Darkstone Code

Among the two priests, one is older and the other is younger, both wearing somewhat similar attire.

A kind of cloak similar to what ancient clergy wore, with loose shoulder coverings, a garment that looks like a long skirt, a simple waist tie, some mysterious patterns and decorations on the clothes, and most importantly, a hood.

They are barefoot, walking on a clean floor that reflects faces, leaving a dusty footprint with each step, but they don't seem to care or mind, at least in some ways, they do have certain characteristics.

"Mr. Lynch, do you believe in God?"

The older priest looked at Lynch, his eyes cloudy, yet with an indescribable power within them, "Do you believe in our God?"

The gazes of the two priests fell on Lynch, just as Mikhail wanted the Director of the Police Station to test Lynch's attitude, they too wanted to know Lynch's views on the religion of Nagariel, their deity.

This is a very important test. In the past many years, among those coming to Nagariel from the outside, some were atheists, insisting on not believing in any deity, which is entirely contrary to the religious teachings of Nagariel. These people are blasphemers.

Some others believe in gods, but they only believe that the deities they worship are existent and righteous; all others are evil gods. This is even more terrible than atheists, as they directly deny the indigenous religious teachings and taint the sanctity of the gods.

Testing thus becomes important, especially since Nagariel is a nation of religious divine authority, where the sanctity of God is beyond question and indisputable.

After hearing this, Lynch nodded without hesitation, "I believe!"

His decisiveness stunned the two priests slightly; they had prepared some arguments, but now they were evidently unnecessary.

They initially intended to use some facts to convince Lynch if he said "I don't believe," but now these arguments were useless, which made the atmosphere a bit awkward.

In the awkwardness, silence lasted for about four or five seconds, and more expressions appeared on the older priest's face. He slightly nodded, "Mr. Lynch, even though you say you believe, I think..."

"You haven't been exposed to our religion, haven't read our teachings, have no understanding of the great deity we worship. Can you tell me why you have such thoughts?"

His expression gradually became more serious, "A deity is omnipotent; you can deceive me, but you cannot deceive it!"

Religious issues, issues of faith, are very serious matters for some special individuals, one could even say these people exist around these things.

They might not pursue some other issues, but they adhere strictly to some rigid requirements regarding faith.

Lynch's quick declaration of belief made the two priests somewhat suspicious, questioning whether Lynch truly believes or is merely trying to deceive them.

Faith cannot be reserved; it cannot be full of deceit—these are blasphemies against the gods.

They would rather Lynch claim to be an atheist than deceive them or deceive the gods.

In contrast to the older priest's seriousness, Lynch appeared quite relaxed, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, he asked, "How do you know I'm deceiving you? How do you know I genuinely don't believe?"

"Based on your speculation?"

Before the older priest could say anything, Lynch interrupted his opportunity to speak, "I am a theist and believe that deities truly exist. I wasn't planning to explain these issues, but your words might have a negative impact on me, so I have to correct your mistake."

"Actually, anyone capable of independent thought would understand this: every religion is an extremely large and complex system; many people study a religion for a lifetime and cannot fully delve into everything within it."

"If there were no gods in this world, where did these things come from?"

"They couldn't have come into being out of nowhere. If someone is lying, fabricating these things, leaving aside whether people have such an ability to make every aspect of a religious system so perfect, why would others believe in a fabricated false story?"

Lynch's tone carried an air of intriguing mystery, drawing people in unconsciously, "When you fabricate such an enormous lie, people would know. Those who live in your era would know that no one before you spoke of such things, so these are all false; they won't believe."

"Others won't believe, and after your death, no one will pass on your lies because everyone knows they are false. People will pass down real experiences, insights, and life understandings to the next generation, but no one will pass on lies."

"People know these things, pass down these things, indicating these things must have happened, at least people recognized they indeed happened, that's why they are passed on."

"And if you open your minds a bit more and learn about other divine systems, you'll find that some doctrines, some stories related to the gods, the contents, are not unique to you but are common and shared."

"I'm not an atheist, nor a follower of any particular faith, but I believe gods exist. In ages far removed from our knowledge, when people couldn't leave their regions, how did they cross distances that even today we consider far and record the same events?"

"Perhaps because of language, customs, and habits, we have different understandings and records of the same gods, leading to different views on some matters with the same roots and sources, but this doesn't stop me from believing gods exist."

Lynch paused his speech there, slightly tilting his head, and looked calmly at the two priests, "Do you still think I'm deceiving you?"

The older priest placed one hand on his chest and bent forward, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lynch, it was my mistake!"

Lynch graciously raised his hand in a gesture, "I forgive you. We didn't know each other before, and that unfamiliarity made us wary of each other. Now the misunderstanding is cleared up."

The older priest straightened up, nodding, "Yes..." He glanced at the younger priest beside him, who took out a red velvet pouch from his sleeve. After opening it, there lay a three-inch long, two-inch wide white plaque.

It seemed to be made from an animal bone or something else, with delicate gold thread engravings of mysterious patterns, making the plaque appear very noble.

"This is the Blessing Plaque personally imbued with Divine Power by the High Priest..." The older priest took out the plaque and handed it to Lynch, "Additionally, there will be an event next weekend, and the High Priest hopes you can attend!"

This invitation is issued formally only after confirming Lynch meets their invitation criteria; otherwise, today they might just be going through the motions. They wouldn't invite an atheist or adherents of another faith to local religious activities, as it might lead to unforeseen consequences, something they've encountered before.

The plaque they brought, made from the horn of a horned animal, represents a religious status in Nagariel. The High Priest only gives it to certain individuals as a sign of recognition.

For instance, ascetics, who prove the purity of their faith through self-torture and suffering. These people appear very lean and shabby but always display incredible power.

In the history of conflicts between Divine Authority and political power, there were times when Divine Authority fell behind, and a few times almost lost control of power.

It was these ascetics, gathered from all over Nagariel, who turned the tide at that time, stabilizing Divine Authority once more.

Since then, the local religion in Nagariel has elevated the social status of ascetics, with High Priests granting them Divine Plates to command reverence.

Their children also gained the right to education and enjoy social welfare above citizens.

But don't think becoming an ascetic is a simple task; it isn't easy. To become an ascetic requires deep understanding and mastery of doctrine and taking vows.

They must sever familial ties and connections with worldly views; the only link they can maintain is with the gods and the gods' spokesperson, the High Priest.

Then, they must choose either advanced or dynamic cultivation, though that's another matter entirely.

Holding this Divine Plate is akin to an unconventional religious aristocracy; believers in Nagariel will respect the holder.

After repeatedly thanking the two priests, Lynch saw them off, and after closing the door, he glanced at the Divine Plate on the coffee table and toyed with it in his hand for a moment.

Actually, Lynch does have faith, a true faith. He believes in wealth, believes in power, believes in mighty ships and cannons, but not gods.

However, to better integrate into this society, he needs to cloak himself in a layer of faith, though, fortunately, these people are easily deceived.

After an afternoon of rest, as dusk began to fall outside the window, Lynch and Asir arrived at a banquet specially held to welcome him.

The host was Mayor Mikhail, who invited local celebrities and tycoons, even the Provincial Governor was on his guest list.

When they say he hosted it, it's more accurate to say the Provincial Governor hosted it, just borrowing his name.

At five-thirty, a fleet of luxury cars appeared in front of the hotel. Looking at these luxury sedans, it was hard for a moment to imagine such a luxurious fleet in such a backward place, but not for Lynch, as he clearly understood the effects of wealth and power.

Sitting in the car, watching the police on bicycles or on foot outside whipping the crowd away to provide a spacious road for the fleet, and seeing those eyes filled with hatred or anger, Lynch felt unusually pleased.

He even hummed a traditional tune from Bail Federal, a victory tune!