“The oldest Nation of Humans,” “The gathering place of the Strong Ones and talents,” “Countless powerful Magic Tools,” “The place where wealth accumulates”…
Su Yao could not even imagine how profound the foundation of a Nation that could last for thousands of years was.
That the Saint Nation could possess such an extraordinary depth of history probably had an inseparable connection with that “Goddess.”
In the legends told by Chlorel, the Goddess was undoubtedly a Wise God, yet the actions of the national group composed of the believers under her command were truly hard to describe.
It was very strange. Why would such a wise Goddess turn a blind eye to their behavior?
Something like “not interfering with Human choices” definitely didn’t make sense.
She had stepped in to help people so many times, yet at some point, she seemed to have suddenly changed…
It was also from then on that the Saint Nation’s actions became increasingly unscrupulous.
Just why? … Su Yao would probably have to meet The Goddess in person to get an answer to this question.
Whether he could even meet her was another matter…
Of course, putting those unrealistic thoughts aside for now, he had another even more headache-inducing problem at hand—the faith of the Saint Nation.
Su Yao seemed to understand why the Imp Girl Leya hated him so much.
Since Miss Arthur had settled in the Saint Nation, that Imp Girl named Leya definitely had some kind of connection to that place as well.
She was surely a believer of the “Goddess Religion” promoted by the Saint Nation.
Su Yao had asked Chlorel about this religion, but since she was not a believer, she could only briefly summarize the tenets of this religion for him.
Namely, “Goddess Athena is the supreme and only God,” “Humans are the race chosen by the God” (Human Supremacy), and the “Theory of Inherent Evil of Monsters.”
The good news was that the Saint Nation’s “shameless” money-grabbing behaviors had caused most clear-headed people in this world to have been “Disenchantment” with the religion they praised for a long time.
Just like Chlorel—the Goddess was the Goddess, and the Saint Nation was the Saint Nation; the two could not be conflated.
The bad news was that even so, over the long passage of time, “Human Supremacy” and the “Theory of Inherent Evil of Monsters” were still recognized and accepted by the entirety of Human Society.
The former was one of the main reasons why most other races in this world, such as Elves and Dwarfs, lived in the peripheral regions of the Mainland.
The latter caused most people to harbor a certain degree of resistance toward Monsters; even those that were harmless or domesticated would be loathed by people for no clear reason.
This mentality even affected the interior of Human Society.
For example, in regions with slightly more developed economies, “Adventurers,” who needed to deal with Monsters frequently, were a type of work shunned by everyone.
Their status was only slightly higher than that of Beggars…
To some extent, the fact that Su Yao’s Town and his Dungeon could develop so smoothly today was also thanks to the Marquis of Weirley.
Because he did not govern his territory well, most of the people on this land were forced to become Adventurers.
Over time, most people in Moravia and the surrounding towns were no longer so resistant to the idea of dealing with Monsters…
Returning to the topic, for Su Yao, the “Goddess Religion” could already be classified as an “evil cult.”
Setting everything else aside, the single point of promoting the “Theory of Inherent Evil of Monsters” was enough to disqualify it.
Although he didn’t want to offend the Saint Nation, “Labyrinth Town” could not allow this religion to appear under any circumstances!
However…….
“This gentleman, could I take a bit of your time? I hope to tell you about our Goddess and Savior…”
“Excuse me, sir, do you believe in The Goddess?”
……
A girl about the same height as him had a pure white lace veil over her head, and her petite body was wrapped in a white nun’s habit.
The girl was using a youthful voice to stop the people who were about to go adventuring in the Dungeon, incessantly promoting her own faith…
“Stop, stop right now! You, just what are you doing!”
Although Su Yao had long since guessed the relationship between Leya and the Saint Nation, he hadn’t expected this Imp Girl to actually take the field herself to promote her Nation’s teachings, and right next to his Dungeon at that!
What kind of whim was she on today? Where was Miss Arthur? Why wasn’t she keeping an eye on her?
“What am I doing? Promoting The Goddess? I didn’t expect there to be so many people here who don’t know the greatness of The Goddess. As a devout believer, I must naturally enlighten these ignorant fools.”
Good thing it was just promoting the Goddess… my foot!
“Preaching is not allowed here!”
“Why should I listen to you, you mon… loli!?”
“Because this Dun… Town was built with my investment. I am the administrator of this land!”
This land didn’t need any Goddess. Keeping her stories in legends was enough.
Su Yao did not want any suspicious things related to the “Goddess Religion” to appear in his Town…
“In that case, you should support my promotion of The Goddess even more. As long as the number of believers increases, I can persuade the church to build a ‘Sanctuary’ here.”
Build a Sanctuary? What would his Town need a Sanctuary for? If it were built for himself, then maybe he could consider it.
No, that’s too embarrassing. Forget it…
“Sorry, there are no plans to build a Sanctuary in this Town. Besides, Moravia isn’t that far away, and there is a Sanctuary in that city.”
“What are you thinking? Humans and Mon… you are different. We are very fragile. If we don’t receive ‘Healing Magic’ promptly when sick or injured, it can be fatal.”
Eh? She actually thought about so much?
Could it be that this girl named Leya isn’t some Imp Girl, but a very kind and good child?
“Why are you rubbing your eyes?”
“It’s nothing. I thought I was seeing a hallucination just now.”
“You!”
“But even if you say that, my answer remains the same. This Town doesn’t need any Sanctuary.”
The general level of education in this world was very low. Not everyone was as open-minded as Chlorel.
Furthermore, in the future, it wouldn’t just be Adventurers settling in this Town. If there were a Sanctuary, the “Goddess Religion” might take root here as well.
A rift might form between the Adventurers who frequently dealt with Monsters and the people who resisted Monsters.
This could easily plant hidden dangers, so Su Yao would never agree to it.
“You still don’t understand. I already said that without a Sanctuary, people might…”
“The issues of ‘sickness’ and ‘injury’ don’t require your concern. I will build a ‘hospital’ here in the future. Simply put, it will be a gathering place for ‘Healing Magic’ users. Of course, the cost won’t be higher than the Sanctuary you mentioned.”
Medical care was medical care, and religion was religion.
Su Yao planned to bring some modern systems to this world.
Even if he had to provide high subsidies for “medical insurance,” it was better than being coerced by someone in the name of “free medical care.”
“Hmph, then suit yourself. Let me warn you beforehand: people who can use Healing Magic are not easy to find.”
After leaving these words, the Imp Girl turned and walked toward the Inn. It seemed she didn’t intend to preach anymore.
Strange. Although her mouth was still stubborn, her attitude seemed much better than before.
“I will definitely pay back the debt I owe you. If anyone around you is seriously ill, you can bring them to find me!”
After leaving those words, she ran away from Su Yao’s side.
So that was it. An imp is an imp, after all, “stubborn-mouthed”…