Only God

In the dark of night, Eden sat on the ground, continuously gasping for air, unable to recover from the vision he had experienced just moments before.

Beneath his feet, the well-drawn ceremonial circle had dimmed, losing its potency, and it was without doubt that the Ascension Ceremony had failed.

Eden tried to stand up from the ground, but his legs were shaking so violently that he could not manage it. Fear seemed to grip his throat, not letting him escape its clutches.

As a Priest who had read numerous books since childhood, he understood the power of time, yet he could never have imagined that the Sea of Souls would suffer such a cataclysmic change; the Gods of the Celestial Kingdom had disappeared without a trace, the Country of Divines had crumbled to dust, and the whole starry sky had fallen under the rule of the beast that devoured the Gods.

And it was merely a single gaze, just one of the countless eyes in a single gaze that had almost cost him his life.

It was as if a cold wind kept striking from outside the house, causing Eden to shiver non-stop.

"I... I can... I can change all this..."

Eden muttered with a trembling voice.

The words spilled out, yet they were filled with fear. Indeed, how could he alone, even with the Stone Pendant, change such a terrifying future?

That was the beast that devoured Gods.

Shivering, Eden suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. The terrifying beast had even devoured the Gods, so what could he do? After all, he was just a human being.

He continued to gasp for air and finally, he slowly stood up from the ground.

Stabilizing his state of mind, Eden said to himself,

"I can only... take it one step at a time."

According to the records of that Fairy survivor, the beast crawled at the feet of the King of Kings, obeying His commands. Therefore, there must be descriptions of it within heresy.

Regardless of whether he could change the future, he had to gather more information.

This was his only advantage.

Eden took a deep breath and silently prayed to God.

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Scriptures or books about heresy were banned in this city, and there were very few heathens, most of whom were Believers who couldn't even read. If Eden wanted to collect more information, he could no longer stay here; he had to go to a heretical city.

Going to a heretical city was a simple idea, but actually doing so was not easy at all. First, he needed the clothing of a heathen; secondly, he was unfamiliar with his surroundings and didn't know which direction the heretical city was in; and finally, there was the matter of safety on the road. Encountering a small group of robbers was one thing, but stumbling upon a heathen army's patrol was another matter entirely.

After much thought, Eden decided to seek help from Priest George.

He paid him a visit after the noon prayers, not entering through the main entrance of the church but rather the side door. After informing the Monks, Priest George came out to greet him.

"You want to go to a heretical city?"

Priest George frowned.

Eden nodded.

"Father Eden... why do you want to go to a heretical city? True Believers are not welcome there."

Having said that, Priest George sighed.

"Did my words yesterday make you feel that since we True Believers are so cruel, those heathens are completely different from us?"

"No, that's not the case. Heathens would slaughter us just the same; in their cities, True Believers suffer oppression as well. I often wonder if our relationship with them is one of relentless hostility.

"They are equally cruel. For example, in many heathen villages, the taxes collected by heathens are even higher than ours. Some heathen villages would even prefer to submit to the rule of True Believer lords and are so willing to do so that they voluntarily fund the construction of churches.

"And not to mention those heathen traders. Because we offer a higher price and do not threaten in the name of faith, they are always more willing to sell us water or food."

After listening, Eden shook his head:

"No, I don't think like that.

"I just want to visit the city of the heathens and help the children of God there."

Upon hearing this, Priest George relaxed his furrowed brow, dispelling his doubts,

"Since you are acting out of sacred conscience, then... I cannot stand idly by. Speak freely of any help you need."

This was exactly what Eden had intended, and why he had approached Priest George.

The two discussed for about half a day and finally came up with quite a satisfactory plan. Priest George would help to make contact with a heathen trading party, and Eden would blend into the caravan to enter the heathen city.

Eden was very satisfied with this outcome; he thanked Priest George and offered him blessings.

.........…

Two days later, Eden set out on the road to the heathen city.

With the help of Priest George, a heathen trading party accepted Eden, arranged an identity for him, and taught him some heathen scriptures and blessings.

Bringing a foolish individual hostile to their own faith into a heathen city was, if seen in a serious light, undoubtedly an act of betrayal to the faith; if taken less seriously, it was still an offense to faith. Yet when faith is concerned with interests, how many can maintain an unblemished adherence to faith? The soft bread is within reach; happiness after death is distant. Everyone wants both but when the two conflict, the number of people who choose the former far exceeds those who choose the latter. The heathen traders were no exception.

Over half a month later, after traversing the territory of the True Religion, under the help and cover of the heathen traders, Eden successfully infiltrated the heathen city.

The city before him had a stronger heathen flavor than any he had seen before, and correspondingly, traces of the True Religion were few and far between, with Eden only managing to catch a lingering warmth of the old faith in the dilapidated, abandoned churches.

Eden was not here to reflect; he quickly gathered his thoughts and turned his attention to the city's marketplace.

Before long, a foreigner appeared in the marketplace, making bulk purchases of Scriptures.

In a short span, the wholesale acquisition of Scriptures and theological books was a rare occurrence anywhere, and the heathen booksellers in the city all marveled at this but doubted not his identity. After all, who would guess that a foolish priest would show such interest in heathen books?

The heathen booksellers took this foreigner to be a visiting Scholar.

The term 'Scholar,' in fact, is a general term, meaning those clergy who have spent years studying theology in some unknown Scripture Institute, often living reclusively and respected by people as if they were sages or wise men.

"Scholar... do you know? In a few days, that Oranto is coming to give lectures,"

said an earnest heathen bookseller.

"That Oranto?"

Eden noticed that when the heathen bookseller mentioned this name, there was a subtle reverence in his tone.

It seemed that Oranto was no ordinary man.

"Yes, that's Oranto, the Main Priest from among the Sixteen Holy Servants."