Chapter 605

【 CHURCH REFORM AND RESTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM 】

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Hearing Alice’s words, Eve fell into deep thought.

The question of appointing a High Priest and the formal restitution of the Elven Kingdom…

After a brief pause, her attention returned to the blond maiden standing across from her.

“Alice, have you ever considered becoming the High Priestess?”

A religious leader is the true god’s representative in the material world.

Although Eve often intervened in church affairs under the guise of Zero, her original intention was merely to have a identity that could move freely and to address certain issues that the elves were unable to handle when they lacked the strength or means to resolve such crises.

The thought of officially becoming her own representative—a god acting as both ruler and emissary—had never once entered her plans.

Nor had she found the idea particularly appealing.

After all, the very reason for appointing figures such as popes or high priests was to ensure the smooth spread of one’s faith and to maintain order within its structure. These leaders existed to carry out the god’s will, to manage the faithful, and to safeguard the doctrine’s influence in the mortal realm.

A religious leader was, in truth, the most efficient and reliable instrument through which a deity could govern their church. They stood at the forefront, dealing with the countless mundane matters that would otherwise consume the god’s attention.

So if she were to serve simultaneously as the elves’ patron deity and as their High Priestess, it would strip away the very purpose of such a position.

To be perfectly frank, the arrangement would be meaningless as it is little more than assigning herself extra burdens for no practical gain.

It would be the equivalent of creating a position, only to fill it herself, and then drowning in work she had no real need to handle in the first place.

It would be far simpler to maintain the current arrangement, in which she issued divine oracles directly to Alice and exercised control over the church in this manner.

That being said, it is indeed necessary to distinguish between the Saints and the religious leader at this point.

If the religious leader is the god’s representative, serving as the highest authority and administrator of the church, then the Saints is the direct bridge of communication between the god and the church.

While a religious leader can also receive divine guidance through prayer, in most cases they are not nearly as close to the god as the Saints.

This is because each church selects its Saints from among its most devout believers.

Although Saints may lack the administrative skills required of a religious leader, they can communicate directly with the god and convey the god’s instructions.

From this perspective, even though the Saint is not the church’s leader, her unique ability to directly communicate with the god grants her an exalted position in every church.

In most churches, the Saintess stands almost equal in rank to the religious leader and can even sway the outcome of major decisions within the faith.

However, those are the norms of a well-structured institution.

The current management system of Eve’s Church of Life could hardly be called “normal.”

Alice, as the Saintess, had become far more than a symbolic figure. Tireless and ever-present, she moved ceaselessly between responsibilities such as mediating church matters, addressing the believers concerns, and even taking on the unusual task of overseeing the players, which a role no traditional Saint would ever be expected to perform. ṙÀℕỔ𐌱Ëꞩ

Meanwhile, Eve, under the guise of Zero, had gradually stepped into the space typically reserved for a religious leader. Through repeated involvement in church affairs, she had cultivated an air of authority that rivaled any high-ranking cleric. And because she frequently issued oracles in this guise, she had even taken on part of the Saintess’s own sacred duties, blurring the lines between the two roles until they were no longer clearly defined.

As a result, the duties traditionally reserved for the High Priestess had, in practice, been split between Alice and her all this time, with Evé even absorbing certain aspects of the Saintess’s role along the way.

Eve’s decisive nature, coupled with Alice’s gentle willingness to accommodate, had led to an unintended shift in everyone’s perception. Within the Church of Life, the authority of “Zero the Godwarden” had quietly, yet steadily, grown to eclipse even some of the formal offices.

In short, the chain of command was pure chaos.

Now that Alice had brought up the matter of the High Priestess, Evé gave it careful thought and concluded that it was indeed the right time to settle this issue.

She was satisfied with Alice’s handling of things, and the roles of Saintess and religious leader are not inherently incompatible.

In the past, Eve frequently involved herself in church matters because the elves’ traditional thinking could be overly rigid, requiring her to personally make key decisions.

Moreover, the game system had also not been fully developed yet, and only Eve, who understood everything, could maintain control over the larger picture.

Now, however, the situation had shifted.

The elves rigid thinking had undergone a subtle yet profound transformation, their society growing stronger and more self-sufficient. The game system, once in its unstable infancy, now operated with increasing stability and efficiency.

For the first time in a long while, Evé felt she could finally allow herself to ease her grip on direct control.

After weighing the matter carefully, she resolved to place the full responsibility in Alice’s hands.

It was, after all, the wisest course.

A true god was never meant to remain entangled in the daily mundane governance anyway. Her role was to guide from afar, to inspire faith, and to act only when truly necessary. Gradually stepping back into that distant, exalted position was not merely prudent—it was the natural order of things.

Even when acting as Zero, she should serve only as a combatant or divine envoy.

Hearing Eve’s words, Alice was slightly taken aback.

She gave a faint, bitter smile, then shook her head.

“Lady Zero, you overestimate me. As the Church of Life has grown, I have increasingly realized that I am not suited to be its leader.”

“But you have done well so far, have you not?” Evé replied.

“That is only because I have had your guidance and the help of the Chosen Ones.”

Alice sighed.

After speaking, she paused, her expression becoming solemn.

“More importantly, as our church expands, I believe the time has come to rebuild a complete and well-structured religious organization.”

A complete and well-structured religious organization…

Evé reflected on this.

Since her awakening as the World Tree, although she had rebranded the Church of Nature to its current state and gathered the elves, a fully developed organizational structure had never truly been established.

While the Church of Life now had an increasing number of clerics, along with a group of devout priests, its management and hierarchy were still quite disorganized.

Not to mention the duties of the priests, the standards for promotion, and the management of believers—all of these were still being handled in a rather crude fashion.

The only notable accomplishment was the revised Holy Codex of Life, which were written by the players.

This lack of a coherent framework was not limited to the church as it permeated elven society as a whole. What existed now was a loose, almost provisional arrangement that functioned well enough for daily life but lacked the solidity of a true governing system.

For instance, centered primarily around main cities such as Florence and Kenorland, the elves had clustered into settlements that resembled independent city-states.

Day-to-day administration in this places was either managed by the Church of Life or entrusted to respected senior elven elders. Yet no unified political structure had formed, no central authority capable of binding the cities together under a single banner.

The reasons for this were clear.

First, the elves’ population remained too small to justify the creation of a fully developed state apparatus, whether ecclesiastical or secular. Second, the sudden arrival of players had reshaped the very fabric of elven society, altering its hierarchy, customs, and even its ecological balance.

In the early days, when the elven population was still small and the playerbase remained modest, a simple church hierarchy paired with a basic administrative framework was more than enough to keep the Elven Faction’s affairs running smoothly.

However, as the number of elves steadily increased and the public beta brought in a flood of new players, the system began to buckle under the weight of its own growth.

The warning signs were obvious to anyone paying attention.

The overcrowding of Chosen City stood as one of the most glaring examples. Streets once quiet and orderly became congested, resources stretched thin, and governance grew more complicated with every passing day.

Eve’s decision to allow players to establish their own cities was not only due to the limitations of productivity in Chosen City as it was also because the current church administration could not keep up with the mounting demands. Hence by encouraging the players to branch out and form new settlements, she was also fostering new leadership structures to emerge organically rather than forcing everything to flow through a single, overburdened hub.

After sorting out her thoughts, Evé spoke.

“So… what you mean is that we should formally appoint a High Priest and further improve the church of life’s organizational structure?”

“Exactly. That is precisely what I wished to say, and I believe you, Lady Zero are more than capable of fulfilling this leadership role,” Alice replied with quiet confidence.

Me?

I think not.

Why would I want that when all I really want is to slack off…

Evé muttered to herself inwardly, her lips twitching in mild exasperation at the very thought.

After a moment of contemplation, she finally said aloud,

“The Church of Life does indeed need proper reform. However, I have no intention of becoming its High Priestess.”

“Why not?” Alice asked, her expression tinged with both curiosity and concern.

“Too lazy.”

Evé shrugged, utterly unbothered.

Alice: “…”

Ah, was I too blunt?

The poor girl looks utterly dumbfounded.

The silence between them lingered for a few seconds before Evé broke it, her voice turning thoughtful.

“What do you think… of Thranduil?”

“Thranduil?” Alice repeated, momentarily taken aback as if she had not expected the name to come up in this discussion.

She hesitated before replying, “I beg your pardon but… Lord Thranduil has of late been spending far too much time in the company of many female Chosen Ones. As such, his reputation among our clansmen has grown rather… delicate, to say the least.”

After saying this, she lowered her head, her voice tinged with guilt.

“Alas, it is my fault for failing to guide the young lord properly. It seems he has picked up some rather questionable habits from the Chosen Ones…”

Hearing Alice’s words, Eve’s expression grew peculiar.

She vividly recalled her last encounter with Thranduil when she had delivered an oracle to him in Sandstorm City. At the time, he had been surrounded by a crowd of coquettish female players, basking in their attention as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

That fellow… he had clearly been led astray.

True, his capabilities were not lacking, yet he could hardly be called a traditional elf. If anything, he resembled a cunning, black-bellied, overpowered protagonist disguised in elven skin.

If Evé had not, back when the first wave of players arrived, removed their ability to engage in ‘indecent’ behavior, then perhaps Thranduil might have already built himself a harem among the players…

In a certain sense, it was quite an eyesore.

After all, Thranduil was not just any elf.

He was of royal blood.

Quite frankly, he probably had the NPC protection system to thank for not being collectively “dealt with” by jealous male players for his antics.

So, appointing him as High Priest… well, that was a decision requiring far more than a passing thought, no matter how competent he might be.

No, Thranduil was clearly unsuitable.

After pondering for a moment, another name surfaced in Eve’s mind.

“What about Taylor?”

“Taylor?” Alice repeated, momentarily surprised, though she quickly understood whom Evé meant.

Taylor Rocksand.

He was the first elf to purify his bloodline from Ouros and also the very first to attain priesthood from that demirealm. His devotion was beyond question, for he was an ardent fanatical believer of the Goddess. Yet, unlike many traditional elves, he lacked their overly rigid and conservative mindset.

In fact, although he was born in Ouros, Taylor harbored a deep appreciation for elven culture. After purifying his bloodline, he adapted swiftly to life among the native elves of Seigües, embracing their traditions with enthusiasm rather than mere politeness.

At present, he served as a senior high-ranking priest overseeing the Church of Life’s operations in Ouros, and his work there had been nothing short of exemplary. Under his stewardship, the region’s church affairs were conducted with remarkable order and efficiency.

Unexpectedly, he was a natural-born leader.

The thought stirred Alice’s heart.

The most important quality for a church’s religious leader was not merely piety, but the ability to govern and organize with precision.

In that regard, the candidate Lady Zero had proposed truly seemed like a worthy choice.

If there was any drawback, it was that Taylor’s foundation was still too shallow, and his reputation not yet strong enough.

To become the High Priest, one must possess a certain degree of prestige in order to command respect.

“Taylor is certainly capable, but his reputation among the clan seems insufficient for the role of our religious leader. His strength is also somewhat lacking,” Alice admitted after careful thought.

Although Taylor’s strength had increased rapidly after becoming a true elf, he currently had not yet reached the Silver rank. By comparison, several elves within the Elven Forest had already achieved that milestone, and their influence was considerable.

“Taylor’s reputation and strength will not be an issue,” Evé replied with quiet confidence. “As long as Her Divine Grace approves, such matters can be easily resolved. All we need is how to present him to the general public, and the rest will naturally fall into place since its the will of the Goddess.”

Alice hesitated briefly, then inclined her head. “Indeed… if Her Grace approves of his appointment, then none will stand in the way.”

The more Evé reflected on the matter, the more certain she became. Taylor’s abilities, personality, and adaptability all aligned perfectly with what the Church of Life needed.

By this point, she had all but made her decision—Taylor was the one.

In hindsight, only the kind and pure-hearted elves could accept such a decision so easily. If it were another faction, an “outsider” like Taylor would likely never be accepted as a leader of their faith.

“Then Taylor it is. I will report this matter to Her Grace, and everything will be decided by the Goddess,” Evé said.

Alice voiced no further objection.

After a brief pause for consideration, the Saintess continued, “Furthermore, I believe the old organizational framework of the Church of Nature is no longer suitable for the present-day Church of Life. The arrival of the Chosen Ones has already reshaped much of our structure and customs. If we are to implement reform, it would be unwise to simply restore what was. Instead, we should build upon what exists now, creating a new system that harmonizes both elves and the Chosen Ones.”

Her eyes grew thoughtful as she went on, “The Chosen Ones are remarkably resourceful. As before, we could mobilize their talents through the issuing of tasks or quests, using their enthusiasm and creativity to strengthen the Church’s reach. By refining our current model rather than discarding it, I believe we can achieve an efficient balance.”

Evé nodded in approval, quietly noting that Alice’s phrasing and ideas were beginning to sound uncannily like someone from Earth.

“Having the Chosen Ones participate is indeed a wise approach,” Evé agreed. “The revised Holy Codex of Life they rewritten turned out far better than I had expected. However, such a change still requires the blessing of Her Grace. Only the Goddess herself can truly ignite the Chosen Ones’ fervor and ensure their dedication.”

“I was thinking the same,” Alice replied with a gentle, knowing smile.

Evé nodded again.

“Then it is decided. That concludes the second matter. As for the formal restitution of the Elven Kingdom… our current population is still far from sufficient, yet it is not too early to begin laying the groundwork.”

In her mind, the vision was already taking shape. The half-elven humans of Ouros would inevitably have their bloodlines purified, whether gradually or in rapid waves. The process was under her control, and she could hasten it at will. While the number of true elves was modest now, it was only a matter of time before their growth became exponential.

Under favorable conditions, the population could soar to nearly three million.

As for the players, their numbers would be far greater still.

In truth, Evé already counted them as part of the elven faction’s population.

The game “Elven Kingdom” was thriving on Earth, and she had always intended for it to run indefinitely. She had even prepared for the possibility that, upon a player’s death, any willing soul could be brought here to the Realm of Seigües, reborn into a new body, and become a true elf.

Of course, as of now, none of the hundreds of thousands of players on Earth had died. Whether their memories would be retained after death, and if so, whether any restrictions would be applied, was a separate matter entirely.

One thing, however, was certain.

With the development of the Elven Faction, Eve believed that if the elves were to formally reinstate their Kingdom, there would be no need to build it as a “kingdom” in the old sense.

Historically, the old Elven Kingdom had been built around a royal dynasty, with authority concentrated in the monarchy. The Church of Nature had arisen later, an organic movement born of devotion to the World Tree. Over time, it gained the recognition of the previous World Tree and became the cornerstone of elven civilization.

Now, however, the situation was very different.

Religion and royal authority have always been in opposition, constantly at odds.

Evé had not thought deeply about this in the past, but now she realized that for a true god, a theocratic state was in fact the ideal form of governance.

Of course, this was not a universal rule. Among humans, with their multitude of gods and competing churches, such unity was impossible on a large scale. At best, small theocratic kingdoms survived in isolated corners.

The elves, however, were different.

They acknowledged only one divine sovereign—Eve herself.

This made them uniquely suited for a unified theocracy where faith and governance were one and the same.

Furthermore, if she could fully bind the game system into her network of faith, the resulting structure would grant her an even firmer hold over the players, blending spiritual authority with system control.

Naturally, all this would have to wait until the church’s structure was further perfected.

With this thought in mind, Eve concluded, “As for the restitution of the Elven Kingdom… there is no need to rush. We need to perfectly reform the church’s structure first. Once our population have swelled and our foundation is solid enough, then we shall pray to Her Grace for guidance, and from there, allow the Goddess’s will to guide us forward.”

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