Lanqi sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips tapping the air with natural ease. His gaze was clear and sharp, his tone warm yet disciplined, conveying only a profound love for his career and a deep sense of responsibility.
The silver-armored priest listened with exceptional focus, his eyes tracking his superior closely as if afraid to miss a single word, occasionally nodding gently.
Even though his brain felt close to melting.
What they were supposed to do seemed remarkably similar to what the Church of the Goddess of Fate had been doing—perhaps even a step above.
At first, it sounded a bit bizarre, but the more he listened, the more visionary and forward-thinking he found Lanqi. Going about it this way might genuinely win considerable prestige for the Bishop of Domination in a highly efficient manner, fostering rapid and healthy development for their entire branch in the Protos Empire. Most crucially, there was zero legal risk and no negative fallout—only the long-term benefits reaped continuously from early-stage investment.
"Remember, our fundamental nature must now shift toward being a charitable, public-welfare organization. Turn your work mindset around first. Everything we do is to seize market share."
After speaking, Lanqi looked into the silver-armored priest's eyes.
"How much of what I just said did you remember?"
In teaching, interaction with students as well as feedback and summaries were vital.
Especially in one-on-one tutoring, one couldn't simply spoon-feed knowledge points blindly; one had to constantly assess whether the student was keeping up.
"...Eighty to ninety percent!"
The silver-armored priest snapped back to his senses and hurriedly bowed before answering, neither daring to overstate nor understate.
Although he had taken it all in, he dreaded making an oversight during implementation and causing this lord to lose faith in him.
Lanqi looked over the silver-armored priest. From the look of it, the priest hadn't fully retained what Lanqi had just explained.
Still, he was likely malleable material; remembering even half of it was already pretty good.
So Lanqi picked up a notepad, jotted down the key points, and handed them over.
"Begin implementation tomorrow morning."
Putting away the pen, Lanqi continued, "I will be staying in Lilom City for a while. If you ever need to find me, place a pot of amber flowers in front of the temple entrance. Once I see it, I will reach out to you via sound transmission magic. I hope to see results soon."
"We will proceed exactly as you instructed tomorrow. If there is anywhere we fall short, please point it out to us, My Lord," the silver-armored priest promised solemnly.
Going by their previous line of thought, without this lord's guidance, they likely would have caused a massive disaster and ended up doing more harm than good to the Bishop of Domination.
Only this lord before him saw things with such clarity, laying out a systematic plan to help them achieve the Bishop of Domination's objectives.
Ever since the Protos Empire entered an official partnership with the Resurrection Church, three Cardinals in the Northern Continent had each sought to become the primary spokesperson overseeing the Resurrection Church's affairs in the empire.
However, the doctrines and philosophies of the three Cardinals differed entirely, and their subordinate cultists were utterly incapable of cooperating. Meanwhile, the Pope, who held the authority to make a direct ruling, had entered a Tier 9 Shadow World the previous year and hadn't shown himself in a long time.
At a critical juncture when the Protos Empire and the Resurrection Church had only just forged their cooperation, infighting to settle the matter by force was out of the question. After all, what the Protos Empire valued was utilizing the Resurrection Church's might for foreign matters and serving as a deterrent.
Consequently, after the Cardinals in the Northern Continent convened an episcopal council for internal negotiations, and with the House of Commons of the Protos Empire serving as an impartial mediator, a public vote was scheduled to be held in three months to choose one Cardinal as the representative of the Resurrection Church stationed in the Protos Empire.
All three candidate Cardinals agreed to the rules of the game: when the time came, they would abide by the outcome.
Whoever broke the rules would be killed by all the other Cardinals together—and in matters like this, the Cardinals certainly kept their word.
"You may go. If there is anything you don't understand, just ask. Don't worry about troubling me; my mission happens to be related to your work."
Lanqi waved his hand.
He felt that after settling into Lilom City, in addition to tutoring during the day, he would also have to work on his grand career blueprint in the Protos Empire at night.
When he met Hyperion, it would surely be a pleasant surprise for her.
She always seemed so worried about him, so this time, Lanqi was determined not to leave her with any doubts or anxieties.
"Understood."
Without another word, knowing this lord had crucial work and needed to maintain a low profile, the silver-armored priest bowed deeply and quickly took his leave.
Such magnanimity, thorough deliberation, and the demeanor of a true powerhouse and sage were qualities they all ought to emulate.
If they achieved good results, he would definitely make sure Great Priest Kane, who oversaw the Southwestern Province, had the chance to hear this gentleman's guidance.
...
After the silver-armored priest left, Boss Cat slipped nimbly out of Lanqi's shadow once more. It darted to the door to sense the surroundings, then ran back to the bed and leaped up beside Lanqi.
"Lanqi... what on earth do you want them to do?"
Boss Cat found it completely baffling. Why was it that even though it was genuinely Tier 7, it never possessed any intimidating aura, yet Lanqi, merely borrowing its tier for a bit of posturing, could scare someone half to death and bewitch them into total confusion? Lanqi was clearly very weak himself!
"Work diligently and practically, of course. There are so many areas in this town that can be developed. Facing the sea with forests at its back, all it lacks is young labor. You see, these cultists of the Domination branch have an excess of strength. If we have them pour everything into construction, this town will prosper in no time. As for the Southwestern Province, the stage is even larger, offering far more room for growth."
Lanqi stroked Boss Cat along its spine as he explained.
"?"
Boss Cat looked up, pondering back and forth.
At first, it had assumed Lanqi's coaching of the silver-armored priest was just an impromptu act.
Why did it seem now... kind of real?
"Still, once they fix their public image, I hope to focus primarily on media," Lanqi remarked with feeling. "My semester at Ikerite Academy taught me that the School of Alchemy's press agency is the most formidable weapon of all—it managed to send the dean straight behind bars."
If only he could find a genius reporter or even an editor-in-chief in the Northern Continent with talent comparable to Senior Luvishir.
Moreover, unlike Senior Luvishir, who loved covering political affairs, it would be best if this person excelled even more in operations, campaign planning, and packaging.
"Meow..."
Listening to Lanqi's mutterings, Boss Cat finally began to realize.
This kid was way too deep in character.
Here he was, earnestly planning work schedules for the Resurrection Church!
The silver-armored priest had already left—did Lanqi really think he was going to build a grand career in this twisted patch of the empire? Just hurry up, finish that "Visiting Slate Bearers" project with Little Hyperion, enjoy some sightseeing, and go home!
"..."
As Boss Cat thought, another realization suddenly dawned on it...
Wait, who was Lanqi supposed to visit again?
Chapter 244