Chapter 73: The Blessing of the Gods (Part 1)

“Last night, while I was praying to My Lord, I received a divine inspiration. I then presented your book to My Lord. My Lord was very pleased with the content of the book. Not only did He reward us, but He also changed the location of today’s meeting to the main hall of this Temple.” The look of pure joy on High Priest Virginia’s face was clearly not fake. At the same time, the proud expressions of the other Clergy members around him confirmed George’s guess.

“Oh! So it was the Highness’s idea? But this is just a negotiation about cooperation. Even if we moved to the main hall, there is no need for so many people to be here.” Although George’s act seemed like playing dumb, his thoughts before were just guesses, not facts. This was fundamentally different from lying with his eyes open. Besides, the atmosphere here was one of cooperation within the Temple. It was unlikely that the other side would use Divine Arts like lie detection to search around. So, George’s plan basically had no risk of being discovered.

“There is no need for so many people to discuss the terms of cooperation. However, since My Lord asked me to change the meeting place here, it certainly is not just for those trivial matters. Although the will of Heaven is hard to predict, it is not unpredictable. Similar situations are also recorded in past books. It is likely that this is to give you a blessing. So, I gathered all the formal Priests and Paladins from the Temple to witness this event. After all, the last time such a thing happened in the Duchy of Nohan was more than eighty years ago.” High Priest Virginia’s behavior now was nothing like the experienced old fox he used to be. He looked more like a child who had just received praise from an elder. This sudden change was too much for George, an outsider who had met him only a few times but left a deep impression. Even the Clergy members who had spent more time with him seemed to find it strange. This could be seen from the uncertain glances of the people around them, who kept looking at High Priest Virginia from time to time.

“Did something like this happen before? What kind of blessing did that ancestor receive?” George was truly curious this time. Knowing about the deeds of the predecessors would certainly help him make judgments now.

As soon as he finished speaking, not only George, but many of the Clergy members present also turned their eyes toward High Priest Virginia. It seemed that records on this topic were either secrets within the Temple, inaccessible without enough status and authority, or quite niche, not included in the required books for Clergy members. It was likely the latter, otherwise High Priest Virginia would not have mentioned it so casually just now.

“Cough! Cough!” Sensing the sudden intense gazes around him, High Priest Virginia pretended to clear his throat, actually reminding the younger ones to mind their image.

After the young Clergy members gradually withdrew their curious eyes, High Priest Virginia spoke out the news everyone had been waiting for: “The grace of a Deity is not something mortals can easily know. However, according to the honored guest who received the blessing, it should be some kind of blessing that ignores diseases and poisons. For that scholar with a weak constitution from birth, this should be the blessing that best fits what he wanted in his heart.”

The so-called Scholar, in the impression of professional adventurers, was a collector and guardian of secrets. They often indulged in writing, as if those hidden and magical secrets were their lovers. Taking “Knowledge is Power” as their motto, Scholars often gave up material wealth and personal glory to exchange for rare and unusual information. Their endless pursuit brought them closer to the ultimate goal of this profession: perfecting oneself through the enlightenment of knowledge.

Scholars usually resisted meaningless posturing and the petty joys of short-sighted people. Because they believed that the only goal worth pursuing in life was to acquire the power of knowledge. Wealth would scatter, passion would fade, and physical strength was limited by time. Only wisdom would gradually grow.

However, do not think that those Scholars were just ordinary old scholars or bookworms. In this world where knowledge is power, those who mastered knowledge and achieved unity of knowledge and action often had pure hearts. Their souls were easier to elevate. According to the existing records George had seen, basically all Scholars were originally Spellcasters. George had even suspected that Scholars were an advanced class prepared by Mages for some partners with specific specializations. However, it was said that a certain number of Priests of Bokabu also became Scholars. George later shifted his thoughts in this direction.

To learn certain hidden knowledge or buried history, most Scholars were proficient in spells of the Divination School. At the same time, to protect their own safety and the peaceful environment for research, they also mastered some spells of Enchantment or Conjuration to some extent. If some people thought they were too weak to carry anything and tried to take advantage of them, they were simply asking for death.

“I suppose the theories some Scholars developed before helped the Lord of Justice, so they received a blessing. In a way, this can also be considered a method of perfecting oneself through the enlightenment of knowledge. As for why High Priest Virginia told these stories in this situation now, besides satisfying the curiosity of those young Priests, the real purpose should be to make me feel at ease.” George could not help but smile bitterly in his heart, although his facial expression did not show even a hint of it. “This is really a well-intentioned effort. Although the heart is not evil and can even be called kind, it is ultimately about the matter, not the person. Do not be paralyzed by this.”

Having never heard of or seen similar matters, George had to ask: “So, what ritual needs to be performed next? It is impossible that I can just stand here and receive the Highness’s blessing.”

“You are not a believer of My Lord, so just stand under the statue of My Lord for now.” High Priest Virginia pointed to a place slightly higher than the podium below the statue. If you looked closely, you would find that the outer edge of this slightly raised place formed a faint ring.

Speaking, under his command, the more than ten Clergy members present began to scatter around the outside of the podium.

“I wonder if that is a trap. Even if it really is a trap, I can only jump in with a heavy heart now. Why think about such impossible things! After all, this is the main Temple of the Lord of Justice in the Duchy of Nohan. Such things will never happen.” Although his mind went through thousands of twists and turns, he still acted as if nothing was wrong and walked toward that spot.

When George stepped into that ring, the giant Holy Symbol outside the Temple of the Lord of Justice emitted a soft milky white light. At the same time, a large bronze bell in the spire of the Temple rang loudly without anyone striking it.

Inside the main hall, the statue directly above George also changed. First, a white-hot war hammer radiating light appeared in the statue’s left hand. Then, at the end of the broken arm that only reached the elbow, an image of an iron glove shining with burning red Spirit Light appeared. At the same time, a simple Longsword surrounded by golden flames also appeared on his iron glove. Looking up, George could still see cracks and notches on the blade of the Longsword. These were traces left by the battles between the Lord of Justice and the Demons of the Abyss. They were also his achievements and medals.

Finally, when the eyes of the statue burned with pale blue flames, a beam of white light enveloped George. This light gave George a feeling of such softness and warmth, just like a baby returning to its mother’s embrace. After seeing this scene, the Clergy members around, led by High Priest Virginia, all knelt down on their knees and chanted the Dogma and scriptures continuously.

In a daze, George seemed to fall asleep. At the same time, a hoarse and ethereal male voice came from the ocean of light: “Is this the little one? He really is a genius in the field of laws. Although his original purpose was to rule his own family, the fact that he balanced multiple interests and revealed the true meaning of goodness is the most rare.”

“Huh! I seem to have seen that faint and flickering rhythm on this boy’s soul somewhere. Ah, isn’t this the Creation… of the Primordial…? How could such a good talent be connected to that crazy woman? No, that one is not crazy anymore now.”

“Sigh! I originally wanted to use this opportunity of cooperation to arrange for my subordinates to contact him more. With good guidance, even if he does not become my believer, he will become a member of the Lawful Good alignment. With his status and identity in the secular world, our Church will have relatively reliable allies in the Duchy of Nohan, and even in the entire region south of the Botor River and north of the Barbarian Grasslands.”

“It seems the plan needs to be changed. Although Lawful Neutral leaning Good can also be an ally, we must be careful that they protect themselves in major matters. No! No! If he receives the attention of that One, he will eventually become absolutely Lawful Neutral. Okay! If an alliance is formed later, the agreement should be made more detailed and strict. Otherwise, he might sell out his subordinates for profit in the end.”

“But looking at it this way, the blessing and reward prepared for him before seems not quite suitable anymore. By the way, let’s first get more knowledge about laws from him. From that book, it is clear that this little one is hiding a lot of things. In the end, we will decide what kind of blessing to use based on what he can offer. I did not expect such a variable to appear out of nowhere, which has disrupted the previous plans.”