Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 597: History of Verdantis II: Faith

CH597 History of Verdantis II: Faith

***

”Gu Mo is a Deity Cultivator.”

After making that revelation, Old man One Heaven fell silent for a moment.

Then, instead of continuing, he shifted the conversation.

”What do you know about Deity Cultivation?” he asked.

”Very little, to be honest,” Alex admitted.

”Details regarding the Navi —that is, Deity cultivators and their methods— are strictly controlled in my home world. You could say it is forbidden knowledge.”

”Anyone caught attempting to study or practise it is hunted down and executed by any and all nearby professionals, regardless of affiliation.”

Old man One Heaven nodded, as though both agreeing with and appreciating such a strict stance.

”But this is what I do know from what little I was able to uncover given my position and rank,” Alex continued.

”The Navi are essentially described as parasites.”

”They exploit the belief and devotion of their worshippers, using it to siphon off their followers’ Providence —their Fate and Fortune— to elevate their own cultivation.

”They are able to hijack and distort the cultivation paths of their followers, shaping their progression according to their own will.”

”At first, their worshippers experience rapid growth along this ’granted’ path of power— simply by deepening their devotion. But as they progress, that growth begins to slow.”

”Deliberately.”

”The Navi will never allow a follower to approach their level of power, and when that stagnation occurs, it is framed as a failure of devotion.”

”So the worshippers are driven to act, to deepen their faith, to pursue greater achievements— all in an attempt to regain favour.

”Yet in doing so, they only increase their own Providence, which is then harvested by the Navi.”

”It is referred to as the Farming Approach.”

Alex’s expression grew slightly colder.

”As a warning to those tempted to pursue Deity cultivation —despite the punishments and restrictions placed upon it— there is a saying in my world.”

”The Navi are far from the all-powerful beings they claim to be. They are false deities— Entities whose very nature is shaped, and limited, by the beliefs of their followers.”

”If a Navi is not careful they may eventually lose themselves to the very ideals imposed upon them by their worshippers.”

He continued,

”A deity that is shaped by —and dependent upon— the beliefs of its followers cannot truly be all-powerful.”

”Such a being can only be a false god, unworthy of worship.”

”Instead, we believe that the only entity worthy of worship would be the Creator of everything in the universe.

”However, since we do not know how to worship Him, we instead devote ourselves to cultivation. For it is said that by understanding the Laws of the plane —and eventually, the Laws of the universe— one may begin to glimpse His Majesty, and attain enlightenment of His existence.”

Alex paused, reflecting on his own words.

Then he gave a small nod.

”That is about as far as my confirmed knowledge goes.

”Anything beyond that is mostly speculation I have gathered through limited exposure to the practice since arriving on your plane.”

Old man One Heaven nodded.

Then, without warning, he asked,

”What is faith?”

”Why does it exist?”

Alex blinked, visibly caught off guard.

For a moment, he had no answer.

Seeing his reaction, One Heaven pressed further.

”Let us assume your people are correct— that there exists a Creator of all things. And by your own definition, such a being would be truly all-powerful. If that is the case, then such an existence would have no need for faith.”

”After all, faith itself would be something He created. So tell me... why create faith at all?”

”And more importantly, why allow the existence of Deity cultivation?”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

”For conventional cultivation, one could argue that all paths ultimately lead to the same end— the understanding of the Universal Laws. And through that understanding, one may gain awareness of His existence.”

”But if that is true. what purpose does Deity cultivation serve within that framework?”

The question struck deeper than Alex expected.

It was not merely philosophical. It challenged the very foundation of belief, cultivation and existence itself.

Alex fell into silence.

Deep thought overtook him.

The old man did not interrupt.

In truth, he had not expected an answer.

Even after centuries of existence, it was only in the twilight of his life that he had begun to touch upon such questions.

Yet now, watching the youth before him fall into genuine contemplation, a hint of curiosity flickered within his eyes.

He wanted to see it.

What answer... would this young mind produce?

”Free will,” Alex said at last.

”Every sentient being is granted the Will to choose; the freedom to believe; and it is from this freedom that faith is born.”

”The Creator may have brought everything into existence, but He did not bind all things to a singular, unchangeable fate.

”Instead, He allowed for the existence of Fate and Fortune— systems through which beings may, to some extent, influence their own paths.”

”In essence, this framework makes the existence of both good... and evil... possible.”

”What we perceive as evil does not occur because the Creator is evil, nor because He permits evil in the conventional sense.”

”It occurs because He has granted Free Will. And with that freedom, His creations possess the capacity to choose— to act in ways that are deemed either good... or evil.”

Alex’s voice remained steady.

”Following that logic, if Free Will exists... Then so too must the possibility of choosing one path over another.”

”Whether that be the orthodox path of traditional cultivation... or the divergent path of Deity cultivation.”

”That is...” Old man One Heaven paused slightly, a trace of surprise surfacing in his voice. ”...an interesting perspective.”

It was not something he had ever considered.

Nor something he had ever heard.

Alex, however, was not surprised by his reaction.

It was not that his reasoning was particularly revolutionary. Rather in fact, it was intuitive.

Faith and Deity cultivation were relatively foreign concepts to Verdantis prior to Gu Mo’s arrival.

As such, even the greatest minds of the plane had not deeply explored the philosophical foundations behind them.

Old man One Heaven continued, ”Your viewpoint is indeed refreshing. However... it does not fully answer my question.”

”You have framed faith as a passive consequence of belief. But faith is more than that.”

”It is... active.”

Alex’s expression sharpened slightly.

He sensed that something important was about to be revealed.

”Please enlighten me,” he said.

”Faith...” Old man One Heaven began slowly, ”...is the determining factor in whether a plane survives its tribulation... or is destroyed.”

”A plane that follows the wrong line of faith... will inevitably perish.”

A heavy silence settled between them.

”In other words, a plane steeped in Deity cultivation is fated for destruction.”

Alex’s eyes widened.

The implication struck him immediately.

”How can you be so certain?” he asked.

”After the group of false deities introduced Deity cultivation into the Heavens of Verdantis, Gu Mo seized the opportunity to infiltrate our world.”

”Gu Mo was not an ordinary Deity cultivator.

”He had already transcended many of the conventional limitations imposed upon such beings prior to Transcendence.”

”He did not require a fixed body of followers. Instead, his divinity spread through fear.”

”As long as fear existed within the hearts of living beings before him, his divine energy would extend into them... and with it, his access to their Fate and their Fortune.”

A chill crept into the air.

”To establish that foothold, Gu Mo unleashed a plague upon Verdantis. It spread rapidly through the beasts of the land, driving them into madness.”

”Even the Dragon Emperor lost control over them.”

”The chaos... the panic... the fear generated across the world became the very fuel Gu Mo required.

”With it, he gathered enough divine energy —enough Providence— to strike at the very core of our Heaven... its Faith Pool.”

Old man One Heaven paused briefly before continuing.

”You were correct in one regard.” He said. ”A true Deity has no need for worship or faith.”

”It is we who require faith. And as you also said, faith is born from belief.”

”Before Gu Mo’s arrival, we did not practise religion. But through our cultivation —through sorcery— we developed a deep reverence for the world.”

”And, at the back of our minds, for the entity responsible for its existence.”

”What we failed to realise was that this reverence was itself a form of belief. A belief that gave rise to faith. And that faith was directed towards our Heaven.”

”The same faith our Heaven used to gather the collective Providence of the entire plane— To elevate itself in rank...

”And to bring us closer to the Universal Truth.”

Realisation dawned upon Alex.

”Then, to answer the question you posed earlier... the Creator did not create faith for His worship. He created it as a system—

”A framework through which the natural order —the Heavens— of each plane could strengthen themselves... And provide greater opportunities for their denizens.”

”Then, those who practise Deity cultivation are disruptors of that system.

”They divert what was meant for all and claim it for themselves, bringing ruin to the plane and its denizens in the process.”

Alex looked to the old man and asked grimly.

”Is this correct?”

Old man One Heaven nodded slowly.

”Indeed.”

***