Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1413: Service

“Is that all? Is that the highest offer? These are top-notch items, sir!” Emily pounded her fist on the table.

Deep down, she yearned to seize the thrifty engineer by his lapels and rattle him until coins poured from his pockets. Sadly, such an action might get her banished from the sacred peak. Dealing with a Divine Monarch made it even riskier—she could end up struck by divine thunder the instant she gave in to the urge.

“Young lady, I’m no trader haggling for profit,” the scholarly monk with glasses calmly clarified. “I serve merely as a conduit, channeling your… offerings to the sacred hall. The worth of your aid is set by the divine decree. An imbalance, whether excess or shortfall, would disrupt the cosmic equilibrium in our destiny.”

“Even so, under 5,000? Emily uttered, her bottled-up anger spilling out. “That’s scarcely sufficient to join your order.”

“Your revelations, though original, fall short of the profound insights that spark true innovation. Should you elevate your Dao further, your contribution might be appraised far higher,” the monk elaborated, eyeing the deadly contraptions and schematics scattered throughout the chamber. “Regarding these armaments, I’m afraid their worth is quite restricted.”

“So what’s my next move?” Emily demanded, her teeth clenched tight.

“Paths to divinity are endless,” the monk replied with a maddening grin.

“If that’s the case, why am I penniless?” Emily shot back, her face suddenly brightening. “You mentioned my revelations would gain more value, correct? How about a loan? I sense I’m near a breakthrough. Show me around your Heavenward Monastery, and I could settle the debt right away.”

“What say you?” the monk chuckled, rising from his seat. “Concentrate on how to aid the Empire, not on what rewards it might bestow. The path of virtue will guide you to your desires.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Emily grumbled while gathering her submissions.

Shortly after, she traversed the opulent corridors once again, lined with golden vaults and devoid of any openings to the outside. Emily fought to contain her irritation as she nodded to the two robed novices gliding by, their faces wearing idiotic, serene smiles. Evidently, the core teachings of the Imperial Creed were woven into the shifting motifs of the Radiant Court’s vast sanctuaries, yet what benefit did that bring her?

It simply wasn’t just. After countless brushes with death and eliminating rival Sealbearers, she had at last attained the Radiant Court. And her rewards? Practically zilch. Emily ground her teeth while examining her Visitor Badge. Exactly—visitor status, unlike the Disciple Tokens or Court Member Insignias distributed in other domains.

[Imperial Merit: 3,741]

[Service: 6,233]

This meager count solidified her resolve, reminding her that this was merely a trial run. Earning five thousand Service points just by showcasing her inventions and Daos wasn’t terrible, especially since it had cost her almost two months to gather the previous 1,200. Yet it was obvious she had to alter her approach to avoid missing the rest of the challenge.

Emily’s mind wandered to the chart she’d sketched by piecing together fragments from the outer archives of the Radiant Court and her own scouting of the Inner Region—the sacred territory of the Left Imperial Expanse, centered on the Radiant Court.

The entire sacred peak, home to the Radiant Court, formed a colossal memory realm, dwarfing all else she’d encountered by magnitudes. At its base lay four cities, midway up stood six temples and four monasteries, and crowning it all was the majestic cathedral. After a month of watching, Emily had opted for the nearest entry point.

No threats lurked there, but opportunities were equally absent. She’d been stunned to discover the city brimmed with scant Cosmic Energy. It sufficed to support a Hegemon at best, rendering true cultivation impossible. Not surprisingly, the inhabitants were mostly mortals, compensating for their lack of power with fervent, unyielding devotion.

These mortals represented the Empire’s fiercest followers, gathered from across the Left Imperial Expanse. Their pure, tireless belief fueled the holy peak, creating a symbiotic bond with the mighty Faith Cultivators who dwelled within.

Emily remained puzzled by why mortal devotion proved so vital to the Templar Orders, but she was astonished that many had resided in the cities for millennia. Their faith alone extended their lifespans far beyond natural limits. Engaging with these devoted souls likely offered tremendous prospects for Faith Cultivators, but they offered Emily nothing.

She’d lingered only briefly before climbing the Steps of Inquiry that divided the mortal realm from the divine. The climb posed real hazards, yet with some forethought and fortune, it proved far less grueling than her prior ordeals to reach this stage.

The temples boasted superior amenities. The surging energies could intoxicate, and their cultivation chambers made the Ensolus Ruins from her homeland seem laughable. Monasteries and inner temple chambers hid earth-shaking boons. Whispers spoke of the Cathedral’s three pools, each surpassing the former.

The Three Purities Pool purified one of all mortal stains. It stood as the ultimate prize for veteran sealbearers, purging even the deepest Earthly Taint—including innate flaws that defied removal by other means. Emily stood to gain as well, with the pool dissolving Pill Toxins, battle aftermaths, soul blemishes, and Heart Demons alike.

The subsequent pools outshone it. The Primordial Pool delved into one’s core, rousing dormant lineages. Ordinary folk could revive their mightiest ancestral trait, no matter how many eons or generations had passed. Emily felt less drawn to this; she was clueless about her heritage, and it might clash with her chosen way.

The standout was the Four Desolates Pool. If the Tribulation Throne granting Zac an imperfect Cosmic Attainment served as the draft, the Four Desolates Pool was the masterpiece. It bestowed Middle-grade Cosmic Attainment on even the weakest cultivator, with a chance for High-grade if fortune smiled.

Emily set her sights on the Four Desolates Pool, unable to see how lingering in the Radiant Court aided Zac. A immersion in those Dao-infused depths would forge an Eonic Seed outright. Titles aside, affinities would soar skyward, unlocking a clear route to Monarchy and higher realms.

One could only fantasize.

Forget amassing funds for the cathedral; after two months of practice, Emily clung to just a slim reserve. She’d burned through Imperial Merit freely to boost herself. It wasn’t squandered, as prime resources in the Radiant Court demanded Service, with no means to convert currencies. Two veteran sealbearers had already been expelled for unauthorized bartering.

The straightforward path was diligent labor to build riches. Regrettably, Emily soon grasped that almost every Service source hinged on faith. No competitive trials with prizes like those in the Ensolus Ruins existed, nor handouts for milestones. The miserly lot didn’t even offer a starting point of Service.

The simplest method involved kneeling in prayer. A portion of the devotion gained by extolling the Old Emperor’s glory would credit your ledger. Of course, skeptics like Emily drew a blank. The templars might permit access to basic halls for merit, but they hoarded the best for their own. The reclusive monks in monasteries offered even less.

Emily refused to yield. The challenge centered on surpassing the annals, and the Radiant Court followed suit. She’d already discerned the Radiant Court’s prime role: crafting the memory lanterns that sheltered souls across the ages. This was the endeavor she’d bolstered by penetrating the Sun-worshipping sect.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She hadn’t uncovered fresh avenues to advance that aim, but the Radiant Court shouldered more than a single duty. She believed it primarily curbed the Heavenly Judgment as the Fifth Pillar’s Grand Array activated. Emily had stumbled upon this accidentally.

One day, she spotted ascetics departing their secluded monastery. They soared to the Temple of Dawn, erecting lightning rods akin to those fueling the tribulation throne. Days later, tribulations cascaded from the heavens. For an instant, time seemed to halt.

The bolts were captured by the rods, channeling potent streams of Imperial Faith. It surged toward the Heavenly Clouds, where a intricate golden array flickered into view before two rods burst. The aerial construct disintegrated unfinished, and the rods vanished by dawn.

Observing the twelve suspended lightning strikes ignited a minor revelation in her Dao, inspiring her to present her War Machines and Daos. She wasn’t delusional enough to believe her gadgets truly aided the Limitless Empire, but she possessed an edge even the Radiant Court’s saints lacked.

The Radiant Court emphasized the Peak of Faith and the Heavenly Peak. Emily had no tie to the first, but her seasonal path’s Lightning linked directly to the Heavenly Peak. Moreover, the Heavenly Peak stayed unfinished, especially compared to its prime in the Empire’s golden age.

Certain revelations she shared might revolutionize these inventive monks’ projects, aiding their refinements. The concept worked, though she’d anticipated over 5,000 Service for her efforts. Even pushing her Earthly Dao to Middle Stage wouldn’t suffice for the Four Desolates Pool.

Emily searched everywhere and reached an inescapable verdict. She must leave the peak, depart the Radiant Court, and perform deeds in the nearby sacred zones. The myriad memory domains nearby brimmed with fate threads ready to untangle, and not every one demanded faith involvement.

Emily suspected her deeds would yield Service over Imperial Merit now, bearing the Radiant Court’s Visitor Badge. A handful of sealbearers shared this notion and had already ventured out. Emily lacked both time and tolerance to await their reports. She had to move. Even if the scheme faltered slightly, it promised a chance to restock Imperial Merit.

Walking down the mountain would consume days. Luckily, the templars had set up faith gates, and Emily willingly spent 20 Service for direct transport to the Steps of Inquiry. She was startled to find company. A trio lingered at the stair’s base. They felt off, unlike natives of this ancient time.

Emily knew the group couldn’t detect her due to the peak-wide array. Even so, she slipped behind a towering statue marking the steps’ end and deployed a sound-capturing device.

“Enough delays. We’ve lingered three days. Who knows when another sealbearer shows?” the evident chief snapped with clear frustration. “Test it now—that’s a command.”

The youth cast a pleading glance at the woman, but she fixed her gaze on the earth. He scowled and faced the stairs. After a moment’s focus, his boot touched the first step. The trial commenced, and Emily instantly saw they’d missed the concealed mechanism.

“WHO ARE YOU?”

The thunderous query echoed from a distant statue. It rattled Emily’s soul despite not targeting her. Yet only those near the stairs caught the words.

“I am Mesin Dinsur of the Radiant Temple,” the sealbearer intoned blankly, stepping upward.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE?”

Upon silence, a rush of Imperial Faith flooded Mesin’s frame. Emerald vapor expelled from his orifices, and he gasped before replying.

“I was summoned by Master Terfin.”

Emily nodded inwardly, memorizing the chief’s features.

She already suspected the Havorak Empire and Radiant Temple served a higher power. It made sense, as Ultom outmatched B-grade groups. Local B-grade rulers were conscripted due to their nearness and ties to the Zecia Sector. Noting the gulf between Mesin and Master Terfin, the latter might hail from that dominant force.

“ARE YOU LOYAL TO THE EMPIRE?”

“No.”

Emily exhaled, aware the interrogation ended abruptly. The chief, who’d dispatched his subordinate, shared the fallout, his involvement exposed. A fierce aura burst from his torso, only to be quashed by a torrent of Imperial Faith. He and the woman were yanked onto the stairs, their awareness shattering instantly.

“WHO ARE YOU?”

“I am Jon Terfin of the Phusudor Republic.”

“I am Inda Endemire of the Allbright Empire.”

“What in the world? Her?” Emily gasped, dashing down the stairs as the questioning persisted.

“ARE YOU LOYAL TO THE EMPIRE?”

Emily reached Inda before her response. Fortune favored her; no queries halted her descent. She pressed her left palm to the woman’s brow and sighed in relief as the Imperial Merit flowed over.

Emily bellowed mentally as Inda’s glazed stare sharpened.

“Y-yes,” Inda stammered, scanning about in bewilderment and dread. “Yes, I am.”

Half an hour later, Emily lounged in her modest hut, facing a hesitant Inda across the table.

“Why the glare like I kicked your dog? I rescued you!” Emily snorted. “Idiots charging ahead blindly. Meddling cost me a thousand merit, you realize?”

“You also made me spill confidential details. I’ll face an inquisition upon exit. Think the Phusudor Republic will ignore it? Or the Grand Unity Hall?”

“I wanted intel on the scum who doomed Zecia, alright? Sharing the truth was the bare minimum,” Emily replied with a casual lift of her shoulders. “Better than your pals heading to the cells.”

Inda Endemire had claimed an outer disciple spot in the Radiant Temple by claiming a Soultaker Seal in the conflict. The temple and Havarok Dynasty joined a pact under the Phusudor Republic. This Peak B-grade power followed a Taoist heritage free of one clan’s dominance.

Rather, leading houses governed for about 50,000 years before yielding power. Common folk and lesser groups saw it as organic shifts in rule. Both Emily and Zac had guessed the Phusudor Republic answered to the Seven Heavens, or some elite Human Dynasty.

They’d erred. Though elite human powers inevitably linked with the Seven Imperial Clans, the supreme authority was the Grand Unity Hall sect. Inda held scant info, as her overseer was a republic scion who’d bartered access via the Kan’Tanu Sect.

Rumor held the Grand Unity Hall as the wellspring of Taoism’s “Hundred Schools of Thought.” The Phusudor Republic was but one of many under its sway. Not rivaling absolute titans like the Buddhist Sangha or Seven Heavens, its lineages of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism each boasted a Supremacy. It wielded influence through the Peak of Order, granting edges in this age.

Word was, the Grand Unity Hall profited hugely from the Limitless Empire’s collapse. Emerging post-Dark Ages, much of its legacy echoed the Limitless Empire. Impressive as it sounded, Emily viewed them with disdain. These villains aided Zecia’s downfall.

The Grand Unity Hall freely bought scores of seals from the Kan’Tanu Cult, supplying frontier-scarce high-grade treasures. Though the cult’s elite remained superior, their aid worsened the tide. Cult Hall Masters empowered by the Grand Unity Hall swelled Monarch losses in the Zecia Alliance. Lacking peak warriors, the coalition fell apart.

The Grand Unity Hall sought no part in Ultom’s contest. Many of their inheritan