Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1815 Are you serious?!

Meanwhile, after entering the city, Monk Wuchen wandered around for a while and gained a certain understanding of the city.

At the same time, he also noticed a subtle sense of incongruity in the city.

It's not because the city's development is polarized—one part of the city is bright and beautiful, even luxurious, while the other part is chaotic and full of dilapidated houses.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in many places. After all, in any country, the vast majority of wealth and power are always in the hands of a very small number of people.

The Great Zhou was clearly not the first country he visited; he had actually seen many similar cases.

What made Monk Wuchen feel uneasy was that, in this city where the privileged class clearly stood above ordinary people, the lives of the common folk were surprisingly good.

Even from the expressions on their faces, it's easy to see that the people here are very satisfied with their current lives; the whole atmosphere is fulfilling and positive.

This was very strange to Monk Wuchen, which made him start talking to some passersby.

The serene aura emanating from the monk Wuchen made it difficult for the people who were being spoken to to feel any aversion towards him. In addition, the presence of a soldier in military uniform beside him made the people feel even more at ease.

Little did they know that the guard was drenched in sweat the entire time.

This is clearly not what they want to see, but similarly, he can't stop the other person from talking to someone, can he?

This left the guard completely helpless.

In this process, Monk Wuchen also gained a deeper understanding of the Great Zhou Dynasty through the words of these common people.

For example, the area where this city is located is called the Rakshasa District, which is only a very small part of the Great Zhou Dynasty and only recently submitted to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This largely answered the questions that Monk Wuchen had previously had.

Just then, a bell rang out from afar.

"Oh dear! Before I knew it, it was already this late. I have to go."

Upon hearing the bell, the old man quickly stood up, ready to leave.

"Old man, why are you in such a hurry? Is something important?"

Seeing this, Monk Wuchen subconsciously asked a question.

Without giving it much thought, the old man replied, "The regular activities of the National Education Movement are about to begin, I have to hurry over!"

Without waiting for Monk Wuchen's reply, he ran off in a flash.

"State religion."

He muttered the two words to himself; after nearly a day of walking around, this wasn't the first time he'd heard the term.

At the same time, he also gained a general understanding of the state religion from the people he spoke to.

Upon hearing that the state religion was about to hold regular events, Monk Wuchen suddenly became interested and turned to look at his accompanying personal guards.

“Benefactor Wang, why don’t we go and take a look as well?”

To this, the soldier surnamed Wang could only manage a forced smile...

"Since the master is interested, let's go."

The regular activities of the State Church were held in a spacious square, and the person in charge of presiding over the event was Joan of Arc, who had just resigned from Zhou Xu's place.

Basically, Joan of Arc received the news as soon as Monk Wuchen arrived nearby. It wasn't that they had specifically sent people to secretly monitor them.

Rather, it was the monk Wuchen's attire and even his appearance that were completely out of place here, making it hard not to notice him.

Under this premise, Zhou Xu had previously assigned a personal guard to follow Monk Wuchen under the guise of 'providing convenience,' which was in itself a calculated move, or to put it bluntly, to keep him under surveillance.

But the key to victory lies in this open and aboveboard strategy, which is perfectly legitimate and flawless. Even if Monk Wuchen knew the truth, there was nothing he could do about it.

In comparison, sending someone to secretly monitor them would be a worse option.

After all, in Zhou Xu's view, the monk Wuchen's strength was at least at the Nascent Soul Realm. In the face of the Nascent Soul Realm mage's perception, that little bit of surveillance was meaningless.

Knowing that Monk Wuchen had arrived, Joan of Arc was not flustered. She didn't even bother to make any adjustments and simply followed the original plan.

This was not the first time Joan of Arc had presided over the regular activities of the Church of England, which made her appear completely composed.

As the event progressed, a sense of solemnity arose in the heart of the monk Wuchen.

He realized that promoting Buddhism here might not be so simple.

The core of most religious sects is to spread certain ideas, which, to put it bluntly, are vague, intangible, and ethereal things.

What is the philosophy of Buddhism? Or rather, how do they spread their teachings?

They emphasize a cause-and-effect cycle, which leads to a theory that persuades people to do good and accumulate merit in order to escape suffering and reach the Pure Land. Conversely, if one commits too many evil deeds in life, one will be sent to the eighteen levels of hell after death, and so on...

These words seem perfectly reasonable at first glance, full of positive energy, and occupy a certain moral high ground.

After all, would you dare say that it's wrong to persuade people to do good and accumulate virtue?

But if you think about it more carefully, you'll realize that this is just a pie in the sky.

If you do good deeds and accumulate virtue, and live your whole life as a great philanthropist, not seeking any paradise, but only peace of mind and inner peace, that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that.

But what if your goal is clear: to go to that so-called paradise?
Doing good deeds with a purpose is still doing good deeds!
There's a saying that goes, "Judging by actions, not intentions, for no one is perfect when it comes to intentions!"

You do good deeds and accumulate merit in your life so that you can enjoy happiness in the Pure Land after death. There's nothing wrong with that.

But after you die, will that pie actually be delivered?
Who knows?

Even if they don't deliver, you can't come back to life and criticize them.

That's the best part. At worst, they've just painted a pie in the sky, deceiving you into believing you've been a good person your whole life.

Even at first glance, this seems quite positive. To other living people, what's wrong with it? Isn't it a good thing?

If they accept incense money or offerings during this process, it becomes a deal where they get something for nothing.

But the state religion is different; it's serious about you!
What is the core purpose of the national religion?
Loyal to the emperor and patriotic, serving the country and its people!
As long as you follow the emperor, you can have enough to eat, warm clothes, and a place to live!

Compared to the vague and ethereal doctrines of other religions, the state religion is incredibly simple and unadorned, even excessively so.

But it's true!
These are tangible things that you can see and touch, and they're given to you directly!
No matter how big your pie-in-the-sky promises are, they can't compare to the aroma of an egg stuffed directly into your palm!

In the eyes of Monk Wuchen, the state religion's practice was simply against the rules.

But it is precisely because it is something that other sects cannot imitate.

The core of the state religion lies in the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty and its emperor behind it can ensure that its followers will always have enough to eat and wear!
Which ordinary religious sect has that ability?
(End of this chapter)