Grisko Dawn smiled. Streams of white light flowed from his body as he prepared to use divine magic to teleport away. Just before leaving, he hesitated, then took a fist-sized white sphere of light from his sleeve and carefully handed it to Lin Qi.
"If you encounter an irresistible danger, crush this sphere of light. It is a grace bestowed by the esteemed Lord of Dawn. A High-God will descend in person to protect you." Grisko Dawn looked at Lin Qi. "Saint Wan En Dragon Mountain, you are extremely important to the Church. So you must protect yourself well. Otherwise, it would be an immense loss to the Church and to the glory of our god!"
Lin Qi bowed deeply to Grisko Dawn, tucked the sphere of light into his sleeve, then took out a thick stack of gold notes and slipped them over. Grisko Dawn nodded in satisfaction, tucked the notes close against his body, and sighed softly. "War, hateful war! Whenever a divine war begins, the Church's finances are always stretched terribly thin! Thank goodness we have you now!"
"I truly cannot believe that the Dragon Mountain Empire's contributions to the Church's finances equal the total offerings made by every nation on the continent during any previous divine war!" Grisko Dawn said with heartfelt emotion. "Your piety ensures that you will possess a future of boundless light. Saint Wan En Dragon Mountain, you are a true saint!"
Lin Qi smiled modestly and bowed to Grisko Dawn once more.
Grisko Dawn sighed contentedly, then transformed into a streak of white light and shot into the sky.
Lin Qi slowly straightened, curling his lip in a cold sneer. Without enough financial support for the Church, how could this pack of god-banging fanatics possibly throw themselves wholeheartedly into the divine war?