To use the Magitech Belt, one must pledge faith to the God of Machinery—a requirement that left Privet VIII somewhat troubled.
After stroking his small mustache and pondering for a few seconds, he turned his gaze to the elemental grenade and asked, "Does using the elemental grenade require faith in the God of Machinery?"
In truth, he had already tested the elemental grenade once.
Witnessing its devastating power was the reason he agreed to summon the Mechanical Bishop in the first place. His question was merely a way to confirm his understanding.
Shaking his head, Karien replied, “Elemental grenades are classified as first-tier magitech devices. Like basic-level magic, they don’t require a faith contract.
“However, the Magitech Belt is a third-tier magitech device. Similar to intermediate-level magic, it requires the user to enter into a faith contract.”
Privet VIII drummed his fingers lightly on the wooden desk. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he pursued another line of questioning. “If the Magitech Belt is a third-tier magitech device, there must be higher-tier ones, right?”
Karien nodded. “Indeed, Your Majesty. However, my current authority only permits me to provide up to third-tier devices. For anything beyond that, I would need to seek guidance from the God of Machinery.”
“So, they do exist?”
“Of course. But obtaining high-tier magitech devices comes with exceptionally stringent conditions. Even as a bishop, it is rare for me to receive such blessings from the God of Machinery.”
Having grasped the general situation, Privet VIII once again shifted his focus to the Magitech Belt.
After listening to Karien’s explanation, he found himself tempted. Yet, whether the device truly performed as promised remained to be seen. Testing was necessary.
He had already tested the elemental grenade, but the Magitech Belt posed a unique challenge.
As a staunch member of the Black Church’s conservative faction, Privet VIII could not abandon his existing faith so easily and pledge allegiance to the God of Machinery.
Moreover, as a high-tier magus himself, magitech devices offered him limited personal utility.
After careful consideration, he asked, “If I find a soldier to test it, how would they become a follower of the Church of Machinery?
What is required to enter into a faith contract, and how long would the process take?”
He asked several questions in rapid succession.
Karien thought for a moment before responding, “It’s not difficult for someone to become a follower of the Church of Machinery.
Simply summon the soldier, and I will conduct the induction. Once they swear an oath of faith to our lord, they will be eligible to sign the contract.
“The entire process takes less than an hour.”
This was far simpler than Privet VIII had expected.
He frowned and asked, “What if the soldier is merely following orders, without genuine faith, and secretly maintains allegiance to another deity? Would the contract still be valid?”
To the king’s surprise, the Mechanical Bishop nodded again. “The contract remains effective. No one is devout from the start.
The God of Machinery allows believers time to grow into their faith.
“Over time, a soldier who begins with mere obedience will come to understand the greatness of our God and may change their heart.
If the God determines that the believer is truly beyond redemption, only then will the contract be terminated.”
Hearing this, Privet VIII’s frown finally eased. He instructed the chamberlain to summon a soldier with an unclear faith.
About half an hour later, a young soldier was brought before him.
Karien’s induction process was straightforward.
He briefly explained the tenets of the Church of Machinery, handed the soldier a booklet and a small device, and said, “This manual provides detailed information about our Church.
The box is a sacred artifact of the Church. Press this button to pray to the God of Machinery, and press this other button to send your prayers directly to Him.”
Karien demonstrated as he spoke.
The manual was something he had compiled over the past two months. After all, if a church was to be established, it needed to appear complete.
“Do you understand?” Karien asked.
The young soldier nodded. Following orders was all that mattered to him.
“Then proceed with the oath.”
Karien placed his palm against his brow, signaling the soldier to mimic him.
“I swear to become a follower of the God of Machinery, to heed His guidance, to advance the progress of machinery, liberate labor, enhance productivity, and strive for equality for all!”
The oath was brief. The soldier recited most of it smoothly, but he hesitated at the last line, stealing a glance at the king.
Sitting behind his desk, Privet VIII’s expression remained unchanged. He said, “Continue.”
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The notion of equality for all was common among many religions; it wasn’t enough to provoke his ire.
After a moment’s hesitation, the soldier completed the oath, officially becoming a follower of the God of Machinery.
The next step was the signing of the faith contract.
Karien took out a long needle and lightly pricked the soldier’s abdomen, leaving a small black mark.
This mark was integral. When the soldier donned the Magitech Belt, its marked area would align with the soldier’s mark.
This allowed Karien to remotely activate the belt’s core switch via micro-transmission.
Once the belt was removed, Karien would deactivate its core remotely, rendering it unusable for anyone else.
Currently, the process was cumbersome, and Karien acknowledged that managing numerous marked individuals would be difficult.
However, he had already devised an alternative approach for future mass production of the belts.
After the marking, Karien added a few ceremonial flourishes to complete the contract.
“That counts as a contract?” The king was incredulous.
Karien nodded. “Since this soldier is not a magus, the standard contracting methods aren’t viable. This is a specialized procedure.”
The Mechanical Bishop’s confidence was unshakeable, though it was clear to Privet VIII that this church operated in peculiar ways.
Still, he couldn’t deny its uniqueness. If the Church of Machinery enabled ordinary individuals to wield magic, their peculiarities could be overlooked.
Once everything was prepared, the king instructed the soldier to don the Magitech Belt and insert its attachments.
To Privet VIII’s astonishment, the belt allowed a soldier with no magical ability to continuously cast various spells.
Moreover, its six sockets enabled simultaneous use of multiple spells, enhancing the soldier’s combat capabilities across the board.
A well-trained soldier equipped with this belt could rival a standard third-tier magus in strength.
If he could equip a thousand soldiers with these belts, Privet VIII would effectively command a battalion of third-tier magi.
The thought ignited a fire of excitement within him.
“Excellent! I’ll have the Gallon Research Institute collaborate with your Church of Machinery!”
Privet VIII declared, his voice booming. “Don’t let me down. Start mass-producing more elemental grenades and Magitech Belts immediately!”
After receiving the king's permission, Karien was personally escorted by Privet VIII from the Starry Night Palace.
They passed several monuments, traversed a wide plaza, and walked by the Royal Capital University before finally arriving at the Garon Institute.
This institute, where Karien had worked for over three years, still felt deeply familiar to him.
Established 25 years ago, the Garon Institute laid a solid foundation for the growth of the Orthodoxy.
Over two decades ago, the Dark Church was rife with corrupt black magic, with many high-level magical rituals requiring sacrifices to succeed.
Once the Orthodoxy took power, they discarded corrupt black magic and utilized the inclusive nature of dark elements, combining them with other elements to develop new forms of magic.
Today, more than half of the low-level magic in Durant Kingdom originates from the researchers at the Garon Institute. Even a significant number of mid- and high-level spells were conceived here.
However, mid- and high-level magic, involving contracts and rituals, were not easy to realize. Some had remained experimental for over two decades.
During his tenure at the Garon Institute, Karien had mainly assisted his mentor, Owen, with the research and testing of low-level magic. Later, when Owen was reassigned to high-level magic research, Karien, unable to even qualify as an apprentice mage, had to leave the institute.
Today, however, Karien's visit to the Garon Institute wasn’t to seek out his former mentor but rather to approach the Instrumentation and Inscription Departments.
The Garon Institute had several departments, with the four main ones being the Theoretical Department, the Inscription Department, the Instrumentation Department, and the Formation Department.
As Privet VIII led Karien into the institute, a distinguished man with deep-set eyes, a hooked nose, and round glasses hurried toward them. His steps were brisk, but upon seeing Privet VIII, he quickened his pace further.
Karien froze for a moment upon recognizing the man and instinctively touched his throat.
The approaching figure was none other than his former mentor, Owen.
Anticipating encounters with familiar faces, Karien had earlier affixed a small wind-element rune plate to his throat—a device that acted like a voice modulator, lowering his voice to avoid recognition, especially from Owen.
Although Karien greatly respected his former mentor, he couldn’t risk revealing his identity under the current circumstances, as it would make it far too easy for Privet VIII to uncover his background.
However, Owen was not here for Karien but for Privet VIII.
“Your Majesty, there’s something urgent I must report!”
Privet VIII raised an eyebrow, surprised to see the usually composed Owen in such a flustered state. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
Owen glanced at Karien, who was cloaked in black robes and wearing a mask. Karien immediately understood and turned to Privet VIII.
“Your Majesty, I’ll step aside for a moment,” Karien said before discreetly distancing himself.
Once Karien was out of earshot, Privet VIII addressed Owen again. “Professor, what has you so worked up? Did your wife catch you fooling around in your office?”
Accustomed to the king’s peculiar sense of humor, Owen ignored the jest and got straight to the point. “Your Majesty, since this morning, many contract and ritual magics associated with the Dark God have ceased to function!”
“Ceased to function?” Privet VIII asked, perplexed. “What do you mean?”
Raising his hand, Owen began chanting a spell. Privet VIII recognized it as the mid-level spell “Chaos Ward”, which was used for personal protection.
At first, Privet VIII wondered what Owen was attempting, but after some time, he noticed something was off.
Given Owen’s strong magical prowess and precise incantation, the spell should have been completed long ago. Yet, there was no effect.
“Exactly, Your Majesty. We’ve discovered that numerous magics tied to faith contracts with the Dark God are failing—there’s no response at all!”
Privet VIII’s face turned pale. As a sixth-tier mage, he hurriedly began chanting a spell of his own, trying to cast magic.
No matter how hard he tried, however, nothing happened.
“How is this possible?!” Privet VIII exclaimed, clutching Owen’s arm in alarm. “Owen, what’s going on?”
Gripping the king’s wrist, Owen replied gravely, “Our tests show that Nightmare-element magic still works, but Chaos and Necromancy magic have completely failed.
“This suggests either the Dark God has lost their authority over Chaos and Necromancy, or… something has severed our connection to these domains.”
The Dark God held three domains of authority: Chaos, Necromancy, and Nightmare. Much of the Garon Institute’s magical innovation relied on the versatility of Chaos to create new spells.
Privet VIII, wide-eyed and stunned, murmured, “If I recall, the current Pope ascended to Holy Mage status through the Chaos path, using a sacred relic to become the Dark God’s saint and gaining partial Chaos authority.
“Our Chaos contracts with the Dark God were largely mediated through the Pope. If those contracts are failing… could it mean the Pope has fallen?”
The Corrupt Faction had seized the Dark Sanctuary two nights prior, using a powerful domain to isolate it completely. What was happening within the sanctuary remained unknown.
Privet VIII had firmly believed the Pope would prevail against the Corrupt Faction, but now, with the Chaos contracts failing, it was evident something had gone terribly wrong.
“And the Necromancy domain…” Owen added, his voice trembling. “If my guess is correct, the leader of the Corrupt Faction likely ascended through the Necromancy path and acquired part of its authority.
“In their battle with the Pope, they must have also seized the Chaos authority. Now, both domains are under the Corrupt Faction’s control, severing our connection to the Dark God and rendering our magic useless.”
Privet VIII’s eyes widened in horror.
If this was true, the Orthodoxy was effectively crippled.
Most of its mages relied on Chaos-based contracts. With those contracts invalidated, unless they had also established elemental contracts, they would be reduced to low-tier mages.
Such was the absolute dominance of those who wielded divine authority.