Chapter 1525: Expert Handling
The god of commerce, Baofal, is revered as the protector of merchants and the witness to all trade dealings. He also holds more specialized titles—god of currency, god of prosperity, guardian of marketplaces.
What’s truly fascinating about this deity is his dual nature: he is worshipped both as the protector of the poor and the guardian of the wealthy. The rich pray to Baofal to safeguard their fortunes, while the poor call upon him—under the name Fabao’er—to help them escape poverty. This “two-in-one” identity is unique among the pantheon.
Despite his many titles, Baofal’s presence among the myriad gods of Loren is relatively modest. His church is widespread but its core followers are mostly merchants—a minority group in the northern continent before the rise of the “Cecil-style commercial order.” Ordinary people tend to devote their faith to gods like Fertility or the Holy Light, who offer more immediate blessings. As a result, Baofal’s church has long been considered second- or even third-tier within Cecil.
On the other hand, Baofal’s relatively low profile is a blessing in disguise. Because his followers are few and his church’s influence limited, the bonds tying this god to the mortal realm are not too strong. When Cecil’s new era of trade order swept across the world—ushering in commercial wars and revolutionary financial concepts—Baofal did not suffer the kind of devastating blows that the war god (1/1) endured. He remains stable.
Considering that Baofal’s combat power among the gods likely ranks alongside several deities of the arts, it’s fortunate he hasn’t gone mad—future historians will at least be spared a couple of difficult exam questions.
In the southern district of Cecil City, within the church quarter, the city’s fully armed security forces and heavily armored clerics from the Theocratic Council had already sealed off every intersection near the Church of Commerce.
A young security officer in a black uniform sneezed in the biting wind. He instinctively glanced up at the church’s tightly shut doors, noticing several colleagues exchanging duties with the Theocratic Council’s inquisitorial clerics in the small plaza before the church. Clad in gleaming white armor, wielding mechanized warhammers and gospel tomes, these towering clerics—often over two meters tall—loomed like iron giants. Their presence was intimidating, yet also a source of reassurance for everyone there.
The officer then looked toward the other side of the plaza. A large truck had just pulled up near the intersection. Several clerics in Theocratic Council uniforms—likely tech specialists—jumped down from the vehicle, while a few apprentices used magi-tech terminals to unload heavy machine parts onto the plaza. The components appeared to be for assembling a large device. Judging by the serious expressions on the tech clerics’ faces, the officer guessed it might be the legendary anti-divine barrier generator rumored to block gods’ influence.
“What are you staring at?” a colleague suddenly nudged the young officer’s arm, snapping him out of his daze. The officer shivered in the cold, turning his gaze to the coworker and muttering, “Quite a few heavy hitters showed up… Did you see that inquisitor with three scripture ribbons on his armor? That’s probably the chief inquisitor of the Arbitration Court.”
“Just to watch inquisitors so closely?” the colleague gave him a strange look. “I thought you were ogling the nuns…”
The young officer frowned. “It’s rude to gossip about ladies, especially the Theocratic Council’s nuns. You better watch out—they might be listening.”
“You’re way too uptight. The Theocratic Council isn’t like the regular churches, and their nuns aren’t forbidden from dating,” the colleague patted his shoulder. “I heard Roger from Squad Two actually got together with an Arbitration Court nun. She’s not as scary as people think—she shops, hangs out, dates like anyone else. You’re not getting any younger; if you can’t find someone in the security team, maybe you should consider…”
“Enough, I know all that,” the young officer waved him off. “If you’re talking about Roger in Squad Two, why not mention Quinn in Squad Three? His girlfriend’s a nun from the Holy Light Church, and he’s been stuck on the balcony for two weeks…”
“Uh… well, that’s the Holy Light Church…”
“Forget it, I’m not going down that rabbit hole,” the officer cut him off, turning his attention back to the church. “Do you know what’s going on? We were rushed here, and the church was already sealed off when we arrived. Now the Arbitration Court’s inquisitors are involved, and there’s that big machine in the plaza… This isn’t a routine matter.”
“How would I know? I got here fifteen minutes earlier than you, and the captain didn’t say a word. See those guys over there? Everyone was on patrol and suddenly called in to cover this post,” the colleague shrugged. “But with the church locked down and the Arbitration Court involved, it’s obviously serious—only ‘professionals’ can handle this. We’re just here to keep order, so don’t ask too many questions.”
The young officer listened but couldn’t shake his unease. He glanced repeatedly toward the church and the inquisitors, finally whispering, “You think… we’re going to lose another god this year?”
“Hey! Don’t say that!” The colleague’s face tightened nervously. “You know my nephew’s been working on a thesis about the god of commerce at the Imperial Academy for two months—he’s almost done!”
“So you’re just worried about your nephew’s thesis?”
“Of course! What else would I be worried about? I’m not some big shot like His Majesty…”
Just then, an unmarked black magi-tech vehicle suddenly rolled down the street, its horn blaring. Two inquisitors on guard stepped back in unison as the car sped past two security officers who had looked up at the noise. It crossed the church plaza—under martial law—and headed toward the cathedral’s side entrance.
Gawain sat in the back seat, gazing through the crystal glass window. His eyes swept over the recently assembled anti-divine barrier on the plaza’s edge. His stern expression softened slightly. “The Theocratic Council’s response is swift.”
“After all, these are professionals, personally trained by Leight and Veronica,” Amber’s voice came from beside him. She was leaning against the window, watching the activity on the other side of the plaza. “There are quite a few churches on this street…”
“That was planned early on, to facilitate crowd control in normal times and lockdowns in emergencies,” Gawain glanced toward the distance, spotting the spires and towers of other churches peeking above the rooftops. “In hindsight, that was foresight. If all the gods’ domains are ‘partying with the Lady of the Night,’ then every church becomes a key monitoring point. Without a dedicated church district, the entire city’s security forces and inquisitors would be running ragged.”
“True, it’s convenient—but only you could pull this off,” Amber muttered. “This church district… the Fertility Triad’s church is right next to the Blood God’s, and across from the Commerce God’s church is the temple of the god of music and poetry. Around the Holy Light Cathedral in the center are a bunch of second- and third-tier churches. Elsewhere, the ‘divine realms on earth’ would be sacred, but here it’s like a marketplace. Last month, the Fertility Triad’s saint and the Blood God’s high priest actually went to the property management office to argue over a sewer issue—two big shots, arguing about a sewer in the name of their gods…”
“You’re not describing a street with ten churches,” Amber continued, “it’s more like the gods opened a dozen real estate agencies in the city.”
Gawain merely smiled wryly, listening quietly until she finished. Then he said with a hint of amusement, “Don’t you think that’s a good thing?”
Amber laughed knowingly. “Well, if you want to ‘de-sanctify’ things, you have to start by turning the cathedral into a ‘brokerage office for the gods on earth.’ And logically, when the church district was created, the representatives of each church enthusiastically supported His Majesty’s wise decision. Now it’s too late for them to complain.”
Gawain shook his head. “I don’t think a saint and a high priest would really go to the property office to argue about a sewer. Even if that happened, they have countless subordinates to handle it. You could say these two clerics are smart—they’ve adapted well to the new rules of this era and understand what the Theocratic Council expects of them. That’s very different from the ‘heretics’ we executed back then. Regardless of the cause, it’s a good thing.”
Amber blinked a few times, impressed by Gawain’s analysis. “No wonder you’re the ultimate schemer. Compared to you, other schemers look like saints…”
Gawain frowned. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
Amber grinned mischievously. Teasing this old stick was her favorite pastime, even if it came with some risk. She noticed the magi-tech car slowing down and the worried, nervous-looking plump cleric waiting at the steps. That meant her daily challenge was a success—Gawain definitely wouldn’t reprimand her in front of others.
Gawain knew her little game but didn’t mind.
The magi-tech vehicle came to a stop.
The slightly portly middle-aged cleric, flanked by several senior priests, immediately approached and saluted as Gawain stepped out. He traced the symbol of the scales over his chest, then clasped his hands and bowed slightly. “We salute you, wise and mighty Majesty. We never expected you to handle this matter personally. Your presence puts us at ease…”
“Let’s skip the formalities for now, Archbishop Boris,” Gavain waved his hand. “What’s the situation? I heard the ‘Mark’ caused by the vision has spread across the entire side chamber. Has anyone been contaminated?”
“Yes,” Archbishop Boris, who was in charge of this church, replied immediately, his face clouded with worry over the huge problem they were facing. “Those dreadful Marks pressed down on the whole room like invisible weights. The solid stone floor was crushed to powder, even the altar turned to dust. Fortunately, the protective devices installed by the Council are set up in the surrounding cloisters, so the damage from the vision didn’t breach the anti-divinity barrier. The entire side chamber remains fully enclosed within the protective force field.”
He paused briefly, adjusting his expression. “The second piece of good news is that I happened to be nearby handling paperwork when the vision occurred. I detected the abnormal energy fluctuations immediately and ordered all access points to the cloister area sealed off. So, after the incident, no unauthorized personnel approached the side chamber, and no one was contaminated.”
“Currently, only myself and two senior acolytes have entered the side chamber to assess the situation. We have just undergone inspection by the Theocratic Council and confirmed we are free of contamination.”
There was a hint of self-congratulation in the archbishop’s tone, but Gavain had to admit his swift and correct response was commendable. His thorough inspection and cooperation with the Council left no room for criticism, which was a relief.
In any event involving divine visions, the fact that no one suffered spiritual contamination was monumental good news.
“Take me to the side chamber,” Gavain nodded, his voice low and firm. “Except for me and the Intelligence Director, all other accompanying personnel are to remain on standby outside the cloisters.”
“Your Majesty,” the plump middle-aged cleric instinctively spoke up at Gavain’s order, “you intend to enter the side chamber yourself? That might be… well, I know your miraculous ability to resist divine will, but those terrifying crushing Marks inside suggest this vision wasn’t just spiritual contamination. There may have been some powerful physical force involved as well…”
“Thank you for the warning. I’ll assess the situation myself once I’m there. But some things really do require a personal look,” Gavain nodded at the cleric. “Lead the way. I know what I’m doing.”
Seeing the emperor’s resolve, Archbishop Boris had no choice but to nod in agreement. “Very well, Your Majesty. Please follow me.”
Moments later, Gavain and Amber followed the archbishop into the cathedral, passing the sealed checkpoint, entering the cloisters leading to the side chamber, and finally arriving at the door where the vision had occurred.
The heavy, exquisitely crafted wooden door stood silently at the end of the corridor, seemingly intact. From the outside, it was impossible to imagine what had transpired behind it.
Just as Boris had said, the vision’s effects were confined entirely within the side chamber, leaving the outside untouched.
(End of chapter)