Zhou Yun exchanged the chips in his hand for 57,500 Denar. Of that, 3,000 Denar went toward repaying the money he had borrowed today, while another 1,296 Denar paid off the debts left behind by his predecessor.
As for the remaining 50,000-odd Denar—nearly a quarter ton of silver—Zhou Yun obviously could not just find a sack and carry it home on his back.
On Macragge, the major temples usually served as banks. Zhou Yun naturally would not choose the Semuneta Temple, which was clearly tainted by Slaanesh.
Of the remaining temples, the Talasa Pantheon worshipped several gods from the Talasa Galaxy at once.
Its faith included... the God of Golden Light and Sincerity, the God of Mad Laughter and Mockery, the Two-Headed Bird-Skull God, and some other messy assortment of gods... uh...
Zhou Yun recalled the words of Bishop Agrippa of Catholicism.
With so many gods, weren't they afraid of getting contaminated by Chaos Gods?
Zhou Yun was a little suspicious. Could the things worshipped by the Talasa Pantheon be three of the four great con artists of the galaxy—the C'tan Deceiver, the Aeldari Laughing God Cegorach, and the God of Change Tzeentch?
Zhou Yun developed a deep distrust of the Talasa Pantheon, silently resolving never to visit the Talasa Galaxy in this lifetime.
Then there was the Lax Purifying Garden Temple. Its faith originated from the paradise world of Lax, where they worshipped the Goddess of the Purifying Garden.
Lax was actually quite famous. Its climate was pleasant, its land fertile, and it was rich and habitable. Even now, it was already one of the main agricultural supplier planets in the entire Ultramar region.
Even with the relatively inefficient method of sublight travel, it could easily feed Macragge...
Yet later, during the Plague Wars of the forty-first millennium, Lax was transformed by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman into a hospital world meant to treat Nurgle's plagues, only to be ultimately destroyed by Nurgle's plagues and daemons.
Considering its future contamination by Nurgle, Zhou Yun did not choose the Lax Purifying Garden Temple either. He was afraid his little nest egg would become unclean.
Then came Macragge's mainstream faith: the War King Temple, which believed cowards would descend into the Eightfold Hell and very sincerely wore its connection to Khorne right on its face...
Finally, there was the Broken Lighthouse Temple.
Zhou Yun savored the name Broken Lighthouse once more.
He recalled the scene he had seen in the prophecy: that mountain called the "Lighthouse."
And... Zhou Yun had already formed a guess about that "Lighthouse's" identity.
If it was truly as Zhou Yun suspected, then the god worshipped by the Broken Lighthouse Temple might be the one least likely in all of Macragge to be related to a Warp entity.
Besides, if Zhou Yun wanted to change the course of the entire galaxy's future, then the Lighthouse would also be a crucial link.
After some thought, Zhou Yun deposited the money with the Broken Lighthouse Temple, then left the casino.
Cicero stood on the high platform of the second floor, his face livid as he watched this unfold.
"We underestimated the brat. He is probably Lucretius's secretly hidden disciple, deliberately playing dumb to toy with us," Libo said darkly.
He had always disliked that bastard wizard Lucretius. The old man had used his psychic powers more than once to sneak into the Semuneta Temple, repeatedly stealing the texts and artifacts kept there... In fact, it was not just the Semuneta Temple. When he was young, the old man had visited nearly every temple. Only in his old age had he begun to settle down somewhat.
But although Lucretius was highly skilled in psychic arts, no god stood behind him. His actions were simply driven by his own interests and amusement, so he was not worth the cost of eliminating.
"Then the money I owe... can it..." Cicero looked at Libo, his voice somewhat uncertain.
"What are you thinking? You borrowed that money yourself. I will not forgive your debt." Libo glared fiercely at Cicero. "I am currently competing for the position of high priest. How could I casually waive your debts?"
Cicero clenched his fists, but there was really nothing he could do.
"Actually, you do not have to repay it," Tull said to Cicero as he rubbed his aching stomach.
Cicero's eyes immediately lit up, as though he had found an opportunity.
"A debt slave like you can fetch a high price on the market." With that, Tull smiled at Cicero.
Cicero's expression darkened further.
He could only ask that senator for help... Cicero feared very few people, and that senator was one of them.
"Ow, gentlemen, I will stop chatting with you for now. My stomach has been feeling off. Probably drank too much. I need to use the toilet first." Tull waved his hand and hurried off toward the restroom.
Cicero shook his head. What kind of rubbish were his teammates?
Fuck, how could he break Macragge's conservative atmosphere by following this bunch? How could he let more people experience the unrestrained ecstasy of perception?
His actions, Cicero's actions, had never been for his own benefit. They were for everyone on Macragge to cast aside their restraints, feel life, and experience life.
That was why he had to become the teacher of Conor Guilliman's heir, influence him and Governor Conor Guilliman, and change the entire atmosphere of Macragge...
"That man." At that moment, the Blind Witch, who had remained silent and trembling, opened her mouth. "He is not Lucretius's student."
Libo slightly raised an eyebrow. "He is not?"
"Absolutely not! His skill far surpasses Lucretius's." The Blind Witch hissed. "Lucretius merely claims to be the inheritor of ancient wizards, but that brat's skill—that is sorcery truly originating from the era of the King of Sorcery. He is probably a follower of the God of Sorcery."
The air fell silent for two or three seconds before Libo spoke hesitantly. "Are you sure? The faith of the God of Sorcery disappeared long ago, after the Time of First Cry and the War King took control of Macragge. It has not appeared for who knows how many years."
"There is indeed no trace of divine blessing on him, but that skill cannot be mistaken... I suspect he is a move placed by the God of Sorcery to return to Macragge." The Blind Witch's voice trembled. "The God of Sorcery has not truly returned yet. We still have a chance to kill him... and even if we cannot kill him, we can drive him mad."
Libo frowned tightly. He knew what the Blind Witch was about to say.
"Sixty-six sacrifices, right?"
"Yes, and quickly. We must complete it before the God of Sorcery returns." The Blind Witch's voice was nearly crazed.
"It is too hasty. Sixty-six living people—even if they all willingly offer themselves—will inevitably leave traces and attract attention in such a short time." Libo repeatedly shook his head.
But... the God of Sorcery...
The King of Sorcery who worshipped Him was said to have neared ascension before his death, intending to drag all of Macragge into the divine realm. He had temporarily lost his power because of the first cry of the God of First Cry...
If the God of Sorcery truly returned, He would likely become a great enemy of the God of First Cry.
"I must ask the senator's opinion." After saying that, Libo immediately headed for the fourth floor of the bathhouse.
A moment later, Libo returned and nodded at the Blind Witch. "The senator agreed. Set the time, and I will bring you the sacrifices."
"Good, then—"
"Someone, hurry! Lord Tull's toilet collapsed, and he fell into the cesspit!!"
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