After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Then, once we've established a foothold in Elusia, absorbed the blood and flesh of the Roman Empire, and turned them into our army... we'll figure out a way to seize them.

In any case, long-lived elves would definitely try to make a high-quality human also live a long life, wouldn't they?

At this point, the magic mirror stopped working due to insufficient magic power.

Black Dragon Nia sat on the bed, deep in thought.

"At the very least, the alliance between the Elven Kingdom and Isgard must be maintained...?"

Nia seemed to be deep in thought.

I wonder if allowing a black dragon to reside in the capital of the Elf Kingdom would be a good condition for forming an alliance.

...........

This afternoon, the parish was conducting intensive soldier training.

Bishop Stephen was not captivated by the little boy's handsome appearance today.

Because he discovered that he didn't have enough money.

"Ugh..."

It is important to note that the bishop's money was separate from the money for the northern expedition.

While it's true that Bishop Stephen took a small portion, about 6%, of the funds from the northern expedition's budget, it was already in his pocket and therefore not counted as part of the expedition's expenses.

Naturally, he suddenly realized that the parish seemed to have no money for expeditions.

"This is really a headache."

Money that's already in your own pocket is naturally not going to be taken out.

However, even if the main purpose of an expedition is to send out surplus population and let them die on the battlefield so that the parish can make money, it will definitely require a considerable amount of funds in the early stages. Otherwise, let alone sending believers to their deaths, some people would probably not be able to withstand even marching ten kilometers, let alone entering the monster forest and directly attacking the elven forest.

Oh dear! Am I really supposed to take the money out of my own pocket and waste it on a bunch of lowly people who are destined to die at the hands of elves, and whose corpses will even become food?

Bishop Stephen was deeply distressed, but his attendants were already used to it. After all, this was the way of everyone in St. Petersburg above the rank of priest—everyone liked to slip something into their pockets and hated taking things out and putting them back in.

However—after all, this northern expedition still needed secure funding to proceed, so after some deliberation, the attendant offered a plan that was utterly astonishing to Bishop Stephen:

"Sir, I once saw farmers in the countryside playing a game called 'insect fighting' with a few bundles of rice stalks during the off-season."

Basically, two insects gnaw at each other on the ground, and people each support one of the insects. If an insect wins, the person who supported the losing insect has to hand over their rice stalks to the winner. And somehow, this little game is so addictive that people can sometimes clear out all the rice stalks in the area in just one afternoon.

So I thought... during this drought, when farmers, nobles, and townspeople have no entertainment outside and people are restless... why don't we make some improvements?"

The attendant gestured with his hand.

"We can capture the alien races in the Demon Forest, send them to secluded places for life-or-death battles, and then use that as a basis to develop a new generation of [Insect Fighting] to rake in money!"

What do you mean by that?

Bishop Stephen was initially confused, but as soon as he heard that he could make money, he perked up and quickly asked more questions.

The servant gestured with his fingers on the table: "When it comes to insect fighting, farmers use rice straw for transactions. These things are easy to find, and they won't feel bad even if they throw them all away. Naturally, they won't care too much about gains or losses; they treat it as a form of entertainment."

But what if our [Demon Fighting Clan] could only trade with coins or valuable items, and the parish only charged a 10% commission, leaving the remaining 90% of its wealth to visitors?

"Because the traded items changed from rice straw to money, becoming a proper currency, the game naturally becomes exceptionally exciting."

And because they can actually obtain huge sums of money from others—money that would normally take days to accumulate—it definitely motivates them. They play for days, even weeks, until they've poured all their family's savings into it, and they won't give up on this game...

No, even if they lose everything, they will still put their chance to turn their lives around on this game: just like in the "Insect Fighting" game, there are always people with mountains of rice straw around them, in the "Demon Fighting" game, there will definitely be people who gain mountains of wealth!

This was incredibly appealing to the poor and lowly. They would envy those who made a fortune, mock those who lost money, and focus their remaining intelligence on "how to choose the strongest demons," much like idle farmers during the off-season...

They will spend tens of thousands of dollars in the game we create, and these people who have come from afar will inevitably need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. At that time, we may even be able to create a new commercial capital in the parish with the [Demon Fighter] as its core.

All we need to do is provide a safe place for demons, who have been studied countless times, to fight each other, and we can obtain countless riches at minimal cost.

We could even secretly place bets... After all, we provide the venue and the demons. We can deliberately make a few of the demons strong, giving them a chance to win, and then while everyone is frantically betting on the powerful demons, we can deliberately bet on the weaker ones... Wouldn't that be a way to make a fortune all at once? That way, we won't have to worry about funding for the Northern Expedition, right?

We can create a new goldmine directly within the parish to amass wealth!

The servant's impassioned speech made a greedy glint flash in Bishop Stephen's eyes.

Indeed, this is a gold mine that no one has ever touched before.

If I just give up like this, wouldn't that be such a waste?

"Inform Bishop Peter that we need to convene a synod of bishops immediately! Immediately!"

He ordered his servants to hurry and summon the bishops, to convene a meeting of the Pope Peter. After all, this was a matter of great importance; it would bring in far too much money—and only a fool would hoard so much money and invite envy.

Why don't we all make money together and then unite as one? That way, instead of just establishing the "Demon Fighter" within the diocese, Bishop Stephen could expand this new business throughout the entire Roman Empire!

What will happen to those people who have become destitute because of the "Fighting Demons"?

It's none of his business.

Unlimited bounty system!

╰(*°▽°*)╯This is the bounty section that Hilmi-chan is issuing to all readers!

╰(*°▽°*)╯首先明确规则咪！现在刺猬窝的正常更新为2章合起来4千字，希尔咪的正常更新为两章合起来8千字，或者一个大章1W字——9千字。

Therefore, when offering bounties, the primary requirement is a chapter of 4000 words. Confirmations will be made based on normal updates. If a chapter of 9000 words is offered, two unpaid bounties will be deducted simultaneously!

Consider the extra 1000 words free.

(?o?o)??Then the bounty conditions for Hilmi are as follows:

One chapter for every 1,500 recommendation votes—that is, a 4000-word chapter plus 1 [unit of code].

2. One update for every 100 monthly votes - same as above.

3,100 blades and 10000 tips – same as above.

Advanced requirements:

The golden chest is a cause for celebration, but since the author didn't receive any reward, there will be +10 chapters. If everyone is happy, then there will be +20 chapters.

The Silver Chest is a cause for celebration (2 chapters), and a happy ending (+5 chapters) is possible.

(?o?o)??

Special Bounty:

Because recently, new readers have been easily influenced by previous posts and started making trouble before even finishing the explanations of foreshadowing in the first volume, Hillmy hopes to see current readers bring new vitality to "The Nun Who Stepped Down" with either long reviews or regular comments!

H content is prohibited! It can include character evaluations, plot ideas, or readers' thoughts on different races and worldviews. However, I hope readers won't let this affect other novels; after all, authors have it tough too!

After confirmation, Hilmi will pin the post and decide on 10-30 updates based on the quality of the long reviews! She will also commission artwork for the most popular character after confirmation.

If all goes well, you'll be able to see the commissioned illustration for Mother Teresa next week. Hopefully, everyone will continue to enjoy this foul-mouthed nun.

[Guangming: She chose the man over me, sob sob sob].

(?o?o)??Then, it's time for the bounty to be placed.

In addition to special bounties

从2022年1月17日的0点算起，到2022年1月23日的0点算起均无限制。

Special bounties, on the other hand, are permanent and unlimited; as long as the comments are of high quality, Hillmi will add more chapters!

Hilmi will check the bounty chapters every day in the last chapter. The check method is through the interlude at the very end of the chapter and the parentheses at the beginning of the chapter.

Meanwhile, during these past few days of regular updates, Hilmi has been repaying the bounties. So, if a reader notices that the bounties seem to be decreasing, that might be a good sign.

Well~o(*￣▽￣*)o

It's probably because Hillmi's speed is faster than Jia's speed.

WWWWWWW

I hope everyone can fill up Hillmi's [

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Elf's Reform, Naruja's Courage, and the Ambition of the Kingdom of Arese

......

late at night.

The bishops' council convened by Bishop Stephen was as noisy as a market.

Every bishop was fiercely arguing for their own interests. Their magnificent robes heaved violently with fear, as if they were about to explode with pleading. The veins on their necks stood out, and their faces turned as red as a monkey's bottom. Some even had to use divine magic to calm themselves down.

As the leader of the bishops, Peter the Elder naturally appeared calm and composed.

After everyone had calmed down, he gestured for them to quiet down, and then he asked Bishop Stephen three questions:

1. Regarding the interests of the diocese, Stephen, as the initiator, takes 20%, the other bishops together take 30%, and then Bishop Peter himself takes 50%. Does he have any objections?

“No, no,” Bishop Stephen quickly shook his head. “I just hope that the other bishops’ 30% can be discussed by themselves.”

The meeting room almost turned into a vegetable market again, but thanks to Peter's second question, everyone calmed down once more.

2. Leader Peter will personally promote the "Demon Fighting" or gambling industry at the next roundtable meeting, allowing it to flourish throughout the Roman Empire—but why must we use precious demons? Can't we use people, horses, or even methods like "flipping cards" and rolling dice?

After pondering for a moment, Bishop Stephen said, "It should be feasible." But he quickly added, "With his limited wisdom, he cannot imagine how to operate in any other way. Please reconsider, Your Holiness."

This is actually a way of shirking responsibility—after all, Bishop Stephen knows very well that he simply cannot expand the business again. Rather than boasting and taking on a burden he cannot fulfill, it's better to earn less; that way, everyone benefits.

Peter the Elder was somewhat disappointed, but he still asked the third question in the end:

3. Such a large-scale industry will inevitably be questioned by the ascetic nuns. How will the saintess explain this?

This good question silenced everyone. They looked at each other, and finally could only shake their heads and say: There's nothing we can do about the saintess; she has to stay underground and pray indefinitely.

After all, with Saint Cecilia having almost completely cut off all channels of information, it was impossible for her to know what was happening in the outside world.

Moreover, the leader of the Church of St. Petersburg did not want the saint to realize the splendor of St. Petersburg—he almost blocked all possible channels of communication to the saint and her ascetic sect, just to prevent the saint from discovering the strange things on the ground.

This is a troublesome woman. Although her behavior seems foolish, short-sighted, and withdrawn, she is still a saintess of the Church of Light, a "favored one" chosen by the God of Light. As long as she retains her faith in the God of Light, she will not lose divine favor, nor will she be affected by any divine magic from the Church of Light. She can also demonstrate the authority of the God of Light at any time to win the faith of her followers.

This is the Holy Maiden of the Church of Light. Powerful and beautiful, but fortunately, she's adorably naive, isolating herself because of her personal feelings—which is truly wonderful.

Therefore, the patriarch Peter had to deceive the saint who was practicing asceticism underground.

Bishop Stephen understood the seriousness of the matter. After a moment's thought, he stated righteously:

"How can this be considered making money! This is for the sake of the believers' hearts and minds after years of hard work. They are simply exchanging words of atonement with each other through entertainment. How could this lead to family ruin and destitution?"