Chapter 77

“Lynn’s Knife”

To truly undermine the faith of the billions of Stars’ Lords in Orlen City, Lynn figured he needed to stoke the flames a bit more.

So that very night, he set fire to the Church of Heavenly Justice.

Fast forward to this morning at the City Square.

Due to the recent fundraising uproar in Orlen City, nearly every church in the city got dragged into the fray.

What started as a fundraiser had morphed into a religious competition.

Most of the devotees had become fanatical.

Not only that, but passing by the City Square daily to gawk at the changes in the donation boxes had become one of the public’s favorite pastimes.

With each staggering sum of money, their spirits gradually dulled.

After all, it was wealth they’d never have in their lifetimes.

They had to thank Duke Tilius for giving these poor folks a glimpse of the good life.

They thought things would continue like this forever.

But little did they know…

Today morning at the City Square, something seemed to have changed once again.

The banner was still the same.

But the donation boxes below had transformed.

Yesterday, I remember the twelve donation boxes lined up together, with eleven overflowing with hefty amounts of gold coins, leaving only the box for the Church of Heavenly Justice completely empty.

But today, those eleven boxes stuffed with gold had vanished without a trace.

Now, just one lone empty box remained under that banner.

“Let’s see which faith is the kindest and most generous.”

The empty glass box.

The Church of Heavenly Justice.

Unbelievably glaring, it was hard to miss.

This scene inevitably brought to mind some absurd thoughts.

This action practically screamed, “We’re targeting your precious Church of Heavenly Justice!”

Suddenly, many followers of other faiths present had sly smirks creeping onto their faces.

“Pfft—”

Someone finally burst out laughing.

That was the spark, and soon the laughter exploded throughout the City Square.

The sound was deafening, so loud you could hear it from a block away.

These bursts of laughter pierced the hearts of many followers of the Church of Heavenly Justice like invisible daggers.

Overwhelmed with shame, the devout couldn’t take it any longer and fled like scared dogs, muttering “God bless” as they disappeared.

Honestly, it wasn’t surprising that the other faiths revelled in the church’s misfortune.

People had been suffering under the Church of Heavenly Justice for ages.

If there was a religious pecking order in Orlen City, the Church of Heavenly Justice undoubtedly reigned at the top.

With the most followers, the most sealed items, and the strongest transcendent power, they looked down on all other faiths.

This arrogance manifested in countless little ways in daily life, making them feel high and mighty.

But now, with just a banner and an empty glass box, their haughty pride had been thoroughly crushed.

The invisible hands behind this fundraising event, through such a simple maneuver, had managed to unite the remaining eleven faiths.

Even the followers themselves mysteriously rallied together, reaching a consensus to stomp hard on the once-mighty Church of Heavenly Justice.

The devotees who usually stood atop the pecking order were now effectively at the bottom.

Meanwhile, the Silan Sect took advantage of the initial fundraising windfall and significantly swelled its ranks.

Late that night, at the Church of Heavenly Justice.

Bishop Mozell paced back and forth in his room, his expression shifting from grim to tranquil, then to furious, then to despairing.

Today’s incident at the City Square reached his ears once again.

This was undoubtedly another blow to the already restless Mozell.

During the recent evening prayer session, the participating followers, after the prayers concluded, strangely chose to linger in the church.

While they didn’t voice any accusations, their silent, disappointed gazes spoke volumes of their protest.

It was clear that the recent events had impacted these previously devout followers.

They were shocked that the supposedly wealthiest Church of Heavenly Justice had chosen silence amidst this city-wide fundraising activity.

It seemed to scream, “Yes, this is us; we’re neither kind nor generous.”

Dammit! Mozell thought, heading to the dining table to pour himself a strong drink, which he downed in one go.

Should I compromise?

No.

Compromising would lead to the worst losses.

As the last church to donate, showing no sincerity at all would effectively mean bowing to Duke Tilius.

The great nobles standing behind him, as well as the headquarters of the Church of Heavenly Justice far away in the Imperial Capital, wouldn’t allow such a disgrace.

But if he persisted stubbornly, the fifteen thousand sources of faith in Orlen City would certainly be shaken.

No matter what choice he made, he was already in a trap, caught between a rock and a hard place.

The most crucial issue was that there were only three days left until the Second Prince arrived in Orlen City.

If this matter wasn’t handled properly in these three days, he’d find it hard to live with himself.

With that thought, a bead of sweat formed on Mozell’s forehead.

Whether it was from anxiety or the heat of the alcohol, he wasn’t sure—wait!

In a daze, he suddenly caught a whiff of something burning.

At that moment, someone began pounding on his door.

“Bishop! It’s bad! The church is on fire!!!”

“The flames started from the Doctrine House and the monastery, and they’re getting out of control! Please, you need to evacuate the church immediately!”

How could this happen?! Why did so much misfortune keep befalling him lately?! At that moment, Mozell felt like he was about to explode.

Even though as a Fourth Stage Transcendent, he didn’t have to worry about burning to death, he decided to follow his subordinate’s advice and step outside to handle the situation.

Just as he was about to leave, something struck him, and he paused, glancing instinctively towards a specific spot on his bookshelf.

Those boxes had hidden mechanisms and heavy wall protection; they shouldn’t catch fire, right? Mozell hesitated.

Duke Tilius’s army had recently camped outside the city, and he couldn’t openly transport this money to the Imperial Capital, so he had to keep it hidden in his room for now.

No one but him knew about its existence.

Mozell planned to personally present this money to the Second Prince as kingly selection funds when he arrived in Orlen City.

Meanwhile, there came more urges from outside.

“I’m coming.”

He replied impatiently, suppressing his lingering doubts, and left his room.

What Mozell didn’t know was that everything he just did had been seen from a figure lurking outside his window.

When Mozell reached the church entrance, he found a dense crowd of people had inexplicably gathered.

These were the devout followers of the Church of Heavenly Justice.

Living nearby, they rushed over upon hearing news of the fire.

Worried, they gazed at the church engulfed in flames, some even instinctively kneeling down to pray.

Though Mozell felt impatient, he still forced a warm demeanor on his face: “Don’t worry, everyone, it’s just a minor incident. The fire will be contained shortly; God will protect us.”

Meanwhile, he couldn’t shake a tiny shred of doubt.

With the church’s security and building materials, could it really be that easy to spark such a large fire?

But before he could delve deeper, the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.

Upon learning the situation, the devoted followers wore delighted expressions.

“God bless.”

“Mozell is always reliable!”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t impact the upcoming Samuel ceremonies.”