Joining the Fold

“Esteemed Mars, the Battle God, please speak!”

“Right, I’ll be direct. The Holy Church has gone to great lengths for you because there’s an immensely powerful Battle God backing you. Everything we’ve given you so far is essentially an overture, a meeting gift for that Battle God. Now, I want to meet that friend!”

Du Chen offered a wry smile. “But I’ve already explained to Godfather Ferdinand. I genuinely don’t know who that Battle God is. And if Your Excellency doesn’t believe me, I’m willing to cooperate with any investigation you deem necessary!”

“Enough of that, I don’t disbelieve you!” Mars lifted a leg, propping it on another chair, his hand resting on his knee. He spoke with the air of a rogue magnate. “I’m a High-Tier Battle God myself; I know how eccentric our kind can be… Ferdinand, what are you gawking at? I was like this even when you were still in swaddling clothes!”

Clearly, Mars’s standing in the Holy Church was higher than Ferdinand’s. He casually rebuked the Godfather, then added, “Francis, that Battle God likely won’t want to meet you. I pulled similar stunts back in the day, so I know the reasons! However, your Guardian Battle God is damnably potent. I won’t feel at ease until I’ve seen him with my own eyes and exchanged a few words!”

Du Chen accurately gauged Mars’s temperament and shrewdly probed, “Could it be that he poses a threat to the Holy Church?”

“Nonsense! I’ve seen Frith’s corpse, the way his skin was flayed… damn it. I know the Flaying and Shrouding Rite myself, but ten of me combined couldn’t match his skill! Such technique, I’ve only ever witnessed it from His Holiness the Pope!”

Mars ignored Ferdinand’s repeated warning glances and continued speaking unabashedly.

The technique of flaying indicates the flayer’s power. That is to say, the mysterious Guardian Battle God is formidable enough to rival His Holiness the Pope!

Du Chen’s mind raced, quickly calculating. He had a Guardian Battle God whose power was on par with the Pope, and who would eliminate anyone for his sake—even the Pope! Given this, by conventional deduction, the Holy Church’s attitude towards him should be: first, to befriend him; then, to win him over; striving to bring him into the fold. If that fails, they must at least remain friends! Conversely, if Du Chen posed a threat to the Holy Church or showed any uncooperative behavior, he would have to be eliminated swiftly. This was standard political maneuvering.

Sure enough, Mars continued. “Let’s put it this way: if your friend doesn’t want to meet anyone, we wouldn’t dare to force him. That fellow is simply too powerful! I’m afraid of stirring up trouble that even I couldn’t handle! So, I’m proposing a deal with you!”

“What kind of deal?”

“Simple: you join the Holy Church! We won’t ask you to do much, just have your name associated with us. This way, your friend won’t become our enemy, and His Holiness the Pope won’t have to worry about someone flaying him in the middle of the night!”

Du Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. This Mars was indeed interesting, blunt and straightforward, less like a Battle God and more like… a gangster! Du Chen, also hailing from the darker side of society, felt a certain fondness for him.

But he couldn’t simply sell himself short. Du Chen smiled. “Since it’s a deal, could you elaborate a bit?”

“To be specific, you’ll join the Enforcement Temple under my command as a First-Class Cleric. You’ll receive a hundred gold coins annually, free of charge. If something comes up, I’ll consult you. If you want to do it, do it; if not, forget it. I won’t pressure you! Furthermore, within the Holy Church, you won’t have to listen to anyone else besides me and His Holiness the Pope!”

Ferdinand added, “You have only one mandatory task: when you meet the Guardian Battle God, please convey the Holy Church’s good intentions and invite him to meet with Mars, the Battle God, or with me!”

Quite favorable terms!

But these terms were quite reasonable. Imagine, if Christians in his previous life suddenly discovered a child blessed by divine protection, wouldn’t they make similar decisions?

Du Chen retorted, “What if I don’t agree?”

“Damn it, you get free money and you still won’t do it?” Mars grabbed Du Chen’s collar, pulling him close. “What exactly do you want, you brat? His Holiness the Pope gave me a death order to get you to join; if I fail, I’m dead! So if you push me too far, I’ll drag you down with me!”

Ferdinand and the other clerics shook their heads, offering wry smiles. How could His Holiness have sent such a boorish fellow? Is this how one negotiates? Alas, perhaps His Holiness’s reasoning was that Mars, being well-versed in criminal law, could accurately assess the power represented by the flaying technique. Furthermore, as one of the Holy Church’s most powerful Battle Gods, he might find common ground with Francis’s eccentric friend.

Du Chen, too, was amused. He thought to himself, *his life’s purpose was to perform good deeds and make the lotus bloom*. In any case, with a mysterious Battle God protecting him, there would be no real danger in joining the Holy Church. So, what was the harm in joining?

“Alright, I’ll join the Holy Church, but I have one small request!”

Mars replied, “Speak. As long as it’s not excessive, I’ll grant it all. Do you want money or women? The Holy Church has plenty of both!”

“Uh, I want money, but it’s a huge sum, because…” Du Chen lowered his head solemnly. “The southern region of the Lanning Empire is suffering from a flood unseen in fifty years, and people are left homeless. I wish to use a sum of money to help them!”

Everyone around the round table was stunned. They couldn’t believe this was Du Chen’s request. The young man had just displayed the cunning of a shrewd, minor politician, yet this demand was something only ancient Battle Gods, possessing virtues of old, would propose!

Du Chen secretly smirked. *Relieving a flood disaster, what a tremendous good deed this would be!* As long as he could accomplish this single good deed, even if the Holy Church harbored schemes, he would be firmly committed!

Ferdinand looked at Du Chen with a strange expression. “Very well,” he said, “we’ll give you ten thousand gold coins, to do with as you please!”

Mars stood up, his massive palm clapping Du Chen’s shoulder, making his entire body tremble. “Kid,” he boomed, “from now on, you’ve joined the crew!”

“Joined the crew?”

“Heh, I used to be a bandit, so I’m used to saying it like that!” Mars gave a sheepish laugh. He cleared his throat. “Ahem, in the name of His Holiness the Pope, I hereby confer upon you the title of First-Class Cleric of the Papal Curia, serving under the Enforcement Temple! You will report directly to me!”

Ferdinand smiled and explained, “The Enforcement Temple is a clandestine temple within the Papal Curia. Its primary duties include monitoring the situation across the three continents and overseeing the clerics of the overt temples…”

The more Du Chen listened, the more alarmed he became. The responsibilities of a First-Class Cleric in this Enforcement Temple were remarkably similar to the Jin Yiwei of ancient China! Both publicly held other identities as a cover, but secretly wielded immense power.

Mars handed Du Chen a token. It was jade-green, merely two fingers wide and the length of a forefinger. Its front bore an odd, ferocious beast carved upon it, resembling a winged lion. On its reverse side was a line of text, but it wasn’t in the common tongue of the Aethelgard Continent, so Du Chen couldn’t recognize it.

“With this, you can execute any Lord or anyone below a First-Class Cleric of the Holy Church without fear of reprisal. And you’ll receive one hundred gold coins annually from the Holy Church as stipend!”

Du Chen took the token and solemnly tucked it into the folds of his robe.

“Haha, from now on, we’re family! We’ll share prosperity and face adversity together! Attendant, bring wine, let’s have a drink!” Mars roared with jovial enthusiasm. After an attendant served the wine, he filled a large bowl for Du Chen, then guzzled down the remaining half-jar of fine liquor.

“Splendid, Francis! From now on, you’re with me! Besides His Holiness the Pope’s orders and mine, you don’t need to heed anyone else!”

Du Chen also drained the fine wine in his hand, observing his new superior.

Mars tossed down the wine jar and wiped his mouth. He glanced at Ferdinand and the others, then declared, “Old Ferd, out. This is an internal meeting of the Enforcement Temple; you’re not qualified to listen in!”

“Oh, dear Mars, you!” Ferdinand and Mars had a good personal relationship, so he didn’t mind the rude command. Once only Du Chen and Mars remained in the room, Red-Bearded Mars clapped Du Chen on the shoulder, roaring with laughter. “Kid, I want to discuss a mission with you. See if you’re interested!”

“Tell me about it!” Facing this boorish fellow Mars, Du Chen also dropped his guard, casually smiling.

“Go undercover at the Battle God Academy!”