Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 392 The New Church
"Very good, very energetic."

On his first day back in Radiant City, Rean went to check on the situation in the dock area.

On an open space, the newly established Weaver Knights are training, and their numbers have unknowingly increased more than tenfold.

Although most of them were still just apprentices, their efforts and diligence were evident. To not seize an opportunity to change one's fate and instead intend to remain a commoner or even a slave was truly foolish in this era.

In another room, new "Holy Emblems" are being produced in large quantities, which will make advancing to Paladin much easier.

Being a sworn paladin is not something an ordinary person can accept. The consequences of breaking the oath are unbearable. While it is much easier for ordinary paladins to become priests and advance in rank, it is still a difficult and arduous path of training.

With over four hundred apprentice candidates, Rean would be quite satisfied if there were actually one hundred first-tier paladins.

Early in the morning, Rean ran to the square to do morning exercises with the new recruits.

During this process, Rean also remembered the promising talents and the lazy good-for-nothings. The former would receive guidance from the senior knights, while the latter would soon be kicked out of the ranks.

According to the schedule, Rean will spend the entire day in the dock area.

After all, the dock area was already his de facto territory, so he naturally attached great importance to it. Of course, it was also related to the cathedral of the "God of Light and Laughter" that was under construction.

Yes, the title of "God of Drama and Pleasure" has finally been revised, adding the divine authority of "Sun" to the original title.

In order not to overly provoke other sun gods, the more general term "radiance" was used. Its established divine duties are only two: "art" and "sun".

Just yesterday, Rean received double-digit inquiries, especially from the three churches of the gods of the Sun Realm related to this city, which sent people directly to inquire. Among them was Larry's Church of Shield Radiance.

Once certain things were determined, the seemingly friendly alliance vanished instantly.

The other two are not weak either. Rean had dealt with the Church of the Dawnlight before (killing some of its fallen ones), but its deity is a powerful one with the upper limit to interfere with the world. As can be seen from its name, this one mainly deals with the solar domain and attaches more importance to this conflict than the other two churches with solar priesthood.

The last one is also a world-class, renowned "Sun Chaser Merchant Guild". They didn't come to reprimand or question you, but rather to inquire whether your new church needed our "Sun Lamp Ritual Package", "Enchanted Weapons with Sunlight", and a series of other promotional items that would "make your Sun Church look very bright and professional".

Ironically, these businesses, with churches all over the world, are the least concerned about new competitors, even viewing them as business opportunities. They don't care how the gods "Sun Chasers" are doing, and they are too lazy to do extensive missionary work; the church itself is more like their business network.

The other two churches, however, cannot ignore this new competitor; they are both testing the new church's development strategy.
"Our main business is still in the cultural and entertainment field. The mission of the Holy See is to bring joy to everyone and soothe their inner pain. As for the 'sun' realm, it is just an additional realm. The God has awakened from a long slumber and may feel that merely soothing pain is not enough. He hopes to give believers the strength to protect themselves and provide some light and comfort in the long night ahead."

Before the other "bishops" arrived, Rean, riding on the momentum of his dragon-slaying feat, became the spokesperson for the new church.

He briefly explained the "clergy" flexibility, which is actually quite rare. Even without considering the gods' own situation, for the "believers and customers," a company that originally sold electrical appliances suddenly started selling a snack chain always makes people wonder if they are not professional enough.

Rean attributed the transformation to the "gods," and the successors, having undergone "enlightenment," could understand to some extent the origin of this transformation. If merely "soothing the pain" was no longer meaningful, they would naturally try to seek light and redemption.

This explanation is barely acceptable. Considering that drama and the Lord of Pleasure are things from thousands of years ago, these "inquirers" don't really care.

What they care about most is whether you will use "the sun" as a doctrinal theme to compete for believers in that area. "Of course you will." That's a definite fact.

"Of course not." This was the lie Rean told.

"This resurrected ancient god is not powerful; he might even extinguish his soul flame at any moment. You should have studied his history. He was just a very weak, artistic god. How could he possibly take this path? Look at the priests; they are all at the very least divine spell holders. What is a priest with only one divine spell at the first rank fighting for faith?"

In a private conversation, Rean said this: whether the other party believes him or not is another matter, but this attitude must be made clear.

"If there is any hope at all, it is probably to bring a little joy and a little light to more people in this despair."

As he said this, Rean pointed to the shantytown outside the window.

This is the dock area, the worst mud pit in the whole city. I've established my headquarters here, and from the very beginning, my target has been the lowest rungs of society. How could I possibly compete with you for "valuable beliefs"?

The bishops finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These things are obvious, and the future developments are clear. Lying is pointless and will only lose the trust of other churches. It seems that this weak church really only intends to provide some entertainment services for the vulnerable.

Although the gods always say that "all believers are equal", there are always some who are more equal.

A king can open up a country and make it a parish; a duke can fill his territory with churches of the true God; and even a baron can make the only church in a small town or village spread the only faith.

These "benefactors" may only offer one form of faith, or even none at all, let alone pious believers, fanatics, or saints. Yet, their influence can bring thousands or even tens of thousands of forms of faith, as well as many more high-quality believers.

By abandoning missionary work among the middle and upper classes, Rean essentially gave up on rapid short-term expansion.

This is undoubtedly the most powerful form of "surrender." They will be watching this new church closely, and once they cross the line, it will be a different story.

The conversation that followed was much easier. As long as they didn't take away the churches' "business," they didn't need to make enemies. After all, there were too many gods in the world, and quite a few sun gods.

Rean himself didn't see this as a constraint.
"Before long, when the demonic tide rises, these churches will struggle to maintain their existing territories and spheres of influence. Their vast parishes will become the primary targets of suffering at that time."

Rean's plan was to stall.

On one hand, they used this church to cultivate their own order of paladins, and on the other hand, they waited for the rise of the demonic tide and for all constraints to disappear.

Parish? Each other's traditional boundaries? During the War of the Demon Tide, all constraints and agreements will become a thing of the past.

"In chaotic times, some people will seize the opportunity to develop, while others will be completely wiped out. In the end, this symbol of the sacred sun might even become the emblem of an allied faction."

(End of this chapter)