Chapter 350 — The Stirring of the Holy Light
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
After returning to the lord's manor, Gao Yang had Amber bring him all the intelligence gathered over the past period concerning the Church of the Daystar and the activities of heretics in various regions.
Noticing Gao Yang's dark, grave expression, Amber knew at once that he must have caught a whiff of something in the recent turn of events. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What? You think the Church of the Daystar is up to something?"
"It seems putting you in charge of intelligence has produced some progress after all," Gao Yang said, glancing at Amber with approval. "You've sensed something wrong too?"
Amber waved a hand. "Oh, no, not at all. I just figure those holy frauds live only to scheme."
Gao Yang: "..."
"Hey, hey, come on, tell me, tell me," Amber said, shamelessly sidling up again. "I do think the Church of the Daystar has been acting far too aggressively lately, but that's a change anyone can see, and it's just a product of the current situation. What else have you noticed?"
"Ever since the leaders of the great churches signed the Sacred Covenant at Mount Mingcen, the churches have held seven hundred years of peace despite their differing creeds and mutual disagreements. In those seven hundred years, there were times when heretics ran rampant, but never once did any church turn its spearhead against another orthodox faith. The Church of the Daystar does possess a special advantage in combating evil forces and purifying corruption, while those churches inclined toward darkness and negativity struggle against heretics—yet all along, the Church of the Daystar has acted as a leader, helping and guiding the weaker churches to fight side by side."
As he spoke, Gao Cen set the documents in his hand aside. "That is also the most natural and correct choice, because each church serves a different social function. The Holy Light can oppose evil, Abundance ensures agriculture, the God of War protects warriors and guides the order of war and postwar reconstruction, the Blood God restrains private desire and oversees contracts. Human survival has never had only one goal—fighting heretics. When heretics appear, the Church of the Daystar steps forward; when other troubles arise, the other churches naturally have their own value. I understand this principle, and in theory the priests of the Church of the Daystar should understand it as well."
Amber curled her lip. "But right now they're obviously suppressing the other churches."
"Exactly—suppressing the other churches," Gao Yan nodded. "Since last autumn, as heretics have grown more active within Ansu, the Church of the Daystar has been expanding and swelling rapidly under the banner of striking down heretics. And by late winter, they began suppressing and pushing out those churches that performed poorly in the fight against heretics. This has only intensified recently. The people are sometimes blind, especially in a state of panic. With the threat of heretics growing by the day, almost everyone has tolerated and acquiesced to the Church of the Daystar's actions—many are even applauding them."
"Those churches being pushed out won't sit around waiting to die," Amber said. "In many places, members of the sidelined churches have already clashed head-on with the Holy Light priests. The Church of the Daystar may be large, but it's hardly the greatest under heaven—battle monks and church cavalry aren't theirs alone."