Chapter 502: Reward

Reward

While Hilbert and Blake were discussing the situation in Yadith, elsewhere in another spacious office, Amanda, dressed in crimson robes, sat quietly with her eyes slightly closed, slowly sipping a cup of coffee. Suspended in front of her desk was a semi-transparent ghostly figure—a ghostly nun.

“So… the Cardinal Council is now more inclined to believe that Sister Vania remained an innocent party in this incident, and that the sudden emergence of the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal and the falling lightning was due to the revolutionary army’s secularist leader, Shadi?”

Wearing a thoughtful expression, the ghostly nun softly murmured this question toward Amanda. Amanda, upon hearing her words, slowly opened her eyes, placed her cup on the table, and calmly replied.

“Yes. Sister Vania is from Pritt, raised as an orphan in the Church, grew up entirely within our institutions, has a clean background and no negative record. Shadi, on the other hand, is from North Ufiga—Addus, and was involved with treasure-hunting societies from a young age, constantly interacting with ancient ruins. Various intelligence sources can also confirm that he has engaged with ancient legacies. Between the two, it’s clear who has closer ties to the First Dynasty. The Cardinal Council never really suspected Sister Vania’s motives—only that crank Kramar insisted on bringing it up, forcing a reluctant discussion. But the outcome was obvious. I merely pointed out the most reasonable interpretation, and the issue was dropped.”

Amanda spoke in a light, relaxed tone. Hearing this, the ghostly nun nodded in understanding and continued.

“Then… what is the overall stance of the Cardinal Council toward Addus—and especially toward Shadi’s new regime? What’s their attitude regarding the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal that appeared out of nowhere?”

“According to the confirmed hidden records of North Ufiga, Heaven’s Arbiter is a god of Revelation. Since the beginning of the Fourth Epoch, for over thirteen hundred years, there hasn’t been a single confirmed sighting of any Revelation-aligned societies or even a single Revelation Beyonder. If the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal is real… this is no minor matter.”

The ghost nun asked seriously, and Amanda nodded before reclining in her comfortable chair and replying.

“Yes. The possible reappearance of a Revelation-aligned society is an issue far more significant than the political situation in Addus. That was the true focus of our morning session. Matters concerning Vania, the Salvationist heretics, and Addus’s politics are all peripheral.”

The ghost nun blinked, then grew even more solemn.

“Then… what’s the Council’s view on the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal? How does the Church intend to respond?”

“Our view? Heh… We know too little to form a clear stance right now.

“So far, there are only a few confirmed facts. First, they can command lightning—and lightning may represent the elemental domain of Revelation, which we’ve long failed to categorize. Second, the cabal includes at least one Crimson-rank or higher Beyonder. This person can summon a city-wide storm and sustain it for several hours, and they possess some method of bypassing the abilities of a Commandment Presider to kill the Salvationist lead heretic Muhtar. Third, they likely have some connection to Shadi—probably someone he contacted during his treasure-hunting days, drawing from Second Epoch legacies.”

Amanda explained coolly. After a pause, the ghost nun asked again.

“If the Church knows so little, did the Council consider using divination to uncover more about them?”

“We already tried. This morning, we approved a divination resolution on the spot, allocating fifteen standard units of Revelation storage for the operation. The attempt failed completely. Then, shortly after, we were hit with a counter-divination strike, which also consumed some of our Revelation resources.

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“Based on the failure of the first probe and the immediate retaliation, we now estimate that their Revelation reserves are at least comparable to those of major heretical cults—perhaps even greater. Their strike wasn’t particularly aggressive, more like a warning against further intrusion.

“So the Council voted to halt any further probing. We’re not willing to start a large-scale Revelation expenditure war unless it involves our core interests. After all, our thousand-year Revelation stockpile is our foundation—especially now, when heretical cults grow restless, we must keep it preserved to deter potential enemies.”

Amanda looked calmly at the ghost nun, her tone grave. Though the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal hasn’t been definitively identified as a Revelation-aligned group, the signs pointed that way. Considering their large-scale lightning storm and vast spirituality usage, provoking a Revelation war with them would be extremely dangerous. After confirming the warning was real, the Council prudently halted all second-phase actions to avoid escalation.

“Indeed… the current market price for Revelation has skyrocketed. The average cost has increased five- to sevenfold compared to last year. In that situation, provoking a Revelation-based society into a war of divination… it’s definitely not ideal,” the ghost nun agreed. After a moment’s thought, she added.

“However… thinking about it more, the spiken Revelation prices over the past year—could it be connected to this cabal? From what I know, the main reason for the rise is an increase in unknown divinatory attacks on state agents and secret societies worldwide, and the mysterious fall of the Corpse-Sand Society.

“Before this, no society was ever willing to spend rare Revelation resources on such broad, aimless divinations. And while the destruction of the Corpse-Sand Society was our doing, according to Antonio’s report, there were many strange inconsistencies. It even seemed connected to the recent rise of ‘Thief K.’

“Now that I think about it… the Revelation price spike, the rise of Thief K, and the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal all emerged within six months of each other. Is it possible… these events are linked?”

The ghost nun spoke thoughtfully. Amanda gave her a sidelong glance, then responded with interest.

"You're saying... the recent sudden emergence of the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal was actually foreshadowed long ago? That they had started manipulating the price of Revelation to raise funds, preparing to reappear from a millennium of seclusion? And that the so-called Thief K is likely related to this cabal?"

"Yes. I even believe that the fall of the Corpse-Sand Society was actually a conspiracy by the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal. They sent Thief K to manipulate Antonio into attacking the Corpse-Sand Society, destroying them and thereby cutting off one of the market's stable sources of Revelation stockpile, all to further inflate Revelation prices and profit from it." Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

The ghostly nun whispered softly. Amanda thought for a moment, then responded.

"Hmm... what you said makes a lot of sense...

"In this latest meeting, we've already established our preliminary stance on the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal: as long as Shadi does not publicly declare Yadith’s faith in the Heaven’s Arbiter, nor legalize worship of the cult, we will not take overt hostile actions against them. Instead, we will dispatch a covert investigation unit to Yadith to conduct discreet inquiries and gather intelligence.

"What you just said also opens a new line of investigation. I’ll notify the Chancellery to monitor the current Revelation market closely. If someone is still managing to maintain a stable supply of Revelation under these high prices, they are likely connected to that cabal."

Amanda finished her statement. The ghostly nun nodded in affirmation, then continued.

"Forgive my boldness, Your Excellency, but I must ask—since this cabal claims to serve the Heaven’s Arbiter and has reappeared after thousands of years, does their emergence signify the return of the Heaven’s Arbiter? Have there been any recent tremors in the inner world?"

"Tremors? You mean... the disturbances in the inner world caused by the birth of powerful divine beings? As of now, there have been none. That means while the cabal has emerged, the Heaven’s Arbiter itself has not returned—at least not completely. That’s one of the main reasons the Cardinal Council has chosen not to interfere directly yet. As long as they have no true god, their influence on the world remains limited.

"If the Heaven’s Arbiter truly had returned, the Holy See itself would’ve descended from the upper realm immediately."

Amanda said. The ghostly nun fell silent for a moment in contemplation, then added.

"Regardless of the truth, it is clear that Sister Vania was blessed by fate and once again turned misfortune into fortune. No matter the truth behind what happened in Yadith, as long as Shadi denounces the heretics and acknowledges the Church's exclusive religious authority in Yadith, then her mission is considered accomplished... His Excellency Hilbert’s schemes not only fell through, but his early propaganda ironically ended up helping her. In the public eye, Sister Vania is now seen as the greatest hero of the Yadith incident—this is good news for us."

"Heh... indeed. That little nun has turned out to be a blessing for us. I never expected things in Yadith to unfold this way."

"Your Excellency Amanda, should we begin publicizing Sister Vania’s contributions to the Yadith affair now? Let the people and the faithful know that she is the key diplomatic figure who resolved the crisis..."

The ghostly nun offered the suggestion, but Amanda shook her head and replied.

"No need to rush. Shadi is still purging the heretical forces within Yadith. Until he officially announces that Yadith has severed ties with the heretics and honors the Three Saints, we won’t disclose anything publicly. At most, we’ll preheat the narrative in the papers, and once Shadi makes it official, we follow up."

Amanda made her decision. After hearing it, the ghostly nun thought for a moment and then asked again.

"Then… what about Sister Vania’s reward? Though both her achievements in Summer Tree and Yadith were unexpected, we still have to grant her recognition. Otherwise, others will become suspicious. Summer Tree was only about tens of thousands converting, but Yadith—Yadith is a country of twenty million people. Preventing the heretics from seizing a nation of twenty million from the light of the Saints… that achievement is simply enormous..."

The ghostly nun spoke earnestly. Amanda fell into contemplation. After a while, she finally replied.

"That’s indeed a huge merit. If this were any seasoned bishop or senior deacon, it would be enough to promote them to archbishop or chief deacon. But Sister Vania’s qualifications are too shallow—she’s only been a senior deacon for less than two months. Pushing her further now would be complicated...

"For now, we’ll take it slowly. I plan to assign her a favorable special post—something she can work on while being evaluated, while also providing her opportunities to accumulate Lantern and build public support. After some time, I’ll propose to the Cardinal Council that we begin preparations to promote her to Chief Deacon. After a few more years of experience, she can be appointed as an Archbishop and sent to oversee an external diocese."

After careful thought, Amanda spoke. The ghostly nun paused briefly before asking.

"Then, Your Excellency, what kind of post do you plan to assign her to help her build support?"

"In the next Cardinal Council meeting, I intend to propose assigning her as a Relic Custodian—a field post. She’ll be entrusted with a minor blessed relic and travel to spread the faith while safeguarding it. Through this, she can build reputation and experience. Once everything is ready, we can formally initiate the advancement ritual.

"It might take a while, and she’ll probably encounter some bureaucratic resistance. But hopefully, she has the patience to see it through..."