Divine Laws and Unexpected Offers

Saranya slammed her hand on the table, rising abruptly.

Dump, Paresha, Dalia Aurelius, Fiolan, and perhaps even the bishops on the second floor, all eyes converged upon her.

“Mr. Dump, you used farmers and blacksmiths as examples, stating that people are self-sufficient, but…”

Saranya traced the edge of the table with her fingertip, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Farmers must use iron plows to cleave the soil, and a plow’s effectiveness stems from metal’s malleability, allowing it to be shaped as needed; a furnace’s fire melts ore because its intense heat reaches the ore’s melting point. Since matter is governed by inherent laws of motion, are these not manifestations of divinity?”

Folding his arms, Dump met Saranya’s challenge head-on.

“Miss, you are equivocating. These are natural laws; what do they have to do with God?”

“Mr. Dump, natural laws possess necessity, infinitude, and eternality; they are the sole correct truth. Natural laws *are* God! God is nature, and nature is God. Everything operates flawlessly within an inevitable chain of cause and effect. Is this not a self-evident truth?”

Dump’s walrus mustache twitched imperceptibly.

“The God you speak of is no God at all! If things were truly as you say, then what of catastrophes like earthquakes and tsunamis? Does your God not love humanity, to allow such disasters to unfold unchecked?”

Saranya shook her head.

“Mr. Dump, do you still not understand? Why must God conform to human moral standards? And by what right, simply because someone believes in Him and prays to Him, should He alter His very nature to fulfill a follower’s wishes?”

With a piercing gaze, Saranya leaned forward, drawing closer to Dump.

“I will reiterate: God does not need to perform miracles, for God *is* the very law by which all things operate.”

“Then, if that is the case, if you claim God is thus, and that nothing about God can change, what purpose does your church serve?”

“Ah…”

Saranya settled back into her seat, a playful smile gracing her lips.

“So, Mr. Dump, you concede that God exists in this world?”

“If you assert that God is nature, then what harm is there in my acknowledging God’s existence? But you must answer my question: If God is not personified, if God does not care for His followers, what then is the purpose of the church?”

Dump appeared entirely unconcerned with winning or losing, his expression fervent, eager to elicit an explanation from Saranya.

“The purpose of the church, naturally, is to explore God’s laws and help people find serenity within God’s inevitability.”

“…”

“Miss Haia, would you be willing to deliver a lecture at our university?”

Saranya froze, taken aback by Dump’s enthusiastic expression and earnest gaze directed at her; she was utterly unprepared for such a request, and hesitated for a moment.

“Well…”

Before she could respond, however, Dalia Aurelius interjected abruptly, her tone sharp.

“Your perspective is quite brilliant, but it hardly represents the mainstream of our Olavi Polytheistic Faith. According to your reasoning, if God is nature, then many natural scientists who declare themselves atheists would also become contributors to our understanding of God, would they not?”

“Of course! From a small stone or a gentle breeze, to the vastness of heaven and earth, the roaring mountains and crashing seas—these are all parts of God. Even we, standing here, are included. Ten thousand things are merely the outward manifestations of God.”

“Absurd!”

Fiolan slammed his hand on the table, pointing a finger directly at Saranya’s nose.

“You heretic! Cease your grandstanding here. God and God’s will are beyond question!”

Saranya chuckled, pulling down the corner of her eye at Fiolan.

“Well… God’s will, that’s likely the ignorant’s final fig leaf, isn’t it?”

“You—!”

Fiolan, unaccustomed to such affronts, felt veins bulge on his forehead as he spun around, shouting towards the second floor.

“What is this Haia’s background? Her qualifications? By what right does she contradict me here? How could the Moon-Marked Sect allow such a charlatan to spew heretical nonsense?!”

A long moment passed, and silence still reigned on the second floor.

“Master Fiolan, our Moon-Marked Sect has never been a narrow-minded faction; we permit differing voices to exist.”

Paresha frowned. Though she hadn’t been able to interject in the recent debate, she would certainly leap to her Saranya sister’s defense, even against a master.

“It’s not terrible to be mistaken, and doctrines can certainly be revised, can’t they? Paresha, as the proponent of the aforementioned theory, would surely drive religious reform within the Moon-Marked Sect if she were to become a divine official, thereby garnering more public support for the church. Don’t you agree, Miss Paresha?”

“Uh… what?! When did I—”

Saranya raised a hand to cover Paresha’s mouth, forcibly attributing the credit to her.

“That’s right! Miss Paresha is far from being unlearned; she contemplates deeply all day, developing a theory of God with the sole aim of improving the church. To not allow such a person to become a divine official would be an outrage against natural law itself!”

“You two are truly—”

“Alright!”

Dump clapped his hands with a smile, interrupting the quarrel among the four individuals.

“I have nothing further to say; let’s conclude here today… I’ll be frank: Haia and Paresha, your performances were splendid. I admire you both. Should you unfortunately not be selected, you are welcome to seek me out, and I will recommend you to Vero Free City University. I assure you, you will love it there!”

They had won.

Not only had they won, but they had also inexplicably received a university offer…

Saranya exhaled slowly, then slumped onto the table.

“This is wonderful…”

What an utterly draining episode; her already sparse brain cells were now crying out in lament.

Incidentally, Dump seemed to hold a favorable impression of her, suggesting he was worth cultivating a deeper connection with. If she could leverage his influence to secure the support of Vero Free City University, it would be absolutely ideal.

The Redwater Gang was currently short-staffed, particularly lacking in mid-to-upper-level managers. Her master’s estate was in a similar predicament; no venture could flourish without intelligent individuals to strategize and plan. Now, with a potential channel open, they might be able to recruit talent directly from the university.

At the very least, finding an opportunity to bring Dump into their ranks should be achievable, shouldn’t it?

“Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Dump! We will certainly strive to do even better!”

Upon hearing Dump’s personal affirmation, Paresha’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Then, let us conclude.”

“Damn it…”

Dalia Aurelius’s face was etched with reluctance, while Fiolan was positively fuming with rage. Judging by the old man’s attitude, he would likely leverage his influence to vehemently denounce the Moon-Marked Sect’s divine official selection as unfair once he descended.

It didn’t matter! Paresha was highly likely to win anyway, and the task Kaelan had assigned was now complete!

Saranya’s own exceptional performance would undoubtedly please her master; she could report back with confidence.

Hehe, she was going to be handsomely rewarded by her master tonight~

At this thought, Saranya could barely suppress the smile on her lips. She struggled to maintain her composure, using her sleeve to wipe away a glistening drop of saliva.

“Hmm?”

Snapping back to reality, Saranya looked up towards the second floor, sensing a peculiar shift in the atmosphere.

She rose from her seat and quietly approached the entrance they had used.

‘Something is wrong…’

“The theological debate has concluded, hasn’t it, Mr. Dump?”

“Yes, it’s strange. Bishop Doron should have come out to speak by now…”

Puzzled, Dump hurried to the large door in the antechamber leading outside the sanctuary and pulled on the handle.

The door remained stubbornly shut.

Startled, Dump pulled at the door again with greater force, then tried to open the tightly sealed stained-glass window.

“It won’t open, none of it will open! What’s happening?!”

‘Could something have gone wrong…?’

No one present carried weapons, save for the ceremonial dagger tucked into Paresha’s waist.

Paresha bent low, drew her ceremonial dagger, and moved to Saranya’s side.

“Give me the knife. I’ll check the entrance we came through. You all wait here.”

“But…”

“Paresha, listen to me! Hand the knife to your sister!”

Saranya snatched the knife from Paresha’s hand, then walked to the door on the western side of the antechamber leading into the sanctuary and pushed it open just a crack.

A gust of cold air immediately rushed into the room, and a linear streak of white frost conspicuously formed on the ground, tracing the direction of the door seam.

‘This is bad.’

“There’s danger! Stay put inside, and whatever you do, don’t come out!”

Before those behind her could react, Saranya stepped directly out of the antechamber, using her body to close the large door behind her.