Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong was taken aback.

He involuntarily stepped back.

Yet the shock did not render him incapable of thinking; instead, his mind quickly raced, linking back to Ameya’s enigmatic words some time ago, a clue quickly surfaced. The Lady of the Forest told him that the true pursuer wasn’t her, but naturally, someone else.

The hint given was Marlan’s Holy Emblem; at the time, Fang Hong dared not associate it with the Lady of War, thinking instead it pointed to one of her knights or a specific individual. But after witnessing today’s scene, how could he not know what’s happening, especially hearing from the aged knight that Marlan had been watching him since the Fenris affair.

But why?

Yet the aged knight did not respond.

He silently stepped forward, bypassing Fang Hong, heading toward the Holy Altar, only speaking without looking back after a few steps: ”Since you have appeared here, I must notify Bishop Faris, no objections?”

”Who is Bishop Faris?”

”The Archbishop in the Istania region, her knight.” The reply from the aged knight was still succinct.

That ’her knight’ said so much.

Fang Hong understood at heart: God’s Choice.

Every Archbishop of the Oulin Gods is their God’s Choice, each with different titles—Angina is called the Great Prophet, Wojin is the Artisan of Wojin, and Marlan’s knights refer specifically to her Archbishop. Such a person is already the Shepherd Chief of a region, ruling thousands of believers, akin to at least a cardinal in rank on Earth.

However, Eteliria boasts a multitude of gods. Although the Oulin Gods are of the same lineage, there are some grievances among them but mostly peaceful coexistence. Their believers have distinct goals and even in the same region, multiple faiths overlap without interference.

Yet, different regions exhibit variations in predominant beliefs; for instance, in the commerce-rich Istania, there’s a greater presence of Lady Roman’s sanctuary, belonging to the important diocesan area of Colin Ishurian’s Commercial Goddess. In contrast, Marlan’s sanctuary tends to be more prominent in military strongholds like Bain.

Hearing the concise response from the knight, Fang Hong secretly marveled that he could indeed draw the attention of a Shepherd Chief.

However, upon realizing the knight identified him instantly, he wasn’t as shocked anymore, and there had indeed been quite a commotion outside. On reflection, it must either be due to a crucial Divine Oracle from the Goddess, disseminated swiftly to every diocese and jurisdiction by the knights and archbishops, or Marlan directly issued a Divine Oracle, notifying each believer.

Yet Fang Hong deemed the former more likely, especially as the Big Cat People hadn’t heard of such matters.

In response to the knight’s question, Fang Hong did not give a yes or no, as the tone from the aged knight sounded less like an inquiry of opinion, more of a notification.

He only asked: ”In such weather, can you communicate with the Istania central diocese?”

The aged knight was placing his hand on the Holy Altar.

Upon hearing Fang Hong, he gently shook his head. ”I merely store the message to the Goddess, they’ll naturally know after the storm subsides.”

Fang Hong thought this belief was indeed convenient, but also dispelled the thought. If Marlan’s sanctuary could communicate with the outside world under such circumstances, it would be a pleasant surprise for him. He had many pieces of intelligence to convey to other members of the Seven Seas Travel Group, their trip to Bain yielded immense gains.

Including the immense, unbelievable numbers displayed on the Light Page before him, denominated in Lycel units. He hadn’t had time to notice during their escape, but now with leisure, a sense of dizzying unreality overcame him.

However, the aged knight then turned around, dim eyes obviously unable to see the Light Page that didn’t exist for the natives.

He merely looked at Fang Hong quietly, before speaking:

”I know you have many questions to ask.”

Fang Hong was slightly startled.

But indeed, he had many questions to ask.

...

The aged knight’s name was Mayer Hill, Mayer Hill Brad Abudas Adiya.

Judging by the name alone, one can see the noble origin, but this was typical—most Holy Temple Knights were of noble status. In fact, Big Cat People in Rotas were clearly not commoners, evident from the ring on his mustache inscribed with names.

Brad in Istania means knight, indicating the highest status within the family of this surname, although Fang Hong doubted it referred to the aged knight himself, as the Abudas surname in Istania wasn’t considered noble.

Indeed, some of unblemished descent may pass the sanctuary selection to acquire the status of a Noble Knight. In some regions, this is the sole path for lower tiers to advance. Though religious domains have internal clans, where few sanctuary families monopolize the majority of resources, in the True God’s existing Eteliria, everything isn’t entirely unbridled.

Mayer Hill lit an oil lamp, took two clean cushions, and sat opposite him. Although there were chairs around, these were seemingly the only clean seats within the sanctuary at that moment.