His face calm, Nuo's voice echoed within The Temple. Surrounding him, none of the senior members of the church showed any sign of questioning or opposition.
This was not solely due to Nuo's reputation and status, but also because those present did not see any issue with it. Long before now, Nuo had illustrated similar views to them on more than one occasion, and now he had truly acted accordingly.
Furthermore, even without considering these factors, the objective conditions for a simple and easy path to immortality did not exist at the moment.
Nuo was capable of achieving this because his devotion and meritorious service had received angelic approval; they were willing to grant him eternal life, but this did not mean that others would enjoy the same honor. As for the methods of witchcraft—it could indeed extend life to a certain extent, but eternity was still a distant proposition for it.
The reasons were not complicated. Initially, witchcraft was compiled by Laine from a lofty perspective; later, Hecate researched it bit by bit. These two beings, who were most likely to develop a method for immortality through witchcraft, had no plans to study the 'Path of Immortality,' because they had no need for it.
Comparatively, humans' own level of witchcraft was clearly insufficient to conquer this difficult challenge.
Perhaps it could be achieved in the future, but that was destined to be a distant future. For most people, if an event is something they will probably never witness, then they naturally will not strongly oppose it.
Of course, aside from all these objective factors, there was a key point: as believers, the senior figures of the church did not see death as something to be feared.
The cycle of Samsara of All Spirits was one of the authorities of the gods, and some had even seen Eunomia, who had come to the Mortal Realm, together with Nuo. Under such circumstances, without the unknown, there naturally would be no fear.
"Very well," seated in his wheelchair, Nuo nodded with a smile, not surprised by their reaction, "It seems you all agree with my view on this matter."
"You are a prophet with divine revelation, Teacher; whatever your view is, we will all agree," said a woman who appeared to be in her thirties.
Of course, she was actually over a hundred years old, but the bloodline from the water elves in the residents of Silver Moon City greatly slowed down the aging process. Even though this speed varied from person to person, with only a very few enjoying a life span of three to five hundred years or more, on average, they lived twice as long as their counterparts.
"No one is always right, Aelma, I am just learning lessons from the past," Nuo said with some helplessness as he shook his head at his student's respect. In his heart, it was this very reverence from those around him that was one of the real reasons that prompted him to choose death.
It had been too long since anyone in Silver Moon City had been willing to question him. It was as if everything he did was correct. But Nuo himself didn't think so. Apart from the omniscient, no one was always right, and he believed that such excessive reverence could potentially evolve into something else.
Prometheus was a clear example. While Nuo himself highly respected the creator of Bronze Humanity, there were some actions of the other that he did not approve of.
"Now, let's move on to the arrangements after my death." Nuo shook his head slightly—perhaps because he was nearing the end of his life, his thoughts were somewhat scattered, but when he came back to his senses, he calmly proceeded to lay out all that had been decided beforehand:
"Silver Moon City will need a new Patriarch. He will take my place, communicate with the Lord's messengers, and guide the future direction of Silver Moon City. That is the most important reason for having convened you here today."
"You want this position, as it brings you closer to the divine. And each of you has your differing views. Some of you want to maintain the status quo, while others believe that the actions of wizards should be restricted; some want to reclaim the wilderness on land, and others have turned their ambitions to the seas."
"And it is not just a solitary view; many around each of you agree, some acting for their own sake, others for the future of Silver Moon City. So you all await my decision, as whomever I choose will imply my endorsement of their ideas. And I have never passed judgment on your opinions before today."
"Yes, Teacher," a middle-aged man who looked more warrior than Priest said, "We have argued many times in your presence and all voiced our viewpoints. But we have convinced none, as our wisdom is not sufficient to make a universally accepted decision. Only you can do that, so we await your verdict."
"No, Damian, I can't. The fact that you believe I am right doesn't mean my choices are indeed correct. The reason I have not made a decision is that I cannot make a definitive judgment either."
"Like you, if I tell you to give up your plans, would you truly be convinced?"
"...I will follow your command, for you must have seen a future that I have not yet seen," the man known as Damian spoke respectfully while standing in front of Nuo.
Nuo shook his head slightly, knowing this would be the outcome.
The longstanding debates among those present were known, and he was aware of why they were unresolved. It was not only because each of them stood firm on their views but also because none had a clear edge in prestige or capability over the others.