The silver-armored priest remained prostrate on the floor, not daring to stand for the longest time. He looked like a student called upon by the headmaster to answer a question and then left hanging aside, neither knowing what to do nor daring to make a move until given his next instruction.
The corner of the brown-haired young man's lips curved into a smile that was both unnerving and mesmerizing.
Looking at him now, the priest was finally certain that there wasn't the slightest bit of bluster in this man—only the composure of a truly supreme powerhouse.
The fact that he couldn't sense his opponent's strength at all was simply because the chasm between their powers was vastly too wide.
Being capable of using a Tier 7 magic card guaranteed at bare minimum that he was a Tier 7 powerhouse.
Furthermore, an uneasy sense of dread made him suspect... the man might even be...
"If you know you're in the wrong, just do as I say," Lanqi said, lightly raising his hand and waving the back of it.
What a pity that this man was an evangelist under the Bishop of Domination.
Supposedly, the hot-tempered Bishop of Domination and the sinister, crafty Bishop of Extinction had never gotten along, and they had even come to blows on more than one occasion. Starting from the Domination branch made it rather difficult to establish a connection with Extinction.
Lanqi had no interest in meeting the Bishop of Domination, holder of the [Original Slate - Basic]. To him, that was the most useless slate of all, with an effect that merely enhanced standard attack power. What was more, once one officially entered the Domination branch, any path toward joining the Extinction Branch to seek out the Bishop of Extinction and the [Original Slate - Seal] would be virtually cut off.
"You..."
*Are you letting me off just like that?*
The silver-armored priest could hardly believe that someone from the Bishop of Destruction's faction could be so magnanimous. Could it be that all the terrible rumors surrounding the Southern Continent's Bishop of Destruction, Ivanos, and his cultists were merely slander manufactured by his arch-nemesis, Loren, hiring paid smear campaigns?
*Most likely.*
—the silver-armored priest concluded.
And so, trembling, the silver-armored priest picked himself up from the floor, bowed solemnly to Lanqi, and no longer dared pry into this lord's affairs.
Just as the silver-armored priest was about to take his leave as instructed—
"Hold on a moment."
Lanqi's voice made the silver-armored priest stiffen his spine subconsciously. He turned back around, fixing his eyes on Lanqi.
Fleeing was entirely out of the question; he knew that all too well.
"You hit someone, right? Remember to apologize to the viscount," Lanqi said placidly.
Since this lot was also operating in Lilom City, Lanqi decided it was best to rein them in a bit for the sake of order and stability in his upcoming teaching environment.
"Understood." Cold sweat broke out across the silver-armored priest's back as he nodded gravely.
It seemed Viscount Francis had treated this lord exceptionally well, prompting a high priest of Tier 7 or higher to shield the mere lord of an out-of-the-way little town in such a manner.
Fortunately, he hadn't laid a hand on Viscount Francis himself; otherwise, there probably would have been no room left for compromise.
It appeared he would have to show far more deference to Viscount Francis in the city from now on.
"You mentioned earlier that you have your own tasks as well. Tell me about them," Lanqi said.
He thought he might as well use this chance to learn about the Domination branch's activities.
He had only just skimmed the empire's "version update" announcement and now possessed a preliminary understanding of the empire's situation.
The silver-armored priest then explained to Lanqi how the Bishop of Domination had instructed them to operate within the bounds of the law, combining wisdom and strength as priests across various towns to gain the absolute trust and conviction of the residents, making them accept their doctrine.
"And so you planned to take total control over a viscount who was already getting in your way?"
After listening, Lanqi shook his head.
"Please enlighten me, my lord."
Lanqi's disapproving reaction made the silver-armored priest feel uneasy, and he hurriedly asked for Lanqi's guidance.
His wholehearted submission in this moment sprang not just from fear, but even more from an admiration for the strong—the very creed the Domination branch adhered to.
Beyond wielding overwhelming martial might, this lord was clearly far beyond ordinary priests like him in both intellect and breadth of vision.
What stood out most about him was that calm, composed, refined demeanor of a scholar.
Perhaps the horizon within his gaze was a distant realm that minor priests like themselves could never hope to see.
"Regarding the Governor-General's office of the Southwestern Province... while their official stance is to comply with the imperial capital's orders and accommodate the Resurrection Church as much as possible, haven't you felt that their tolerance is a bit excessive?"
Lanqi slid a newspaper across to the silver-armored priest and asked.
"This..."
The silver-armored priest received the newspaper with both hands, staring at the printed words as if taking a reading comprehension test. Growing increasingly anxious, he couldn't fathom what Lanqi meant by such a question.
"The local magistrates were previously dominated by the conservatives," Lanqi mused with a sigh, then followed with another question. "Now that they've given you every opportunity to run wild, what do you think all of this will turn into?"
"I... I don't know..."
Seeing the silver-armored priest fail to answer after a long pause, Lanqi simply gave him the answer.
"It will turn into count after count of damning evidence against the Resurrection Church and the war faction's policy."
Lanqi let out a breath and tapped the cover of the law code on the desk with his finger.
"The conservatives have only chosen to compromise with the war faction, which holds popular favor at this political juncture. But that compromise is merely temporary. If they truly want to investigate, what couldn't they uncover? The more ruthlessly efficient you are now, the more violent the eventual reckoning will be. What you are doing right now is doing nothing less than handing the conservatives the leverage they need to overturn the Resurrection Church Legalization Act."
Lanqi explained patiently to the silver-armored priest.
When a student showed an eagerness to learn, he would naturally instruct him with earnest diligence.
Nestled in Lanqi's shadow, Boss Cat kept silent. It was just a cat; it didn't understand the political maneuvering.
It felt things might not actually be that way. It had spent quite a while reading the papers alongside Lanqi just now, and it simply felt the local magistrates of the Southwestern Province had collectively chickened out...
Yet when Lanqi put it this way, it seemed as if he could spin white into black.
"My lord, what brilliant insights do you have?"
The silver-armored priest's face gradually turned pale. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt, cursing himself for his lack of foresight and intellect, and dreading that he had nearly done something that ran entirely counter to what the Bishop of Domination actually hoped they would achieve.
The Bishop of Domination had repeatedly emphasized beforehand that they must rely more on wisdom and not solely on brute strength. Now, it seemed that perfectly aligned with the truth pointed out by this gentleman!
"Naturally, we cannot give these conservatives any chance to entrap us or catch us committing crimes. In times like this, what we must do is prove through our actions that the empire's decision was correct."
"Then... what should we do?"
"Now that the Resurrection Church is a legitimate enterprise in the Northern Continent, it needs standardized corporate management, along with a positive, healthy corporate culture and core values. Only then can we win the public's favor, rehabilitate our image, become what the people desire, and leave the conservatives without a shred of leverage, fundamentally defeating their scheme."
"You mean...?"
The silver-armored priest's eyes gradually focused, looking as though he understood a little.
"Thoroughly implement the foundational concept of shared prosperity with the residents of Lilom City; keep a positive attitude of diligent labor and respect for learning before your eyes; keep the two principles of abiding by the law and acting with honesty and integrity close to heart; ground yourselves in the present while looking to the long term; seize the shifting tides and opportunities of our era with a holistic and forward-looking vision; accelerate the development of Lilom City; and achieve positive, healthy, and sustained revenue growth for the enterprise..."
Lanqi lectured the silver-armored priest.
The sheer volume of information caused the silver-armored priest's brain to freeze up, rendering him unable to utter a single word for quite some time.
"This is a prime opportunity to seize market share. Now that the Church of the Goddess of Fate has departed, we must satisfy market demand and fill this void. That way, without you even having to lift a finger, the townspeople will beg you not to leave."
From there, Lanqi launched into a comprehensive argument and detailed work directives for the silver-armored priest.
Even Boss Cat in the shadow was left dumbfounded.
*Could this kid actually be brainwashing the Resurrection Church?!*
Chapter 243