Divine Kingship

Chapter 553 Mrs. Land's Trial! The Torch Goddess's Blessing

With Rand's help, Olena's ordeal is now over.

As long as they don't reveal too many flaws, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Berlan breathed a sigh of relief.

After entering the Lord's Hall with Rand, Berlan, Rand, and Olenna discussed some official business. Olenna then left to make some preparations, such as tidying up the bedroom.

The bedroom is maintained jointly by the high-ranking members of the Holy Land and is not entrusted to the maids.

Meanwhile, Rand stood on his lord's chair, looking quite improper, but Berlan knew what Rand was about to do.

Heading to the Kingdom of God.

Beneath Rand's chair lies an evil altar, and he seems to possess some skill that grants him divine favor without incurring any cost; Berlan knows this.

"Do you want to go check the bedroom?" Rand asked Berlan before heading to the Kingdom of God.

Berlan pressed his palm to his forehead: "According to the regulations of the Holy Land's security, shouldn't there be at least one high-ranking person protecting you?"

“The Lord’s Hall is an exception; I’m practically immortal here,” Rand smiled.

"Oh, then I'll go take a look." Berlan didn't linger in the lord's hall any longer.

Rand left behind only a set of clothes and went to the Mother Goddess's kingdom.

Since obtaining [Blessing 8: Rand's Permanence], Rand has studied it several times, but has not yet figured out its specific effects.

This seems to be transformed from Willpower N, which allows him to be completely immune to the side effects of [Blessing 1: Thirst of the Black Goat Mother].

Now, this blessing 8, besides serving the original purpose of will N, seems to also be... some kind of qualification?
RAND is still under research; it may have some use in the future.

Since this ability is named after himself, it means...

However, Rand's trip to the divine realm was not for researching his own Blessing 8.

Instead, it's about dealing with the aftermath of Grand Prince Vladimir's sacrificial ceremony.

According to the original history, the Vladimir Grand Priest's sacrifice would have truly changed the world.

It will enable the gods who were originally isolated in the divine kingdom and unable to intervene in this world to take the initiative to do something in the main world.

Normally, gods cannot do these things.

They can only reach a deal by having believers spontaneously "sacrifice" because of the nature of their power and the authority they wield.

This may be the only way that gods were able to influence the world in the past.

Perhaps it was due to rules established in ancient times, or perhaps it was because the main world had an innate aversion to gods. Rand didn't know the specific reason, but at least he was certain that before the Vladimir Grand Priest's sacrifice, the gods had very limited means of intervening in this world.

However, after the Vladimir Grand Priest incident...

This is what Rand is doing now: the very fact that Grand Duke Vladimir descended upon the main world has caused the gods to increase their means of influencing this world and even to be able to issue divine decrees directly.

Or perhaps, Grand Prince Vladimir's sacrifice to the gods was just one of many events that followed. Regardless of whether Grand Prince Vladimir performed the sacrifice and descended upon the gods, the gods would gradually begin to "awaken."
Rand had no idea, but this matter was of great importance, so Rand came.

The Mother Goddess's kingdom remains unchanged.

The writhing of flesh and the pervasive thirst are always the main theme, or rather, the entirety, of this place.

The Mother of All Things, Sabu Nicholas, is not a deity with much rationality; Rand doesn't even feel that what he is seeing is her true form.

But none of that matters. Everything is as usual here. Rand has been here many times and is quite familiar with the tentacles and other divine flesh and blood creatures. Rand can even sense the "emotions" they might have.

At least for now, everything here is as usual, and there seems to be no problem.

Rand returned naked to his seat in the lord's hall.

Then it disappeared again after a few moments.

Rand brought the Mother Goddess's altar to the White Kingdom. In the White Kingdom, Rand had tried to observe the situation of the Mother Goddess's divine kingdom. Going there again now was just a side trip. The real focus was on the divine kingdoms of the other evil gods that remained in the territory.

The kingdom of the God of Struggle remains a wasteland as always. The wolf-shaped god still looks down on Rand. When Rand first came here, the wolf-shaped god cast a glance at him, but did not react much.

Rand observed the enormous god, observed this divine kingdom.

There seems to be no movement.

Next is the Scourge Apostle, whose kingdom remains as silent as ever.

The Scourge itself is a skeleton with a normal human form, and it doesn't react much to Rand's arrival.

There seems to be no movement.

That concludes the viewing of the evil god's kingdom.

Rand tried sending people to search for the Blood of Nourishment, or some other altar of an evil god that had appeared in history, but either they "could not make contact" or there was no altar at all.

For example, Rand couldn't use the altar of the Naga god, since the god seemed to be dead. In any case, Rand, being a human who wasn't of Naga royal blood, couldn't sacrifice himself.

As for the Blood of Nourishment, the altars of the Blood of Nourishment were basically destroyed by the Torch Church. That was the period when the Torch Church was at its most powerful, and all countries hated the Blood of Nourishment. Rand never had the opportunity to come into contact with the altars of the Blood of Nourishment.

That leaves only one.

Rand put on his clothes and found Berlan, who had returned to the Lord's Hall and looked very confused: "I need to go to the Torch Church down the mountain."

Berlan nodded, indicating that he had heard.

She had just seen Rand's bedroom, and now she had some doubts.

Before leaving, Ellie did not mention the bedroom, and since Ellie did not mention it, it was normal for Berlan to assume it was normal.

Although Berlan had no experience with how a normal noble family lived, he had a general idea.

For example, the Snow Wolf family where Ellie stayed as a child, the Snow Wolf Duke and Snow Wolf Duchess lived together. The Snow Wolf Duke himself also had some lovers, but they all lived in other places, such as some manors, or simply had their own residences.

But what about Rand...?

Indeed, Rand and Ellie lived together, but everyone else, including Rand's other lovers, also lived together.

Rand's lover simultaneously holds a high-ranking position in the Holy Domain and lives with Rand and his wife as both lovers.

It is already very rare for a lover to hold an important position in a territory. A nobleman's lover generally does not participate in the management of the territory; only the wife is qualified to assist in the management of the territory.

If a lover gets involved, it's a provocation to the lady in a sense. But the Moon Phase Duchy is different; everyone has always done it this way. The attributes of the higher-ups in the duchy are probably higher than those of Rand's lover.

Other nobles' lovers would not live with the noble couples, or in theory, they would try to avoid appearing in front of the couples to avoid being dealt with by the real power.

But Ellie prefers everyone to live together as one big family.

Berlan didn't know what the higher-ups of the Sanctuary were thinking, but Ellie actually took it for granted and didn't even mention it?
Berlan had never been anyone's wife, and Ellie's nonchalant attitude made her feel insecure. Was this how some noble families were?
Judging from Rand's appearance, it seems like there's no problem with him living with his lover. So what should he do tonight?

Who will stay with Rand while the others go outside to get some fresh air?
Do not understand.

We can only take it one step at a time now. Rand looks very serious; he probably still has important matters to attend to. I'll ask him again tonight.

Berlan had come to realize even more how special this place was. Rand and Berlan entered the Torch Church together.

Today, the Torch Church at the resort has undergone numerous expansions over the years and is no longer the small chapel originally planned.

The church's spire now pierces the sky, its glazed tiles reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling display, and massive stone pillars support the dome adorned with intricate artistic paintings.

This is the current central cathedral of the Primordial Torch Church.

Yes, although some of the older members of the Torch Church’s early cult still do not agree with the changes, they will not actually oppose them or betray the early cult.

The elders of the Torch Church's early followers have seen many things happening now. At least for now, although the early followers of the Torch Church have changed, their original intentions have not changed. They have just chosen different methods than before.

They don't understand, but it won't hinder them; and if their superiors summon them, they will obey orders.

The current central cathedral of the Torch Church in the resort is now recognized as the core of the Torch Church's early followers, or rather, the orthodox core of the Torch Church.

The reclusive faction, which had already fallen silent, completely shut itself off from the outside world.

The utilitarian New Holy City has been greatly weakened by the actions of the Newborn Faction, and since the utilitarian faction changed its leader, its actions no longer seem as utilitarian as they were at the beginning.

Meanwhile, the Torch Church's nascent faction, which collaborated with the Church of Harvest and the Church of the Goddess of Health, continued to grow and expand with the cooperation between the two parties.

Rand's political influence continued to expand, while the goddess of harvest and health and the early Torch Church provided religious influence. The two complemented each other and developed at an extremely rapid pace.

After Rand arrived at the church.

The church staff all bowed to Rand in greeting.

“Archbishop, please come with me,” a young, beautiful, simply dressed nun said to Rand.

To deepen cooperation, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health and the Newborn Church of the Torch now hold positions in each other's churches.

For example, Rand was both the head of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health and a cardinal of the Newborn faction of the Torch Church.

Currently, Archbishops Karin and Kahn also hold bishop positions in the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health.

The two sides' ideologies are not fundamentally different; the only difference is the deity they worship.

If there were truly no gods in this world, the two sides might actually merge into one.

Unfortunately, the power of the gods still exists objectively, even though they never issue divine pronouncements.

It was a rare opportunity to stand before the altar of the Central Cathedral of the Nascent Church of the Torch Church.

The surrounding area has been cleared of people.

Rand gazed at the Torch Goddess statue behind the altar.

The Torch Goddess is the only true god in this world. She does not accept any sacrifices of flesh and blood. She only blesses believers when they destroy evil spirits with fire.

[Blessing 6: The Favor of the Torch Goddess]

Rand had no chance to go to the Torch Goddess's divine realm.

But Rand still decided to come here to see if he could get any information.

Judging from the blessings they offer, the Torch Goddess probably doesn't dislike herself.

Rand closed his eyes and prayed like a devout follower of the torch.

Although he was actually the head of an evil god cult and a divine messenger.

There seems to be no response.

Some time passed.

[Blessing 9: The Torch Goddess's Blessing]

Blessing 9 had no effect, only sending a message: "Evil is coming, may victory always be with you."

It seems they did get some information.

I was just thinking that gods can never issue divine decrees to this world. I wonder how the Torch Goddess managed to do it. Does this mean that the gods can now intervene in this world?
What's special about it is actually Rand himself?
Lande's tone relaxed somewhat, and he said to Berlan, "The matter is settled, let's go back."

After seeing the news about the Torch Goddess, it's estimated that the influence of the gods on this world will definitely be further strengthened.

Aside from the Torch Goddess, everyone in this world is an evil god; there's bound to be a lot of trouble.

But since we can get the information accurately, that's a good thing. At least today, Rand doesn't plan to worry too much. He just returned to his territory and plans to balance work and rest.

I've already been working for quite a while, so I shouldn't continue now. There's no rush.

Berlan silently followed Rand back to the Lord's Hall.

Then came dinner, followed by a bath in the large public bath. While bathing, Berlan remained vigilant, hiding himself in the water.

And then.

It means returning to the bedroom door.

Olena just came over and told Berlan about the shift schedule.

This is where the problem arises.

Today Olenna is accompanying Rand, so where is this "Duchess" staying?

"Where do I live?" Berlan asked.

Rand was somewhat surprised: "Didn't Ellie tell you?"

Berlan shook his head.

Rand sighed, thinking Berlan was already mentally prepared.

Now it seems there's a problem.

“Uh… well, anyway…” Rand stammered as he quickly explained the situation.

Berlan, on the other hand, looked shocked.

"Huh? Ah!...Elly does all that..." Berlan was speechless. "Can I not do it?"

“That’s possible, but Ms. Berlan, you wouldn’t want people to doubt your identity, would you?” Rand said.

Rand did not want to force Berlan to do anything.

It all depends on what Berlan chooses.

Whether it's revealing that she's a woman and that she has a strange relationship with Rand, or continuing to play the role of Ellie, neither is an easy path to take.

This is a trial!
It can only be said that someone is finally going to have to bear the consequences of the chaotic relationships among the higher-ups of the Holy Land.

(End of this chapter)