In the gloomy, dark room, only a massive rectangular stone table stood.
The stone table looked extremely ancient, with signs of oxidation and wear everywhere, as if it had undergone countless years of weathering, to finally appear as it does today.
Three candles were neatly placed on the stone table, burning quietly and providing the room's only source of light.
Nine similarly ancient high-backed stone chairs were arranged around the stone table.
At this moment, four figures clad in cloaks and hoods, with the upper halves of their faces covered by shadows and only the lower halves visible, sat upright in different stone chairs.
"...I say, must we really meet in this place?"
"It's the year 267 of the New Calendar, can we stop with this cult vibe already? The number of followers joining the cult has been dwindling over the years, don't you ever look for the reason?"
One of them spoke helplessly.
While speaking, she directly flipped back the hood over her head, revealing a beautiful and mature face.
"...Qin, all matters related to the ritual are decided by headquarters, we do not have the authority to change them."
A gentle male voice came from beside her, and Qin pouted:
"Even a regular meeting counts as part of the ritual? Do I need regulations to dictate when I pee?"
The man next to her smiled and spoke in an unchanged tone, "Theoretically, there are."
"The Monarch of Thousand Red and Ten Thousand Glamorous is the origin of all plants. For us, the Blessed Ones, our body fluids have an effect on plants..."
He hadn't finished speaking when Qin interrupted him.
"Enough... how can you say such things with a straight face, huh? If this were outside, you'd probably be sued for sexual harassment."
Qin covered her face as if she couldn't stand it any longer.
The man's tone remained unchanged, gentle: "I didn't mean that, I was merely stating the facts."
Qin no longer paid him any heed but instead turned to look at someone seated across the table:
"Professor, where is your prized student? Why didn't you bring her today?"
The professor, with hair as long as vines, leaned forward slightly, the shadow on her face receding, revealing the ordinary face of a middle-aged woman.
"Her mortal relatives have come to Maple City." The professor spoke calmly.
The beautiful woman named Qin looked at her meaningfully and laughed:
"Seems like you really value that student, Professor... Alright, it's about time; the others probably won't come now. What's the issue you gathered us for, spit it out."
The professor nodded and said:
"Well, I am here to convey a message from headquarters."
Devotion appeared on her face.
"Seven days ago, in the Spirit Temple, the Monarch of Thousand Red and Ten Thousand Glamorous bestowed a 'flower' that bears an Oracle."
At these words, everyone present shuddered, their eyes widening.
Qin stood up from the table, her face filled with disbelief as she shouted:
"A Flower of Oracle!? Are you certain it's not one of those 'Divine Child Dream Mediums' that are bafflingly cryptic, but an actual, tangible 'flower'?"
No wonder she was shocked.
Within the circle of the Heretical God Cult, there are some accepted truths and common knowledge.
A god—whether dead or alive—is unable to directly intervene in the current world.
They transcend 'strings,' are indescribable beings, and their 'Rank' makes their form of existence beyond human comprehension.
If one must understand, they could be considered akin to 'high-dimensional beings.'"
Once, a researcher used a simple example to roughly illustrate why gods cannot directly intervene in the current world.
If a god is considered a person, then the current world, to them, is like a book. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The entities within the book cannot comprehend the 'person.'
And while a person can rip apart this book, they cannot do much to the entities within it—unless they are the author of the book.
Moreover, there is a prerequisite for tearing apart the book—you must first defeat the book's author.
So, if a Heretic God cannot intervene in the current world, why do the Blessed Ones, who possess the powers of a Heretic God, exist in the present world?
Because the author of the book died, and the copyright to the book became ownerless.
Thus, 'people' can scribble and start writing fanfiction on it.
But a good book, with a solid logical chain and worldview—writing fanfiction must also follow the basic laws; one cannot write nonsensically.
Therefore, a Heretic God cannot act at will in the current world, and can only exert influence in ways that 'fit the logical chain and worldview of this world.'
After the death of God, the current world and the Otherworld collided, causing an overlap of the two worlds, which revealed flaws in the once perfect logical chain and worldview. This made it much easier for the Heretic Gods to write their fanfiction, not strictly following the original framework but smearing it with their own characteristics.
This is why the appearance of the Blessed Ones and the use of Heretic God's power in the current world became possible.
However, the emergence of the Blessed Ones is just an 'indirect intervention' by the Heretic Gods in the current world. To this day, there has been no historical record of a Heretic God directly bestowing divine signs or Divine Objects.
Even the Oracles given to the followers are vague and cryptic; there has never been a straightforward dialogue.
But now, the Monarch of Thousand Red and Ten Thousand Glamorous actually bestowed a flower...
If this is true, then the flower itself is no longer important; the significance of this event is what's critical.
This means that, since the New Calendar, a Heretic God has shown a 'direct intervention' in the current world for the first time!
"So! What is written on the Oracle of the flower?"