Chapter 182: Moon Declaration
On the first day back in Margburg, His Excellency the Cardinal was satisfied to have the Lord all to himself. However, from the second day onward, the Lord became busy.
Early in the morning, Peruth entered Yu Mo’s room through the door connecting the master and mistress’s quarters, only to find the room neat, empty, and void of any occupants.
In such a large castle, Peruth had almost wandered everywhere but still hadn’t seen him.
“The Lord went out early to inspect the newly reclaimed fields outside the castle.”
The butler had breakfast brought up by a maid, treating this handsome gentleman as if he were the “mistress of the house.”
“Would you like to call for some tailors to make new clothes for you? Or perhaps you’re interested in the garden?”
Amos, who had just returned to the castle from outside, saw this scene and his expression shifted several times.
Peruth noticed him and asked with a smile, “Did your teacher say I could go and see him?”
Amos lowered his head, replying, “My teacher said you are free to go anywhere you wish.”
When he heard his teacher say this, Amos felt a mix of anxiety and worry in his heart.
The dark magicians who had been arriving in Borotosh were now acting openly across the region. What if His Excellency the Cardinal saw these “heretics” while wandering around? Would he truly not take any action?
Amos was no fool; over time, he had come to understand the Cardinal Peruth’s obsession with his teacher, even realizing that Peruth was aware of his teacher’s heretical identity and did not mind.
But to what extent did this tolerance go? If he found out that his teacher intended to cultivate followers of the dark arts in Borotosh, would His Excellency the Cardinal still turn a blind eye?
Or was his teacher using this as a way to test the cardinal’s attitude?
With a mind full of complex speculations, Amos watched as Cardinal Peruth left Margburg.
Few people around Borotosh recognized Peruth, and today he was dressed in the plainest of clothes. Aside from his striking appearance, he blended in with the locals.
When he appeared near the newly reclaimed fields outside the city, most passersby only glanced at him a couple of times.
Their main focus was on a magician in the field chanting magical spells.
This low-level magician had drawn a magical formation in the dirt and was tossing alchemical materials into it. With each incantation, the barren field slowly transformed into fertile soil.
The crowd watching erupted in cheers and discussions. From their conversations, Peruth gathered that this area had been designated by the Lord as an “experimental field” where high-yield crops, better suited for the northern lands, would be cultivated.
The magician, who had exhausted all his magic power, stopped and wiped the sweat from his brow, looking proud amid the enthusiastic voices around him.
Initially, he had been reluctant to use his abilities for this purpose, but he couldn’t resist the demands of that demon, Marquis Cecil.
Yet, after doing it, he found it wasn’t so hard to accept.
Every day, crowds gathered here to watch, astonished, with some even kneeling nearby. He had become the most admired person in the area.
Who would have thought? Someone who had once been forced to live in hiding like a rat in the shadows of the capital was now welcomed and respected here.
The magician lifted his head proudly to face the crowd, but suddenly, he noticed a face in the audience—a face straight from his nightmares.
It was Peruth, one of the highest-ranking cardinals of the Holy Temple. Every one of them knew his face as “heretics.”
His first thought was: It’s over. The Temple has found me. My identity is exposed. I’m going to die!
Without a second thought, he turned and ran.
Then, a spell froze him in place. A voice whispered into his ear, seemingly out of nowhere: “Please, continue with your work. There’s no need to be so tense.”
The magician stiffly turned his head and saw His Excellency the Cardinal’s face in the crowd, wearing a serene and compassionate smile. Then, the cardinal turned and left.
…
Not finding Yu Mo near the fields, Peruth went to locate the agricultural officer in charge.
With a thick accent, the officer, newly appointed just two months prior, gestured earnestly as he explained, “The Lord visited briefly this morning, then left. I believe he went to the new mine.”
Following the directions given, Peruth headed to the mine.
The recently dug mine seemed to produce something called “coal,” and the road leading there was scattered with black residue.
Amid a crowd of dusty-faced workers, Peruth couldn’t spot Yu Mo. Just as he was about to inquire, two people turned, saw him, and immediately looked terrified, then ran.
Moments later, the two were brought back, trembling, to stand before him.
“Is His Excellency truly not here to arrest us?” The two dark magicians found it hard to believe.
Peruth smiled gently. “Since when has the Temple needed me to personally apprehend a couple of minor heretic magicians?”
The two magicians realized he was right. Back in the capital, they had narrowly escaped the Temple’s clutches twice, and both times it had only sent a couple of priests.
They had never imagined a cardinal would come after them himself.
The mine’s overseer, unaware of Peruth’s identity, only saw two esteemed magicians acting obediently before him and rushed over to show his respect.
“The Lord holds our mine in high regard. This coal can be used as fuel, and the Lord said that soon everyone in Borotosh will have access to it. No more people will freeze to death in winter!”
Peruth listened to the overseer for a while and then found out that Yu Mo had already left for another area—the industrial zone. With the relieved expressions of the two magicians in his wake, Peruth departed.
The “industrial zone” was a newly designated area on a flat plain, still in the early stages of construction, with dust flying and materials piled everywhere.
There were also magicians here, two of whom were struggling to lift a massive stone slab using magic. Nearby, dozens of workers with bleeding shoulders anxiously watched.
The workers chanted in unison, attempting to help the magicians push the stone. Suddenly, one of the magicians, out of breath, lost control, causing the huge stone to tilt dangerously.
“Get back! It’s going to fall!” he yelled, his voice cracking with panic.
Just then, the teetering stone in the air was steadied by a mysterious force and securely placed onto the scaffold.
The workers, feeling a sudden relief on their shoulders, cheered in admiration, praising the magicians for their impressive skills.
The two magicians, still shaken from the near-miss, wiped the sweat from their brows. When they saw who had helped, they froze in shock, their eyes wide with fear.
Peruth smiled at them, and they snapped out of it, bolting into the industrial area like frightened rabbits.
As they ran, they almost collided with Yu Mo, who was walking out of the industrial zone with a few people.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
The two magicians, panicked, stammered, “We’re in trouble! Someone from the Temple has found us!”
“The Cardinal—His Excellency the Cardinal discovered us!”
Peruth, following behind, finally saw the person he had been searching for. After visiting three different locations, he had finally found him. A smile unconsciously appeared on Peruth’s face as he offered a reassuring explanation in a familiar tone, “I didn’t do anything.”
Yu Mo sent the startled magicians back to work and stepped forward to stand in front of the cardinal.
“Have you eaten this morning?” he asked.
Peruth didn’t expect the first thing Yu Mo would ask him to be this, and he paused for a moment before replying, “Of course.”
Yu Mo said, “I thought you hadn’t seen me and didn’t even want to eat breakfast.”
Peruth: …
The breakfast brought by the butler had indeed gone untouched.
Noticing the fleeting glimmer of amusement in Yu Mo’s eyes, Peruth felt that he had probably guessed his little lie.
So, he also looked down and chuckled softly, quietly recounting the events of his search for Yu Mo.
“Those magicians ran away as soon as they saw me. I clearly hadn’t done anything. If they come to complain about me later, Eloren needs to know I’m innocent.”
“I understand. We’ve seen everything here; let’s head back to the city.”
They returned to the city from the still-developing industrial area.
In front of a row of new buildings in the city, there was a long line of people waiting.
The connected buildings were neatly arranged, straight and orderly, appearing quite simple compared to the exquisite and luxurious structures of the capital.
“This is the hospital, and next to it is the school,” Yu Mo introduced.
Inside the newly established “hospital,” over a dozen magicians were busy at work.
To avoid frightening these heretical magicians into fleeing, Yu Mo didn’t bring the cardinal too close but instead observed from a distance for a while.
Bottles of magical potions were handed to the weathered, emaciated commoners, who cherished them and drank them eagerly.
The people who had been crying out in pain became visibly calmer under the effects of the potions.
“These magical potions,” Peruth observed, “are they provided for free?”
“Only in the initial stage. There are too many sick people here, and I need them during the subsequent construction, so I will provide free treatment at first,” Yumo explained.
Although it was only temporary, magical potions were expensive, representing a significant wealth.
As if sensing Peruth’s thoughts, Yu Mo continued, “The nobles in the capital have already paid for these free potions.”
It was a rare joke.
Among the noble circles, everyone knew that Marquis Cecil had been selling magical potions since he was a baron, making quite a bit of money. His potions sold for high prices to the nobles in the capital.
The high-priced potions from the capital were being provided for free to the commoners here, who could not afford to pay anything.
Peruth gave Yu Mo a long look.
“Eloren, you mentioned wanting to develop the faith in the dark gods here. Why, after seeing so many places, have I not come across a temple?”
Yu Mo walked towards the nearby school. “Come on, let’s go take a look over there.”
In the newly constructed school, there were already quite a few people inside, most of whom were young children.
These were orphans, children whom commoners couldn’t afford to support, and refugees who had escaped from the disease-stricken areas.
“Here, those with talent will learn some basic magic as well as other survival skills.”
The passing down of magic was sacred; this monopolized knowledge had once been entirely held by the Temple, which prohibited anyone else from privately studying magic.
Only those recognized by the Temple were considered official magicians, while others would be labeled as heretics.
Yet Yu Mo was so unconventional that he directly allowed magicians to teach magic to the children in the school.
Peruth noticed that the magician teaching magic was a member of the Star Society.
“Are they really willing to share their magical knowledge?” Peruth was very familiar with the magicians’ typically stingy attitude toward knowledge.
Yu Mo replied, “If they won’t teach, I’ll find a way to make them teach.”
Peruth paused, sensing an underlying threat in Yu Mo’s calm tone.
“Hmm, so this magic school is essentially the temple you’ve built, Eloren?”
Yu Mo led him to an open space in the school, where there was a spherical sculpture with an inscription at its base.
Moon Declaration: I swear to be a light in the darkness, to illuminate the path forward before dawn arrives.
To study for the construction of a beautiful homeland, to strive for the creation of a better life.
…
“When the students enroll, they will remember this declaration; they will become the new believers of the Moon.”
Peruth remained silent for a long time. “I’ve never seen anything like this…”
He didn’t know how to describe it.
There shouldn’t be such a simple temple, nor should there be such demands placed on believers.
The Moon was typically associated with “death” and all negative emotions.
“I have always believed that faith should never lead people to degradation but rather uplift them,” Yu Mo turned to look at him. “If this faith causes harm to oneself or others, then it is wrong.”
Peruth locked eyes with him, and the pain of his youth seemed to awaken within his limbs, as if in a trance.
In his youth, no one had ever spoken to him about these things. He had painfully crawled out from the abyss of betraying his faith, dying again and again, ultimately becoming a non-believer.
“Isn’t the Moon associated with death?”
“Rather than death, it represents rebirth.”
The calm and resolute words resonated so naturally, shaking his chest, and Peruth heard the long sigh that escaped from within his body.
Following Yu Mo, Peruth witnessed many changes on this land.
Now, Borotosh was different from everywhere else; in the future, such changes would be even more immense.
“Eloren, what kind of world do you wish to create here?”
“Just a place where most people can have enough to eat and wear warm clothing,” Yu Mo replied.
Peruth couldn’t help but sigh, “Eloren, you want to be a god.”
Creating a paradise in a world teetering on the brink could likely only be accomplished by a deity.
After a day of running around outside, Yu Mo was covered in dust and soot, his shoes caked with mud.
His dark eyes gazed at the shabby houses and the thinly clothed commoners. “There will be faith here, but there will be no gods.”
“The life we desire should be created by ourselves, without the need to pray to a deity.”
