If she were the Lindong from before the Ximu Town version, she would have started acting like an icy hedgehog long ago.
Rowena’s sense of crisis sent a warning, reminding her that it was time to change the subject.
The cat glanced at Rowena and decided to let her off the hook, saying, "The situation in the Western Continent and the Empire is different. The path of faith is singular there. They are extremely exclusive, not welcoming to any other faiths preaching in their country. The Deep Sea Council has rejected the Church’s requests to establish a church in the Western Continent multiple times. There, using powers from other faiths is met with disdain and even expulsion in some cities."
In the Empire, even the Church, which desires power the most, would not openly suppress Transcendents of other paths. In fact, to win people’s hearts, the Church would even support some weaker Transcendent forces publicly. For example, the Hunting Goddess’s followers from the Hunter’s Guilds in various cities can receive free treatment in the church after being injured on missions.
"According to the classification defined by the Empire, the Master of Tides is considered among the proper Divine Spirits. It is said that He once resolved an apocalyptic flood, saving the Western Continent from submergence. However, the Deep Sea Council doesn’t seem to accept such categorization. Apart from the Master of Tides, they do not acknowledge any proper or Middle-Level Gods."
Lindong, who had participated in several discussions during the Seven-member Council, said, "At that time, the Church had a very unpleasant encounter with the Deep Sea Council due to religious issues. Representatives from both sides exchanged veiled criticisms in diplomatic settings, leading to the Lofic Consortium growing closer to the Deep Sea Council. Later diplomatic meetings were all conducted with representatives from the Consortium."
The Deep Sea Council considers the Empire’s Church-represented beliefs to be corrupt and outdated. They only appreciate the Empire’s military-industrial sector and hope bilateral diplomatic relations remain at basic trade interactions.
The other side curiously asked, "So does that mean they have a Church too?"
"The Western Continent doesn’t need organizational churches. Everyone living there is a follower of the Master of Tides. However, ’faith’ is a term we use here; people in the Western Continent never mention faith. They believe that medicine, law, navigation, and Steam Technology are the seeds of civilization, with the Master of Tides as the creator of this civilization."
The cat turned over in Ethan’s arms, facing the sky, changing to a more comfortable position, "Yue is likely grounded because the Deep Sea Council believes he absorbed the Empire’s filth."
Mysterious nightmares, plunging deep into the ocean, residing in the ocean’s depths, monsters on the brink of awakening.
If one adds the Evil God, all the scenes Yue described seem to follow the narrative style of the Eastern Continent’s Church, "Plus the Frost Arrow Scroll you sold him. I heard he used those Scrolls to resolve many crises of sea monster invasions in coastal cities, which might make the Council believe he has been brainwashed by the Empire."
The warriors of the Western Continent should use Steam Technology, board warships, and fight sea monsters with cannons, not release a big ice spike over the ocean.
The cat thought for a moment, "Maybe you could get along with them; at least there, no one would regard you as a god."
Ethan had put in much effort trying to change the Imperial Capital People’s perception of him, but to Lindong, the results seemed minimal.
The "Great Plan" corresponds to the Church’s Holy Scripture, the supreme being merely having their names swapped, fundamentally unchanged.
Their greatest contribution was abolishing the Church’s interpretive monopoly over all mystical matters, allowing organizations like the Artisan Association to develop freely.
Deep-seated beliefs aren’t changed overnight.
"But if left unchecked, if some Evil God is causing Yue’s nightmares, by the next meeting, he will probably have turned into an octopus face."
It seems now that the problem isn’t just with Old Ba. Lindong feels that all Evil Gods have somewhat peculiar aesthetics, uniquely preferring elements like tentacles.
"So, how about a trip to the Western Continent?"
Ave suddenly proposed, "The cabinet could send a team on a diplomatic mission. If you can witness Steam Technology firsthand, perhaps you’ll gain insight."
Faced with the impending apocalypse, the residents of the Western Continent and Steam Technology may become vital assistance, "but you must be mentally prepared; convincing people in the Western Continent to believe an Evil God is about to awaken may be difficult."
Ave felt that only Ethan might be able to accomplish this task.
The people of the Western Continent would never buy into those ethereal concepts; to persuade them, one must explain the principle of an Evil God’s existence using the standards of the ’objective world.’
Meanwhile, in a not-so-spacious room, a man in a trench coat was sitting across from Yue.
The room only had one table set up, looking like an interrogation room.
This was not Yue’s first time here, subjected to the same questioning.
The man wore a monocle with a golden frame, briefly scanning through the files on the table.
Lily waited anxiously outside, clenching her fists and pacing back and forth.
This was the third psychological evaluation, which would directly determine if Master Yue’s grounding would continue. The master’s attitude was simple - whenever Yue could pass the Council’s evaluation, he would regain freedom.
As the chairman of the Deep Sea Council, he hoped his son could abandon those ethereal fantasies.
"Yue, tell me about your nightmare."
The familiar opening line once again.