Hearing this, Modi immediately stood up straight and cleared his throat.
“First, regarding the matter of the Saintess’s identity. Since the Saintess was personally recognized by your divine manifestation, her status is naturally beyond doubt. However, there are still ignorant remnants within the sect who might question her legitimacy, citing her unknown origins, her lack of consecration through the old rituals, or the fact that she was not jointly nominated by the Bishop Council.”
That made sense. It wasn't enough for Modi to simply declare her the Saintess for everyone to accept it.
Sophie looked at Miaoyue.
Miaoyue spoke while chewing, “Mmph mmph (What is legitimacy?)”
Sophie: “...”
“Therefore, your servant implores the Goddess to hand down an oracle, clearly stating that the Saintess possesses supreme judicial authority over the Bishop Council. Furthermore, allow the Saintess to restructure the bishop seats when necessary, stripping the titles of those who have lost contact, committed apostasy, consorted with demons, committed blasphemy, or have long been in arrears with the sect’s public accounts, and appointing new bishops in their place.”
Miaoyue: “Mmph mmph (Arrears with what?)”
“Second, regarding the matter of Bishop Bennis’s remaining faction. Although Bishop Bennis has departed, there are still three strongholds, two underground warehouses, seven secret transport lines, and several ritual materials that have yet to be inventoried under his command. Your servant begs the Goddess’s guidance: should these legacies be placed under the Saintess’s direct control, merged into the sect’s public treasury, or temporarily held by your servant to prevent them from being misappropriated by low-tier cultists who are ignorant of the truth?”
Miaoyue: “Mmph mmph (I know Bennis, but what is a legacy?)”
“Third, regarding the remnants of Elizabeth’s faction. Although she was a monster, she operated within human society for many years and had dealings with seventeen nobles in the city, four merchant guilds, two banks, and at least three mid-level officers within the city patrol. Now that she has been sanctioned by the Saintess, her assets, mortgage contracts, and unfulfilled donation pledges should be handed over to the sect rather than returned to her family. Your servant requests the Goddess’s instructions on whether to begin immediate liquidation.”
Miaoyue: “Mmph mmph...”
“Fourth, regarding the sect’s future direction. The current situation in Silvervein City is chaotic, and the royal family still harbors misunderstandings toward the New Moon Sect, slandering us as a cult. Your servant believes that if we take the opportunity of the Saintess’s return to re-explain the sacred meaning of the Moonlight Baptism and prove that Solitude’s Consumption is not a curse but a trial from the Lady for the people, we might be able to gradually shift public opinion.”
Having finished her cookie, Miaoyue poked her head out from behind Sophie. “Solitude?”
She seemed to have understood that part.
“Yes! The Goddess agrees, doesn't she? Therefore, your servant implores you to bestow a more authoritative, rigorous, and suitable doctrinal explanation for proselytizing. This will allow us to refute those ignorant fools who call you a Witch, call the moonlight a calamity, and claim that the Companion System was a desperate measure forced upon the kingdom.”
Miaoyue: “Is it still lonely then?”
She had understood a little bit just now, but now she was lost again.
“Fifth, regarding the production of holy water, holy bread, and sacred artifacts. Due to Bishop Bennis’s disappearance, the high-tier holy water production line he managed has been interrupted. Within the sect, only the Saintess and Elizabeth understand alchemy, so these matters can only be handled by the Saintess now. If the Goddess personally hands down an oracle, it will surely ensure that the various factions within the sect remain loyal to the Saintess, and regarding the maintenance of the production lines...”
Miaoyue: “Is the topic of loneliness over already?”
“Sixth, as we have always prayed, we ask the Goddess to once again protect Solitude, guide the New Moon Sect back to the right path, grant the sect the strength to oppose monsters and Heroes, reunite the lost believers, and let the world understand that the moonlight is not a curse, but a merciful baptism. We also ask the Goddess to bestow her grace so that the New Moon Sect may rebuild a paradise on earth...”
Miaoyue remained silent for a moment.
Then, she asked seriously:
“Are you all... very lonely?”
Modi looked at Miaoyue as she poked her head out from behind Sophie, his entire body trembling.
He slammed his head against the ground once more.
“The Goddess sees all! Indeed! We have fought alone in the darkness for centuries; it is truly the height of loneliness!”
Miaoyue pursed her lips and nodded.
“Everyone in the church, don't be lonely.”
Modi wept.
The New Moon Cultists in the theater followed suit, bursting into tears.
“We swear our undying loyalty to the Moon Goddess!!!”
Miaoyue pulled her head back again.
“Every time there's a new bishop, I come to take a look, but they're always like this, saying things I don't understand at all.”
Sophie: “...”
Her Galgame Heroic Intelligence activated at that moment.
Zero point zero one seconds later, Sophie fully understood the situation.
Finally, she had completely solved the mystery of why the New Moon Sect had devolved from an orthodox religion five hundred years ago into the cult it was today!
Case closed, everyone.
Other Witches didn't have their own sects, or they just had a group of self-proclaimed fanatical worshippers, so it was understandable if they were labeled as cults.
Sophie had been truly curious about how an orthodox organization like the New Moon Sect could fall into darkness and start practicing human sacrifice.
As it turned out, the bishops would report to Little Yue and ask for instructions, but Little Yue didn't understand them and didn't know how to respond.
Unable to get a response and not daring to act on their own, the bishops would pray over and over again, waiting for an oracle.
Little Yue didn't want to hear it, and when she got annoyed by the nagging, she would simply send an avatar down to respond to the summoning ritual.
When the avatar remained silent, the believers would interpret the silence; when the avatar glanced at them, they would interpret the glance; when the avatar vanished, they would interpret it as the deity’s disappointment.
Unable to grasp the divine will, the bishops had no choice but to carry out things on their own initiative.
Then, those erroneous actions constantly triggered Miaoyue’s trauma logic. Incidents of being consumed by moonlight, being coldly erased by avatars, or being caught in curses became more frequent.
In the eyes of the cultists, this was naturally divine wrath.
Little Yue was already afraid of loneliness. When she was a Saintess, staying in the sect allowed people to look after her, providing at least some form of communication. Now that even communication was gone, the rate at which her trauma escalated naturally accelerated.
Consequently, the divisions within the church grew wider.
The Conservatives believed they should maintain the ancient ways; the Ritualists believed the sacrifices were insufficient; the Power Faction believed the deity’s silence was a sign of tacit approval; and the Fanatics believed all calamities were divine wrath that had to be answered with even greater sacrifices.
Later on, the sacrifices, purges, power struggles, usurpations, and infighting were all cloaked in the mantle of the Moon Goddess’s will.
Thus, the orthodox religion became a cult.
Everyone was playing a guessing game about what the Moon Goddess was saying.
The Moon Goddess was just wondering what she should eat today.
Rate on N.U.
