Through Vincent's 'Eyes of the Moon', the book emitted a blazing radiance the moment it left the shelf.
It was dazzling like the sun, practically lighting up the entire bookstore.
The bookstore owner seemed like he was holding a ball of flame... or a small sun. That intense brilliance seemed to allow one to experience the power contained within. Coupled with the slight smile on his face, the immense sense of 'divinity' emanating from within thoroughly shocked Vincent.
This priest of the Church of the Dome couldn't help standing up.
He was all too familiar with this type of sensation...
Every time during meditation and prayer, when the soul and holy emblem resonated, thoughts would sink into the aetheric domain of the moon.
And when blessed with the moon's favor and protection, one could use magic to heal the sick or banish evil.
Every clergy member of the Church of the Dome possessed such power within them, allowing themselves to become supernatural beings that were different from ordinary folk.
The moon above the dome bestowed the devout and pious ones with its divinity.
But clearly, the 'divinity' and power emanating from within this book was even more intense, invasive, and brimming with vitality.
It was as if a great amount of the moon's spiritual power was concentrated and ignited...
Vincent could clearly sense that the two had the same roots.
And even more terrifying for Vincent was that he vaguely sensed that these two powers weren't from one source, but rather, one arising from the other.
As for which came from the other, Vincent tried to forcefully ignore the notion.
However, 'Eyes of the Moon' didn't miss any strange phenomena in its field of vision.
Another faint light source appeared in the midst of this brilliant radiance. Vincent unconsciously looked at it and his eyes widened in shock as he nearly tore off his own blindfold.
The other light source, emitting a faint light and echoing the 'divinity' of that book, was his own holy emblem!
Yes, the silvery emblem of the waning moon belonging to the Church of the Dome was currently shining with its own gentle light.
Vincent watched as his holy emblem got brighter and brighter. Its illumination got to the point where it was even brighter than when he meditated or performed magic!
As untimely as it was, Vincent could only stare at the holy emblem and even doubted who its actual owner was.
Thinking of how the holy emblem was always with him even during sleep made Vincent feel an ineffable sense of being betrayed.
And at the same time, because the holy emblem merged with a part of his spirit, Vincent felt a warm energy full of vitality surging into his body. He wasn't able to resist this powerful energy and it instantly calmed all the discomfort and nervousness within his body.
Vincent relaxed, falling into a daze as if he was soaking in a hot tub after a long and busy day.
It was like a sense of home. There was no estrangement from the moon's divinity and it was even flowing like a river...
While his body was completely at ease, a terrible thought crept into Vincent's mind. Is this...The true god?!
At the thought of it, the terror from everything he had known before thrown out the window caused a chill to run up Vincent's spine and made him shudder.
Vincent's body went stiff and his mind buzzed with the words Lin Jie had just said—"Who are you willing to trust?"
The implied meaning behind this sentence wasn't as shallow as Vincent had previously interpreted!
The bookstore owner wasn't asking about the Holy Moon Essence, the church, or getting Vincent to make a choice.
On the contrary, he had been asking what Vincent would choose to believe in when he saw this 'difference' and when his own understanding was subverted.
Even more frightening was the fact that Vincent had gulped and asked the moon above to forgive his blasphemy.
He must have been deluded, otherwise how would he have had the absurd thought that the power within that book was the source of the moon's divinity?
"During the long night of my life, books have built themselves into a great shining lighthouse. Books have revealed to me the deepest channels of human life and the human spirit."
Lin Jie handed the book over with a smile as he recited an excerpt from Three Days to See.
Then he said, "The blind have to keep their hearts and minds clear. Reading is a great way of doing so. Books are the stairs of humanity's progress as well as avenues of education that will help calm you down.
"This autobiography about Helen Keller, a great woman without a doubt, was a record about the story of her life.
"How a naturally blind and deaf person gradually found hope in life, viewed everything with a positive and optimistic attitude, and lived a life that was brighter than most others."
Lin Jie felt that this was the best book that could be given to a blind person.
Vincent stared at the book, still shaken by the phrase "During the long night."
The long night, could it refer to the ancient Second Era? The period without light nor fire?!
Gasp.
Vincent inhaled sharply. He had initially guessed that the bookstore owner was a transcendent being of Destructive-rank. But piecing together these words along with the divinity from the book...
Could he be a Supreme-rank entity that has lived for thousands of years?!
Vincent's back was already drenched with cold sweat and he now felt a chill.
When he mentioned the blind, was he mocking the people of the Church of the Dome for being unable to see the true divinity and worshiping an empty shell?
Every single sentence said by the bookstore owner seemed to have a meaning. Vincent felt contempt at himself for needing to take a while to comprehend each time.
It was as if he was an ignorant child standing at the foot of a giant, and a sense of inferiority arose within him.
Lin Jie continued, "Actually, all you need is to believe in yourself—Read this book and judge for yourself. You only need to find your true self and step out of the darkness, using the heart's eyes to see the truth and embrace the light."
He gestured for Vincent to take the book.
Vincent stared at the book before slowly reaching out and taking the book with both hands.
That white blaze-like radiance converged together and dwindled, eventually revealing the shape of the book as well as its title.
The text was like some ancient carved cuneiform characters, made up of dots and other symbols that Vincent would never have understood, but when he reached out and touched the words, the meaning came naturally to him.
Sun Scripture. That was the title of this book.
Moonlight originates from the sun, and thus, the source of the moon's divinity was the Sun Scripture. This thought popped up in Vincent's mind subconsciously.
However, no one ever believed in the sun. After the First Era, light, fire, and the sun had disappeared within the dream realm and Azir entered the Second Era, the time of no light and fire.
If the Sun was the true god, then what was the Moon now?