After Lu Yuanming asked the other Disciples what they thought, he agreed to Alfred's request. Alfred became the only person who hadn't heard Lu Yuanming's first sermon yet was still called a Disciple. In practice, he had also become the organization's deputy leader.
Going by the ancient history of Z Country that Lu Yuanming was familiar with, Alfred would be the equivalent of a prime minister—back when the position still held its full power.
That very day, Alfred gathered all the Disciples and Charlie's group. First, he asked what the Disciples were good at and what jobs they'd had in the Material World. Then he chatted casually for a bit about political gossip and jokes that only people from the USA would understand. Once that was done, and after getting Lu Yuanming's approval, Alfred began assigning duties on the spot.
The first and most important system was the military. It was divided into a standing defense force and a personal guard. For now, it was only a framework. To Lu Yuanming's surprise, Alfred placed Peter and Charlie's men in the standing defense force, while Charlie became captain of the personal guard. Lu Yuanming had assumed Charlie and his men would join the standing defense force, while Peter, who was good with firearms, would join his personal guard.
Next came the religious system. Alfred assigned all six Disciples to it, with Father Edward as the Pope of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth. Father Edward would decide all appointments within the religious organization himself.
Martha, the tutor, would handle future diplomacy and the current task of welcoming refugees.
Cthulhu would be responsible for logistics and the law.
Ang would handle repairing and building equipment, as well as the sciences in the future.
Then there was Tom... This was what Lu Yuanming found most unbelievable. After Alfred learned the details about Tom from Father Edward, instead of shoving him into the religious system as a puppet, he gave Tom an important appointment.
Tom would oversee anti-corruption and intelligence, reporting directly to Lu Yuanming rather than to Alfred.
In addition to managing the organization as a whole, Alfred would personally handle agricultural affairs.
After asking Lu Yuanming what he thought—and getting no objections—Alfred also established a hierarchy of positions within the organization. The heads of each department would be ministers, followed by director-level, section-level, and division-level positions, then staff members and hired clerks. Anyone below staff level would not be a public official within the organization.
This was one of the only two responsibilities Lu Yuanming had gained: the power to appoint, dismiss, and promote all public officials, including ministers.
The second responsibility Lu Yuanming gained was control and command of the military. He also had the authority to start and end wars. Military ranks and posts were established on separate tracks. For now, Lu Yuanming held the rank of second lieutenant, while Charlie and Peter were sergeants first class, and the rest of Charlie's men were sergeants. New recruits would start as third-class soldiers, with the possibility of advancing to second class, first class, and then private. As the military grew, the original members, including Lu Yuanming, would be promoted through the ranks in order, while future recruits would be ranked according to their contributions and experience.
Military posts were simpler. They expected to recruit at most a dozen or twenty people for now—enough for a reinforced squad—so the leader would simply be called the commander. As the force grew, it would be divided into platoons, companies, battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and so on.
After laying everything out and explaining the positions and ranks in detail, Alfred addressed the group. "Father Edward knows my family background. Mine is a political family, and you could call me a seasoned bureaucrat. Building institutions and handling politics are almost second nature to me, but that's all I can do. In the world as it is now, I can get by anywhere. As long as there's commerce, politics, personnel, public opinion, and intrigue, I'll do just fine. It only depends on whether I start from a high place or a low one. But in the turmoil of the apocalypse, I can only go with the flow, like when you first saw me. I'd either be a slave to some criminal gang or bait for monsters."
Everyone listened thoughtfully. Alfred pointed toward the sky. "That's also true of the people up there—or rather, let's assume the Material World is up there. It describes officials in almost every country in the Material World. We're all seasoned bureaucrats. That isn't an insult; we're suited to a mature human civilization built on modern society. But if the environment changes drastically, we are not... a great leader."
Alfred pronounced the last two words in Chinese. He didn't care whether anyone besides Lu Yuanming understood him, and went on regardless. "So I'll make a bold prediction. If the whole Earth falls down within three years, and billions of people appear below, then after the initial chaos, the officials who instinctively lead their countries and peoples will still drive humanity and human civilization into infighting. They'll truly turn this city, where human civilization has gathered, into its grave. We won't be able to shift from fighting one another to leading humanity through the darkness with torches held high. The more people there are, the more ethnic groups there are, and the more complex the population is, the more obvious this will become."
Then Alfred turned to Lu Yuanming. "Lord, I'll build your organization, take care of logistics, and prevent backstabbing within its ranks. You'll decide every other major course of action. I believe you'll be the one to bring us light in the darkness!"
Lu Yuanming looked baffled and incredulous. He pointed at himself. "But I don't know what to do next, either."
Alfred barked, "Then ask more questions. Ask yourself, ask me, ask all the Disciples, ask everyone in the organization—even ask your enemies. If all else fails, follow your instincts. Remember, when you look back, countless people will be following you in silence. Even if there's an abyss before you, as long as you hold the torch high and bring us light, we'll follow you into it without hesitation!"
Lu Yuanming fell silent, awkwardly scratching his head. Then he looked at everyone. "Am I... a great leader?"
He hadn't said it in Chinese.
The Disciples didn't hesitate. Everyone nodded, Charlie included.
He wielded power—the miracles—and moral authority—the food. He gave civilization a shared identity through religion. He treated people with honesty and was willing to be the first to save them in the darkness of the apocalypse, the first to find a way forward. That was what made a great leader!
Seeing everyone nod without hesitation, Lu Yuanming could only say, "Then... should I give it a try?"
Everyone smiled. Lu Yuanming immediately said, "Then can I start deciding the direction of our organization now?"
Alfred made a small bow, inviting him to proceed. Lu Yuanming said, "I've thought of two things so far. First... Chinese will be the organization's official language, and everyone will learn it."
Several Disciples opened their mouths to speak, but Father Edward immediately glared at them, the threat in his eyes almost tangible. Alfred loudly applauded. "Good! Chinese will be the organization's official language, and Chinese characters will be its official script. At the same time, we won't let other human languages and scripts disappear. They're treasures of human civilization; they simply won't be official. Excellent. This decision will be enforced as the organization's national policy from now on!"
The Disciples who had been about to object fell silent. They didn't notice Alfred and Father Edward exchange a glance. It lasted only a moment before they looked away again, but it carried the understanding of decades of friendship.
Lu Yuanming continued, "Second, I don't know what the future holds, but aside from growing crops, I think we should hunt down monsters in large numbers around us and throughout the city. I've found that when I kill those monsters and return to my Original Body, the vegetative body seems to change, and my soul seems to grow stronger too. I want to get my body in the Living World back to normal first."
This was Lu Yuanming's last lingering concern. He had been open and honest about everything else, but the fact that killing monsters earned him White Light Particles and made him stronger was unique to him, so he had kept it secret. But it was still a potential problem, and now he planned to resolve it gradually, piece by piece.
Alfred applauded again. "Exactly. If we're going to start growing crops on a large scale, we need a safe and reliable environment. But, Lord, those monsters can't all be killed. They actually come from us. I don't know exactly how they're born, but the Scientist Group's report says they'll keep appearing in the darkness as long as humanity keeps descending into the Dark Matter World. They just won't appear in places where large numbers of humans live in the Dark Matter World. So I completely support your second decision, Lord. We need to establish an absolutely secure perimeter for our organization!"
Aside from Alfred, the other Disciples were naturally all very interested in security. This time, none of them meant to object. They all cheered their approval.
Only then did Lu Yuanming finally relax. The bank and its surroundings were already safe, and they had so many guns. He'd been afraid that these people no longer intended to kill monsters. If that really happened, his soul wouldn't be able to grow stronger.
Lu Yuanming looked at the many Disciples before him. Alfred led them, followed by Father Edward and then the other Disciples. Though Charlie wasn't technically a Disciple, he followed close behind Father Edward. In practice, this had already established a hierarchy among the Disciples.
Lu Yuanming spoke softly once more. "Everyone... then I'll give it a try."
Alfred was the first to kneel. Father Edward followed, then the others. Together, they recited, "May the Lord's way be done on earth..."
"As it is in heaven!"
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