The next day, the sky had just begun to brighten, and the temporary campsite was already filled with the clamor of people. Those who had been traveling for a long time knew that there was a limit to the amount of time they could travel in a day. Setting out early in the morning seemed to have become a common rule in most situations. But when most of the people started to pack and prepare, someone ran over to say goodbye to me.
"Stay behind to help rebuild the village? Sure. "
My reply was very straightforward, so straightforward that Saul's face was full of surprise.
In fact, there was nothing to guess. Saul definitely didn't stay behind just to rebuild a village. Since he had already decided to spread the seeds of Law, it was easy for the seeds to wither. It was natural to take care of them while they were still weak.
Moreover, with the protection of a Silver profession, the villagers would have the courage to return to their homes. After all, bandits weren't the only threats in this world. Wild beasts and magical beasts were equally deadly.
During the attack of the Swift Sword group, the militia that could only deal with the wild wolves were instantly killed. After that, because the bandits were few in number, all the strong men who could pose a threat were killed. The only ones left were the elderly who could be sold as sacrifices, as well as the more valuable children and women. If there were only these villagers, rebuilding the village itself would be a difficult problem, not to mention the dangers that they might encounter.
On the other hand, if there wasn't enough security, they could only become wanderers and go to a bigger town to make a living. If they had some skills, they could still support themselves, but if they didn't do well, they could become beggars or prostitutes.
If they rebuilt their homes, the fields would still be there. Maybe this year's crops would be harvested. With the compensation from the Swift Sword group, at least they wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing. If they could live well at home, who would want to leave their homes?
"What about your two companions? Are they going with you? "
"No, I've discussed it with them. They decided to go to the ruins to take a look. They should be needed there."
I nodded. This was also what I expected. Then, I handed him a piece of paper.
"Bring a few people with you. Rebuilding requires strength. Mercenaries are good at it. After they finish the rebuilding work, hire them to protect the town for a while. One person won't be able to do it. "
"Barton's bet is seventeen gold coins? Is this a gambling debt? "
Yes, this paper was a record of some gambling debts. I painfully searched for it for a long time before throwing him a small bag of gold coins.
"That's right. Even if it's a bet, it's also a commission. This is what I promised them. I've handpicked these fellows, and they're all experienced and trustworthy veterans. Don't worry about using them. "
Just as the little goblin was about to leave with a face full of gratitude, I continued.
"What a pity. Miracle Hand Timlad is probably the most knowledgeable engineer in the entire world. I've heard that he's already created a new path for goblin engineering …"
To a goblin engineer, being able to meet a great engineer was undoubtedly a precious opportunity. It was just like how a student from an art school could meet a great artist. Not only was it a meet-and-greet with an idol, but it was also a chance for one to improve greatly through communication.
Timlad was no ordinary great engineer. He was a genius engineer who played a critical role in the magical engineering revolution. Countless goblins and dwarves viewed him as the wisest person in the eyes of the gnomes and dwarves. If Timlad missed out on this chance to talk to Timlad …
Alright, seeing how the previously grateful expression on the goblin's face instantly turned awkward, and feeling that the anger in the goblin's heart had turned into depression and helplessness, I smiled proudly.
"Hmph, since you're asking me to pay, how could I possibly let you leave so easily?"
"… You're so awkward. You're already paying, so can't you just happily be a good person?"
"Tsk, I'm a good person to begin with."
"Yep, yep, a good person, a good person who's more than three hundred years old. Perhaps you'll be a good person for the rest of your life."
"What a vicious curse. I wish you a good cat for the rest of your life!"
The silly cat shook her head, seemingly uninterested in an elementary schooler's argument.
"Still, this brat is quite lucky. With your recommendation letter to Xueti, he'll definitely be able to rise through the ranks in the future."
"Ha, you don't understand those bastards from the Four Halls of Justice. In their eyes, a 'good seedling that they value' is equivalent to a 'newbie that needs to be repeatedly tempered.' Someone that I personally recommend is equivalent to a '100% hardworking.' You want to rise through the ranks? You'll have to torture yourself to death first. "
Although Thor's previous performance made me feel rather helpless, at least I was quite satisfied with his performance last night. That was why I intended to send a recommendation letter to Xueti, the current highest-ranked bishop of the Church of Law.
"He's no longer called the highest-ranked bishop. Last month, I received news that he's been changed to the highest-ranked judge. All the priests and priests of the Law Faction are now called by the judicial job class."
However, Harloys's words attracted my attention.
"Restoring the Sulfur Mountain City era's first-ranked judge, second-ranked judge, and so on? Isn't this clearly breaking away from the old True Gods' church system? How will the other True Gods' churches react to such a drastic change in religion? "
It seemed that this was only a change in the way they addressed each other, but if one carefully thought about it, it meant that the Law job class was going to replace the Church of Law's Divine Duties in the judicial system. This was the beginning of a religious reform that would remove the authority of the Hades.
This also meant that the Law Faction truly believed in the Law itself and not the God of Law. This seemed like a small matter, but the significance was immense. It was basically the equivalent of declaring war against the traditional True Gods' churches. It could be foreseen that the resistance would be even greater.
"… No reaction. Not a single member of the Church of Law above the rank of Bishop has expressed an opinion. "
Even though this was supposed to be a joyous success, Harloys's emotions were filled with worry, as if this was the worst possible news.
"No reaction? How is that possible? Oh … they intend to settle the score later! "
If Harloys expressed an opinion that was neither light nor heavy, it would be the equivalent of tacitly agreeing to the Church of Law's religious reform. Such a reform had already touched upon the foundations of the True Gods' churches. Belief in Concepts and belief in the God of Personality were natural enemies to begin with. Unless the God of Personality intended to merge with the Concept, they would settle the score sooner or later.
Of course, it was also possible to treat this as a special case and ignore it. However, this was the equivalent of having a materialist among a group of religious believers, which would greatly increase their hatred and dissatisfaction.
"The God of Law and his churches don't even accept offerings or money, so why are you guys able to accept them? Also, they say that criminals will enter Hell, but you guys say that as long as you offer enough money, you can enter Heaven. Just who's right? They're also God's priests who possess Divine Arts and divine power, but they're able to survive on their own. Why are you guys able to live without worries just by praying? Why … "
Perhaps by that time, even the Pope of the Holy Church wouldn't be able to answer these questions.
In that case, the best way for the divine job class members of the True Gods' churches to deal with this would probably be to temporarily pretend that they didn't see these "heretics" and then settle the score later.
"Xueti is still too impatient. It's still too early, and he'll attract the hostility of the other neutral True Gods …"
Harloys stopped midway through his complaint. He chose that Minotaur who had so many bad habits to be the leader of the Church of Law because he had a steady personality and wasn't an impatient person. And even if he really couldn't stop himself, there was still Lilith, Kane, and the others to stop him.
"How long has it been since you last read religious magazines? Alright, I know that you hate those things the most, so let me tell you. "
Those scammers followed the trend to scam money, and half of the magazines were filled with all sorts of religious slogans and preaching. Some bastards even added weak hypnosis runes to guide the readers to believe in their religion. Don't even think about making me pay a single copper for such a spiritual pollutant! Yep, it's just that it's not worth it. It's definitely not that I'm stingy!
"… The last part of the story is completely lacking in momentum, and it also reveals the truth."
Harloys really liked to subscribe to all sorts of preaching magazines, especially those from the Elven Gods … Fine then, it seemed that this silly cat wasn't any different from before. She even called me stingy and vengeful.
"Since two years ago, there have been many Churches of True Gods complaining that the Law job class has taken over and invaded their parishes. Because of this, there have been at least two hundred disputes. Last year, the number of complaints was more than three times that number. This year …"
"How many are there this year?"
I could more or less understand what was going on after hearing this.
"We haven't even started yet this year, and there have already been more than eight thousand complaints. More than ninety churches have complained to more than 240 countries. Do you need me to summarize all of them for you?"
"F * ck. Doesn't nearly half the world object to the Church of Law? The entire world's public enemy? "
Now, I finally understood why the Church of Law's priests and Holy Knight would travel thousands of kilometers from the Sala Dukedom's capital the moment the Church of Law members arrived in Anton Town. This was basically the Church of Law's reputation for poaching members. If it wasn't for the fact that the Holy War was still ongoing, it would have been quite a joke already.
"You're — you're … you're doing such a wonderful job!"
His gloomy mood was completely swept away. The other countries and churches' protests? Let them protest all they want. After all, there wouldn't be a "civil war" before the Holy War ended, and it wouldn't hurt if they were cursed at.
Originally, I was worried that spreading the Church of Law would attract too much hostility. But now that there was hostility on such a large scale, it meant that the Church of Law had already spread far and wide enough. The Church of Law was already used to being treated with hostility.
"Many places are already calling the spreading of the Church of Law the 'Law Plague.'"
I couldn't help but laugh at this. Indeed, from a certain standpoint, the spreading of the Church of Law did indeed feel like a natural plague.
Let's take the villagers of Lanty Village as an example. If Thor had successfully planted the seeds of Law here, it was likely that several dozen low-level Law job class members would have appeared in less than two years. And if one of the Law job class members went to another village, perhaps several hundred Law job class members would be born. And if the Church of Law continued to spread … it really did feel like a plague, like a cult.
"The original plan was that it would take at least thirty years to spread the Church of Law to the entire world, but it was accomplished in just seven years? This is even more like a cult than a cult. "
In the end, the reason why the Church of Law job class was able to spread so quickly was because of its own special characteristics.
In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, anything that could give ordinary people power would naturally spread incredibly quickly. This was also the foundational reason why Evil God churches were unable to do anything despite being banned. Believing in a True God was correct, but a True God wouldn't just casually give something in return. Meanwhile, Evil Gods would always be able to fulfill every request and improve in power much faster. In this world, actual power was far more convincing than any empty teachings.
From a certain standpoint, the Church of Law was even worse than a cult. After all, a cult that worshipped devils, demons, and other such things would give you power and fulfill your wishes, but they would definitely cheat you of something more valuable. Meanwhile, the Church of Law could also give you power, but it wouldn't require any price.
The Church of Law didn't need to establish a church, nor did it need to pray to a True God. It didn't need expensive religious rituals. The Church of Law only needed to believe in the fairness and protection of the Church of Law … Let's not talk about all those grand empty words. This greatly reduced the cost of cultivation, as well as the difficulty of spreading the Church of Law. A small booklet would be far more difficult to guard against than any evil ritual.
The Church of Law specialized in protection and punishment. It didn't have any offensive capabilities. The local domain lords would be delighted to see the birth of Law job class members who specialized in protection in their territory. Perhaps Law job class members couldn't be used to invade others, but they could protect their towns and chase away wild beasts and invaders. Not only that, these powerful Law job class members who followed the path of Law wouldn't threaten the domain lord's (temporarily) ruling status. On a deeper level, Law job class members could even attack the local traditional divine authority and expand the domain lord's authority. From a certain standpoint, this was a competition between royal authority and divine authority. If it wasn't for the domain lords adding fuel to the fire and introducing each other, the Church of Law probably wouldn't have spread so quickly.
The most important part was that the Church of Law had an incredibly low barrier to entry, and it grew rapidly. This caused mortals who desired to control their own fates to take the initiative to learn it.
Of course, there would naturally be quite a few who pretended to believe in Law for the sake of power. However, it would be impossible to master Law incantations if one didn't have a devout and understanding of Law. And even if one mastered Law incantations, they would become arrogant after obtaining power and do something for their own selfish desires …
"God's Law, the Seventh Sin of the Thirteen Sins. Anyone who takes bribes, breaks the law, or neglects their duties shall be stripped of all their positions and demoted to a commoner!"
The lies of the past had become concrete reality. Wumianzhe's saying that he would always watch over you wasn't just empty words. Once you lost the power of Law, you would never be able to obtain it again.
And all of this was because of Wumianzhe, who had already reached Main God rank, and the Hades Faction's main headquarters, the Hades Purgatory.
Only with sufficient divine power would one be able to summon divine miracles as easily as possible. Last night's divine miracle caused several dozen people to choose the path of Law, giving them the seeds of Law. And, more faith gave them more divine power.
I previously mentioned that for true Gods, the Holy War was both a test and an opportunity. And, the God of Law seemed to have already grasped this opportunity.
Perhaps, back in the day, Holy Light had also grown in such a manner. In the end, it completely went out of control. And, the current God of Law was already tightly bound by the Laws, destined to become a cog in the Hades.
"Since things have already reached this point, I might as well add some more fuel to the fire."
And so, I opened up my own letter and started to think of a letter to Xueti and Lilith.
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