Chapter 706: Plea

“Oh? There’s been a rebellion in the Pandorn Empire?”

Although spoken in an exclamation tone, Wu Ming’s hand holding the coffee cup didn’t tremble even slightly. This calm demeanor immediately gave the several people opposite him a feeling of unfathomable depth.

The guests he was meeting now were far more prestigious than the Crimson Hand—they were major financial conglomerates from the Golden Oak and even the Jacaranda Federation, such as Locke and Dewey.

Capital knows no borders, and any capitalist who doesn’t conduct business worldwide dares not call themselves a financial dynasty.

Wu Ming was not the least bit surprised at the presence of representatives from the Federation’s financial groups.

“Yes!”

At this moment, a young man with platinum-blond hair, dressed neatly in a suit, and displaying considerable cultivation was the first to speak: “Your Holiness, according to information we received en route, it’s indeed true… The rebellion seems to have started from a tavern and rapidly spread across half the empire, with young officers forming the main force…”

The involvement of regular troops in any rebellion makes an entirely different scale of conflict.

Once these elite forces join, the rebels can immediately become organized, and their combat effectiveness becomes incomparable to before.

In Wu Ming’s past life, the same applied in ancient times. Most peasant uprisings ended up merely paving the way for a new ruler. Only when the entire nation had completely decayed and the gentry and scholar elites, who had lost faith in the previous dynasty, also joined in did the rebellion sweep across the country, completely dismantling the old dynasty, and building a new empire upon its corpse.

“It seems the Pandorn Empire will have quite a mess on their hands…”

From their words, Wu Ming detected a clear tone of schadenfreude, which he completely understood.

Although the Jacaranda and Golden Oak had previously engaged in war, international relations are entirely based on interests. They maintained strong vigilance toward the Pandorn Empire, which was massive in scale and military might, and boasted of being the world’s policeman.

Not to mention, outwardly a steam-powered industrialized nation, in reality, it was still ruled by a corrupt emperor and bureaucracy, ruthlessly imposing trade barriers while greedily plundering colonies worldwide, even resorting to militarism, long provoking widespread discontent.

Just looking at this delegation, the absence of any Pandorn financial representative already showed how ostracized that empire had become.

“That’s truly unfortunate… Once war breaks out, countless civilians will be displaced, countless fallen soldiers’ souls will find no rest, and their parents and children will be left uncared for…”

Wu Ming assumed a compassionate demeanor, solemnly praying: “May the God of Redemption bless them!”

“You truly are a merciful person!”

Most of the financiers and bankers opposite him were creatures of little moral scruple, just like Wu Ming himself, but even so, they now had to express some sentiments of sympathy, with some even pledging donations for the refugees.

After some meaningless small talk, they finally got to the main topic.

“My God is the true God, without a doubt!”

Wu Ming set the tone for the conversation: “And… His divine kingdom shall shelter the souls of all believers after death!”

“We certainly understand the teachings of the God of Redemption, but the afterlife remains illusory… We greedy people still wish to cling to this life for a little longer…”

The representative of the Dewey family was an old man, famously known for his rigidity and arrogance in public, but in front of Wu Ming, his tone was practically pleading: “We’ve all witnessed the power of divine magic. If even injuries that were nearly fatal could be instantly healed, then surely prolonging life would be but a minor favor from Your God?”

“This is different!”

Wu Ming shook his head, secretly amused.

For those in high positions, they were willing to pay any price to maintain their power and enjoy it permanently.

“The essence of divine magic still lies in equivalent exchange, consuming not only my Lord’s divine power but also the vitality of both the priest and the recipient…”

Although Wu Ming could easily extend their lives by decades or even centuries, he had absolutely no intention of doing so.

Equivalent exchange and cyclical flow are the essence of this world.

Even for a god, believers’ souls after death are needed to strengthen the divine realm, and limited divine power can never grant eternal life to all believers.

If there really were such a foolish god, the only outcome would be divine power bankruptcy and eventual demise.

“Only protecting souls after death?”

The capitalists were somewhat disappointed: “Souls are something current science cannot yet observe…”

“Even though they control billions in capital and can influence national policies, they’re still flesh-and-blood mortals, afraid of death…”

Wu Ming chuckled inwardly but maintained a solemn expression: “My Lord’s divine kingdom is everywhere; as long as one is a devout believer, they shall eventually see it!”

To encourage their support for his missionary work, he had to offer them a glimmer of hope.

After all, for them, even a faint light was enough to influence their decision, compared to having no hope at all.

“I understand!”

Indeed, the young man from the Locke family spoke first: “I will convey Your Holiness’s words back to my family. Personally, I believe the Redemption Church is a bright and benevolent religion, and the glory of the God of Redemption should spread throughout the world!”

Providing some backdoor favors for missionary work in exchange for a guarantee of the soul after death, although somewhat intangible, was still slightly better than having nothing at all.

However, the elder from the Dewey family’s eyes gleamed: “Your Holiness, may I ask—truly, is there no way for anyone to attain immortality in this world?”

“That depends on how you define immortality!”

Wu Ming smiled: “Within my Lord’s divine kingdom, united with it, for those petitioners, isn’t that also a form of immortality?”

“Of course, in our world, there are many secrets—for instance, some dark races, due to their bloodline, can live somewhat longer than ordinary people!”

He naturally understood what the other was implying.

“Your Holiness truly knows everything!”

The elder from the Dewey family flattered: “Our family has also invested in the study of mysterious creatures, but the results were not satisfactory… True bloodlines, aside from reproduction, cannot be obtained any other way. Even now, those dark families’ own bloodlines are weak and diluted, granting at most a dozen or so extra years beyond the average…”

Even so, Wu Ming could detect a strong tone of envy in his voice.

“But now… things are different!”

The old man whispered softly: “Our family is very interested in cooperating with your church. To show sincerity, I have brought this… This is the Federation’s latest intelligence, containing a possibility of immortality!”

“Unexpectedly, this old man betrayed his own side so thoroughly…”

Wu Ming felt slightly awkward but accepted the file, knowing without even looking that it was about the main character world.

“Hell has appeared… May my Lord’s glory redeem the innocent!”

He prayed in a very mystical manner without even glancing at the documents.

“You… know what’s in this file?”

The elder was genuinely surprised this time.

“Where there is light, there is darkness. My God was born from chaos, representing redemption, so there must also exist a hell filled with corruption and sin…”

Wu Ming could have guessed with his little toe that unless his newly revised doctrine had raised doubts in the elder’s mind, he would never have brought this file out.

“Indeed, nothing can escape the sight of a deity!”

The elder chuckled bitterly, then eagerly asked: “According to our investigation, perhaps Sieger also fell into that reincarnation world… or rather, hell… thus acquiring the werewolf bloodline… Does this mean that we ordinary people might also obtain such bloodlines through it?”

That was a very bold statement.

Discussing the possibility of obtaining infernal powers in front of a religious leader was something only unbelievers and blasphemers would dare.

But Wu Ming also understood their lack of scruples.

If not for the fact that the reincarnation world selected people completely at random, with no discernible pattern and no physical presence in the world, not only them but even the Crimson Hand would have sought hope from the reincarnation world first.

“I can only say that there is a certain degree of feasibility!”

Wu Ming paused briefly before replying: “But obtaining the power of hellish demons will inevitably come with a cost. Are you prepared for that?”

…

After saying this, he stood up and left the meeting room. Immediately, the outside priestess respectfully entered to show the guests out.

Once Luo Ke, Du Wei, and other family representatives had left the Redemption Church headquarters, they quickly gathered together.

“I’ve activated the newly developed jammer here, which can block all forms of device detection!”

The old man from the Dewey family fiddled with a device: “Of course… We haven’t yet tested its effectiveness against divine magic, but according to data collected from several supernaturals, it should at least have some effect!”

“So, what do you think of this Archbishop Steven?”

Long before they had dealings with Wu Ming, they had secretly gathered all available information about him in the world.

Yet despite racking their brains, they couldn’t figure out how such an otherwise ordinary man had transformed into the person he was now.

“The only thing we can be certain of is that he’s extremely powerful!”

The young man from the Locke family pulled out a pocket watch, which inside contained various intricate needles: “This is our family’s newly developed detector, based on Professor Luther’s X-Factor theory from the Federation, capable of detecting various supernatural indicators. But just now, when casually scanning one of the priests, it nearly maxed out…”

Such immense power left them speechless. Power brings status and influence—that is the truth.

“And… How should I put it about that Archbishop…”

The elder from the Dewey family was also puzzled: “He seems… not particularly devout toward the deity? But how could an unfaithful person become an Archbishop unless…”