The Necromancer's Church Management Manual

"This evangelistic ceremony is both a crisis and an opportunity for us."

Garr opened his notes, which included a summary of the intelligence gathered that day and various possibilities, and spread them out on the table. He then began to analyze:

"There are two major crises at the moment. First, the Black Dusk City Square is right next to the Temple of War, and preaching there would be a direct provocation to the Temple of War. So if we perform too well, the Church of Light will inevitably face fierce suppression from the Archbishop."

Galton paused. "Second, the Black Gold Society. For some reason, Melison found out about my necromancer identity. Although he only wants to watch me perform as an audience member right now, if he really wants to go on stage and reveal my identity, I will definitely be investigated and arrested by the Federal Inquisition."

Selena leaned against the window, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"There's simply no way out. Every vendor and every citizen in Blacktwilight City could be a spy for the Black Gold Society; the Temple of War is also teeming with its favored followers. How can we survive between these two powerful forces?"

"It's not a dead end; we can take a gamble." Gal changed the subject: "Since Meleson wants to put on a show, let's drag the Temple of War onto the stage too. If the Temple of War starts putting pressure on us, I'll use that opportunity to ask Meleson for help. I want the people of the Temple of War to think that the Church of Light is just a pawn used by the Black Gold Society to distribute its followers. Using the Black Gold Society to fight the Temple of War, using local bullies to fight local bullies—that's our chance to survive."

"I have to admit, this method does offer a chance, and it's the only option." Selena sighed softly. "So, what do I need to do?"

"You're my only support now, Selena." Garr walked up to her, his tone sincere. "Tomorrow, I could be attacked at any moment, whether by the Temple of War or the Black Gold Society... Never mind, let's rest first and prepare for tomorrow's 'performance'."

"Mm," Selena replied.

......

The cabin fell into a long silence, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace.

To avoid being discovered, Claude didn't even use an umbrella; his clothes were soaked by the cold rain, heavy and chilly.

Only after confirming that they were indeed asleep did he release his hand from Smithson's mouth.

Watching Smithson pant silently, Claude wiped the drool from his palm, then grabbed his wrist and temporarily moved away from Gal's room.

"Damn it, I almost suffocated this time! Did you have to cover my mouth?" Smithson cursed angrily.

"Think about how you lost track of the target last time?" Claude said calmly. "You don't want Boss Melison to find out why the mission failed, do you?"

"Oh, I know, I forgive you this time," Smithson quickly reassured her.

Claude ignored Smithson and began to carefully consider their conversation, summarizing: "Their plan is to transfer the Temple of War's hatred for the Church of Light to the Black Gold Society."

"Yes, if we give this useful information to the boss, won't he praise us?"

"However, this plan is far too simplistic." It's riddled with flaws. How could the Black Gold Society, which pushed Garr to the forefront and made him a target of public criticism, possibly be allies? Even a nobody like him could see that. The Archbishop, a shrewd man who had climbed his way up over decades, was even more so.

"What else can they do? A priest in a small church, if it weren't for the boss's fondness for these kinds of stage plays, he'd probably be dead in some deserted corner by now." Smithson shrugged. "Claude, it's too cold. Should I go report this to Boss Melison?"

"You go ahead, I'll stay here and listen some more." Claude felt like he had missed something, and after thinking about it carefully, he decided to go back and find out more.

After saying that, the two went their separate ways.

At this moment, in Garr's room, Selena was holding Garr's staff, channeling her magic to create a nearly transparent barrier.

This is her blessed concealment domain, which weakens the aura of people within the area and also allows for concealed conversations.

"Alright, we can continue now, Gar." Selena nodded to Gar.

When Melesen revealed his identity, Gar had already guessed that he was being followed. Just in case, he devised this plan to mislead the monitors.

Next, in the Hidden Realm, he could reveal his entire plan.

"The most important thing to be wary of next is not the Temple of War, since the hook from Nidhoggburg is likely to be triggered within the next half month," Gar explained. "I have had His Majesty Edmund prepare the late emperor's edict in the secret vault of Nidhoggburg. If the edict can be successfully exposed, it will be a heavy blow to the Temple of War."

"So, the collapse of Dragon Fortress is related to you?"

"Ahem, this belongs to Edmund Gan. I simply delivered it to the secret vault." Galgan coughed. "I'll explain this to you in detail later. Let's continue with the analysis."

He continued his analysis: "As for Meleson, there's no need to panic. After all, he has already identified me as a necromancer and as Andrew. But how could the real Andrew possibly use light magic?" As he spoke, Gal released a light healing spell, and specks of light emerged from his hand.

"To be honest, I don't quite understand it either. Why is it that you, who are clearly a follower of the God of Death, can receive the blessing of the God of Light?" Selena had never seen, and it was never mentioned in any book, that a person could worship two gods at the same time.

When you betray the gods, the gods will take back the blessings you received from them, and may even punish you with divine retribution, completely annihilating you.

However, it is very strange that Garr, who betrayed the God of Death, was neither stripped of his blessing nor erased.

Gar shook his head with a wry smile: "The God of Death does indeed regard me as a traitor. He sentenced me to death in 83 days. As for why He didn't take back my blessing... perhaps He doesn't care about this insignificant power?"

"83 days..." Selena looked at Gar with a complicated expression. "Will you die?"

"Selena, you don't need to look at me like that. Don't worry, as long as we get through this crisis, I'm absolutely confident I can avoid the crisis 83 days from now." Garr feigned ease, straightening his clothes.

"Then, all that's left is to wait for tomorrow's sermon."

After a night of heavy rain, Black Dusk City was blessed with a rare clear morning, and the sunlight brought a touch of warmth to the frost-covered earth.

In the central square of the inner city, a simple wooden platform sits next to the exquisite Temple of War.

A large number of refugees were queuing up in front of the Temple of War to receive the clear wheat porridge. Soon, the large pot of porridge was all distributed.

The thousands of refugees who were still queuing did not receive any food. They watched as those who had queued in the rain to receive porridge ate a few mouthfuls with great relish, their eyes gleaming with envy.

Finally, a emaciated man could no longer bear it, rushed forward, snatched a girl's bowl, and gulped it all down.

But his actions came at a price. The Templar Knights, who were maintaining order, instantly appeared in front of the man and severed his head with a single stroke.

Blood gushed out and splattered everywhere. The headless male corpse knelt on the ground and fell on top of the girl.

The once bustling square fell into a deathly silence. Such robberies were commonplace, and they were used to them. But upon seeing the dead body, they dared not utter a single complaint, numbly leaving the square and returning to the outer city.

The girl had just been snatched of her porridge and was sobbing in distress, but when the corpse hit her, she trembled violently and didn't even dare to cry anymore. She immediately got up, took a few steps back, and left with the other numb refugees.

bang-

With a loud bang, the bronze gate of the Temple of War slowly opened, and a tall, slender figure emerged from the deep shadows. He raised his head.

"Archbishop Magnus!" The Templar Knight strode to the door and respectfully performed a knightly salute.

Magnus nodded slightly, ignoring the knight, and immediately spotted the wooden platform in the center of the square.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "What is that platform for?"

"Your Excellency, those were set up last night by the Black Gold Society. However, they paid a considerable rental fee and obtained permission. As for their purpose..." The Templar Knight paused, his tone tinged with anger, "It seems to be for a missionary group from the Church of Light who have come from afar."

"This Melissa, preaching to other churches in front of me, does he have a death wish?"

He muttered curses under his breath, then suddenly noticed a name.

"Church of Light?"

The name was both familiar and unfamiliar. Soon, he thought of the will he had received from Nidhogg the day before.

The news was spreading at an alarming rate, centered on Nidhogg, and would soon reach Darkshire.

If he hadn't been the archbishop and learned of the news beforehand from his informant, it would have had a huge impact on his church.

The message mentioned the god of light.

The God of Light... The Church of Light... Is it a coincidence that such a church appears at this time?

Archbishop Magnus pondered for a moment, concluding that there were intricate connections between these pieces of information.

"When did this so-called Church of Light begin preaching?" He glanced at the Templar Knight beside him.

"This afternoon."

"It seems that the stage Melesen set up has actually helped me to some extent." The archbishop stroked his white-bearded chin, and after thinking of something, slowly said, "Keep this corpse for now, don't dispose of it."

"yes!"

-

At noon, the sunlight was cold and white, and the central square was already full of people, with each breath bringing up a mist.

Most of them were refugees who rushed into the square after hearing that they could receive a loaf of bread if they came to listen to a sermon.

Archbishop Magnus sat on a chair to the side, surrounded by several Templar Knights, leaving a large open space where he stood. He yawned wearily and waited for Gar to enter.

On the balcony on the second floor in the distance, Melessen lazily basked in the sun, enjoying the lively scene in the central square, and also waiting for Gar to enter.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Selena patted Gar on the shoulder.

"Gal, get on the field."

Garr nodded slightly.

In fact, Garr's legs were a little weak at this moment. Standing on the platform and looking down at the people was definitely a first for him in his past and present lives.

If he doesn't do well this time, he might die here.

Even in noisy environments, he can clearly hear his own heart pounding.

He took a deep breath and exhaled the air from his chest in segments, repeating this several times before slowly walking onto the platform. He was still wearing his monk's robes, which made him look humble and gentle, and his glasses gleamed in the light.

Selena followed closely behind him, her eyes lowered, holding Hephaestus's staff in her hand.

Gar began his self-introduction: "Good afternoon, people of Darkmoon City. I am Gar Hawke, an apostle of Icarus, the God of Light, and a bishop of the Church of Light."

As he spoke, he looked toward the Temple of War.

Before he began his sermon, he noticed the decapitated corpse beside the Temple of War. The cold winter had frozen his body to the water on the ground. Although Gar didn’t understand why the corpse hadn’t been dealt with yet, he thought it was a good example.

"Just recently, a headless corpse appeared at the entrance of the Temple of War. As for why it appeared, the reason is simple: he was so hungry that he was willing to lose his life for a bowl of porridge." Galton paused, "But looking at that clean and crisp cut, it's clear that in the eyes of the Temple of War, killing a civilian is far easier than cooking another pot of porridge."

As soon as Garr finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar.

The refugees looked up in disbelief, never expecting that a bishop would dare to openly defame the authority of the Temple of War at its gates.

The Templar Knights gripped their sword hilts tightly in an instant:

"A mere apostle of a wild god dares to insult the Temple of War? I think you have a death wish!"

Selena watched the Templar Knight cautiously, gripping her staff tighter, her face full of vigilance, ready to strike.

At that moment, Magnus raised his hand, signaling the Templars to stop.

"Your name is Garr, right?" His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to strike right at the soul, and Garr heard it clearly.

"Yes, you are the Archbishop of the Temple of War?" A cold sweat broke out on Gal's back, but he did not back down and spoke.

Magnus nodded slightly, stood up, and walked slowly. Surrounded by the Templar Knights, he reached the foot of the platform and looked up at Gar.

He forced an awkward smile, and the deep wrinkles on his face were particularly unsettling.

"Young man, I admire your drive and your willingness to speak out." His tone suddenly softened. "Only by pointing out mistakes can change occur! Gar, you've done a great job in that regard!"

He turned to look at the thousands of people, his voice becoming impassioned:

"His criticism of us means we haven't done enough! The residents of Darkmoon City are suffering terribly because of this lord. His harsh taxes mean you can't even get a decent meal. The Temple of War should make changes!"

His words, accompanied by the waving of his arms, stirred the emotions of the crowd with every sentence.

He delivered a passionate speech, walked onto the platform, patted Gar on the shoulder, and loudly announced to the refugees below:

"To make the Temple of War even better, today I hereby announce that Bishop Garr will not only represent the Church of Light, but also the Honorary Bishop of our Temple of War. The Temple of War's warehouses will be open to him, and he will henceforth be responsible for distributing your food!"

The refugees were silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

Upon hearing this, Garr's face darkened.

He had intended to provoke the archbishop to lure out Meleson, but he never expected the archbishop to try to destroy him by praising him to death.

This corpse was one of the archbishop's tactics; he fell for it!