Section 60: The Power of Faith (Part 1)

"Faith and religion?" Grant frowned, repeating the question just posed, before his expression shifted with sudden realization. He chuckled dryly, "Are you suggesting that we, the Cominernites, should emulate the Church?"

"Not emulate the Church," Machiavelli corrected Grant, "but you share a similar devotion. You believe in Cominernism, and you hold an unwavering conviction that everything you are doing right now is right. If you compare yourselves to those who worship the Lord of Radiance, their difference lies in believing that a god can save them. The Church is merely an organization developed upon that foundation—why can't you do the same?"

"That is indeed possible. A month from now, we will officially establish the Cominernist Party. However, the system we implement will be neither the absolute autocracy of the Church nor the superficial democracy of Landia; we will practice democratic centralism." Grant’s eyes glowed with fervor as he explained, "That means broadly building a united front centered around Cominernism, allowing non-Cominernists to participate as well. In this way, I believe that as party-building reaches deep into the military and every corner of the grassroots, our organizational and operational capacities will increase dramatically. Of course, this will not happen overnight; we need to cultivate a large number of loyal Cominern fighters to contribute their strength, and they will become the backbone of the party."

"However, this only solves part of the problem. It still leaves other issues unaddressed. We are surrounded by enemies; aside from the Orcs, who are somewhat friendly, they possess no remarkable technology or magic, and their innate traits are things we cannot learn. Therefore, the faith you speak of will naturally be fully mobilized by us, but it is not a panacea and cannot solve every problem," Grant said sincerely, making no secret of the challenges currently facing the revolutionary army. As he just mentioned, even enhancing organizational and mobilizing power cannot bridge the technological gap. While the gap is not yet glaring, if things continue to develop this way, the distance between them and Landia will steadily widen.

"No, actually, I believe it can also solve your other problems," Machiavelli said with a shrewd smile.

"Oh?" Grant looked at Machiavelli in surprise. If the man insisted on this view, perhaps he truly possessed some profound insight unknown even to himself, a transmigrator. For a fleeting second, Grant almost suspected that the other man might be a transmigrator as well.

"Respected leader, have you ever studied the divine arts of the Church?" Machiavelli expounded fluently. "I have. Divine arts originate from the power of the gods, but to a large extent..."

Machiavelli paused deliberately, glanced at Grant’s expression to confirm he was listening attentively, and continued: "To a large extent, I believe that gods rely on faith—or to put it another way, we can compare a god to a windmill. You know that a windmill can generate power to grind flour, and the wind represents the power of faith. The windmill relies on the wind’s energy to produce its own power, which in turn can grind flour."

As Machiavelli spoke, Grant’s expression grew progressively serious and solemn. Although the words of the Machiavelli before him sounded somewhat disjointed and the metaphor was not entirely apt, Grant grasped his underlying meaning. His implications were nothing short of earth-shattering within this world. If spread abroad, even if he were not a transmigrator, he would undoubtedly be branded a blasphemer by the Church, cast into the flames, or sent to a laboratory to be preserved as a specimen.

His words vaguely suggested that because mortals worship gods, that worship serves as a massive source of power. The gods possess a method to convert this faith into divine power, and the Church and other divine followers construct the foundation of their might upon this converted power, thereby securing their status as rulers. If one were to follow this line of reasoning further, whether gods or the Church, they are essentially the ultimate exploiters parasitic upon the faithful. Believers not only offer up their material wealth, but even their thoughts and beliefs become the cornerstone of this construct. Furthermore, if the heavenly divine kingdom proclaimed by the Church truly exists, and those of exceptionally steadfast faith can enter it after death, it would mean that even their souls in the afterlife continue to serve the heavenly kingdom.

Perhaps to devout believers, this was an immense glory, but in the eyes of the two men conversing here, it was nothing short of tragic and bitterly ironic.

Yet, clearly, the two were not here today to discuss the Lord of Radiance and the Church. Grant mused, "Are you saying you have a way to accomplish this?"

He almost wanted to ask outright if the other man was also a transmigrator, but he managed to restrain himself in the end. This world was far too dangerous; it was always wise to tread carefully.

Machiavelli rubbed his hands together and said, "Yes, I have a grand vision. If a god's power derives from faith, then why can't we harness this power ourselves? Just as you believe in Cominernism—if everyone holds an unshakeable faith in it, then how immense that power would be! If it can be converted, we can achieve everything that mages accomplish through magic!"

Grant’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Go on."

"Since childhood, I have been someone who loves to ponder things on my own. I have studied magic, and I have worshipped deities," Machiavelli spoke falsehoods without blinking an eye. "I also traveled to the Far East, where I learned certain Daoist arts. Ultimately, I conceived a grand idea: how to convert faith into power just as the deities do. When I heard that the revolutionary army had captured Gaul City and was attempting to build a Cominernist world, I realized I had found my goal. There is nothing more suited to my dream than you. I know a little about your faith; it is entirely different from that of the Church. Your foundation is belief in yourselves—belief that you will create the most beautiful world yourselves, rather than tying your faith to a deity. Only thus is it possible to realize my grand vision. Because to fulfill my dream, two necessary conditions must be met: first, the object of worship must not possess a will of its own, because once it has its own will, the power of faith will be controlled by it; and second, the faith must be steadfast and growing ever larger. Therefore, the totem worship of certain tribes is also unsuitable. Although some of their objects of worship are inanimate things lacking a will, fulfilling the first condition, this often limits their development. A totem object shared by only a few hundred, or at most a thousand people, possessing no expansiveness, is useless for my dream."

A fanatical gleam appeared in Machiavelli's eyes. "Only you are the most suitable, the absolute best fit for my dream."