Chapter 1039 — The Power of Symbols and Rituals?
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
Gao Yang of course also knew what had happened along the Typhon defense line during that great decisive battle at Winterhold—and even if he had not known at the time, Amber had since investigated and uncovered many chilling truths. As one who had been present at that decisive battle, he had to admit that the iron-fisted resolve Luoyan Augustus displayed that day had astonished even him. But he also knew such a method could never become the norm: "What Luoyan did cannot be repeated... We must ultimately find a more reliable, more rational way to control this process of 'faith's decline'..."
At this point he could not help glancing up at Virodai, and said thoughtfully, "The gradual reform carried out by the Church of the Shining Star should provide considerable reference."
"But our technical reference alone is not enough," Virodai said gently. "It also requires the cooperation of a larger population over a wider range, and reliable data from other churches, from different gods—there are simply too many deities in this world of ours. The faith of Holy Light is only one among them."
Listening to Virodai's unhurried words, Amber found herself instinctively glancing at Gao Yang. Somehow, a string of words she had seen earlier on his desk surfaced in her mind—that thing she still could not make sense of—
The Council of Divine Authority.
Dimly, she felt that this "Pioneer" before her, who always thought one step—or even several steps—ahead of everyone else, seemed already to be considering this very matter.
Gao Yang had no idea what was going on in Amber's head; his thoughts shifted quickly, and by now he had turned his attention to another question: "Speaking of the tests you conducted—the tester hadn't taken part in that battle at Winterhold, had he?"
"Of course not, he's a rear-line technician," Kamaier said at once, though he did not quite understand the intent behind the question. "Why do you ask?"
"The soldiers on the front lines at Winterhold destroyed the out-of-control God of War through direct combat, causing the greatest scale of faith's decline. And a technician far behind the lines was thereby freed from the God of War's mental contamination. Meanwhile, in the small sects of the God of War far away in the Augury Tribal Kingdom, priests and believers who still worship the God of War have also escaped the influence of the mind-brand—they may not even know what happened on the front lines at Winterhold. Don't you think this reveals something as well?"
The ventilation system in the room hummed on, fresh air from the surface drifting slowly through the laboratory. Gao Song's words had died away, and Kamaier, Virodai, and the others had each sunk into thought.
"We did discuss this question as well," Kamaier was the first to break the silence; the radiance upon this ancient magus undulated faintly, showing that he was deep in thought. "As you say, the god-slaying battle on the Winterhold battlefield was a magnificent feat, but in the end those who fought were only a small fraction of mortals. In most places in this world, most people may not even know the God of War has fallen. They still hold to their instinct of awe toward the God of War, never having imagined—nor dared to imagine—such a 'treasonous' deed as slaying a god by mortal power...
"These people clearly never defied their faith, and the power of faith has never waned in them. Yet with the end of the Battle of Winterhold, a technician far behind the lines, who never set foot on any battlefield, could become 'immune' to the God of War's mental contamination..."
"Perhaps you would find certain religious concepts of interest," Virodai suddenly spoke up. "Namely, 'symbol' and 'ritual.'"