god of tomorrow

God likes to favor honest people. Huangshiling is next to Yinshiling, a distance of ten kilometers. Gao Wen calculated that, if he was lucky, the round trip would take about the same amount of time an office worker would spend playing a game in the bathroom.

But that's tomorrow's plan. Huangshiling is located in the suburbs, surrounded by only a small village. Despite numerous archaeological teams being stationed there, it has never driven economic development or created a bathhouse street or anything like that.

Even though there are small hotels that are available, they were not considered by the school because of issues such as kickbacks with the school and because the environment and hygiene did not meet the standards.

After on-site inspection, the school's specialists selected a large hotel near Huangshiling. Although the environment was far inferior to that of Wangdu or University Town, it was clean and hygienic, making it a good place to train newcomers and let students experience the hard-working atmosphere of archaeologists.

"What a terrible place! Is the school serious? Even sleeping in the deep mountains and forests would be better than this..."

Gao Wen's eyes twitched as he went up to the third floor. He used his key to open the creaking wooden door, revealing a square single room with a glass window, a dirty low bed, a hanging chandelier, and a wooden chair, which together formed the living room and bedroom.

In the corner is a bathroom consisting of a faucet, a mirror, and a toilet.

"Amazing! The drain is right under the faucet; that's a very clever solution to the drainage problem!"

Thinking of his sweet and soft girlfriend, Gao Wen was filled with regret. He wished he hadn't come; the commissioner had pocketed all the kickbacks!

Gao Wen really wronged the school this time. It is true that some staff members took kickbacks, which caused the room rate to rise for ten consecutive days. But the dilapidated hotel was also deliberately set up by the school. Archaeology is a tough job. Once you enter this field, you will inevitably have to endure wind and sun and eat yellow soil in the future.

Having a place to live is already a blessing. At many archaeological sites, due to environmental constraints, even tents are shared.

To broaden the horizons of new students, help them think clearly about their future career paths. If they can't endure the hardship, they shouldn't dream of getting rich overnight. Instead, they should honestly consider jobs such as history educators, museum/memorial hall/archive staff, artifact appraisers, and cultural tourism editors.

Gawain is a clean freak, and seeing that there was nowhere to stand in his guest room, he took out a folding bed from his magic wallet.

There were also clean sheets and pillows.

Don't ask, the answer is that he needs it now. He's not alone anymore, he has to think about his girlfriend. What if they have to camp in the wild one day? The tent will come in handy!

Although hearses can be used, they are considered very unlucky.

"What should we eat tonight? It seems the school hasn't made any plans..."

As Gao Wen was thinking, he heard the sound of a convoy. Standing by the window, he saw a convoy of more than thirty black cars approaching and stopping below the hotel.

The door of the first car opened, and three men in black suits stepped out. The remaining cars remained still, with only the drivers inside; the seats were empty.

"What's going on? There's a special agent?"

Three men in black suits entered the hotel. The man in the lead asked the front desk and, after receiving a positive reply, went to the first room on the first floor and politely knocked on the door.

Squeak!

The door opened, and the skeleton draped in a black robe startled the man in the suit.

"Professor Ge Lan, you haven't changed at all, your charm remains undiminished... I mean, do you still remember your student?"

The man in the suit handed over his business card: "Ingmar, a 08 graduate, I'm now a pastor at the Church of Eternal Flame. I heard you led a team to Hotwind City..."

The Eternal Flame belongs to a small church, far smaller than the Temple of All Things, and even less powerful than the Church of Dawn. Its leader can only be called a bishop in terms of ecclesiastical hierarchy.

Under the bishop, the daily operation of the church is maintained by several priests and pastors.

The number of priests and pastors in each church is not fixed; it depends on the church's size and financial resources, such as the number of parishes—or rather, the number of churches. The more churches there are, the more believers there are, and the more administrators are needed.

Priests are the mediators between God and man, specializing in faith and sacrifice. They are well-versed in obscure ancient scriptures, proficient in various complex rituals and prayers, and most skilled at translations that benefit their own church.

The pastor is more like the steward of the church's secular affairs, mainly responsible for managing the church's internal personnel and order, active among believers, overseeing monks/nuns, and handling the church's daily administration, asset management, and external missionary work.

Ingmar rattled off a whole bunch of things, saying that he was here to treat the teachers to a meal, that the banquet was already set up, that the motorcade had been brought along, and that the younger students would also be entertained.

Forget about the hotel; the hardships he endured back then are something his younger schoolmates should experience.

"Ingmar, you've changed so much."

In Glenn's memory, there was such a student. At that time, Ingmar was introverted and thin, unlike the talkative person he is now, and he was not as big as he is now.

If Ingmar hadn't introduced himself, Glenn wouldn't have recognized him.

"Teacher, please give me a chance!" Ingema earnestly pleaded.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, and considering that the Church of Eternal Flame was the local power in Lily of the Valley, and that they would be helpful should anything happen at the archaeological site, Glenn hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

“That’s great, teacher. I have so much more to say to you.”

The accompanying teacher gathered the students and announced that dinner tonight would be arranged by alumnus Ingema. When the students saw that they would be picked up by a private car and that such a grand occasion was being held, they knew that the banquet tonight would be quite good, and they were all overjoyed.

Half an hour later, the convoy drove into a luxury hotel in Hotwind City, where Ingmar had booked an entire floor of the banquet hall.

To be precise, it was enveloped by the Eternal Flame.

"You must be Professor Glenn. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Seymour, the bishop of the Church of Eternal Flame."

At the entrance of the banquet hall, a warm-hearted figure had been waiting for a long time, looking Ge Lan up and down, his smile growing ever wider.

Chapter 111 Time is like water in the brain; there's plenty, but not a drop can be squeezed out.

Seymour.

Bishop of the Church of Eternal Flame.

Seymour is quite famous in the necromancer circle. When he is mentioned, many necromancers will give him a thumbs up and say that he is a true man!

Simply put, they worked hard and succeeded; they are synonymous with inspiration.

When Seymour took over the Eternal Flame, the Church was nothing but a mess that was clamoring to disband. It was only through his tireless and painstaking planning that he managed to pull it together into the makeshift organization it is today.

A decent makeshift operation is already quite remarkable. Looking at the whole world, those forces that can be named, stripped of their glamorous facade, are essentially nothing more than makeshift operations of varying sizes.

Seymour was a visionary with a keen business sense and exceptional management skills. He was a rare all-rounder. The Eternal Flame was incredibly lucky to have him as a bishop.

Under his rule, the Eternal Flame was well-organized and made a fortune every day.

Internally, he employs a combination of kindness and severity, along with generosity and philanthropy. He is eloquent and adept at making empty promises, inspiring both awe and gratitude in his followers. They work with boundless enthusiasm every day, and the "leeks" (or rather, his followers) willingly hand over their money, hypnotizing themselves into believing they are seasoned stock market investors.

In dealing with outsiders, he was adept at social maneuvering, speaking to people in a way that suited them, and he loved making friends from all walks of life. He had a very good reputation in circles such as the church, the nobility, and labor unions.

In terms of individual ability, Seymour never makes a move, so he's probably not very good at it.

There's nothing that can be done about it; the Lord of Death sits at the children's table in the Pantheon, so the necromancer can't even stand up straight.

In short, within the small territory of Suzuran Province, Seymour was a big shot.

Glenn was not brainless, just not brainless. After a little thought, he guessed that the host of the dinner party was not Ingmar, but Seymour.

Suddenly being noticed by such a person, Glenn instinctively became wary. He had just been pleased that his student Ingmar had made a name for himself, but now he wasn't so happy.

Your teachers are on your side, yet you outwit them, betraying them and your juniors to the school leaders. Is that how you got ahead?

If so, that's so true!

"Professor Glenn, please don't misunderstand. The banquet was indeed paid for by Ingmar himself. I was just passing by to say hello and will be leaving soon."

Seymour cheerfully dispelled Glenn's doubts and told Ingmar to quickly lead people to invite the students to the banquet, while he stayed by Glenn's side, personally pulling out a chair for him, showing the hospitality of a host.

Ge Lan was inwardly reluctant to accept this unwarranted enthusiasm, but she couldn't refuse someone who was smiling, so she could only respond with a smile despite her dissatisfaction.

"Professor Glenn, I'll finish this one, you can drink as you like."

At the dinner table, Seymour knew that Glenn was not a good drinker and clearly did not touch a drop of alcohol. He picked up his glass of red wine and drank it down, then got straight to the point: "Professor Glenn was once a court mage, a genius who became famous at a young age. Due to some accidents, he changed careers and became a university teacher. To be honest, the title of department head is beneath you."

Ge Lan did not respond. After losing his flesh and blood, he had become indifferent to many things. Fame and status were no longer pursuits for him, this skeleton who was about to be buried.

"Professor Glen, if I may ask, what do you think of the Eternal Flame? Is there still room for improvement?"

Seymour was eloquent and thick-skinned. Glenn's silence did not affect his performance at all. He talked on and on about the hardships and dangers of the Eternal Flame, as well as the grand blueprint for the future.

In short, Glenn's character is outstanding, and the Eternal Flame needs someone like him.

This isn't Seymour's original quote; directly describing Glenn's image would be like stabbing someone in the lungs... well, Glenn doesn't even have lungs.

In short, Seymour used the most euphemisms to express a similar meaning: Dude, switch jobs! You're wasting your talents as a professor. Come to the Eternal Flame, and you'll be the second-in-command from now on.

Glenn remained silent. He agreed to the banquet not for the food, but to save face for Ingmar and to let the students have one last good meal before they suffer.

What's the point of changing jobs? Putting aside the lack of ambition, even if you have ambition, isn't it the same no matter where you work as a slave?

On the other side, in the corner of the first row of the banquet hall, Gao Wen occupied a table by himself, drinking heavily.

According to him, sitting alone was not a sign of being domineering or eating alone, but rather a sign of the students' heartfelt respect for him.

Whenever a student with a clear and innocent face tried to sit down, they were overwhelmed by his cheerful smile, feeling inferior and flustered, leaving without daring to linger or even make eye contact. What else could it be but respect?

The parking lot was worth it; it solidified his status as a top student on campus!

As Gao Wen drank, he ordered the waiter to bring out the dishes, occasionally glancing at the table where Ge Lan was.

The black-robed skeleton wasn't anything special; he was looking at Seymour, who, despite his refined appearance, wasn't adorned with gold or silver and seemed like a successful man of great poise and refinement.

Because Gordon, the branch leader of the Necromancer Guild, came from the Church of Eternal Flame, and was a wicked and stupid old man, Gawain disliked the Church of Eternal Flame because of his dislike of the church.

Consequently, Bishop Seymour was given a negative review, and his elegant and polite demeanor was seen as hypocritical by Gawain.

No banquet is a good banquet.

They're practically offering themselves up as brothers; they're practically bringing out a statue of Guan Yu. There's definitely a conspiracy involved!

Gawain thought maliciously, "With Glenn's appearance, who would want to be brothers with a skeleton without ever having met Teacher Frey?"

I don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but I ask to die on the same day, month, and year. I swore brotherhood with Ge Lan, but as soon as I finished the oath, he was gone.

Music.JPG

Wait a minute, it's just a skeleton!

Could it be that Seymour is lusting after Glenn and wants to invite Glenn to become the spokesperson for the Church of Eternal Flame?

I must say, he's a good judge of character. Ge Lan has no nose and no eyes. He'd be more than qualified to be the spokesperson for the Eternal Flame, or even the Necromancer Guild!

The "spokesperson" comment was just Gawain's joke, because his first impression of Seymour was so bad that he felt Seymour had ill intentions. Just look at those lecherous eyes of his, it's like a necromancer seeing a thousand-year-old corpse...

Well, this isn't a metaphor anymore, it's reality.

Gao Wen drank at two tables in a row, but couldn't taste the flavor. However, it felt alright. Since he was eating someone else's food, he figured he was probably overthinking it.

Assuming Seymour has ill intentions, whatever his actions may be, he should keep a low profile and make his presence known to his target before taking action. Even if the Eternal Flame is a local strongman and can settle things, that would be incredibly foolish.

Behind Gran was the Royal Magic University, and beyond that, the royal family, and the entire Kingdom of Golden Sun.

Anyone with a modicum of sense would plan ahead and prepare an alibi before committing a crime, extricating themselves from the situation beforehand, instead of rushing to invite people to dinner with a sly smile.

Unless they pull off a big heist, they'll disappear without a trace.

That's obviously impossible!

Compared to the Grand Church, the Eternal Flame is insignificant, but after years of operation in the Lily of the Valley Province, its strength and influence have surpassed many noble families. The wealth accumulated through exploiting others is unimaginable to ordinary people. Such wealth is tempting, and only a madman would be so greedy as to lose sight of the bigger picture.