Link was working on a very novel kind of thing—or so Anduin believed.
After that day, two chests appeared in the church courtyard.
One was exquisitely crafted, its corners reinforced with brass trim, with a line of gold-leaf lettering carved into its front: Indulgences: Take for yourself upon sincere prayer and donation.
Beside it stood the second chest—a plain, empty collection box.
Link was lying on an old lounge chair he’d dragged out from who-knows-where, resting by the stone steps with half his body bathed in the afternoon sun.
One arm rested on the armrest while his other hand held Anduin’s silver flask.
The liquor inside was no cheap swill, but rather Anduin’s private reserve—stuff he usually couldn’t bear to drink himself.
Yet, he had promised Link an unlimited supply.
If this actually brings in money, I wouldn’t even mind giving the title of Archbishop to Link, Anduin thought.
At this moment, Link was effectively the second-in-command here.
If memory served, a great number of prominent nobles had recently arrived in the Royal Capital, all drawn by the rumors of an ancient ruin that could “grant eternal life”.
If a person pursued eternal life above all else, they bound to have a bit of money.
More precisely, quite a lot of it.
And these prominent nobles were Link’s target.
Since he couldn’t fleece the King, he’d just have to fleece the nobles.
Naturally, highborn lords wouldn’t come in person.
They wouldn’t stand in line like commoners, nor would they pry for secrets in taverns.
Instead, they would dispatch their most trusted confidants to casually pass by and inquire about what their masters wished to know in a polite, refined tone.
Just as Link expected, someone arrived the very next afternoon.
The visitor wore a low-profile yet finely tailored dark robe, an inconspicuous family crest pinned to the collar.
He first scrutinized the church surroundings thoroughly with a careful gaze before approaching Link, lowering his voice.
“Does this Indulgence of yours actually guarantee absolution?”
Link sat up slightly from the lounge chair and adjusted his monocle.
“Not only does it guarantee absolution, but it also allows for supplemental absolution.”
“Supplemental absolution?” The man brow furrowed.
“In cases where the Indulgence doesn’t fully cover the sins, one can supplement it through good deeds, prayer, or financial donations. There’s no numerical standard. It purely depends on your sincerity to atone. As long as the sincerity is there, the Goddess will forgive anything.” The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
Link paused, his golden slitted pupils narrowing slightly as he whispered, “However, let me share a secret with you.”
Seeing Link’s secretive manner, the man couldn’t resist leaning down and bringing his ear closer.
“If the lord behind you holds a very high status, just to be safe, it is generally recommended to over-supplement the absolution. Sin is a tricky matter that no one can gauge for certain; making extra preparations is never a bad idea.”
The man straightened up and nodded thoughtfully.
Asking nothing more, he pulled a heavy coin pouch from his robes, tossed it into the empty box, took an Indulgence, and turned to disappear into the shadows of the church’s side door.
With the first customer served, the rest naturally followed suit.
There were no secrets in noble circles—especially when it came to “paying for peace of mind,” where they understood the value of sharing information better than anyone else.
That very afternoon, a second visitor arrived, then a third, coming one after another.
By the next day, the supply of Indulgences could barely keep up with demand.
It was as if the moment gold coins clinked into the bottom of the box, sinful souls would leap joyfully up into Heaven.
Meanwhile, Flamme remained endlessly busy on her end as an unbroken stream of people arrived to collect eggs.
Flamme didn’t just indulge in bad deeds; she was equally tireless when it came to doing good.
She was overjoyed to use magic to help her master or these homeless children.
Having finished his prayers, Anduin left his small room, crossed the cloister, and silently walked up behind Flamme.
Watching the girl hard at work, his right hand lit up with a soft, pale-green halo of light, resting gently on her shoulder.
[Spell to Relieve Fatigue]
The light flowed through her limbs like warm water, instantly washing away her aches and fatigue, leaving her feeling as refreshed as if she had just enjoyed a full night of sleep.
This was a blessing spell unique to specialized priests, capable of soothing physical exhaustion and calming the mind.
“Thank you, Grandpa Anduin,” Flamme said, stretching her wrists and looking up to express her gratitude.
The young girl added silently in her heart: This is way more useful than Master’s punch technique that just makes people fall asleep faster.
Releasing the replication magic so frequently also allowed Flamme to gain a deeper understanding of it.
She was gradually realizing new possibilities—if she pushed it further, it wouldn’t just be limited to duplicating items.
She planned to find an opportunity to share this good news with her master.
However, Link had already found out ahead of time.
Still resting on the old lounge chair by the stone steps, he opened his quest panel.
[Sequential Quest: Passing the Torch] [Bound Target: Flamme has reached Stage (III)] [Quest Reward: One Random Artifact, A Large Amount of Gold Coins] [Claim Reward and End Quest: Yes / No]
Seeing that the Stage (III) reward had upgraded from ordinary equipment to an artifact, Link still managed to hold himself back. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
He wanted to wait until Flamme became a Great Mage before harvesting the fruits of his labor.
Disciple, oh disciple, you’d better work extra hard.
Closing the panel, he took a sip of wine, a subtle curve rising on the corner of his lips.
Flamme’s contributions over these past days had been monumental.
The step of “recruiting believers on a massive scale” had been an overwhelming success.
More accurately, it was even beyond success—so successful that it was starting to spiral out of control.
He had originally intended to let the secret circulate for a few days before calling it quits.
But now, there was no need for them to keep any secrets; the rumor had spread even faster and wilder than if someone had been fueling it from behind the scenes.
In the rumors, Archbishop Anduin of the Iweizer Cathedral had practically become a living saint.
Handing out food at the entrance every day without demanding a single thing or asking for anything in return—if he wasn’t a saint, who was?
Seeing the shift in public opinion, Link threw out a brand-new concept.
[Treasury of Merit System]
The core principle was that Saint Anduin’s good deeds and merit were overflowing, and thus could be distributed to those in need.
By coming to pay homage to the saint, one could receive merit to atone for their sins.
As for distant cities beyond the Royal Capital, the merciful saint had also taken them into consideration: anyone unable to come in person could donate charitable funds instead, and they too would receive merit.
With Link’s combo of tactics, forget about providing homes for the displaced children—rebuilding their hometowns wouldn’t even pose a challenge now.
“Link, sometimes I really can’t figure out where you pull these ideas from.”
“Isn’t it written in your sacred scriptures?” Link gave a sly grin.
“Oh, right.”
Anduin was no fool either; he instantly caught Link’s drift.
“Frock, add this line into the sacred scriptures.”
Seeing that this matter had finally concluded, Link was finally able to pull himself away and begin preparing for the [Subjugation Quest] issued by the system.
After all, the quest reward was one Hextech Selection—one extra Hextech option meant one more safety net for his life.
However, things did not go as planned.
A dense sound of horse hooves thundered from outside the Iweizer Cathedral.
Shortly after, a troop of fully armed cavalry surrounded the church completely, leaving not even a drop of water capable of leaking through.