NOVPUBWhat Caius said was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples one after another.
The faces of every candidate in the hall showed different expressions. Some were surprised, some were silent, and some were thrilled.
After hearing this, Lanci was astounded.
When he first heard the words "Wilfordism", he involuntarily thought of his own crumbling firm.
However, as he listened more, he realized--
It seemed like the method used by the Sanctuary Evil at the Shadow World banquet to destroy the Goddess of Destruction.
Even without guessing, Lanci instantly understood who had named this ideology after his surname!
But what he hadn’t expected was that this ideology would one day be passed on to the Rebirth Church, used by them, and even used against him.
"..."
Grand Priest Caius stood there silently, his sharp gaze fixed on everyone, trying to catch a hint of hesitation or anomaly from their eyes.
Even if this extremely evil ideology didn’t need to be implemented, the mere act of speaking it out could cause potential enemies to waver, exposing their flaws.
Many candidates in the hall hadn’t heard of this so-called "Wilfordism", but they quickly understood the intent of the re-examination.
Most theories within people’s understanding of gods today argue that gods now exist conceptually.
They can’t interfere in the world directly, or perhaps require extremely stringent conditions to do so, and these conditions are related to the gods themselves and the beings they need to interfere with.
No one can determine the exact conditions.
But no matter what conditions need to be met, there is one precondition that must exist, and that is to have direct cause and effect with that god.
Therefore, in this world, having a cause and effect relationship with a god is a solemn or very dangerous thing.
You should never make random vows to every deity. Whether it’s a vow of blessing, prayer, confession, or an outright curse against a god, it’s not necessarily going to lead to consequences. However, the Rebirth Church is the organization most averse to the Goddess of Destiny’s divinity and invisible interference. It can even be said that the two organizations that believe in the Goddess of Destiny the most in this world are the Church of the Goddess of Destiny and the Rebirth Church.
The clergy of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny’s use of ’Wilfordism’ to identify Resurrection Believers is to force those suspected of being Resurrection Believers to make the most devout oath to the Goddess of Destiny.
They then use this to try and ruin the path for the Resurrection Believers. Anyone found showing hesitation, resistance or any other odd expressions would immediately be considered highly suspect and then thoroughly investigated.
The examination by the Nirvana branch now turns the tables by using ’Wilfordism.’ Letting the candidates actively destroy the statue of the Goddess of Destiny, they can also observe from subtle attitudes and final works who has suspicions of being a clergyman of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny!
After all, sincere disrespect and cursing of the gods will be conveyed to them as well.
Only members of the Rebirth Church would dare to openly oppose the Goddess of Destiny.
Or perhaps this is a statement of intent.
After completely falling out with the Goddess of Destiny, they could only seek the protection of the Rebirth Church.
In the hall, several well-known candidates showed high quality ’villain’ qualities, not caring about such things, and were even ready to get to work.
Caius’s primary concern, however, was a woman named Sikder, who had left many blank answers in the written test, giving her the strongest suspicion of being a spy for the Church of the Goddess of Destiny.
Her expression was indifferent, as if unaffected by anything around her.
Lanci, who seemed slightly surprised, was quite normal and did not draw much attention from Caius.
"Sorry, I quit. It’s not worth antagonizing the Goddess of Destiny."
An unknown candidate in the hall hesitated for a moment and eventually stood up.
But when he turned around, he found a heavy-armored priest standing motionless in front of the large metal door.
"It seems you are somewhat suspected of being a part of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny."
Caius said indifferently.
"No, that’s not it. I just really don’t want to go that far!"
He shouted, his eyes twitching.
Caius seemed to hear none of his defense.
Soon after, the heavy-armored priests arrested him, ignoring his protests and loud cries. They took him through a door on the inner side of the grand hall. His voice soon grew fainter until it disappeared altogether.
Immediately after, there was a brief deathly silence, and the heartbeats and breaths of several people quieted down.
They realized, this was a test without a way back, nor was there an option to withdraw halfway.
In the so-called ’Wilfordism’, there are only two possible outcomes: absolute innocence or absolute suspicion. There is no middle ground.
Every person present, whether they want to continue the examination or not, must prove their loyalty to the Rebirth Church.
In one corner of the hall, Lanci wore a complex expression.
His shadow was even more uneasy than he was.
The cat boss couldn’t help but curse this dastardly and malicious Grand Priest.
And this fearsome "Wilfordism", who the heck came up with it?!
"..."
However, it remembered that Lanci’s surname seemed to be Wilford as well, right?
Before long, the sound of unchaining broke the silence in the hall.
From the inner passage of the grand hall, several priests in dark gray armor came out pushing a cart laden with tools.
On the cart were various exquisite statues and craft tools.
It was the statue of the Goddess of Destiny, about twenty centimeters high, with details vividly depicted.
"This is your intended target of destruction. We will provide any tool that may be needed."
Caius glanced at the test materials in place and spoke coldly.
"The second test has only half an hour. Once you’ve finished, you can submit your work to me. After the test is over, I will announce the rules of the final examination."
After his words fell, once the heavy-armored priests had delivered the statue of the Goddess of Destiny and the necessary tools to each candidate, Caius signaled that the exam could begin.
Lanci held the statue of the Goddess of Destiny in his hand, his gaze steady, lost in thought.
Gradually, the echo of the heavier metal and stone cutting sounds filled the empty hall.
Some of them have chosen hammers, sharp knives, brushes, spells they’re familiar with, and even extra materials for remodeling and creation instead of destruction.
The candidates in the field each expressed their resentment and malice towards the Goddess of Destiny in their own way.
This is a test that can be both hard and easy at the same time.
If the position is firm enough and there are no issues, then this is something purely procedural.
But for the guilty, it is an impossible task.
In the now somewhat smoky iron-casting hall, Lanci seems out of place.
He wasn’t in a hurry to start, nor did he treat the statue in the imaginative and brutally wild way others did.
He just quietly picked up the carving knife. Every stroke was very steady, each one full of emotion and significance.
