Go back to one day ago.
When Sebastian came to the forest near the Castel mining area, the werewolf Luf, who had already heard the news, was already waiting respectfully with dozens of his most devout believers.
"The High Priest of the Blood Wolf Tribe, Rufu, and his followers... have met Lord Sebas."
Lu Fu drew a symbol of thorns and roses on his chest, with a pious and respectful expression.
Sebastian glanced at the many believers behind Luv who were moving in a standard manner, and nodded slightly:
"No courtesy, get up."
The werewolf Lu Fu stood up slowly and also signaled the other believers to get up.
Then, they walked deep into the forest with the dusty Sebastian surrounded.
Walking around a woodland, the view gradually opens up.
Along with the noise, a brand new village came into view of Sebas.
This is the settlement of the Blood Wolf Tribe.
No, or to be more precise, this is a settlement built by the demihuman miners from the Castel mining area and the migrating Blood Wolf tribe to believe in the True Ancestor of Blood.
In the settlement, roads criss-crossed the area, and there were no less than a thousand buildings dotted here and there. Brand-new wooden houses replaced the former simple tents, and walls were even erected in all directions to protect against monsters.
In the center of the settlement, a small square was opened, and a tall altar was erected on the square, enshrining the Holy Emblem of Thorns and Roses.
There are many residents in the settlement, and most of them are werewolves and other demihumans, but if you look carefully, there are also some humans.
When they saw Lu Fu and others passing by, they would all put down their work and say hello enthusiastically:
"Good morning, Lord Priest."
"Master Priest, may the True Ancestor be with you..."
"..."
The werewolf Luf responded with a smile and nodded to everyone.
It wasn't until he took Sebastian back to his cabin that he breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.
"Luff, it seems that you are doing well and you are becoming more and more like a real priest."
Sebastian smiled.
Lu Fu scratched his head honestly:
"Master Sebastian, you are joking. This is a gift from you and the True Ancestor."
"If it hadn't been for your shelter, if it hadn't been for the true ancestor's rescue, Lu Fu might not be alive today. Not to mention Lu Fu, the entire Blood Wolf Tribe might be gone, let alone have the chance to come here. Here, such a paradise-like village has been built.”
Sebastian nodded slightly:
"Your Majesty the True Ancestor is indeed kind."
After saying that, his eyes fell on the village outside the window:
"How is the development of the cult now? How many believers are there?"
The werewolf Luv took out a roll of parchment that had been prepared from his arms, handed it to Sebastian, and said respectfully:
"So far, the sect has 3,345 officially registered believers, including 2,624 demi-humans, 678 humans, and 43 half-elves."
"There are actually half-elves?"
Sebastian looked surprised.
Werewolf Luff explained:
"They are some former half-elf slaves. After the Bold-Castel War, they escaped from the defeated noble families and fled to us. They accepted asylum and accepted the faith of His Majesty the True Ancestor."
"As for human believers, they are mainly miners in the mining area and some refugees who fled the war. The church's sheltering of refugees during the Leglis rebellion won the favor of many refugees and many supporters. Now they are mining silver. There is also a branch of the religious order in the city.”
"Of course, considering the secrecy, the sect does not preach on a large scale in Caiyin City. The believers it chooses are all true believers who ensure a clean background and firm beliefs."
After hearing the report from the werewolf Luv, Sebastian was both satisfied and surprised.
Because of the need to hide his identity, His Majesty the True Ancestor has always forbidden preaching in public. But even so, in less than two years, the sect has grown from more than a hundred werewolf believers to the current 3,000-member cult. It comes as a surprise.
"If it weren't for missionary restrictions, there could be more."
"Lord Sebastian, the Northland is really a land that is very suitable for preaching. There are many unbelievers who have fled from all over the place, and even the believers of the Holy Royal Court are mostly shallow believers and their beliefs are not firm. "
"With all due respect, the Divine Lord is too far away from mortals, but the True Ancestor is very close. As long as the True Ancestor can show miracles and kindness more widely, it will not be difficult to gain more believers."
"The restriction is probably due to the sensitive status of the True Ancestor."
"Oh, by the way, there are core teachings and priests."
"Many demi-human tribes have bloodline, and the belief in the true ancestor is more like the worship of the ancestor. It is not difficult to pick up the faith again, but for the existence of other non-bloodline people, we still lack the core teachings and obtain more information. Strong centripetal force and recognition..."
"As for the priests, the number is relatively small, and... they don't master divine arts like the priests of other religious orders. They just awakened some innate magic."
"Including me, there are currently 37 priests in total. They are all devout believers who have been recognized by His Majesty the True Ancestor and have received gifts from His Majesty the True Ancestor."
After hearing Luv's words, Sebastian was not surprised.
In history, the period of rapid expansion of any religious order of gods is the period when the gods walk on the earth.
The more you communicate with believers and the more you give, the more you will naturally gain.
Although the True Ancestor Crown did not grant gifts on a large scale, in this era when the gods were still sleeping, the personal responses to believers' prayers from time to time were already more than many gods.
As for the lack of core doctrine and priesthood…
Sebastian came to the mining area this time because of these two issues.
"Regarding the core doctrine... His Majesty the True Ancestor has issued an oracle. From now on, the cult's doctrine will revolve around darkness and order."
Sebastian said.
"Darkness...and Order?"
The werewolf Luv was stunned.
Sebastian smiled slightly, followed Charlotte's explanation and explained to Luv:
"Darkness...is a symbol of the otherworldly world of Miria."
"The extraordinary world is dark, cruel, depressing, and difficult to control, but darkness... does not mean evil."
"Darkness represents the other side of light and the irrational side of the world. Only by embracing darkness and understanding darkness can we control darkness and the extraordinary..."
"The blood descendants have a strict hierarchy, and the vampires also value order the most. Order is also one of the essentials of our Lord's faith."
"The world is inseparable from order. If you control darkness, you can bring new order to the world that is gradually becoming chaotic. With order, you can restrain the extraordinary, the strong, the ordinary, and change the world..."
Having said this, Sebastian looked solemn and said in a deep voice:
"The restraint and protector of darkness, the reshaping and maintainer of order, this is the symbol of our Lord's faith!"
"Darkness and order..."
The werewolf Luf fell into deep thought.
After a long time, his eyes gradually brightened, and he bowed deeply to Sebastian:
"Master Sebastian, Luf has learned a lesson."
Sebastian nodded and continued:
"As for the priests... Strictly speaking, the priests in the current religious order cannot actually be regarded as real priests. After all, the true ancestor was not ready to formally preach."
"However, it is different now. My coming here this time is the instruction of His Majesty the True Ancestor. His Majesty the True Ancestor has already made a decision and is preparing for the sect to officially set foot on the stage of Miria."
"Officially set foot on the stage of Miria?"
Lu Fu was stunned for a moment, and then he looked happy:
"Could it be...could it be that True Ancestor Mian's power has further recovered?"
Sebastian nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"That's understandable."
"The master's power has further recovered, and he has also decided to officially start preaching in the North."
"Luf, gather the priests and believers and prepare for the prayer ceremony. I only brought the will of the gods, but the real missionary oracle needs to be conveyed by the great master himself."
"Of course... it also includes gifts from gods."
…
"The Supreme True Ancestor..."
"The embodiment of darkness and shadow..."
"The source of all blood descendants..."
"Your devout and humble believer, hereby pray for grace..."
In front of the tall altar, the werewolf Luf followed Sebastian and led many believers to pray to the Thorn Rose.
Looking at the holy symbol on the altar, Lu Fu looked enthusiastic and expectant.
At the same time, Charlotte, who received the prayer, also formally set her sights on the altar.
"Are you... ready?"
Sitting high on the Throne of Blood, looking at the many believers with pious and expectant faces in the "picture", Charlotte's expression gradually became solemn.
As the believers prayed, she could feel that her connection with them was strengthening. She could hear their voices, and she could sense the power of their blood.
She could even clearly sense that bits and pieces of blood power were converging towards her along the web of faith following the prayers of the believers, converging in the divine fire in her chest, and being tempered into the purest divine power.
The gods are shepherds.
Believers are God’s flock.
And the extraordinary power is the wool that the sheep continuously produce.
At this moment, Charlotte had a deeper understanding of the nature of the relationship between gods and believers in the world of Miria.
Although she already had followers more than a year ago and formed her own sect, to be honest, the sect was not complete and was only a semi-finished product at best.
Now, since her divine power is no longer stretched and she plans to officially start missionary work, it is time to further shape her belief system and make the religious order formal.
Thinking of this, Charlotte controlled the divine power of blood and spread it along the web of faith to the distant altar.
The next moment, the Holy Emblem of Thorns and Roses on the altar bloomed with bright red light, and a vast and majestic will slowly descended.
In the fanatical, shocked, and excited eyes of the believers, an illusory projection appeared above the altar.
The solemn throne, the shadowy tall figure, and the magnificent and mysterious golden-red eyes hidden behind the crimson mist.
It is Charlotte who sits on the Throne of Blood in an "adult posture".
