Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 567: -60- Grace Prayer Ceremony

Chapter 567: -60- Grace Prayer Ceremony

Time rewound to a day earlier.

When Lord Sebastian came to the forest near the Castel mining area, the werewolf Luf, who had already received the news, was respectfully waiting with dozens of the most devout followers.

"High Priest Luf of the Blood Wolf Tribe, along with his followers... has come to see Lord Sebastian."

Luf made a sign of the thorny rose on his chest, his expression both devout and respectful.

Lord Sebastian glanced at the numerous followers behind Luf, who were all making standard gestures, and slightly nodded:

"Dispense with the formalities, rise."

The werewolf Luf slowly rose and also signaled the other followers to stand.

Afterward, they escorted the dusty Lord Sebastian into the depths of the forest.

Passing through a stretch of woodland, the view gradually became expansive.

Accompanied by the noisy bustling sounds, a brand-new village entered Sebastian’s sight.

This was the settlement of the Blood Wolf Tribe.

No, to be more precise, this was a new settlement jointly established by the Sub-human miners of the Castel mining area and the Blood Wolf Tribe migrating here, which followed the faith of the True Ancestor.

Within the settlement, roads crisscrossed, and the number of newly constructed buildings was in the thousands, with brand-new wooden houses replacing the once simple tents, and walls erected in all directions to fend off demon beasts.

In the center of the settlement, a small square had even been cleared, where a large altar stood, dedicated to the holy emblem of the thorny rose.

Inside the settlement, there were many residents, the vast majority of whom were werewolves and other Sub-humans; however, upon closer inspection, one could also find some humans.

When they saw Luf and the others passing by, they all put down their tasks and greeted warmly:

"Priest, good morning."

"Priest, may the True Ancestor be with you..."

"..."

Luf responded with a smile, nodding his greetings to everyone.

It wasn’t until Luf brought Sebastian back to his own hut that he finally exhaled and completely relaxed.

"Luf, it looks like you’re doing well, becoming more and more like a real priest,"

Sebastian said with a smile.

Luf scratched his head sheepishly:

"Lord Sebastian, you jest. It is all a grace bestowed by you and His Majesty the True Ancestor."

"If it weren’t for your shelter initially, and the salvation from His Majesty the True Ancestor, Luf might not have survived till today, let alone the whole Blood Wolf Tribe, which might have already perished, not to mention having the chance to come here and build such a paradise-like village."

Sebastian slightly nodded,

"His Majesty the True Ancestor is indeed merciful."

He then turned his gaze to the village outside the window:

"How is the church developing now? How many followers do we have?"

The werewolf Luf took out a prepared sheepskin scroll from his chest, handed it to Sebastian, and respectfully said:

"As of now, the church has officially registered 3,345 followers, among them 2,624 Sub-humans, 678 humans, and 43 Half-Elves."

"There are even Half-Elves?"

Sebastian looked surprised.

Luf explained:

"They are some former Half-Elf slaves, who escaped from the nobel families defeated in the war between Bold and Castel and came to us, found shelter, and adopted the faith of His Majesty the True Ancestor."

"The human followers are mainly miners from the mining area and some refugees who fled the war. The church gained favor from many refugees by offering them shelter during the Legris rebellion, along with quite a few supporters. Now in Silver Mining City, we also have a branch of the church."

"Of course, considering secrecy, the church hasn’t been preaching on a large scale in Silver Mining City. The chosen followers are also those who ensure a clean background and steadfast faith."

Having heard Luf’s report, Sebastian was both satisfied and surprised.

Because of the need to hide their identity, His Majesty the True Ancestor had always forbade openly preaching, but even so, the church had grown from a little over a hundred werewolf believers to a current size of three thousand in less than two years—it was quite unexpected.

"If there weren’t the restrictions on missionary work, there could have been more."

"Lord Sebastian, the Northern Land is indeed a very suitable land for missionary work. Many non-believers from various places have fled here, and even the followers of the Holy Royal Court are mostly shallow believers, their faith not steadfast."

"Excuse my bluntness, the Divine Lord is too distant from mortals, but His Majesty the True Ancestor is much closer. As long as His Majesty the True Ancestor could more broadly demonstrate Divine Miracles and His Mercy, gaining more followers would not be difficult."

"The main limitation might just be the sensitive identity of His Majesty the True Ancestor."

"Oh, right, and the core doctrines and priests."

"Many of the Sub-human Tribes retain Bloodline heritage, and their worship of His Majesty the True Ancestor is more like ancestral veneration, so picking up faith again is not difficult. However, for other non-Bloodline entities, we still lack core doctrines to gain stronger cohesion and recognition..."

"As for priests, their number is also relatively oct and contain some Talent Magic."

"Including myself, there are currently 37 priests, all devout believers who have received recognition and blessings from His Majesty the True Ancestor."

Upon hearing Luf’s words, Sebastian was not surprised.

Throughout history, the rapid expansion phase of any deity’s church was a period when the divine walked the earth.

The more interaction with followers and the more they gave, the more they naturally received.

Although His Majesty the True Ancestor had not been bestowing large-scale blessings, in this era where deities still slept, occasionally directly responding to the prayers of His followers was already surpassing many gods.

As for the core doctrine and the shortage of priests...

Lord Sebastian had come to the mining area specifically for these two issues.

"Regarding the core doctrine... The True Ancestor has issued an oracle, and from now on, the church’s doctrine will revolve around darkness and order."

Sebastian said.

"Darkness... and order?"

The werewolf Luf was momentarily stunned.

Sebastian smiled slightly and, echoing Charlotte’s earlier explanation, explained to Luf:

"Darkness... is the symbol of Mireya’s Transcendent World."

"The Transcendent World is dark, cruel, oppressive, uncontrollable, but darkness... does not mean evil."

"Darkness represents the other side of light, the irrational side of the world, and only by embracing darkness, understanding it, can one control the darkness, control the transcendent..."

"Bloodline hierarchy is strict, and Bloodline places great importance on order, which is also one of the main tenets of our Lord’s faith."

"The world cannot do without order; controlling darkness can bring new order to the increasingly chaotic world, having order can restrain the transcendent, restrain the powerful, restrain the mundane, change the world..."

At this point, Sebastian’s expression turned serious, and he said somberly:

"The constraints and protectors of darkness, the re-establishers and maintainers of order, these are the symbols of our Lord’s faith!"

"Darkness and order, huh..."

The werewolf Luf fell into deep thought.

After a long time, his eyes gradually brightened, and he bowed deeply to Sebastian:

"Lord Sebastian, Luf has been enlightened."

Sebastian nodded and continued:

"As for the priests...Strictly speaking, the priests currently in the church can’t really be considered true priests, after all, the True Ancestor hadn’t previously prepared for formal proselytization."

"But now it’s different, my visit this time is by the instruction of the True Ancestor, who has decided to officially step onto Mireya’s stage with the church."

"Officially step onto Mireya’s stage?"

Luf was momentarily puzzled, then his expression brightened:

"Could it be... could it be that the power of the True Ancestor has further recovered?"

Sebastian nodded slightly, smiling:

"That’s one way to understand it."

"The master’s power has further revived; he has also decided that it’s time to officially start preaching in the Northern Lands."

"Luf, gather the priests and believers to prepare for the prayer ritual; I only bring the God’s mandate, but the true proselytizing oracle still needs to be personally conveyed by our great master."

"Of course...this includes God’s blessing too."

...

"The supreme True Ancestor..."

"The embodiment of darkness and shadow..."

"The source of all Bloodline..."

"Your devout and humble believers ask for your blessing here..."

In front of the grand altar, the werewolf Luf followed Sebastian, leading many believers to pray to the Thorny Rose.

Watching the Holy Emblem on the altar, Luf’s expression was fanatical, full of anticipation.

Meanwhile, receiving the prayers, Charlotte also officially turned her gaze to the altar.

"Are you ready..."

Seated high on the Blood Throne, watching the "screen" showing many believers with devout and expectant faces, Charlotte’s expression also grew more solemn.

As the believers prayed, she could feel the connection between them strengthen in the darkness; she could hear their hearts; she could sense their bloodline power.

She could even distinctly perceive droplets of bloodline power gathering towards her, along the Faith Network into the Divine Fire in her breast, being refined into the purest Divine Power.

The deity is the shepherd.

The believers are the deity’s flock.

And the transcendent power is the wool continuously produced from the flock.

At this moment, Charlotte gained a deeper understanding of the relationship between deities and believers in the world of Mireya.

Although she had had believers and formed her own church more than a year ago, frankly, the church was not complete and was at best a prototype.

Now, since her Divine Power was no longer in short supply and she planned to officially start the missionary work, it was time for her faith system to further take shape and for her church to become formal.

Thinking this, Charlotte manipulated the Blood Divine Power, spreading along the Faith Network towards the far-off altar.

In the next moment, the Holy Emblem of the Thorny Rose on the altar burst forth with a blazing crimson glow, and a majestic will slowly descended.

In the frenzied, shocked, and excited gaze of the believers, a ghostly projection appeared above the altar.

The solemn and dignified throne, the tall and indistinct figure, and the veiled, resplendent, and mysterious golden-red eyes.

It was Charlotte, seated in her "adult form" on the Blood Throne.