Under the setting sun, inside the Hall of Glory of the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty, Falano’s Consul Samson stood among various symbols of Bourbon glory, conversing with Adèle, a descendant of the Bourbons. Something he said piqued her curiosity. “I’ve heard that Falano’s mystical system used to be different from what it is now. So the current system was entirely constructed by the Church? How interesting…” “That’s one way to put it. As a Bourbon descendant, you’ve probably heard rumors that the Church had a hand in instigating the Cold Moon Revolution, haven’t you? I can now confirm for you: the Church was absolutely the driving force behind it. Behind the scenes, they collaborated with anti-Bourbon forces in Falano, using the Greedy King’s exploitation and excessive taxation to intensify internal conflicts. Eventually, they consolidated the opposition and launched a revolution that overthrew your ancestors’ rule.” With hands still clasped behind his back, Samson spoke languidly, and Adèle cautiously followed up with another question. “Why did the Church want to overthrow the Bourbons? Was it because they sought the power of the Desire Path?” “Why else? The Splendor King was stubborn to the core, constantly spouting delusions like: ‘Falano should have its own power’ or ‘A Falano king should not bow to others on his own land.’ He aggressively sought the power of the Flower Mistress, flagrantly violating Church taboos and acting with brazen arrogance. “Though previous Falano monarchs had secretly pursued the Flower Mistress’s inheritance, they were always discreet. The Splendor King, however, was excessive. His methods were practically out in the open. Under his reign, Bourbon research into the Flower Mistress’s legacy advanced rapidly—so much so that they were nearly able to sever their dependence on the Church’s mystical systems. That crossed a red line, and the Church spared no effort in orchestrating a regime change.” Samson spoke with a tone of justified disdain as he lit a cigar from a silver case he pulled from his coat. Adèle, hearing this, furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. “To sever mystical dependence on the Church entirely… So you’re saying that even before the Splendor King, the Bourbon dynasty’s mystical system still relied on the Church? Was their system the same as Falano’s current one?” Samson took a long puff from his cigar and exhaled smoke before replying. “No, not quite. Falano’s current mystical system is entirely established by the Church. It is built upon a nation’s shared identity, national heritage, legal theory, and cultural foundation. This system is loaded with one of the Church’s mystical branches—specifically, a powerful subvariant of the Ascetic Path: the Decree Path. “But the Bourbons before the Splendor King also had a similar structure. The Church helped them build a system based on national and ethnic identity, but what they loaded onto it wasn’t the Decree Path. It was the Desire Path, a legacy native to the land of Bourbon. The Church referred to this framework as… National Veneration Kingship.” As he smoked, Samson explained slowly. Adèle paused, deep in thought, before speaking. “National Veneration Kingship… But wait, isn’t that a system of the Lantern? How could it possibly channel mystical powers from other spirituality types? Lantern and Chalice don’t even share compatible spirituality. How did it transmit Chalice spirituality and power?” “You’re mistaken,” Samson replied. “National Veneration Kingship was never the source of spirituality or power. The actual source comes from national identity and historical legitimacy. The land of Falano no longer hosts the Desire Path’s Chalice or Revelation, but in the past, it existed in abundance. Though the Flower Mistress is no longer around, the culture and traditions shaped under her rule are still deeply embedded in Falano’s people—their customs, holidays, and history. Those can’t be erased. “What National Veneration Kingship does is draw out the mystical energy embedded in that legal and cultural foundation, reorganize it into usable mystical powers, and grant ranks that can bear those powers. The Desire Path belongs to Falano—National Veneration Kingship is just a tool embedded within it. Before the Splendor King, the Bourbons had always used it—albeit imperfectly—to harness Desire Path powers.” Samson exhaled another cloud of smoke and eventually took a seat. Adèle’s expression grew serious as she digested his explanation and asked. “When did the Bourbons first begin using this system to access the Desire Path?” “From the beginning. During the middle phase of the War of Succession, Duke Bourbon—trying to win Church support over his rivals—executed the Forest Dancer, the very woman who had helped him win, under the charge of witchcraft. After that, the Church fully supported him. He not only defeated domestic contenders but also expelled the Pritt Roaring Lance Dynasty. Once he won and was crowned, the Church granted him the first version of the National Veneration Kingship system, which safeguarded Bourbon rule with mystical powers for centuries. “Heh, according to the records, the Roaring Lance Dynasty mocked him in letters afterward, calling him the Church’s lapdog. Not long after, they had their own Wind King’s Rebellion—and their new leader, Hyacinth Dynasty, wasn’t much better.” Samson smirked, a trace of mockery in his voice. Adèle was visibly stunned. “Wait… Are you saying the legendary woman who bewitched Duke Bourbon was the Forest Dancer? The very woman who saved him in his darkest hour was burned at the stake—by him—to curry favor with the Church?” “Exactly. It’s one of Bourbon’s deepest, most shameful secrets. So scandalous that even I wouldn’t dare publish it. Even if I did, no one would believe it—it’d just bring down cognitive poison. It’s one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Bourbon royal archive. If not for the kingdom’s fall and our seizure of their records, we never would have known.” He flicked his cigar ash into a nearby tray. Adèle, still unsettled, pressed further. “Then… who exactly was the Forest Dancer?” “That… we don’t know. Even in Bourbon records, details about her are extremely scarce. All we can do is speculate. Perhaps she was a surviving remnant of the Flower Mistress’s cult before the current era, hoping to use Falano’s civil war as a springboard to revive the old faith. But she never imagined things would end like this… truly a tragedy.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 Continuing to lift the cigar to his lips, Samson let out a slight sigh as he spoke. Adèle, meanwhile, fell silent for a moment. The identity of that Forest Dancer had stirred thoughts of her own mentor—Darlene—who was one of the hidden inheritors of the Desire Path in the remote regions of Falano. Perhaps the Forest Dancer had been someone similar. Thinking about the tragic fate shared by both the Forest Dancer and her teacher, Adèle couldn’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy. But she soon composed herself and asked Samson another question. “You mentioned earlier that the Hyacinth Dynasty, which came to power in Pritt after the Wind King’s Rebellion, had a similar situation to Falano’s banquet-era? Does that mean they too received a version of the Church’s National Veneration Kingship?” “Of course. The current Despenser regime was entirely propped up by the Church during Pritt’s civil unrest. It’d be strange if they weren’t under some form of control. But Hyacinth’s situation is actually a bit better than banquet-era Falano’s. In their case, only the higher mystical ranks from Crimson upward are granted via the National Veneration Kingship. They still retain their original inheritance methods for ranks from Apprentice up to Crimson, although even then, only one Crimson-rank at a time is allowed.” “In truth, it’s not just Falano and Pritt. Many major nations across the main continent are in similar situations. Over the past thousand years, the Church has used various pretexts to interfere with the domestic and foreign affairs of many countries—seizing on moments of unrest to help bring pro-Church regimes into power. In doing so, they’ve abolished or weakened local traditional mystical systems and forcibly inserted their own framework of National Veneration Kingship, binding those nations to mystical dependence on the Church. “Many nations on the continent suffer from this to different degrees. Pritt is relatively mild. Falano and Ivengard… much more severe.” Samson slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke as he spoke. Adèle remained silent for a while after hearing his explanation, before finally responding. “So by what you’re saying… the Church has spent over a thousand years systematically weakening and dismantling traditional mystical inheritances across the continent, forcibly embedding its own influence into them. Is all of this to secure the spread of the Trinity faiths in these nations?” “That would seem to be the case. After all, if one were to trace back the roots of every country’s traditional mystical legacy, they’d almost certainly find ties to various ancient deities predating the current era. If left unchecked, these heritages wouldn’t just hinder the expansion of the Trinity faith—they might even allow those long-dead faiths to rise from the ashes. That’s why the Church always works to plant its influence into national mystical systems wherever it can.” Samson continued in a measured tone. Adèle’s voice grew sharper as she continued. “Then… what the Splendor King Charles was trying to do, essentially, was to sever ties with the National Veneration Kingship and restore Falano’s rightful inheritance of the Desire Path?” “Exactly. As much as I don’t hold Charles in high personal regard overall, I must admit he was a genius—both as a monarch and as a Beyonder. He was just another average Bourbon prince at first, but after falling ill during a trip to the old Bourbon duchy and recovering, he became like a different person. Just as later records described him—flamboyant, ostentatious, confident, brimming with energy and talent. “Charles had a deep interest in the hidden secrets beneath Falano’s culture and devoted himself to studying them. He completely disdained the Church’s mystical teachings. While pretending to accept the National Veneration Kingship, he was constantly searching for a way to escape it. Before ascending the throne, he traveled across Falano under the guise of training, uncovering hidden histories and secrets throughout the land. He joined mystic societies and used his status as crown prince to gather resources for research—and achieved substantial results. “Even before his coronation, Charles had already restored the legitimate inheritance of the Desire Path’s Black Earth and White Ash ranks. After becoming king, he used national resources to further his studies—and in the end, he even achieved Crimson-rank advancement entirely independent from the Church. “With this success, Charles set his sights on cutting Falano free from the Church’s influence and turning it into a truly independent nation. But it was at this point that his overconfidence became his downfall. He pushed too hard, too fast, never pausing to consider that he should lie low in the face of the overwhelmingly powerful Church. His increasingly bold actions eventually pushed the Church past its breaking point. In the end, they had him killed prematurely… and he never lived out the long life that a Crimson-rank Beyonder should have enjoyed.” Samson crushed the nearly finished cigar in an ashtray, his tone tinged with regret. Adèle, after silently listening to the entire tale, asked her final question. “According to the historical records… Charles died in a shipwreck on his way back from an expedition. Was the Church behind it?” Samson leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long breath. “The Church is highly suspect. But even I can’t find any conclusive evidence to reconstruct what really happened. In Falano, Charles’s death remains an eternal mystery. One that likely only the seven who dwell atop Holy Mount know the answer to. “After Robert, the Greedy King messed around for a couple of decades and plunged Falano into chaos. The Church used that opportunity to bring down the Bourbon dynasty once and for all. Since then, Falano has completely severed itself from its traditional mystical legacy. The version of National Veneration Kingship the Church gave us now carries powers that never belonged to us in the first place.”