Ed didn't even notice the details until the evening the announcement was released.
Although Ed had anticipated Geliwusi's writing skills, Ed still hadn't expected Geliwusi to handle the matter so flawlessly.
In particular, he also attributed some of his credit to Luxiusi in order to conceal the unspeakable existence.
This action made Ed feel that the old man still had some conscience. However, after seeing Geliwusi deliberately mention that he had captured Sailesi, Ed felt that even at this point, he hadn't forgotten to pat himself on the back.
In short, on this morning, Ed Adrian, the Son of God and the sole ruler of the Tree Worship Church Theocracy, officially revealed his true human form to everyone in the Holy City.
He was still wearing the same priest's robe he had worn when he entered the city, and the World Tree emblem behind him was now fuller and more three-dimensional than before.
Although he only has one eye, the half of the Verdant Crown clearly gives him a touch of divinity, and no one would consider such a single eye a disability anymore.
Sunlight bathed Ed, highlighting his perfect youthful face. From that moment on, there was no possibility that his rule over the country could be overthrown.
In a remote corner of the Holy City, a gentle breeze blew by, lifting a corner of the Son of God edict on the bulletin board and carrying away the next, highly weathered, tattered wanted poster.
The fragments danced in the breeze, and the printed words on them were still faintly visible:
[ Test Subject 1-3-0027
Crime: Escaping with sacred relics...
Bounty: 1000 tree seeds
(Simple portrait)
This day marked exactly one year since Ed escaped from the secret chamber beneath the White Wax Town Church, Aduolin Province, the Tree Worship Church Theocracy...
Around the execution platform in the square, countless residents of the Holy City looked at the Son of God, who was bathed in sunlight. They felt their bodies and minds immersed in the holy light, and were overwhelmed with emotion, their snot and tears flowing freely.
Ed, standing on top, knew exactly what was going on; his Adrian Imperial Guard, led by a few Idea King, had once again started causing trouble.
Because the original plant could not be captured, the plant gene bank that Ed opened to players does not currently contain Sailesi's [ Dream of Rebirth ], a plant with extremely strong effects and high danger.
But just as Luorui'er Fitz could serve as a meal replacement for Sailesi Richter, her symbiotic plant, [ Forget-Sorrow Mint ], also fills this gap perfectly.
The mint seeds, now in the hands of Adrian Imperial Guard, are emitting an enticing fragrance throughout the crowd.
Ultimately, this idea wasn't original to the Soul Returner. When Luorui'er used the Forget-Sorrow Mint to incite the people of Fitz Province to resist to the end, many members of the Adrian Imperial Guard were present.
Now, the refreshing scent of mint fills the air once more, but it's meant to be the final blow to Luorui'er, who has been completely brainwashed.
Taking advantage of the unprecedented surge in loyalty among the Holy City's civilians, Ed had Geliwusi publicly read out the new decree.
The new laws of the Theocracy are no different in content from the new regulations already implemented by the Second Holy See. The only difference is that these laws appear one by one in the territory of the Second Holy See, while they are all thrown out at once for the Holy City and even the entire area of Theocracy that is about to be restored.
Fortunately, the drafters of these laws were Ed, who had studied abroad, and professionals from another world. Things like abolishing conscription, abolishing tithes, and abolishing alcohol taxes were truly top-notch benevolent policies in a medieval fantasy world.
Perhaps the most revolutionary changes were the abolition of agricultural taxes, the encouragement of the Holy City's residents to cultivate the land, and the reinstatement of precious metal currency.
After all, if we want to pacify the whole world in the future, the number of Soul Returner will only increase, and farming players are only a part of the players. If Ed's logistics and food supplies cannot be provided, the classic question of "Yeah, what to eat?" will easily arise.
As for currency, Ed maintained an open exchange rate between tree species and metal currency and forcibly anchored the exchange rate to prevent significant price fluctuations.
Although the exchange rate is locked, the Holy City, which has just experienced a change of government, may still experience a bank run due to a lack of public confidence.
Although they were all devout believers, none of them wanted to see their money turn into a pile of worthless seeds.
However, Ed wasn't worried about his currency reserves being wiped out, because he had the angel investor Seraphina, who was a "sucker" and a "strong backer".
The saying goes, "When you have too many lice, you don't feel itchy; when you have too much debt, you don't worry." Ed is now truly in debt. Even when he asked Seraphina to be his mount to save face, it was on credit. He said his wallet was badly damaged, but in reality, he had no money left in his wallet.
To alleviate this awkward situation and further exploit Haji Dragon's gold reserves through loans, Ed was also considering using his knowledge to give Seraphina a boost and take " Seraphina Unlimited Spotlight Company " public.
That's definitely a good idea.
Firstly, he could receive a service fee from Haji Dragon to offset the debt, which would slightly alleviate his debt burden;
Secondly, it could divert Haji Dragon's attention from herself to the stock market, preventing her from resorting to violent debt collection tactics;
Thirdly, it can provide players with new gameplay options, while simultaneously Harvest from players' wallets to pay off debts.
However, this perfect plan was ultimately not implemented, or rather, Ed postponed the plan for an unknown period of time.
Because compared to the elusive stock market, he found another source of support:
The loyal Geliwusi.
After spending a few days with him, Ed found that the old man Geliwusi, was actually quite interesting.
As a faction leader, he treated his subordinates well and rarely criticized them; as a peer, he was adept at backstabbing and maneuvering; and as a capable subordinate, he was loyal and exceptionally competent.
You could say he's a good person as long as he's not on the same level as Geliwusi.
And most importantly, Ed discovered that Geliwusi was similar to a bonus monster in an online game—the kind that drops gold coins after being hit twice and has an extremely long health bar.
After reviewing his draft law, Geliwusi immediately reported a huge secret to Ed that was now known only to him—
The location of the Holy City's vault.
Yes, the Holy City does have a treasury.
A century ago, when the Theocracy was first established, in order to consolidate its rule, the Holy See changed its official currency to a tree species linked to the Symbiotic Tree.
Of course, the currencies from the kingdom era didn't just disappear into thin air. The four cardinals at the time jointly passed a resolution to seal all the precious metals that could be collected throughout the country underground in the Holy City.
Of course, they didn't collect all the precious metal currencies. For example, there was a rocky mountain near the border of Wilderness of Chaos Aduolin Province that hadn't been searched (yes, why?). Many civilians also had metal coins passed down from their ancestors.