He changed Tiwat

“You may have had a misunderstanding from the beginning, thinking that the Church is biased against you. But the truth is that the Church hopes that every citizen of Sumeru can have a wiser future.”

"Therefore, the art forms you appreciate should also be inspiring and have value for appreciation. However, we have not found these points in the various productions of the 'Zubair Theatre'."

"In other words, if you spend your time thinking about how to improve the quality of your productions and how to inspire the audience's minds, instead of engaging in pointless confrontations—"

“The Zubair Theatre will not meet such a tragic end.”

Sharif's statement is essentially equivalent to saying, "It's not that the Church looks down on your art, it's just that your artistic level is too poor."

"Wow! This guy came on strong right off the bat!" Paimon, sitting in the audience, waved his little fists indignantly.

Ying also deeply agreed: "He shifted all the blame to Zuber Theatre; his rhetoric is truly despicable!"

Anaye kept her head down the whole time.

Although she knew her father wasn't a bad person at heart, he was just being dutiful, the words that came out of that knife-like mouth were still infuriating no matter how she listened to them.

Han Fulai immediately countered: "What is meant by 'the inspirational nature of art'? What is meant by 'the value of being appreciated'? What standards does the Council of Education use to judge the value of art?"

Sharif was prepared for this and answered without hesitation: "The standard of the Council of Fathers is, of course, 'wisdom'!"

"As children of the God of Wisdom, we should take pride in approaching wisdom. The inspiration of art lies in enlightening people to pursue wisdom; the value of art lies in guiding people to encounter the truth."

"For example, the 'Ode to the Light' praises the compassion of the Lord of Wisdom, guiding the people of Mount Sumeru to promote good and suppress evil—'I cross the river of sorrow and drink the sweet dew. I open the way for good spirits, so that the compassionate light of wisdom may shine in all directions.'"

"It reveals the truth of the world and guides the people of Mount Sumeru to draw near to wisdom—'Within the chakras of the earth lie the seeds of karma that give rise to all things. The temporary prosperity and decline of the world are merely illusions manifesting from these seeds.'"

"Only works of art like these deserve to be called 'art.' As the Lord of Wisdom said: 'The eternal light will guide us on our path of ascension.'"

As a scholar of the "Greek school," Shariputra had long since memorized these documents. Countless scholars in the "Greek school" obtained their degrees by repeatedly excavating "wisdom" from the fragments left by these tree kings.

For millennia, every punctuation mark left by the "god of wisdom" has been meticulously interpreted by scholars, constantly generating new "commentaries," "commentaries on commentaries," and "commentaries on commentaries on commentaries." The *Ode to the Light* has its own "spiritual studies," and the *Discourses on Discourses on Discourses* has its own "discourses on Discourses." If you haven't written several commentaries and studies on these topics, you can't really claim to understand art.

Sharif only disliked the "superficial art" in the Grand Bazaar; he knew better than anyone the "high art" that scholars loved.

He abruptly changed the subject, his sharp gaze sweeping once more over the Zuber troupe members in the audience:

"Of course, I am not comparing the Zubair Theatre to the Lord of Wisdom, and the Zubair Theatre can hardly approach the level of the Lord of Wisdom. The censorship of the Church sets higher requirements for the performers in the theatre, and at the same time, it also urges the development of art and helps the Zubair Theatre and the audience to access higher artistic levels."

"If the Zubair Theatre continues to perform simple, unprogressive plays like 'The Merchant of Ormos' and 'The Legend of the Flower Knight,' the people's aesthetic appreciation will never reach a higher level. Cultivating aesthetic appreciation requires a process, and guiding this process is the original intention of the Dagical Council!"

Sharif's words were high-sounding, with the saying "the Church is for the good of the people" and he even brought up the Great Tree King as the benchmark of art, leaving no room for rebuttal. No matter how much the people in the Grand Bazaar liked the performances at Zubair Theatre, would they dare to say that Zubair's scripts could touch upon the "wisdom" of the Great Tree King?

Han Fulai raised an eyebrow, realizing that Sharif was quite skilled in debating. If his words were spoken in a Chinese debate competition, the judges would definitely rule it as "appeal to authority" and award him a loss. However, Sumeru is a divine realm where everyone seeks the wisdom of the "God of Wisdom," and "appeal to authority" is the rule of debate in this country.

To put it more clearly, the "debate" in Sumeru was actually a "debate on scriptures." The debate was about "whether the Tree King Bodhisattva had said it" and "how the Tree King Bodhisattva said it"... And the monks, no, the scholars, who held the "right to interpret scriptures," naturally had the upper hand in the debate.

If it were someone else on stage, such as Zubair or Nilu, they probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Unfortunately, the person on stage was Han Fulai—who had received a traditional Chinese liberal arts education and had also studied postgraduate entrance exam politics and civil service exam essay writing.

The strength of Chinese liberal arts students lies in their ability to transform everything that Confucius once said, regardless of which country on Earth, into something that fits the Chinese concept of a harmonious society!

Nilu, Ying, Dixia, and the others below the stage watched Han Fulai nervously, only to see Han Fulai grin, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, as if Sharif's words had hit the nail on the head: "Mr. Sharif keeps talking about the wisdom of the Lord of Wisdom, but I would like to ask, who is the Lord of Wisdom currently residing in the Pure Goodness Palace?"

Sharif was startled, clearly realizing something.

Han Fulai didn't give him time to react, asking one question after another: "The 'Ode to the Light' praises the wisdom of the Great Tree King, and the Church calls it art; the 'Legend of the Flower Knight' praises the wisdom of the Little Lucky Grass King, so why isn't it art in the eyes of the Church?"

"The Great Tree King is the 'God of Wisdom,' and the Little Lucky Grass King is also the 'God of Wisdom.' The Great Tree King guides people to pursue wisdom, and the Little Lucky Grass King similarly guides people to pursue wisdom."

"You watch 'Ode to the Light' in the Cathedral of the Nativity, getting closer to the wisdom of the Great Tree King; the people of the Grand Bazaar watch 'The Legend of the Flower Knight' in the theater, getting closer to the wisdom of the Lesser Lucky Grass King... Both are pursuing the wisdom of the gods, so why does the Cathedral of the Nativity favor one over the other, only honoring the wisdom of the Great Tree King while belittling the wisdom of the Lesser Lucky Grass King?"

"No, that's not the case at all. The Order of the Fathers has absolutely no such intention..."

Sharif hurriedly tried to defend himself, but Han Fulai was so aggressive that he didn't give him any chance at all.

"'Absolutely no such intention'? I think your meaning is quite clear. You criticize 'The Legend of the Flower Knight' and obstruct the 'Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival'... Could it be that the deity of Mount Sumeru has changed, and the 'God of Wisdom' is no longer our Little Lucky Grass King, but has been replaced by a scholar from your Order of the Church?"

"Otherwise, by what right does the Council of Religion deny the art of praising the Little Lucky Grass King, deny the wisdom of the Little Lucky Grass King, and have any right to judge the wisdom of the Little Lucky Grass King?"

"If this is not the will of the Chancellery, then who issued the administrative order to close the theater? Ah, could it be that you, Mr. Sharif, are deceiving your superiors, abusing your power, and acting arbitrarily... Then I must ask you in front of Mr. Sedafi and all the people of Sumeru: What are your intentions in using the Great Compassion Tree King to negate the Lesser Auspicious Grass King?"

Chapter 50 If you're going to step on the scale, step on the biggest one! [4k]

With Han Fulai slapping such a string of accusations on Sharif, even if he had a few more heads, he wouldn't be able to keep up.

A bewildered Sharif inexplicably recalled the "self-introduction" given by the Liyue merchant when they first met: "Han Jiangxue of Liyue, nicknamed Hunjianglong."

The term "混江龙" has two meanings:

One refers to the tools used for river management and sand removal. In Liyue, to clear the silt accumulated in the rivers, a huge iron rake was created. Boats towed the rake, stirring up the silt at the bottom of the water and allowing it to flow away with the current.

The second category refers to water dragons and deep-sea dragons that live in rivers and seas. According to the research of the "biological school," these dragons are extremely ferocious and have even been driven by multiple demon gods to attack and conquer territories during the war between demon gods.

In short, no matter what kind of "river dragon" it is, it can be deadly.

Sharif finally realized—the visitor was up to no good!

You think this "Liyue River Dragon" is here to "debate" with you? No way!

These accusations are clearly a prelude to "murder"!

He not only killed people, he also destroyed their spirits!

Sharif gritted his teeth and looked at Saidaf, who was standing in the center of the field: "Mr. Saidaf! This is a vicious personal attack!"

Although the debate format in Sumeru differs from that in China, basic rules such as "no personal attacks" still apply. Therefore, labeling an opponent in a debate is naturally considered a form of "personal attack."

Saidaf coughed, slowly raised his hand, and said, "Both sides, please manage your emotions and do not stray from the topic of the debate."

Huh? That's it?

Sharif was stunned.

If the accusations the other party just made against him were true, they would be enough to put him in prison for the rest of his life. Such a serious act of slander is just a matter of "not managing his emotions well"?

Moreover, Mr. Saidaf's request to "not deviate from the topic of the debate" was clearly a warning to him not to continue arguing with the other party on this topic—he had been falsely accused and hadn't even had time to say a word in his defense before being silenced.

Isn't this showing favoritism towards the other side?

He stared at Mr. Saidafi in disbelief, but the renowned Habantha remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't taken what had just happened at all...

The Hebantu of the "Pulbiluni School," known for its "independent research" and even forbidding its disciples from accepting commercial sponsorships, is actually in cahoots with this Liyue broker?

Am I dreaming? Or is something wrong with this world?

Sharif felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his head was practically steaming. He simply couldn't understand why this was happening.

What Sharif couldn't understand was actually quite simple in Saidaf's eyes.

Hydif's letter of introduction and Jiang Xue's friendship were both "stepping stones." What truly bound this famous Mr. Seidaf to a certain "Liyue River Dragon" was, of course, "interests"—"political interests."

The reason why this "Puerbiruni lineage" member Habantha disregarded the dignity of a great scholar to act as this "biased judge" was because he was dissatisfied with the current Church of England.

Knowledge knows no borders, but scholars do have nationalities.

Scholars not only have nationalities, but also schools of thought, backgrounds, races... and even disciples, wives, children, and elderly parents.

Even the most virtuous and noble scholar needs to eat. If someone wants to prevent this scholar and his entire family and disciples from eating, then this scholar has no need to maintain his "virtuous and noble" reputation.

Saidaf is the "Hapandha" of the "Minglun School". If he were to go a step further, he would become a "Sage". The current Sage of the "Minglun School" is none other than the Great Sage Azhar, who leads the Chancellery.

Most people in the council regarded Saidaf as Hazard's successor. After all, in terms of achievements and reputation, no one in the entire "Ming Lun" faction could compare with Saidaf. When Hazard retired, it would be a natural thing for him to succeed as the Sage, or even the "Great Sage".

However, the reality is that Saadafi, who adhered to the "Pulbirouni Commandment" and championed "independent research," was completely excluded from the core circle of power by Hazard.

The most obvious point is that, as the "Minglun School" member, Habantha, the next sage whom everyone expected from the Lita Vatican Academy, Saidaf was not able to get any information about the "secret project of the Faith Council" beforehand!

Even before Han Fu came to Xumi to ask him for help, he had already consciously gone to the Order of the Church to find out the situation. However, he only got some superficial information that even an ordinary researcher like Ruhari could find out: "'Secret Project' is related to 'Healing the World Tree'."

It was precisely because he learned that this "secret project" was related to the "World Tree" that even the academically focused Serdaf felt a deep sense of crisis.

It is worth noting that the Purbilloni lineage is renowned for its expertise in biomedicine. One of the topics that Sedafi himself is researching is the cure for "Demon Scale Disease." Moreover, like Tinari, he has also noticed the connection between "Demon Scale Disease" and "the disease of the World Tree," and has even put forward this conjecture in the internal journal of the Order of the Church.

What does it mean that Hazard deliberately avoided mentioning him, an expert, in the project concerning the "World Tree"?

More importantly, not only him, but none of the scholars belonging to the "Pulbiloni school" were able to participate in that "secret project".

What impact will this major project, involving six major schools of thought, six great sages, the World Tree, and the future of the entire Sumeru Kingdom, have on this country and even the world? What does it mean that this project completely excludes the "Puerbiluni School"?

Those who can become Habanthas are definitely not fools. Saidaf has realized that the Church is likely to undergo a major reshuffle, and he, along with his "Pulbiluni lineage," has been excluded from the table by Hazard.

Even if not for himself, he had to consider the future of his disciples and followers—so he needed a powerful enough "hand" to put him on the table.

At that very moment, Han Fulai presented him with a "card" called "Little Auspicious Grass King".

Although Cedarfi, like most scholars in the Council of the Church, had previously been indifferent to the Little Lucky Grass King, now he could only hold onto the "Little Lucky Grass King" card tightly in his hand.

The accusations Han Fulai made against Sheriff were all exactly what Saidaf wanted to hear. If he weren't the "referee," Saidaf would have applauded him.

As for the "ginseng rooster"...

Hmm, it sounds delicious.

Seeing that Sharif remained silent for a long time, Han Fulai raised his hand and asked, "Referee, since the opponent has not spoken for so long, shouldn't he be declared to have automatically surrendered?"

Sedaf glanced up at the clock on the wall: "...Mr. Sharif, please speak as soon as possible. Any further delay will be considered a violation."

Actually, "hearings" are different from "debates" in colleges; there's no specific time limit for speaking. Spokespersons also need time to organize their thoughts when answering reporters' questions; thinking for a minute or two is generally not considered a violation.

Shelif remained silent for about half a minute. Of course, it wasn't to the point where he should be penalized, but whether or not this constituted intentional delay was a matter for the referee to decide.

However, since Sedafi is a renowned scholar, he couldn't show too much bias in this regard, so he reminded Sharif to speak as soon as possible.

Han Fulai certainly wasn't aiming for a "loss due to exceeding the time limit" winning method; that would be too boring.

He made this point specifically, partly to continue putting psychological pressure on Sharif, and partly to send a signal to the audience below.

Zubair and the others understood immediately and started making a fuss, which was met with boos from the crowd, all demanding that Sharif step down.

Thanks to the boos, Shariputra, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses.

Because of his bad temper, Sharif was always frustrated and unsuccessful in the Faculty. His initial success as a "genius scholar and disciple of a sage" turned him into a marginal figure. Even when his sage teacher, Kavaja, participated in an important project of the Faculty, he did not include Sharif in the program.

However, a person who can be called a "genius" may be a bit stubborn, but he is definitely not stupid.

Saidaf's strange attitude, and the fact that "Han Jiangxue" had directed the criticism at the two generations of Grass Gods, made him realize that the struggle hidden behind this "hearing" was something that he, a mere instructor, could not possibly participate in.

In fact, even the administrative order to shut down the Zubair Theatre came about very strangely—it was an "artistic ban" that was directly transmitted from the great sage Azhar to Sharif's "void terminal".

That "art ban" directly prohibited all "low-quality artistic performances," including the "Flora Festival."

Only the central authority of the Council of Command has the authority to control the "Void Terminal" to issue commands, and this order must have been issued by the Great Sage Azar.

Normally, such administrative orders should be issued by the Great Sage to the scribe Elhesen, who would then draft a formal written document and distribute it to the various levels of religious officers, who would then carry it out. It is highly unusual that Hazard issued the order directly to a lowly religious officer, bypassing at least two levels and lacking a written document.

However, all instructors are under the jurisdiction of the Instruction Council, and the Great Sage does indeed have the right to directly command the instructors.

Even if some procedures were missing, the Great Sage could have reissued them afterward. There were precedents in the history of the Church of Jesus. Sariputra was simply faithfully carrying out the Great Sage's decree.

Looking back today, that unusual "art ban" was probably a battle between gods above the level of Hebantu, and might even involve a conflict of faith between two generations of grass gods... He was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire after the city gate caught fire.

It was pointless to regret agreeing to the hearing at this point; whether he stuck his neck out or not, he would still get hurt. So Sharif straightened his neck.

Now, the only thing that can protect him is the "rules" he has consistently followed for the past twenty years.

"As Mr. Saidaf said, Ms. Han Jiangxue's attacks on the Evangelical Fellowship and myself are irrelevant to the topic of this hearing, and I have no intention of refuting them. However, I need to emphasize to everyone present that the administrative orders issued by the Evangelical Fellowship and executed by myself are all in accordance with proper administrative procedures and are reasonable and legal."

"The closure of the Zubair Theater was essentially a punishment for the troupe's violation of the rules."

Sharif pulled out a document stamped with the seal of the Church from his pocket, along with a small, green jar that shimmered with the light of grass elements.

"This is the 'Guiding Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Cultural and Artistic Work' issued by the Council of Religious Orders. It bears the seals and signatures of the Great Sage Azar and the Secretary Elhesen. This law clearly stipulates that Religious Orders have the obligation to review and the power to rectify artistic performance projects within their jurisdiction."

“I have notified the Zubair Theater of rectification several times, both in writing and verbally. The previous written notices are still on the bulletin board outside the theater. This is an undeniable fact.”

"However, Zubair Theater consciously ignored or outwardly complied with my rectification notice, which led to the current situation."

"In addition, I also have a copy of the 'Art Prohibition' that was directly issued to the 'Void Terminal' by the Great Sage Azar. It was based on this 'Art Prohibition' that I decided to shut down the 'Zubair Theater'."

"Mr. Sadaf, please take a look."

Although it is a sign of incompetence to directly shift all responsibility to the superior's orders during the "debate," which is tantamount to saying "I have nothing to say, ask my superiors if you have any questions," and is no different from "admitting defeat," what merit does a low-ranking instructor have to take the blame for the great sage?

"What is that?" Little Paimon asked curiously, staring at the small jar in Sharif's hand.

The person who answered Paimon was an audience member who shouldn't have been there: "That thing is called 'canned knowledge.' Simply put, it's a container that can store a certain amount of specific knowledge, like a small 'void.' As long as you connect it to your 'void terminal,' you can quickly access the content stored inside."

Paimon's eyes widened: "Huh? Catherine! You have the day off too?"

Catherine's smile was exceptionally bright: "Yes, I asked the association for leave because I'm also very interested in the 'Flora Festival'!"

Saidaf was clearly taken aback; he hadn't expected that Sharif could produce an order personally signed by Hazard.

If this is indeed an "art ban" directly signed by the great sage Azhar, then the nature of this hearing is no longer an "administrative review" of an executive order, but a direct protest against the decree of the Vatican Council—which is equivalent to publicly soliciting opinions on amending the bill, and is not something that a single Habantha or sage can decide.

This requires a collective discussion by the six sages of the Council and approval by more than half. In theory, including Hazard's "art ban," it should be the collective will of the six sages of the Council.

But things have come to this point, and even if he has to openly oppose the great sage Azhar, he has to bite the bullet and do it. If a Habantha who has been completely excluded from the core circle still wants to "get on the table," then he can only ask the person currently occupying the seat to "give up his seat," right?