Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 448 Do you want to easily earn 2000?

"Is it okay?"

Ginny observed Ethan carefully for a moment, then leaned closer to sniff him. She seemed to be used to similar attacks.

"It's alright... The Vatican's enforcement team seems to have identified the attackers as followers of Bazartos."

Upon hearing this, Lao Ba, the person involved, also perked up his ears.

Ginny had a different opinion: "Who knows? There are all sorts of opinions. Recently, the names of Bazatos, Sincarlo, and Caesaros have been mentioned repeatedly, but the methods of those attackers are far different from those of the evil god believers I know."

She felt that anyone with eyes could see the difference.

Bloody sacrifices and life-or-death pacts are what people traditionally associate with believers in evil gods.

In the past several eras, few people have heard of any follower of an evil god carrying an energy-storing crystal and using himself as a human bomb to attack a border checkpoint.

Unfortunately, there are not many discerning people in the Church of Life. Regardless of whether the attack was successful or not, these attackers were often confirmed to be believers in evil gods afterward. The Vatican even investigated and found that these radical believers in evil gods were instructed by the Empire. When these investigation results were published in many newspapers in the far west, it further deepened the residents' fear and hatred of the Empire.

As for the true identities of those people, and the reasons for launching attacks in public... who knows?

To put it bluntly, Ginny thought that at least Pope Carlo was quite happy to see these terrorists.

But as she said before, their opinions didn't matter. In the far west, no one wanted to listen to the opinions of neutral merchants like them. They just needed to deliver their goods to the local chamber of commerce as usual, then leave without interfering with each other.

Perhaps the truth isn't that important.

Even if there are many suspicious points about the way the attack was launched, and even if their name for the evil god sounds like that of an amateur, as long as the public believes the explanation in the newspapers, then these things are true.

In the simple understanding of the people in the far west, Pope Carlo is the representative of the goddess of life on earth. How could he lie to them?
"Moriko, Fuyuko, Bazi, my mission is complete. I still have some things to do at the Chamber of Commerce, so I won't stay with you. If I were you, I would try to avoid going to crowded public places, as those are the hardest-hit areas recently attacked."

As she spoke, Ginny suddenly remembered something and shook her bracelet, "Of course, if you plan to quickly earn Salvation Contribution Points, you can try your luck over there."

The moment the topic of contribution to saving the world comes up, Xiao An's tail immediately starts wagging in the air again.

300 contribution points, if converted into donations, would be equivalent to 300 gold lions. Even in a big city like the capital, that would be a considerable reward. And this was only her first day in the far west!
"This proves that Moriko and I are the most compatible partners in the world!"

Overjoyed, Little Dark firmly occupied the "VIP" seat above Ethan's head. After speaking, she even glared arrogantly at Winter. At least in the competition of contributions to saving the world, she had won fair and square.

The black cat straightened up and wrapped its tail around Ethan's neck.

There's no way around it, Moriko is only meant for the strong!
Now you know how incompetent you are, Dongzi!
Faced with Xiao An's provocation, Lin Dong grinned, revealing sharp fangs. The two cat ears on its head stood up straight, and its fluffy tail swayed rhythmically like a warlike rattlesnake.

Ethan understands winter.

She had no interest in such boring things as the contribution to saving the world. What really annoyed her was that someone had shamelessly taken her "VIP seat" and was standing there to taunt her. This triggered Winter's territorial instincts, making her feel that her authority had been challenged.

For his own physical and mental health, Ethan absolutely could not let the two cats fight.

"Xiao An, don't be so happy yet."

The first priority is to calm down Xiao An, who is overly excited about winning against Winter. "Think carefully, what is the full name of this contribution point?"

"Salvation contribution points, what's wrong?"

“That’s right, isn’t the situation obvious now?” Ethan easily grasped Xiao An’s weakness, leading her step by step into his rhetoric trap. “In other words, the more contribution points someone gets, the more good things they do for the country. As the name suggests, the person who gets the most points can be described as a ‘savior.’ He will become a hero in the eyes of the people and will be invited by the Pope to the Cathedral of the Crown of Dawn to receive an award.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao An, who had been smug just a second ago, froze instantly, her body trembling several times.

Seeing this, Ethan lowered his voice and questioned Xiao An seriously, "Is your dream to become a moral role model in people's eyes?"

His question was forceful and resounding. The black cat on the top of the head opened its mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. The thought of herself ascending the high platform of the Crown of Dawn amidst people's flowers and applause made her feel nauseous.

I can't take it anymore, I'm about to throw up!

I withdraw—

"But do you know what the most evil thing in the world is?"

Just as Ethan was secretly relieved, Winter, who was on the verge of exhaling, said something chillingly.

"What is it?"

Xiao An and Lin Dong stared at each other, "I know you, Dongzi! Do you think I'm stupid and trying to fool me into thinking I'm a good person?"

"The greatest harm to the people is when you become their hero and then ruthlessly betray them. Just think of the incredulous look in their eyes. That's much more effective than tearing down their houses or beating them up in the street!"

Dongzi! What are you doing, Dongzi!
Ethan was about to speak when Winter glared at him fiercely.

Frustrated and resentful, Xiao An's arrogant taunts had completely ignited Lin Dong's competitive spirit.

She warned Ethan with her eyes that this was a war between two cats, and that no human being should get involved.

"In other words, you will become the country's most notorious villain."

Winter also skillfully exploited Dark's weakness. Compared to the simple-minded elemental spirits, humans' thoughts were far too complicated. From the very first day Dark entered this house, he was manipulated by the two men's words.

The black cat on the head hesitated, clearly persuaded by Winter.

Winter then smoothly steered the conversation back on track, "Let's have a competition and see who can earn more Salvation Contribution Points before we leave the Far West."

"Alright, let's have a competition!"

Xiao An raised her neck and immediately accepted the challenge.

"But we had an agreement beforehand."

Winter walked up to Ethan, picked up Little Darkness, and placed her on Ethan's shoulder. "That's the victor's throne. You're not allowed to go up there until the outcome is decided! Also, there are the stakes for this match."

"What's the stake?"

"Let's bet on his shoulder."

Winter patted Ethan's other, unoccupied shoulder, her favorite spot where she would transform into a white ragdoll cat and perch. "If you lose, you're never allowed to climb on Ethan again." "And what if you lose?"

"I won't lose."

Winter snorted coldly, quickly changing the subject before Dark could press for answers, "Old Bar will be the referee for this bet, you shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"Then it's up to you, Bazi!"

As expected, Xiao An's attention was diverted, and she stopped pressing Lin Dong about the punishment for losing.

For her, rewards and punishments themselves were not important; what mattered was the feeling of defeating the winter in the contest.

"Understood, then I will witness this duel."

Bazatos nodded in agreement, and all seven of his eyes blinked a few times at the same time.

His heart was also filled with excitement as Darkness and Winter challenged him to a duel. Although humans once believed that the Old Gods were the absolute standard of fairness, and His followers often made bets in His name, there had never been such an important bet before.

To put it more broadly, these two cats are fighting over Ethan's ownership!
Compared to this, previous bets involving sectarian leaders and the ownership of kingdoms are utterly insignificant.

The greatest pity here is that He could only act as a referee to judge the outcome of this challenge, and could not become a participant.

And didn't He also want to win the right to Ethan?
If He were to emerge victorious, He would surely split Ethan into three parts: one to remain at the academy as His teaching assistant; one to go to Legendary Pictures in Bazatos as His artistic advisor; and the most important one, of course, to guide him to where his original self resides.

There are Kanya people there.

Or more accurately, a giant mass of flesh composed of Kania people.

They're funny, and they even do backflips.

Pity.

The thought that these wishes could not be fulfilled made Bazartos close his five eyes in regret.

Seeing this, Ethan could only sigh inwardly.

In this light, Miss Chloe is still the most worry-free, always so peaceful and unassuming!
Miss Chloe looked up, her cheeks puffed out as if she were smiling at him, but in reality, she had been eating non-stop the whole way. While queuing, she had been intently munching on the flavorful lamb leg she had brought from the hotel.

The strange bracelet was placed on her left paw.

She didn't know what "Salvation Contribution Points" were, nor did she know why Xiao An and Lin Dong had suddenly become at odds. However, she knew about flavorful lamb leg, which she roasted with plenty of chili powder and cumin, and it tasted quite delicious.

The group found a hotel in the border city, but it was always fully booked. They went to several hotels before finally managing to book three rooms. As soon as they entered the hotel, Ethan saw a large number of recruitment notices for the Devout Warband, providing a place for those who had finally made it through the border checkpoint.

"Become a member of the Devout Chapter, where you can contribute to the cause of salvation!"

"Join the battle and immediately receive 5 Salvation Contribution Points."

"Complete training regularly and you can earn 1 contribution point every week."

"If you make outstanding contributions to the legion, you can earn even more contribution points, with no upper limit!"

The dry recruitment message is a far cry from the advertisement featuring the Imperial Knight Commander himself, making it utterly uninspiring and failing to ignite any passion in the viewer.

Even so, people keep signing up to join the Devout Warband.

Ethan had to admit that Carlo Esposito was very clever. In fact, the bracelet specially made by the Vatican was not technically anything special; it was just another use of the Lofik Foundation's savings card. However, he had cleverly combined glory, faith, and wealth.

If we measure the rewards of the Devout Order in monetary terms, then it can be converted into a bonus of 5 gold lions upon joining, and an additional 1 gold lion per week thereafter. Even in the Empire, this is a considerable income, far exceeding the average salary of the Imperial Knights.

But in reality, the Vatican doesn't have to spend a single penny.

These "salaries" are recorded in numbers on the wristbands of every new recruit in the battle group. They are a reflection of your contribution to the great cause of saving the world, bringing you glory and recognition of your firm faith.

With these empty titles attached to it, it's hard to point out that the numbers on the bracelet actually have no real meaning.

"A stable channel..."

As soon as she returned to her room, Xiao An transformed back into human form after a long absence. She lay on the bed, holding the brochure provided by the hotel, and leisurely swung her little feet as she carefully read it: "Join the Devout Warband, and the monthly fundraising events held in various city squares."

For ordinary people, there are very limited ways to earn contribution points. If they go through fundraising, a family can't save much gold lion even if they save every penny for a month. The attack they encountered upon entry is an extra reward.

There are people everywhere who like to take unconventional approaches.

Rather than diligently accumulating contribution points, they are keen on achieving instant success.

Besides bounty hunters, a black market has also emerged in the far west, where "imperial spies are exchanged for contribution points," with unfamiliar outsiders being their primary targets.

As for whether those sent to exchange for contribution points were Imperial citizens, not many people really cared.

“It seems that the ruins where Mary is located are very close to the Church of the Dawn Crown.”

The Saints' Sleep.

After Mary's burial, it became a sanctuary for the Church of Life.

Then a new problem arose.

To enter the sanctuary, one needs to go through a series of complicated procedures and obtain a secret order from any bishop. As for ordinary people like them, they naturally have no chance to make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary.

Before long, Ethan's gaze settled on a section of the manual that described contribution points.

Anyone who accumulates 2000 contribution points will be considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of salvation. They will receive public recognition from the local bishop and will also be given an opportunity to make a pilgrimage.

But 2000 contribution points?
According to the stable channels provided in the manual, obtaining this amount would likely require spending several years in the far west.

"I have a way to make money quickly."

Taking advantage of Xiao An's inattention, Lin Dong sneaked up behind Ethan and whispered in his ear, "Want to easily earn 2000?"

(End of this chapter)