Goddess Kaleidoscope

The Holy Light Church's delegation is currently in Pine Town, and Lud can't very well abandon them to run off to Oyster Harbor to meet with the Cult of War, but he also doesn't intend to completely sever ties with the Ural.

Lude hoped to maintain the Pantheon's neutral position as much as possible. Although there was some covert struggle between the Cult of War and the Cult of Light, they had at least maintained a peaceful coexistence for more than three hundred years on the surface. If he were to overreact and clearly side with the Cult of Light, completely severing ties with the Cult of War, it would only be an act of provoking war and drawing hatred to himself and the Cult of Light.

"Just let things be as they are, and take it easy."

And so, Shanis and Aina, along with Gel, boarded the transformed Kanna and flew to Oyster Harbor. They arrived at East Street Hospital around noon. The pure white feathered dragon flew over the streets, attracting many locals to bow in greeting, as everyone knew it was Saint Lu's "ride".

Kanna arrived at the hospital with practiced ease. Vice President Nan Ding immediately came to greet her with his entourage. Upon learning that Lu De had not come this time and had sent two female disciples to represent him, he felt a little regretful, but he was more concerned about Lu De's health.

Back then, Lu De died from overwork while trying to save Oyster Harbor. Although a miracle later occurred, allowing the master to return to youth, it was a happy ending for everyone. However, Nan Ding and many other doctors who experienced the catastrophe felt a sense of guilt along with admiration when they thought about their experiences fighting alongside Lu De.

They sincerely hope that a saint as deserving of the title as Rudd can stay healthy forever!

"I heard that the Master has been particularly busy lately. Sister Shanis, you should persuade him to get some rest!"

"Yes! I understand. I've recently started trying to help my master relieve stress in ways I'm good at."

"That's good, that's good."

At Nan Ding's warm invitation, Shanis and Aina toured the East Street Hospital, observing the recent construction work. It had indeed changed considerably since their last visit.

Currently, the hospital has over two hundred staff members, including doctors, nurses, and support staff. The older generation experienced the pandemic, while the new generation are all graduates of Brewster College, making this a truly effective hospital for treating and saving lives.

However, given the relatively rudimentary state of current medical technology and the unique advantages of divine arts in the field of healing, East Street Hospital, through Lude's mediation, established cooperative relationships with several local churches from its inception. A priest is on duty at the hospital every day, and if a problem arises that doctors cannot resolve using conventional methods, the priest will intervene using supernatural powers as a last resort.

In the afternoon, the exchange meeting officially began. The huge hospital conference room was filled with invited guests from all walks of life, including hospital doctors and nurses, local priests and monks from various sects, and some traditional doctors and pharmacists who came from other places to learn more.

Hundreds of people gathered together, making it more lively than a vegetable market.

During a break in the exchange meeting, just as Lud had predicted, Bishop Ural of the Cult of War took the initiative to find Shanis and Aina.

When Ural arrived, he found the two beautiful nuns being harassed by several third-rate doctors from out of town. Ural didn't think much of these "quacks"; their skills were utterly subpar, not even comparable to the medical students from Brewster College. He hadn't even invited them to the exchange meeting; they had come on their own after hearing about it.

Ural came over and easily dismissed these lustful fools with a few words. Ural admitted that Lud's two beautiful female disciples were indeed very pretty. Even when he first saw them, he couldn't help but admire them in his heart, thinking, "You old devil, you're so lucky with women."

Now that Lud has received divine grace and regained the body of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, with a youthful and handsome face, Ural estimated that even if something really happened between the master and disciple, it wouldn't be surprising.

Ural came to sound out Shanis and Aina about the cooperation between the Pantheon and the Church of Light. The Church of War had its own intelligence network, and Ural had already learned some of it beforehand, but that didn't stop him from pretending not to know and asking the two of them questions.

It is worth mentioning that when the Holy Maidens of the Church of Light first made contact with the Pantheon, Urar was summoned to the main hall of the capital to report on his duties. By the time he finally returned to his homeland, the delegation of the Church of Light had already arrived.

When Ural learned that the representative sent to Pine Town by the Holy Church of Light was Serana, the Pope's chosen successor, he keenly realized that the Holy Church of Light must value its cooperation with the Pantheon, which was why it sent such a high-ranking representative.

On the other hand, their own War God Cult reacted much slower.

Ural had reported to his superiors more than once that they should actively court the Pantheon of Lud, as this small sect had great potential and should be brought to their side as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Ural was a protégé of the former archbishop, and the current archbishop never really liked him, completely disregarding his advice. As a result, the situation dragged on, allowing a third party from the Holy Church of Light to successfully intervene. Ural felt as if his priestly crown had instantly turned green, and he had no one to confide in.

During this time, Ural had been hesitating about whether he should go to Pine Town in person. The problem was that he was just a minor bishop in a branch of the Church of War, and he was not on the same level as a real big shot like Serana. Going there might just be humiliating himself.

Fortunately, the Pantheon did not explicitly intend to terminate their cooperation, and last week they delivered the latest batch of ordered potions on time, which reassured Ural somewhat.

Ural no longer harbors any hope of getting the Pantheon to abandon the Church of Light and side with their Church of War. After all, the level of importance both sides have placed on them is obvious to all, and only a fool would try to win them over. Therefore, Ural only hopes to retain the business of divine medicine, which is one of the most important sources of revenue for his northern parish.

If possible, he even wanted to use Lud's connections to meet with the Church of Light. Ural, who came from a merchant family, knew that connections were an invisible asset. Although the Church of War and the Church of Light did not worship the same god, they were at least not enemies.

If I could connect with the big shot on the other side, I'd be in luck!

A few days later, Ural arrived in Pine Town as promised, just in time for the final day of the Adventurers' Training Camp's closing ceremony, and was invited to attend the event.

Of the first batch of 120 trainees, 11 dropped out for various reasons, while the remaining trainees all completed all the training courses. At the graduation ceremony, each trainee received a certificate of completion, a "Basic Training Badge," and a commemorative dagger forged from fine steel.

In addition, Ludl fulfilled his earlier promise and gave the ten top performers a "special reward"—a set of custom-made enchanted leather armor for each of them.

The leather armor, crafted by the dwarves of the Steelwhip Clan, is not only lightweight and durable but also boasts exceptional defensive capabilities, comparable to common plate armor. Finally, it's been luxuriously enchanted, granting the wearer a "Windwalker" spell that increases their movement speed.

The young adventurer who received the prize was so moved he almost cried, while the other students who didn't receive it were filled with envy and secretly regretted not trying harder back then; perhaps that treasure would be theirs by now.

This is a highly sought-after "dwarf-made" item, made with top-notch materials and craftsmanship. It would easily sell for three to five hundred gold coins on the market. But Master Lu gave it away as a prize!

In comparison, the only apparent income from this training camp organized by Lude was a mere twelve silver coins per student for training fees. Even if all the tuition fees paid by these one hundred and twenty students were added together, it probably wouldn't be worth as much as a single boot from this enchanted leather armor set.

However, Lu De's purpose in organizing this event was not to make money from the very beginning. The "rewards" he truly desired were now flowing in from all directions, and this was only the beginning. In the foreseeable future, the effects of these profits would continue for a long time.

Lud and the students: "We've made a killing!"

To be honest, after only three weeks of basic training, even the best adventurer trainees are far from reaching the same level as the elite members of the Saintess Order.

Fortunately, these novice adventurers had poor foundations and started from a low point, so after three weeks of intensive training, at least from their own perspective, they felt they had benefited greatly, and their abilities had improved dramatically. At least they wouldn't randomly eat unfamiliar things when adventuring in the forest again.

In Lude's future plans, this training camp is just the beginning of a big project. Just like the "Basic Training Badge" that all the trainees received at the graduation ceremony, there will be intermediate, advanced and even special skills training next, which will eventually drive the entire industry to upgrade. Lude will become the new rule-maker for the adventurer industry.

After the graduation ceremony, the students who had completed their studies left the training camp with reluctance, full of ambition and ready to embark on another unknown journey.

Meanwhile, Lud had already taken the camera and was looking at the footage he had just captured, pondering in his mind how to edit it in post-production so that the audience would not notice the three goddesses of craftsmanship on the leather armor.

It's no exaggeration to say that Lu De specially made ten sets of such expensive leather armor as prizes just so that he could insert this into the film and leave a deep impression on the audience.

At this moment, Ural came over. He had only watched and applauded the entire graduation ceremony today, and seeing Lud and the people of the Holy Church of Light busy themselves there made him a little bewildered.

Ural had only heard about the film technology currently possessed by the Pantheon, but had never had the opportunity to learn more about it. He knew that the Church of Light was actively cooperating with the Pantheon because of this, so he figured it must be something particularly unique.

Unfortunately, Ural was more inclined towards traditional business thinking, so he valued the Pantheon's elixirs more than emerging industries like film.

"Master Lude, would it be convenient for us to find a quiet place later so we can all sit down and have a proper chat?"

"Of course it's convenient. It's lunchtime anyway. I've already asked my apprentice to prepare hot pot. Come over to my place and we can eat and chat."

At Lud's warm invitation, Serana of the Church of Light, Ural of the Church of War, and the dwarven high priest Winnig, who had come all the way from the dungeon to attend the event, arrived at the temple. The four of them sat around a hot pot bubbling with red oil, and Lud greeted them warmly.

"Come on, everyone! Don't be so reserved. The weather's getting cooler these past few days as autumn arrives, making it the perfect time to enjoy lamb hot pot to nourish your body. It's a specialty of Songshu Town, you absolutely must try it!"

Upon hearing Ludwig's polite words, Winnipeg, who carried the "holy sword of physics" at his waist, was the first to act, using tongs to scoop up a piece of rib and start gnawing on it. With this guy taking the lead, the atmosphere at the dinner table became a little warmer, but the conversation consisted of nothing but empty pleasantries, with everyone holding back from making their first move.

Urals' main objective on this trip was to ensure that their cooperative relationship with the Pantheon was not replaced. However, they could not appear too assertive, lest they anger Lud.

Within the Kingdom of Duran, the three major religions have maintained a balance of power thanks to the mediation of a noble group led by the royal family. However, the situation has changed somewhat in the northern region due to the rise of the Pantheon in recent years.

In terms of overall strength, the Pantheon is not on the same level as the three major religions. However, if we look at the northern border of the Kingdom of Duran, the Pantheon's influence may have surpassed that of the three major religions about a year ago, forming a kind of "local advantage." The positions of the lords in various places have also been tilted without them realizing it. The Pantheon can be said to be playing both sides.

Interestingly, the Pantheon's advantage did not threaten the three major religions or other smaller sects; they seemed to have accepted this reality without even realizing it. Sometimes, when conflicts arose between different sects, the highly respected Master Rudd would be invited to mediate.

The reason for this is mainly because the Pantheon has almost never shown any "expansion." Although its influence is growing, it still only has a temple in Pinetown, and the hospital in Oyster Harbor barely counts as half a temple. Apart from that, they have never been seen sending missionaries to any other places, as if they are not in a hurry to expand their parish in order to attract people to be baptized and become believers.

In addition, the Pantheon produces a variety of goods, all of which are highly sought-after and in high demand. Ludwig would specifically contact the local religious sects to invite them to act as distributors, so that they could also get a share of the profits.

He doesn't compete with you for territory or followers, and he always manages to offer you all sorts of good products, helping you make money together. In the eyes of most small and medium-sized sects in the northern part of the kingdom, Lord Lu is a first-class "great philanthropist"!

However, these people did not realize that over the past three years, Rudd had successfully spread the names of several goddesses under the Pantheon throughout the entire North, to the point that they were almost universally known.

Even in the information age, if you randomly stop someone on the street and ask them to name all 195 sovereign nations and their current presidents, very few can name more than 20. The names that are familiar to most people are actually just a few.

The civilization of this world as a whole is still at the medieval level, and the conventional channels for the flow of information are naturally very backward.

Fun fact #1: Nearly one-third of the people in the Kingdom of Duran do not know what their king's name is; they only know that there is a king.

Fun fact #2: King Durand was unaware of fun fact #1.

In this environment, Ludwig used his products as missionaries and his trademarks as idols. It took him nearly three years to finally popularize the name of the Pantheon among the two to three million people in the northern part of the kingdom. Without their knowledge, the people became believers without being baptized.

Now that the Pantheon has allied itself with the Church of Light, Ural feels genuinely uneasy. He does indeed have a powerful sect behind him, but due to its own "corporate culture," this sect is fundamentally incapable of providing him with a solid backing.

The entire War God Cult takes pride in fighting, and they are experts at external infighting and even more so at internal infighting! The internal atmosphere, if not "brotherly love and respect," can at least be described as "the son laughs when the father dies"!

Anyway, the God of War gains faith through fighting, and he has his own unique logic for becoming stronger, so he's not afraid of internal strife within his sect! Killing someone is equivalent to a blood sacrifice! It can be said that unless one day the world is at peace and humanity is free from war and division, the God of War will never decline.

However, this seemingly powerful set of faith rules only benefits the God of War himself, offering little benefit to the believers, especially religious personnel. As a minor bishop of a diocese who wasn't particularly favored by his superiors, if Ural were to encounter any truly life-threatening situation, he would rather bow down to Lud than seek help from his own High Lord.

So Ural found, somewhat amused and exasperated, that his current position relative to Lud was completely reversed from the first time they met.

In fact, Lud knew that Ural had come to him because he needed something. After taking over the Black Hand Brotherhood, Lud had also obtained their intelligence network. Now that this organization was under his control, he had naturally gathered a lot of information about the Cult of War. He knew that Ural was in a bad situation recently and was afraid that he would sever his cooperation with Ural because of his cooperation with the Holy Light Church.

Lud would never allow his long-time partner to get into trouble, lest the Northern Diocese end up with another valuable person like Narad.

However, while Ludpyo enjoys getting things for free, it doesn't mean he can help for free. He knows that Ural has a sizable merchant fleet, and if Ural is willing to let Ludpyo invest in (this fleet), then many things will become easier to negotiate.

P.S.: This chapter was completely rewritten from scratch. I had to delete all 4600 words from the first draft, which troubled me for a long time.

While Lude was enjoying hotpot and singing, at the same time at the Holy Light Church's embassy, ​​Cai Side was pondering a question: how to complete the task assigned by Lord Mikhail without being implicated afterward.

The plan provided by his contact was to have Cai Si De sabotage Serana as much as possible and ruin the cooperation with the Pantheon.

The College of Cardinals' goal was clear: to brand Serana with a stain of "major negligence" so that they would have "ammunition" to attack her abilities and ultimately force the Pope to punish her, thus disqualifying her from becoming the next Pope!

As long as this goal can be achieved, the College of Cardinals does not care whether the reputation and interests of the Holy Church will be damaged. After all, the Papacy is a large and powerful organization, and a little loss is insignificant to them; what matters most is that they can benefit from it.

In addition, there was a group of extremely conservative cardinals who strongly opposed the collaboration from the beginning. They almost instinctively disliked new things and felt that the idea of ​​using movies, such a crooked thing, to spread religion was simply a desecration of the sanctity of religion!

A true believer should kneel and repent devoutly before the statue of a deity every day, offering their faith to the gods and their money to the priests. Only in this way can they gain the favor of the gods and achieve a happy and free life, even if they have nothing. They shouldn't flock to the theater and shout "So cute!" at the saints on the big screen.

These old-fashioned, conservative people dislike movies, and naturally, they also hate Luther King Jr., who invented them, considering him a blasphemous heretic. If he were a priest of the Holy Church of Light, he would have been excommunicated long ago, or even burned at the stake.

Therefore, in their view, the best outcome would be to destroy this cooperation while also making Serana bear the responsibility – killing two birds with one stone!

However, this is easier said than done.

To be honest, Cai Side is not stupid. Under normal circumstances, his brain is quite sharp. Otherwise, Mikhail would not have sent him here and given him such an important task.

However, Cai Side also has a weakness: he is timid! And his IQ drops sharply whenever he panics even slightly.

In the past, Cai Side had always followed Mikhail, mainly acting as his advisor, only needing to offer suggestions and not needing to take action himself. Because he was full of wicked schemes and particularly good at flattery, he was highly valued by Cardinal Mikhail.

Ironically, Cai Side knew he was a coward, but in order to hide it from others, especially Mikhail, he liked to boast about his "bravery." As a result, he boasted so convincingly that he fooled Mikhail into believing him, making him think that his lackey was a ruthless and fierce man.

So, in order to cultivate his favorite protégé, Mikhail decided to give him a chance to prove himself. A dumbfounded Caiside then realized he had overstated his abilities, but it was too late to defend himself, so he could only bite the bullet and go ahead with it.

These days, Cai Side is in Pine Tree Town. On the surface, he is as calm as a rock, but he goes to prostitutes in town every day and then disappears. Lu De, who is on high alert, can't do anything about him for a while and can't figure out what this guy is planning. In reality, he is just struggling with something inside.

Fortunately, a turning point came when members of the War God Cult appeared in Pine Tree Town. In addition, the merchant who had been delivering messages to him brought him a "good thing"—a brand-new camera.

This camera was a "personal gift" from Luther to Pope St. Leonid. A total of twenty cameras and two memory crystal copy machines were sent. The Pope liked the equipment very much, taking one with him to film all over the place, while the rest were stored in the Vatican's treasury.

So the cardinal used his authority to secretly get one and send it back to Pine Town, where it was handed over to Cai Si De.

Although the old guys in the College of Cardinals were very resistant to new things and wished they could shut down all the cinemas and destroy all the equipment immediately, they cunningly realized that they could use this thing to smear Serana.

So they gave Cai Si-de a camera and asked him to use it to film Serana's "crimes." No overwhelming evidence was needed; as long as the footage looked like she was doing something wrong, the College of Cardinals would mobilize its resources to create the public opinion they wanted.

After listening to the businessman explain the plan to him, Cai Side frowned deeply. He felt that those old fogies were just talking without understanding the situation. Who was Serana? She was one of the top experts in the entire Holy Church of Light, with extraordinary senses. She could detect even a glance from an ordinary person, let alone taking a picture of them.

If he were caught red-handed while secretly filming, they could easily label him a traitor and chop him up on the spot.

However, Cai Side knew he had no choice in this matter. If Serana was a ruthless killer, then the cardinals were demons who devoured people without spitting out the bones. Cai Side had witnessed the methods of those old men, and the resulting fear was so strong that he dared not run away.