Merit Ticket — this was the official name for the “Lucky Poo Roulette” lottery ticket.
Whenever a participant saved a person or referred a newcomer, Lia would issue them one, claiming, “The Lucky Poo God is gratified by the merit you have accumulated. She shall wash away your sins and grant you fortune.”
Afterward, she used the pheromones exchanged with the Poo-Poo Lifejackets to learn the specific details of the rescues from the Poo-Poos themselves, proceeding to punish a group of opportunists who had tried to steal others’ credit.
“The Poo God is watching you from the heavens” — this concept took firm root in the people’s hearts.
Before long, the status of the Merit Ticket rose steadily, quietly usurping the ecological niche of the Church’s Indulgences.
It was worth noting that the Church’s Indulgences also functioned like a lottery, but they frequently engaged in rigged operations like “insider winners,” leading to a daily decline in their credibility.
They had long since ceased to be a significant source of income for the Church.
They certainly could not compete with a real grand prize of 6.66 gold coins.
Thus, Lia was quite skeptical of Yuna’s true intentions for coming.
She suspected that either the fictional existence of the “Poo God” had touched a sensitive nerve in the Church, or Yuna had smelled a business opportunity and wanted a piece of the pie.
As for Yuna, Lia felt no fear at all.
If that meatheaded Princess Margaret or that crazy elf from the Poo-Eating Race were here, they might have tried to raid her or cause some major incident while the Hero was away.
But with Yuna… even when the Hero was gone, it was as if he were still there.
As long as she remained the Hero’s pet, Yuna would not dare provoke her openly.
Consequently, Lia was quite rude to her.
“What do you want? Speak up or get lost!”
The petite pink-haired girl sat on a wooden board with her legs crossed, putting on an air of cold impatience.
Yuna was not angered by Lia’s attitude.
She merely gave a gentle, soft smile.
“Little Lili, you have misunderstood. I have not come to criticize you. Quite the opposite — I am here to help you and Joan.”
“Hmph. When you were selling those Indulgences, you also claimed it was to help the common people,” Lia mocked sarcastically.
Yuna’s expression did not change as she shifted the topic.
“The Princess… she is not actually lost. She has been in the City Lord’s mansion this whole time, has she not?”
“Isn’t that obvious? If everyone else knows, how could you not?”
Lia grew wary.
“What? Do you want to threaten me? I am warning you! I have a powerful Hero backing me! He doesn’t even need to draw his Holy Sword to crush your Church!”
“No, what I want to say is that you have done very well. Excellent, in fact. I… I am quite envious.”
Yuna shook her head with a faint smile.
She gazed at Lia with eyes full of emotions so complex that Lia could not decipher them.
It was like clear spring water flowing into a long-dried lake for the first time.
“I did not expect you to actually be able to bring this dead situation back to life. On behalf of those refugees, I thank you. I thank you for your kindness.”
Her voice was soft, like a murmur, laced with a sincere pity.
“Save your crocodile tears!”
Lia scoffed.
“If you were truly kind, why didn’t you do your best to save people instead of using all sorts of excuses to convince Joan?”
Yuna withdrew the deep look in her eyes and gave a small smile.
Her gaze cleared, though it held a hint of cunning.
“I never said I was a good person. I simply admire and long for those who are. But admiration and longing… are emotions furthest from understanding.”
She casually revealed the dark side of her heart.
“And I was not convincing Joan; I was actually convincing myself. Ultimately, I truly am envious that Joan can be so naive and pure, so beloved by all of you. But more than that, I do not want to be like him — always letting himself suffer grievances.”
“Did you know? Compared to anyone else…”
Yuna’s posture relaxed.
She gazed at Lia, a trace of melancholy in her deep blue eyes.
“I have always felt that I am the one who needs his salvation the most.”
“Huh?”
Lia squinted at her.
“I have digressed.”
Yuna coughed twice and straightened her back.
Sitting formally, she said with a serious expression, “I came today because I had to. Some of your methods have crossed the line and are causing dissatisfaction among the priests within the Church. As a mediator who can communicate between both sides, I must find a way to reconcile these conflicts.”
“Crossed a line? Which line, and did you draw it?”
Lia retorted with intentional malice.
“I don’t believe you do not understand.”
Yuna slowly exposed her.
“A ‘line’ is never determined by anyone’s will. It is the boundary where the interests of various groups, after mutual gaming and compromise, finally reach a balance that everyone can accept.”
“New powers want to break it, while old powers want to maintain it. The addition of every new group is accompanied by a storm of blood… and the purpose of someone like me is to make that storm a bit more peaceful, a bit more restrained, so that it does not affect too many people or spread too far.”
“For example?”
A sneer curled Lia’s thin lips.
Yuna said helplessly, “Although the profit from Indulgences is slim, they are still the primary source of income for the grassroots village priests. It is not that you cannot do this, but at the very least, you should leave a little soup for others to drink, should you not?”
“The winning rate for the Merit Tickets is set so high. Who will ever buy other lottery tickets in the future? How is anyone supposed to make money?”
“Because we aren’t issuing these to make money! It is to save people! Save people!”
Lia angrily slapped her drawing board and glared at Yuna.
“Saving people is a good thing. But some people do not care about saving lives; they care more about how many silver coulombs they can earn each month.”
Yuna’s expression was extremely serious.
“Lili, do not misunderstand. I am not criticizing you or Joan. None of this actually concerns me. I simply must represent the Church’s interests and negotiate with you.”
Lia closed her pink eyes and asked indifferently, “What else…?”
“Also, the treatment you give those serfs is too good. Setting such high wages, providing three meals a day, only making them work eight hours, and even giving them two days of rest a week. I am starting to suspect you and Joan are raising a private army of death warriors.”
Yuna advised earnestly, “Lili, you might still be young and cannot calculate the accounts clearly, but I am telling you seriously: doing this will affect others’ ability to use serfs and hire labor, and it will also cause you to lose a lot of potential profit.”
Lia could not help but put on a mask of agony.
She could not even be bothered to explain the difference between a “serf” and a “hired worker.”
‘I can’t calculate accounts clearly?’
‘I dominated the Demon Realm for so many years and single-handedly revitalized its economy, raising those four wretched Great Families. This is the first time anyone has told me I can’t calculate accounts or earn money!’
She was doing this precisely because she calculated everything so clearly.
Compared to the Hero’s absolute support and the cultivation of Magic Engineers, that tiny expenditure of gold coins on labor costs was completely insignificant.
“Since it has come to this…”
Lia suddenly jumped up.
Pouting her cherry-red lips, she struck a fighter’s stance, hopping back and forth with a swish-swish sound.
“Fine! Draw your sword! No more talking! There is no room for negotiation! Our side sends out one Hero! A straight elbow to your Goddess’s stomach! Who will you send to meet the challenge?”
Yuna’s lip twitched slightly.
She hurried to offer gentle persuasion.
“Lili, can we not be so impulsive? Harmony is precious. We must prioritize harmony.”
“Harmony my foot!”
Lia gave her no face at all.
‘Hmph. I am the one with a Hero now! I am piloting a full-power mecha! And you want to talk to me about “harmony”?’