Chapter 564: Miracle

Rustle!

Sunlight poured through the windowsill into the study, making the air seem filled with a layer of dust.

In the quiet study, only Wu Ming’s sound of flipping through books could be heard.

“It turns out ancient books refer to this continent as the continent of Sear, with the Windfire Plains being only a part of it. There are also highlands, Storm Cape, the City of Universities, Emerald Harbor, and other massive territorial sections, giving rise to numerous kingdoms and duchies of varying sizes…”

“In the Windfire Plains, the first unifier was the Conqueror Taler, the original Blue Blood, whose kingdom split into many noble families after more than two hundred years, forming the decisive force on the Windfire Plains, known as the Blue Blood Nobility, who strongly rejected outsiders and other circles…”

“The Church once expanded greatly, and the ‘Lord’ they worshipped displayed miracles. However, later on, because of meddling in noble and royal affairs, it faced united resistance across the continent. At this time, the Church not only had to face challenges from various pantheons and ancestral totem worship but also suffered hostility from the nobility. Missionary work belonged to the lord, and if a missionary preached without the lord’s permission, the lord had the right to hang that missionary!”

From a record, Wu Ming clearly saw the boundary between gods and humans: “Render unto God the things that are God’s, and unto kings and nobles the things that belong to them!”

Although it was only a short line, the bloody and terrifying struggle between divine and royal power seemed to overflow from each letter.

“To understand the current situation thoroughly, one must first be well-versed in history…”

After gaining a basic understanding of the Windfire Plains, Wu Ming turned his attention to knights and other supernatural forces.

In a world so strictly restricted that even gods could not easily interfere, what kind of power would develop?

“Miracles…”

Wu Ming was naturally most interested in the power once displayed by the Church’s “Lord.”

“The Lord said, I come forth dividing mountains and rivers, and my representative shall receive the authority of power… Saint Gabriel is one I favor…”

“In the Year of the Plague, Saint Gabriel obeyed the divine command, bringing a thousand followers of the Lord to the edge of the Devil Sea Strait. He proclaimed—The Lord grants us the authority to walk upon the sea! The sea suddenly parted, responding to the call of the saint…”

Wu Ming read a record: “Parting the sea? Indeed a miracle… especially in a world like this…”

The era of Saint Gabriel was the most glorious time for the Church, but since then, their god had never again displayed any miracles, and even Gabriel gradually aged and died.

“Could it be that the costs outweighed the benefits, resulting in a devastating loss?”

Wu Ming maliciously speculated.

In a world as strict as this, to alter reality to such an extent would require an enormous amount of power, and even with faith as a supplement, it was probably still far from sufficient.

Gods also needed to manage their resources. Once the inflow of faith could no longer cover the outflow, the god would likely suffer severe injuries and fall into a deep sleep.

He strongly suspected this was also the reason the Church had declined until now, with the Lord giving no further divine revelations.

After finishing this brief religious history, Wu Ming opened another manuscript by a scholar, this one concerning the secrets of knights.

“Knight promotion was once considered a gift from the Lord, until other great nobles discovered the secret of holy oil, allowing them to complete the knight’s anointment independently…”

“In the knight’s anointment, holy oil, oaths, and rituals are all very important. The former determines the foundation, while the latter determines the degree of advancement…”

“In the Church, when a Glorious Knight dons the white robe, they must renounce all worldly matters and pledge loyalty to the Lord, dedicating their life to fighting for the deity!”

“The anointment rituals for knights of other great nobles are similar, except their oaths are directed towards their own lord…”

“Therefore, it can be inferred that oaths and rituals are merely superficial. What truly determines the degree and success of promotion is the knight’s own conviction! Passionate and unwavering faith contributes greatly to a knight’s breakthrough…”

This manuscript was clearly authored by a scholar with extensive knowledge of knights. Whoever wrote it offered quite reasonable analysis, prompting Wu Ming to nod in agreement repeatedly.

“Conviction! In fact… this is essentially a requirement for mental strength!”

He put down the manuscript and rubbed his eyes: “Physical attributes reaching racial limits, mental strength meeting requirements, and the holy oil acting like a key—these three are the essential elements to unlocking supernatural abilities!”

No scholar before had possessed Wu Ming’s insight, enabling him to view the issue from such a fundamental and elevated perspective.

“Except for the composition of the holy oil, the promotion of knights holds no secrets from me anymore…”

Wu Ming thought with slight regret: “After searching through the collections of several scholars, I could only find a few clues about the supernatural abilities of priests… but how could I ever truly believe in a certain god?”

A sixth-level master can invoke the power of the world itself, becoming like a god within their own world.

Even among more ignorant races, fifth or even fourth-level powers might be worshipped as gods.

But in Wu Ming’s eyes, even seventh-level Golden Immortals or eighth-level Great Luo beings would not be worthy of his worship and devotion.

“Besides priests, there are only vague stories about sorcerers and wizards…”

Wu Ming scratched his head.

Ever since he had read about the Church’s decline, he had had a premonition.

It seemed that from the moment the gods displayed miracles, this world, and even the universe, had begun strongly rejecting arcane magical forces.

After all, the structure of this universe was quite unique—not a collection of many worlds, but only this central world, or rather, this Sear world was the core of the entire universe!

“In that case, altering the very thread of this world might bring benefits beyond imagination!”

Wu Ming left the study, politely saying goodbye to the butler and asking him to send regards to Scholar Luen.

…

“No matter what, I must first obtain the seed of supernatural power… After all, there will be free knights participating in the martial contest…”

These free knights were individuals who had somehow acquired holy oil and, through sheer luck, survived the knight’s anointment, gaining knight-level strength.

They possessed power but lacked corresponding honor and rights, so they had to mingle among adventurers and mercenaries, waiting for their opportunity.

In the previous battle between Lord Lanshan and Viscount Garcia, many such knights had sided with Viscount Garcia, becoming the core force that crushed Lord Lanshan’s army.

Now, Lord Lanshan had also recognized their importance.

In contrast, there were also “noble knights,” individuals who had received knighthood titles and land but lacked actual knight-level strength.

Although Wu Ming was confident in his overall strength, and free knights were quite rare, with most having already pledged allegiance to Viscount Garcia and received their titles, there was no guarantee that a few might not emerge during this competition.

It was always necessary to prepare multiple contingencies.

“Respected Mr. William, I have arrived as quickly as possible upon receiving your message!”

In the inn, Wu Ming ordered two glasses of golden rum, looking at the man with triangular eyes before him.

He was the one who had previously attempted to steal from Wu Ming and had been punished for it. His nickname was Quark the Rat, and he was extremely familiar with the dark underbelly of Howling City.

Yet now, before Wu Ming, Quark humbly lowered his head: “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I need to go to the black market—the biggest one in Howling City!”

Wu Ming stared into Quark’s eyes.

“That’s simple. As long as you demonstrate sufficient financial capability in front of the evaluator, I would be more than willing to introduce you!”

Upon hearing this, Quark immediately relaxed.

Thinking back to William’s performance that day, he had already assumed the man was a free knight who had undergone the anointment ritual.

Such individuals were either younger sons from noble families with deep backgrounds or those who commanded powerful forces such as mercenary groups or guilds—none of them were easy to provoke.

If he could establish a connection, it might benefit his future prospects.

“May I ask, what exactly are you planning to purchase at the black market?”

Quark carefully inquired.

“Of course…”

Wu Ming’s voice was barely audible, yet it clearly reached Quark’s ears.

“Indeed…”

After hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Quark’s face: “Only the black market in Howling City might possibly have such a thing… However, sir, are you prepared with sufficient compensation?”

“That’s not your concern!”

Holy oil sufficient for completing the knight’s anointment was no small sum anywhere.

After all, it needed to be applied to the body over several consecutive days!

But Wu Ming’s requirements were different. He only needed a small spoonful. The rest would be for him to attempt to deduce the formula himself.

Of course, this was his secret, and he naturally wouldn’t tell Quark.

“In two days at midnight, there will be a black market transaction… I believe the item you seek will appear then. May I invite you at that time?”

Quark thought for a moment before replying.

“Two days from now, at midnight? I’ll remember that…”

Wu Ming waved his hand. Quark quickly downed the glass of golden rum in one gulp, not leaving a single drop, and then respectfully bowed before leaving, just before the waitress brought Wu Ming’s steak.

“Mr. William, here is your steak!”

The inn waitress placed Wu Ming’s dinner before him and threw him a flirtatious glance.

Such inn waitresses usually had second jobs, and with Wu Ming’s generous spending and decent appearance, he naturally became a highly sought-after target.

“Thank you!”

Wu Ming politely thanked her and gave a tip.

Yet a hint of sadness appeared on the waitress’s face as she turned to leave.

…

Two days later, stars and the moon filled the sky, casting a silver glow upon the earth.

Wu Ming, wearing a hooded cloak that concealed his face, arrived at the agreed location—a broken bridge.

“Sir, is that you?”

Moments later, Quark’s voice came from under the bridge.

“It’s me!”

Wu Ming twitched his ears slightly, quite satisfied with Quark’s discretion.

Actually, he was being somewhat paranoid. Although Quark had his own backing, he wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on a proper knight.