Chapter Twenty-Five: The Soul of Flame

When Lothar learned that the curse was the whisper of Yogg-Saron, he was plunged into despair. He no longer had the heart to investigate who could have cast such a malicious curse upon the Bass family. He was already considering how to settle his affairs, when Link suddenly offered him a glimmer of hope. Though the hope seemed remote and unrealistic, Lothar decided to try regardless—even if it failed, things could hardly be worse than they already were. But if it succeeded, not only he, but the entire Bass family might be freed from that terrifying curse.

So, Lothar immediately returned to the Grand Cathedral of Light, accompanied by Brand. This time, though still half in doubt, Lothar felt no resistance toward faith in the Father God; indeed, deep within, he harbored a strong, subconscious longing for divine aid.

After praying for a while, however, Lothar found that the Father God still gave him no sign. Disappointment welled up within him, tinged with shame and anger. As he was about to vent his frustration, he noticed Brand beside him, praying with a serene and devout expression. This moved Lothar unexpectedly, and Link’s words came unbidden to his mind: only by confessing one’s sins to the Father God could redemption be found.

"Sins... Do I have sins? How ridiculous. If I had none, could I have sat so steadily in the lord’s seat all these years? I would have lost my lands and title long ago..." After a moment of self-mockery, Lothar began his silent confession.

As he confessed, Lothar gradually opened his heart. A sincere desire for divine forgiveness arose in him—though in truth, this was mostly a desperate wish to be saved. For the first time in decades, he began to feel genuine faith. With the continuation of his confession, guilt surfaced within him, deepening his longing for forgiveness and redemption, and awakening a sense of awe toward the divine. At this point, the conditions for faith had at last gathered.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Link saw a change in Lothar: above his head, the words "Novice Believer" appeared, activating the effect of the Grand Cathedral of Light.

In just a few seconds, all traces of the curse, pain, and other ailments vanished from Lothar’s body. Feeling the dramatic transformation within himself, Lothar was utterly stunned. He hurriedly checked his condition, discovering he was healthier than ever—as if he had suddenly grown ten years younger.

Lothar looked up in bewilderment and saw Link smiling at him, as if he had foreseen all this. In that instant, Lothar seemed to understand. The shock on his face gave way to heartfelt gratitude; he pressed his hands together in devout prayer and bowed his head once more.

Seeing this, Link knew he had succeeded—Lothar had become his faithful follower. What surprised him, however, was that upon truly accepting the existence of the divine, Lothar’s faith deepened at an astonishing rate, and in a short time he was elevated to the rank of Senior Believer.

Except for those who had once witnessed miracles firsthand, few had ever advanced beyond the rank of Intermediate Believer. For someone who had never believed in the gods before, to become a Senior Believer in one leap was almost unheard of.

Yet, on reflection, it was not so strange. Precisely because he had never believed, Lothar, stubborn in his old ways, now offered a devotion even more sincere than that of ordinary believers. All the more so since the god in whom he placed his faith had truly lifted an irremovable curse from him.

When Link called the Bass father and son to the back room again, Lothar was already a changed man. The previous Lothar, though amiable, always carried an air of authority and sharpness in his gaze, like a sheathed sword that yet concealed hidden danger. Now, however, his presence was calm and gentle, his brow serene, like a kindly elder. Were it not for his unchanged appearance, one might not have recognized him as the same person.

Even Brand, his own son, was bewildered by Lothar’s transformation. He wondered if the curse had addled his father’s mind, for he had never seen Lothar like this.

Link, however, was not surprised. Such was the power of faith. Over the past month, he had seen countless people undergo radical changes because of their beliefs. With faith, a person could be transformed from the inside out. Whether in their own land, abroad, or in the world of Solacon or on Earth, those who found steadfast faith were legion—and many changed overnight.

Yet Link still underestimated Lothar’s resolve. After expressing his gratitude and praise for the Father God, Lothar declared his wish to remain in the Church of the Father as a monk—in other words, he wanted to renounce the world and take holy orders.

This was no small matter. The Kingdom of the Stars was a young nation with few nobles; for a lord of Lothar’s standing to abdicate would certainly alarm many powerful factions. And if Lothar joined the Church of the Father, the church would surely attract the attention of those same forces. At its fledgling stage, the Church of the Father would almost certainly face united suppression from the other churches of the Red Moon Province.

True, Lothar’s presence could guarantee the church's immediate survival, but further expansion would be arduous—something Link did not wish to see.

In this world of myriad faiths and hidden dangers, Link harbored no naive illusions that the support of a single lord would ensure smooth growth. History was littered with the blood of sects that had perished despite the patronage of high officials.

The tall tree in the forest is the first to be felled—right now, the Church of the Father could not afford to swallow such a large fish as Lothar.

Lothar understood this as well, but believed that with a true god’s protection, no other force could threaten the Church of the Father. His joining, he thought, would only enhance the church’s prestige and fuel its rapid growth. In his view, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Lothar’s reasoning was sound—if the divine truly existed, the church might well soar overnight. But the problem was, the so-called god did not exist; in that case, Lothar’s joining would bring more harm than good.

Of course, this could not be spoken aloud, lest the fragile edifice of faith come crashing down. So, after a moment’s thought, Link firmly declined Lothar’s request to take holy orders, giving as reason that the Father God was pleased with Lothar’s stewardship and did not wish him to leave his post lest it cause chaos in the Red Moon Province. Brand, for his part, played along, stating that he still had much to learn and could not yet shoulder his father’s responsibilities.

Link then added that the development of the Church of the Father was a test set by the deity; to use temporal power for rapid expansion would be to defeat the purpose. Therefore, Lothar must not take holy orders now.

After much persuasion, Lothar reluctantly withdrew his request. Link, however, left the matter open, saying that if Lothar remained steadfast after several years, he would not refuse him entry to the faith. Lothar was delighted—now that his health was restored, he could afford to wait a few years.

Although unable to join the church immediately, Lothar’s desire to contribute to its cause did not wane. He promptly donated one hundred thousand Solars and assured Link of his assistance whenever it might be needed, promising to do all within his power.

Such windfall generosity was not to be refused; Link accepted at once, and all parties left well satisfied.

But what most surprised Link was that after settling Lothar’s dilemma, the system notified him of yet another achievement reward.

"Soul of Flame? What could that be? The name doesn’t sound like an ancient Chinese martial art—maybe something from Western fantasy? Never mind, I’ll see tonight."

At the stroke of midnight, Link claimed his reward, discovering that the Soul of Flame was a thumb-sized crimson crystal. Its purpose was to enable its wielder to comprehend several basic fire spells—essentially, a beginner’s fire magic tome.

Unlike a traditional spellbook, the Soul of Flame allowed its owner to learn magic more easily, and with far greater proficiency than by other methods. For a mage, this was an unparalleled tool for entry into the arts.

Within the Soul of Flame were three basic fire spells: Fireball, Flame Armor, and Fire Rush. Fireball and Fire Rush were offensive spells—the former a standard incantation requiring a verbal chant, the latter an instantaneous cast with less power, higher mana cost, and a ten-second cooldown after each use.

Flame Armor was a passive defensive enchantment; once activated, the caster gained a beneficial status, such that any melee attacker would be burned in retaliation. However, Flame Armor continuously drained mana until deactivated or exhausted.

With the system’s assistance, Link mastered all three spells in just one minute, thus remedying his previous disadvantage of possessing mana but no battle magics.

Though he had yet to test them in combat, by his estimation, his overall strength now reached at least the peak of the second tier; he could even hold his own against a third-tier expert. In a small place like Qinke Town, he could practically stride out and declare, "I am invincible!"

As for the Soul of Flame, Link decided to give it to Elia. Like him, she had spent years meditating to accumulate mana, but for lack of a good teacher, she only knew two worthless spells: Light and Minor Healing. With the Soul of Flame, she need no longer worry about her limited power.

What? You say that affinities differ among the elements, and Elia might not master fire magic if her affinity is insufficient?

Sorry, that is no issue at all—the Soul of Flame’s greatest power was that it let the holder ignore elemental affinity. Whoever held it could learn, and learn well. "System-made, quality guaranteed" was no idle boast.

Early the next morning, Link handed the Soul of Flame to Elia, who was dumbfounded upon hearing of its effects. She had never even heard of such a wondrous artifact.

Yet when Link told her it was a gift from the Father God, Elia was reassured—who could judge a divine boon by mortal standards?

Overjoyed, Elia accepted the Soul of Flame and promised Link that she would master magic well and never let him down.