The two sat facing each other in silence, Ed pondering the progress in all directions:
Players remain highly motivated, with Dungeon and honors tempting them like delicious treats. Activation codes are already being purchased online with real-world currency, but sales are still limited due to the high prices. Ed believes that once this becomes a common practice, the number of players obtaining qualifications through this channel will increase rapidly.
In terms of infrastructure, in addition to the houses where simple foundations have already been dug, the road between White Wax Town and the Castle has also been put on the agenda. However, it is still on hold due to a shortage of manpower and materials. Plastering has become an essential part for beginners.
As for the natives of this world, after the last battle, the five volunteers had turned into human megaphones, constantly exaggerating Ed and the Soul Returner ' achievements.
It wasn't that anyone gave them orders; it was simply that they couldn't control their tongues. Whether it was their previous discussions about the Soul Returner and Ed or their current praise, it was essentially just their personality.
In any case, Ed can only control the baronies that cover three villages and a town at present, and it will still take time to digest those villages.
But time is precisely the biggest problem—when Gray will arrive next, when Xilǐ'er will leave, when the provincial capital or other towns will discover the clues...
Ed opened his eyes and looked at Xilǐ'er, who was sitting upright, and asked:
Do you remember our agreement?
The armored man nodded solemnly.
"I promised that I would let you return to the Eternal Domain if I was confident I could do it, and now... things are looking promising."
Hopeful eyes peered through the armor's observation window, Ed explained:
"I noticed something during the previous battles: breaking the established rules is not easy, but adding rules is not so difficult."
"Although you will be reset to a long time ago after being resurrected, you can quickly regain self-awareness by looking in a mirror, so I plan to attach some spells similar to those before the Demonic Tide to the Radish's back..."
"Simply put, it allows you to see yourself in a mirror immediately upon resurrection, so you won't suffer from amnesia and can quickly return to your best condition even after death."
Xilǐ'er suddenly stood up and began pacing excitedly:
"Sir, are you telling the truth?"
Ed nodded:
"I won't lie to you, but I'm not finished yet. This plan is only in its initial stages. I can't guarantee its success, and I don't have much experience in casting spells, so I'll need your cooperation in the future. Once I've become more proficient, or if my skills have improved further, this matter might be accomplished."
Xilǐ'er nodded gratefully and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord. I understand your meaning. As long as I am here, I will certainly follow your orders."
Ed nodded without saying anything. Although, as he had just said, things were starting to look promising, it was still all talk and no action. He still needed to study the specifics of the spell more thoroughly.
Seeing that the report was finished, Ed said very politely:
"Alright, that's enough for today. Training for the ' Gungnir ' will continue as usual."
"Yes, my lord."
After seeing Xilǐ'er off, Ed used the Little Green LAN to call Duolin.
Since the fall of White Wax Town, Ed left the Duolin Guard Squad there to maintain order and handle necessary tasks.
Although he wasn't very experienced, Duolin grew rapidly during this period thanks to his extraordinary energy, which allowed him to go two days without sleep.
The communication was quickly established, and the message Duolin wanted to convey was transmitted through Little Green's connection, which did not exist in the material world:
" My Son of God, is there anything I can do for you?"
In these private chats on the local area network, Duolin always referred to Ed as the Son of God," and just as Seraphina tacitly accepted the nickname Haji Dragon, Ed also gradually began to accept the so-called " Son of God " identity.
Unless the World Tree itself comes forward and demands a paternity test, this identity is entirely beneficial and harmless, except for giving a certain tree a small advantage.
"Tell me in detail about the reporting process of the Tree Worship Church, including the format, frequency, and all the details you might notice."
"Yes."
In a room of the yet-to-open Adventurers' Guild in White Wax Town.
Duolin put down what he was doing and began to answer Ed's questions seriously.
"So, according to normal procedure, you need to send a briefing to the Verdant Holy See, which is where the Holy City is located, before the end of August, right?"
"Yes, the report from two weeks ago was just an investigation into the cause of death of the previous bishop. Aside from that, regular reports are submitted monthly, without fail."
What about the provinces?
"A copy also needs to be made. In principle, the two reports must be completely identical, with no discrepancies whatsoever."
"But that's not actually the case, is it?"
"Yes, I compared the Dungeon the documents sent when the bishop was still alive, and I can see the differences. The reports written to the provincial archbishop contained more in-depth information, and they also used some kind of coded language for communication."
Have you studied this kind of cipher?
"I'm sorry, I haven't studied this. Perhaps only... those Stained Ones would understand its meaning."
"Oh, then go ask Yiden. It's a way of making use of waste."
" My Son of God, will he cooperate in something like this?"
Ed, who was in the castle, suddenly smiled and said in the "LAN":
"Don't worry, he will. But you need to hurry, after all, our Bishop Yiden is currently a 'favorite' among the Soul Returner... If he's unwilling to cooperate, just tell him this..."
"Understood. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
While pondering Duolin's polite question, Ed suddenly fell into deep thought.
Some strange ideas flashed by like sparks in the night, but eventually one idea, best suited to the current situation, transformed from a spark into a flame, igniting Ed's ambition.
He thought to himself:
" Duolin, tell me after you've learned how to write ciphertext, and I'll... teach you how to write reports."
Duolin, of course, had no reason to refuse, but... he still asked with some doubt:
" My Son of God, isn't the report...?"
Tell me Duolin, what do you want to report?
"Everything is normal, of course."
"That's your limitation."
Ed, twenty kilometers away, began to talk about the art of giving a presentation:
"If you're normal, I'm normal, everyone's normal, then how can you show that you're a loyal subject of the Holy See?"
What do you mean?
"For someone to be a loyal minister, someone else has to be a treacherous minister..."