These three pontiffs were truly difficult to serve. They firmly refused the offer to stay at the Cathedral of the Goddess of Wealth—as the highest representatives of the Dawn Temple, Temple of Punishment, and Temple of War within the Church, how could they possibly stay overnight in the church of another god? That would undoubtedly be a betrayal of their faith!
Yet throughout Vias, only churches of the Goddess of Wealth existed!
Left with no choice, Lin Qi could only clear out Golden Dragon City and arrange for the three hard-to-serve pontiffs and their entourages to stay there. The three pontiffs were immensely satisfied with Lin Qi's arrangements, and then began finding all manner of excuses to summon Lin Qi and Alda without end.
One moment, they would say they had received an oracle from the gods containing certain instructions regarding the future of the Dragon Mountain Empire.
The next, they would claim the gods had bestowed another revelation upon them, and that they had to discuss the Dragon Mountain Empire's prospects with Lin Qi.
In short, the three pontiffs were like three lumps of sticky taffy, clinging stubbornly to Lin Qi and Alda. The problem was that there were three pontiffs, while Lin Qi and Alda numbered only two, and there was only one future emperor of the Dragon Mountain Empire—the Dragon Mountain Count! Unable to split themselves in two, the pair were tormented half to death. In the end, the three pontiffs themselves nearly came to blows.
All for the former Vias Commercial Federation, the future Dragon Mountain Empire—a slab of fat meat so rich it made mouths water!
Even under its loose federal structure, the Vias Commercial Federation's government received annual tax revenues far exceeding the combined income of the Gallic Empire and the Great Flame Dynasty.