Chapter 9, The Essence of the Thorns of the Soul

In order to establish momentum and deter petty individuals, no church will recklessly expose its core before possessing sufficient strength. It is advisable for Li Qi to conceal his identity as the "First Benefactor," that is, the Pope, and to operate solely under the identity of a "Benefactor." The temple that has been built is naturally not a cardinal cathedral, but merely an ordinary branch temple.

Fini stuck out her tongue and extended her palm towards the butler

Li Qi conveyed the polished story to the butler, and Sebadian's mind had already been twisted around significantly last night; it could not be twisted any further now: "Goddess? Saint? Is she not a witch?"

It's nothing! I'm fine! Really...

This is merely a direction; for now, Li Qi can only focus on laying the groundwork and will consider other methods once there is more capacity.

At the castle gate, hundreds of people were pushing and shouting, creating a commotion. The guards formed a human wall at the entrance, using shields and unsheathed swords to drive them away, but the crowd lingered like flies around fresh meat.

Although he had come to an understanding, the subtly disdainful smile from Talens still left Li Qi feeling quite displeased, prompting him to casually throw a "Spiritual Thorn" at him. Based on the consumption of divine power, he should be able to throw two or three dozen of them in a day without any issue

Grandfather, I am drooling

Fini asked while pointing her finger, "How can one use divine magic?"

They are generally emaciated and short, with blank expressions, and a faint glimmer of warmth shines in their murky eyes

The situation has greatly changed; although Li Qi did not sleep all night, he is still very energetic

It is necessary to find time to thoroughly transform this foul stone that has been soaked in the cesspool of aristocratic thought

Last night, Terrence presented him with three strategies. In Li Qi's view, these three strategies were akin to the Longzhong Dui, truly reflecting the profound understanding of the church and nobility possessed by the former high priest

This name is not strange; there are many called Shidan, after all, they are commoners

That young man with green hair, let him in

The second principle is to accumulate grain, which means to attract believers, develop clergy, and strengthen the church

The butler felt that his heart had never been so clear as it was now, yet too many thoughts surged forth all at once, and his mind was in a state of turmoil.

It is cold, my lord, may the saintess bestow a warm embrace!

Yes, I am sorry! I messed up again

The territory of Viscount Prelle is under the kingdom's jurisdiction, and it cannot simply be transferred to the church. The king is not a fool and would not allow Li Qi to use such means to evade his debts. Li Qi is merely putting on a show, acting as if he is bargaining with his creditors.

A flash of light passed by, and the old man began to roll on the ground

At that moment, Li Qi felt a hint of disappointment; as the legitimate pope of this revolutionary goddess, he was unable to wield pure divine power like Feini.

Li Qiyang said aloud: "The saintess will not turn into dried fish and flatbreads, she will only heal the sick and save lives"

Terrence said with a glimmer in his eyes: "The thorns of the soul are a unique divine power characteristic of the goddess. That kind of pain can make one more aware. Is this the true essence of suffering?"

Calm down, the butler expressed his experience: "I feel much better mentally, my mind is very clear, even..."

It is just hunger, my lord, and the saintess, please have pity on this humble person

In the world of Fehn, both the church and the mage tower serve as incubators of extraordinary power

After a while, Terrence got up, rubbed his chest, and sighed deeply

A stream of soft white light surged forth, flowing into the butler's body

Li Qi said to Fei Ni: "Use the thorn of the mind on this Stan, be more ruthless..."

At this moment, the steward finally came to his senses, wondering what had happened in the territory

The old man began to roll on the ground

The townspeople reached out and shouted, reminiscent of a scene in a movie where a horde of zombies is clawing at the protagonist

The old man became addicted to pain, becoming insatiable in his desires. He believed that by experiencing the divine power of the goddess, he could attain faith and formally devote himself to her service

The old man standing next to Li Qi bowed to the butler, clearly a member of the church, with a solemn and graceful demeanor, prompting the butler to quickly respond with a deep bow.

Terrence is a pragmatist: "Phineas, use the healing spell on me just like you did earlier, it's fine, you can use all your strength."

Many farmers from the vicinity have come; they wish to meet the Saintess. How presumptuous of these lowly peasants! Is the Saintess someone they can meet at their whim?

He looked at Li Qi, and just now he even felt a deep sense of pity for Li Qi

Li Qi, Talens, and Feini were all stunned; what is going on here

Sebastian, you have arrived just in time

Li Qi also felt a bit guilty. After the butler left, he carefully inquired about Feini's situation just now, and then asked Talens: "What is going on?"

The principle is surprisingly simple; all Phineas needs to do is continue to exercise control.

Fini does not understand the use of divine arts; what she just employed was not a healing spell, but rather the output of pure divine power

Just now, it felt as if my heart had been pricked by a bunch of thorns, so painful, but it soon became comfortable again

Fini's tears burst forth; she was too eager to prove herself and had just exerted too much effort.

Indeed, one will be well-fed and unable to cry.

Upon further reflection, Phineas was originally a goddess trapped in the mortal realm. Her superior also registered as a deity in the realm of Fehn by leveraging the divine suffering that Phineas embodied. How could he possibly be compared to Phineas, the true goddess

Li Qi had heard it long ago, but he did not pay much attention, thinking it was just the commotion of the townspeople

Compared to the secular status of the nobility, the Church is the resource that Li Qi can rely on

Li Qi was learning from Fei Ni, intending to channel "pure divine power" to Terrence, but ended up casting a simple healing spell

still, still want ... ...

Li Qixin remarked that this is a great opportunity, whether it can attract a large number of followers... uh, absorbing believers depends on whether this step can be taken.

In such a remote and dilapidated place as the viscount's territory, having a temple and receiving the care of the clergy is a tremendous benefit for the townspeople. Early this morning, they began to gather materials and excavate the foundation.

Pity? Is this the attitude that a steward should have towards their master

Sardar angrily said: "I just wanted to inform the young master that there will be a lot of noise when we drive the people away."

The divine light of the goddess shines upon all, regardless of wealth or status, and without distinction of origin

Seeing her expression filled with sorrow, the butler felt a chill in his heart and instinctively took a step back

This is the rightful meaning, and it is also what the goddess desires. Li Qi will publicly declare that he has devoted himself to the Lady in Crimson, offering his wealth and territory to the church

Terrence introduced that holy water imbued with divine power is also a commodity, essential for mercenaries, adventurers, nobles, and the wealthy, just like potions. Of course, its value depends on whether the characteristics of the divine power are popular; the holy water of the Lady of Pain finds no market, as no one enjoys the taste of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Li Qi touched his forehead and said, "Silly girl, just use the healing spell."

Li Qi waved his hand and said, "It's fine, they should meet them."

Sebastian entered the castle hall and, seeing Richie sitting there in good condition, breathed a sigh of relief and inquired about the unusual occurrences he had witnessed

Li Qi brought Fei Ni and Talens to the door, where they saw a group of humans whose faces and clothing were hardly better than those of zombies, most of whom were local farmers or serfs

Fini's saintly form is sufficient to prove that the Crimson Lady is a benevolent deity, and the Church is naturally a legitimate faith, but this does not mean that there are no troubles

He is one hundred percent certain that in his past life, after being crushed into a pot sticker by a truck, no matter how tragic the scene was, a crowd would gather around, looking at his corpse with such fervor, pointing and whispering.

Saint, have mercy and grant me a dried fish and a flatbread

The butler raised his hand and shouted, then his mouth could not close.

Indeed, thinking of healing wounds and curing illnesses is akin to the art of treatment, while thinking of awakening others is like the thorns of the soul

Lady Crimson

Collect the divine artifacts of the goddess as soon as possible, and refine the doctrines, so that the faith can attain greater heights and the clergy can achieve higher ranks

I am not ill, my lord

The guard struck his head with the hilt of the sword: "My lord is asking you a question!"

I have some doubts, Feini, whether you are a goddess descended to the world. Even if you are a saint, you can only use fixed divine arts and cannot directly wield divine power without the use of divine techniques.

Sir, what is being repaired outside the castle

No, you are all sick! You are all ill!

Clerics endowed with extraordinary powers can bring substantial benefits; merely their healing services can offset a considerable amount of debt

The other party was about the same age as Li Qi, staring blankly at Feini, seemingly doubting how this doll-like little girl could be the saint.

Indeed, she is a saint, not a witch. However, my lord, my mind is quite chaotic; please allow me a moment of silence.

He was very familiar with that kind of hot mango, having seen it many times in his previous life. At times, he himself would be dominated by that thing, involuntarily gathering with the crowd, forming a kind of sociologically significant zombie group.

Li Qi yawned and greeted, "This is Talens, the priest of the Lady in Crimson. A temple for the Lady in Crimson is being built outside."

In the midst of the commotion, Sadar timidly edged into the hall by the door and said, "Young Master, those lowly commoners outside have started to riot"

... ...

Phineas

It is as follows, Sebadian, I have been favored by the goddess and have become her devotee. There is also a way to resolve that debt

Alright ... ... burp ... ...

Li Qi had Fei Ni use Talens as a test subject, and the old man was bouncing around on the ground like he was breakdancing

The first title is the gentle king ... ... No, it is the gentle pope

Numb, indifferent, detached from the situation, taking advantage of the opportunity to stir up trouble, and enjoying the spectacle without concern for the consequences... In any case, it has nothing to do with oneself, and it would be even better to pick up a few apples along the way... Spectators.

Alright, Sabadian, go and have a good rest

He instructed the guard to let a person in and asked, "What is your name?"

"Beef Tongue Grass, Beef Tongue Grass · Stan, Sir"

Ah, how pleasant!

The viscount has come out

After Phineas revealed her true identity as a saint yesterday, Li Qi seized the opportunity to announce the construction of a temple on the ridge near the castle. Villagers who contribute building materials and labor will be entitled to one free treatment, and subsequent treatments and blessings will also be offered at a discount

Terrence looked at Phineas with a strange gaze: "Or is this how the saints from several eras ago were? Hmm... My lord the viscount, you certainly cannot do this"

The third point is to build high walls, but these walls are not real walls; rather, they are beliefs

The young girl shyly covered her mouth, approached Sebadian, frowned, and began to gather her emotions

Li Qi greeted the little girl who had just finished gnawing on a chicken leg and was drinking milk at the dining table

The green-haired individual only then realized that there was a viscount in front of them, and skillfully bent their knee, kneeling on the ground to speak

The steward let out a cry and rolled on the ground

Truly worthy of being a former high priest

The soft white wings unfurl, the thorned crown circulates, it is truly the goddess descending to the mortal realm

Saint! That is the Saint!