Chapter 668 — The Long Game of the Defiant

"Any experimental project requires rigorous monitoring and record-keeping," Ophelia said, lifting the scepter slightly. "This is the attitude a researcher must possess."

Looking at the platinum scepter in her hand, Gao Yang suddenly could not help but entertain a thought—should he try it himself?

This thing seemed capable of establishing a degree of connection with the divine realm; used properly, it might even serve to monitor a god. An ordinary person touching it would likely be brainwashed on the spot into a devout believer, but he was a satellite spirit who had cultivated for hundreds of thousands—perhaps even millions—of years, with great resistance to such brainwashing. His experience touching the Eternal Slate had proven that much. So touching the platinum scepter now... should be fine, right?

Would it be like touching the Eternal Slate—where others heard a divine oracle, while he heard another message from the super fleet, or even... something else entirely more unexpected?

In that moment, Gao Yang's curiosity was abruptly ignited, burning beyond restraint.

He had even mentally prepared himself for the possibility of dropping dead on the spot from mishandling it.

But at the final moment, he forcibly reined in his curiosity, for he realized a tremendous hidden danger—the Eternal Slate was dead, but the God of Holy Light was alive...

Though that deity had seemingly been killed once in ancient times, by now it had most likely resurrected.

If he recklessly touched the platinum scepter, might it provoke the God of Holy Light? What Ophelia and Wright were doing now could be described as "stealing divine authority," and the most crucial thing was not to provoke that deity. If his touch happened to startle the God of Holy Light awake, and the god opened its eyes to look upon the mortal world—Where is my church? Where is my church, that was so vast?

Then a thousand years of the Defiants' efforts and all his own achievements to date would be finished.

Forcibly suppressing the impulse, Gao Yang cleared his throat twice to cover his awkwardness and said to Ophelia, "If the reform of the Glimmering Church succeeds and we manage to shield the 'Earthly Bridge' without drawing the gods' attention, what do you plan to do next?"

Ophelia met Gao Yang's gaze calmly. "Using this as our model, we shall remake every faith in the world."

As an ancient soul who had lived a thousand years, she seemed to have patience and time in abundance.

"Will the gods truly wait obediently to be shielded by us? Although our remodeling of the Glimmering Church has not yet triggered the activation of the God of Holy Light, when the day comes that we sever the connection between all gods and the mortal world—will the gods really fail to react?"

Ophelia gave a slight nod. "The gods' operation follows discernible laws. Although the 'answering machine' hypothesis proposed by a few scholars in the Gondor era was not entirely correct, it did come close to part of the truth. So long as we grasp these laws, we can bypass the gods' sight under relatively safe conditions and complete the replacement and remaking of faith."

"Second, according to our findings, the gods' power does not derive entirely from mortal faith, but a shift in that faith will indeed greatly weaken them. And if the mortal world's 'faithful anchor' is lost, the gods will face enormous obstacles and attrition in descending upon the world again. On the other hand, mortals will grow stronger by reclaiming the power of divine arts. As one waxes, the other wanes—and on that day, the gods will no longer be something we cannot contend with..."

She did not speak the rest aloud, but the implication was plain enough:

When that day truly comes, the gods who descend into the world... will be nothing but demons and monstrous beasts invading the mortal realm from another world.

The world's churches will fight back with all their might, in the name of faith, to vanquish evil and defend the Way.

Such was the plan of the Defiers—and yet it was still not the whole of their plan, only one corner of it.

And that single corner alone was enough to make one's heart tremble.

But Gao Yang still held that this plan had its flaws, that it contained far too many variables beyond control. Even if everything were carried out smoothly, what it brought about would not be the best of outcomes.

Only, at least at the present stage, the plan was still worth carrying out—the reformation of the Daylight Church was inevitable. Whether for the sake of social stability or the development of the new Empire, he had to ensure that the denomination with the greatest influence and the widest following in the country observed the law of "divine authority granted by the sovereign."

After they had discussed a few more details concerning the Defiers' plan and the reformation of the Church, Gao Xi let out a slow breath.

"Let us leave it here for today; that will be all on the subject of the Defiers' plan," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I want to sort through all this information properly. If I think of any further questions, or if there is anything you believe I ought to be told, we will continue then."

"As you wish," Ophelia said with a faint smile. "But before I go, there is one more matter."

"Oh? Go on."

"It concerns our earlier topic—the reformation of the Church," Ophelia said. "The situation of the female priests within the Church is currently rather... awkward."