Goddess Kaleidoscope

In contrast, less than one-fifth of the adventurer trainees were able to keep up with the leading group for the entire race. The middle group members were all drenched in sweat, looking as if they had just been pulled out of the water, and the situation of the lagging group was even worse.

Looking at those few weaklings squatting by the playground, dry heaving and crying, Lu De thought to himself that this was just a ten-lap warm-up exercise. If they started with a fifty-lap physical fitness test right away, it would definitely cause a fatality.

This seemingly insignificant, extremely basic training was a huge blow to the trainees. Before this, they had never imagined that they could be so weak, even in something as simple as running.

But Lud was not surprised at all; in fact, the actual situation was much better than he had initially expected.

According to incomplete statistics, over 90% of adventurers have not received any training before registering, relying solely on sheer enthusiasm to rush out the door. Even those few who have received some training often find their training ineffective, sometimes even worse than not having received any training at all.

Especially in terms of physical fitness, this is the most easily overlooked aspect. Many new adventurers think they have good physical fitness, but in reality, they are just relying on the capital of youth to squander, thus creating the illusion that "their body is in great shape," and they immediately give up after the age of thirty-one.

In addition, after becoming an adventurer, one inevitably comes into contact with all sorts of people and picks up some bad habits. As soon as a mission ends, one uses the newly earned commission to indulge in drinking, gambling, and prostitution, which causes one's physical condition to deteriorate.

Therefore, often, a novice adventurer doesn't even need to have any extraordinary talent; simply being self-disciplined in life is enough to make him stand out among thousands of peers.

Lude could see that most of the trainees had a weak foundation, but fortunately they were all young, so there was still room for improvement. Three weeks of training might not be enough to make them extraordinary, but with hard work and persistence in what they learned, they could still undergo a complete transformation.

Under Lude's half-encouragement and half-coercion, all the trainees eventually completed the morning exercise, but the price they paid was "painful." More than two-thirds of the trainees felt weak in their hands and feet and could not even hold a spoon while eating breakfast.

In stark contrast, the elite members of the Holy Maiden Order were completely unaffected, even smiling and chatting in Versailles, saying that this amount of training was nothing compared to what they did at home.

All of these scenes were recorded by the camera.

It has to be said that the existence of the Saintess Guild dealt a significant blow to the self-esteem of novice adventurers. In terms of background, strength, and even appearance, these commoners felt ruthlessly and completely crushed, feeling utterly insignificant and barely able to serve as green leaves to complement the flowers.

Lu De, who had been silently observing the trainees, naturally noticed the changes in their emotions. Including the Saintess group in the training to create a contrast was his idea; it was indeed intended to capitalize on the popularity of the Saintess of Light for the program. However, his goal wasn't to crush the self-esteem of these commoners, to make them bow their heads and accept their fate, or to resign them to being mere supporting characters. Rather, he wanted to first show the trainees the difference in abilities, and then, through guidance, successfully ignite their ambition.

After breakfast, the entire morning was mainly dedicated to physical training.

Based on his experience at the police academy in his previous life, Lu De developed a step-by-step training program. During the training, he explained the human anatomy involved in each training subject to the trainees in a way that was as easy to understand as possible.

Only then did everyone realize how wondrous humans are, and that the exercise methods they had previously used were not only ineffective, but could even cause unnecessary strain on their muscles or joints. Not only did the adventurers find Lude's lessons fascinating, but even the elite members of the Saintess Order found them incredibly beneficial, learning knowledge and techniques they had never heard of before.

The posture refers to radio calisthenics.

During the training, Shanes, Hume, and Hydra served as guest film crew members, constantly moving around the training group with cameras to record the training content in as much detail as possible, especially Ludwig's lectures, while also capturing interesting moments of the trainees and the members of the Order of the Saints.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the training field a little further away, Serana and several members of the delegation sat under a parasol, observing the training from a distance. Occasionally, she would offer a few comments on a particular subject.

"The way Lud trains adventurers looks a bit like the phalanx infantry of the Canary Empire?"

"It's somewhat similar, but not exactly the same. I think his approach is more sophisticated than those imperialists'."

"Lady Serana has a very high opinion of this Rude."

As Serana was evaluating Lud, a sinister, sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind her. She turned around and saw a man named Cai Side from the delegation. He wasn't originally part of the delegation; he had been added at the last minute after repeated suggestions from a cardinal.

Serana knew this guy was just a lackey, an informant sent to spy on her and gather dirt on her. So she stared at him for a long time, until he started to get a little creeped out, before suddenly giving him a forced smile and saying something.

“You’re absolutely right! Absolutely right! As things stand, if he were to join my church, he would be more than qualified to be a cardinal, and might even be better than those current incompetent old coffins. I will report your suggestion to His Holiness the Pope when I return.”

"Oh! Please don't..."

Ignoring the somewhat flustered lackeys behind her, Serana turned her gaze back to the training ground. The Saintess Guild was currently experiencing various training equipment. Serica walked gracefully on a balance beam, her posture as elegant as a tall white crane.

After a morning of training, both trainees and special guests felt they had benefited greatly. At the end of the training, Lu De led everyone to a meticulously prepared obstacle course. The course contained numerous obstacles and mechanisms simulating the complex environments that might occur in a forest. Practicing this was to prepare for real combat, and whether in pursuit or escape, it would definitely come in handy sometime.

At Ludd's suggestion, Hume took the initiative to step forward and demonstrate, setting an example for the younger generation present.

It's worth mentioning that before going on stage, Hume, in front of the camera, pretended to offer a prayer as a "follower of the god of thievery." Having spent a long time with Ludd, she had learned quite a few "tricks," so she added some scenes for herself on the spot.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Hume demonstrated what "inhuman obstacle course" meant, weaving through numerous obstacles and traps with unimaginable speed and agility. The dwarf clock on the track stopped at 57 seconds for the entire 500-meter course, even after Ludd had warned Hume beforehand not to go too far.

Having witnessed Hume's demonstration, the adventurers and elites present were eager to sign up, only to discover that watching others do it was completely different from experiencing it firsthand. The vast majority of participants couldn't even complete the entire course; the obstacle pool at one-third of the course became a disaster zone, with the dwarves' specially designed speed-changing rotating mechanism leaving over a dozen challengers soaked to the bone.

Whether you're a newbie adventurer or an elite member of the Saintess Order, the screams of agony after being hit in the calf with a soft stick and falling into the water are all the same.

Seeing the miserable state of these unfortunate kids, Lude secretly decided that he must make good use of these "materials" to make a hilarious video. When these kids see the full version in the future, they will definitely thank him.

Of course! Not everyone became a source of inspiration. Celica successfully completed the entire race, and like Hume, he was in perfect condition, taking less than five seconds slower. His performance was truly outstanding!

In the end, five people, including Hume and Celica, completed the obstacle course. Ludger recorded their names and times on the scoreboard on the side of the field and welcomed any trainees to come and challenge him. The ranking board would be updated with data at any time. When the training camp ended, the top ten on the list would receive an extra reward provided by the Pantheon. Everyone's interest was immediately piqued.

After lunch, the afternoon training moved indoors. The local climate in Pinetown is not hot even in summer, and the temperature will not exceed 38 degrees Celsius all year round. However, Lud's training program is not only about physical fitness. Various wilderness survival skills and related knowledge training account for a larger proportion.

At the start of the course, Lu De laid out more than a dozen kinds of "mountain products" on the lectern in front of him, including wild fruits and mushrooms, and then asked the students to come up and identify which of them were edible.

Some people make judgments based on "common sense," believing that brightly colored things are poisonous, while those that look plain should be edible. Others, based on their past experience, think that some of these look similar to the mountain produce from their hometown and shouldn't be fatal.

After everyone had been pointing and identifying for a while, Ludwig revealed the answer.

"Anyone who has eaten any of the above-mentioned wild animals would not have had the opportunity to attend today's training session."

"..."xN

Upon hearing Ludwig say that everything on the table contained a deadly poison, everyone instinctively backed away, quickly distancing themselves from the lectern. A few who had touched the items earlier frantically wiped their hands on their clothes in a panic.

Many adventurers, despite spending years in the wild, possess remarkably limited knowledge of flora and fauna. Some are genuinely clueless, but even more alarming are those who are all talk and no action.

These kinds of people think that because they grew up running around in the countryside and know a few plants and animals from their hometown, they can apply their knowledge all over the world. Little do they know that some things may look similar, but the underlying differences are huge.

Over the past few years, the temple of Rude has seen several unfortunate souls brought in almost daily for food poisoning, more than half of whom are adventurers. These guys, once inside the forest, will eat anything and everything. Only a few manage to make it to the temple for help; most simply remain in the forest forever.

Sometimes Lude couldn't help but complain that the trees in the Virtual Forest could grow so lush and verdant thanks in no small part to the fertilizer from these two legs.

To further impress the young people present, Lud then used a projector to show them some information about the poisoning victims. These were images that Lud had sent people to film at the temple and the town's clinic over the past period of time, and some of the students even recognized the people in the images.

Lude also took the opportunity to introduce everyone to common treatments for food poisoning... the basic procedure of gastric lavage. If there is no corresponding antidote on hand when poisoned, this may be the only way to survive.

At the end of the video, the scene shifts to the interior of the forest, and the camera, moving forward, eventually arrives at a dark and damp tree hollow. Inside the completely hollowed-out tree trunk, large, bright red mushrooms grow one after another, covering a vast area.

The photographer then used a stick to part the mushroom bushes, revealing a gruesome mummified corpse. Every adventurer who witnessed this instinctively swallowed hard, silently praying they wouldn't end up like that.

The first few days of training went smoothly, and filming proceeded simultaneously. Lu De would edit the footage after nightfall, hoping to finish the first episode by the end of the first week and send it to the cinema that the Church of Light had already built.

It must be said that the Holy Church of Light, as a partner, generally performed very well for Rude. They were both profitable and efficient, and the Pope directly issued a decree to send people to supervise the construction progress of cinemas in various dioceses.

If any brat dares to slack off, His Holiness the Pope will make him a "laborer"!

Thanks to this level of oversight, the entire Holy Church of Light has demonstrated unprecedented efficiency, and cinemas have sprung up like mushrooms after rain in various dioceses.

After all, the Pope only set a target, requiring each diocese to build a certain number of cinemas based on the population of the local towns, but he did not mandate that they must be new. So, in order to meet the deadline, local dioceses simply spent money to buy old theaters and renovate them.

Because these guys moved so quickly and efficiently that they far exceeded Lud's expectations, it was actually his side that dragged things down and failed to deliver the matching projector in time.

It was precisely because of the urging from the Holy Light Church that the dwarves of the Steel Whip Clan had been working overtime to catch up on their work. Meanwhile, the delivery dragon Amy complained to Rud that there were just too many delivery orders lately, several times more than before, leaving her completely overwhelmed.

To appease Miss Red Dragon, Lu De not only raised her salary and improved her benefits, but also gave her a "brilliant idea": to try to invite some of her kind to join the company. She could get a commission for recruiting "new dragons" and become the leader of the delivery team.

Emmy, unaware of Lud's tactics, readily agreed.

Currently, the Church of Light has more than 100 cinemas in operation, and the response is said to be very good. However, the only drawback is that there are too few films that can be shown, only the "Promotional Film for the Holy Maiden" provided by Lu De and the stage play version of "The King of the Cave".

Even if the "Saintess Promo" were completely free, most ordinary viewers would only watch it three to five times at most.

Therefore, the Pope was in a hurry. After witnessing the propaganda effect of movies, which far exceeded that of ordinary religious activities, he was no longer satisfied with simply opening cinemas. He hoped to master the filming technology as well and make films that belonged entirely to the Holy Church of Light.

Ludd did not refuse, and even enthusiastically invited His Holiness the Pope to send high-quality talents to study at his Brewster Academy. He could swear to God that he would "unreservedly" impart all his film technology knowledge, and could even teach them some knowledge that was more exciting than making movies.

Over a period of more than a month, Ludd and the Pope exchanged more than a dozen letters. They talked very happily and seemed to feel that they had known each other for a long time. Ludd affectionately called the Pope "elder brother" in his letters, but every time the Pope invited him to visit the Sun City, Ludd declined, citing being busy with other matters.

"Actually, it's still worth taking a look around Karius's territory. Among the old gods, he is undoubtedly a righteous and virtuous one. Even if he senses that you have the primordial fire within you, he certainly won't forcibly take it."

In Ludd's room, Hume sat on his lap, and together they read the Pope's letter. Out of caution, Ludd refused to go to the headquarters of the Holy Light Church, but Hume thought it wouldn't be a problem.

Of the three major religions, the Holy Church of Light is the best. Although they all have the common problems of giant organizations, at least their leader, Karius, is more reliable than the God of War, Feigolai, and the Goddess of the Four Seasons, Harareya. There is a big difference between being unable to manage and not managing at all.

After reading the Pope's latest letter, Ludwig, holding Hume, fell into deep thought amidst the turmoil. While cooperation with the Church of Light brought many benefits to the Pantheon, the gains were accompanied by risks. After all, the difference in size between the two sides was enormous, and the Church of Light was not a harmless bunch; they had tested their limits quite a bit before.

Lude's bottom line has always been clear: cooperation is not dependence. You can ask me to respectfully call you "Big Brother" without any problem, but if you want me to kneel down and call you "Dad," then there's no way I'll do that!

Lud should make good use of the benefits brought by this "honeymoon period" and strengthen themselves as much as possible.

"It seems it's time to put the plan for the second phase of Gods on the agenda. We'll start as soon as the people from the Holy Light Church leave."

"Hey! Don't you think it's a bit impolite of you to think like that while you're hugging me?"

"Uh... I'm sorry."

Seeing that Hume was throwing a little tantrum, Ludd quickly tried to coax him. Since that initial breakthrough, their relationship had indeed progressed, but not quite to the point of full maturity.

Hume refused to acknowledge that he and Ludwig were lovers, and that sleeping with him was merely a "reward" from the gods to an excellent priest, but this reward was as frequent and proactive as "daily check-in".

Incidentally, after many trials, Ludd discovered that whenever he and Hume established a "connection between man and god," Hume would be affected by the primordial fire within him, greatly suppressing his divine power. The effect was almost the same as the power of a curse, causing Hume to lose almost all of his abilities, which allowed Ludd to always have the upper hand in the "battle."

Upon realizing that the primordial fire could be used in such an evil way, Lude was initially quite excited, thinking that he could use it as a "trump card" to "assassinate" the gods with his mortal body. However, he immediately thought that there seemed to be quite a few male gods among them, and in close combat, it was hard to say who would get hurt!

Seeing that he had almost finished his work, Lude was about to ask Hume to spar with him on some "wrestling skills," but Hume sensed something at that moment and suddenly frowned.

"what happened?"

"There's this guy who's up all night, he's from the mission..."

Having broken the curse, Hume has now regained all her divine power, but instead of creating new messengers, she used her divine power to transform a large flock of crows and wildcats into her "divine beasts."

These divine beasts are unlike divine messengers; their combat power is negligible. However, they are numerous and difficult to detect. They are scattered throughout Pine Town, acting as Hume's eyes and ears, like a "heavenly eye system," helping Lud to monitor whether any suspicious persons appear in the town.

With Hume's help, Ludd shared the raven's perspective and saw a man emerge from behind the embassy where the Church of Light was staying, walking briskly towards the west of town. Hume then switched to the perspective of a wildcat and finally saw the man's appearance clearly.

"This guy...I remember his name is Cai Side..."

"It's the mission's third secretary. I remember he didn't seem to get along with Serana. This guy went west, which means he's heading to... well! I knew it would be here..."

Through the perspective of the divine beast, Ludwig and Hume quickly saw that Caiss had arrived at his destination, a shop with a peach-colored sign. The shop was still open late at night and was doing very well. Many heavily made-up women were standing on the porch, posing seductively to passersby.

When Lu De saw Cai Si De sneaking into the store late at night, his expression immediately became somewhat subtle.

As a former police officer, even after being transported to another world, Lu De remains true to his original aspirations and is irreconcilably opposed to gambling, prostitution, and drugs. He may not care about other places, but Pine Tree Town, the "base" he built from scratch, will not tolerate these vile practices.

However, a few years later, the former Pine Tree Village has become the prosperous Pine Tree Town. Although Lu De successfully kept gambling and drugs out of his home, he suffered a crushing defeat in his confrontation with Huang.

Even when he first announced the ban on prostitution, not only did the foreign mercenaries and adventurers protest, but the locals also asked Mayor Rom to persuade Ludwig that the establishment of brothels should not be prohibited.

The reason is simple: there are many outsiders in the area, and most of the mercenaries, adventurers, and caravans are men, who rarely bring their wives along. If there were no brothels for these men to use for their pleasure, it's hard to guarantee they wouldn't prey on respectable local women when their lust takes over.

Therefore, brothels were necessary, and those prostitutes played an irreplaceable role in maintaining local security.

Left with no other choice, Ludwig had to make concessions, allowing brothels to operate in Pinetown, but these establishments had to open their doors on West Street, the furthest street from his school, and prostitutes were not allowed to solicit customers on the town's main street. This was Ludwig's last stand.

Seeing Cai Side sneaking into a place like this late at night, Lu De wasn't too surprised, and even thought of August in Yanmu City. It was said that this bishop was addicted to such pleasures, often disappearing after visiting prostitutes. However, he had been personally apprehended by Selica a few months ago, dismissed from his post, investigated, and exiled to a remote diocese in a harsh, cold land to dig potatoes.

However, the reason August was investigated was mainly due to his dereliction of duty and his secret collusion with criminal forces. There is no explicit prohibition within the Holy Church of Light against clergy members being close to women, so Cai Side's secret visits to brothels late at night cannot be considered a scandal; at most, it's just gossip.

However, at this moment, Hume suddenly made a new discovery: in addition to her divine beast, there were other people following Cai Si De.

"Huh? It's her?"