Chapter 491 — In the Darkness
Blade of Dawn · Page 5 of 6
"The White Knight commander, Mr. Leit, says he has never in his life seen such shamelessness..."
A moment later, Gipuli's voice came again, suddenly: "Breaking news — Daedalus, the chief magistrate of Horsman City, has just released a startling announcement. Staff of the government hall, while clearing out an old orphanage that once belonged to the Daystar Church, discovered a great many human remains... believed to be the orphans who went missing in the Horsman region over the years..."
The crowd in the projection stirred; incensed citizens pressed in around the white knights, and the white knights raised their heavy power warhammers high, shouting slogans for the expulsion of the old churches.
Gao Yang rose and stepped forward to switch off the projector, and from behind him came Pi Yun's voice, drifting and leisurely: "Truly terrifying."
Gao Yang turned back to look at this little old man who went about the territory forever wearing the face of a cynical, shameless rogue, and a hint of mockery surfaced on his own. "So even you find things terrifying?"
Pi Yun stroked his beard and said mildly, "Of course I do. I'm afraid of a great many things. Otherwise, who do you suppose cultivated that adaptable streak in Amber?"
Gao Yang gave Pi Yun a sideways look. "And what is it you're afraid of now?"
"People. A crowd full of fury is a fearsome thing," Pi Yun shrugged. "But I think you're more fearsome still — because all of this is your doing, your guidance. You're wielding a power apart from the transcendent arts and from guns and cannon, and its effects... are far more chilling than what you described at the outset."
"Power is neither good nor evil; what matters is where it is pointed. To deal with men who use holy light for wickedness, sometimes you have to use uncommon means," Gao Yang said evenly, then his expression darkened slightly. "Especially once I learned that the remains of children had been found in those facilities... I knew that no matter what I did to those charlatans, it would not be excessive."
Pi Yun sighed. "Raising orphans from infancy on brainwashing is a common method by which every church cultivates loyal fighting strength — it grows their power and their reputation at once. But not every child is attuned to the divine arts; some simply have not a scrap of spiritual talent, and no potion or ritual will force it out of them. And for these 'bad seeds' — useless, and a drain on resources, and already privy to a portion of the darkness behind the curtain... no church's hands are clean."
"Seven hundred years ago the churches were nothing like this," Gao Yang said, shaking his head. "Those priests and knights who charged the aberrants head-on back then — they surely never imagined their successors would sink to this."
Pi Yun gave a chuckle. "And did you ever imagine, back then, that you would wake to find the aberrants already at the door of your tomb, and your descendants having gone and lost your shield for you?"
Gao Yang shot the little old man a glare. "...Bring that up again and I'll have your hide."
Then he cleared his throat twice and steered the conversation back on course. "Never mind that. What do you make of the oddity Amber mentioned in her report — Faran Belan's behavior? The bishop has shut himself up in the cathedral. Is he drawing power through some channel to strengthen himself?"
"...I do not believe he could strengthen himself by drawing on power or anything of the kind. That is the craft of witches and warlocks. But something is certainly wrong. A normal bishop in that position could not possibly shut himself in a church and do nothing. He would either keep trying to salvage the situation, or simply flee, or come out and crush it by force — in any case, he ought to be doing something."