Political Deal

Under Su Ming's constant scrutiny, Zijin finally couldn't keep her composure.

"Su Ming, although I am indeed hesitant about some things, do you really need to keep staring at me like that?"

"Ah, sorry." Su Ming looked away. "But what is it that you need to think about for so long just by saying it?" he asked curiously.

"Because this solution could solve the problem, but it's too difficult to implement," Zijin sighed softly. "And there's also my personal motive involved—I'm wondering if there are other solutions that would avoid this extremely dangerous path."

"Speak up first, then we'll judge together."

Zijin took out a small booklet and handed it to Su Ming, "This is what I found in the materials of the Truth Cult of the Plundering Clock."

Su Ming opened it; it contained a file about the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison of the Temple of Light.

The Divine Might Prison is the prison of the Temple of Light, used to imprison criminals or heretics. The Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison is the largest of these prisons, located in the bitterly cold land at the northern end of the continent, and is considered to be the place where the gods purify the most wicked heretics.

Tucked inside the booklet was a piece of paper with the list of fifty-seven imprisoned necromancers.

Judging from the notes, these people did not commit any crimes other than being "necromancers". Therefore, they were simply imprisoned by the Temple of Light and sentenced to indefinite forced labor.

Following that were some vague action plans, which vaguely suggested a prison break.

"Has the Plundering Clock set its sights on this group of mages?"

"These necromancers aren't particularly strong in combat, but they are all highly skilled scholars. If they were recruited by someone with ulterior motives, especially by exploiting their resentment and bitterness stemming from being wanted and imprisoned worldwide, the effect they could have would be terrifying."

"You mean, the Plundering Clock will continue to create things like zombie sea monsters?"

The forbidden realms of the undead are not limited to zombies, but also include plagues and ghosts. If these two were to reappear, it would inevitably lead to a catastrophe of immense suffering and destruction.

It's even possible that they might be some new tricks we've never seen before.

"Perhaps. But I don't care what the Plundering Clock wants to do; that's a matter for the leaders of nations and major powers to worry about." Zijin took back the paper. "What I'm concerned about is that most of the people on the list are people I know. I'm thinking about whether it's possible to use this opportunity to rescue them. If it works, most of them will definitely be willing to join us and help us build the dimensional array."

Su Ming unfolded the world map.

The Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison is located in the center of the Northern Continent, surrounded by vast mountain ranges. If one were to depart from the Star Empire and traverse the Cold Mountain Kingdom...

There are plains and plateaus to travel through. If you approach from other directions, the road is winding and long.

Even if we pass through the Star Empire, the journey takes months. This is clearly not a place that can be easily raided!

"That's a long way to go. Are you sure we have a way to get there?"

"There's no problem between you and me," Zijin said. "I seized several forbidden magic cloaks from Yexiya's ship; they're the ones Yexiya wore to suppress the undead energy."

Su Ming recalled that Yexiya had used her cloak to conceal her magical fluctuations and hide on the Five Fangs, which led to the later encounter.

"We can disguise ourselves as ordinary travelers and follow the caravan," Zijin continued. "Ordinary spellcasters won't be able to detect us."

"Then we'll have to abandon the White Bone Fortress? And your Bone Dragon Form too—the cloak can't cover it!"

"They need to be separated. If Ailisha's form operates alone, her Magic Power reserves will continue to decrease, and her strength will eventually drop to only 20%."

"It's not just about losing 80%," Su Ming retorted. "My going with you alone means abandoning all our existing equipment and supplies. Not only will we lose our current weapons and equipment, but without materials, we also won't be able to receive technical support from Earth during the journey."

"That's why I considered using the Truth Cult of the Plundering Clock to pave the way and complete the rescue," the scholar said. "That way, we wouldn't have to directly confront the defensive forces of the Divine Might Prison."

"Okay, even if we assume the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison was lax in its defenses and allowed the Plundering Clock to succeed, and we successfully intercepted this group Mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—now how do we get those fifty-seven prisoners out?" He began listing the problems, "We only have a few Forbidden Magic Cloaks; after rescuing these people, we'll definitely be tracked. They are prisoners after all, and they've been forced to do labor; their physical condition certainly won't be good."

"Yes. Even if these people are in good condition, crossing thousands of kilometers of cold plateaus and snow-capped mountains is not an easy task," Zijin added. "We cannot take them with us."

"You know that, so?"

"That's why I hesitated for so long about whether or not to tell you about this." Zijin was slightly angry.

"No, I'm asking to find out if you really want to save these friends?" Su Ming asked.

"We're not really friends, just academic exchange partners." Zijin rubbed her face. "Don't worry, I wouldn't risk my life for something impossible, let alone drag you down with me. It's just that I really can't think of any other way to get manpower—these scholars are rare finds that are both useful and can be of use to us."

Su Ming noticed a problem. "Is it really that hard to find people to participate in the dimensional teleportation array?"

"They are extremely difficult to find!" the scholar said, slightly agitated. "This is the most cutting-edge research project in academia; those who can participate are extremely rare, even in the entire world! Less capable scholars are like idiots when it comes to research of this level; they are utterly useless!"

"I understand." Su Ming gestured for her to calm down. "I understand you; this is indeed a difficult choice."

"There's no such thing as a dilemma," Zijin said irritably. "There's no possibility of moving forward, only helplessness."

Su Ming shook his head. "Traversing mountains and ice plains to reach the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison, and then taking a group of people away, isn't absolutely impossible." He already had a vague idea. "What's the level of defense for this Divine Might Prison?"

Zijin stared at Su Ming for a while, wanting to ask something, but ultimately didn't. Instead, she answered the question, "That's the largest prison in the Temple of Light, with densely packed defensive formations. Bishops are everywhere; whether there are a few archbishops or a group depends entirely on luck."

This level of power is impossible to directly confront, but Su Ming something.

"Didn't Xiwo say the Temple of Light was in a terrible situation, that you'd brought them a doctrinal crisis?" Su Ming said. "Why don't we ask Qiluo to find out the latest situation at the temple?"

Zijin thought for a moment and agreed, "That's right, this should be a point we can take advantage of."

****

The next morning, the two asked Qiluo about the Temple of Light.

"Hmm, I was just following ' Phantom of the Temple ' a few days ago!" Qiluo exclaimed excitedly, a hint of thrill in her eyes. "The Bard's Ballad has been updated to the point where the Pope's illegitimate daughter has entered the temple and is opposing Ailisha, Katharine, and others!"

"It's just a new character, why are you so excited?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

Qiluo smiled mysteriously, "There's a scene of three people playing in front of the Heavenly Father of the Gospel, and the accompanying fan art book is already out!"

"That's not what we wanted to ask, and you don't have to go into so much detail." Zijin covered her face and sighed.

"Heavenly Father of the Gospel?" Su Ming asked immediately upon hearing an unfamiliar term.

"It's an alchemical statue with a spirit, capable of interpreting doctrines and spreading the gospel," Zijin, the former saintess, replied. "That's the symbol of the Church of Light. The temple spent hundreds of years creating and refining it since the church's founding. It has always been revered as a supreme sacred object by the Holy See, a symbol of Desecration!"

"Oh?" Su Ming immediately became interested and turned to the unicorn, "Where can I buy this picture book?"

Zijin gave him a hard knock on the head.

"It's sold out; it's out of print." Qiluo told Su Ming regretfully. "The news from the day before yesterday was that Katharine is about to marry Emperor Xialike Fabrio of the Star Empire, and now no one dares to sell her books anymore."

"How is this possible!" Zijin exclaimed in shock, her voice rising abruptly, "How could they!"

"There shouldn't be any problem with the two of them getting married, right?" Su Ming asked curiously. "The Queen of Xialike has been dead for many years, and he is the father of Katharine's illegitimate daughter, Yise, right?"

In a sense, this should be considered a successful outcome.

"No, never mind, there are things I can't say about this." Zijin waved her hand. "Then Katharine should resign from her position as High Priestess of the Inquisition, which is good news. One less troublesome opponent."

The Temple of Light doesn't have many taboos regarding marriage, but for the past thousand years, it has strictly adhered to the principle of "religion not interfering in politics."

The spouses of clergy members are not permitted to hold positions in any other political power. If a clergy member wishes to marry a political figure from another country, one of them must resign from their post.

As the Emperor of the Stars, it was impossible for Xialike resign, so the only one who could resign was Katharine.

"She is indeed no longer the High Priestess, but has become the Deacon of Midsummer Island," Qiluo said, predictably seeing Zijin's expression.

The Church of Light claims to control only the Radiant Holy City and remain aloof from worldly affairs. However, in reality, it uses its industrial holdings to occupy territories far exceeding those of ordinary nations. These include the entire Saerci region where the Radiant Holy City is located, as well as many islands on the Western Continent coast of the Western Continent.

All of these fall within its "industry" scope.

The Church of Light is the most powerful force in the Western Continent besides the Star Empire.

Midsummer Island, with an area of 600 square kilometers, is located near the equator and 1,000 kilometers from the coast of the Western Continent, making it an ideal supply point and springboard for the open ocean. The Star Empire has long coveted it and has clashed with the Temple of Light over it many times in history.

Appointing Katharine as the highest-ranking executive officer of Midsummer Island and marrying her to King Xialike was essentially a package deal that was presented in a slightly disguised manner.

"These charlatans are shameless!" Zijin rarely cursed loudly.

The communication tower lit up; it was a contact request from the Dwarf Merchant Guild. Qiluo reported on Beianqi's situation and received an urgent intelligence report.

"That's exactly what it's about. The Star Empire officially announced its recognition of the Temple of Light as a holy religion and announced a series of support and cooperation initiatives." Qiluo read out the shocking news.

"Both sides are really willing to spend money!" came Beianqi's voice. The three turned around and saw the mechanic girl in a nightgown slowly walking in through the hatch.

"You're awake." Su Ming looked her over and found she seemed to be in good spirits. "Would you like something to eat? I made some porridge."

"Thank you for your help." Beianqi walked to the table and sat down, her forehead still slightly sweaty. Qiluo handed her a handkerchief.

Su Ming asked Bai Lou to bring over a bowl of porridge.

"How are you feeling?" Qiluo asked her.

"It's better than I expected." Beianqi picked up her spoon and began to drink the porridge, which contained finely shredded dried scallops and tasted very sweet.

"Sister, what's the plan for next?" Beianqi asked while eating.

"Let's go to Earthworm Island tonight to pick up the goods, then take the White Triangle to Brown Gold Island to buy coal. We'll disembark there," Qiluo replied. "I've already notified a small cargo ship to pick us up."

Beianqi nodded.

"Sister, is the news confirmed? The Temple of Light gifted Midsummer Island to the Star Empire?" she asked again.

"It's certain, the whole world is in an uproar now," Qiluo replied.

The Temple of Light completely abandoned all pretense of decency, relinquishing de facto control of Midsummer Island in exchange for the Star Empire's assistance. Politicians have no bottom line.

"Actually, I've been thinking about how the Temple of Light can resolve this doctrinal crisis." Beianqi picked up her bowl and finished her porridge. "But I didn't expect them to be so decisive." She handed the empty bowl to the skeleton. "Another bowl, please. Sister Ailisha..."

Su Ming, you guys are really something! The Temple of Light's decision to have the whole world issue a warrant for your arrest was their biggest mistake ever!

"You were involved too, weren't you!" Su Ming said, "The White Triangle performed exceptionally well in the naval battle, dashing their hopes of a simple solution."

"My portion is hardly even icing on the cake," said Beianqi, taking back the refilled bowl and continuing to drink her porridge.

Zijin had calmed down. She took the intelligence report from Qiluo and read it carefully. "The Temple of Light is currently using the Star Empire's momentum to suppress internal strife, promote revised doctrines, and erase the events that have already occurred—a fairly conventional approach. It's highly likely they can weather this crisis. Now, all that's left is to wait for the hype to die down and for history to rewrite this chapter."

"The weapon of public opinion is in their hands, and the right to write history is also in their hands. This is not surprising," Su Ming said.

"Once the Temple of Light has dealt with this, they'll be coming after the White Triangle," Beianqi, finishing another bowl of porridge. "We should stay away from the Western Ocean for a while."

She suddenly started rubbing her temples, clearly her head was starting to hurt, and the damage to her mental energy was beginning to take effect.

"Why don't you go back to your room and rest?" Su Ming suggested.

Beianqi didn't try to tough it out and got up to go to her room.

"I'll heal you." Qiluo took short strides and ran behind her, suddenly transforming back into her true form. The unicorn head passed between the girl's legs, lifted Beianqi up, and then with a flick of its neck, the girl was thrown onto her back.

Beianqi cried out, grabbing the unicorn's neck with one hand and pressing down on her torn nightgown with the other, trying to cover her exposed thighs. "Sister! I'm all grown up now, don't act like you did when you were little!"

The two sisters playfully wrestled away.

Su Ming coughed a few times, pretending to be looking at the intelligence in his hand.

Zijin glanced at him. "You've got it upside down."

Su Ming remained calm and composed. "I didn't hold it upside down."

Zijin rolled her eyes at him.

"I lost control of my emotions just now." Zijin sighed, returning to the previous topic, "I thought there might be an opportunity regarding the Temple of Light."

Su Ming's activity and outstanding performance during this period gave her a chance to turn her life around and even gave her hope of realizing her ideas. But she didn't expect that these politicians were just exchanging favors, and everything had to start all over again.

"So you really do want to destroy the Church of Light!"

"How could I resist seeing this?" Zijin honestly admitted, "I underestimated things and made some assumptions."

A large, long-established organization possesses resources and a high degree of tolerance for failure; it cannot be easily disposed of.

Using a game analogy, it's like the enemy's health bar is unusually thick. Su Ming had no interest in slowly whittling down their health; he was thinking about new strategies and tactics.

"It's a bit of a shame," he sighed as well. "We worked so hard, and King Xialike got all the benefits."

"Not entirely," Zijin said leisurely. "Xialike is quite the smooth talker!"