“Honorable Mars, the War God, please, go ahead!”
“Hmph, I’ll get straight to the point. The Church has helped you a lot, and that’s because you have a powerful War God backing you. All the things the Church has given you are essentially gifts for that War God. Now, I’d like to meet this friend of yours!”
Du Cheng gave a bitter smile. “But I’ve already explained to Father Ferdinand that I have no idea who this War God is. Oh, if you don’t believe me, I’m willing to cooperate with anything you wish to verify!”
“Enough. It’s not that I don’t believe you!” Mars raised his foot, placed it on another chair, and casually draped his hand on his knee. With a swaggering tone that seemed more like a gangster than a War God, he said, “I’m a high-ranking War God too. I know how we all have our quirks... Ferdinand, what are you staring at? I’ve been like this since the days you wore a diaper!”
Clearly, Mars held more influence in the Church than Ferdinand, as he casually scolded the Father. He continued, “Francis, your War God might not want to meet you. I’ve been through that myself, so I know why! But your guardian War God is so damn impressive, I can’t rest until I see him with my own eyes and have a word with him!”
Du Cheng, understanding Mars’ temper, probed, “Could he even threaten the Church?”
“Bullshit! I’ve seen Friss’s body. The skin was... damn, I could skin people too, but even ten of me wouldn’t match that guy’s skill! I’ve only seen this level of skill with His Holiness the Pope!” Mars ignored Ferdinand’s repeated attempts to get his attention and kept talking.
The skill of skinning indicated the strength of the skinner, which meant Du Cheng’s mysterious guardian War God was powerful enough to rival the Pope himself!
Du Cheng’s mind raced. His guardian War God was as powerful as the Pope, and willing to do anything for him—even eliminate the Pope if needed.
Logically, this meant that the Church’s attitude toward him should be one of friendship and alliance, trying to win him over and recruit him. If that didn’t work, they’d settle for being friends. On the other hand, if Du Cheng ever posed a threat to the Church or refused to cooperate, they’d eliminate him immediately.
This was typical politician thinking.
Sure enough, Mars continued, “Let me put it this way: if your friend refuses to meet us, we won’t force him. That guy’s too powerful! I’m afraid of causing trouble I can’t handle! So, I’ll make you an offer!”
“An offer?” Du Cheng raised an eyebrow.
“It’s simple,” Mars said with a grin, “You join the Church! We won’t ask you to do anything; all we need is for you to have a title within the Church. That way, your friend won’t be our enemy, and the Pope won’t have to worry about someone skinning him in the middle of the night!”
Du Cheng couldn’t help but chuckle. Mars was indeed an interesting character, straightforward to the point of bluntness. He didn’t seem like a War God, more like a gangster!
Having come from a similar underworld background, Du Cheng felt a certain kinship with him.
However, Du Cheng wasn’t about to sell himself out so easily. He smiled and said, “Since it’s a business deal, can you be more specific?”
“Specific? Sure,” Mars said, “You join the Law God Temple under my command as a first-rank priest. You’ll receive an annual allowance of a hundred gold coins. If something comes up, I’ll consult with you. You can choose whether to help, no pressure. And within the Church, you don’t have to listen to anyone but me and the Pope!”
Ferdinand added, “There’s only one thing you must do. When you meet your guardian War God, please deliver the Church’s goodwill and invite him to meet either Mars the War God or me!”
Not bad, the offer was decent.
But the conditions were quite reasonable. After all, if ancient Christians had discovered a child under the protection of a divine being, they might have made a similar decision, right?
Du Cheng then asked, “What happens if I refuse?”
“Damn, you won’t take free money?” Mars grabbed Du Cheng by the collar and yanked him close. “What do you want, huh? The Pope himself ordered me to recruit you. If this doesn’t work out, I’m as good as dead! So, if you force my hand, I’ll use you as a scapegoat!”
The priests in the room all shook their heads and smiled bitterly. How did the Pope end up sending someone like this?
Was this really how negotiations were supposed to go?
Well, maybe the Pope thought Mars, with his knowledge of criminal law and his experience with skinning techniques, would be able to understand the kind of power Du Cheng’s mysterious guardian War God wielded. Plus, Mars was one of the most powerful War Gods in the Church, and his temper might be able to match Du Cheng’s guardian.
Du Cheng secretly smiled. He thought, Helping with disaster relief—that’s quite a good deed! As long as he could do this good deed, no matter what ulterior motives the Church had, he was in!
“Well, I’ll join the Church, but I have one small request!” Du Cheng said.
Mars responded, “Go ahead, as long as it’s not too much, I’ll agree. Do you want money or women? The Church has plenty of both!”
“Uh, I want money. A large sum, because…” Du Cheng lowered his head with a somber look, “The southern part of the Lanning Empire is suffering from a once-in-fifty-years flood. People are displaced, and I want to help them with the funds!”
Everyone at the round table was stunned. They couldn’t believe this was Du Cheng’s request. Just moments ago, he had appeared to be a sly politician, but this request was something only ancient gods, known for their virtuous ways, would make!
Du Cheng secretly laughed. Helping with flood relief? That’s a huge act of kindness!
Even if the Church had some hidden motives, he was willing to take part in this!
Ferdinand looked at Du Cheng oddly and said, “Alright, I’ll give you ten thousand gold coins. Do with it as you wish.”
Mars stood up, his massive hand landing on Du Cheng’s shoulder with a heavy thud, making him flinch. “Kid, from now on, you’re officially part of the team!”
“Part of the team?”
“Heh, I used to be a bandit, so I’m used to saying it this way!” Mars laughed awkwardly. “Ahem, by the name of the Pope, I hereby appoint you as a first-rank priest of the Holy Church, under the Law God Temple. You’ll report directly to me!”
Ferdinand smiled and explained, “The Law God Temple is an unofficial temple of the Church. Its main role is to monitor the three continents’ situations and oversee the priests in the official temples…”
Du Cheng’s heart began to race as he listened. The duties of a first-rank priest in the Law God Temple were very similar to the ancient Chinese Jinyiwei—having an official role to conceal a hidden, yet powerful, authority.
Mars handed Du Cheng a small, blue token, just two fingers wide and the length of his index finger. The front of the token was carved with a strange, fierce beast pattern, resembling a winged lion. The back had a line of text, but it wasn’t in the common language of Ain. Du Cheng didn’t recognize it.
“With this, you can kill any noble or priest ranked below the first level of the Church without facing punishment. Also, you’ll receive an annual allowance of a hundred gold coins from the Church!”
Du Cheng took the token and carefully tucked it into the breast of his robe.
“Haha, now we’re family. Good times and bad, we’ll share them all! Bring the wine, let’s drink to this!” Mars shouted. Once the servants brought the wine, he filled Du Cheng’s bowl and drank the rest of the bottle in one go.
“Cheers, Francis, you’re with me from now on. Besides the Pope and me, you don’t have to listen to anyone else!”
Du Cheng also drank down his wine in one gulp, sizing up his new boss.
Mars slammed the wine jar down and wiped his mouth. He glanced at Ferdinand and the others before saying, “Old Fei, get out. This is a meeting for the Law God Temple, and you’re not allowed to listen in!”
“Sigh, dear Mars, you!” Ferdinand, who had a good relationship with Mars, didn’t mind his rough command. Once the room was empty and only Du Cheng and Mars remained, Mars slapped Du Cheng on the shoulder and grinned. “Kid, I’ve got a task for you. Let’s see if you’re up for it!”
“Tell me!” Du Cheng, now comfortable in Mars’ presence, laughed casually.
“Go undercover at the War God Academy!!”14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsYEOVeFKd
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