Chapter 268: The Lord Set the World’s Operation with Words

Olivia’s figure could no longer be seen. But looking at the sky, it was like the sharpest blade tearing a crack through the clouds, then rushing off into the distance.

Melia gazed in the direction of the crack in the sky. Her voice stammered slightly as she asked, “That is the direction of the Church Nation, right? She intends to cross that swamp?!”

The Sinful Swamp—just a glance from afar would make one’s head spin, as if being dragged into the abyss of sin. That was truly a place of danger, untreadable.

Even the Virtue Knights only dared pass when a path had been forcibly opened, rushing over from the Church Nation.

Leo looked up at the heavens and said, “It seems so. She doesn’t intend to detour through the Northern Kingdom. No wonder she didn’t wait for Senator Puniel’s army.”

“As expected of the bishop’s goddaughter, truly impressive.” His voice was full of admiration.

Vito said, “Enough. Instead of dwelling on this, it would be better to quickly gather those mercenaries. Melia, your wartime recruitment has already drawn together over five hundred mercenaries. Each of them is at least a Lower Warrior, dangerous fellows armed with their own weapons. They crave victory and rewards like in the war against the Werewolves.”

“Just for these men alone, the gold coins you’ll have to pay may exceed ten thousand. That’s an enormous number. You’d better think about how you’ll explain this to the bishop later.”

Melia gave Vito a glance and said, “Although Agamemnon always calls me stupid, compared to you lot, I still have a bit of brains.”

Vito’s eye twitched. Was she calling him a brainless fool?

Melia continued, “This matter is no longer just Bishop Jeven’s affair. Didn’t you see Agamemnon’s intent? He wants to punish Grand Duke Corlay in the name of the Diocese of York, and to utterly erase Blackrock Point. Moreover, this time, no Cross has been deployed.”

Vito asked, “So what does that mean?”

Melia said, “It means annihilation. It means the gold coins for these mercenaries can be directly charged to Senator Puniel, just like the war against the Werewolves, you fool.”

“Alright, I’ll go rest for a while. My head feels a bit dizzy.” With that, Melia turned and left.

Vito and Leo exchanged glances. Then Vito asked, “Did she just call the two of us fools?”

Leo immediately stepped back two paces and said, “She only called you a fool, not me.”

…

Olivia’s body was wrapped in dense magic, surging with fighting spirit as she raced across the swamp. The swamp boiled, roiling as if alive, stretching out black tentacles to seize her, trying to drag her into sin. Yet they were torn apart the instant they came near, ripped to shreds by the sharp storm of magic and fighting spirit.

Her shoulder-length golden hair streamed behind her. Her ruby-like eyes shone with unwavering determination. As she stepped out of the swamp onto the blackened earth, Olivia’s pupils trembled. Her fighting spirit burst forth, mingling with magic to form a storm of razor-sharp blades around her.

Those who had been corrupted and enslaved by this land—the Original Sin Believers—contorted their faces and tried to block her path. But they were too slow. Too slow against Olivia’s storm. She swept past like a tempest, and the storm around her shredded them instantly.

The Original Sin Believers could not stop her. She continued to charge forward.

Neither the Original Sin Believers nor the Fishmen feared the Morning Star’s radiance. In fact, even the Fishmen relied on the Morning Star’s glow to ward off Dark Creatures. Thus, the sky here remained clear.

Within the Church Nation, atop the ruins of a fortress, the narrow slit of Darks’ helmet suddenly blazed with a crimson glow. His massive frame, more imposing than a fortress, rose to its feet. He stared at the distant sky, feeling the surge of fighting spirit within it.

The departure of the Virtue Knights was a heavy blow to those in the Holy City. They all knew: compared to the inhuman Patriarch Darks, the Virtue Knights had been their true hope.

But with the Virtue Knights gone, they realized—they had been abandoned.

Abandoned by whom?

The Patriarch? The Virtue Knights? The Lord?

No. None of it mattered anymore. What mattered was only this: they had been abandoned.

Thus, in the Holy City, where the Church Nation ruled through the Holy Scriptures with iron oppression and no freedom, chaos erupted. Some directly embraced the Sacrament ritual. Some wantonly unleashed their repressed desires. Some simply abandoned the city, following in the footsteps of the Virtue Knights.

Darks did not interfere. Only when crazed knights tried to storm the Great Church did he raise his sword, destroying the cathedral and those knights together.

After that, the people of the Church Nation dared not continue their rampage within the Holy City. They cursed the Church Nation, cursed the Three Sages, cursed the Virtue Knights, cursed Patriarch Darks. They fled, preferring to fall as Original Sin Believers rather than die.

As the Holy Scriptures declared: humans longed above all for survival.

So Darks did not punish them. He simply sat in silence, waiting for the final moment of the Holy City to arrive—for that would also be his own final moment.

And so, when he saw the fighting spirit blazing across the sky outside the Holy City, Darks sat back down. He only glanced once at its direction.

“Is it someone going to the Corlay Family?” Darks’ deep voice rumbled. “Doesn’t look like they’re going with friendly intent.”

“Is it someone from the Church? Or from the Principality of Patlin? Or…” Darks did not finish. His gaze fixed ahead. Beyond the blackened land gathered several Fishman Explorers—the highest rulers among Fishmen, each commanding the lives of hundreds of thousands.

Among them now stood one even higher in status, wearing a golden crown set with flawless gems. As Olivia’s fighting spirit tore across the land, this Fishman screamed a piercing cry, and the other explorers echoed in response.

Then, countless Fishman Servants poured into the land corrupted by Original Sin. As soon as they stepped upon it, black spots marred their bodies. They went mad, and once they did, their rulers snuffed out their lives with but a thought. Their corpses blackened like soil, layering upon the land.

One layer, two layers, three layers. The Fishmen buried the corrupted land beneath mountains of their own dead servants.

“Heh. Fishmen.” Darks snorted. He would rather die at the hands of Original Sin, for that was tied to his beginning with Zecel. He wished to end that way—perhaps even taking down some of the Original Sin’s Will with him.

But he had not seen the Original Sin in some time. He did not know if they had abandoned the Holy City or left the final act to these Fishmen. Yet he knew: his death would likely come with regret.

…

When Olivia burst into the Corlay Family’s territory, she halted abruptly. Fighting spirit and magic roared upward, ripping apart the clouds above. It was as though she were declaring her arrival—or issuing a challenge to the land’s rulers.

She stomped lightly. The ground rose, and a stone seat formed behind her.

Dropping onto it, Olivia adjusted her breathing slightly, waiting for the lord of this land to appear.

…

The rules given by the world.

Jeven remembered these words.

And as he unfurled the administrative records of the Principality of Corlay before him, he seemed to understand what Jared had meant.

Every person on this land appeared to have been assigned a role by the world itself.

Commoners as producers. Nobles as rulers. The gentry as intermediaries of power.

To Jeven, this was the clearest demonstration of what the scholars had taught him—the laws of human society’s operation.

But beyond these laws lay the Other Races. And Mystery.

Just as humans skinned and dismembered the Other Races, using them as resources or beasts of burden, so too did the Other Races treat humans the same way.

And the Other Races were not only Dark Creatures. They included Fishmen, Elves, Centaurs—those races acknowledged by mankind.

In the lands of the Principality of Corlay, nearly a million humans had been devoured by Fishmen. Now, fewer than thirty thousand remained under Grand Duke Raymond’s rule.

The Fishmen had no concept of farming or preserving food. They had no need. Unlike Dark Creatures, they reproduced naturally. Their lowest ranks could survive drinking water and gnawing soil, propagating nonetheless.

Just like human commoners, who in times of famine could survive on roots and muddy soup mixed with weeds. They would live, reproduce, and only die younger than those who ate bread.

According to scholars, for human society to be slaughtered to such numbers while still sustaining so many nobles was abnormal.

Yet it persisted. Even with two viscounts, five barons, and thirteen lords like Jared—all supported by fewer than thirty thousand commoners—the system still endured.

The reason was the staggering fertility of commoners under duress.

For example, once Raymond had slain the Dark Creatures and expelled the Fishmen, within thirty years the population of the Principality would grow back from thirty thousand to one million. Only then would the fertility rates slow, stabilizing the numbers.

It was as though the world itself decreed that this land must always sustain such a population.

Even under such rules, commoners could survive on grass roots and watery gruel. A lord who added even a handful of wheat flour for ten mouths was considered merciful.

But nobles and knights were different. They required bread and meat. Only thus could they remain strong, as Raymond now did, shielding humanity’s remnants.

Indeed, such powerful nobles bore noble bloodlines. They were unlike commoners. In essence, they were absolute rulers. Only if they were strong enough to protect their “property” could humanity’s fire be preserved—commoners breeding, producing gentry and knights for the noble class.

But if nobles perished, commoners lost their protection and would face only death—whether at the hands of Other Races, natural disasters, or unknowable Mystery.

“So, when you heard my words, Grand Duke Raymond reacted so strongly. That’s why your face changed too, isn’t it?” Jeven lifted his head sharply, bloodshot eyes fixing on Jared.

Under that gaze, Jared’s heart quivered. He drew a deep breath before replying, “Yes. By the laws of human society, what you said is correct. But under the rules of the world, we nobles are the foundation of mankind’s survival.”

“Even without the sustenance of commoners, we can still raise our blades, slaughter Other Races, and use them as food. Their flesh contains far more strength than ordinary beasts, though they taste terrible if bred as livestock.”

“You must know—it is recorded on these hides—that some generals in times of war, lacking food, resorted to cannibalism.”

Seeing Jeven’s bloodshot eyes grow even more terrifying, Jared quickly added, “Of course, I never ate humans. I never even thought of it. Even when I sought to raid Mr. Aen, it was only to feed the commoners in my territory. Otherwise, with fewer than fifty men, storming a force of over a hundred would have been sheer stupidity.”

Whether that was the truth or not, Jared would swear it to anyone now.

“This is wrong,” Jeven said heavily. He recited from the Holy Scriptures:

“The Lord is One, and the Lord is All. The Lord is past, present, and future. The Lord created the heavens and the earth. The Lord set the world’s operation with words. By His authority, He created the Cradle of Life. With wisdom, He set the paths of the stars. The seasons turn in His hand. The rain descends from His throne.”

“Know this: the Lord set the world’s operation with words. Thus, the Holy Scriptures are the Lord’s words, and what is recorded therein is the law of the world’s operation.”

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