Chapter 30: The Barbarians of Another World Lack Cultural Depth
All magic is divided into six levels: Low Rank, Intermediate Stage, High Rank, Saintly, Transcendent, and Divine.
The amount of Magic Power required for spells of each level increases incrementally.
Generally speaking, Magicians of the first and second tiers often use Low Rank magic, complemented by a small number of Intermediate Stage spells as their trump card.
From the third to the fourth tier, they mainly use Intermediate Stage magic, supplemented by some High Rank spells.
Only Magicians of the fifth tier and above are capable of using Saintly magic.
The fifth tier is a watershed; magicians above this level are called 'saints,' a term normally reserved for bishops of the Church.
Any spell that can instantly kill fourth and third tier Void creatures must undoubtedly be Saintly magic.
All Saintly magic spells are unique; they cannot be acquired through faith points but must be created by the magician themselves.
That spell, "Create All Things to Nourish Mankind," is unquestionably a spell of Saintly magic.
While Agni was shaken at heart, she was also secretly speculating about the identity of the person before her:
He uses Holy Light magic, which, unlike other magics, requires the blessing of the Radiant Goddess to acquire—so this person must be a believer of the Goddess.
In the entire frontier Church, there is only one saintly Archbishop.
This person could only be someone from above.
Agni knew that the headquarters of the Church possessed a special inquisitional institution, known as the Tribunal.
The administrative status of the Tribunal is on par with the Papal Court and is directly accountable to the Goddess.
Each judge within is kept confidential, their authority and status equal to a regional bishop, and only the most devout of saints are eligible for the role,
Heretic Judges, their work is not external, but internal, used to deal with heretical scandals within the regional Churches.
Once a saint falls, the harm they cause to the Church and the world is often more severe than that caused by ordinary Cultists.
Take for instance this time, the incident where Kavensis fell into heresy.
Agni observed An Su,
The crimson moonlight cascaded down, blanketing the desolate prairie. The night wind swept by, causing billions of blades of wild grass to ripple with a bloody shimmer, while at the heart of the densest blood-red moonlight, the figure stood with hands clasped behind his back.
That ordinary, unassuming face, those eyes and eyebrows, every movement brimmed with clear, effusive wisdom.
Above his head, the title 'Dawning East' shone especially bright.
Dawning East, truly a unique divine title... Agni thought, her mind racing quickly through thoughts.
This person... did he suspect Kavensis from the start?
Were all the anomalies during these three red moon nights just tests by this figure?
Or rather, was it giving Kavensis one final opportunity?
"Thank you, my lord, for the rescue," Agni placed her left hand on her heart, took a half-knee with the right knee, and swept up her snowy white cloak with her right hand, bowing respectfully in a knight's salute, her subordinates following suit with their salutations.
"May I know how to address you, my lord...?"
"Names are but a formality," An Su replied calmly, "you may call me Xianzong."
Anyway, you can't find my file.
Not even the Pope can.
Because it doesn't exist.
An Su had previously traversed the 'Witch-Hunting Saint stream' and was aware of the power structure within the Radiant Holy See.
A saint, the less you find in their file, the more mysterious they are, the more formidable, the more unfathomable, and the deeper the waters one shouldn't continue to investigate.
Xianzong?
Agni felt somewhat sweaty, realizing that this big shot's level was even higher than she had imagined, using the word "Xian" in their title.
"Xianzong Your Excellency," Agni hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to probe, tentatively speaking: "I am a Third Order Holy Knight of the Church, you may call me Agni."
An Su said with a tinge of regret:
"Just call me Big Brother Xianzong, I don't deserve the title 'Your Highness'."
"How can I claim to be 'Your Highness' when I couldn't even save that child?"
His statement rendered Agni speechless.
An Su slowly exhaled, his eyes slightly downcast, revealing a look of loneliness and compassion, and his voice inevitably carried a hint of sorrow.
"I didn't mean to harm him. I just wanted to talk to him... Alas, what a wonderful child he was, yet corrupted by the Cultists."
"Those evildoers are greedy, shameless, disloyal, and unrighteous. I, Xianzong, despise such scoundrels the most in my life and wish to sacrifice them all... as an offering to the great Radiant Goddess."
So sternly did An Su speak as he pressed the amulet he had picked up from Kavensis deep into his pocket.
"Big Brother Xianzong need not blame himself." Agni, a captain with high emotional intelligence, immediately wanted to flatter this saint, "To express our gratitude for saving us, Big Brother Xianzong, we have prepared a little gift..."
She knew this was a person of stature from above, and if she could use this opportunity to establish ties with the saint from above her career paths would be smooth sailing thereafter.
Agni really wanted to advance.
Of course, that was just one of the reasons.
The more important reason was that she wanted to repay Big Brother Xianzong for saving their lives.
If not for Big Brother Xianzong's help, Agni dared not imagine what their team would have faced.
If even half of them could survive, it would be a grace from the Radiant Goddess.
Agni took out the sacred bow that wounded the Void Moth, a Holy Relic she had obtained from an abandoned relic site.
[Broken Sacred Bow]
[Intermediate High-Quality Holy Relic]
[Can fire Third Order holy magic 'Arrow of Holy Light', each arrow costs 4 skill points to use]
This was a very valuable and precious treasure, especially as a Holy Relic.
Agni was confident that even a saint like Xianzong would find it hard to refuse.
But An Su calmly shook his head, paused, then firmly stated, "I didn't choose to become a saint in order to accept gifts."
The Radiant Holy See is indeed the Radiant Holy See, bribing so openly and unabashedly.
Not a hint of the art of subtlety.
Of course An Su wouldn't accept these gifts on the spot, he wasn't some fool like Priest Danny.
He had just crafted an image of a righteous and noble leader; accepting gifts now would seriously damage his image.
Big Brother Xianzong cannot accept gifts, at least not in such a crude manner.
Moreover, An Su didn't want the sacred bow.
It was something that required consumption of skill points, meant for Holy Knights; An Su couldn't use it.
He couldn't even draw it!
Giving gifts should be tailored to the recipient's preferences.
"If you're not pleased with it... I also have..." Agni hurriedly said.
Why speak so bluntly?
Does Big Brother Xianzong need your gift?
It's you who need Big Brother Xianzong to accept the gift, not Big Brother Xianzong who needs your gift.
An Su looked at Agni with a touch of dissatisfaction, thinking that this young comrade still had a lot to improve upon.
She clearly lacked the cultural depth; the barbarians of these other worlds conducted matters in such a rough manner. He then resolved to take the opportunity to give her a few tips.