Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Distant Idol (1)
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Finally, all the incidents had come to a close.
From Sion's androids to the matter with Tessellation Investment.
Having sorted out every last detail, I had finally created the conditions to focus entirely on the Radiance Church's city expansion project.
The site selection for constructing the cathedral had been completed long ago. The bishopric that had entered through Asecure Corporation had also successfully wrapped up field tests amid this latest incident. Thanks to that, I now had full confidence that we possessed the firepower to protect our believers even deep inside the city.
That's why I'd been staying in the city these past few days, fully immersed in the hands-on work for establishing new churches.
Reviewing the organizational structure for the new cathedral, consulting on legal matters for setting up city branches of church-affiliated businesses, and even attending remote management classes—the days blurred together without me even noticing.
It was one such busy afternoon.
Hearing the news relayed by a certain priest, I asked back in a daze.
"The mass that I personally officiate...?"
"Yes. Lately, there's been... quite a flood of requests from believers outside the city walls. They really want to hear the Saintess's worship service again."
"......."
The truth was, that was exactly right.
Believers outside the city lacked citizenship, so most of them couldn't enter the inner districts at all.
But with me staying inside the city for so long, I'd naturally been growing distant from them.
Of course, the vast majority of believers were faithfully attending services led by other priests. It wasn't as if their faith was wavering.
"But seeing the Saintess personally lead a service holds special meaning for Radiance Church believers, as you know."
According to the priest, up until now, church events where I made an appearance had been open to everyone. Slots were limited, so they were always filled via highly competitive lotteries, but at least there was hope—if they waited long enough, they'd get a chance to attend the Saintess's service someday.
But if I completely relocated to the city, those outer-city believers would lose even that slim possibility, plunging them into despair.
The priest continued with a troubled expression.
"So now, a few are starting to worry that the Saintess might be abandoning them for good. No matter how much we reassure them otherwise, with the new cathedral rising in the city and all the fresh believers who'll flock there... they feel left behind."
Hearing it laid out like that, I realized this was no small issue.
Considering the environmental differences between the outskirts and the city, the residents' circumstances, and the income gap, it made sense that my existing followers from the back alleys might feel a sense of relative deprivation just from my departure. No—in fact, signs of it were already emerging.
Especially in the Radiance Church, where the 'Saintess' held such immense presence and stature, this was a pretty serious problem.
I wasn't just the head of the church—I was living proof of faith, a savior. For believers to think that idol was slipping away to some unreachable place, the sense of loss they felt was probably inevitable.
Realizing this unexpected issue left my mind in a whirl.
'What to do about this...'
Even if I periodically returned to the outskirts to personally lead masses, there were clear limits.
The church's major initiatives and future plans would all unfold in the city for the foreseeable future.
Crossing city boundaries constantly wasn't easy. Beyond the distance, I had mountains of daily tasks and preparations that no single person could handle alone.
And this problem would only intensify as the church grew larger.
More and more people would yearn to draw closer to the divine through the Saintess. No matter where I stayed, I couldn't meet them all personally.
Of course, religious leaders in the old world hadn't personally overseen every believer's faith activities either. As groups expanded, even spiritual leaders' roles shifted toward management and politics, with direct contact limited to rare special events.
Any organization in the world was probably the same. As scale increased, the distance between leaders and ordinary members inevitably widened—it was probably just the nature of things.
But... somehow, I didn't like that.
The warm affection the outer believers had shown me, their neighborly familiarity. I'd grown attached without realizing it, facing each one, listening to their weary troubles.
Those memories were still vivid, so now that the church had grown a bit, I didn't want to climb up high alone and put distance between us.
"......."
After agonizing over it for a good while, I finally confided in someone nearby.
That someone was Yoanna, who had demonstrated unmatched skill in church operations up to now.
The girl listened to my whole story, pondered for a moment, then ventured, "How about this?"
"The problem is that you and the believers are just too far apart to meet, right?"
I nodded. It was a bit of an oversimplification, but not wrong.
"Then why not hold services in a place unbound by space or distance?"
"Huh...? What do you mean?"
A place without spatial limits—how could that even be physically possible?
Seeing my puzzled look, Yoanna grabbed my hand.
"Just see for yourself!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "......"
I unconsciously held my breath, slowly taking in the chapel around me.
Delicate carvings adorned the marble walls, while midday sunlight streamed through grand windows.
In that fresh glow, faint specks of dust danced just at the edge of visibility.
The polished sheen of the wooden pews, worn smooth from years of use, felt real under my fingertips.
Even the faint lingering scent of incense from festival services...
It felt exactly like standing in the heart of a medieval European cathedral.
No doubt about it—it was indistinguishable from reality.
"What do you think, sis?"
Turning at the bright voice behind me, I saw a girl I'd never laid eyes on before.
She wore a black nun's habit, but through the gaps in her headpiece, perky rabbit ears twitched cutely.
"Yoanna...?"
"Yep, my avatar. Cute, right?"
The girl beamed, giving her rabbit ears a little wiggle.
I blinked. My gaze was captivated by the natural flick of those ears. There was no way demi-humans like that existed for real in Neofront Cybercity, as I knew it...
That's right. As you can see, this was virtual reality.
Yoanna strolled lightly through the cathedral as she explained.
"It's a service run by Lucid Troimen Inc. A multi-user virtual reality server anyone can join easily, anywhere, as long as they're networked. So, what if we open a public server at a set time and hold services with believers connecting from all over?"
It was a pretty convincing solution.
In a virtual space like this, believers could join services together from anywhere in the world, no matter how many.
"Of course, cramming every Radiance Church believer into one map would be impossible. Without a special plan, each server holds up to 30 avatars including the host—that's the channel limit."
Yoanna paused there, then added, "But!"
"If the server host switches to broadcast mode, viewers can spectate without avatars. They can watch the broadcaster inside the server in real-time, up close, with no participant limit. It'd be just like experiencing your personal service right before their eyes."
'Broadcasting, huh...'
I might have wondered if a regular video stream would do the same, but after logging in here, that doubt vanished completely.
This overwhelming immersion. It was on another level from conventional video media.
The other person's appearance, voice, subtle expressions and glances—it all felt like facing them right there, an experience endlessly close to reality.
"That's why most personal streamers have shifted to VR these days. The content quality is in a whole different league."
Her explanation clicked instantly.
It only made sense that Lucid Troimen's service—Omega Detroit's premier virtual reality program—was also the city's top user-owned broadcasting platform.
'Definitely... impressive.'
I marveled again, savoring every sensory input and its vividness.
I'd known virtual reality tech existed in this world, but not to this degree.
It was realism beyond comparison to any mass media.
'Virtual reality services... Would the other believers be satisfied with this?'
Hard to say yet, but having experienced it firsthand, it seemed worth trying at least once.
Yoanna kept going.
"Of course, VR broadcasts can be monitored by corporations, so we have to be careful. But our church's existence is already something any corp could uncover if they wanted. The real key is 'that thing'... and simple services won't mention it anyway, so as long as you're cautious, sis—"
Listening to her chatter, I scanned the cathedral interior once more.
What incredible tech. So lifelike it could make you forget where you really were.
But at the time, that's all I thought of it as.
Just a solution to bridge the gap with my distant believers.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Omega Detroit's top virtual reality developer, Lucid Troimen.
And their official broadcasting platform, Lucid Connect.
As a massive platform dominating in user numbers, it naturally attracted a diverse crowd—including some with peculiar tastes.
Mason was one such type.
He had just one hobby. After dragging through his dull, repetitive office job and getting home, in that hour or two before bed, he'd hunt for virtual reality broadcasts with low viewer counts or obscurity.
He loved the raw, unpolished vibe unique to those small channels, the unpredictability of where things might go. Especially the fresh awkwardness of total newbies—it outshone any polished content.
So today, too, Mason showered after work, lay on his bed, and plugged the VR cable into his implant port.
A list of tens of thousands of live channels unfolded before him.
He randomized the order, slowly scrolled, skimming thumbnails.
Provocative adult streams, popular game broadcasts, casual chit-chat about daily life... the usual fare.
Then his eyes happened to catch on one spot. A private broadcast with no image—just a plain black screen and white text for the title. Starkly simple. But that title was oddly striking.
[Regular Worship Service]
Mason unconsciously narrowed his eyes.
'What's this?'
Most small streams pulled out all the stops with outrageous clickbait to lure viewers.
But this one had most settings private, leaving just the bare title. That minimalism piqued his curiosity even more.
He clicked it.
The screen prompted:
[Please enter password.]
A private channel.
"......."
Disappointing. Mason started to look elsewhere, but a spark of stubbornness flared.
'I'm offering to watch and waste my time... and they lock the door?'
He felt like cracking the password, just for kicks. Not full-on hacking, of course.
Attacking corp-managed security in this city was suicide. But Mason's long channel-hunting experience had taught him one thing.
New broadcasters often set laughably simple passwords.
So he tried a few basic combos.
'0000, 1234, 1111...'
All fails. Then, finally, today's date: 0718.
[Password correct. Connecting to private server.]
'Knew it...!'
Mason grinned triumphantly. Amid the familiar VR connection sensation, his heart raced inwardly.
Sure, most times it was just a setup screen or the newbie panicking and booting the intruder...
'...What the hell?'
Mason was left utterly dumbfounded.