50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 638 Sacred Mountains and Sacred Waters, Sacred Cities and Sacred Artifacts

"When I say once a month, I don't mean it can only be done once a month. It can be increased as needed, but the rarity of this ritual must be maintained."

"Secondly, there's the preciousness of the props. For example, with water, we can directly take fresh spring water from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, put it in oak barrels, and transport it back by plane."

"Don't worry about the cost. The believers who are willing to hold the 'Advanced Baptism Ceremony' are all wealthy people who don't care about that little bit of money."

"In addition, Bishop Wilson, the few sacred artifacts you brought back from the Vatican can be used in high-level ceremonies."

"And His Excellency Bishop Wilson, when there are such ceremonies, it will probably be necessary for you to preside over them personally."

Upon hearing this, Bishop Wilson immediately nodded in agreement. He was familiar with the matter as he personally presided over all the large-scale events in the church.

"In this way, with holy water from the holy mountain, sacred artifacts from the holy city, and the holy bishop personally overseeing the process, so many buffs are stacked up."

Photo: Mount Olives

"Such a high-level ceremony cannot be too cheap, otherwise it will undermine the effect of the third-level ceremony."

"Then what price do you think would be appropriate?" Father Irwin immediately followed up.

Sun Zhiwei stroked his chin and thought for a moment before saying, "I think $10 per time is quite reasonable."

"Ah~" "Ah~" "Ah~"

The three people present, excluding Sun Zhiwei, were all taken aback by the price Sun Zhiwei quoted.

$100,000—that's more than an average worker's total salary over five years.

Seeing their bewildered state, Sun Zhiwei frowned and said, "Why are you all so surprised?"

"Do you know how much it costs to transport a barrel of spring water from Jerusalem? Do you know how many sacred vessels there are in the entire United States? Do you understand Bishop Wilson's status in the entire diocese?"

"With holy water from the sacred mountain, sacred artifacts from the holy city, and the support of a bishop, is there a more sacred ceremony than this?"

"To put it simply, if there is an option like 'Advanced Baptism Ceremony,' all wealthy believers will choose this one and won't choose anything else."

At this moment, Father Irving, who had been holding back for a while, asked a question: "Does such a ceremony make believers appear more devout, and does it have a better effect?"

“If someone asks you that, just say that as long as you have a sincere faith, the effect is the same regardless of the level of the ritual,” Sun Zhiwei said earnestly to Owen.

"Are they really the same?" Owen was a little doubtful. Could a sacred artifact be the same as an ordinary bronze artifact? Could holy water be the same as river water?

"How would I know? It depends on how devout the believer is."

"Whether they are devout or not, I don't know, the priest doesn't know, the bishop doesn't know, only the believers themselves and the Almighty Lord know."

"So, whether it works or not, let them ask themselves."

“We have used the best holy water, the oldest baptismal pool, the most precious sacred objects, the most complete ceremony, and had the district bishop preside over the ceremony.”

“We have done our best; the rest is up to the believers.”

"So at this point you should ask them whether they prayed sincerely, repented sincerely, were distracted, or lost focus during the ceremony?"

"And in their daily lives, do they pray before meals on time, do they come to church every week, and do they pay tithes without any discount?"

"In short, if someone asks you for results, just ask them this question in a stern tone, and they will definitely stay silent."

No one knows better than him what kind of people believers are in modern society; they're all just casual believers. Most people join churches simply to fit in and find spiritual solace.

There are also many elderly believers, nine out of ten of whom are there because they can receive two kilograms of eggs for free every week.

There were ascetics in ancient times, are there still any in modern times?

There may be some fanatics, like those who, when sick, would rather believe in holy water than go to the hospital, but such fools are a minority.

We're all just trying to make a living, why make things difficult for each other? Let's just turn a blind eye.

"This is the first way I mentioned to quickly change our church's financial situation. It's simple and effective."

Father Owen and Bishop Wilson, having been persuaded by Sun Zhiwei, nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Sun Zhiwei and Bishop Wilson looked at Owen's notes, wanting to confirm whether he had recorded everything Sun Zhiwei had just said in detail.

Irving immediately nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, now that you've written it down, let me suggest another method."

"Aren't we building a new church? What are the basic building materials used in constructing a church?"

"Yes, the soil materials used are marble, wall tiles, wood and glass, and the main decorative material used is gold."

"Then let's hold a long-term, large-scale fundraising event to raise funds for building materials for the church."

"Well, we've conducted several designated fundraising events before. At first, we received a lot of donations, but as time went on, fewer and fewer people came to donate."

“I know that the donation I’m talking about this time is different.”

"This time, all donations will be made in a fixed amount and under real names. The minimum amount is a wall brick, but it can also be a marble slab, a beam, or a piece of glass."

“It is important to make it clear to the believers who make donations that the name of the person they designate will be engraved on every piece of material they donate.”

“Do you understand what ‘customized building materials’ means?” Sun Zhiwei looked at Father Owen.

Irving thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly:

"Are you saying that in the future, the names of the donors will be engraved on the wall tiles, marble slabs, and wood materials we purchase?"

"Yes, that's right. Every wall brick donated by believers from now on will have a name and the date of donation on it. These will all be custom-made."

"The cost of engraving a name on each wall tile would be much higher, possibly several times more expensive."

"The cost is definitely high, but the believers will pay for it. How much did each of our original wall tiles cost?"

“About 5 cents a piece.” Irving had done accounting for the construction team before, so he knew the purchase price of building materials.

"The cost of the 'custom-made engraved wall tiles' will be set at $1 per piece."

"Ah, we don't need that many." Owen was savvy; even if they were custom-made wall tiles, the cost couldn't be that high.

"It will definitely be useful. Custom-made wall tiles are very expensive, and each tile needs special anti-collision packaging."

"The cost of personnel statistics and verification must also be included, and there may be losses during transportation and construction."

(End of this chapter)