Chapter 344 - 67: Declaration of Salvation
Chapter 344 - 67: Declaration of Salvation
"Hahaha... My lord, do you intend to make every realm, the entire Mortal World, kneel before you?"
Hearing Westheid’s declaration, Mephit’s body trembled with uncontrollable excitement.
Conquer the Mortal World!
The mere thought was outrageous, utterly preposterous. In the past, no one would have believed it; they would have simply scoffed.
’Don’t people understand who really calls the shots in the Mortal World? Ordinary mortal kingdoms are one thing, but the Realms of Order are paradises protected by Celestial Gods. Without the approval of a Divine Ancestor, it’s impossible to rule over a Realm of Order.’
’Gaining the approval of even one Celestial God is a miracle in itself. Did he expect to become the darling of multiple gods, an eternal Divine Chosen?’
But in this current era, with gods and mortals cut off from one another, Westheid’s words weren’t entirely baseless. He had, at the very least, proven he could carve out a place for himself in both the Radiant Holy Tree Empire and the Country of Yonglan.
As for the latter, little needed to be said—he was already the legitimate Knight King. As for the former... one only had to look at the woman pressing her delicate face to Westheid’s forehead, eyelids lowered and long, snow-white lashes fluttering, the very picture of a doting wife head over heels in love.
With Duke Qinghui’s own power, combined with Her Imperial Highness Princess, even if he couldn’t make his word law across the Empire, he was poised to control half of it in the future.
If he could then successfully gain influence over the Thousand Laws Royal Court, he might truly accomplish a Great Enterprise unprecedented in history.
"Kneel... I’m not so arrogant as to meddle with the realms built by other Celestial Gods. It’s just that even people born in a Realm of Order have the right to be naturalized."
To put it bluntly, "naturalization" was simply a change of faith. Unless one was a Transcendent already on a Celestial God Path, or the scion of a noble family serving as an official, ordinary mortals weren’t bound to worship the local Divine Ancestor of their birth-realm. They always had the choice to naturalize.
This applied to most Realms of Order, so it wasn’t considered heresy. Of course, one only had a single chance to naturalize in a lifetime. There was no faking a conversion only to repent later; such an act would get you ostracized from human society entirely.
Westheid’s goal was precisely these naturalizable mortals. He would sway and recruit as many as possible to serve as the cornerstone for establishing his own Fanatic Realm.
He couldn’t just spend hundreds or even thousands of years like the Radiant Holy Tree, waiting for his own Purity People to reproduce and grow their numbers, could he?
The Purity People weren’t ordinary humans. The birth rate of a race blessed by a Holy Spirit was pitifully low. Moreover, they had been ravaged by the Chaos Tide, causing their population to plummet to a mere million.
A Fanatic Realm, however, required at least a hundred million believers. Westheid didn’t have the patience to wait for the Purity People to multiply naturally.
"Naturalize?"
’Mephit was a little confused. She wasn’t sure if this "naturalization" meant converting to the Pure Holy Spirit, the Yonglan Riding God, or even the Radiant Holy Tree. But it didn’t really matter. While the Yonglan Knights were indeed followers of the Riding God, they never actively recruited.’
’The Path of the Knight was meant to be followed willingly, from the heart. It was a take-it-or-leave-it affair; they didn’t engage in proselytizing. Only the Imperial Citizens, she figured, would so tirelessly display their own aggressiveness, staking out territory to indoctrinate the people within.’
Duke Qinghui paused, then raised an eyebrow. "It was a metaphor, just a metaphor. The key is to make the people of the Mortal World yearn for me... for *us*. Whether it’s worship or admiration, it doesn’t matter. This is all part of a grander game! That’s why I need your wholehearted support. We’re on to big things, people. Let’s GO!"
Everyone might have interpreted Westheid’s words differently, but they all clearly understood his ultimate goal.
Yolanda, Mephit, and the others all voiced their trust in the grand game Westheid was playing.
"No matter what, please give us your orders. We will follow all of your instructions and arrangements to help you achieve your grand undertaking."
"Good."
As for Reiya and Mivana, that went without saying. Though neither was Westheid’s subordinate, their resolve to stand by their lover was more unshakable than that of any of his loyal followers.
Only the Pure Holy Spirit pouted and stated her condition:
"West wants to bring the Thousand Laws Ceremony here? That thing... it’s like defacing and reshaping the entire Purity Forest. I’m not happy about it at all!"
Back then, Emperor Qianlu blanketed the entire Land of Rhythm with the Ceremony, completely transforming its Magic Power environment. If that happened in the Purity Forest, the changes would be even more drastic.
"I am sorry... but my mind is made up. No amount of complaining will change that. The most I can do is offer you some compensation."
Although the deed to the Purity Forest had already been transferred to Westheid, the white-haired girl still had permanent residency rights. She was also a crucial ally helping Duke Qinghui secure his home base, so it was understandable that she’d complain about the "renovations."
As if she had been waiting for this very moment, the Pure Holy Spirit’s exquisitely beautiful face lit up with excitement, and she blurted out without a second thought:
"Ehehe, in that case, not only do I want to watch the ’tutoring,’ I want to get a little closer... and help out personally."
’Of course. What else could I expect from her?’
Westheid laughed in exasperation. "I knew it... Those maids got off too lightly. Just what kind of ’knowledge’ have they been teaching you?!"
"So, can I? Pleeease... West!"
The Pure Holy Spirit grabbed Westheid’s arm and shook it vigorously.
"...Fine."
The dinner with his confidants lasted until midnight. After it ended, Westheid remained in the Holy Land and, to grant the Pure Holy Spirit’s wish, held a "small get-together." The participants were Reiya, Mivana, Yolanda, and Mephit. Each of these four women possessed her own unique talents, each was filled with astonishing competitive spirit, and their skills and patience were sure to bring Duke Qinghui a very special kind of surprise!
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