Chapter 173 - 173 Illusions of the Past (1)
173 Illusions of the Past (1)
The High Elves worshiped Fire and Mist as their faith.
The fire here referred to Phoenix Holy Fire.
Deep in the Phoenix Hall burned an inextinguishable golden holy fire. Legend had it that it was the last Fire Soul left behind by the elven ancestors after they failed to ascend to the heavens.
During the day, the elderly who had experienced the baptism of time and felt their souls falling into a void would throw themselves into the Holy Fire and use their souls and memories as fuel for the Holy Fire. Newborns would be sent to the Holy Fire to receive blessings at night. The experience and skills of the dead would warm the souls of these newborns, allowing them to obtain legacies from the past.
As for mist, it referred to the rich magical mist that perennially lingered near Ava State.
The elven ancestors, who once claimed to be Children of Fire and Mist, could no longer maintain their eternal and infinite existence in Currere after failing to ascend to the Light Realm. Helpless, they could only use mud and wind to reconstruct their physical bodies. From then on, they could only silently reproduce into infinity through then limited lifespans.
As for the original mist, it became another soul power for the descendants of the guardian elves.
In ancient times, the first elf to learn how to control mist to weave illusions unified the entire Ava State and became the first King of Mist. After that, until true magic appeared, mist summoning and mist control were the greatest reliance of the Ava State’s rulers to resist external enemies and stabilize their rule.
“It’s getting misty,” Remides leaned against the railing and looked into the distance as she muttered to herself.
At this moment, she was at the highest point in the entire Ava State—Moonlaw City’s Firescorching Tower. Legend had it that when the elven ancestors rode a Phoenix and tried to fly back to the Realm of Light, they sailed from the top of this tower.
Although the authenticity of this legend was debatable, according to the archaeologists’ research, this charred tower was indeed the oldest building known in the Ava State.
If she were standing here normally, Remides would be able to see the entire Ava State. However, even with her acute vision as a High Elf, she could only vaguely see the outline of the coastline through the thick mist.
If one had to describe it, the entire Ava State was like a cauldron that constantly emitted boiling water. Thick mist enveloped the entire archipelago and spread to the distant sea.
“Before the impeachment results are out, it’s not a wise choice to use the governor’s authority to summon the mist seal.”
An old-fashioned and serious voice sounded behind Remides. She turned her head and saw the Tacma Church ascetic in a simple flaxen robe arrive at the top of the tower.
The other party nodded slightly in greeting before continuing,
“The mist’s seal isn’t like a storm from the Moon Realm. They can’t truly stop the Empire’s fleet, but the young man from the Windsong family will seize on this matter and make an issue out of nothing to rope in people from the other city-states to oppose you.”
“Their objections won’t affect the overall situation. Other than delaying the empire fleet’s invasion, my seal via the summoning of the mist, more importantly, prevents those higher existences from interfering.”
The ascetic fell silent for a moment before saying, “In that case, you believe that the storm in the Shattered Sea stopped because of the Eighth Holy Spirit’s will?”
Remides didn’t answer his question. Instead, she turned her head and looked at the mist-covered sea in the distance.
Seeing that the other party didn’t answer his question, the Tacma Church ascetic continued, “We both know that the concept of the so-called Holy Spirits is originally an unrealistic fantasy of humans. No Holy Spirit can truly rely on their will to influence the development of Currere like those sovereigns in the Moon Realm. They don’t have wills. The so-called blessing or divinity manifestation is only another manifestation of magic.”
In the magic model built by the Tacma Church, be it blessings or divinity manifestations, they were only another manifestation of magic. All the power of the Holy Spirit had to be manifested through the will of mortals.
Upon hearing his words, Remides suddenly pointed at the distant mist and said, “I was there back then… I was there back then when the arrow pierced that person’s head. I saw the flames of life extinguish from his eyes with my own eyes. Even now, I can still remember the feeling of the bowstring trembling.”
“That mortal named Terra Riel died at your hands,” the Tacma Church ascetic said stoically.
“But he revived and was declared to have ascended the Holy Spirit’s throne decades later.”
Remides paused and continued, “There’s no magic in this world that can revive people—immortality will always be the difference between mortals and gods.”
“So this is why you summoned the mist to seal off Ava State? You were worried that the Eighth Holy Spirit would interfere with the outcome of the war, so you used the mist to block His line of sight in advance?” the Tacma Church ascetic asked.
Ava State was the only country in history that had never been affected by the Moon Realm’s invasion. As for the other places, there was no need to mention the Vic Continent. On the Damon Continent, the Moon Realm Church was as rampant as it was on the Vic Continent towards the end of the Golden Calendar. As for the Orsis Continent, there was even less of a need to mention it. That place that once had a great civilization had completely fallen 3,000 years ago because of the universal Moon Realm faith, reducing it to the current Ruins of Orsis.