A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 384 Justification by Faith

After giving Andrei a break, Rorschach (his alter ego) began to deal with the backlog of tasks.

Rorschach first taught his two new apprentices three spell models: [Hand of the Mage], [Spirit Armor], and [Greasy] – spells composed of descriptors and signatures, of course.

"Both of you are intellectually mature individuals. Rather than me going on and on here, I'll just give you a written version." Rorschach handed them his self-compiled teaching materials and then demonstrated three spells to them.

"Teacher, do you always cast spells silently?" Hannah assumed that all mages should be familiar with various spells, set up magic circles, and carry spell-casting material kits.

"Not entirely. I only didn't chant aloud; there were still movements involved in the spellcasting process. Most spells are created by the movement and changes in the magical energy of the environment triggered by one's own magical energy. And the operation of one's own magical energy is controlled by our soul and thought organs. Both physical movements and chanting are activated by specific paradigms to activate corresponding brain activities."

"The use of spellcasting materials, alchemical artifacts, etc. are all means to assist in spellcasting. Some of them stimulate the spellcaster's will, while others directly affect the magic of the environment. There are many kinds."

Rorschach explained the above and other basic theories of spellcasting, albeit very superficially. He also taught them the corresponding magic circles for the three spells and emphasized the importance of paying attention to how magical energy surged during casting.

In other words, even if a "quick-learning mage" masters spells through Rorschach's "spell cloud," they can still understand and even learn how other mages cast spells by comparing the circuits of spell circles, mastering how magic works during spellcasting, and exploring the principles of current spells.

The prerequisite is accumulating sufficient knowledge and skills, as well as being able to reflect on and explore the principles of magic.

If they treat cultivation as a game of grinding for experience, they will forever be reliant on Rorschach's framework. The instigator will not actively reveal the existence of the "spell cloud," but they also expect them to discover the truth behind it.

Another issue is the "signal." Rorschach discovered that he had a similar role to a tower spirit, since the first "signature" of a spell points to himself.

So how do we set up another "signal source" in Kempson to accelerate spellcasting? After all, neither the main body nor the clone can stay near Kempson forever. Initially, Rorschach thought of creating a Tower Spirit extension similar to Bart's, also here. But this wasn't perfect either—the distance between Wirtz, Kempson, and Lanster was too great. If the connection wasn't strong enough, the Tower Spirit would have to split more artificial souls, weakening the overall performance.

Later, he accidentally discovered a new method: "borrowing" the faith power of the Lord of Order.

Rorschach met with the believers who were clamoring to build a "dwelling place for the soul." Leading them was an elderly gentleman, vigorous and resolute, his clothes old but clean and tidy. Behind him were mainly women.

Rorschach was observing the old man, and the old man was also observing the young man in front of him.

This boy, old enough to be his grandson, seemed to be the true owner of the place. Whenever he asked anyone here to build a church, they would all make excuses, saying they needed to report to their superiors. And Rorschach was the superior of all the "superiors" he had approached.

The old man preemptively said, "Lord Rorschach, thank you for your kindness in giving us shelter. How convenient life is, with food and a place to support ourselves."

"But sir, when we flee from war and hunger, our physical needs cannot be met, so we overcome them with spiritual fulfillment. Today, we praise you and Byrne, and we have food, clothing, and shelter, but our spirits grow ever emptier!"

In layman's terms, when they are hungry, they use "God" and "salvation" to deceive themselves and persevere, but when their material conditions improve, these believers want to take advantage of the situation.

The old man and the other believers concluded that Rorschach was a benevolent lord. This was clearly a misunderstanding.

Rorschach and the entire Special District did not treat the refugees as slaves, but rather as residents of the new city. Of course, the original inhabitants' identification documents clearly stated that they were citizens of the Kingdom of Bain, while these newcomers currently only received "residence permits."

Looking back now, there's not much difference. We rented a house and used our factory wages to offset the rent. Since the factory set a low rent, the remaining money was still enough to buy food and daily necessities.

However, if these migrants encounter legal issues, children's education, or medical care, they will find that two different identity documents can make a huge difference.

Obtaining citizenship is simple: buy your house or purchase/cultivate at least one acre of land.

In Rorschach's view, the most important thing is to strive for citizenship, and the displaced people should actively contact and interact with the administrators in order to achieve this.

However, the most motivated among them were those who sought to satisfy their spiritual needs.

Should I praise your unwavering faith? Rorschach said sternly, "You want to build a church? True, the entire Empire and Byron can tolerate normal faiths, but there are rules here:

"First of all, churches cannot have clergy appointed by the church. This has been the rule since the founding of the empire, and no one can go against it. Old man, if you are a member of the church, we will send you back to Valois no matter what."

This rule caused a huge uproar, while the subsequent rules seemed less important, such as prohibiting preaching anywhere outside the church.

"Of course not, Your Excellency, Mage. You may use any magic to detect this, please prove or believe that I am not lying." The others erupted in a clamor, but the old man remained calm.

After speaking with Rorschach, he turned to the other believers behind him and shouted loudly, his aged voice so powerful it could drown out everyone else:

"Do we really need the guidance of the church? Is it possible that the omnipotent Lord cannot protect us without the church, or punish our sins without the church? The Lord of Order examines every person, and the Lord is in everyone's heart. Our piety and salvation do not need to be achieved through the church."

A man in the crowd, just as educated as the old man, immediately pointed out: "Well, your argument is heresy and cult-like from the imperialists!"

"But we are already within the Empire's borders!" The old man was not afraid of the accusations at all: "Is there anyone who hasn't seen it with their own eyes? Our devout offerings became the priests' magnificent robes, transformed into a grand monastery, and a wine cellar that is no less than heaven's."

"And what about them? These faithless devils, in disguise, allow our homeland to descend into chaos, yet it is indeed well-ordered, and everyone enjoys a life of order and peace."

Rorschach wanted to tell the old man that he had misunderstood them and that the church had its own difficulties. But he was a sorcerer and was happy to see these people abandon the church.

The old man's eyes shone brighter as he spoke: "I think our church is not for accumulating wealth or hoarding wine, nor does it need us insignificant people to use gold or huge stones to glorify the Lord. So our church will simply be a warm spiritual dwelling for brothers and sisters to share. It doesn't need magnificent decorations, tall towers, or pipe organs. It only needs our love and faith."

"Yes, yes, yes," Rorschach nodded repeatedly. The old man continued, "Since the master has generously promised that we can build a church for ourselves, what more could you possibly want? Must you support a bunch of monks who reap without sowing to prove your and my devotion to the Lord?"

Well said! Now most of the believers have been persuaded by the old man. It was noon, the "holy hour" of the Lord of Light and Order, so the old man simply began to lead everyone in reciting the Lord's hymns.

Rorschach remembered the rules he had set, so he created a domain that covered all believers, setting up a static field at the edge of the domain to block their prayers and praises of the Lord of Order from spreading out.

However, after expanding his domain, he discovered that the behavior and mental state of the crowd began to resonate with the magical energy of the environment, transforming into a divine power of faith. Rorschach was familiar with this power, because the Church had used similar forces to cast large-scale divine spells, both in Valois and on the recent battlefield.

The Church holds large-scale ceremonies during the Silent Generation, partly to gather these powers to create sacred objects and extract them for the spiritual practice of those blessed by God.

Now, Byrne has no church buildings to collect them. Rorschach can sense their continuous ascension through the realm, but no one or God receives them, and they begin to dissipate after touching the symbolic realm.

"Well, I figured nobody wanted it, so I'll just take it!" Rorschach suddenly felt moved by these devout believers with "light in their eyes" and decided he had to sponsor them to repair the church!

Then, it's not unreasonable to secretly collect some "rewards" while you're praying, is it?

(End of this chapter)