"Forget it, there's no time to daydream." Wislin spread out the map brought by the Paladin. They had arrived at this Five Realms Fortress three days ago, and according to the map, the entire Pate Plain lay before him.

"How should I protect my soldiers?" Wislin tugged at the beard on his chin, troubled.

The guard outside gently knocked on the door, and after a clatter of armor, announced, "Bishop Kuboert has arrived."

"Let him in." Wislin circled an important pass on the map, then stood up straight, looking toward the door. 'What is Kuboert doing here at this time?' he couldn't help but wonder. 'First, he left without a word, and now a sudden visit. Could it be another report of those rumors among the soldiers?'

Kuboert, who had become a bishop, entered gracefully and quietly. 'He has never changed,' Wislin always thought whenever he saw him. 'He looked just like this three years ago.'

"Commander Wislin, my child." Kuboert's opening line never varied, though that 'my child' always made the Paladin feel a bit awkward. After the guard outside closed the door, Kuboert suddenly took a step forward, lowering his voice: "Wislin, you must not participate in that spring offensive!"

The Paladin was somewhat surprised and said to Kuboert, "I do not wish to waste troops at this time either, but to not participate at all, how is that possible? The temple's orders are very clear!"

"Don't mind those temple orders!" This statement coming from a high-level priest was particularly strange. Kuboert pulled a small notebook from his sleeve, its stained pages covered with many strange numbers and symbols.

"Wislin, listen closely to me, and think carefully about this issue." Kuboert said, "Do you pray to Pate, or to the Light God, or to justice and conscience?"

"Is there a difference?" Wislin still didn't understand what Kuboert wanted to say: "The Light God is Pate, who represents justice and conscience!"

"Oh, child, there is a difference." Kuboert replied, "Before I became a bishop, I asked the priests I managed about this question and made detailed records. They later became the significant forces in the entire temple. But what about now? Those priests who claimed to pray to justice and conscience have disappeared from the temple system, due to loss of mana or other unknown reasons. Those who prayed to the Light God became high-level priests."

"Wait, Mr. Kuboert, what exactly are you trying to say?" Wislin replied, "Couldn't this be a coincidence?"

Kuboert showed Wislin the numbers in the notebook and then said, "Three thousand eight hundred coincidences? No, I think that can only be the will of the gods. So, for some time, I have been paying attention to this matter." He leaned in close to Wislin and whispered, "After investigation, I only came up with one possibility. That is, Pate, the Light God and justice, and conscience are no longer one and the same."

Wislin stepped back with his mouth agape, his hand reflexively on his sword's hilt. This was certainly the most blasphemous words, especially coming from a bishop's mouth. As a Paladin, especially as a commander in the army, a member of the Inquisition, his position required him to draw his sword and arrest the priest before him.

But he had another identity, which was Kuboert's friend, and also a comrade in arms.

"Wislin, the Pate Temple is not what it used to be." Kuboert sighed slowly, "Though reluctant to admit, the fact is just that."

Wislin released his hand from the sword hilt, looking at the gloomy expression on Kuboert's face, an oppressive atmosphere enveloping the entire room. They once had the guidance of the Light God, but now, their future was unclear, with no direction in sight. The Paladin looked at the map on the table, where the grasslands, mountains, and rivers of the Pate Plain were vividly visible. His Five Realms Fortress was at the very bottom corner of the map, and the conditions further south were not within the map's scope.

But Wislin knew that behind him were the other four countries on the Anriel Continent: Yim, Haisas, Gunn's Hammer, and the Southern Lord. The Light God Pate should have been open-hearted, treating every country and individual equally, yet what was in Wislin's hands should not have been such a one-sided map.

If Lynch were here, what would he say? Wislin thought of his friend, and the answer came to mind immediately. Lynch would definitely inspect the map carefully, then with a disdainful smile, say, "I never stop the ignorant from committing suicide."

"What should we do?" Wislin asked, "You know, inside the fortress, there are many priests from the temple above. They will notice our intention to stop dispatching troops."

"There will be a way." Kuboert answered.

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