I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

As night fell, the lower city should have been plunged into a deathly silence and darkness.

Normally, apart from the torches carried by patrolling paladins, there is only the desperate gasps and the sound of rats gnawing on corpses.

But tonight, something strange happened on Black Oak Street that will be recorded in the annals of the capital.

At first, only a faint, eerie blue light shone from the depths of the alley.

That was old cripple Tom, a homeless man who made a living by scavenging.

He spent all his savings during the day, buying a bottle of the spiked silencer from Benjamin's buddy.

At this moment, he was huddled in the corner, staring at his hands in horror.

Those hands, through their grime-covered skin, radiated a soft, pure, moonlight-like blue-white glow.

As the effects of the medicine wore off, the light grew stronger and stronger, even shining through his tattered linen clothes and dispelling the darkness within a two-meter radius around him.

"A miracle...?"

Tom touched his chest, trembling. The suffocation and pain he had felt due to the plague infection had now turned into a warm current.

But in Tom's eyes, this was the Holy Light burning away the sins within him!

"I'm shining! I've been chosen by God!"

Tom stumbled out of the alley and ran wildly down the street, like a moving human light bulb: "Look! Look! God has forgiven me! God has blessed me!"

This is just the beginning.

Soon, the second, the third, the hundredth...

As night deepened, more and more lights lit up in various corners of the downtown area.

Those who secretly bought and drank the medicine during the day have now become walking sources of light.

The once dark and filthy slum now resembles a galaxy reflecting the starry sky, shimmering and dazzling, almost eerily beautiful.

……

The paladins who were originally maintaining order at the screening platform set up by the church were completely dumbfounded.

The priest who had been aloof and arrogant during the day, claiming that only holy water could save the world, was now surrounded by a group of glowing commoners.

"Father! Look! I'm glowing!" A butcher excitedly waved his shining arm, the light so bright the priest had to squint. "I drank that blue potion, and now I'm glowing! Doesn't that mean I'm the most devout?"

"Nonsense!" the priest cried out in a panic, waving his scepter. "That's an alchemical trick! It's the devil's—"

"fart!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, "If it's something from the devil, why is it so warm? Why is it so holy? I think only divine grace could emit such light!"

"That's right!" another voice chimed in. "Father, you say you are a servant of God, so why don't you glow after drinking the holy water? Is your faith less than that of us poor people?"

These words were like a bomb, instantly igniting the emotions of the crowd.

"The priest doesn't shine!"

"The church's holy water isn't reacting!"

"That alchemist is the chosen one!"

"We want the Divine Grace Potion! We don't want plain water!"

Public opinion took a dramatic turn within just one hour.

For the desperate lower classes, they cannot understand complex doctrines, but the visually striking phenomenon of light is the most direct truth.

Whoever can make them shine is a true god.

The pastor looked at the pairs of eyes around him that were fanatical, questioning, and even angry, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He found himself in a dead end.

If he acknowledges it as a miracle, he is acknowledging that Rhodes' potion is more sacred than holy water;

If he denies that it is a miracle, yet the light is so pure, he cannot provide any counterexamples to convince believers.

After all, drinking the church's holy water only causes diarrhea and has no visual effects whatsoever.

"Retreat...retreat quickly!"

The priest, escorted by the paladin, fled the neighborhood that had been taken over by the glowing believers.

……

Upper Town, Morning Star Cathedral.

Beneath the enormous stained-glass window, Cardinal Cecil stood before the statue, his face ashen.

Outside the church, the distant noise could still be faintly heard; the rumors about the luminous miracle had already reached the noble district.

"Is this what you mean by taking control of the situation?"

A deep, hoarse voice, like the scraping of metal, sounded behind the bishop.

A tall man emerged from the shadows.

He wore a full suit of black plate armor, carried a huge two-handed sword on his back, and wore a half-face iron mask, revealing only a pair of emotionless gray eyes.

He was the Church's sharpest blade, the Inquisition Chief Judge, Krell.

"I underestimated him."

Bishop Cecil took a deep breath, gripping his scepter tightly until his knuckles turned white. "That Rhodes... he didn't use alchemy to refute us; he used a new theology to defeat us. He turned potions into relics, and healing into divine grace. He's a master of this 'calling a deer a horse' trick, even more so than we are."

"The people in the lower city have gone mad. They think that alchemist is a prophet." Cecil gritted his teeth. "If we shut down his workshop now, it will be seen as obstructing divine grace, and it will incite a riot."

This is a completely open and aboveboard conspiracy.

Not only did Rod thwart the church's plan, he also delivered a resounding slap to the church's face.

He used the church's most effective method of keeping the people ignorant, cornering the church.

"Since we can't win an argument, let's shut him up."

Krell took a step forward, his armor clanking heavily.

A strong stench of blood and murderous intent instantly filled the entire prayer room, causing even the candlelight to flicker.

"He is a heretic. No matter what methods he uses, once he dies, his light will naturally be extinguished."

Krell's fingers rested lightly on the hilt of the greatsword, his voice as cold as if he were pronouncing the fate of a dead man.

"The royal family dares not touch him because he is a member of the academy. But the court need not worry about such things. For the glory of the Lord, some dirty work must be done."

Cecil remained silent for a moment.

As a politician, he instinctively didn't want to escalate things at this critical juncture, especially by directly assassinating an alchemist with royal connections.

But these past few days of confrontations made him realize that Rhodes was far too dangerous.

If he is not eliminated, the church will not only lose control of the lower city, but will also lose its original prestige.

"Make it clean." Cecil turned around, facing the statue again, and closed his eyes. "Don't leave any evidence pointing to the Church. Just say... a sudden death caused by the plague."

"certainly."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Krell's lips.

"In this world, nothing is tighter than the mouth of a dead man."

He turned and walked into the darkness, his black cloak billowing behind him like a vulture spreading its wings, pouncing on its prey that knew nothing of its own.