“Thank you, Mr. Steven! Since I heard the doctrine you preached and was accompanied by the holy emblem, I finally had a good night’s sleep last night!”
In the early morning, as Wu Ming entered the living room, a strong aroma reached his nose.
Lena, looking radiant and wearing an apron, was busily preparing a sumptuous breakfast.
“Now, I can’t wait to hear more about the deeds of the God of Redemption…”
As Wu Ming listened to Lena’s words, he felt helpless inside.
“I didn’t do anything at all. I just gave you a little verbal support, and you healed yourself…”
Through the main divine space, he could already see a thread of faith connecting Lena, almost reaching the standard of a believer.
“Just sweet words can bewitch people’s hearts. Humans…,” Wu Ming sighed involuntarily.
Humans could be both strong and fragile—when strong, they could create all sorts of miracles; when vulnerable, they could be deceived by all sorts of illusory things and do things they could hardly imagine.
“Just think… even cults without gods can thrive. If I could create a few miracles…”
Wu Ming mused silently, “But the methods need careful consideration. After all, I don’t know the attitude of the upper echelons of the Golden Oak Kingdom toward religion yet.”
Some false sects, knowing there were no true gods, were even underestimated by the authorities. However, if a real deity appeared and intended to meddle in human affairs, those in power would decide their stance based on their own interests.
Although some people might indulge in the temptations of spiritual comfort and immortality, more often than not, in order to protect their own authority, even killing a god was not beyond them.
Wu Ming thought that disguising himself as a sect without a real god and developing quietly at first might be a good idea.
…
“Steven! What’s going on here?”
After Wu Ming accepted Lena as the first disciple of the God of Redemption and baptized her, as expected, Carter came immediately.
“Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!”
In the apartment, Wu Ming sat on the sofa watching Carter pacing back and forth like an angry dog, while Lena gave an apologetic smile.
“I just can’t believe it!”
Carter roared, “We just rescued Lena from one fire, and now you’re pushing her into another!”
“Wait a minute!”
Wu Ming raised his hand. “Why is the Church of Redemption considered a fire pit?”
“I’ve heard of all the famous sects in the Kingdom, and there’s no name like the God of Redemption!”
Carter’s forehead veins bulged. “This isn’t some obscure, illegal cult from the countryside; it’s something you just made up!”
“Wait, Carter, watch your words!”
Wu Ming spoke in the tone of a charlatan priest. “The God of Redemption may not be well-known, but He is a real deity! And… I’ve decided to make spreading His church my graduation project!”
“Huh… What?”
Carter was stunned.
“To graduate from Binafort University, you must master a business and achieve an annual turnover of over one million gold coins, right?”
Wu Ming countered.
In this world, getting into university was hard, but graduating was even harder. Take Binafort University, for example; its graduation requirements were notoriously difficult.
As Wu Ming knew, Steven’s adoptive father, James, had been a salesman all his life and had recently started his own business, but he still fell short of the requirement.
The university’s strictness in this regard was hellish. They even had a dedicated accounting team to verify records. Any attempt at fraud wouldn’t fool them but would instead result in expulsion.
But those who graduated from there were absolute elites! Even those who dropped out halfway usually did quite well.
The entire Binafort alumni association was practically a business alliance in the Golden Oak Kingdom, wielding tremendous influence.
“Wait… what exactly are you trying to say?”
Carter was getting dizzy.
“It’s simple…”
Wu Ming shrugged. “I received a divine revelation from the God of Redemption, instructing me to spread His faith here. Of course, who says a church isn’t a business?”
The essence of business lies in the circulation and exchange of goods.
In Wu Ming’s view, believers offered their faith or other donations in exchange for divine protection or, at a lower level, inner comfort. Regardless of whether the exchange was equal, a process of transaction and covenant was established.
If that wasn’t a transaction, what was?
As for the church itself, it was even more so. As Wu Ming knew from his past life in a certain island nation, religion was completely operated as an industry and even passed down as a family business through generations.
He had later specifically researched the laws of the Golden Oak Kingdom and knew that doing so was entirely legal.
“A church… a business?”
As far as Carter knew, some famous religions were indeed very wealthy due to donations and their own sound management, but hearing a junior say this felt somehow wrong.
“Relax, relax… I know the Kingdom’s laws!”
Wu Ming smiled. “For a new religion to be recognized, its doctrine must be positive and in line with the Kingdom’s laws. It must have more than a thousand followers and a religious site covering over a thousand square meters… Am I right?”
“Theoretically, yes, but the approval… wait…”
Carter, being a university student, quickly regained his sharp business acumen. “You wouldn’t have taken advantage of legal loopholes in those autonomous cities and registered directly, would you?”
“More or less…”
Wu Ming smiled slightly.
Although the Golden Oak Kingdom practiced constitutional monarchy, theoretically having the same sovereign, there were still subtle differences between cities. Especially the cities closest to the Purple Clover Federation, which were deeply influenced by them, even allowing the formulation of laws as long as they didn’t violate the principles of the Great Charter.
Many shrewd businessmen moved their company registrations there to enjoy preferential tax treatments, and the same applied to religions.
If it were in a conservative area, perhaps officials would strictly control and even deliberately make things difficult, but in those autonomous cities, Carter couldn’t even bear to think further…
“In that case… it really seems feasible! Wait…”
Carter nodded and then shook his head vigorously. “What you’re going to do for your graduation project isn’t what we’re here to discuss today. We’re here to talk about Mrs. Lena!”
“Why do you oppose Mrs. Lena joining the Church of Redemption, Carter?”
Wu Ming looked at Carter with interest.
“Because… because…”
Carter stammered. He still knew nothing about this Redemption Church, so how could he have anything to say?
“In fact, the doctrine of the Redemption Church is noble and upright, and we don’t require donations from believers…”
Wu Ming said with a compassionate expression. “Our Lord is the light of hope, and He asks only for faith!”
“Heh… speaking as if the God of Redemption really exists!”
Carter sneered.
At that moment, he noticed that Mrs. Lena’s expression suddenly turned cold, a sign of anger at having her faith insulted.
Wu Ming, however, was unfazed, since, as Carter guessed, he was just a charlatan priest—how could he be sincere?
“So, what would it take for you to accept the existence of our Lord? Like this?”
He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Suddenly, the curtains around them closed by themselves, as if manipulated by an invisible hand.
“This… this is…”
Carter’s mouth dropped open, immediately recalling Steven’s mystery and his astonishing performance in the church earlier.
Unlike him, Lena’s eyes were filled with fervent light, almost ready to kneel and pray.
“No… it’s just some trickery. You think I’d believe it? Ha… ha…”
Carter laughed dryly, but his voice sounded strange.
Wu Ming understood this well. After spending decades painstakingly building a worldview, having it collapse overnight would leave anyone in this state.
“If it’s just a trick, why don’t you check with your own eyes?”
A ball of light appeared in Wu Ming’s hand, emitting warm and gentle rays that illuminated the entire room. It floated toward Carter.
“This is the lowest level of the Light Spell. As a priest of our Lord, He has granted me this ability!”
With the creative power of the main divine space, Wu Ming’s ability to intervene in the real world had been greatly enhanced.
Moreover, by returning energy in proportion to faith and concentrating faith on a single individual, it was entirely possible to create a priest similar to a sorcerer who could cast spells.
Of course, he still intended to keep a low profile.
However, at the beginning, using these miracles and real “divine spells” to bind a group of core believers was a necessary step.
Now, he had his eyes on Carter’s abilities.
In this era, university students were extremely valuable individuals. Most of them were doing quite well and wouldn’t willingly join an obscure little religion to do menial tasks. Carter, however, was a perfect fit. First, he was capable, knew how to maneuver, and most importantly, Mrs. Lena had already joined the church!
Carter looked at the light on his hand, his expression fluctuating between shock and doubt.
“If you believe devoutly, you too can become a priest of our Lord and gain such abilities!”
Wu Ming added.
As he spoke, a faint glow suddenly emanated from his body, carrying a sense of majesty and benevolence.
This was the “Divine Presence,” an essential quality for a charlatan priest, which Wu Ming had designated as a divine ability that all future priests must master.
“Can you tell me more about this God of Redemption?”
After a moment of hesitation, Carter finally asked.
He could feel the reality of the light on his hand and understood the future potential of the Redemption Church with a real “god.”
A strong sense of anticipation stirred within him, making him realize that everything would be different from now on.
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