generations resisting that faith. It was rather like the world Ye Chui had come from: Buddhism and Daoism had once flourished, but when national leaders denied faith, the people were deeply influenced.
When it came to religion, the Star Empire resembled pre-traversal China. Buddhism and Daoism existed, but believers were few. Some people remained ambivalent, and temples had long since become mere tools for making money.
When such precarious faiths did something to enrage the populace, they could be torn down in an instant.
The lifelong undertaking of the old emperor and Prince Geller had finally begun to bear fruit today, and thanks to Ye Chui’s interference, the result far exceeded their expectations.
…
The old emperor sat atop a high tower, gazing down at the battered capital. A trace of relief showed on his face, mingled with far more heartache. In some respects, he regarded the Empire as his own flesh and blood. He had chosen to sacrifice himself to ignite the people’s anger, yet he had never imagined the capital would suffer such catastrophic damage. Whether intentional or not, Ye Chui had given the Empire’s war against the Church an even more righteous justification.
“Casualties are not heavy. Ye Chui controlled it well and evacuated most of the citizens. The current situation is the best possible outcome for us,” an old man suddenly said in a low voice, appearing beside the emperor.
This elderly man was not a great magician. Although a long sword hung at his waist, his withered, gaunt frame hardly looked like that of a swordsman. Yet he had materialised beside the emperor without warning.
A flicker of excitement crossed his dry, thin face. The emperor, whom everyone had believed would die, had survived. He could not help feeling fortunate and overjoyed.
This old man had always remained inconspicuous, an aged attendant at the emperor’s side. Ye Chui and the others had seen him before but paid him no attention. In truth, he was one of the emperor’s hidden trump cards, unknown even to the Church.
Beneath that frail body lay the power of a half-step Sword Saint.
Were it not for the rules restricting the Kastello Continent, he might long ago have taken that final step and become a true Sword Saint.
During the earlier battle between Elisa and Ye Chui, he had stayed concealed in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. In the end, he never got the chance. Although he judged that Ye Chui’s strength and realm still fell short of Elisa’s, and that even he himself would have had a good chance of killing Ye Chui if he tried, Elisa had ultimately been toyed with and finished off by Ye Chui.
It made him realise that power was not solely a matter of realm and strength. Ideas mattered too.
“Then let us proceed with the plan,” the old emperor continued. “Begin purging all the Church forces hidden within the Empire. The border guards must also stay vigilant against any Church counter-attack!”
He and Prince Geller had used Ye Chui’s pretended status as an illegitimate son precisely to lure out those hidden Church elements. During that operation, although not all of them had taken the bait, enough clues and traces had been revealed. With the arrangements Prince Geller had long prepared, they could now root them out completely.
“As for me, from now on I will truly be a dead man,” the old emperor added.
“Your Majesty, the Empire still needs you. You can control everything from the shadows,” the mysterious attendant said softly.
“Jacob will be a capable emperor. The war with the Church may drag on for a long time. I have already arranged everything. Perhaps it is time I had a proper rest,” the old emperor replied with a smile.
He beckoned to the attendant. “Come and help me up. My legs are still weak and I cannot stand. That Ye Chui is outrageous. At my age, making me skydive from that height nearly stopped my old heart!”
…
Debbie and the others had all landed safely moments ago. Apart from the old emperor whose legs were still shaky, everyone else declared it thrilling and said they would not mind doing it again. Now they had gathered together. Ye Chui confirmed that all his companions were unharmed, felt relieved, then put on an expression of deep grief and began mourning the old emperor’s death.
Everyone fell silent in sorrow.
The aged and frail Grand Scholar, supported by his apprentice, tottered forward and was the first to kneel before Jacob. “His Majesty Jacob the First!”
As expected from an old fox who had survived decades in high-level politics, the Grand Scholar might be elderly, but his mind remained sharp.
Seeing him take the lead, the others promptly knelt in a chorus of sobs and cries, including Prince Geller and Sheral. “Your Majesty!” “His Majesty Jacob the First!”
Among them all, only Ye Chui remained standing.
Although Jacob was now emperor, he had once started as a lowly worker in Ye Chui’s guild. Ye Chui felt that, as guild president, he had his dignity and would not kneel.
Jacob naturally did not force Ye Chui. When he noticed several imperial guards glaring at Ye Chui with displeasure, he hurried over, took Ye Chui’s hand, and made a point of showing Ye Chui’s special status.
These actions instantly raised Ye Chui’s standing several notches higher.
…
The battle with Elisa had taken place in the afternoon. By the time Prince Geller had arranged temporary accommodation for residents whose homes had been destroyed, night had fallen. Church believers attempted a counter-attack but were easily crushed by the black-armoured guards. The grand cathedral was swiftly occupied by them.
Some believers tried to flee. They incited riots among the faithful to cover their escape. Although the Star Empire had always maintained an ambiguous attitude towards the Church, every nation still had a portion of people who truly believed in the gods. Their eyes had long been blinded by Church doctrine. However, such people were ultimately a minority. Under Prince Geller’s methodical plans, these believers were quickly arrested and thrown into the imperial dungeons for interrogation.
Proclamations expelling the Church from every city spread rapidly. The entire Empire was immersed in grief over the old emperor’s death, fear of breaking with the Church and going to war, and hope in the ascension of the new emperor.
Of course, many people were also jubilant because of Ye Chui. This man had killed a Cardinal Archbishop!
The new emperor’s coronation ceremony would take place in the coming days, but that evening a simple banquet was held in the palace. Guild presidents and mercenary commanders who had participated in the battle were all invited. The undoubted star of the banquet was Ye Chui.
Even standing beside the new emperor, this young man did not dim in the slightest. Everyone remembered that the new emperor had once been his lowly worker. Although Jacob was already beginning to display some imperial majesty when facing ministers and powerhouses, in Ye Chui’s presence he remained deferential and humble.
Even though Ye Chui currently held no title or official position, within the Empire he stood second only to the emperor.
“Mr Ye Chui…” The Grand Scholar, whose body trembled as though he might collapse at any moment, approached with his apprentice’s support the moment Ye Chui finished speaking with several guild presidents.
“Master Pashir, is there something you need?” Ye Chui felt little reverence for the old man’s status, only the ordinary respect due to an elder.
“Mr Ye Chui, it has been more than five thousand years since the gods fell. Mortal empires have risen and fallen without cease. From my study of historical records, one truth is clear. An empire cannot exist without faith,” he said.
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Ye Chui frowned at the Grand Scholar’s words.
“No, no…” Seeing Ye Chui’s expression, Pashir hurriedly waved his hands, looking flustered. “You misunderstand me. The Church must be punished. Their faith is heresy and must be eradicated. I absolutely do not mean to excuse their crimes!” He made his stance clear before continuing. “However… although we reject the Church, we could create a new church, a faith in gods that does not interfere with imperial authority. Imperial rule can bind people physically, while faith can bind their spirits and souls.”
After a pause, a glint appeared in the Grand Scholar’s aged, cloudy eyes. “I have read some ancient texts. The God of Gods did exactly that in the past. Before his rise, he established his own church.”
The Grand Scholar’s words left Ye Chui momentarily stunned. He looked at the old man with surprise.
He was shocked because he had always carefully concealed his connection to the God clan and had never admitted that he had received their favour. Yet this Grand Scholar seemed to have seen through it clearly.
And his proposal astonished Ye Chui even more.
Establish his own church? Have people worship him? His predecessor had done precisely that!
Come to think of it, Resha had obtained the scripture of the Goddess of Faith, and the object of worship in that scripture was none other than the God of Gods. Faith was a matter of the heart, a mysterious spiritual force. If he could learn how to gather the power of faith and channel it into himself, if he built a following, then perhaps he really could gain strength surpassing that of ordinary great magicians or swordsmen.
This was the path to godhood!
The idea was extremely tempting.
For the rest of the evening, Ye Chui kept pondering the Grand Scholar’s words. He decided to find a chance to discuss it properly with Resha and Celty, to see how feasible it would be to establish his own church. If people worshipped him, how would he collect that faith power into himself? The God clan possessed eternal life and wondrous rule-based powers. Was that because the power of faith had elevated them to divinity?
However, while Ye Chui was lost in thought, he kept feeling he had forgotten something.
Only when he returned to the castle and saw Celty did it finally hit him.
“Hey!” Celty said to Ye Chui. “What are you planning to do with that idiot goddess Aqua? She’s still locked up in the Necropolis, hiding in a cave, shivering and crying herself unconscious several times. I couldn’t stand watching it any longer. I just sent her some food and bedding…”
Ye Chui: “Bloody hell…”
