Muxuan once again used his Lightforce to wrap around himself, disguising his appearance.
After confirming that nothing was overlooked, Muxuan and Qiansitelin quickly walked toward the church.
Muxuan had already canceled the plans for a mass prayer.
For now, his primary focus was expanding the Church’s combat power.
The Goddess statue had already been connected to the Crosier by Muxuan, and it now stored a significant amount of Faith Power.
The sincere prayers of ordinary people could grant them minor blessings, such as healing physical ailments.
However, if the clergy prayed with devotion, they would receive greater blessings and a boost in strength.
Now, Muxuan planned to advance two methods of improvement simultaneously: the enhancement provided by Faith Power and the refinement offered by the Meditation Method.
However, Muxuan had truly not expected that the Meditation Method he had given to Beikeze only yesterday would already allow him to successfully condense a Light Core and break through to the Shallow Water level.
‘Is this a good thing or a bad thing…’
Muxuan was uncertain.
Regardless, Beikeze had set a good precedent.
Muxuan performed a quick calculation and realized that the Faith Power required for subsequent promotions was astronomical.
If he used only Faith Power for filling, it would convert at a 1:1 ratio with Lightforce.
However, if he utilized Faith Power through a Node to slowly release Lightforce into the air, the ratio would reach a staggering 1:100.
‘This is just like the difference between a direct top-up and a monthly card in some games…’
In short, investing Faith Power to nurture believers in the early stages and letting them work hard on their own in the later stages was a more rational and efficient method.
As for the surplus Faith Power, Muxuan did not intend to interfere; it would be enough for him to accomplish many other things or return it to the ordinary people.
This time, he had Beikeze select everyone who had performed meritorious service.
Soon, Muxuan and Qiansitelin arrived in front of the church.
When Muxuan stepped inside, the morning light was streaming through the stained-glass windows, falling onto the folds of the Goddess statue’s robes and diluting the residual scent of blood from the previous night.
Beikeze stood with his head bowed in the shadow of the statue, holding a holy scripture with an expression of extreme devotion.
Upon hearing Muxuan’s footsteps, he turned and bowed respectfully.
Then, in a slightly raspy voice, he spoke.
“His Holiness, there are a total of 236 meritorious individuals. Among them, 294 want to become Knights, twenty-three want to become Deacons, and everyone else desires no position; they only wish to live a stable life.”
Beikeze’s statistics were very detailed; he had even registered their names and bound them into a thick ledger.
Seeing Beikeze’s increasingly prominent dark circles and exhausted expression, Muxuan could not help but frown and ask, “Did you use it?”
Hearing Muxuan’s words, Beikeze hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, “Yes… His Holiness…”
Muxuan sighed heavily.
As the Cardinal of the entire Church, Beikeze’s workload grew heavier by the day, especially since Muxuan, the Pope, rarely concerned himself with mundane affairs, other Bishops could not share the burden, and the Church was continuously expanding.
Muxuan had originally given that Pollutant to Beikeze only as a precaution, never expecting he would actually need to use it.
He looked at Beikeze once more with a complicated gaze and exhaled deeply.
No matter what hidden motives Beikeze might have, his sense of responsibility toward his work was indeed worthy of praise.
“You have worked hard…”
For a long time, Muxuan could only offer those words with a conflicted expression, unable to think of what else to say.
Beikeze’s expression froze slightly before he broke into a smile.
He bowed once more and said, “His Holiness, this is what I should do.”
‘I should also reduce the pressure on Beikeze…’
Although Muxuan had long entertained the thought of appointing another Cardinal, he had not come into contact with many people so far, let alone anyone suitable for such a high position.
“Let’s go. It is time to grant them their blessings.”
Muxuan sighed inwardly and signaled for Beikeze to lead the way.
Beikeze nodded, and with a gentle wave of his hand, the holy scripture in his palm dissipated into points of light.
He then slowly turned to lead them.
‘No… I can’t be impatient; he still needs time…’
Muxuan did not harbor many doubts about Beikeze and followed him directly.
However, Qiansitelin, who had remained silent, stood in place and watched Beikeze’s back thoughtfully.
She always felt that Beikeze was plotting something massive… and none of them knew exactly what it was.
—
The Great Craftsman sat his massive frame beside a giant stone anvil, but he was not swinging his heavy hammer as usual.
Instead, his rough, broad fingers were gently stroking the smooth glass of a now-empty goat milk bottle, over and over again.
The bottle still held a faint, familiar scent of milk, which seemed entirely out of place alongside the mineral dust on his beard and leather apron, and the soot of the furnace.
Theodore hid timidly behind a thick stone pillar in the distance.
Even though the Great Craftsman had surprisingly not been angry last time and had let her leave without any later punishment, she was still cautious.
After a long while, the Great Craftsman carefully placed the empty bottle on the smoothest corner of the stone anvil.
His heavy eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick layers of rock and the pervasive Black Mist.
The goat milk Lutherch had given him and the scene Theodore had described were now constantly growing in his mind like flickering flames.
“Lutherch… Light Church…”
He whispered those two names in a low voice.
His voice echoed in the cavernous hollow, making it impossible to tell if he felt doubt, mockery, or a sense of longing.
In his eyes, which were reddened by the smoke of the furnace, there was no longer complete wariness or denial, but a deeper, indescribable complexity.
His rough fingers unconsciously tapped against the cold stone anvil, producing a dull *thud-thud* sound.
Theodore, caught in that silence, kept swallowing nervously.
She was unclear about the purpose of being summoned by the Great Craftsman, but she was certain it absolutely had to do with the Light Church.
‘Wait… He couldn’t possibly know I have another bottle of goat milk and want to steal it from me, could he?’
‘That would be terrible. I’ve only finished half of it… I was planning on savoring it slowly later.’
Finally, the Great Craftsman stopped his tapping.
He turned his gaze toward Theodore, his voice carrying a trace of hard-to-detect emotion.
“Theodore, take a group of our kin and contact the Light Church. You may engage in a limited amount of trade.”
Hearing this, Theodore first tensed up, then revealed a look of confusion.
“But… don’t I still have the task of clearing out the Goblins to finish?”
Although she really wanted to visit the Light Church again, she still remembered her original mission.
“Other kin will handle the Goblins.”
The Great Craftsman’s voice was low and firm; he had clearly already made his decision.
A Church without a Saintess would only be an empty shell.
Even so, even if it was only a fleeting light, the Great Craftsman wanted to see it for himself.
He missed the light far too much…
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