Reincarnation NPC, but Arknights

Chapter 109 The Priests of Jeragand

Upon closer inspection, SilverAsh discovered that the guy in front of him was actually a reclusive millionaire.

Bai Ye usually has Swire handle his business affairs, so he rarely appears in public. Unless you deliberately investigate, it's hard to discover that Bai Ye owns so many miscellaneous businesses.

Besides the "Northern Cross" private messenger company, there's also the "Namba Heavy Industries" of the Ursus Empire and the "Lobotomy" research institute in Lungmen. He also owns properties in the Marquisate of Talulah in the Ursus Empire.

There's even a strange company called the "Adventurers' Guild," whose purpose is unclear.

However, SilverAsh instinctively sensed that this was probably the project that White Night had invested the most energy in and that he valued the most.

"Why do you still want to stay at Rhodes Island as a manager when you're in this state?" SilverAsh asked, somewhat puzzled.

Bai Ye smiled but didn't say anything.

Although Rhodes Island is indeed in a terrible state right now, Amiya, Kal'tsit, and the Doctor are all quite special individuals.

Although the organization is not large, it is full of hardcore and ruthless individuals, possessing a wealth of experience. Such an organization is unique in this land.

However, this kind of thing is actually difficult to explain to other people. It also includes many secrets of Rhodes Island, which Dr. Kal'tsit asked him to keep confidential.

Although Bai Ye doesn't consider himself a good person, he is still quite trustworthy.

Seeing that Bai Ye didn't want to answer the question, Yin Hui didn't press the matter. However, since both of them were interested in cooperating, reaching a consensus wasn't a problem.

For Bai Ye, this trip was quite rewarding.

However, Bai Ye was already quite satisfied with simply gaining 50% of the initial powers with Yeragand's help. Compared to that, cooperating with SilverAsh and Kjerag was merely a bonus.

It can only be said that, as a player, Bai Ye's primary task is to strengthen himself; in his view, industries and the like are merely secondary considerations.

In Bai Ye's view, wealth is a fortress against disaster, not a license for extravagance. Once you have money, the first thing to consider is how to strengthen yourself.

"My friend will come to discuss the specifics with you then." Seeing that SilverAsh was still preparing to finalize the details of the cooperation, White Night suddenly felt a headache coming on. He could only control the general direction; as for the specifics? He was a complete weakling, easily fooled at the negotiating table without even realizing it.

While SilverAsh wouldn't actually betray him, it's best to leave professional tasks to the experts. Perhaps Lady Swire would be very interested in a summer snow adventure.

(Swire: Thank you.)

However, on another matter, Bai Ye directly approached Yeragand.

"The number of undead in the Snow Realm is bound to surge in the future. What are your plans?" Bai Ye asked Yera.

Just like when she first met Bai Ye, the girl sat on the roof, swinging her legs.

When Bai Ye wanted to meet her, this guy appeared beside Bai Ye on his own.

In response to Bai Ye's question, Yela shook her head: "We have no choice but to accept them."

Bai Ye smiled, then held up his index finger: "Yela, have you ever heard of a priest?"

“Priest?” Yera shook her head.

"The creation of the gods exists in beautiful landscapes, in majestic military formations, in magnificent temples, and in the hearts of believers. Like humans, the gods are loving, malicious, conservative, tyrannical, simple, and incomprehensible. However, the gods usually exercise their will through intermediaries, namely the priests who believe in them," Bai Ye stated his answer.

"Similar to the relationship between me and Enya?" Yera quickly understood what Bai Ye was talking about.

Bai Ye nodded: "However, it's not exactly the same. Enya is your saintess, unique, and you can grant her the authority to use powerful abilities at will."

"But others are different; you must strictly determine how much power you give them based on the conditions."

Then, Bai Ye made a suggestion to Yela: "The conflict between the undead and the Snow Realm people is mainly about faith. So, if you can get some of the undead to become your followers, you can alleviate this conflict."

"However, the undead are very real beings; they will not believe in you. But they will believe in the power you bring them."

"You can create a list and post tasks to players on my platform, with the reward being temple contribution points."

"In addition, you can earn contribution points by visiting and praying at holy sites every day."

"When their contribution reaches a certain level, they can exchange it for a certain amount of power from you. For example, they can use some ice and snow magic, or cast spells using the holy bell in their hands."

"...Well, just having contribution points isn't enough; you have to reach the reputation standard, and that will require spending some more money."

Yela stared at Bai Ye in disbelief: "They make us work for free, and then they have to give us money, just to gain a sliver of my power? Who in the world would be so stupid as to agree to such a deal?"

"Hehe, that's because you don't understand. That's how it is—and they should even say thank you..." Bai Ye gave him a "you're too naive" look.

"Hmm, there's another way to increase temple contribution points: recruit people. As long as you successfully spread the faith, you'll increase your contribution points. What do you think of this method?"

"Oh, and each level of priest can also have a special badge made, as well as a set of uniforms designed to motivate them."

Bai Ye became more and more excited as he thought about it, and fortunately he sat down and seriously discussed with Yeragand the division of priest ranks.

When Yeragand saw that White Night had set the highest level of access to be similar to that of Enya, he was somewhat displeased.

“Enya is my saint, so she is able to receive my favor. But the immortals... are they not truly sincere believers, yet they also possess such high authority?”

Bai Ye smiled and said, "First of all, this is just wishful thinking. To reach this level... it can probably only be done by the ultimate whales who grind and spend money. Moreover, it will take a very long time."

"Secondly, Saint Enya is your face and can also represent Sherag, which has political significance; while the Undead are your henchmen and warriors. With them, you can also keep the other three major families in check."

"What's wrong with sharing some power with the henchmen? As a god, even if you give away some of your power, it won't affect your strength at all."

Yela seemed to be deep in thought.

Chapter 110 SilverAsh's Invitation to the Match

In the end, Yera accepted White Night's proposal.

In her view, although there was no precedent for this approach, she was clearly not bound by tradition once she decided to make a change.

Even if some see this change as blasphemy against faith, what if this decision was made by the god Jeragund himself?

Oh, that's okay.

In the snowy realm, no one dared to criticize the gods' decisions.

Anyone from the Snow Realm who wants to offer a critical commentary will likely be silenced. The teachings and beliefs of the gods have the ultimate right to interpret them; they have no right to allow others to interfere.

In fact, Bai Ye thought that such a religion might be quite good. It had a belief in a real god, and that the god was a decent person, not a cruel tyrant. In that case, no one would use the god's will to seek personal gain, because those eyes would be watching over Xue Jing at all times.

Unfortunately, Jeragand is not the only god on the continent of Terra. There are many others of her kind, some as powerful as her, or even more powerful. Therefore, setting aside Jeragand's own wishes, it is clearly unrealistic for the Snowlands to use the power of a god to conquer other political entities and nations.

……

“If you were not of my kind, I would be willing to let you become my pastor.”

Jeragand didn't think that much about it. She sat lightly on the roof, looking nothing like a deity.

She's pretty much like any other lively and cheerful girl.

However, these words made Bai Ye somewhat tempted.

If her powers hadn't overlapped somewhat with Bai Ye's own, Bai Ye might have even been prepared to ask for a Holy Bell to play with.

"The only problem is, according to your plan, would anyone in this world really be foolish enough to work their life away for some invisible and intangible contribution points? And... you even have to give away a sum of money?" Yera still had some doubts.

Bai Ye laughed: "Don't worry, they're definitely more ambitious than you think. Their problem isn't whether to accept the mission, but... whether they can snatch it. Ah, speaking of which, you should add a long-term, unlimited mission, like collecting something, to increase the undead's motivation."

"Also... you could pick a decent, virtuous undead to be a shill. Secretly give her some power beforehand, let her show it off, so other undead players will be envious."

This is what's known as "seller's show" or "seller's review."

However, Yera's power is not fake; it truly exists. If that's the case, the priest profession will probably become very popular.

“I see, there’s actually such a method…” Yela said thoughtfully.

It's easy to say, but the real challenge lies in balancing the ease or difficulty of acquiring power—it can't be too discouraging, but it also can't be too easy.

Otherwise, if priest ranks became as common as cabbages, nobody would care about them anymore.

"It's a pity, I wasn't a game designer before, so you'll have to figure this out on your own."

Bai Ye is only a dabbler; he can come up with a few methods, but his actual execution remains just theory. Only a professional planner could handle this.

"That's already amazing," Yela said with admiration.

She looked at Bai Ye and said, "I always feel... you are very familiar with the undead."

“After all, I am a scholar who studies them,” Bai Ye laughed. “This is the foundation I have in the human world.”

"No, no, no, what I mean is that you seem to have a special understanding of these people, and it's not just about research anymore. In fact, I always feel that some of your behavioral patterns are quite similar to theirs."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ye was slightly startled.

He wasn't sure if the guy had actually figured something out or was just being sarcastic.

Bai Ye replied with a smile, "Actually, I always felt that I should be a priest, and that would probably not be bad."

If that were the case, the book would probably be called "The Priest of Tomorrow's Ark".

-------------------------------------

With the player issues in the Snow Realm largely resolved, Bai Ye's journey to Sherag can be considered a success.

Swire will later discuss cooperation with SilverAsh.

Rhodes Island will likely expand its operations in Serra da Eyjafjalla, making things more convenient in all aspects.

"The only one who lost was probably Colombia? I wonder if there will be any follow-up with those mercenaries? Hmm, it would be even more interesting if they made the first move."

Bai Ye had originally planned to target the beach umbrella company, and acting without a clear reason was obviously not good, but since the other party had given a reason, it was exactly what he wanted.

The only regret about this trip is that, although Yeragand does exist and is indeed a god, she is too young and has always been confined to the snowy realm, so she doesn't know any other behemoths or gods.

Moreover, this guy doesn't know how to forge iron himself, so he'll have to keep searching for a good weapon.

……

After finishing his business, Bai Ye did not leave Snow Realm immediately, but waited there for a few days to see Columbia's reaction.

Unfortunately, after making inquiries, it seemed that they didn't take it seriously at all. From the perspective of those above, losing a squad of mercenaries was a trivial matter; it was just a matter of losing a handy knife and some test subjects.

It's a little of a shame, but finding someone else would be incredibly easy. After all, Colombia has no shortage of mercenaries, homeless people, and...

John's gang is just an outer circle, someone with some connections, not a core group of thugs, so they haven't paid much attention to them and probably won't be making any moves anytime soon.

It's a pity, but it seems those poor guys died in vain.

However, there's no need to worry, since these guys didn't suffer any torture in front of the enraged Snow Realm people. And apart from lacking physical signs, they're otherwise unharmed.

He was immediately sent to see the Gallic emperor.

……

"Bai Ye, do you know how to play Go?"

While Bai Ye was lost in thought, SilverAsh approached him.

Bai Ye was somewhat puzzled, then noticed the chessboard and pieces on the silver-gray table.

“I’ve never played this kind of game before, but you can teach me the rules first.” Bai Ye picked up a piece and placed it in his hand, then tilted his head to look at SilverAsh. “But are you sure you want to play against him?”

"Oh, even though you're a newbie, you're very confident in yourself?" SilverAsh became interested.

He would normally disdain bullying newbies.

However, he was very surprised that Bai Ye would say that.

Chapter 111 The Departing and Slacking-Off God

Bai Ye moved the pieces on the chessboard.

"hiss--"

SilverAsh gasped, his forehead already damp with sweat. After thinking for a long time, he finally sighed helplessly.

“In that case, we’re checkmates.” Byakuya declared his victory and stood up.

"How...did you do that?" SilverAsh also stood up.

At this moment, the way he looked at Bai Ye had changed.

This guy in front of him is simply a monster. SilverAsh is certain that White Night is indeed a complete novice, having never played this kind of game before.

However, after he learned the rules and suffered one defeat, he never lost again.

From being unfamiliar with the skill to defeating SilverAsh, who was an expert in it, it only took Baiye a few short games.

"After all, it's a bit unfair for me to be playing this game," Bai Ye said with a smile.

Although his [Accelerated Thinking] is a specialized talent focused on combat, it can also be used to calculate chess piece moves.

Perhaps SilverAsh didn't know that for every step he took, White Night had calculated countless possibilities. Although not all possibilities were possible, SilverAsh only needed to choose one path to victory.