Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 597: History of Verdantis II: Faith

CH597 History of the Verdantis II: Faith

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"Gu Mo is a Deity Cultivator."

Upon revealing that truth, Old Man One Heaven grew quiet for a brief instant.

Rather than press on, he veered the discussion elsewhere.

"What do you know about Deity Cultivation?" he inquired.

"Very little, honestly," Alex confessed.

"Information on the Navi—that is, Deity cultivators and their techniques—is tightly restricted in my home world. It amounts to forbidden knowledge."

"Those discovered trying to study or practice it face pursuit and execution by all nearby experts, no matter their faction."

Old Man One Heaven nodded, seemingly endorsing and respecting that harsh policy.

"Still, this is what I managed to learn from scraps I accessed with my status and level," Alex went on.

"The Navi get portrayed as parasites."

"They feed on the belief and loyalty of their devotees, drawing away their followers’ Providence—their Fate and Fortune—to boost their own cultivation.

"They seize control and warp the cultivation routes of their followers, molding their advancement to match their desires."

"Initially, devotees surge ahead on this ’bestowed’ power route—merely by intensifying their devotion. Yet as they advance, that surge slows down."

"On purpose."

"The Navi ensure no follower nears their power tier, and they blame the halt on weak devotion."

"Thus, believers push harder, strengthen their faith, chase bigger feats—all to reclaim divine favor.

"But that only swells their Providence further, ripe for the Navi to reap."

"It’s dubbed the Farming Approach."

Alex’s face hardened a touch.

"To deter any tempted by Deity cultivation—despite the bans and penalties—my world has a proverb."

"The Navi fall short of the omnipotent status they proclaim. They’re false deities—beings defined and constrained by their followers’ convictions."

"Should a Navi falter, they risk dissolving into the very principles their worshippers force upon them."

He pressed on,

"A deity molded by—and reliant on—followers’ beliefs can’t claim true omnipotence."

"Such an entity stands as a false god, undeserving of adoration."

"We hold that only the universe’s Creator merits worship.

"Since we lack the way to honor Him, we commit to cultivation instead. Legend says grasping the plane’s Laws—and ultimately the universe’s—lets one behold His glory and achieve insight into His being."

Alex halted, pondering his statements.

He offered a slight nod.

"That sums up my verified insights.

"Beyond lies guesswork from scant encounters with the practice since reaching your plane."

Old Man One Heaven nodded.

Abruptly, he questioned,

"What is faith?"

"Why does it exist?"

Alex blinked, clearly taken aback.

He stood speechless for an instant.

Noting this, One Heaven delved deeper.

"Suppose your folk are right—a Creator of all exists. By your terms, He’d be utterly omnipotent. Thus, He’d have no use for faith."

"Faith, after all, stems from His creation. So why invent it?"

"More crucially, why permit Deity cultivation?"

His stare intensified subtly.

"For standard cultivation, paths converge on comprehending Universal Laws. Through that, one senses His presence."

"If so, what role does Deity cultivation play in this setup?"

The query pierced Alex more profoundly than anticipated.

It wasn’t just abstract musing. It shook the bedrock of faith, cultivation, and reality.

Alex went still.

Profound reflection gripped him.

The elder held back.

Truthfully, he anticipated no reply.

Only late in his long life had he grazed such riddles.

Yet observing the young man sink into true rumination, a spark of intrigue lit his gaze.

He yearned to witness.

What response... would this youthful intellect forge?

"Free will," Alex declared finally.

"All sentient beings receive the power to choose; liberty to believe; from which faith emerges."

"The Creator forged all into being, yet He shunned chaining everything to one rigid destiny.

"He enabled Fate and Fortune—mechanisms letting beings somewhat steer their destinies."

"Fundamentally, this setup permits good... and evil... to arise."

"Evil doesn’t arise from a malevolent Creator or His tolerance of it traditionally."

"It stems from His gift of Free Will. Through it, creations can opt for actions seen as good... or evil."

Alex’s tone stayed firm.

"By that reasoning, if Free Will prevails... so must the option to pick one route over another."

"Be it the proper traditional cultivation route... or Deity cultivation’s deviant path."

"That is..." Old Man One Heaven hesitated, surprise tingeing his tone. "...a fascinating angle."

He’d never contemplated it.

Nor heard it voiced.

Alex wasn’t startled by the response.

His logic wasn’t groundbreaking. It felt instinctive.

Faith and Deity cultivation remained alien to Verdantis before Gu Mo appeared.

Thus, the plane’s sharpest intellects hadn’t probed their philosophical roots deeply.

Old Man One Heaven proceeded, "Your view refreshes indeed. Yet... it leaves my query unresolved."

"You cast faith as belief’s byproduct. But faith transcends passivity."

"It’s... dynamic."

Alex’s look grew keen.

He felt a key revelation loomed.

"Please guide me," he urged.

"Faith..." Old Man One Heaven started deliberately, "...decides if a plane endures its tribulation... or faces annihilation."

"A plane chasing misguided faith... dooms itself to ruin."

A weighty hush enveloped them.

"Put simply, Deity cultivation-soaked planes court destruction."

Alex’s eyes flared wide.

The meaning hit him at once.

"How are you so sure?" he pressed.

"Once false deities brought Deity cultivation to Verdantis’s Heavens, Gu Mo exploited the breach to invade our realm."

"Gu Mo stood apart from typical Deity cultivators.

"He’d surpassed many limits binding such entities before Transcendence."

"No stable flock of followers bound him. His divinity propagated via terror."

"Wherever dread stirred in hearts facing him, his divine force reached in... granting claim over their Fate and Fortune."

A cold draft seeped through.

"To secure that base, Gu Mo loosed a plague across Verdantis. It ravaged land beasts swiftly, hurling them into frenzy."

"Even the Dragon Emperor couldn’t rein them in."

"The worldwide turmoil... dread... panic fueled exactly what Gu Mo craved.

"Through it, he amassed divine energy—ample Providence—to assault our Heaven’s core... its Faith Pool."

Old Man One Heaven halted shortly before resuming.

"You nailed one point," he noted. "A true Deity spurns worship or faith."

"We’re the ones needing faith. And as you noted, it springs from belief."

"Pre-Gu Mo, religion eluded us. Yet via cultivation—sorcery—we nurtured profound awe for the world."

"And subconsciously, its originator."

"We overlooked how this awe equaled belief. Belief birthing faith. Faith aimed at our Heaven."

"The faith our Heaven harnessed to collect the plane’s total Providence—for self-elevation...

"And proximity to Universal Truth."

Insight struck Alex.

"So, addressing your prior query... the Creator forged faith not for His glory. He made it a mechanism—

"A structure letting each plane’s natural order—the Heavens—bolster itself... and offer better prospects to inhabitants."

"Thus, Deity cultivators sabotage that mechanism.

"They siphon what’s for everyone to themselves, dooming the plane and its people."

Alex eyed the elder somberly and queried.

"Is that accurate?"

Old Man One Heaven inclined his head deliberately.

"Precisely."

***