Chapter 58
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 58
"Hindel is the granary region, so there are many excellent chefs there. Please don't worry and accept them!"
Monica stood before the two chefs and called out joyfully.
But something other than the chefs' skill caught my attention.
"Monica, you were a wealthy merchant's daughter...."
The eldest daughter of a noble house that owned the granary region, no less.
Now I understood why Count and Countess Hindel had looked at me like I was a thief at first.
It made perfect sense—they'd raised their precious daughter so carefully, yet here she was in a crumbling temple....
"Welcome. Thank you for coming."
I shook hands with the two chefs.
One handled meals, the other desserts—it was perfect.
At last, we finally had proper kitchen staff!
"All the workers here have experience with temple renovation projects. You can trust them completely."
The Count and Countess had chosen exactly the talent we needed. I was truly grateful we'd become close with them.
"And here's a letter from my parents."
I read the letter Monica handed me.
We will bear all expenses ourselves.
Please accept this as a donation from us, without any burden.
We will always pray for the peace and safety of the Sun God Grand Temple.
And all of this was free.
The generosity of the Count and Countess Hindel knew no bounds!
"I should write a thank-you letter in response."
"I'll prepare everything."
Monica smiled with satisfaction, her face radiant with pride in her parents.
I would have felt the same pride in their place.
But I had no intention of relying entirely on the Count and Countess Hindel.
"I hear the Count and Countess Hindel have already covered the expenses."
I stood before the workers.
And to those who nodded, I made an extraordinary proposal.
"But wouldn't you prefer to earn more? The Temple will also pay, so please restore this place properly—so perfectly that no one will remember what it looked like before."
The Count and Countess had surely given generously, but it wouldn't be enough.
People work harder when there's more money to come than what they've already received.
The Temple's perfect restoration would be the signal flare announcing our revival, so it had to be done flawlessly.
"I'm counting on you all."
The workers, stunned to learn they'd earn additional pay, soon broke into bright smiles and applause.
I was certain that the Sun God watching this scene was clapping with equal joy.
* * *
"Let's hold a dedication ceremony."
Four days after beginning the Temple restoration work.
I called Seth Noel and Airic Dert over and explained my plan.
"A dedication ceremony?"
A dedication ceremony.
In essence, it's a ritual where we present offerings to the deity and conduct a sacred service.
The Temple of the Sun God holds a dedication ceremony once a year to express gratitude to the Sun God, who in turn bestows blessings upon the faithful and strengthens the bond between them.
However, the Sun God Grand Temple had fallen into such financial ruin that we hadn't been able to conduct one for several years.
"Now that we have funds and breathing room, there's no reason to postpone it any longer. I think it's the perfect time to hold one."
Traditionally, the Sun God Grand Temple held its dedication ceremony on January 1st, when the first sun of the new year rises, but what did dates matter?
The Sun God probably wouldn't mind much anyway.
"It would serve as a public declaration that we're now operating properly."
"I'm in favor of it."
Seth Noel was the first to agree, his face flushed with excitement.
"I believe the time has come for us to do this."
Before anything else, he was a devout worshipper of the Sun God—even more so than his role as Holy Knight Commander.
How much his heart must have ached, unable to conduct the annual ceremony for years now.
"The High Priest once told us that conducting a dedication ceremony was his dream."
Airic Dert's feelings were surely no different.
Perhaps, as the High Priest, his longing ran even deeper.
"...What will you offer?"
As expected, Airic Dert, who had been staring downward for some time, finally looked directly at me and asked.
His clear green eyes glistened with moisture, trembling with emotion.
Joy and reverence surged violently within him.
His reaction was far more intense than when I'd announced the potion business venture.
"The Sun God will accept whatever we offer, so the choice is ours to make."
I already had something in mind for this.
"Cash. We'll offer cash."
Money. It had to be money, no matter what.
This was the entire reason I'd wanted to hold the dedication ceremony in the first place.
The three billion won I'd extracted from the Sea God Temple!
The only way to offer such an enormous sum without raising suspicion was through a dedication ceremony.
"I'm thinking of offering fifteen thousand gold—half of the thirty thousand gold we extracted from the Sea God Temple—while using the remaining half for the temple's renovations."
Even a 15% increase in divine power would be more than satisfactory, so half was sufficient.
Besides, we'd completely overhauled and redesigned the garden, which required considerable labor and materials. I needed to keep at least 1.5 billion won in reserve.
"Excellent. Truth be told, it's been so long since we last held a ceremony that I'd wish to offer more, but...the temple has other financial needs as well."
Airic Dert was more generous-minded than I'd expected.
If I poured all three billion won into the offering, I'd immediately reach the 40% threshold, but...
My ultimate goal wasn't unlocking the Heavenly Secrets—it was the revival of the Sun God Grand Temple itself. I shouldn't be greedy.
"Were you perhaps considering inviting others to the dedication ceremony?"
Ah, since a dedication ceremony is a public ritual, there's no harm in inviting guests.
In fact, the Sea God Temple invites enormous crowds to their dedication ceremonies.
To show off how great they are to everyone. How utterly distasteful.
"Let's invite Duke Sheary and Count and Countess Hindel. We can show them the Temple of the Sun God while it's under renovation."
Especially since Lute Sheary would be visiting the Temple of the Sun God soon anyway to recharge her blessings, the timing was perfect.
"Since the Count and Countess must travel from the distant east, what do you think about holding the dedication ceremony about ten days from now? We'll need time to prepare as well."
"Very well."
"We should prioritize renovating the guest quarters and the altar where the dedication ceremony will take place. I'll inform Monica of this."
Dietrich Warren and Monica were jointly overseeing all renovation work within the Temple of the Sun God.
Since Monica had received training as a successor, she naturally knew more than Dietrich Warren.
The workers also treated Monica, the employer's daughter, with greater deference.
"The Sun God must be absolutely delighted."
As I spoke with a smile, Seth Noel and Airic Dert nodded happily as well.
Of course they would be. A fortune of 1.5 billion gold was about to fall into my hands—how could I not be thrilled?
And it was money wrested from that despicable Sea God cult, which made it all the sweeter.
I laughed with genuine delight, thinking of those foolish Sea God worshippers who had lost both money and Jeremy.
* * *
"Clean it up."
In the dim underground prison.
Dominic, the Saint of the Sea God, emerged from a place reeking of nauseating blood and extended his hand to the attendant beside him.
A white cloth hastily wiped away the sticky red liquid that caked his cruel hands.
"You return having lost thirty thousand gold and Jeremy as well?"
Dominic's lips twisted.
The man he had just killed was Sembus, the priest he had sent to the Sun God Grand Temple.
He had gained nothing, yet he returned with such brazen confidence.
Of course, fleeing would have meant death anyway.
"Where on earth has our little lamb gone?"
That the Sun God Grand Temple accepted only thirty thousand gold and released Jeremy was within expectations.
Mere pocket change to the Sea God Temple, but the Sun God worshippers would consider themselves fortunate.
But Jeremy's disappearance was a serious problem.
How could someone without even a sense of self act on his own whims, blessed as he is by the great Sea God's divine power?
'The god's answer is necessary.'
After wiping away Sembus's blood and changing into fresh clothes, Dominic immediately made his way to the Main Hall where the Sea God's statue stood.
In the center of the vast space where azure waves seemed to ripple endlessly.
The Sea God, clad in armor and wielding a spear, looked down upon him.
Dominic knelt before the god with reverent heart, clasping his hands together.
Desperately hoping the god would grant an answer to his son.
Yet.
"...."
Dominic could only be bewildered.
Jeremy's disappearance should have been a matter of importance to the god, but no matter how much he prayed, no answer descended.
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