Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 244 – The Profound Guidance Lan Qi Gave
The silver-armored priest remained prostrate on the floor, unable to rise for a long time, like a student called upon by the principal to answer a question but then left standing, not knowing—or daring—to move until receiving the next instruction.
At the corners of the brown-haired youth’s lips lingered a smile—one that was both unsettling and strangely captivating.
At this moment, in his eyes, there was no doubt anymore: the other was not putting on an act at all, but carried the calm composure of a true supreme powerhouse.
The priest could not even sense the youth’s strength, simply because the gap between them was too vast.
To wield a seventh-tier magic card—that alone was proof of being at least seventh rank.
But there was an even deeper dread gnawing at his mind, a suspicion that perhaps… this person might even be beyond…
“Since you know your mistake, then do as I’ve said.”
Lan Qi raised his hand slightly, waving the back of his palm as he spoke.
A pity this person belonged to the Ba’tian Church.
It was said that the hot-tempered Ba’tian branch and the treacherous, insidious Ji Mie (Annihilation) branch had always been at odds, even clashing violently more than once. Through the Ba’tian side, there would be no way to reach the Annihilation branch.
Lan Qi had no desire to personally meet the Ba’tian Cardinal either—the one who held the [Primordial Tablet – Foundation], the most useless piece to him, with the mere effect of increasing basic attack strength. Once one officially joined the Ba’tian branch, the chance to then switch over and seek out the Annihilation branch’s [Primordial Tablet – Sealing] would be almost entirely cut off.
“Y-you…”
Does this mean… I’m simply being let go?
The silver-armored priest could hardly believe that someone of the Destruction Cardinal’s faction could be so magnanimous. Could it be that all the terrible rumors about Cardinal Ivanos of the southern continent and his followers were in fact malicious fabrications by their eternal rival, Loren, buying mercenaries to spread slander?
Very likely so.
—The silver-armored priest came to this conclusion.
Thus, trembling, he carefully rose to his feet, bowing solemnly to Lan Qi, no longer daring to pry into this lord’s identity.
But just as he was about to take his leave—
“Wait a moment.”
Lan Qi’s voice made the silver-armored priest stiffen instantly, spine snapping upright, before slowly turning to meet Lan Qi’s gaze.
He knew full well—there was no escape.
“You struck someone earlier, didn’t you? Remember to apologize to the Viscount.”
Lan Qi said calmly.
Since these fellows were also residents of Lilorom City, for the sake of maintaining order and stability in the teaching environment to come, Lan Qi decided it best to restrain them somewhat.
“Yes.”
Cold sweat dripped down the priest’s back as he bowed his head deeply.
It seemed this great figure held Viscount Francis in very high regard, to the point that someone of at least seventh rank would defend a mere remote-town noble to such a degree.
Thankfully he had not laid hands on Francis himself—otherwise, there truly would have been no way back.
It looked like, going forward, he had better show Francis far more respect within the city.
“You mentioned you had work to do earlier. Let me hear it.”
Lan Qi spoke.
He also thought he might as well take this opportunity to learn about the Ba’tian branch’s activities.
He had just finished skimming through the empire’s recent update bulletin, and now had a preliminary grasp of the situation.
Thus, the silver-armored priest explained how the Ba’tian Church directed them to, within legal limits, employ both wisdom and strength in each city to win the residents’ complete conviction, making them accept the church’s doctrine.
“So in other words, you intended to completely take control of a Viscount who already posed some obstruction to you?”
Lan Qi shook his head upon hearing this.
“Please… instruct me.”
The priest’s uncertainty grew at Lan Qi’s denial. He hurriedly asked for guidance.
At this moment, his heartfelt submission was not only born of fear—it was also the reverence of one who longed for strength, the very creed of the Ba’tian branch.
This lord possessed not only overwhelming might, but clearly wisdom and vision far beyond anything a common priest could conceive of.
What stood out most was that air of calm composure and scholarly refinement.
Perhaps, where his gaze reached, was a horizon these little priests could never even imagine.
“Have you noticed that the governor’s office of the southwest province… although they appear to be cooperating with the capital’s command to tolerate the Resurrection Church, don’t you think their concession has been a little too excessive?”
Lan Qi handed a newspaper to the priest as he asked.
“Th-this…”
The priest accepted it with both hands, eyes scanning the text like he was doing a reading comprehension exercise, growing increasingly flustered, unable to grasp what Lan Qi’s question implied.
“Until recently, the local administrators were mostly conservatives.”
Lan Qi sighed, and continued,“Now that they’ve given you all this leeway to act recklessly—what do you think this will become?”
“I… I don’t know…”
When the priest could not answer, Lan Qi gave him the conclusion directly—
“It will become evidence after evidence for the conservatives to use against this decision made by the war faction.”
Lan Qi exhaled softly, his fingers tapping the cover of a codex resting on the table,“The conservatives have merely compromised with the war faction for now, given the current political moment and the will of the people. But this compromise is only temporary. If they truly wish to investigate, what can’t they uncover? The more aggressively you act now, the harsher the reckoning later. All you’re doing now is stockpiling ammunition for the conservatives to use in overturning the ‘Resurrection Church Legalization Act.’”
Patiently, Lan Qi explained it to the priest.
When a student had the will to learn, he would teach them sincerely.
In Lan Qi’s shadow, the cat boss kept silent. It was just a cat—it couldn’t make sense of all these political power struggles.
To it, the truth seemed simpler: the administrators of the southwest province had simply chickened out collectively…
But after hearing Lan Qi say it like this, it sounded as if white could be painted black.
“Lord, what… what would you advise?”
The silver-armored priest grew paler and paler, more frightened the longer he thought, hating himself for lacking foresight. He nearly blundered into doing something utterly contrary to what the Ba’tian Church actually desired of them.
After all, their church had long stressed using wisdom, not just brute strength. And now it seemed exactly in line with this gentleman’s revelation.
“Of course, we mustn’t hand the conservatives an opportunity for entrapment, nor let them catch us in wrongdoing. At this moment, what you should be doing is proving, through actions, that the empire’s decision was correct.”
“Then… what should we do?”
“Now that in the Northern Continent, the Resurrection Church is a legitimate enterprise, you must have the standardized management, the positive and healthy corporate culture and values of a legitimate enterprise. Only then can you win the approval of the people, improve your image, become the will of the people—and leave the conservatives with not a shred of evidence. That way, you can strike down their schemes at the root.”
“You mean…?”
The priest’s eyes began to sharpen, as though he was starting to understand.
“Implement the core principle of shared prosperity with the residents of Lilorom City. Uphold diligence and reverence for learning. Engrave the two rules of law-abidance and honesty into your ears. Stand firm in the present while keeping a long-term, global, forward-looking perspective, seizing the transformations and opportunities of the era. Accelerate the development of Lilorom City, ensure the sustainable growth of the enterprise in a healthy, positive manner…”
Lan Qi spoke at length.
The sheer flood of information left the priest’s brain short-circuited, unable to respond for a long time.
“This is a golden opportunity to seize the market. With the Church of the Goddess of Fate gone, it’s up to you to meet the market’s needs and fill that gap. In doing so, you need not force anything—the citizens themselves will beg you not to leave.”
And so, Lan Qi launched into a thorough analysis and detailed work guidance for the priest.
Even the cat boss in his shadow was stunned.
This brat… was he brainwashing the Resurrection Church?!
(End of Chapter)