Chapter 606: Aleksey Island

“The Divine Prohibition Era—a time when the gods are forbidden to intervene!”

Forbidden to intervene?

Wei’en’s expression remained calm, his crimson eyes fixed on Menor as he waited for him to continue.

“The reason for this situation relates to a hidden truth from the last era. But to this day, there’s no single accepted story about it.”

Menor leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped as he toyed with a ring on his finger. He spoke slowly. “Some say an Ancient God awoke from its slumber and took the other gods away. Others say a sudden calamity descended, forcing all the gods into slumber.”

“But what is undeniable is that since the First Year of the Old Calendar, not a single god has descended upon this world. Even for the four True Gods, the most they can do is send a projection.”

“But what does this have to do with the True God Churches recruiting new followers?” Wei’en asked after a moment of thought.

‘If no gods can descend during the Divine Prohibition Era, shouldn’t that be all the more reason for the four major True God Churches to spread their teachings, recruit more followers, and protect more people? There shouldn’t be any conflict.’

‘On the contrary, the four churches of Dawn, Storm, Red Moon, and Earth can still summon projections of their True Gods. They should be more than confident in their ability to handle any crisis or disaster, right?’

‘So why are they consolidating their power and holding back, allowing sects like Abyss, Despair, and Desire to grow unchecked?’

“Because of the Red Moon!”

“The Red Moon?”

“Do you know when the Red Moon first appeared?”

Wei’en shook his head. He only knew that at the start of the Third Era, the world hadn’t had a red moon. He had never asked for the exact timing.

“The end of the Fourth Era!”

Menor’s eyes narrowed. “In other words, since the era changed, the people of this world have been tormented by the Red Moon.”

“Before this, while cases of mutation from Origin contamination did occur, they were never as widespread as they are in the Divine Prohibition Era. That’s why the True God Churches don’t dare to expand any further, or, you could say, they aren’t putting their full hearts into it.”

“As for that, I have reason to suspect it was a joint resolution among those gods. Their aim, I’m afraid, is simply to ride out the Divine Prohibition Era peacefully…”

Wei’en’s understanding of the world deepened. He asked pensively, “So that’s what created the space for sects like Abyss and Desire to exist?”

“Of course.” Menor chuckled, a hint of mischief in his voice. “It’s not just them. It’s the reason we in the Eternal Life Association can act so brazenly.”

“Simply put, before this era, organizations like the Eternal Life Association had to live with their tails between their legs,” Kleia said with a roguish smile. “I once heard Leader Yetano say that old coot Florian was hunted for a long, long time by a Saintess from the Dawn Church. He almost perished.”

“Then there’s Candice. He was hunted by the Silver Moon Church. Funny story, really. He was just passing through the Black Ridge Mountain Range when he accidentally overheard some of their people plotting an attack on the Blood Spirit School. For that, they hunted him for nearly twenty years.”

Menor laughed as well. “I heard him mention that, too. The Silver Moon Church was a major power on the Western Continent back then. Because of his appearance, the Blood Spirit School managed to avert a crisis.”

“Silver Moon?”

Wei’en raised an eyebrow. “What’s the connection to the Red Moon Church?”

“It was the predecessor to the Red Moon Church,” Menor said, his smile fading as his eyes flickered. “After the Red Moon appeared, the members of the Silver Moon Church nearly broke down. They couldn’t accept that the focus of their faith had simply vanished.”

“After a period of turmoil, it is said that Lady Silver Moon herself chose to embrace the Red Moon. She not only drove out the Silver Moon Origin from her Divine Realm to absorb the Red Moon Origin in its place, but she also went ahead and rewrote the Silver Moon Church’s doctrine.”

“That’s possible?” Wei’en was taken aback. ‘Wasn’t she afraid of being corrupted and destroyed by the Red Moon?’

‘Though he didn’t understand the relationship between a Divine Realm and its power, to dispel everything and reabsorb the Red Moon Origin… The time and effort that would take was secondary. The crucial part was that she possessed such incredible audacity.’

‘What’s more, for the Red Moon Origin to fill her Divine Realm… that’s tantamount to being completely contaminated…’

Oh,

‘This method seems a bit like that of a Mutated Mage, doesn’t it?’

‘Actively merging with a contaminating Origin to enhance one’s own power… that was indeed a common tactic for mutated Extraordinaries or Mutated Mages.’

“So she was actively seeking mutation?”

“Yes,” Menor said, giving him a surprised look, apparently not expecting him to grasp that point. “That’s why most members of the Red Moon Church have… eccentric personalities. It wouldn’t be wrong to say they worship an Evil God.”

“There’s one thing you can’t deny,” Kleia snickered, a lecherous look on his face. “Those ladies from the Red Moon Church, every single one of them has a spectacular figure…”

Wei’en: “…”

‘This Elder Kleia… he seems a bit improper, doesn’t he?’

‘If he and Marco were together, they’d probably have a lot to talk about.’

Menor shot him an irritated glare. “If the people from the Red Moon Church heard that, the very ladies you’re describing as having ‘enchanting figures’ would probably drop all their assignments to hunt you down and kill you.”

“What’s there to be afraid of…”

But despite his bravado, Kleia didn’t press the issue. He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Menor, it’s about time. We need to get to the next location.”

“Oh.”

“You two…” Wei’en trailed off, taken aback.

“Wei’en,” Menor said, rising from his chair. His expression grew serious for the first time. “For now, our goals are aligned. We must do everything in our power to stop the Dusk Sect’s plan.”

“As for Clelia, don’t worry too much for now. Once we’ve dealt with matters at sea, our next move will be on that ‘real’ world.”