Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 390 The Wanderer of Mor and the Gate of the Holy Land
Hearing the hilarious answer that Demst had been brewing for so long, Su Li almost felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

You don't know this divine magic? What are you talking about?! Isn't that a waste of your time?

Perhaps sensing Su Li's anger and guessing how the lord was about to berate him, Demst quickly spoke up, "Lord, please don't be anxious, don't be angry. Although I don't know this divine magic, some of our church's orders do! This is also the significance of my saying that we should build a Mor Holy Land here!"

"Oh?" Su Li finally suppressed the urge to scold him: "Tell me about your sect and holy land."

In the upcoming war against Blue Mirror Territory, besides stabilizing the situation and consolidating the gains from this victory, another important task for Su Li is to promote the growth of the Mor Church in order to counter the Green Ghost Cavalry of Blue Mirror Territory.

Therefore, Su Li was patient enough to listen to the information about the Church of Mor.

Demst, feeling as if granted a pardon, quickly wiped away imaginary cold sweat from his forehead and began to explain rapidly, fearing that any delay would incur the lord's wrath: "Your Excellency is wise! As you know, the core doctrine of our Church of Mor is 'remembering' and 'protecting the peace of the deceased.' However, under this grand doctrine, different branches of the cult have emerged due to differences in region and emphasis of duty. The most famous main branches are, of course, the Shroud Order and the Diviners. The former venerates Mor as the god of the dead, while the latter venerates Mor as the god of dreams and prophecy. The larger Shroud Order dominates some other orders within the cult, such as the Night Watch, while the Doomsday Prophecy Order is allied with the Diviners. But there is almost no tension between these groups, because all believers acknowledge different aspects of Mor."

"But there was another division within the sect that did cause some tension. Almost all of the More priests lived in one church and rarely went out. Apart from these people, they would travel around the Old World in pursuit of their dreams. Although this group was small, no church had the authority to manage these wandering priests. As travelers, they all attended the secret meetings of Lucini, which meant that they were never declared heretics."

Su Li interrupted him and asked, "What was the secret meeting in Luciní?"

“Huh? Didn’t I mention this before?” Durmst paused slightly, scratched his head, and then casually revealed all the secrets of their church: “Moore’s church is completely independent in its daily affairs. But every ten years, the pastors hold a secret meeting in Lucini to reach an agreement on funeral rites and doctrinal matters. This is the most important Lucini meeting in our church. In theory, all pastors should attend, but leaving the church unattended is not allowed. So each church sends at least one representative, formally chosen by Moore in a dream. Generally, only the representative will have the relevant dream, although sometimes the head pastor will claim to have dreamed of a particularly annoying subordinate who should leave. In the church, the head pastor organizes daily activities. These depend on rank, and Moore’s rank varies greatly, so they must be considered separately.”

Chosen by Moore himself?
This god of death has a very strong ability to intervene.

In comparison, Su Li realized that he had never received direct intervention from the Goddess of the Blazing Sun. At least, he still didn't know what the goddess looked like.

However, it's also possible that the Goddess of the Sun generally doesn't need to see her chosen ones alone; her manifestations usually take place on the battlefield during intense battles. Moreover, she bestows divine grace upon the entire army, rather than focusing on individuals like Yurik.

So Su Li didn't think too much about it and continued to Demst, "Then continue, what's different about these wanderers?"

“Oh, oh, okay. Continue with our church’s impression of them. Although they haven’t been labeled heretics, most settled Moor pastors dislike them and encourage them to leave as soon as possible. The wanderers are usually happy to help. Most of the wandering fortune tellers are members of the Doomsday Prophecy Order, which is under the official jurisdiction of the Order. The wandering members of the Shroud Order are not organized into a formal group, but they have a lot in common. They go around performing final rites for those who don’t have a pastor. This usually requires going to dangerous places to find a body. Once they find a body, they will hold a funeral for the deceased, no matter how old the body looks.”

"These priests are loyal followers of the Mor, and they venture into legendary tombs filled with treasure: they do this to perform funerals for treasure hunters killed in traps and to ensure the tombs' riches remain untouched. They also travel to battlefields, villages ravaged by orcs, and other similarly dangerous places. Since most quests don't attract the services of the Night Watch, they often travel with adventurers. Swift William, for example, is the most famous of these priests, renowned for his ability to perform a complete funeral service in a minute while escaping from a horde of orcs. However, since one of William's companions is a bard, his skill may be somewhat exaggerated. Wanderers, like other Mor priests, pay attention to their dreams, but they also heed rumors and keep an eye out for unclaimed corpses. In general, their relationship with the living far surpasses that of their colleagues, but their God apparently approves of their actions, as they have no problem wielding holy magic."

"These 'wanderers' do not practice in bustling churches, but are rooted deep in ancient, vast, and even legendary haunted cemeteries. Their duties are not only daily cleaning and prayer, but also to 'appease' wandering spirits that cannot rest for various reasons, or even those with strong resentment or obsession. They deal with the deepest and most unstable soul energies day after day."

Su Li raised an eyebrow slightly, his previous anger replaced by inquisitive interest: "So, they've been in contact with the most 'negative' soul energy?"

“Exactly, my lord!” Durmst nodded vigorously. “Ordinary priests like myself focus on guiding the peaceful souls of the deceased back to tranquility, and mostly master divine arts such as ‘soothing,’ ‘comforting,’ and ‘purifying resentment (gentle version)’. But the ‘wanderers’ are different. In order to suppress and appease those powerful and aggressive vengeful spirits, they must master more… more ‘confrontational’ soul divine arts. They must not only understand the fragility of the soul, but also its stubborn and aggressive side.”

"Therefore, I believe they will be extremely interested in the secret treasure beneath Blue Mirror Lake! We can recruit them to explore the lake. At the same time, more of them will master the divine spell [Words of Mor]!"

Hearing Demst say this, Su Li felt that this matter was quite reliable.

These wanderers of the Moor Church had a natural inclination to explore ancient tombs and conduct archaeological research. Nothing was more worthy of study than the area beneath Blue Mirror Lake. The followers of Mannan had even unearthed the remains of an ancient river god there.

These knights of Mor will surely discover more if they go in. If their Mor's Words magic can still communicate with souls, then theoretically they can communicate with the green ghost cavalry below, wouldn't that solve the mystery?
Su Li then asked with great interest, "So how do you attract these wanderers? Through your holy land?"

“That’s right!” Durmst nodded immediately, saying lazily, “Our holy site is actually quite simple to build, especially near this mountainous area, where we can use whatever materials we have. The churches in More are almost all built of stone, and they always have a wide stone door with no door panels, only a heavy lintel that can be opened like a portal. The door is formed by a pair of pillars. One is black, and the other is white, reflecting the dual nature of God. The churches in More are usually located in the quietest underground places, known for their cool temperatures and good ventilation. The interiors of the churches in More are usually spacious. Any necessary furniture is stored in the storeroom and only taken out when needed—such as at funerals.”

"Other details depend on the denomination. The chapel of the shroud order is usually rectangular, with several side rooms where the body can be prepared for burial. At the far end of the nave is the main altar, directly opposite the door, with a coffin in front of it for the deceased to be placed during the funeral procession. Behind the altar is a door leading to the Moore Gardens. Large chapels have several altars, so more than one funeral can be held at once, each with its own door leading into the gardens. The doors to the Moore Gardens can be closed and locked."

"The garden itself was a black rose garden, tended by a priest, and dotted with memorial stones for the dead. In theory, these monuments were small, but the wealthy could convince the high priest that 'small' was relative: for example, the Ridma Church in Terrabheim. Bereaved persons could visit the garden accompanied by Reverend Moore, but unauthorized persons were not allowed to enter alone. To reinforce this, most gardens were surrounded by high stone walls, with the only entrance being through the church itself. The priest's residence was usually built along one of the garden walls."

"A diviner's church is typically circular and domed, with an oculus at the top. The seer sits in the center of the dome, surrounded by the smoke of incense. Attached rooms and chambers are part of the main building, accessed directly from the church's main hall. A diviner's church does not have a Moorish garden attached to it, but it is not uncommon for the churches of the two main sects to be located next to each other. In some places, such as Terrabheim, this is different. Most choose to be buried in Talvert, Tal's sacred forest. Their bodies are carried along a pilgrimage route to Moor, and at the end of the route, they rest for a period in Moorish gardens. Finally, when the body is properly prepared, it is carried through a gate dedicated to Rhea, known as the Stone of the End."

"The smaller Moor Church is somewhat similar in appearance to the cathedral. One column is made of white marble, and the other is made of black basalt, with a lintel at the top. We can start from this point and then gradually increase the size of the holy site."

“Alright then.” Su Li nodded and said, “I accept your proposal. You will be fully responsible for establishing this holy site in Mor. If you need anything, just report to the logistics officer, and I will have Doglin and the dwarf engineers provide you with support.”

"Yes, my lord." Demst's voice finally picked up a bit of enthusiasm, though it still sounded a bit lazy and unreliable.

However, as it turns out, as Mor's chosen one, he still had a very firm will to pursue missionary work.

Over the next few days, Durmst himself appeared at the ruins of Stromgarde. In addition to the clanging and banging of the dwarves repairing the walls and fortresses, a peculiar sight appeared—the Mor Knights were directing the engineers to build Mor's Garden.

He first cleared a relatively flat area of ​​bedrock in the area of ​​Stromgarde that had been most severely damaged by cannon fire and the sea dragon's collapse. Then he directed the dwarves to transport two enormous stone pillars from a nearby quarry and erect them on this base. One was as black as night, and the other as white as bone, forming a heavy lintel without doors. This was the symbol of the Temple of Mor—the Gate of Life and Death. On the lintel, Durmst personally inscribed the runes of the Church of Mor.

These are two divine spells he has mastered: one is "Destroy the Undead"—using wooden stakes or stone pillars as bait to damage undead targets. Basically, any undead creature on a ship passing through this Gate of Life and Death will suffer damage.

Another divine spell is the Threshold Line—a line drawn on the ground by Mor's followers, eight yards long, while they pray to Mor. No undead creature can cross it. The power of this line lasts until sunrise, and each undead creature has only one chance to cross it. If the line is not a closed loop, the undead may bypass it, so it is usually drawn as a ring or a doorway. This spell seems complex, and its effect is anything but simple. First, Mor's priests must pray to it daily, gaining Mor's power as the Watcher of Death, drawing a law-bound boundary between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. This alone is enough to attract Mor's followers to make pilgrimages and remain there. Under this divinely empowered line, an insurmountable barrier is formed against all types of undead creatures, including ghosts, zombies, skeletons, vampires, and ghouls.

Durmst drew a straight line, but as a divine spell personally presided over by a chosen one, the effect stretched for more than 30 meters, enough to cover half of the Brienne River.

In terms of effectiveness, this is almost a security checkpoint, which can greatly reduce the probability of undead monsters infiltrating from downstream to upstream and entering the plains around Flashspear City or Blackforest City.

After the gate was built, Durmst supervised the dwarven engineers to continue expanding beyond it. Behind the gate was not a grand hall, but a deep, empty underground space that was carved and expanded downwards along the cliff face and ruins.

Following its religious doctrine, Durmstral Temple maintained a serene and austere interior. The walls and dome were constructed of cleanly cut grey rock, devoid of superfluous reliefs or decorations, save for niches and recesses for embedded lighting crystals. The air circulation was ingeniously designed, utilizing natural fissures in the cliff and ventilation shafts dug by the dwarves to ensure the temple's interior always maintained a constant, dry, and slightly cool "tomb-like" feel. At the far end of the temple was a smooth stone wall, before which a stone platform was reserved to become the main altar. The altar faced the Gate of Life and Death, symbolizing the end of the path to death.

On one side of the main temple, Durmst planned an area tightly enclosed by high stone walls, which would become the Mor Garden in the future. Currently, it was still wasteland, with only black, fertile soil laid out flat. Durmst personally collected some of the scorched earth most deeply contaminated by cannon fire and the desecrated energy of the sea dragon from the battlefield, mixed it with silt from the bottom of the Brienne River, and scattered it into the area.

“Fertile soil of death,” he remarked, “will produce the most beautiful black roses in the future.”

The only entrance to the garden is a heavy stone door reserved inside the temple, which is currently tightly closed.

Along the outer wall of the garden, simple stone houses began to be built as residences for the future Pastor Moore and the gravedigger who would stay here.

In just over ten days, a building with a style unlike any imperial church or Mannana Temple rose from the ruins and scars of Stromgarde (or rather, went deep underground). It had no ornate decorations, no towering spires, only a pair of silent, black and white stone pillars, and behind them a deep, cold, and empty entrance, exuding a solemnity and reverence that made people instinctively hold their breath and feel a chill down their spine.

The aura of death was subtly guided and contained within this area, no longer spreading unchecked, but instead forming a peculiar sense of "order".

After the main building was completed, this magnificent church and the holy site of Mor successfully received the blessings of Mor.

The sacred site meticulously designed by Durmst began to show its effects. This Stromgarde Watchtower had become a temple area, exuding an aura of restrained and guided death order. Negative energy within and around the sacred site was guided in an orderly manner, greatly reducing the probability of low-level undead naturally spawning.

Then, it's hard to say whether the Black Rose can be cultivated in the fertile soil of death he carefully cultivated, combined with the river water of the St. Leonard Bay upstream. But the Ghost Vine was indeed successfully transplanted here!

The Church of Dawn and the Church of Mole joined forces to plant more than 60 ghost vines in this Mole Garden, which the West High Chamber of Commerce found incredible.

It's important to know that there are many holy sites of Mor in the Westerlands. Their Westerlands are the core territory of the Mor church, just as the province of Surland worships the Goddess of Justice, the province of Middenland worships Yurik, and the province of Avalan worships Ridma.

Theoretically, if Ghostvine could truly be cultivated and grown in a sacred place, it should be in the West Highlands. After all, they have been dedicated to building the Ghostvine Wall for thousands of years.

However, they never expected that, apart from being cultivated in the purple spirit field, the sacred land where the Ghost Vine could grow was a little-known sacred land called Little Mor within the border prince's territory.

Moreover, this small Mor Sanctuary is still relatively new!

How could the followers of Mor not be curious? Soon, many Mor knights and members of the cult, unwilling to give up and full of curiosity, rushed over from all directions.

Maleburg was at the very center of this vortex. Due to the Empire's sacred Great Crusade, a large number of Mor Knights had already gathered near Maleburg. After hearing of the wonders and sacred sites of Stromgarde's Watchtower, many Mor Knights were even more interested in this place than the Great Crusade itself, and large numbers of Mor Knights left Maleburg and flocked towards Stromgarde.

Among them, wanderers made up the vast majority, because they naturally liked to wander around, and their curiosity about ancient tombs and wonders naturally outweighed their interest in participating in the Sacred Expedition.

Many Mor Knights participated in the Holy Crusade not for wealth and glory, but to bury the dead and let more souls rest in peace.

Stromgarde now possesses this ability, and it greatly assists Mor's followers in their fight against the undead.

Compared to the greenskins and beastmen of Mount Oka, necromancers and vampires are Mor's ultimate enemies! The followers of Mor's Church believe that these necromancers and vampires steal souls from Mor's territory, undermining his protection and defying his authority for their own benefit. Mor's followers also believe that souls deprived of Mor's protection are utterly vulnerable to Chaos. Therefore, even undead creatures who claim satisfaction with their condition must be buried with proper rites. Most Mor's followers believe that once a necromancer is sent to his kingdom with proper rites, Mor's will even accept and protect the necromancer's soul.

The duty of Mor's followers is to send these necromancers into Mor's domain!
All of this makes the Watchtower of Stromgarde have an extraordinary significance within the Church of Mor.

However, the sacred site's effectiveness is thanks to Mannan. The most important reason these ghost vines can grow around the sacred site is that the fertile soil collected by Durmst contains a large number of vampire dragon remains, which contain the divinity and flesh of ancient river gods.

Their divinity is sufficient to support the growth of any plant, while the waters of St. Leonard's Bay possess an extremely strong purifying ability against the undead and blasphemous powers, capable of removing the corrupting influence of blasphemy from the fertile soil. This combination of factors allows the Ghost Vine to grow in the gardens of this sacred place.

Once these ghost vines have grown to maturity, the priests of the holy land will deploy them along the river, creating a black Great Wall for the Black Forest Territory.

The effects of Ghostvine are well-known; it attracts undead creatures to attack it at any cost.

With the effects of Stromgarde's Watchgate and the numerous activated Ghost Vines along the riverbanks, it's almost certain that fleets traveling down the Brienne River will be unable to find any undead creatures lurking in their path when entering Blackwood. This will significantly reduce the defensive pressure around Flashspear City. The garrison will no longer need to worry about undead attacks.

(End of this chapter)