Goddess Kaleidoscope

At the award ceremony, Rude, who appeared as a saint, earnestly advised each villager who received the idol that the idol, regardless of size, was an incarnation of the goddess, and that they must be carefully worshipped after taking it home. The goddess would bless those who were devout and kind-hearted, and protect their families from evil and ensure their safety.

After awarding individual prizes to the local villagers, it was time for the group prizes. Since there were only three teams in total, all three teams went on stage. In addition to the different regular prizes, each team also received a figurine of a deity.

Of the three teams, the student team was naturally overjoyed. They had defeated the real knights, and the victory itself was the greatest reward for them. The two defeated teams of knights, on the other hand, had mixed feelings and had to pretend to be magnanimous, standing on both sides, smiling and clapping.

In front of so many civilians and even their arch-enemies, no one wanted to earn a reputation for being a "sore loser."

After the competition, the village followed its tradition by holding a bonfire party after the large group activities. Since the Rainbow Circus is located in the village, this time there was finally proper musical accompaniment, instead of the chaotic drumming and dancing that was clearly "tribal-style".

Meanwhile, at the temple, Rud hosted a special banquet, serving a hot pot of chili oil to the two distinguished guests who had traveled from afar: Hamilton, Sharo, Ural, and Rodriguez.

Everyone was quite curious about this novel way of eating, hot pot. The bubbling red oil in the pot was visually striking, and the spicy aroma constantly stimulated their olfactory nerves. Hamilton, who couldn't live without spicy food, was overjoyed, his eyes practically sparkling like he'd just seen a brothel!

Meanwhile, the two inexperienced "NEWASS" members, Sharo and Rodriguez, seemed a bit nervous, looking intimidated by the pot full of red oil.

"Your Highness, is this...is it really edible?"

"This is called hot pot. You cook the ingredients by putting them in the pot and then dipping them in the sauce in the dish. Don't worry, the red oil just looks a little scary, it's really not spicy."

Like a true Sichuanese, Lu De warmly invited the group to sit down and then personally demonstrated how to eat hot pot, explaining that it was a unique dish from his hometown, specially prepared to entertain friends who had come from afar.

Without saying a word, Hamilton copied Ludd's demonstration, dipped a slice of meat in the hot oil, and put it in his mouth. He immediately showed an expression as if he was about to ascend to heaven, as if Ludd had added drugs to the chili oil.

"Old buddy, you're a true connoisseur of spicy food! I've never tasted anything this spicy in my life. You absolutely have to give me a copy of your recipe. I won't take it for free; I'll trade you something for it, how about that?"

"No need to exchange it. We're old brothers who've been through thick and thin together. I'll just have my apprentice copy the recipe for you. If I ever have any trouble in the future, just remember to lend me a hand."

"No problem! This is the most important promise I, Hamilton, have ever made!"

Old Hamilton patted his chest and made a promise, then used both forks to feed the food into the pot in turn, eating with his mouth full of oil, making one worry that his "old habit" might relapse.

However, inspired by his eating habits, the other three also mustered up the courage to try it, and found that the taste was surprisingly good. They were quickly captivated by the charm of hot pot.

Raw meat is not tasty! But after being cooked in the broth, it's delicious—the chili oil is amazing!

At the dinner table, Ural again inquired about the sale of the super-enhancing potion with Lud. He believed that Lud's actions during the day were not simply for the sake of spite, but rather to showcase his new product. Otherwise, a shrewd person like him would have no reason to deliberately humiliate a nobleman.

However, Lud still did not respond directly, but instead inquired about the recent situation in the capital, especially about the new archbishop of the Cult of War.

Ural smiled and said while eating chicken breast.

"What else can we do? Same as always! Whoever has the longest beard and the most wrinkles on their face will become the new archbishop. Surely it won't be me again?"

As Ural said this, a mocking smile remained on his face.

As a boy, Urals longed to become a priest and looked down on the merchant family's profession, which had been practiced for hundreds of years. He eagerly anticipated embarking on a path he had never imagined.

So, at the age of thirteen, at a banquet hosted by his father, Urar took the initiative to speak with Gerallis, the Archbishop of the Church of War, who was attending the banquet, and expressed that his lifelong dream was to become a glorious priest of the Church of War, and that he very much hoped to become a disciple of Master Gerallis.

At that time, Gerallis had just taken office as the head of the Duran parish and urgently needed to build his network of connections in the area. Ural's father was a royal merchant, the king's most prominent merchant. Although not a nobleman, he had extensive connections and influence, making him a powerful ally that Gerallis needed.

And so, Geralris accepted the self-recommended Ural as his apprentice, and found that the boy was indeed exceptionally talented and a good candidate to become a priest, so he began to train him as his personal disciple.

During that period, Ural studied very hard as a novice monk under Gerallis, because Ural's father did not approve of his most intelligent son giving up the family business to become a priest.

But at the banquet that day, Gerallis publicly announced that he would take Ural as his apprentice, and he couldn't directly object. In the end, he had no choice but to make a deal with his son, giving him five years. If he hadn't made a name for himself by the time he turned eighteen, he would obediently come back and inherit the million-dollar fortune.

As it turned out, Urar was indeed cut out to be a priest, and he was promoted to priest in just three years. While the guidance of his mentor Gerallis certainly played a part, Urar's own hard work was also indispensable.

However, what Ural was concerned about was another disciple of his mentor, Narad, who was promoted to priest in the same batch as him.

This person was about the same age as him and was said to have a close relationship with his mentor, Gerallis. Although they were both direct disciples, Ural could clearly sense that his mentor cared more about Narad than about his other fellow disciples.

Narad has great talent and aptitude, and is highly compatible with divine magic. However, he has a bad personality. He was very impulsive and irritable when he was young, and he has not changed over the years. Instead, he seems to be getting worse.

Ural believed that he was superior to Narad in terms of knowledge, ability, and divine magic, and should have been the most suitable successor to Geralis. However, Narad was the mentor's "favorite disciple" and had long ago been designated to succeed him within the sect. This naturally aroused dissatisfaction among the other direct disciples, including Ural.

Ural was unwilling to let his talents be used as a foil to Narad, that brainless brute, and he also secretly resented his mentor's blatant favoritism. So, after becoming the bishop of the Northern Diocese of the Kingdom, Ural secretly colluded with several other bishops of the Duran Diocese and opposed his former mentor.

What happened next is something Lud and the others already know: Narad died in the Void Forest, and Geralris also succumbed to grief. The bishops of each diocese all rushed to the capital simultaneously. Ostensibly, it was to handle the archbishop's funeral arrangements, but in reality, it was to vie for the suddenly vacant position.

Although Ural participated in this power struggle, he knew from the beginning that he would not succeed. The sect values ​​ability, but seniority even more. Geralris had incurred the wrath of many because he tried to force the overly young Narad into the position, which provoked discontent among the followers.

Ural is a year younger than Narad, and even though he has a distinguished career in the northern diocese, his seniority is far less than that of the other bishops.

Moreover, Ural is Gerallis's protégé. Even though he has been outwardly opposing his mentor in recent years and has shifted his stance to the Doug faction, in the eyes of other bishops, he is still entangled with the Carter faction represented by Gerallis.

So from the very beginning, Ural was just there to make up the numbers. He took a stroll around the capital, mainly to deliver the remains of Guinarad and another fallen priest, and to build a good relationship with the new archbishop.

Ultimately, however, Ural remained excluded from the parish's inner circle. This feeling of being caught in the middle left Ural extremely disappointed with both the Doug and Carter factions.

So, having no other choice, he returned to the north and focused on cultivating his own small plot of land, hoping for new opportunities in the future.

The core area of ​​his parish was within the territory of Earl Ramli. Having spent nearly ten years with the local lord, Ural was well aware of the Ramli family's attitude towards religious power. Therefore, with his skillful interpersonal skills, he maintained a fairly harmonious relationship with them.

Besides the lords, the Urals also placed great importance on relations with other sects, striving to maintain relatively harmonious relationships with them. Sometimes, they would even act as a protector for weaker sects, shielding them from bullying.

Ural did this not because he was kind-hearted, but because he followed the traditional experience accumulated by his family over many years of business: to build good relationships.

In his youth, Ural scoffed at this business-minded approach, believing it wasn't the mindset a priest needed. But now, in his middle age, looking back, he has not only witnessed the dark side of the religious world, which is nothing like the idyllic world he had imagined in his youth, but he has also finally come to understand the wisdom of the older generation.

Therefore, when dealing with the Medicine God Cult, Ural, sensing a business opportunity, did not regard Lud, the most suspicious person, as a heretic who must be opposed simply because there were doubts about Narad's death. Instead, he decisively extended an olive branch to seek cooperation.

As it turns out, Ural made the right move. Lud and his Medicine God Cult are not only a hen that lays eggs, but also golden eggs!

Ural believed his greatest advantage was the support from the Dunt family. Although his relationship with the family had once been strained, as he made a name for himself in the Church of War and became the youngest subdistrict bishop in the entire Durand diocese, his family had long since accepted his choice.

Ural's father abdicated three years ago, and the current head of the family is his younger brother from the same mother. Ural had already renounced his right to succession the day he became a priest, so there was no direct conflict of interest between him and his brother. On the contrary, they could form a stronger alliance based on blood ties and kinship.

As the royal family's official merchants, the Dunt family possessed a vast business network spanning the entire country, while also controlling multiple maritime trade routes and maintaining very close commercial exchanges with two other continents. Neither the seemingly powerful Earl of Ramley nor the Duke of Gamelin possessed these advantages.

Although Lude possesses a variety of rare items, it would be difficult for him to sell them on his own, let alone fetch a good price. Therefore, he would definitely need the help of professionals like the Dunt family!

End of this chapter

Faced with Ural's repeated inquiries and ever-increasing price, Lud neither agreed on the spot nor refused outright. He simply told them that this super-enhancing potion still had room for further improvement, so it would not be available for sale for the time being.

However, Lud later stated that he had several other new drugs on hand, and if Ural was interested, they could collaborate on that.

What type of medicine is it?

"They're basically daily necessities. One type is for whitening, another is for hair care, and the third is... a hair growth tonic."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Lude mention hair growth serum, everyone's gaze instantly converged on Hamilton's head. The old magician was enjoying his hotpot with great gusto; the dense beads of sweat made his skull appear as if it were coated in wax, gleaming and reflecting light!

"Your target users are... quite clearly defined!"

"What do you mean, kid?"

Hamilton was displeased after being teased by Ural, and glared at him fiercely. But as soon as he turned his head, he was all smiles and asked Lud in a friendly manner that was hard for those who knew him to imagine.

"Old friend, do you need someone to test your drugs?"

The three new potions that Lude presented were all beauty products. According to the market research that Hume had helped with, none of the other similar products on the market could compare with his, and the market demand was enormous, far from being saturated.

After all, in any world, everyone has a love for beauty. From royalty to commoners, those who are well-off will not be completely indifferent to their appearance.

Especially those socialites and socialites who frequent high society, they would not hesitate to make a deal with the devil as long as it could make them more beautiful!

After a hot pot meal, everyone present enjoyed themselves immensely.

Although Ural failed to obtain the super-enhancing drug he most desired, he did reach an agreement with Lud on the sales agency for several other new drugs. Crucially, Lud didn't completely rule out the possibility of a deal, which Ural interpreted as a signal that negotiations could continue.

Hamilton, on the other hand, got the hot pot base recipe and a bottle of hair growth serum he had been dreaming of. Seeing how much he loved it, Lude thought to himself that if there weren't younger people watching, this guy would probably have applied it to his brilliantly intelligent head right there and then.

As for Sharo and Rodriguez, these two young ladies and gentlemen didn't say much at the dinner table, mostly just staring at each other. Whenever Rodriguez tried to say something to Lud, Sharo would immediately jump in and gank him, giving him no chance to speak at all.

Logically speaking, the two armies currently stationed outside the village, with Rodriguez bringing nearly twice the number of troops as Sharo, and their troop quality and equipment levels being roughly the same. However, Sharo's side has the addition of Hamilton and Ural.

One was a Grand Magus who had mastered forbidden fire spells, and the other was a War God Bishop who was skilled in group buff spells. With these two assisting, Count Ramley's private army was naturally not afraid of the Duke's side, which only had a numerical advantage.

Furthermore, Lud also keenly noticed that Rodriguez always seemed somewhat unnatural in front of Sharo, as if he felt guilty and was deliberately avoiding her gaze. This reaction was quite intriguing.

"Could they have been having an affair before?"

After dinner, seeing that it was getting late and that they had covered most of their topics, everyone got up to take their leave. Lu De saw them all the way to the front door, and just before parting, he suddenly remembered something and invited them to see a play together in a few days.

"Master Luther, it's only been two months since we last met, and you already have an opera house here?"

"Haha! How could that be? I recently sponsored a promising song and dance troupe. They are currently staying in the village and rehearsing a new play. They will be having a trial performance soon."

"Oh! Then I'll definitely have to take a good look at it."

After seeing the group off, Rudd closed the temple doors. He had been busy all day, and even though his body was still young and he had divine power, Rudd was already quite tired. He stretched his arms a couple of times and prepared to take a bath and go to bed early.

But just then, Ludwig suddenly noticed a furtive shadow in the distance, trying to sneak away along the corner of the wall.

Upon seeing this, Lude immediately called out to the other party.

"Shanis, where did you go just now?"

Hearing Ludd call her name, the nun, who had been crouching in the shadows like a thief, trembled and reluctantly stood up. Seeing her hands hidden behind her back, Ludd, with a stern face, reached out and demanded something.

"What are you hiding behind your back? Take it out."

"nothing……"

"Let me see!"

Faced with Lud's aura, which resembled that of a homeroom teacher, even Shanis, a genuine goddess, became like a primary school student caught red-handed, obediently handing over the "contraband" she had tried to smuggle into the temple. Upon taking a look, Lud discovered that they were several thin books with very poor printing quality, but the pictures on them made his brow twitch involuntarily.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was stolen...borrowed from the military camp outside."

"..."

Under Lud's questioning, Shanis confessed to her "crime." During dinner, while Lud was entertaining guests, she bribed Aina to cover for her and sneaked out to find some "wild game."

Currently, there are two military camps outside the village, with a total of nearly 2,500 armored soldiers. These private armies under the command of nobles are not people's armies with strict military discipline and moral self-discipline. In this barbaric and ignorant feudal era, it is already considered to be a disciplined army if they can refrain from burning, killing, and looting. Don't even think about asking them to abide by the rules and regulations.

So after nightfall, some of the military personnel who weren't part of the combat units quickly went into business mode. Attracted by this nostalgic childhood flavor, Shanis, unable to resist the temptation, secretly sneaked into the military camp.

She possessed an invisibility cloak that Hume had lent her, a divine artifact of the Thief God, capable of completely concealing the wearer's presence. Even a master like Hamilton would have difficulty detecting it.

So Shanis, who had infiltrated the military camp, wandered around the bustling tents like she was at a buffet, and unexpectedly found a few good things among the personal belongings of an officer.

I intended to bring it back as a souvenir and occasionally take it out to study, but before I could even get back into the house, Ludwig intercepted it halfway.

After learning the whole story, Lud was speechless for a moment.

"You're really something!"