Chapter 589: The New Lan Bridge Cannot Be Underestimated
After repelling the attacking Numinous Episcopate demigod, Chloe once again unfurled the "Dawn Domain," using its bright halo to purify the land contaminated by the demigod battle.
After a while, a figure wearing a Manor Owner's Hat appeared in the air without warning.
It was Thierry. Appearing simultaneously with him was a black-robed man tucked under his arm.
This was the other Numinous Episcopate member who had come with Garcia.
"Godfather." Chloe nodded in greeting to Thierry, showing no surprise.
Thierry sighed softly, threw the black-robed man onto the ground, and briefly explained, "He wanted to steal the Funeral Register during the chaos."
Chloe wiped the sword of judgment with her cuff and casually said, "The demigod named Garcia just severely wounded Reok Nash, and with me, the Lord, involved, they probably thought all the combat-capable higher-ups of New Lan Bridge were tied up by him at the Soul-Guarding Hill, far from the city center."
"Then their intelligence is truly lacking." Thierry chuckled softly, motioning towards the motionless Gatekeeper on the ground. "I didn't take his life."
"I also let Garcia go," Chloe said. "My intuition told me that if I insisted on killing him, something unfavorable might happen."
"Can he still be found?"
"Of course." Chloe said confidently, using her spirituality to engrave runes on her shed Devil skin, condensing them into a talisman, and tossing it to Thierry. "I marked him using Demon-Hunting Vision."
"This might be a chance to catch the entire Numinous Episcopate Artificial Death Faction in one net," Thierry said briefly, his figure gradually becoming transparent and disappearing. "I'll go into the Underworld to look for clues—and, this Numinous Episcopate outcast is entrusted to you for safekeeping first."
"Godfather" Thierry clearly had his own purpose in joining New Lan Bridge.
Combining this with the information previously received from War Angel Medici, the "Godfather" had officially become a High Deacon of the Night Church. Considering the Night Church's stance on the Numinous Episcopate, Chloe guessed that the Godfather's purpose for coming to the Southern Continent this time might be to eradicate the Numinous Episcopate.
Ultimately, the influence an organization can gain depends on how much divinity-bearing power it can mobilize.
News received from Mr. Fool indicated that the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death Faction currently possesses one Angel and three Saints.
The Angel named Haite'er is their leader. Due to a certain ritual, he is unable to leave his Mausoleum but can still exert influence remotely.
Among the three Saints, the Undying named Patrick has already been recruited through the cooperation of 'The World' and "Godfather" Thierry. Of the remaining two, one is clearly the attacking Garcia, and the unknown remaining one, 'The World' Gehrman Sparrow, seems to have had contact with before—that was the incident where the "Crazy Adventurer" first had a bounty placed on him, where he summoned a very dangerous existence using the Messenger's Copper Whistle.
The Hanged Man inquired about the records at the time. It was a Monster without a specific form, which 'The World' speculated was deeply related to the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death Plan.
If it still retained rationality and could be used by the Numinous Episcopate, it would be the last Saint.
After this battle, optimistically speaking, all the high-ranking members of the Numinous Episcopate Artificial Death Faction have suffered heavy losses—
This was also why Chloe let Garcia go at the end of the fight. As possibly the last high-ranking member of the Numinous Episcopate Artificial Death Faction who could move freely, the Angel leader named Haite'er had no reason not to pay him extraordinary attention, and might deliver an Angel's strike across space to save his life.
Chloe reviewed her strange Spiritual Intuition afterward and realized this might be the answer.
This situation can also explain why the Numinous Episcopate was determined to seize the Funeral Register, a Mystical Item corresponding to the Undying.
With the help of an Angel, the Artificial Death Faction could shatter the Sealed Artifact, restore it to its pure Characteristic, and then select outstanding talent to add a demigod-level combatant to their ranks!
However, their scheme is likely to fail now————
Chloe stood on the Soul-Guarding Hill, the highest point of Lan Bridge, and looked down at the dusty city undergoing fervent construction—this cannot entirely be blamed on the Numinous Episcopate's inaccurate intelligence. After all, who would have thought that this seemingly emerging fringe power actually concealed a number of demigods no fewer than Backlund's?
There is Chloe herself, the Lord; Wayne Bates of the Knowledge Church; Oswald Medici of the military; Alger Wilson, the Navy Commander and Pope of the Sea God, who was promoted to Cataclysmic Interrer with Medici's help; and now the Godfather, who for some unknown reason has joined the Night Church——————
And these are just the individuals focused on New Lan Bridge. This doesn't even include the unpredictable War Angel Medici, the Tarot Club members who promised assistance at any time—Hermit, Star Admiral Cattelya, 'The World' Gehrman Sparrow, Queen Mystic Bernadette Gustav who is the initiator herself, and the hidden existence behind them, Mr. Fool.
What surprised Chloe the most was the extraordinary attention the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery paid to the construction of New Lan Bridge. Even Horamick Haydn, the Archbishop of Saint Hillan Cathedral and a member of the Steam Church's Divine Council, was directly involved, personally designing New Lan Bridge's urban construction plan and mobilizing "expert teams" from around the world sufficient to establish three large churches.
Perhaps soon, the Steam Church will formally establish a cathedral in Lan Bridge and station an Archbishop there, potentially even a demigod.
Recently, New Lan Bridge has significantly begun to resemble a nation.
After the Caesar Weapon Company's first weapons production line in New Lan Bridge went into operation, the Propaganda Machine far away in Intis finally officially turned its attention to this corner of the Southern Continent.
Young people holding dreams and maintaining reverence for Emperor Roselle gradually gathered. Shipping companies, despite the pressure of war, still opened several new routes directly to New Lan Bridge, not only to handle the city's increasing cargo throughput but also to serve the talents flocking to New Lan Bridge seeking opportunities.
New Lan Bridge's Monetary System gradually moved away from relying solely on physical gold coins.
Based on Emperor Roselle's early concepts, the Knowledge Church designed a set of paper currency based on Silver Dollars, along with corresponding new coins, with denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. The unit is called "Yuan." Below the "Yuan," there are subdivisions called "Jiao" and "Fen," corresponding to the commonly used Copper Plates, and using a decimal system with the "Yuan," with denominations of 1, 2, and 5.
The Printing Factory and Minting Factory were established and operated under Chloe's personal supervision. Soon, New Lan Bridge will begin recovering heavily worn Bairon Ancient Coins and replacing them with the brand-new monetary system.
A monetary system is a necessary choice for establishing a nation, but this step is far from being the only one.
More importantly, it is about printing the portrait and name of Roselle Gustav on the banknotes used daily by the populace.
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Chapter 590: Awaiting Your Return
"Are you saying you want to excavate the Guardian Hill and build a pyramid-style mausoleum directly on its foundation?"
Reok Nash had suffered an attack from a Saint of the Numinous Episcopate, and his body had not fully recovered. He occasionally had to press his hand against his forehead to alleviate the spiritual dizziness, but his basic judgment remained intact, and he still attended the high-level meeting of the New Lan Bridge as the leader of the Nash Family.
He gently tapped his forehead with his finger, pondered for a moment, and voiced his confusion: "A pyramid inverted and embedded in the ground is a symbol of Death, representing the process of entering the Underworld from Reality. This is correct, and the Lan Bridge people also recognize this—Lady Leader, this project you propose certainly helps reshape the faith in Death, but the pyramid mausoleum should not be built upright; this completely contradicts the intent of Death."
Chloe glanced at the subordinate of the Queen Mystic—Lom Ferguson, the representative of Oravi Island sent to handle matters related to the Black Emperor faith, a weathered middle-aged man dressed as a Classical Warlock—and then said to Reaoc: "A batch of the most basic engineering projects has already been completed, freeing up a significant number of personnel, which is why we are now starting this major project to showcase national strength.
"This project is commencing under the pretext of reshaping the faith in Death, but the faith in Death itself is not the goal; in fact, we must abandon the faith in Death during the construction process."
Reok Nash looked confusedly at Chloe—he completely failed to understand the situation now.
"Lady Leader, allow me to overstep, but I once heard a saying that 'Wonders ruin nations'." Chloe chuckled: "Mr. Reaoc, you must see that everyone present here is at Sequence 5 or above. Nothing we promote is meaningless. I'll be direct: if this project achieves its anticipated results, then the New Lan Bridge seizing the opportunity of war to incorporate the entire Southern Continent into its sphere of influence and recreating the glory of the Balam Empire will no longer be out of reach.
"So, do you know what the key point is? The key point is to successfully promote and successfully complete this project."
"
Reaoc immediately fell silent—he understood now that this upright pyramid mausoleum also held extremely important significance in the field of mysticism.
A moment later, he raised his head again, changing his attitude: "What do you need me to do?"
"As the leading family for the faith in Death in Lan Bridge, the Nash Family must ensure that this 'pretext' is deeply rooted in people's hearts and that everyone supports this project," Chloe said. "The establishment of the mausoleum itself will be spearheaded by Oravi Island. Mr. Lom, you will design the overall construction plan. Then, before construction begins, you must cooperate with Mr. Reaoc to provide a reasonable and religiously acceptable explanation for this project."
"Easily done," Lom Ferguson nodded slowly.
"Also, regarding subsequent changes in faith, ensure that people do not show too much resistance when abandoning the faith in Death," Chloe added as a reminder.
At this moment, Thierry Foucault, who had been sitting silently on the side, spoke: "There is no need to abandon the faith in Death."
Chloe looked toward her godfather, only to find that he had said just that one sentence and then decided to remain silent.
Although confused, Chloe, knowing that Thierry was now a High Deacon of the Night Church, and recalling that Night and Death belong to adjacent Pathways, and knowing the existence of "Above Sequence," instantly guessed the reason and immediately understood.
She smiled as she looked at Reok Nash and said, "I apologize, my phrasing was flawed. Of course, we cannot abandon the faith in Death, as this is the nation the Death Consul entrusted me to manage.
"Hmm, Mr. Thierry must also be included in this matter. After construction begins, he will discuss with you how to find a new spiritual anchor for the New Lan Bridge citizens' faith in Death."
"Then should the military also put the promotion of Roselle Gustav on the agenda?" asked Oswald Medici.
His main responsibility was preparing the army for war, but since "an excellent military strategist is also a politician," he keenly sensed that the development of the New Lan Bridge was inextricably linked to Emperor Roselle, and the most important thing between the military and political sectors was "unity."
The military is indispensable in political and religious construction.
"Of course," Chloe nodded. "The military is the strongest embodiment of the national will, and any reform must begin within the military."
The first batch of new banknotes and coins has already been manufactured and will be put into use next month. Oswald knew that the military was preparing to issue military pay using paper currency.
So the matter of spreading Emperor Roselle's influence is the same.
"However, enhancing Emperor Roselle's influence should take a form more akin to integration into general education. Our military's philosophy is very advanced; even the most ordinary soldiers have scheduled theoretical studies," Chloe said, turning her attention to Wayne Bates of the Knowledge Church. "Mr. Wayne, are the military chaplains from the Knowledge Church currently responsible for the theoretical study portion?"
Mr. Wayne nodded: "Yes, the military chaplains dispatched by the Knowledge Church are currently assigned down to the regiment level, and they are responsible for the usual instruction, but the content is also authorized by the commanding officers."
"That makes things easy. We certainly don't have to worry about the teaching standards of the priests serving the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Chloe's lips curled up slightly as she made a small joke: "As for the teaching materials, we don't have to worry either.
"Intis's 'Imperial Weekly' is already a mature precedent. The local newspapers and periodicals led by the propaganda department can learn from that experience and designate specific sections for promoting Emperor Roselle.
"The learning content for the military can simply use the newspapers and periodicals. Unless necessary, do not conduct independent instruction."
After speaking, she added: "There are only two matters concerning the military that require special treatment: "In terms of military industry, I will inform the Caesar Weapon Company that if they develop any new equipment, it must be linked to the 'Roselle's Conceptualization of Military Ordnance Research and Development'.
"Next, I must trouble the military experts of the Medici Family to compile a textbook on command studies using Emperor Roselle's classic battle examples. If materials are lacking, Oravi Island and the Knowledge Church should possess quite a few; please lend your full support."
"That's very thoughtful—" Oswald muttered. "Let's do it."
Chloe sighed in relief—as King George III of Loen's apotheosis ritual approached, although it might now be too late to hasten Emperor Roselle's return before then, this paramount matter involving Sequence 0 had finally begun its official progression.
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