This Priest of the God of Wisdom had been to many places and seen countless nobles. Many territories were much bigger and more prosperous than Northtown City, but none of them were like Northtown City.
Although this territory didn't look as prosperous as those famous big cities, it was full of life and energy.
Other than that, Northern Battlefront City gave her the impression that it was clean and tidy. Moreover, the workers here were not like those in other cities. They were thin and weak, and their expressions were miserable and apathetic. Although the workers here had a lot of work, they were all strong and healthy. Their complexions were rosy, and they were all serious in their work. This was completely inconceivable to her.
What happened next surprised her even more. She actually saw drows, half-elves, centaurs, and gray dwarves. These races could live together peacefully in Northtown City.
"What's that?" Just as she was thinking about the residents of this place, a cry of surprise came from behind her.
"What happened?" The Priest of the God of Wisdom frowned slightly.
A low-level Priest behind her knocked on the horse's belly and caught up to her. "Sir, look at that building." The Priest pointed at a tall and majestic gate not far away. It was the wonder of Northtown City, the Arc de Triomphe.
"That gate is a magic building?!" The Priest of the God of Wisdom could tell at a glance that the building was extraordinary.
"It is indeed a magic building." Suhlen nodded. He then pointed at the Arc de Triomphe and said, "This is the Arc de Triomphe. It was built to celebrate the victory of Northtown City over the orc army. The purpose is to commemorate this glorious war and the heroes who died in it!"
As he spoke, the group approached the Arc de Triomphe. Suhlen purposely slowed down his footsteps so that the high-level Priest and his entourage could take a closer look.
"I really didn't expect that I would actually see such a grand and epic building here." Looking at the building up close, everyone was even more amazed by its majesty. The exquisite statues and the reliefs were like those of an epic. Everything showed how much effort the Northern Citadel had put into the building.
Suhlen led the group through the Arc de Triomphe. The Priest was very interested in this building. She asked questions about the building several times, but Suhlen pretended not to understand or ignored her. Suhlen wouldn't tell anyone about such confidential things.
After confirming that she couldn't get more information from Suhlen, the Priest of the God of Wisdom could only give up. Soon, the group arrived at the City Lord's Mansion. They naturally saw the Harvest Altar in the inner city. Compared to the Arc de Triomphe, the Harvest Altar didn't have as many beautiful carvings, but it didn't pale in comparison.
However, Suhlen didn't intend to take them there. They could only endure their curiosity.
The Priest of the God of Wisdom was getting more and more curious about Northtown City. When she first came here, she only thought that Northtown City was developing well and had great potential. Now, she completely changed her mind. It wasn't just good. As long as things continued to develop like this, Northtown City would become a prosperous place.
"Please come in!"
Suhlen jumped off his horse and made an inviting gesture. He led the group into the Lord's Mansion. Everyone took a seat in the living room. Hathaway, who received the news, also came in wearing a wizard robe.
"Your Excellency, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
The Priest of the God of Wisdom stood up and bowed slightly to show her respect. A Grand Wizard would be respected wherever he went. As for a Legendary Wizard, they were like strategic nuclear weapons in his previous world. After all, if a legendary spellcaster was given the chance, it wouldn't be difficult for them to destroy a city.
Compared to them, legendary warriors were treated much worse. After all, legendary warriors didn't have that kind of strategic deterrence.
Hathaway smiled and nodded. She bowed to the Priest as well. "Welcome, Emissary of the God of Wisdom. Northtown City is proud of you."
After a round of pleasantries, they sat down again. Suhlen looked around and said, "Your Excellency must be tired from the journey. Do you need us to arrange a place for you to rest?"
The Priest of the God of Wisdom smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness. However, as a servant of the God of Wisdom, traveling isn't considered tiring. We can talk first."
"Right, let me introduce myself. My name is Vena. You can call me Vena. I'm here with good intentions and to spread the glory of wisdom," Vena continued.
Wei Na continued, "Your Excellency Su Lun built a city in this barren land. Your strength and courage are amazing. Many great nobles can't afford to develop a city bit by bit under such conditions. It's a miracle that you can develop this place to such an extent."
"The Church of the God of Wisdom is very optimistic about your development, so we want to build a Wisdom Temple in your territory."
"Build a temple and spread the faith." Suhlen smiled and said, "The God of Wisdom is a neutral God. I have no reason to reject the kindness of a powerful God."
Vena stood up and bowed slightly to Suhlen. "Thank you for your support, my Lord." She then smiled and said, "Don't worry, my Lord. We will follow the rules of Northtown City and work together to develop Northtown City well."
Suhlen nodded. He didn't take Vena's promise too seriously. This world was different from his previous one. In his previous world, there was a set of rules that allowed most people to live in a relatively fair environment. In this world, the strong preyed on the weak. The Church of Wisdom was very polite now. Once Suhlen lost control of Northtown City, it was hard to say what they would do.
"Your Excellency, we still lack manpower, craftsmen, and resources. The Church of Wisdom has great influence. We can help you with migration and opening up new channels. We can provide you with sufficient funds and even management personnel." Vena waved at a low-level priest behind her. Then, the priest handed a sheepskin scroll to Suhlen.
"As long as you are willing to accept, we can provide it for you for free. We also promise that we will not interfere with the management of your territory." Vena looked at Suhlen with confidence. She believed that no one would reject the generous conditions offered by the Church of Wisdom.
However, she didn't expect that Suhlen would reject them so decisively after a few seconds of silence. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't accept your and the Church of Wisdom's good intentions."
"The Church of Wisdom … What did you say?" Vena, who was about to speak, opened her mouth wide. She looked at Suhlen in disbelief. The Church of Wisdom was one of the most powerful churches in the continent. They had manpower, resources, financial resources, and all kinds of soft power. They weren't any worse than a powerful empire. With the full support of such a powerful force, Northtown City would rise even faster.
However, there was also a problem. There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, especially for a huge force like the Church of Wisdom. They didn't ask for anything now because they had a bigger goal.
A huge force like this wouldn't care about temporary gains and losses. They were more focused on the bigger picture, especially for the Church of Wisdom. The Church of Wisdom was famous for their wisdom. They were good at scheming and scheming. When dealing with them, although it seemed like you were taking advantage of them, the Church of Wisdom was always the one who benefited the most in the end.
Fortunately, the Church of Wisdom had a good reputation. Although they took the most benefits, they would leave some for others. At least, they didn't take everything. Otherwise, Suhlen would have rejected them even if he had to risk offending them. Although these churches were huge and seemed like they couldn't withstand a single blow from Northtown City, there were many benefits involved. They also had to face many enemies.
If they really wanted to fight, the forces they could deploy wouldn't be much stronger than Northtown City. Otherwise, they would have to face the invasion of other churches or forces.
More importantly, from the Harvest Altar to the Triumphal Arch, to the secret realm and the underground world in Northtown City, the value of any one of these secrets was immeasurable. They couldn't let other forces know about them. Therefore, no matter how generous the Church of Wisdom's conditions were, he couldn't agree.
The control of the city had to be firmly in his hands. If he let the Church of Wisdom participate in the management of the city and open up the authority, they might discover the city's secrets.
"Do you know how much benefits the conditions you rejected just now represent?" After a moment of silence, Vena still looked like she couldn't accept it. What kind of joke was this? The Church of Wisdom actually rejected the offer of money.
Suhlen nodded. He didn't care about Reverend Vena's reluctant expression. He continued, "Although I won't accept the Church of Wisdom's help, it won't affect their preaching here. I can set aside an area for the Church of Wisdom to build a temple. However, you'll have to find your own materials and manpower to build the temple. As you can see, there are still many places in Northtown City that are under construction."
Vena frowned. This was completely different from what she had expected. In her opinion, Suhlen, as the lord, should be grateful for the Church of Wisdom's strong support. However, this script … seemed to be completely different!
"If Excellency Vena is willing to accept, I can get someone to bring over the city's planning blueprint. There are many empty spaces on it for you to choose from," Suhlen said with a smile.
"Then we'll have to trouble you, Excellency Suhlen. However, you don't have to give us the land. We'll buy it ourselves," Vena said with a playful tone after taking a deep look at Suhlen.
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