Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Silver Moon City had been peaceful for far too long. They had no external enemies, no difficulties, no natural disasters; under these circumstances, naturally, no one was able to achieve feats that would convince the vast majority. Therefore, by relying solely on themselves, they were, in any case, unable to reach a consensus.

But just as Nuo himself said, he didn’t know who was right, either. He never saw himself as a ’prophet’, nor did he think he could see farther than everyone else. Thus, looking at the few individuals standing quietly before him, Nuo finally made a decision.

If conjecture could not produce a result, then let reality verify the truth. Fortunately for Silver Moon City, which had been at peace for so many years, they had ample ability to support this.

"Your debates have led to no conclusion, and I do not intend to make a decision arbitrarily. However, I still support your differing opinions,"

"Having disagreements is good, and the Lord favors change and differences even more. Therefore, my final decision is to abstain from appointing a Patriarch for the time being."

As his words fell, Nuo clearly saw the surprised expressions on several people’s faces, but no one outright objected, because they all sensed Nuo still had more to say.

"Actions speak louder than words, and each of you has your own supporters. Given that, let each of you verify your ideas,"

"Those who wish to explore beyond, I allow you to lead those willing to follow you to conquer the seas and wilderness. Those who choose to stay in Silver Moon City, you shall remain here, forming a council; only decisions supported by the majority may be implemented."

"Once I am gone, there won’t be such a ’Mountain’ blocking you from testing your own Thoughts anymore. After everything bears results, the one with the greatest achievements will become the next Patriarch."

"You are not a Mountain obstructing us."

Bowing slightly, without being pleased that his own proposal had been partially implemented, Damian immediately corrected. And to this, Nuo only smiled, knowing that the other had always lacked a sense of humor.

"Let it be so then. May ability decide the outcomes—I trust that none of you will hinder each other, and those who remain in Silver Moon City won’t forbid those who leave from returning, right?"

"Of course, we are always one,"

Someone said, and Nuo nodded, believing their words.

"Very well, everything shall proceed accordingly. And since some among you seek to establish towns in the wilderness alone, it is perhaps not apt to continue calling you ’Priests’."

"Those advocating for the church’s mission on one side shall be named ’Archbishop’, and according to the specific nature of the responsibilities, a prefix may be added before it,"

No one objected, so another matter was settled. However, after making the last decision, a trace of irrepressible weariness appeared on Nuo’s face. For someone so close to Death, he truly had done too much.

Holding power in Silver Moon City for so many years, Nuo certainly had many affairs that needed addressing, but those had long been taken care of previously,

Now, completely relaxed, Nuo leaned back in his chair, gently closing his eyes. No one disturbed him; they just waited quietly, and after a long while, Nuo, seemingly having regained some energy, opened his eyes again.

"Everyone, leave,"

Raising his hand slightly, Nuo spoke calmly:

"Let me be alone here, to pass through the final journey."

Surroundings fell silent for a moment, then footsteps receded from near to far. Accompanied by the sound of the great door closing, the inside was separated from the outside.

Nuo reclined in his wheelchair, contemplating his final decision just made.

He had not directly designated his successor as the next Patriarch for another reason; he did not wish for the position of Patriarch to always be appointed by the predecessor.

In the face of a major crisis, a strong leader is the best choice for handling everything. But in times of peace and stability, having more people involved in decision-making may delay the execution of many matters, it also helps to prevent the worst outcomes.

Nuo could not guarantee that every future leader of Silver Moon City would be wise and valiant, so it was better to have more voices in the mix—he could already envision that even if the new Patriarch ultimately emerged victorious, those Bishops who had competed against him would not be without a say.

There likely would not be another leader who could make unilateral decisions like Nuo; every decision would need the support of others.

"Hmm... the outcome most people can accept may not be the best, but it certainly won’t be the worst."

"What happens after that is beyond my understanding,"

he murmured to himself, his voice echoing endlessly in the spacious hall. But then Nuo seemed to notice something and tilted his head slightly.

In a corner of the hall, a familiar old friend had been standing for a long time. He was holding a stone tablet in his hand and etching something onto it with his fingers.

Without using any tools, the strokes of his fingertips left marks on the stone. Watching this scene, Nuo couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He had heard the other talk about this before; in the very ancient past, he had bid farewell to another friend in the same way.

"You only called for the Priests and didn’t invite the Wizards from the White Tower to come, it seems you still have some reservations about them."

When Nuo heard the other ask in such a manner, he replied casually: Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Technically, I should state: I already saw them yesterday, and today I am only dealing with internal church affairs, which do not concern them—but to tell the truth, I don’t have any complaints against them, but I see that they probably won’t always be with us."

"The witchcraft of Silver Moon City will not vanish, nor will the church become enemies with the Wizards, but I think they won’t stay here forever, especially the most capable among them."

"They have their own pursuits; although I don’t quite understand them, I do understand somewhat."

Leaning back in his chair, feeling his last bits of vitality gradually ebbing away, Nuo did not see any angels descending suddenly. However, he wasn’t surprised by this, because during their last encounter, he had expressly requested a ’death as ordinary as any other.’

"Let it be so, I have done enough, and the rest is for those who come after me,"

"Perhaps a thousand years from now, someone stepping into this Temple will speak of me, speaking of the first Prophet who died here."

"To be honest, heh, although I don’t consider myself very wise, truth be told, I do quite like the title ’Prophet.’ When I first heard people using it, I was a little pleased inside..."

His voice grew weaker, and his eyes lost their sparkle. In the corner of the Temple, the person etching the stone tablet quietly watched this scene and then gave a heartfelt affirmation.

"Your experiences will become an epic, Nuo. A thousand years later, people will still sing of your history, ten thousand years later, you will be revered as a myth."

"Heh, a myth... like you, huh..."

"...That does sound rather nice..."

His voice faded into indistinctness until it ceased altogether. The next moment, a massive bell tolled throughout Silver Moon City.

Though they had not witnessed it themselves, everyone knew: the Prophet was dead, he had returned to the embrace of the Divine. And with him, his era had also come to an end.