Clara’s plan was clear.

The Holy Maiden needed to see Lootwell.

She needed to see the miracle structure with her own senses.

And Clara believed the best tool was the Echo Crucible.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly as he read.

The Echo Crucible was originally designed for training.

But Clara had noticed something.

The Silent Monastery kept statues of the ones they worshipped.

And Clara recognized several forms from Echo Crucible records.

The Primordial Incarnations. The friendly ones.

Clara’s request was bold.

[My lord, is it possible to change some of those stages?]

Lucien kept reading.

[Into records that show why those Primordial Incarnations fought, why they left, and what duty they entrusted to the living.]

Lucien became still.

Then he understood.

Clara did not want to defeat the Monastery’s faith.

She wanted to walk through its foundation and open a door behind it.

The Monastery remembered them as saviors.

Clara wanted to show them the next line.

If the Guardians saved the world, what did they save it for?

If they left, why did they leave?

If their bells carried grief, what should grief become after survival?

Lucien’s gaze sharpened.

This was not a small request.

This was theological warfare performed with historical evidence and simulation architecture.

Clara truly was terrifying.

Lucien stood.

Then immediately called Eirene.

...

Eirene arrived quickly.

"What happened?"

"Clara wants to convert a combat facility into a sermon hall."

Eirene paused.

Lucien showed her Clara’s descriptions of the statues, titles, bell rites, and Monastery records.

Eirene read everything silently.

Her expression changed when she reached the descriptions of the Primordial Incarnations.

For a moment, the room became heavy.

Lucien did not interrupt.

Eirene had once been the Eternal of Stillness.

She had lived through ages Lucien had only seen in fragments.

She knew more about the Primordials who had sided with humanity than almost anyone in Lootwell.

Finally, she closed her eyes.

"I remember them."

Lucien’s expression turned serious.

"Can you record what you know?"

Eirene nodded.

"Yes."

They went to the Origin Core Shrine to record her memory.

Eirene’s voice was quiet.

"These are not full records. Only what I witnessed, heard, or preserved."

"That is enough. The Origin Core will do the rest and fill the records with truth." Lucien said.

Then together, they modified the Echo Crucible.

This new chamber was something Lucien and Eirene had taken time to modify together.

They had discussed how best to bring out the records and preserve their meaning.

In the end, they did not simply turn the Echo Crucible into a sermon hall.

They made it more than that.

The Echo Crucible accepted the new function and opened a new category.

[Remembrance Trial: Silent Guardians.]

...

Once the chamber was complete, Lucien continued reading Clara’s message.

The next part made him stop.

[My lord, if I am successful, I may be able to redirect part of their faith to you.]

Lucien froze.

For several breaths, he said nothing.

Then he slowly sent a reply.

[How would you do that?]

Clara’s answer came after a short delay.

[It is the same principle already used in Lootwell.]

Lucien stared.

Another line appeared.

[Your statues have been removed, so the people do not worship your face.]

Then another.

[They worship the source of the miracles.]

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Clara continued.

[If a miracle has a source, gratitude will eventually find that source through the path that answered it.]

Lucien did not move.

’So that was how she had been doing it.’

The chapels had no statues of him.

People did not kneel before his image.

They thanked the unseen grace that returned tomorrow to those who should have lost it.

Clara had not lied to them.

She had redirected meaning.

Faith did not only follow a name.

It followed the source of the answer.

And the source of the Grace System, the Quiet Blessings, the chapel miracles, and the lesser systems was Lucien.

Lucien sat in silence.

Then muttered, "She turned theology into routing."

Another message arrived.

[But the South is more difficult.]

Lucien looked down.

[The Monastery has solid faith. Even with my system, I do not know if I will succeed.]

Lucien slowly smiled.

So that was why Clara needed the Echo Crucible changed.

She was not trying to pull faith away from the Silent Guardians by force.

She was separating remembrance from answer.

The bells remembered the old saviors.

The Grace would answer the present continuation.

If the Holy Maiden accepted that distinction, then the Monastery could keep its faith without rejecting Lootwell.

And if the people of the South began to believe that the Grace of Continuation answered what the bells carried...

Then the active faith born from present miracles would flow toward Lucien.

Lucien leaned back.

"In terms of faith, I really cannot compare to her."

That was not self-deprecation.

It was fact.

Lucien built systems.

Clara built belief.

And belief, handled well, could move continents without drawing a sword.

•••

When Lucien and Eirene fully finished testing the Remembrance Trial, Lucien sent the confirmation.

[The chamber is ready.]

Clara answered almost immediately.

[Thank you, my lord.]

Lucien then gave Eirene the Void Disc.

"Sister Eirene, please bring them back."

Eirene accepted it.

"Clara, the guest, and the ancient beasts?"

"Yes."

Soon, Eirene vanished.

•••

It did not take long for them to arrive.

Lucien finally saw the guest.

The Holy Maiden of the Ninth Bell.

Lucien’s gaze fell on her.

Then he stopped.

He knew her.

A woman in pale monastery robes stood beside Clara. Her posture was calm, her hands folded before her sleeves. A blindfold covered her eyes.

She was... the blindfolded head nun from the Stillness Ruin expedition.

Back then, she had been quiet, composed, and difficult to read.

Lucien had been in Wolf Form then.

Yet the moment her covered gaze turned toward him, he knew she recognized him.

Something in her perception moved differently.

She saw through the blindfold in another way.

The Holy Maiden bowed slightly.

"Lord Luc."

Lucien returned the greeting.

"Holy Maiden."

Clara looked between them.

Then blinked.

"My Lord, you know each other?"

Lucien said, "We met during the Stillness Ruin expedition."

The Holy Maiden nodded.

Her lips curved faintly.

Her realm had grown stronger since then, though she was still only at the Celestial Realm.

When she looked at Lucien, shock passed through her expression.

Only briefly.

The Lucien she had met before and the Lucien standing before her now were not the same.

Back then, he had been dangerous.

Now, he felt like a dawn hidden beneath human skin.

She lowered her head again.

"The Monastery has heard much about Lootwell."

Lucien answered calmly, "I hope not all of it was exaggerated."

Clara smiled.

"Some of it was understated."

The Holy Maiden just gave a faint smile.

...

Clara did not waste time.

"My lord, with your permission, I will bring the Holy Maiden to the Echo Crucible."

Lucien nodded.

"It is ready."

The Holy Maiden tilted her head slightly.

"Lady Clara said this place contains echoes of the past."

"It contains fragments," Lucien said. "Not perfect truth. But enough preserved records to show what was lost, what was fought, and what choices were made."

The Holy Maiden became silent.

Then she said, "The South remembers through bells."

Clara’s voice softened.

"Then today, let the bells listen to echoes."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then the Holy Maiden nodded.

"I will see what Lootwell wishes to show."

Clara stepped beside her.

"Not what we wish to impose. What we wish to share."

The Holy Maiden turned slightly toward Clara.

That single movement carried more meaning than many speeches.

Trust had not fully formed yet.

But the door was open.

Clara took her hand.

Then dragged her away with the confidence of someone escorting a friend to enlightenment.

Lucien watched them go.

Soon, Clara and the Holy Maiden entered the Echo Crucible.

•••

Lucien did not follow.

He stood outside the corridor for several breaths.

Then he exhaled slowly.

Everything now rested on Clara.

He needed the faith of all five continents to accelerate the Tree of Creation. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He needed more fruits.

And he could not delay much longer.

Not with suspicious Origin Core fragment holders spread across continents.

Lucien’s Law of Living Creation stirred faintly around him.

His creations could grow, adapt, and continue.

Now he needed faith to do the same.

Inside the Echo Crucible, the Remembrance Trial activated.