Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 782 Can you tell me your answer?
"Let me... join the Witch Society?"

This invitation was so absurd that Sister Livia couldn't believe it at first. She looked at Carabosse with suspicion and confusion for a long time, until she found that the dark witch's face was calm and there was no wavering at all. Only then did she finally believe that this was not a joke between her and herself, but a sincere invitation.

But precisely because it comes from the heart, it seems even more ridiculous.

"Why?" Livia's first reaction was to question: "What good will it do for you if I join the Witch Society?"

"Of course there are. For example, we have gained a new member with great potential. Although he is a little naive and weak, he did not give up after knowing the truth of his fate. Such a tenacious character is in line with the concept and spirit of the association. If the association wants to achieve its great cause, it really cannot do without outstanding talents like you, Miss Livia. In addition, from my personal point of view, I am also willing to believe that you can achieve great success in another path. Just take this as my expectation for you."

Carabosse laughed softly. Although she had a somewhat cold temperament, she looked very pretty when she laughed.

Sister Livia had never thought that the highest praise she had ever received would come from her enemy. She was a little absent-minded for a moment, as if something was pressing on her chest, heavy and making her breathless. When she realized that she had gradually developed a feeling of gratitude without realizing it, she hurriedly retracted her gaze and turned her head to the side, not daring to look into Carabosse's eyes again. Perhaps the darkness in them was too deep and too gentle, and she was afraid that she would be drowned in it and unable to extricate herself.

Carabosse saw her reaction and the corners of her mouth twitched. She did not laugh at the nun's naivety and weakness, but was grateful for the enemy's kind words when she was down and out, because this was exactly why she looked at Livia differently.

She continued to speak slowly, "This is also good for you, because you have already seen the methods of the True Spirit Sect. If before, the believers who followed the Ring of Humanity still remembered the admonitions of the Curse King Kenos, kept their duties and did not overstep their bounds, now they have begun to violate the ancient doctrines and touch upon taboo knowledge. The cultivation experiment of the Son of God Gabriel and the deception of you are just one example, but it is definitely not the first case, and it will certainly not be the last. If you are willing to join the Witch Society, I cannot guarantee how well you will be treated. In the society, everyone must start from the most basic affairs and accumulate contributions before they can be promoted. But I can guarantee that no one will deceive or conceal you and let you suffer the treatment you received in the True Spirit Sect. In fact, we are even willing to support you to become the leader of the True Spirit Sect and transform this now corrupted sect from within, so that it can be revitalized and become the True Spirit Sect you envision."

Sister Livia looked up in surprise at Karabos's last words, with a look of disbelief. Because, hasn't the Witch Society - or the religious group supported by the Witch Society - always been a proponent of religious dictatorship? They are committed to suppressing other religions and elevating the status of the Seven Orthodox Churches, so how could they support the reform of the True Spirit Sect?

In fact, many aspects are unclear. For example, the relationship between the Church Union and the Witch Society; for example, since the seven witches were betrayed by humans, why did they choose to stand on the side of humans; for example, in addition to the "Religious Decree", what other unknown activities did the Witch Society carry out... But Livia knew in her heart that it was meaningless to ask these questions now. If she decided to join the Witch Society, she would know sooner or later; if she didn't want to join the Witch Society, then knowing too much might not be a good thing.

Livia's breathing unconsciously became heavy, and then she sadly realized that it was not the pain from the wound, but that she was somewhat moved by the proposal from the enemy.

"Please tell me," she looked directly at Carabosse, her eyes as clear as lake water, "What exactly does the Witch Society want to do?"

Karabos said, "It just so happens that the True Spirit Sect is such a religion that values ​​faith more than divine authority. I just said that people who agree with the ideas of the Cursed Ring King Kenos do need limited constraints to prevent themselves from stepping into the forbidden area. The True Spirit Sect has been degenerating in the past few hundred years and no longer has the purity of faith. But if it were you, you might be able to change this phenomenon and gather those increasingly corrupt believers under the light of the Ring of Human Reason again, rather than blindly pursuing the so-called protection of the so-called Son of God Gabriel."

Sister Livia opened her eyes even wider. If it weren't for the excessive bleeding that made her face look a little pale, she would not have looked like a wounded person with her agitated look.

Carabosse was not opposed to this. "Excuse me, Miss Livia, is there anything else you are not clear about?"

She stared deeply at the nun in front of her: "If you are willing, our Witch Association will do its best to help you, because an internally stable True Spirit Sect is also in the interests of the association."

What will determine whether she joins the Witch Society is the next crucial question.

She slowly closed her eyes, her breathing was gentle and even, like a shallow river flowing in the hall. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again, her eyes had regained clarity, and she asked word by word: "Originally, I should have rejected you without hesitation. This has nothing to do with the conditions you offered. It is purely a difference in position. But... you did not laugh at or look down on me because I am a poor person chosen by God. On the contrary, you valued me so much, which makes me very grateful. So, can I ask you a few more questions? After getting the answers, I will seriously consider your invitation."

"So, we have never promoted the Religious Decree to monopolize the divine authority. Since the seven true gods do not exist, what is the meaning of divine authority? Even if divine authority does not exist, faith itself is enough to play a role. However, most religions in this world only focus on the divine authority and ignore the faith. They are eager to call for the advent of the gods and expand their power and majesty. This is a huge threat to the stable social order, so we decided to eliminate them. But for those religions that value faith more than divine authority, we still reserve the right for them to preach independently. Isn't this enough to show our inclination and attitude?"

Sister Livia seemed to understand what was said, but she understood at least one thing: this so-called witch society really did not value faith. In other words, they valued the unique function of faith in ruling society, but did not value religion and gods, which were by-products derived from faith.

Cleanse out the filth, purge the faith, and let the True Spirit Sect return to the ideal form of Lord Kenos, the King of Curses, and also what he has always believed... The believers of the Ring of Humanity should be the defenders of human truth and the gatekeepers of forbidden knowledge, instead of being like this, in order to give birth to the so-called gods, causing countless pious souls to die one after another, and in the end, only get the pity and regret of the enemy.

"You seem to have misunderstood something, Miss Livia." Carabosse shook her head and said, "The association has never thought of monopolizing the power of faith. In fact, faith is just a tool for us to maintain the stability of the social structure. Do you know that the seven gods believed in by the religious association are actually fictitious?"

Carabosse smiled. "Of course, it cannot be said to be completely fictional. Rather, it is a fabrication of seven divine concepts based on the royal characteristics of the seven witches: judgment of sin derived from fear, death as a destination derived from death, reshaping of order derived from conflict, and silence and tranquility derived from darkness. If believers recognize and follow this concept, society will naturally tend to be stable. But if you want to find real gods such as the Purifying Aura, the Embrace of Return, the Crimson Dragon God, or the Queen of Tranquility, it is impossible. Even if you find them, they are witches like us who act in the name of saints, not gods. Do you understand the difference?"

"Huh?" This was a very vague question, but it got to the point. Even in such a weak and sad state, her logic was still very clear, which made Carabosse's evaluation of Sister Livia even higher. She did not answer, but asked, "What do you mean? The concept of the association? The ultimate goal of the association? Or simply the issue of the "Religious Decree"? "

"Of course it's your philosophy and goals." Livia said affirmatively: "The philosophy of the True Spirit Sect is self-discipline, and the goal is to master limited truths and protect forbidden knowledge. So, what are the philosophy and goals of the Witch Society? If I want to join your ranks, I must follow these philosophies and work hard for this goal, right?"

"No doubt." Carabosse said, "Then let me tell you, the idea of ​​the association is: let all fantasy return to the embrace of reality." Livia was slightly startled when she heard this. This idea sounded a bit too vague and confusing. However, she soon thought of the full name of the Church Union, as well as their various measures in opening charitable relief institutions and industrial revitalization in the Seven Stars Disk Area, and immediately showed a thoughtful expression: "So it's called... Realistic Church Union?"

"That's about it." Carabosse looked up. The sounds of fighting in the distance had gradually weakened and drifted in the wind. It seemed that the battle there was about to end. Although the Judge Mufasa was brave, he did not have the support of the Son of God Gabrielvia. After all, he could not fight against the 11th Division of the Crusaders led by Octavian. It was a pity for the ruins. After this battle, the damage might have become more serious.

She said meaningfully: "Unrealistic fantasies will only lead to huge disasters. Some people will eventually return to reality."

Livia pursed her lips, not sure whether the "certain people" in this sentence included herself, because until she was defeated by Carabosse, she always held the illusion that she was the heir of the Son of God, and it was not a cold lie.

Carabosse did not continue to poke at her sore spot, and continued: "This is the concept; as for the goal, the association is divided into many different departments, and each department has its own plan. The scope of the plan is too broad to be explained in a short time. Moreover, these plans are internal secrets, so I cannot disclose them to you for the time being. The only thing I can make clear is that these plans ultimately point to the same great cause, which is the ideal that our Witch Association has always pursued since its establishment, that is, to create a beautiful and equal new world."

"A beautiful and equal new world?" Livia felt like laughing when she heard this, and she actually laughed. The corners of her mouth twitched, and her pale lips moved up and down, transmitting cold temperature to each other: "Can the actions of the association really be called beautiful and equal?"

"I don't know what you mean, but..." Carabosse paused and said seriously, "If it is to eradicate those factors that endanger social stability, then I firmly believe that all practices are understandable."

Sister Livia was silent again.

Factors that endanger social stability... Extraordinary people and magicians are one category, aliens and monsters are one category, and fanatics who are eager to summon the gods of imagination are probably one category. Now, there is another believer of the True Spirit Sect, but it is also their own fault. Even Livia herself does not agree with Brother Mufasa's actions, so how can she think that Carabosse and the witch association behind her are wrong?
She quickly figured it out and stopped dwelling on it. Instead, she changed the subject: "My body contains the soul of Saint Gabriel. The Witch Society is willing to accept me. Aren't you worried that one day He will lose control and create a powerful enemy for you?"

Although no matter how powerful the enemy is, they seem to be powerless in front of the witches, but the threat of the conceptual gods is not simply reflected in their strength, but also in their refined power that is difficult for ordinary people to resist. Even the former Saint Midai of the Steam Cult was refined into a fanatic by the conceptual machine god Alexander, which then led to major events such as the advent of the mechanical gods, the disintegration of the machine husks, and the Steam Holy War. Where do the people of the witch society get the confidence to think that they can control such a threat?

After hearing Sister Livia's doubts, Carabosse smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that."

"You can think about this question: since the seven true gods are all fictional concepts of divinity, wouldn't the power of faith generated by the prayers of hundreds of millions of believers in the united sect be placed on them, thus creating imaginary gods like the Son of God Gabriel who were born in imitation of the nature of royal power? Also, since the manuscript "The Beginning of Spirituality" left by Tumi carries a huge power of faith, wouldn't other holy relics passed down from ancient times to the present have the same nature? And the united sect has been secretly collecting and sealing those dangerous holy relics. Wouldn't such a huge amount of faith power gathered together cause disasters?"

"These concerns are all very reasonable, but no similar incidents have occurred so far."

Sister Livia opened her eyes wide: "Could it be that..."

"Yes, just as you thought, we in the Witch Society have the means to contain and control the power of faith. Of course, to be specific, this is an extremely important secret, and it is not convenient to reveal it to you now. But if you are willing to join us, whether it is the power of faith that the True Spirit Sect has collected over hundreds of years of mistakes, or the soul of the Son of God Gabriel that resides in your body, we can solve it for you."

Livia's expression was slightly moved when she heard this, but her eyes showed some hesitation: "If I lose the soul of the Holy Son Gabriel, I will become an ordinary human again. Am I also the talent that the Witch Society needs?"

"Of course, because the value of a person is not reflected by strength. The Witch Society is not composed entirely of magicians and wizards, but mostly mortals without any extraordinary powers. The wisdom and rationality of mortals are what we need most, and the same goes for you, Miss Livia."

Carabosse looked at her deeply. "Power has its limits, but wisdom has no end. I have said almost everything I can about the association. Knowing this, what path will you choose? Please tell me your answer. Accept or reject?"

She extended her hand to Sister Livia again. It was a gesture of invitation, but to the weak and helpless nun who was now sitting against the wall, it was more like a hand that wanted to pull her out of the quagmire and pool of blood and let her witness the light again.

The nun stared at the hand in silence.

Those ideals and aspirations, those beliefs and prayers, those things she once believed in firmly and those things that were now shattered and torn into pieces, the devout singing echoing under the church dome and the faces that greeted her enthusiastically...some things seemed to be gradually becoming illusory, while some things were becoming reality.

Perhaps, as Carabosse said, unrealistic fantasies will only cause huge disasters, and some people will eventually return to reality.

She raised her head, her eyes passed the witch and fell on the collapsed and broken dome. At the same time, she opened her mouth and uttered her answer slowly but firmly: "..."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)