Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"This is the true 'land rights'..."

Yu looked at Liuxia's shocked yet excited expression and said without any surprise.

"Rivers will be docile or raging according to your will, and mountains will all bow down in submission... Of course, to obtain this power, you must awaken and conquer them first..."

"Awakening conquest? What does that mean?"

Ryuka looked at Yu with a puzzled expression. She tapped her head, as if searching for suitable words from her fragmented memories.

"Hmm...it seems there are two ways. One is to awaken the 'earth spirits' that represent them, and then subdue or persuade them. Of course, there are also some 'earth spirits' whose positions are missing. In this case, you can bestow their authority upon your subordinates, giving them spiritual status and the ability to command the mountains and rivers...I think that's how it goes..."

It seems so? Ryuka watched as Yu started to act unreliably, and inwardly complained that another strange plot device had been added to the list.

But before that, he was more concerned about another issue.

"The 'spirit' you're talking about, is it something like a mountain god or river god?"

Ryuka gestured to describe it, finally making Yu understand what the mountain god and river god she was talking about were. "You're not as good as me, Mei is free, Lin is here, but..."

"More or less." Yu nodded.

Seeing her admit it, Liu Xia sighed helplessly: "Does such a thing really exist? At least I've never heard of it."

"How is that possible!" Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't the existence of 'spirits' quite normal? If 'spirits' don't exist, then what maintains the rule of 'gods'?"

"God no longer exists..."

Ryuka casually uttered words that left Yu incredulous. Seeing Yu's completely disbelieving expression, Ryuka suddenly realized that the world she was familiar with was probably a long time ago. So she slowly began to describe the present, especially what she knew about the Church and Chloe.

"So that's how it is, the 'Papal Court'... No wonder it took so long for someone to wake me up. I'm afraid the previous host wouldn't have made it this far before being discovered and executed..."

Yu pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself, before asking Ryuka:

"Um, what year is it now?"

“Ottos 327”.

“…That’s not what I’m asking. Never mind, tell me the oldest history you know.”

"Hmm...King Kranar defeated the cruel witch? And then the Papacy rose to power?"

Ryūka began telling Yu the story of "King Kranar's Expedition," while Yu rested his forehead on his hand, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hmm... I seem to remember it, but then again, I don't, especially the name 'Cruel Witch.' Tsk, my memory is really bad..."

But Yu quickly stopped thinking and stated his conclusion directly:

"In short, based on your description, the 'heretics' you mentioned should be what I call 'spirits'. Local nature spirits and the faith of other races should all be related to 'spirits'. And since that great war a thousand years ago, all the 'heretics' that opposed the 'Papal Church' have been eliminated, right? Only the Otus Empire, which you mentioned, still possesses the power of 'witches'."

"Yes."

“I understand now.” Yu nodded. “The Papacy and their ‘goddess’ you mentioned must be one of the deities. It’s quite clever of them to erase their true names. And King Cranar and his descendants, the Ottus royal family, are probably people with abilities similar to yours, only much stronger than you are now…”

"You mean the emperor of Otto? He was also a person with power?"

Ryuu frowned. After all, when it came to rulers, the most famous on the continent was probably the Emperor of Otus, followed by the kings and dukes of various places. Of course, there was one exception: the Pope of the Holy City of the Papacy.

"It should be that those who possess 'power' will no longer be limited by the strength level you mentioned, since you have already experienced the power of 'power'. This is only 'land power', but I think that emperor should also be just a ruler at the 'land power' level."

Yu continued to recount his speculation: "Starting a thousand years ago, the gods either fell or disappeared, probably because of that great war. In any case, only the 'Goddess' survived and wiped out all the existence of 'gods' and 'spirits'..."

Kranar, guided by the Holy See, is likely the possessor of a 'divine fragment' and has a cooperative yet competitive relationship with the 'Goddess'. After defeating the 'Cruel Witch', he was cursed, and his abilities were not fully passed on to his descendants.

The deity you mentioned named 'Crowelle' speculates that it's possible the 'goddess' was severed from her connections by her followers, or that the 'goddess' herself was severely damaged and fell into a deep sleep. In any case, they all entered a period of decline. Croelle has survived to this day thanks to her large base of believers, while the traces of other 'gods' and 'spirits' have not been completely erased, but rather continue to appear in the world in various 'heretical' forms, ultimately being eliminated and suppressed by the Church…”

Yu shook his head: "If that's the case, then it makes sense. Why doesn't the 'spirit' exist? Why didn't the previous host reach the point of awakening me? I'm afraid you'll have to face the Holy See soon..."

Yu's expression held a hint of pity, and Liu Xia couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

“You just mentioned that at the banquet, when facing that bishop, her scepter exuded an invisible pressure, right? That should also be a kind of ‘power.’ Considering she was on your turf, she’s probably a ‘Star General’ or ‘Star Servant’ or something like that. And since you were able to withstand her pressure, she should have sensed something. Unless… the ruler she serves, that is, the Pope, hasn’t told her the whole truth…”

"Star General? Star Servant?"

Ryuka looked even more puzzled. Yu sighed and muttered, "I only wanted you to experience 'land rights' and that was it, but it seems I'll have to suffer again..."

After saying that, a consciousness suddenly entered Liuxia's mind, and Yu's semi-transparent body became even thinner, but soon, Liuxia grasped more information about 'power'.

With a swing of the broken staff, the heavens shifted, the Milky Way shone brightly, and under the starlight, the power of 'Quan' was no longer confined to his own territory, but could influence beyond it. He could maintain a powerful aura even when traveling outside his own territory, gaining the faith and submission of those outside.

"This is 'Star Power,' a power of domination that breaks free from the earth's constraints, like starlight that can shine elsewhere. Although faint, it still belongs to the sky... If your territory is the domain of a 'Land Power' ruler, then the power of 'Star' allows you to retain a certain level of power even within someone else's domain."

Afterwards, Ryuka felt himself ascend to the highest heavens, his power becoming even stronger, seemingly able to shake even life and nature outside his territory.

"This is 'Lunar Power.' As the name suggests, 'Lunar Power' is not limited by territory most of the time. At this stage, it has surpassed most of the weaker 'gods'..."

Yu's figure grew even thinner, as if merely gaining some insight from Liuxia had taken a tremendous toll on her. Her energetic appearance was replaced by exhaustion, and she spoke in a weak voice:

"Above that is 'Heaven,' which I cannot show you. But whether it's the stars, the moon, or the heavens, you'll only be able to perceive them once you push open the door behind the throne. These fourth-tier powers are your goals to achieve. I speculate that the Emperor of Otus is the ruler of 'Earth Power,' while the Pope of the Holy See is the ruler of 'Star Power'... The 'divinely favored one' you heard about before is probably either a messenger of another surviving or resurrected god, or someone like you who obtained a fragment of divinity and is slowly advancing from ruler..."

A thousand years is neither a long nor a short time. If the war you mentioned reshaped everything, then now is probably the time when the Papacy and the Empire are declining, and various other powers are rising again…”

Earth, stars, moon, sky… Ryuga silently memorized them. In other words, besides the ordinary combat power levels, there was another level that was unrelated to individual combat ability. As 'rulers,' they were the ones who truly came into contact with the core of this world's power, and they were also rivals competing with each other for the sake of becoming gods… However, a thousand years had diluted all of this, and even the Otus royal family and the Papacy probably didn't know everything.

Seeing Ryūka's somber expression, showing no joy at gaining new power, Yu couldn't help but comfort her:

"Don't be so serious. Perhaps others don't have a 'spirit servant' like me, so you can have an advantage in terms of information."

Liu Xia's eyes lit up: "You mean, you're special?"

Yu nodded: "As far as I remember, it should be."

"You'd better be..." Ryuka twitched her lips as she looked at Yu's rather arrogant expression, thinking to herself, "You'd better be."

“In addition to these four levels of authority, rulers also need subordinates... The ‘Star General’ I just mentioned is one of the four ranks: General, Commander, Attendant, and Minister.”

Chapter 22 Sudden Change

Yu briefly described the four positions as subordinates that a ruler like Ryūka could appoint, each with its own abilities, although there were some conditions...

"That's enough for you to understand for now. Also, the manifestation of 'Power' in reality consumes a lot of energy and requires my help. But it can temporarily solidify into the form of a weapon you want, which isn't anything special..."

After watching Yu demonstrate all her abilities, Ryūka's form was already quite frail. But she still mustered the strength to tell Ryūka one last thing.

"As the ruler, you can sense what your people should do. Follow that intuition, and how you respond is up to you..."

She finished speaking in a daze, and then turned into golden dust, returning to the stone platform in front of the throne. It seems she won't be coming out for the time being.

Follow your intuition and sense your own territory?

It sounds like fortune telling...

Liu Xia took one last look at the desolate hall, then her thoughts shifted and she returned to reality.

The one poking and prodding him was Hetia.

Hetia frowned and asked, "What happened to you just now? You were completely still, and I think I had a momentary hallucination, seeing you with a golden-haired girl..."

I'll explain when I have time.

Ryusha closed his eyes and sensed that the territory of Sochi Province was like his own domain. Although the sensation was still weak, he could hear various sounds and even foresee some vague illusions as long as he focused his mind.

"If Hetia can handle the affairs entrusted to her well, the people's faith will allow me to use the power of 'authority' once, and also..."

He heard a commotion coming from the direction of Linhu Town, which made him uneasy. As he focused his attention, he vaguely saw Hinatil's cold smile.

Liu Xia slowly opened her eyes, a cold smile appearing on her lips: "As expected, the Vatican is trying to poach my men. These charlatans are really dishonest..."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Hetia looked at Ryūka suspiciously; he seemed to have changed somewhat since entering a meditative state. Ryūka pinched Hetia's cheek, stood up, and said:

"It's nothing. Just remember to implement the reforms in our territory, have Kania and Kira manage Sochi, and keep the army on guard. I have other things to do."

After saying that, the boy hurriedly left, leaving Hetia completely bewildered...

Ryusha sped towards Linhu Town, vaguely sensing in his meditation what Hinatil had done to it. In his premonition, Luminova's distraught expression also flashed through his mind.

This made him somewhat uneasy. Although his relationship with Luminova wasn't particularly deep, they had spent a year together in Linhu Town, and although it was uneventful, they were like neighbors and friends. If Luminova and Lindsay became enemies because of the opposition between the Holy See and himself, Ryusha would feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Along the way, Ryūka felt a mysterious connection between himself and the earth beneath his feet; he could almost hear the hills, rivers, and even the flowers and trees whispering to each other. If Yu hadn't explained it to him, Ryūka would have wondered if he was having a mental breakdown.

But this feeling also reminded Ryuka of someone else.

Princess Tipalotura, the thirteenth princess.

Hetia had mentioned that she possessed strange precognitive abilities. Coupled with the fact that the Otus royal family also possessed the power of the 'Ruler,' Ryuka couldn't help but wonder if the 'Ruler' Yu spoke of, the divine abilities Chloe mentioned, the 'divinely favored' Quaid had spoken of, and even the shamans of the northern barbarians he'd heard of who could communicate and prophesy—could these all be the same thing? Perhaps their abilities simply originated from different gods or divine attributes, hence the slight differences.

What about witches? As the most powerful form of heresy, could witches also be a manifestation of some kind of divine power?

If what Yu said is true, after a thousand years of trials, more and more mysterious forces are gradually awakening, and what I will face next is probably not just a simple matter of kingdom conquest.

It was early spring, and the ice and snow magic wasn't as powerful as in winter, but Liu Xia could still use the force of the wind to fly close to the ground, even faster than before, as if the wind were helping her. Soon, Linhu Town came into view. In the distance, the town was brightly decorated, as some soldiers who had taken leave brought back good news from Sochi City. Most of them had been promoted or rewarded for their previous merits. Although most were still stationed in Sochi City, some had been given a rotation leave and returned to Linhu Town.

Ryūka already knew this, and if he hadn't been so busy with official duties, he would have liked to return with the soldiers to celebrate. This made Ryūka wonder if his premonition was wrong, but as he approached the town, he sensed something was amiss.

Ryūka already knew this, and if he hadn't been so busy with official duties, he would have liked to return with the soldiers to celebrate. This made Ryūka wonder if his premonition was wrong, but as he approached the town, he sensed something was amiss.

The outskirts of the town were in a mess, with ribbons and flowers that had welcomed the soldiers scattered all over the ground. The townspeople looked worried. Although they did not see Hinatil or anyone from the Vatican, most of them seemed to have gathered at the church.

Ryuka's heart skipped a beat. Most of her people had gone to Sochi City for the investiture ceremony, leaving Linhu Town unattended except for Anyaberg, who was holed up in the magic workshop. If it weren't for her own intuition, she might not have known what had happened here for several days.

Half of the church was in ruins, and a group of angry townspeople surrounded the church in Linhu Town. Lindsay stood nervously at the door, explaining something.

“Sister Lindsay! What’s going on with those clergy?! Today is the town’s celebration! They just barged in without a word! Searching and interrogating everyone in the house! What does this mean?!”

"We are no longer slaves! We are free people! Grandma only kept a Chloe doll! And they said she was suspected of heresy! They even arrested her! What on earth is going on!"

"Where is Teacher Atina?! The children are all very concerned about what happened to her! Sister! Please give us an explanation!"

Lindsay was surrounded by the crowd, looking completely bewildered, even though the townspeople were trying their best to remain calm. The pushing and shoving still managed to knock off her glasses, causing her to burst into tears of fear.

Just then, a young man's angry shout rang out. "You're not here yet, are you? You're not here yet, are you...?"

"Calm down, everyone!"

The crowd fell silent instantly. They watched as Liu Xia gracefully landed, then quickly made way for her, muttering amongst themselves.

"That's great, it's the Consul. With him here, everything is alright."

"What are you saying? He's the Governor now, even Miss Hetia is a rank below him..."

Ryūka picked up Lindsay's slightly deformed glasses from the ground, helped the girl up, and asked seriously:

"What exactly happened?"

After Lindsay recognized Liuxia, her face flushed red and she burst into tears.

"I...I don't know...they didn't tell me anything..."

She was sobbing uncontrollably and couldn't explain herself properly. Meanwhile, Ryusha spotted a familiar figure in the crowd: Atina's father, Old Maia. He was in a wheelchair, being pushed by Evelyn and her sister. His weathered face was composed, but it couldn't hide his loneliness and worry.

Liuxia patiently calmed the crowd and Lindsay, and after they left, she learned the whole story from Old Man Maya and the twin sisters.

Just as the investiture ceremony was taking place in Sochi, several clergymen arrived at the church and summoned Luminova, but this did not attract much attention at the time. Even Lindsay assumed that the newly appointed bishop, Sinatiel, and Luminova, both from the Inquisition, might have some private dealings.

But today, the town was bustling with activity as the celebration was held for the returning soldiers. However, just as the festivities were taking place, the papacy arrived.

This time, it was the bishop himself who led the group.

The townspeople initially welcomed them warmly, but Hinatil remained unmoved and headed straight for the church... Before long, the deafening sound of the church echoed throughout the entire town...

Planks and bricks flew everywhere, silver vines and petals engulfed the entire church, and the holy light was like a blinding sun, leaving everyone bewildered.

Then, no one saw the bishop emerge, but the clergy she brought stormed into the town like madmen, interrogating and accusing them of heresy. The ordinary townspeople were no match for them, and the celebration instantly turned into an execution ground. But they seemed to have gotten nothing from it and quickly left.

But... Atina is gone...

"Today, to celebrate, Atina only scheduled half a day of classes for the children and told me I would go home at noon. I was at home when I heard a loud bang from the church. Before I could even ask anyone for directions, Evelyn and Elena came and took me away... Soon after, the Vatican's people stormed into my house and turned everything upside down..."

Old Mya's tone was one of barely suppressed anger, while Elena looked uneasily at Ryusha and said:

"Atina, she...she is a heretic..."

Ryuga felt a sudden rush of light in his head. He looked at Elena and the others in disbelief, while the twins exchanged a glance and slowly began to recount what had happened in the church.

They happened to come to the church school to find Atina and ask her to join the celebration, but after the roar, Atina was covered in silver petals, laughing wildly, and she fought with the bishop.

The outskirts of the town were in a mess, with ribbons and flowers that had welcomed the soldiers scattered all over the ground. The townspeople looked worried. Although they did not see Hinatil or anyone from the Vatican, most of them seemed to have gathered at the church.

Ryuka's heart skipped a beat. Most of her people had gone to Sochi City for the investiture ceremony, leaving Linhu Town unattended except for Anyaberg, who was holed up in the magic workshop. If it weren't for her own intuition, she might not have known what had happened here for several days.

Half of the church was in ruins, and a group of angry townspeople surrounded the church in Linhu Town. Lindsay stood nervously at the door, explaining something.

“Sister Lindsay! What’s going on with those clergy?! Today is the town’s celebration! They just barged in without a word! Searching and interrogating everyone in the house! What does this mean?!”

"We are no longer slaves! We are free people! Grandma only kept a Chloe doll! And they said she was suspected of heresy! They even arrested her! What on earth is going on!"

"Where is Teacher Atina?! The children are all very concerned about what happened to her! Sister! Please give us an explanation!"