Chapter 18: The Question of Faith

At present, there are dozens, even hundreds, of religions on Mu Continent. Almost every region has its own faith spreading its doctrine. However, in the central region, three religions essentially form the core. The farther one gets from the center, the influence of those three faiths becomes weaker.

In the Nosbaro Kingdom, for example, belief is not completely unified. Roughly a dozen religions coexist. Even so, there are still “mainstream” faiths. The current mainstreams are the Tenra Church and the Main God Church. These two organizations are also counted among the three most influential churches on Mu Continent. Their doctrines are comparatively complete, and each has compiled its own internal canon.

The larger the church, the more thorough the canon it writes, broadly covering many matters. They dictate everything from the direction of worship to the everyday life of believers. Although Farra did not care much for such things, he could not deny that they were an effective means of regulation. They are, one might say, a necessary step in the spread of civilization… probably.

Naturally, Farra would not allow missionaries of other faiths to preach inside his domain. Because the territory was remote, the locals living here basically had no beliefs. Cagary City in the distance truly belonged to the churches. But Farra’s lands lay far from Cagary City and were branded a “barbaric land” by the churches, so missionaries seldom came to spread the faith.

Perfect. A place that has nothing and is far-flung is even better suited for planting new seeds. He sent Freya to study at the Tenra Church’s school for exactly that reason. In the Tenra Church’s canon he despised the parts dealing with theology. However, he valued the portions that resembled an embryonic legal code for daily life. Trying to hammer out a reasonably complete legal code from scratch was a bit beyond Farra’s abilities. Borrowing the best parts of many sources was a shortcut. But now that the Resource points had been spent, he could not wait for Freya to graduate. Farra had to re-establish the faith of his territory right now.

By standardizing belief and founding a religion, he would further lay the groundwork for future rule. At the same time he intended to address the impact of the so-called “miracle,” steer that impact in a positive direction, and exploit it to the fullest.

On the very day he used the Resource points, Farra summoned every subordinate in the domain to his council hall and announced the matter.

“Tomorrow morning at sunrise we will slaughter a chicken, a sheep, and a goat beside the fields and the river, offer them to Heaven, and worship the Goddess of Plenty, Demeter. Everyone must be present for the ceremony, and from tomorrow on everyone must believe in the Goddess of Plenty.”

“Does anyone have an objection?”

The people seated around the table looked at one another. No evangelists had ever come to preach to them, yet they had heard of the larger churches so famous that even the royal capital shows them respect. For instance, the Tenra Church, the Main God Church, or the Amislan Church.

But what is the Goddess of Plenty…?

Mas cautiously spoke up, “Lord, I have no objection… only, who exactly is the Goddess of Plenty?”

Farra chuckled softly at the question and said, “All you need to know is that the Goddess of Plenty, Demeter, rules over farming and harvests. As long as you believe in her and are devout enough, you will never go hungry for lack of grain again.”

Farra did not mention anything overly complicated. They would not understand anyway. The few people present did not understand, and the slaves below knew even less. Therefore tomorrow’s rite only needs to look solemn enough and overwhelming enough that the ignorant feel awe, and then be summed up in one clear sentence everyone can grasp.

The core idea boils down to two or three points.

First, fill your stomach.

Second, be loyal to the Divine Envoy… also called the Pope or the Pontiff.

Third, cherish food.

That is all. The simpler it is, the easier it is to remember. As for complicated matters, they can be added bit by bit once development takes off.

After all, Farra was different from the people of this world; he carried knowledge from another world in his head. When the new church’s doctrine and canon were written, he could insert the ideas that other world used to stabilize rule. As for the mythological stories atop the canon, he would simply delete them. The underlying moral, legal, and ideological frameworks would remain intact to regulate behavior and secure control.

… But without the myths, how would people be convinced?

What a joke. “This fertile field before your eyes is the miracle the Goddess of Plenty bestowed through her Divine Envoy, isn’t it?”

After that it would be only natural for the canon of the Church of the Goddess of Plenty to become the basic code of the territory, with Farra… the church’s founder and Pope… holding the highest authority and achieving a union of church and state.

Perfect. With both divine and royal power in his hands, the stability of his rule would no longer be an issue.

While Farra was pondering, his words left everyone present stunned. Mas immediately asked, “Is that true?!”

Realizing that his question sounded irreverent, he lowered his voice and asked again, “Forgive me, Lord, I was simply too excited… can the Goddess of Plenty truly keep us from starving?”

“Of course it is true. As long as you are devout enough, I can petition the Goddess for her blessing, and our wheat and barley will yield bumper crops year after year… even two or three harvests a year are possible!”

Farra spoke with absolute conviction. His words fired up Mas and the others at once.

“By the Goddess of Plenty, I will pray at home every day! Lord, what ritual must we follow when we pray?”

Mas was already fanatical. He believed. He needed no further explanation at all.

“…After tomorrow’s rite, I will know.”

Farra tapped the table lightly and said in a deep voice, “Tomorrow everyone must kneel and pray with utmost devotion. Once I become the Divine Envoy and establish the Goddess’s church on earth, the Goddess will surely show us mercy. Even in this remote, savage place, with her power we will never go hungry again. Now go and spread this news to everyone.”

“Then slaughter one cow, one sheep, one chicken, and one pig to be used in tomorrow’s sacrifice! Did you hear me?”

“Yes!!!”

After receiving Farra’s orders, Mas and the others left, thrilled. Looking at the now-empty, shabby council room, Farra sighed and rubbed his forehead. How on earth should tomorrow’s so-called ceremony be conducted… And there is still the sacrificial speech. Ah, the words hardly matter; the people below will not understand anyway.