"The Western Order?"
Liu Yianfei's brow furrowed the moment he heard the name. He drummed his fingers lightly against the table in a steady rhythm as he thought it over.
"...They really are a problem."
"Right?"
"What does that mean?"
Wu Jia, the Divine Doctor, tilted his head in puzzlement, and Liu Yianfei could understand why. His old friend had only recently returned to this world after vanishing. Ever since, he had been busy treating patients at the clinic in place of Lady Bai, who had gone off to the Myriad Demon World yet again.
So it was no wonder he did not know.
"Hmm... to put it simply, they're a kind of magic user."
"Magic users..."
"After the demonic beasts started showing up all over the world, the magic users who'd been in hiding for ages had no choice but to reveal themselves. The Western Order is one of them."
"We only just found out how much manpower they'd been keeping hidden. Before this, they were like our cultivators, a small minority who'd have caused trouble if they exposed themselves. But because of the demonic beasts, they can do everything out in the open now, just like us."
Marshal Zhang Xianyuan added to the explanation. He, too, looked rather worn down by it all.
"So where's the problem?"
Wu Jia still did not understand.
"Well, about that..."
.
.
.
"The priests!"
"The priests have landed, so hurry up and get ready to receive them!"
The Eastern Airport was now teeming with people who had come from every direction. What they all had in common was a silver six-pointed star pin on their chests. And not one of them had come to the airport to catch a flight.
They had come to meet a group of arrivals instead.
The security officers the military had sent in as a special measure were doing their best to push the crowd at the arrival gate back a little, though inwardly every one of them was grumbling about the other side choosing to arrive so suddenly, and on a regular passenger flight at that.
On top of that, they had refused to hush up the rumors, so the whole place had ended up in the mess everyone could see.
"The priests are out!"
A few seconds later, the automatic doors slid open and a group of people walked out. They wore white robes with a golden six-pointed star on the back, and every face wore a smile as they waved to the faithful gathered on both sides.
Snap!
With a single snap of the fingers from the man leading the way, a spark of golden light shot up into the air. It burst apart into tiny motes of golden dust that lit up the entire area.
"Ah..."
At the sight of the miracle unfolding before them, the faithful hurried to drop to their knees in rapture. From a distance, the glowing dust looked like a blessing sent down to them by God, and some even had tears streaming down their faces when the golden specks drifting toward them touched their skin.
"...What the heck is that?"
Several dozen meters away, two men were quietly watching the scene. Wu Jia was left speechless, while Liu Yianfei could only laugh dryly before continuing.
"The Stellar Faith, better known as the Western Order, is one of the most widely followed religions in the world... Even though most people here follow Eastern teachings and Taoism, quite a few still believe in it as well."
"Hmm... judging by today's turnout, there really are quite a few."
Wu Jia swept his gaze over the crowd, then turned to meet Liu Yianfei's eyes.
"You can do that sparkly light thing too, can't you?"
"..."
"Ever think about starting your own religion... You'd probably get plenty of followers too, you know?"
The General ignored the teasing from his old friend, who had turned away and was chuckling to himself. Instead, he looked down at Marshal Zhang Xianyuan, who was walking forward together with several political figures.
"Welcome, all you priests of the Stellar Faith... Please forgive us. With such short notice, we couldn't welcome you properly."
The reply came from a young man with long golden hair that fell to the middle of his back. With his fair skin and handsome features, he would surely be just as popular as any teen star.
"By the will of the stars... think nothing of it. The peace of the world isn't something we can afford to wait on, is it?"
Liu Yianfei could practically see sparks flying between the Marshal and the lead priest. He managed only a wry smile before turning back to his friend.
"It looks like the ones who came are what they call 'Stellar Knights.' They're priests who can use magic, and their job is to travel around dealing with the demonic beasts that have been showing up in the West."
"...So they're hugely popular, then?"
"Yes... that's exactly why the number of believers and followers of this faith in the West has risen to record highs. Recently there's even been news that several of the countries they've helped have started backing them."
"Hmm... they really are a handful."
"I told you so..."
The two men kept talking while they waited for the delegation below to leave the airport. Several large black limousines had been brought in specifically to receive the honored guests.
"Lord Dante, please."
Zhang Xianyuan gestured toward the first car, and the man called Dante, who appeared to be the head of the Stellar Knights, climbed in together with three attendants. Then Zhang himself got into the same car and waved a hand to signal departure.
"Hey... the power level of those people...?"
"So you sensed it too..."
Resting his chin on the railing, Wu Jia watched the motorcade pull out of the airport with people lining both sides of the road to see it off, then glanced over and met Liu Yianfei's gaze. A faint smile touched the corner of the General's mouth. Given his position now, he would have to go along to the discussions about to begin, like it or not.
"Now this is getting interesting..."
.
.
.
"All right. What brings you all the way here on such short notice?"
The meeting room at the Eastern Base, set up as a venue in under half a day, was packed with officials from the military and the government. Some were still worn out from the rushed journey and could not help shooting faintly displeased glances at the priests who were the cause of it all.
Seizing the moment after everyone had taken their seats, Zhang Xianyuan turned to ask the head of the other side, Dante.
"...Nothing much, really."
Dante gave a faint smile and signaled one of his attendants. The man responded by taking a high-quality camera out of a bag and connecting it to equipment he had prepared as everyone in the room looked on in bewilderment.
"Sir! Something's happened...!"
An officer who had sensed something amiss rushed over and whispered quickly into Zhang Xianyuan's ear, glancing nervously toward the group of nearly ten priests.
"The thing is..."
"..."
Once he understood what was happening, the Marshal shot to his feet and glared at Dante in anger.
"You people... are broadcasting this meeting live?"
"...!"
On hearing this, the officers hurriedly took out their own communication devices to check, and discovered that the man in front of them truly was streaming what was happening in the room live!
And to the entire world!
With the Stellar Faith's reputation and the number of believers it had, it was not long before millions of viewers had tuned in!
"Turn that camera off..."
Zhang Xianyuan gave the order in a clipped tone. A meeting on national security was not something outsiders should be allowed to know about, since it involved military secrets, plans, and key strategic points that would become dangerous if they fell into the hands of those with ill intent.
"It's no problem at all. We've got nothing to hide, after all."
"By the will of the stars... We came all the way here to ask for your cooperation in facing the disaster our world is going through."
"So I'd say there's nothing wrong with letting the people out there know the whole truth. Right?"
With that, he turned to the camera that was already rolling and flashed it the friendliest of smiles, his looks and bearing noble and refined. Several of the officers following the live stream were stunned by the flood of comments that poured in within a matter of seconds.
"...You people."
Zhang Xianyuan reined in his anger and sat back down. With the eyes of the entire world on him, there was a lot he could no longer do.
"...All right. Tell us what you came here for."
It seemed this was not going to be easy after all.
...Because it looked very much like these people had truly come to cause trouble!
"By the will of the stars... You all know that we, the Stellar Knights, have faced countless powerful demonic beasts for the peace of our fellow humans. Everyone can bear witness to that."
Dante closed his eyes and turned to the camera once more, a gesture that predictably drew an overwhelming response.
"Mm... we know that well. We're dealing with the same problem ourselves."
Zhang Xianyuan nodded.
"In that case, this will be easier to talk about..."
Dante spread a broad grin from behind the camera. Only those directly facing him, Zhang Xianyuan and a few of the officers, could see how cunning his eyes were.
"By the will of the stars... We've heard that a sacred land lies in the east of your country, one that matches the records of our faith..."
"...!"
"It can help us grow stronger..."
"For the common good of humankind, by the will of the stars... would your country consider handing that area over to our Stellar Order to look after from now on?"