Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

After Aaron finished his business, Claire handed over the money bag containing 700 gold coins to the other party for counting, and told them to deposit it all into the bank.

Aaron watched as they deposited their money quite decisively, seemingly unaware that they didn't have any manual coin sorting machines or similar equipment. He saw the mouse carry the money bag to the hidden door, from which a hand reached out and snatched the bag. The door then slammed shut. Through the wall, Aaron heard a frantic squeaking sound, mixed with the clinking of gold coins. He truly couldn't understand how they sorted the money...

Surely it can't all be sorted by hand? Is human... or even rat-powered, cheaper than an automatic coin sorting machine? Aaron wiped his sweat.

Aaron didn't know how they worked, but the pure rat sorting was quite fast. After a while, the hidden door opened, and a document that looked like a bankbook was handed out from inside the hidden door.

So the big mouse told the little mouse, and the little mouse then used a board to tell Claire that their 700 gold coins had been deposited into Florian Bank. Here is the passbook. The little mouse also politely asked Claire if there was anything else she needed to do.

"Is that all?" Aaron was as if waking from a dream, praising the efficiency of Florian Bank. If he had gone to a regular bank, it would probably have taken at least half an hour to complete the process, but they had already finished.

"By the way, what are the fees?" Aaron asked, picking out a question he was concerned about. After all, in this era, banks were still synonymous with being unscrupulous, charging a 2% handling fee for every transaction. Therefore, he was very concerned about the fees they charged.

Soon the little mouse held up the template next to him. The blackboard read: "Florian Bank is always open to the Judge. The Judge can come to the bank once a week for free to deposit or withdraw money. Only after the second time will a 2% handling fee be charged."

"Free once a week, what a generous offer!" Aaron exclaimed, already fond of Florian Bank, whose employees were all rats.

"For any other banking services, you are welcome to visit the Florence Birmingham branch!" The little mouse placed the wooden board on the table again. On the board, there was a line of neat characters for "mouse" next to a handprint. At the same time, the little mouse puffed out its chest, looking like a child seeking praise.

"It's really good." Aaron didn't hold back his praise.

Afterwards, Claire had some business to attend to in the room. Aaron had just joined the Church of Judgment, so this kind of business was none of his concern. He obediently sat outside in the corridor and waited. A small mouse, who seemed to be a service mouse, told him that the coffee and black tea on the seventh and a half floor were free and asked if he wanted a cup. Soon after, a special coffee made by a mouse hand was brought to him.

"It should be fairly hygienic..." Aaron told himself as he sipped his coffee, trusting the rats' banking practices.

There were even peanuts in the coffee. It seems the mice really like peanuts... Aaron thought to himself as he drank.

Out of curiosity, Aaron chatted with the mouse that handed him the coffee. His first question was whether mice also liked coffee. The answer was yes, they eat everything, which is consistent with their omnivorous nature. However, they do have preferences. But compared to coffee, most mice prefer milk, cream, and corn soup, just like Aaron's impression of mice.

It is worth noting that after learning that he was the judge of the Church of Judgment, the mice seemed to be full of respect for him, chattering excitedly incessantly, yet not daring to disturb him too much. He also saw some mice seemingly peeking at him from behind the door, but Aaron could only pretend not to see them.

“This is truly a different world…” Aaron said, looking around.

“It’s like a kingdom made up of rats, isn’t it?” someone said as they came out of the doorway beside him.

"Your Majesty."

Claire shook her head: "Just call me Claire. From now on, we're brothers and sisters."

“Yes, Miss Claire…” Aaron replied.

"Actually, we could have handled our business at a human bank, but I chose to do it here instead." Claire's voice was soft and distant.

"Is it to broaden my horizons?" Aaron said.

"Part of the reason is that I like it here, where I won't be disturbed."

Claire had already taken the hood off her head, holding a cup of coffee in both hands. Her long, dark blue hair fell naturally behind her, and her white wings were faintly visible under her cloak. Her beautiful, almost ethereal face was expressionless as she leaned casually against the door.

Aaron understood why Claire liked this place. If she went to a human bank, Claire would inevitably attract a lot of attention. Although she would also attract a lot of attention here, it was all rats, so the attention was not annoying and made her feel at ease.

Moreover, the service here is excellent and the efficiency is extremely high; even Aaron would choose to do business here.

"What do you think of these rats?" Claire suddenly switched to Lucerne and spoke to Aaron.

“Very good, they are efficient and their service is quite attentive.” Aaron didn’t understand, but he still replied in Lucerne.

Claire shook her head: "I'm asking, what's your opinion on these rats?"

"view……"

Aaron surveyed the rats hurrying to and fro in the corridor, and the rats chattering away behind half-open doors, and thought they were actually no different from humans.

"I don't have any opinion..." Aaron said.

Claire gave Aaron a deep look, her golden eyes gleaming: "What if I told you that these rats also worship the God of Judgment?"

"Faith in the God of Judgment?"

Upon hearing this, Aaron's first thought was, "Do animals also believe in the Seven Gods?"

But he soon realized that this was quite reasonable. Some spirit beasts possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans, so it was not surprising that they had beliefs. The followers of the Goddess of Nature included spirit beasts in the sky and the sea. However, the statement by a philosopher that the difference between humans and animals lies in their belief should probably be overturned.

But he quickly realized another problem with this idea and looked at Claire in surprise: "Wait, are you sure they worship... the God of Judgment?"

It's not surprising that animals worship seven gods; what's surprising is that they worship the god of judgment, not the goddess of nature.

There is a passage in the Natural Bible that roughly means that all creatures that walk on two legs, four legs, two wings in the sky, and swim in the sea all believe in the Goddess of Nature.

According to Aaron's understanding of the natural Bible, all animals and spirits in the world worship the goddess of nature, which also aligns with Aaron's understanding of the natural religion. However, he has now discovered a group of rats that worship the god of judgment.

“That’s what I wanted to say. This swarm of rats working at Florion Bank is a race that has turned its back on the Goddess of Nature and converted to the God of Judgment,” Claire said calmly.

Aaron's hair stood on end. Faith is no small matter, even if it concerns these round, cute mice. Betraying one's faith is almost the most unforgivable thing in any religion, even if they also worship the God of Judgment among the seven gods.

"So...they are traitors?" Aaron asked.

"It depends on how we define it. To the God of Judgment, they are believers. Since they have taken refuge in the Church of Judgment, sincerely believe in the God of Judgment, and work for the Church of Judgment, the Church of Judgment will protect them."

"For many years, they have worked diligently and conscientiously for the Church of Judgment. They have gradually separated from their original group and become a new rat colony. Now, they are among the best-performing rat colonies in the entire Kingdom of Dok. They are a different kind of rat colony, a rat colony that believes in the God of Judgment."

So that's how it all started. No wonder Claire spoke in Lucerne; she probably didn't want the rats to hear. I wonder if any of the learned rats on this floor understand Lucerne.

"However, the vast majority of rats still worship the Goddess of Nature. 95% of the rats in the Kingdom of Dok worship the Goddess of Nature, and that's what I want to talk to you about today. It also concerns our future work."

"95% of the rat population worships the goddess of nature..."

It sounded like a pointless statement, but Aaron suddenly understood its meaning. Besides rats, there must be other species in the world, several in cities alone. Looking at the rats swarming through the buildings, Aaron suddenly realized something and blurted out, "That means..."

Chapter 193 The Duties of the Judge

“You’re very clever.” Claire nodded. “That means that besides the rats, there are other animal groups active in the Kingdom of Dok. No, it’s not accurate to say animals; there are other spirit beast groups active.”

"Although in absolute numbers these spirit beasts may not be as numerous as the rat swarm, they are active in their own domains and territories, in many places unseen by humans, according to their respective species."

"..." Aaron fell silent, beginning to process the large amount of information.

"The Kingdom of Dok already had tens of millions of people twenty years ago, and Lodoren had been the holy city of the Goddess of Nature for at least several hundred years."

But at least several hundred years ago, countless spirit beasts were already active in Lodoren, and now, not only in Lodoren, but these spirit beasts have even spread to the areas surrounding Lodoren..."

"But why do we rarely see them? And why are most people unaware of their existence?" Aaron asked a crucial question.

"Are you sure you didn't see them?" Claire countered.

"Have you ever been sitting in a park or on the beach when a seagull or pigeon snatched your fries? Have you ever had a mouse infestation at home? Have you ever had things mysteriously disappear? Have you ever felt that mice are exceptionally clever? Have you ever seen a wild boar appear out of nowhere in the grass, or a yellow-ringed snake wander into your apartment? Have you ever seen reports in the newspaper complaining about the increasing number of animals in the city? Or even reports of animals injuring people?"

"Many people just see them as ordinary animals, but they may very well be mythical creatures, worshipping the goddess of nature just like us,"

“But they…” Aaron still felt there was something he couldn’t explain.

"Of course, these animals still cannot threaten the status of humans, because humans are still the most important believers of the Goddess of Nature. The Kingdom of Dok belongs to humans. Because of the royal family and the Goddess of Nature, she still protects ordinary humans to this day and does not let them know these secrets."

"But in reality, both Lodoren and Birmingley already possess a considerable number of spirit beasts, and some of these spirit beasts have extraordinary power and intelligence that is no less than that of humans. Their lifespans are hundreds or even thousands of years, some even longer than the history of the Kingdom of Dok. And they are hidden among humans. Perhaps when you are sitting in the park reading the newspaper and feeding the pigeons, the kind old man next to you disguised as a human is actually a spirit beast in disguise."

"So... how have they evolved now?" Aaron asked.

“We are presented with an example: some rats have betrayed the Goddess of Nature and ventured into the banking industry, and they are doing quite well. Other animals have ventured into other industries, using the name of humans to do animal business. Sometimes even the government officials of the Kingdom of Dok do not know that it is a company dominated by spirit beasts.”

"For example, have you heard the urban legend of the green lizard people? There have always been rumors in the Kingdom of Dok that the lizard people control the kingdom's financial industry and monopolize assets worth tens of billions. It's already a world ruled by the lizard people..."

"This... can't be true, right...?" Even Aaron was a little doubtful for a moment.

"Of course it's not true." Claire smiled.

"However, it is true that some spirit beasts have ventured into human industries and have considerable ambitions. But the Kingdom of Dock knows them inside and out, and the Kingdom of Dock has strict control over them. Basically, the Kingdom of Dock follows a principle: human affairs are managed by humans, and animal affairs are managed by the Church of Nature..."

Aaron paused, his hand holding the coffee cup, and vaguely understood that this was the core of Claire's message: "In other words..."

“Yes, that’s exactly what you think.” Claire nodded.

"One of the major categories of cases handled by the Church of Nature within the Kingdom of Dok is those related to spirit beasts. They are responsible for resolving disputes, acting as arbitrators, deciding the life and death of spirit beasts within the Kingdom of Dok, and striving to keep their existence undetected and unnoticed by ordinary people, thus maintaining peace in the Kingdom of Dok."

Claire didn't wait for Aaron's reply, but continued:

“Since animals need arbitration and courts, let alone humans, the reason I told you so much about the things the Natural Church deals with is to use the things the Natural Church deals with as an analogy to tell you about the things we, the Judgment Church, need to deal with.”

"In principle, in the Kingdom of Dok, all matters related to the worship of the Goddess of Nature fall under her jurisdiction. These matters constitute the vast majority of the kingdom's affairs, and most of them are trivial matters. Therefore, the Church of Nature needs sufficient manpower. They also have their own organization called the 'Guardians,' which is usually used to counter us Judges. Of course, we don't need to care about them; we just need to know that they exist."

"But as you know, besides the worship of the Goddess of Nature, there are other seven other worships in the world. Although these believers usually keep a low profile in the Kingdom of Dok, the stronghold of the Goddess of Nature, cases involving the worship of the seven gods are often characterized by high risk and complexity."

"You might be wondering, theoretically speaking, since the Church of Nature is responsible for cases related to the Goddess of Nature, shouldn't we only be responsible for cases related to the God of Judgment? You're right, these cases are indeed under our jurisdiction, including all events that occur in the Papal States. But you must also know that since we have historically been called the Church of Judgment and believe in the God of Judgment, we must have the function of 'judgment'."

"And that's what the judges do."

“Almost all the nations of the Seven Gods have signed a covenant with the Church of Judgment: if believers of the Seven Gods have a conflict with other believers outside their place of faith, the conflict between them should be judged by the God of Judgment.”

Does that sound complicated? Actually, it's quite simple. For example, if a Chernobog from the North, a follower of the Church of War, has a conflict in Birmingham with a follower of the God of Crafts from the Low Countries of Orange, their conflict falls under our jurisdiction. We have the power to arbitrate either side without facing retaliation from other powers.

“Because among the judges who judged the church were judges from different factions, they would also feel that it would be fairer for them to be judged by the judges themselves,” Aaron asked.

“Such things do happen, and various factions may be thinking the same thing. Therefore, they constantly try to plant people within our Church of Judgment. That's why we require our judges to be of high moral character,” Claire said.

"Of course, this falls into a flexible gray area. Because of the backgrounds and identities of the judges, we will not be too strict with them. The background of the trial also gives us room to maneuver among the parties, which is a good thing for us. However, we will still require the judges to adhere to the principles."

"I see. No wonder the requirements for judges are so high." Aaron suddenly understood the Church of Judgment's extremely strict and even perverse examination system.

Claire nodded: "But that's only part of the requirements. What we value most is still the potential and strength of the judges."

"Although it sounds nice, most of the time, those extraordinary individuals from various countries are not so kind."

Claire's tone suddenly turned serious: "Sometimes, they are simply traitors to various churches and countries. They can escape from their own countries and travel all over the world, so they are naturally extremely dangerous superhumans with unpredictable abilities. And sometimes, they are simply superhumans who believe in evil gods. They have exchanged powerful strength from evil gods, and they are extremely dangerous. This also requires our judges to have the strength to defeat them."

"As judges, we have an obligation to resolve dangers and eliminate their harm to humanity. That's why judges are treated so well. We always encounter threats from all kinds of extraordinary beings in the world. Their abilities are diverse, cunning, and dangerous. As judges, we must also have great strength to protect ourselves and deal with all kinds of dangers."

“I understand what the judges are going to do.” Aaron nodded slightly.

"Mmm," Claire said.

"The reason I brought you here is not only to tell you these things, but also to tell you that sometimes, we are in the same situation as this group of rats. After these rats betrayed the Goddess of Nature, they have been hated by the followers of the Goddess of Nature."

Claire looked at Aaron and said, "When we are dealing with matters in the Kingdom of Dok, the stronghold of the Church of Nature, we will inevitably have conflicts with the guardians of the Church of Nature."

"Although in theory we have jurisdiction over matters concerning extraordinary individuals in various countries, we sometimes follow the principle of territoriality, which means that matters concerning extraordinary individuals in a particular place are managed by the local church and we judges will not interfere. You should be able to understand this."

“Dealing with supernatural events is both a burden and sometimes a power. Occasionally, we will clash with the judges of the Church of Nature. This is unavoidable and requires flexibility, but it is not something you need to worry about for now.”

"I see..." Aaron listened attentively, feeling he had learned something new today.

"These things are just for your ears now. The judges handling this matter right now are me, Elliott, Theo, and Roland. Although Roland doesn't handle matters often... he's a capable partner. When things happen, they'll be there to support you. Rely on us as much as you can until you truly mature."

Although Claire spoke in a calm tone, Aaron knew that Claire was not someone who spoke casually. He felt a slight warmth in his heart and nodded gently.

"Your current priority is to grow stronger. Although I heard you performed well in the final trial, you are still too weak and easily come into danger. As Theo and Elliott said, you still have a lot to learn and understand."

"Alright, that's all you need to know for now. Elliott and Theo will take you to handle the situation later, but your top priority right now is to improve your strength, since you're not even a C-level superhuman yet."