Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 601: Pillars of Providence

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"Build an empire?" Alex arched an eyebrow. "What does an empire have to do with the Heaven’s Mandate?"

A faint smile curved the lips of the One Heaven sorcerer.

"While the plane’s Consciousness fell, its Heaven’s Will did not."

"Even as its soul undergoes rebirth, its primary planar instincts persist in the form of the Heaven’s Will, ensuring the fundamental functions of the plane remain intact."

"Because of this, my actions —usurping the Heaven’s Mandate through strength, and subsequently ’killing’ the plane’s Consciousness— have been recorded by the Heaven’s Will as an existential crisis... one that must never occur again."

A spark of realization ignited in Alex’s mind.

"So... the Heaven’s Mandate can no longer be seized through brute force?" he asked.

"Yes." One Heaven nodded.

"Now, the qualification to wield the Heaven’s Mandate lies in Fate and Fortune— in Providence."

"Whichever side possesses the greatest amount of the required Providence will earn the acknowledgement of the Heaven’s Will... and be granted the Heaven’s Mandate."

"The required type of Providence?" Alex arched an eyebrow.

"There are many forms of Fate and Fortune in this world," One Heaven explained. "Some give rise to extraordinary phenomena. Others birth rare creatures of Heaven and Earth. Some elevate individuals... while others shape the destiny of entire regions."

"They are countless— for wherever there is existence, there is Fate... and there is Fortune."

"To claim the Heaven’s Mandate, three core pillars of Providence are required."

"The first... is Territory."

"Any entity seeking the Mandate must control a significant portion of the plane. This generates Territorial Providence— the first pillar."

"The second... is Population."

"One must bind the lives of the plane’s denizens to their banner. The greater the number of people under their rule, the greater the Collective Providence they generate— the second pillar."

"And finally... the third is Power."

"The one who seeks to claim the Heaven’s Mandate cannot be weak."

"Before one is granted supreme authority between Heaven and Earth, they must first possess authority of their own, generating Authority Providence— the third pillar."

"That’s strange," Alex remarked, his brow furrowing lightly. "Both Gu Mo and the local Navi already possess all three pillars, don’t they?"

He hesitated for a moment, then went on, his mind honing in sharper.

"If I’m right— and the berserk property is indeed Gu Mo’s divinity..."

A subtle tremor coursed through Alex as memories flooded back of the divine kingdom he had almost entered inside Camp Red Rock’s beast nest... and the horrifying stare that had pinned him in place.

"...then the Grand Berserk Beast Forest is his territory, while every berserk beast and berserk human forms his population."

"And as for power..." Alex let out a breath. "A Class 8 Transcendent speaks for itself."

"On the other hand, the local Navi have established temples, gathering both population and territory through faith."

"I don’t know their exact strength, but considering how long they’ve been deceiving this plane... they must be formidable."

"Perhaps only slightly weaker than Gu Mo."

His eyes narrowed.

"Both sides already possess power, population, and territory... so why—"

"Your observation is correct... on the surface," One Heaven cut in with calm composure, "but the way the Heaven’s Will determines such matters is more... nuanced."

"For one, each pillar of Providence must surpass a certain threshold— one known only to the Heaven’s Will itself."

"Second, the claimant must possess a balanced dominance across all three pillars."

"Hmm..." Alex rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I think I understand."

"For Gu Mo, the Great Berserk Beast Forest is constantly being contained by the surrounding empires, limiting its expansion."

"And while the forest itself is vast... there are empires that surpass it in scale."

A gleam of insight sparked in his gaze.

"I see... that must be why Gu Mo spreads his influence through Berserk Beast nests."

"If those nests are left unchecked, they act as seeds— a break would occur, spreading the berserk beast population within it, while also claiming and corrupting more land in the process."

He pressed forward, his voice taking on a more probing edge.

"As for population... berserk beasts are far from unified."

"Whether within the Great Berserk Beast Forest or the scattered nests, they constantly fight amongst themselves."

"In other words... they are self-destructive."

"That inevitably reduces the total population under Gu Mo’s control."

Alex nodded deliberately.

"Just these two factors alone may prevent him from reaching the required thresholds."

"And even more importantly, they prevent him from achieving balanced dominance across all three pillars."

A sharp glint flashed in Alex’s eyes.

His mind turned toward the local Navi.

"The local Navi may have a more stable territory and population than Gu Mo," he murmured deliberately, "but they must still fall short of the required thresholds."

A slight frown creased his forehead.

"Is it because the Heaven’s Will recognises each Navi as an individual contender?"

"Just how much land and population would be required...?" he pondered out loud.

"It doesn’t matter," One Heaven responded with steady calm.

"Ah... yes. You’re right." Sudden enlightenment lit up Alex’s eyes.

"Gu Mo is stronger than the local Navi. So even if they meet the thresholds for Territory and Population..."

"...they would still lose in terms of Power."

"Which prevents them from claiming the Mandate."

"You’ve grasped it well." One Heaven’s smile held approval.

"However, there is one more factor hindering both sides."

"The quality of their Providence."

He went on,

"Gu Mo’s divinity is rooted in fear. As such, the Providence he commands is likewise born of fear."

"But fear is inherently unstable. It fluctuates... rises and falls."

"This makes the corrupted Providence under his control equally unstable."

"As for the traitors..."

"Their divinity is founded upon deception."

"In order to avoid backlash from this flaw, they must constantly refine their divinity— and by extension, the Providence derived from it."

Alex’s eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"It sounds like the Heaven’s Will has established conditions that inherently hinder Deity cultivators from claiming the Heaven’s Mandate."

Then he halted, a fresh inquiry emerging.

"If it can construct such a complex and precise system, why doesn’t it simply select and nurture a suitable inheritor for the Mandate directly?"

One Heaven shook his head.

"The Heaven’s Will is not a conscious entity in the way you imagine.

"It is a system of laws— an automated framework that governs the Heaven and the Earth."

"What you suggest requires deliberate will... intention... choice. Such actions can only be carried out by the plane’s Consciousness."

"And in its current state..." He glanced upward briefly. "...the plane’s Consciousness is in no position to do so."

He pressed on,

"Heaven’s Will is, at present, nothing more than a collection of instinctive impulses."

"A system driven by reactions, not intent."

"Among these impulses are its repulsion towards Deity Cultivation —the very force that led to the destruction of the plane’s Consciousness— and its inherent instinct for self-preservation."

"These impulses have naturally combined to create a systemic bias against Deity Cultivation."

"However, one must not misunderstand this.

"Heaven’s Will remains fundamentally neutral. It reacts to stimuli, and it does not choose sides."

"While it may instinctively reject Deity Cultivation, that is the extent of its intervention."

"You cannot expect it to favour you simply because you oppose Gu Mo and the traitors."

"Just like them, you must still fulfil the required conditions before it grants you the Heaven’s Mandate."

One Heaven paused for a moment, his face growing graver.

Then he continued, his voice carrying a note of warning.

"Heaven’s Will has done all it can to restrain Gu Mo and the traitors. But do not be mistaken, they are both exceedingly cunning."

"And in time, they will find ways to circumvent —or outright break— the rules set against them."

Alex nodded with measured slowness.

He harbored no doubts.

One faction comprised traitors who had hoodwinked a whole civilization for more than a thousand years.

The other was a being who had attained Transcendence.

Neither were fools.

Neither lacked the skill to exploit loopholes.

It was merely a question of time.

And time was something they had in plentiful supply.

A millennium’s worth.

Alex breathed out softly before he spoke once more.

"I am an outsider... a weak one at that, on a foreign plane. It would already be difficult enough to establish even a small nation here."

He fixed his gaze straight on One Heaven.

"But let’s say I succeed... let’s say I build an empire, how does that solve the obvious disparity between myself and the enemies this plane expects me to oppose?"

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