Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 375: One Day's Work (8k2, great coding attribute!)
Luo Xiu smoothed his robe and walked into the Holy Court.

When the Holy Inquisitors on duty at the gate saw the "Bishop" of the church coming, they bowed to him and performed the sacrament, and Luo Xiu nodded in response.

Stepping into the Holy Inquisition, Luo Xiu saw the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, the "Pastor of Purification" Howard, already waiting in the outer court.

He was doing a final check with the church's inquisitors on the list of clergy who were seriously injured or sacrificed in the previous defense battle.

When he heard footsteps coming from outside the door, Howard turned around and saw the figure of Luo Xiu, the "bishop" of the church.

He immediately stopped what he was doing with the other Inquisitors, bowed slightly to the "Bishop" Luo Xiu, and performed the sacrament -

"Greetings, Bishop."

Howard first greeted "Bishop" Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu raised his arm and waved, indicating that they did not need to go through the complicated formalities. A solemn and serious expression appeared on his face, and then he said to Howard:

"I've heard Columbine say that."

"You have compiled a list of the martyrs of the previous wars - tell me what you have finally compiled."

"..."

"My Lord, Bishop."

Howard had a sad look on his face and said in a low voice:

"We - a total of sixty-three comrades lost their lives, truly following the Great Sun for a moment."

"..."

Sixty-three clergymen...

This number was somewhat beyond Luo Xiu's expectations.

His expression became even more solemn.

This is the largest number of clergy casualties since the establishment of the Red Maple City Church.

However, the joint siege by the three "executioners" of the Black Army was the biggest crisis that Maple City had ever encountered. Even with Luo Xiu and Albert stabilizing the situation, the sacrifice situation of the church was still not optimistic.

The situation at the other two major settlements, "Bianting" and "Fangbeiyuan", is not expected to be much better...

"Four 'Holy Inquisitors' and thirty-two 'Holy Inquisitors' died on the battlefield. Among the comrades who went to the front line, two 'deacons' and twenty-five clergymen who were originally from the 'Preaching Place' and the 'Secret Place' also died unfortunately."

"Besides that, the number of injured comrades is twice the number of casualties. Nearly half of the comrades in the Holy Inquisition have been injured to varying degrees. Fortunately, at least most of the comrades are not in danger of death."

After finishing this most depressing report, Howard raised his head and glanced at his "bishop".

Luo Xiu's face became even more solemn and serious. His eyes met Howard's for a moment, and he spoke at the same time, saying to Howard:
"Keep going, Howard."

"...Yes, Bishop."

Howard then went on to say:

"After that, I will report to you about the matter we just agreed on, which is to provide compensation to our fallen and injured comrades."

"For those who lost their lives for the holy cause - for those who are deacons, one year's benefice and a pension of three thousand imperial gold coins will be issued to their families; for those who are full-time clergy, one year's benefice and a pension of one thousand imperial gold coins will be issued; for those who are apprentices, three years' benefice will be issued..."

"For those who were injured in the holy cause of the church, two months' pension will be given to those with minor injuries as compensation, and half a year's pension will be given to those with serious injuries. They will receive the best treatment until their injuries are fully healed and they can return to their posts."

"I have reached an agreement with the missionary priest, Her Excellency Gracia. The compensation to be paid to the sacrificed and injured clergy is about 150,000 gold coins. I have asked the clergy of the missionary to calculate and count the specific details. It should be sent to the bishop of your Holy Office in the afternoon. Please make the final check and approval."

"..."

This is all that Howard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, reported to Luo Xiu.

While Howard was talking, Luo Xiu was listening attentively. When Howard finished speaking, Luo Xiu nodded solemnly and said:

"I already know that, Howard."

"It's just that there are some places where I want to make some changes—"

In front of Howard, the "bishop" of the Red Maple City Church, Ross Carlos, said solemnly:

“As for the compensation for the fallen and wounded comrades, I hope to double the proposed amount again… There should be enough savings in the treasury of the mission. After deducting the necessary expenses, if there is still a shortage, it will be allocated from my personal stipend.”

Luo Xiu said this very seriously, and he really thought so -

His own stipend in the "Holy See" system is one thousand gold coins a week, plus the rewards he received from the General Church for his various achievements, his current savings in the "Holy See" should have reached more than 40,000 gold coins.

These are only the visible accounts, and Luo Xiu has never used them. He has always spent the profits from the deposits of the "Golden Country Bank".

The clergy who sacrificed themselves for the cause of the church - as a "bishop", he would never be stingy, nor would he care or worry about these things.

"You mean... double it?"

Howard had a surprised expression on his face.

His warrior-like face covered with scars was a little stunned, and he asked Luo Xiu tentatively for confirmation:

"...In that case, it would be three hundred thousand... I need to confirm this with the mission station, but it should be no problem."

"In any case - thank you, Bishop Rosius, on behalf of my fellow martyrs who have died for the holy cause."

"..."

When Howard thanked Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu just nodded slightly in response.

He said nothing more, but continued to walk into the Inquisition, while Howard, Pamier and other high-ranking clergy of the Inquisition followed closely beside or behind Luo Xiu.

As you step from the outer court into the Holy Court's hall, the rich aroma of incense hits you in the face.

The bodies of the sacrificed priests lay quietly on the cold white stone slabs, and a white cloth with a golden sun pattern on it was gently covered over them.

The air was filled with a sad and sacred silence. No one spoke. They just looked quietly at their former comrades who were covered with white cloth.

After standing there for a long time, Luo Xiu said to Howard, the "priest" who had been waiting beside him, "The soul-sending ceremony for them will be held in one day."

"Before that, notify all clergy of the church - tomorrow is the day of mourning. Stop all your work and come here to pay your last respects to your martyred comrades."

"..."

"I will obey your instructions, Bishop."

Howard nodded in response:
"I will tell this to every clergyman in the church as you said."

"Yeah." Luo Xiu nodded slightly.

He immediately looked inside the hall and saw the bodies of the clergy covered with white cloth on the ground. Sorrow could not be suppressed and revealed on his face.

His right hand was placed lightly on his chest, and as a "bishop", he offered the highest sacrament to the victims in front of him:
"May your souls...go to the eternal heaven."

He lowered his eyes and prayed in a low but clear voice.

……

After delivering the farewell speech for the victims and finally agreeing with Howard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, on the time for the farewell "soul-sending ceremony", Luo Xiu, accompanied by Howard, Pamier and other high-ranking people, walked towards the inner court of the Holy Inquisition.

On the way, the "Guiding Priest" Colen came to the Holy Inquisition and informed Luo Xiu that the envoy of the "Border Court" had arrived at the Holy Inquisition and was waiting.

He was in the reception room of the inner courtyard of the Holy Inquisition. Luo Xiu asked Colen to accompany him there first, while he brought Howard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, and Pamier, the "Grand Judge", to meet him.

As for the Chen Hall where the bodies of the victims were placed, Luo Xiu asked Howard to dispatch ten Holy Judges to guard it day and night, and not allow any unauthorized persons to enter.

……

five minutes later.

Luo Xiu, the "bishop" of the Songyuan City Church, brought Howard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, and Pamier, the "chief judge" of the Holy Inquisition, to the door of the reception room where the border envoys were.

Colen had been waiting at the door for a long time, and when he saw the "Bishop" Luo Xiu finally arrive, he first gave Luo Xiu the sacrament, and then pushed open the door of the reception room which was only slightly closed for his bishop.

Creaky - there was a slight sound of door hinges turning, and the door of the reception room slowly opened. Three figures sat on the seats on the other side of the reception room.

Luo Xiu looked over and quickly recognized them——

They are all old acquaintances.

——The messengers sent by the "Border Court" are the 'Grand Inquisitor' Baines, the 'Knight of the Throne' Frosa, and the 'Lord of Red Maple City' Nelson!

When they saw the "bishop" of the Red Maple City Church, Ross Carlos, arrive, they all stood up from their seats at the same time.

"It turns out to be you."

Luo Xiu smiled and walked towards the three "Border Court" envoys. He extended his right hand and greeted them:

"Long time no see, Lord Baines, Lord Frosa, and Lord Nelson."

A smile also appeared on Baines' face - but that smile was somewhat bitter. He also stretched out his right hand and gently shook hands with Luo Xiu's right hand.

"You are now the 'bishop'. According to the etiquette of the Law Office, we should call you 'Your Excellency', and you can just call us by our names."

Baines said this, and the "Throne Knight" Frosa beside him remained silent as usual, but he also stretched out his hand and gently shook hands with Luo Xiu.

When it was Lord Nelson's turn, an apologetic expression appeared on his face. He bowed deeply to Luo Xiu but did not extend his hand.

As the Lord of Nelson, he no longer has the qualifications to directly contact and talk with Luo Xiu, whose rank is "Bishop", and according to imperial law, he naturally has no qualifications to shake hands with Luo Xiu.

The reason why he appeared here was simply because Albert did it on purpose, and his current identity was the "waiter" of Baines, Frosa and others.

Luo Xiu also knew this. He just extended his hand to Nelson, then he raised it slightly and patted Nelson on the shoulder.

This is not contrary to Nelson's identity - it was visibly seen that City Lord Nelson seemed relieved.

After that, Luo Xiu turned around and walked to the main seat and sat down.

When the "bishop" took his seat, Howard and Pamier were still standing on his left and right. Luo Xiu signaled the guests to take their seats first.

After Baines and Frosa sat down again, Luo Xiu signaled to both sides and Howard sat in the seat to Luo Xiu's left, while Pamier sat in a smaller seat to Luo Xiu's right.

The only person who did not take a seat in the reception room - Lord Nelson - stood behind Baines and Frosa with his hands hanging down.

"Well, then, your Excellency."

The "Grand Inquisitor" Baines spoke first. He greeted Luo Xiu first:

"General Albert asked us to express our sincere greetings to you."

"We are here this time to convey something to you on behalf of General Albert. The general said that he will not forget his promise to you."

"..."

"…A promise to me?"

Luo Xiu smiled at Baines, thinking about the "promise" in his heart. He then listened to Baines continue:

"General Albert asked us to tell you that he had promised you to compile a list of all the losses suffered by the church and send someone to the border to inform him. The general had agreed with you that he would compensate for all the losses suffered by the church."

"..."

Oh, that's it.

At that time, on the wall of Red Maple City, Albert did say that he would compensate the church for all its losses.

Luo Xiu thought about it and recalled the scene at that time.

But at that time, his attention was mainly attracted by other things that Albert said - about the fallen [Authority], and Albert's warning to him to avoid using the authority of [Isol Time Chain] in front of the [Supreme] one.

Now that he thought about it, Albert seemed to have said that he would take the initiative to "reimburse" the church, including the loss of weapons and equipment, the consumption of props and potions, and also the pension that he had just agreed with Howard.

"I will ask the clergy to sort these out and then send someone to inform the border court."

Luo Xiu smiled and responded to Baines, "Thank you again, Sir Albert, for me."

That might cost Albert a lot of money—

"Okay, Your Excellency." Baines nodded slightly, and then told Luo Xiu the second thing:
"Also, General Albert asked us to bring his gift. The general said that it was to repay your support on the battlefield."

"When we came here, we brought with us two thousand Imperial platinum coins, sixty pieces of equipment of 'rare' or above, five thousand bottles of primary healing potions, two thousand bottles of intermediate healing potions, one hundred high-level purification scrolls, six pieces of 'epic' quality materials, and one piece of 'legendary' quality material..."

"We have already handed over these 'gifts' to the clergy of the church mission station. They are now stored in the church's holy storage hall. Please be sure to accept them."

"Also, we are still counting the supplies seized from the battlefield. Once the count is complete, 30% of the weapons, equipment, tools, and materials that the church can use will be delivered to the church."

"..."

There are so many... Hearing Baines calling out these "gifts" like naming dishes, even Luo Xiu couldn't help but be stunned.

The two thousand Imperial platinum coins donated by Albert alone - which were equivalent to two hundred thousand Imperial gold coins - were enough to directly cover the previously 'doubled' pension, with some left over.

In this way, the funds for the expansion of the church have become much more abundant, and some qualified believers can be recruited to become "clergymen". Better treatment can also be offered to attract players who have not yet joined the church.

However, I have to say that...

[Supreme] is really rich!
In Luo Xiu's memory, not only Albert, but also Baines and even Lord Nelson brought gifts to the church when they "visited" the church several times before, which basically started from five figures.

It was as if the money came from the wind. If he did not have many private properties in the "Golden Country Bank", he would probably be dizzy by all these huge gifts!

While thinking about this, Luo Xiu heard the "Great Inquisitor" Baines, the guest, talking about the third thing -

"In addition, the Royal Guard Knights of the Border Court have already pursued and annihilated 60% to 70% of the escaping Black Army. This Red Maple City defense battle is indeed a rare and great victory on the frontier of Songyuan Territory."

"Do you remember, Bishop? When you were the 'high priest' of the Red Maple City Church, you told me about the idea of ​​'counterattacking the Dark Principality' -"

Baines' eyes were bright, and he was full of energy when he said this to Luo Xiu. He continued:

"At that time, I had already discussed this matter with Frosa, and after General Albert, the Thunderbolt, officially arrived in Red Maple City and took over the Border, Frosa and I mentioned this matter to General Albert again."

"General Albert also agrees with your proposal, but at that time, the Empire's focus was still on resolving the rebellion of the 'Bloody Declaration' in Kuma Territory. As an important frontier fortress on the border of Songyuan Territory, we must cooperate with the Empire's overall military strategy - that is, to defend this place and hold on to the 'Red Maple City Fortress', and not let the forces of the Dark Army and the Holy Tower Church tear open a gap from us, and let even a small group of Dark Army infiltrate into the heart of the Empire."

"And now - the rebellion of the Bloody Declaration has been suppressed and pacified by the Emperor's Divine Seal Knights. The empire's military strategy will also be adjusted from now on. Emperor Augustwell has shown us a new direction - now is indeed the time for a 'great counterattack'. The time is ripe."

"..."

The light in Baines' eyes became more and more intense. As he spoke these words, the armor worn by the "Knight of the Throne" Frosa beside him trembled slightly, revealing his equally fiery and excited heart.

While Baines was saying this, Luo Xiu also felt excited and inspired in his heart.

He has been waiting for this moment for a long time, and he has been "guarding" Red Maple City for too long!
He longed for a counterattack, and also urgently needed to plunder more or save more through a "counterattack".

"So, what do you mean?"

Looking directly into Baines's eyes, which were shining with fiery light, Luo Xiu asked him, "Sir Albert, what decision will be made?"

"General Albert has received a direct order from Marquis Vizia - the Border will complete the recruitment and preparation within half a month, and in mid-March, in conjunction with the main force of Songyuan, formally launch a counterattack against the Dark Principality."

Baines looked at Bishop Luo Xiu and responded to him:
"For this reason, General Albert asked us to come to the church and extend an invitation to you."

"In three days, the Border Court will hold a dinner to celebrate the victory. General Albert invites you to the Border Court. By then, the two deans of the Fangbei Court will also go there."

"General Albert, I would like to discuss matters related to the 'Judgment Expedition' with you."

"This is an invitation, please accept it."

As he spoke, Baines reached into his bosom and took out an exquisite invitation card in ochre red with gold foil stamping. He stood up from his seat, walked to Luo Xiu's seat, and handed the invitation card to him with both hands.

With this invitation, it is a "formal invitation".

At the beginning, Albert asked Luo Xiu to go to the border several times, but he only asked the envoy to "verbally convey" it and did not hand over an invitation. His purpose was just to establish his authority.

But now it is different. This invitation will smooth out the cognitive differences in identity, and truly put the "bishop" of the church and the "general" of the border court on the same level. This is the meaning of the "invitation" -

"I did."

Luo Xiu responded gently, and at the same time stretched out his right hand and took the invitation from Baines.

He opened the invitation in front of Baines, and found that there was indeed an invitation written in dark golden handwriting. After confirming that the "General Albert" did not use a fake invitation to deceive him, Luo Xiu closed the invitation again, put it back in his arms, and said to Baines with a smile:

"Thank Sir Albert for me."

"In three days, I will go to the side court to attend the celebratory dinner hosted by Mr. Albert."

"Thank you, Your Excellency the Bishop." Baines bowed to Luo Xiu and then returned to his seat but did not sit down.

The "Knight of the Throne" Froza beside him stood up. Baines saluted Luo Xiu again and said:

"So, we came to the church this time under the order of General Albert, mainly to convey these things—"

"Since General Albert's intention has been conveyed to you, please allow us to take our leave first, Your Excellency the Bishop."

"..."

After Baines said goodbye to him, Howard, the "priest" of the Inquisition next to Luo Xiu, and Pamier, the "chief judge" also stood up at the same time. After Luo Xiu nodded, they led Baines, Frosa and Nelson out of the reception room and left the "Inquisition".

Luo Xiu also left the reception room. His attendant clergyman, "guiding pastor" Colen, had been waiting outside the door of the reception room. After his "bishop" Luo Xiu walked out, he walked into the reception room, wiped and straightened the chair, and then turned off the hanging lamp on the wall.

……

Afterwards, accompanied by the "guiding pastor" Colen, Luo Xiu went to the mission station and the secret place respectively.

He first confirmed at the missionary center that he had received the gift from Albert, the 'Thunder General' of the Border Court, and then asked the missionary center's "priest" Gracia to quickly count all the losses of the church, and asked her to contact the 'Secret Office' after the statistics were completed, find the "priest" of the Secret Office, Fran, and ask him to personally report the losses to the Border Court.

That "Thunder General" Albert doesn't seem to like owing favors to others. It just so happens that the church is in a state of rapid development and is short of money, and it is not easy for him to take back the assets of the "Golden Country Bank" to give back to the church. Since Albert is willing to be the big brother of the church, Luo Xiu is also very happy!
Over at the "Secret House", Luo Xiu mentioned the matter again to the "priest" of the Secret House, Fran Demir, and Fran accepted the order without asking any further questions.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu and Fran worked together to process several cooperation applications submitted by non-governmental organizations to the church, which covered areas including but not limited to construction, publicity, collection, forging, recycling, etc. Luo Xiu approved some of them, put some of them under consideration, and directly rejected several cooperation applications that were obviously problematic.

When the urgent matters of the three major sanctuaries were almost dealt with, Luo Xiu went to the "Holy Office" again and entered his bishop's room. As expected, he saw a thick stack of files on the table.

Some of them were accumulated from the past few days, but more were added today. In addition to the important matters that he had just dealt with directly with the priests of the three major sanctuaries, these "relatively unimportant matters" placed on his desk between bishops were the source of most of Luo Xiu's heavy workload.

"..."

Looking at the thick stack of documents on the table, Luo Xiu looked somewhat helpless.

He suddenly had an idea - if he could train a "protagonist" to handle these complicated church affairs on his behalf most of the time, then he might be able to free himself to a great extent and at least ensure his sleep quality...

As he thought about this, a very suitable candidate emerged in his mind.

——Anthony, who was promoted by himself to be the “High Priest”!
Although Anthony, who is in charge of the "priests" of the three major sanctuaries, is already very busy, um... but compared to himself as the "bishop", there is still a lot of room for exploration!

Luo Xiu suddenly thought of the old captain.

He looked at the "guiding priest" Colen who was about to close the door and go out to wait, and called him -

"Wait a minute, Coren."

"..."

"What do you want, Bishop?"

Colen stopped preparing to close the door, returned to the room, bowed slightly to Luo Xiu, and then asked respectfully.

"Go find Anthony and ask him to come over. Tell him I have something to talk to him about."

"You mean the Grand Priest?"

Colen asked Luo Xiu again for confirmation.

After his "bishop" nodded slightly to indicate that this was the case, Colen left the room again and headed towards the "missionary station" where Anthony was supposed to be handling matters.

By then, um. By then, Anthony will be paid three times the amount...

Triple overtime! .jpg
Looking in the direction where Colen had just left, Luo Xiu thought about this and made a decision.

At the same time, he pulled over the thick stack of files in front of him and divided about one-third of them and placed them on the other side. That was the workload that would be assigned to "High Priest" Anthony, to make him work overtime!
Afterwards, Luo Xiu devoted himself to the work of reviewing these files without distraction.

Until Anthony arrived, Anthony saw the thick stack of files on the table, Anthony was confused, Anthony was forced to work overtime, Anthony and Luo Xiu finished processing the pile of files together -

It was almost evening.

……

at dusk.

Looking at Anthony, whose face was obviously covered with dark spots of fatigue, and the two stacks of files that had been reviewed on the table, Luo Xiu showed a satisfied smile on his face.

Originally - according to Luo Xiu's estimation of his own work efficiency, it would take him at least until evening to finish all of this by himself.

Anthony was captured and used as a soldier. Although he had little experience in handling these files, it did save Luo Xiu a lot of time, allowing him to have more energy to do other things.

Patting Anthony on the shoulder, his "bishop" Luo Xiu said to him approvingly:

"Thank you for your hard work, Anthony."

"As the 'high priest', it is necessary to learn how to handle these complicated matters."

"..."

Really? Really?

Anthony thought with some doubt, he really didn't expect that he had just been promoted to "High Priest" and he would have to help deal with such trivial and heavy affairs.

But then he heard Luo Xiu continue to say to him:
"Your beneficence for this week - I will have the mission pay you three times as much. Come back here around eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"I……"

Anthony seemed to want to say something, but when his eyes met Luo Xiu's expectant eyes, he swallowed back what he was about to say.

Never mind... just helping the bishop with the paperwork would earn me three times the stipend! Unless I was working hard to carry out various "holy judgment" tasks, I wouldn't get such a high stipend!
It's just a bit useless, in a sense, even more useless than the "Holy Inquisition" mission -

Anthony thought about this, and finally compromised, nodded and said:

"it is good."

"Then I'll come back tomorrow morning."

As soon as he finished saying this, he suddenly remembered that Howard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition, had just conveyed the "bishop's" instructions to all the clergy of the church - tomorrow is the 'Day of Sacrifice', and all the clergy must put down their work.

But Anthony didn't ask any more questions, he knew that he might be the only "special case" at this equally special time point.

While thinking about this, Anthony stood up from his seat, said goodbye to Luo Xiu again, walked out of the bishops' room and left the Holy Office.

Luo Xiu then called in the "guiding priest" Colen, who had been standing outside the door, and asked him to seal up the files that had been reviewed and distribute them back to the various sanctuaries the next day. Then he left the bishops' room and the Holy Office.

……

When Luo Xiu walked out of the courtyard of the Holy Office.

The sun was about to set, leaving only a tiny outline above the mountains at the end of the field of vision, dyeing the surrounding clouds a fiery orange-red.

Having finally finished today's church affairs, Luo Xiu went to the "Forge Manor" and, as usual, purified the Seal of Ignorance for a "Gravel" dwarf.

Afterwards, he returned to the church and went back to his own bedroom in the "Holy See", pulled up the golden barrier and opened the panel.

In the [Player Forum] and [Chat Panel], he watched with interest the players chatting happily, a faint smile appearing on the corners of his mouth.

Now that he has nothing to do and has finally finished his church work, he can finally start to take good care of his players.

On the back of his hand, the mark of the dragon claw had already appeared, flashing a flickering dark red light.

That will be at nightfall.

Just now, when a wave of major events has just passed——

"Holy Abyss" has finally waited for the opportunity to appear in front of the players.

And his apostles of "Holy Abyss" have been waiting for a long time in every corner of Red Maple City.

……

(End of this chapter)