World version update

Chapter 271 Sequence Six: Minotaur, Guild

Sain, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel down in front of Lu Yan.

"My lord, what did you say?" Sain stammered, his rough fingers unconsciously drawing a strange symbol on his chest, as if pleading for some kind of protection.

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, but still repeated the sentence.

"I'm planning to start a church. Would you be interested in joining?"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Sain immediately became anxious.

After glancing around the reception room and confirming that no one else was around, Sain lowered his voice and said, "Sir, I didn't hear anything, and I don't know anything!"

His voice, which had been rough, became almost pleading, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I'm just a small-time gangster boss. You can kill me or do whatever you want with me. I can even assassinate nobles for you."

"But you must never say such things carelessly!" The last sentence was almost a whisper, his eyes full of pleading, as if Lu Yan's suggestion was a thousand times more terrifying than murder and assassination.

Indeed, in the Seven Kingdoms, as long as you have enough power, you can establish a gang, commit murder and arson, and rob nobles.

In this society with extraordinary power, strength is the foundation of everything.

If you step into Sequence Four and become a saint walking among mortals, even a king will treat you as an honored guest.

However, there is one thing that is a taboo within the Seven Kingdoms.

faith!

The seven major orthodox churches place a far greater emphasis on faith than one might imagine, and anyone who dares to meddle in the faith will become an enemy of the seven major orthodox churches.

In ancient legends, the world is not limited to seven gods; there are also hidden gods and evil gods lurking in the shadows.

But all those gods were defeated in the war of the gods, leaving only seven true gods who could enjoy the faith under the sun.

In contrast, hidden gods and evil gods can only hide in the shadows and steal heretical beliefs that the orthodox church has no time to attend to.

Even the nobles of the kingdom and the newly emerging capitalists only wanted to seize more power from the church, and had no intention of interfering with the faith.

This is why the Church was able to tolerate the actions of the royal nobles and big capitalists in promoting the Industrial Revolution.

Even the kingdom's nobles and big capitalists dared not touch it, let alone Sain, a mere gang leader.

Having entered the extraordinary sequence, Sain knew very well that he had offended the nobles, and at worst, he would just die.

But if you offend the church, death might be the only way out in the face of its endless stream of bizarre methods.

That is why Sain is so terrified.

Lu Yan merely glanced at Sain with a calm expression: "I'm not even worried, why are you panicking?"

Sain was taken aback.

He suddenly realized that the person in front of him was a high-ranking figure who was suspected to be at the fifth level of the Sequence, and should know more about the church, faith and other extraordinary knowledge than he did.

Since Lu Yan brought this up himself, perhaps there was some misunderstanding that prevented him from understanding the adult's intentions?
Thinking of this, Sain tentatively asked:
"The church you speak of, sir, could it simply be the name of an organization, such as a merchants' association?"

Lu Yan shook his head: "It's the church you know, the one similar to the Church of the Seven Gods."

Sain's heart, which had just been lifted, sank again.

"However, there is a slight difference between our church and the Church of the Seven Gods."

Sain was taken aback, then heard Lu Yan say with a meaningful smile:

"The true God of the Seven Gods Church has long been asleep, but behind our church is the true God of this world!"

As Lu Yan finished speaking, the entire reception room froze instantly, as if the space had been expanded by an invisible hand, and the narrow space seemed to have transformed into a small realm.

Standing in the reception room, Sain could only sense that everything around him was changing. The original ceiling had turned into an endless chaos, and beyond that chaos, infinitely high, it seemed as if an unparalleled and majestic being was looking down upon this place.

In an instant, the spirituality within Sain's body suddenly surged.

The extraordinary path he followed was the incomplete demonic path, which is said to have originated from many powerful dark beings who gathered their spirituality to create the demonic path.

The ghouls of sequence nine, the vampires of sequence eight, and the werewolves of sequence seven each correspond to different dark creatures.

However, these dark creatures are too low-ranking to support a complete path, causing the demonic path to stop at Sequence Seven werewolves. Their spirituality is also mixed up, and they are at risk of losing control of their supernatural abilities at any time.

But as that great being descended and ignited the spirituality within Sain, he could clearly sense that the spirituality within him was being continuously purified. The demonic habits left by his past experiences as a ghoul and a vampire were also gradually disappearing in the process of purifying his spirituality.

However, the gifts bestowed by such a great glimpse go far beyond this.

What drove Sain even crazier was that the Sequence Seven werewolf should have been the end of the monster path, but at this moment he could feel a great being using supreme divine power to extend the originally severed path of the extraordinary.

Sequence Six: Bull's Head
In legend, this powerful monster with a bull's head and a human body possesses immense power and wields totem magic and the power of the earth.

Sain even vaguely sensed that after being modified by a great being, the Sequence Six Minotaur possessed some legendary abilities that did not exist.

However, at this time he had not yet stepped into this field, and could only vaguely sense it, unable to know the specific abilities.

And so, Sain was immersed in that great gift.

Time passed without Sain fully comprehending the extraordinary knowledge that had suddenly appeared in his mind, and he finally snapped out of his reverie.

Looking around, Sain found himself in better shape than ever before, and the hidden dangers that had been buried due to the promotion sequence had been completely eliminated.

If he completes the potion preparation and the advancement ceremony, he can directly enter the realm of Sequence Six.

Looking up at Lu Yan in his seat again, Sai Yin no longer felt the fear and apprehension he had before; instead, he felt an unprecedented fervor.

"The true god you speak of, could it be the one who just sent down his gaze?"

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and said jokingly:

"Now you're not worried about incurring the church's hostility?"

Sain quickly put on a smile: "Sir, you are too kind. I was ignorant and misunderstood you before."

The Church of the Seven Gods is able to rule the seven kingdoms because they have the seven strongest true gods behind them.

Lu Yan's initial claim of establishing a church, without sufficient strength to do so, was tantamount to courting death.

But if Lu Yanzhen brings up a true god, that's a completely different concept.

Although the secret schools and evil cults that also claim to be backed by the true god are not as powerful as the seven major righteous god churches, they still have considerable influence, and the major righteous god churches only suppress them.

Unless the true God issues a divine decree, no one dares to risk offending the true God to completely eradicate these sects, which is enough to prove the true God's deterrent power.

Moreover, Lu Yan claimed that the seven righteous gods had fallen into slumber, and that behind them was an awakened true god of the present world. If this was true, that great being would be the only true god in the present world.

The implications are entirely different. Even if a church is actually established, the demigods and angels in those churches may not dare to take any action before the foundation of the Church of the Seven Gods is touched.

The thought of the future made Sain tremble with excitement.

Lu Yan sat lazily on the sofa, his eyes slightly narrowed, and said:

"The one who just bestowed the blessing is not His Majesty the True God, but one of the Ten Kings of Hell under His command."

You, a nobody, are not worthy of the blessing of His Majesty the True God.

Hearing Lu Yan's explanation, Sain was not discouraged, but instead became even more excited.

The scene that had just unfolded was beyond his comprehension, yet even such an existence was not the true god, further illustrating the vast future prospects of this newly established church. The stronger the church, the more protection it would receive, which naturally made him extremely satisfied.

Taking in Saiyin's performance, Lu Yan's eyes revealed a hint of a smile.

The Ten Kings of Hell were just something Lu Yan made up.

The blessing bestowed upon Sain was merely a continuation and modification of the extraordinary path by Lu Yan, based on the information about the extraordinary path in his memory and grounded in the manipulation of creation.

Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 both correspond to the Foundation Establishment Realm. For Lu Yan, who has mastered the art of manipulating creation, creating a Sequence 6 through the demonic path is a piece of cake.

Lu Yan's arrival in the Mysterious Version is primarily aimed at creating a transcendent path belonging to the Divine Court and the Underworld. His blessing of Sain can also be seen as a practice run.

However, this is far from enough to create extraordinary pathways. Lu Yan needs to acquire more extraordinary information and experimental subjects.

Sain barely managed to suppress his excitement before carefully asking Lu Yan:
"Sir, what can I do for you?"

Lu Yan leaned back on the sofa, his hands clasped together, and did not answer immediately.

In fact, the establishment of the church was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Lu Yan, but the result of his careful consideration.

The Mysterious Version itself is not simple. The mist that shrouds the entire world, the fall of the ancients, and the slumber of the true gods all indicate that this version is filled with great terror.

The Church of the True God's insistence on maintaining its faith may also be related to the secrets hidden behind the fog.

Lu Yan's current cultivation system of immortals and heroes is different from the extraordinary sequence, so he can ignore the mist itself.

However, combined with the extraordinary sequence created by the Divine Court and the Underworld, it will inevitably involve the origin of the mysterious version and will inevitably be connected with the fog of hidden history.

Lu Yan couldn't wait until he discovered the crisis to start studying faith and the church; he had to prepare in advance.

In addition, Lu Yan established the church in order to spread the name of the Divine Court and the Underworld on another level.

Although the Divine Court of the Heavens has become famous throughout the heavens, it still needs to be maintained at all times. Otherwise, over time, the concept of the Divine Court and the Underworld will fade and this will also be reflected in the Divine Court and the Underworld.

For Lu Yan, establishing a church to anchor the spread of the divine court and the underworld was a good option.

Lu Yan's time in the mysterious version is limited, and it is impossible for him to gradually build the framework of the church over a long period of time. He must establish a complete organization as soon as possible in order to expand his influence through subsequent intervention.

Lu Yan already had an idea in mind regarding this.

What do you think of this era?

Lu Yan tilted his head and asked.

Sain was somewhat puzzled by Lu Yan's words, but still subconsciously replied:
"This era? It's definitely a great era!"

"With His Majesty the King and the nobles initiating the industrialization process, the Kingdom of Victoria transformed itself from a state of ignorance that had persisted for tens of thousands of years, entering an era of rapid development."

Sain’s tone carried a hint of official propaganda affectation.

"Trains, railways, steamships—these technologies have changed people's lives." He gestured in the air, as if describing a glorious future.

"Sugar, tea, and tobacco from overseas colonies were available throughout the country, ensuring that even the poor could enjoy inexpensive food. In the past, the lowest-ranking serfs might never have been able to afford such delicacies in their entire lives."

As he spoke, a complex look flashed in Sain's eyes, as if he were repeating words that someone had taught him.

Lu Yan remained noncommittal about Sain's assessment, only asking in a calm voice, "Is that really all?"

This simple question was like a sharp sword, hitting the nail on the head. Sain froze, his expression hardening, then he frowned and fell into deep thought.

Located in the industrial area, Saiyin could clearly hear the roar of machinery as factories started up and the sounds of workers busily working.

After a long pause, Sain finally spoke softly, asking, "You mean, those workers?"

"That's right."

Lu Yan slowly began to speak: "Those souls who toil day and night in the factory, those who are replaced by machines and become part of the machines."

They live in smoky slums, drink polluted water, and breathe air tainted by coal smoke, yet they create value that is not theirs to begin with.

Their children, some as young as two, began working dangerous jobs; illness plagued all the workers; and the average lifespan of workers throughout the industrial area was only a little over ten years.

Sain's brow furrowed even more.

He seemed to sense something was amiss, but given his limited knowledge of prenatal education, he couldn't articulate it. He could only mutter to himself:

"But...but this is how we've always lived since the Industrial Revolution."

The Industrial Revolution began hundreds of years ago, and it took a long time for kings and nobles to test the limits of the church before it was actually implemented.

This scale represents a change spanning several generations for the lower classes, but it means nothing to the high-ranking extraordinary individuals at the top.

Everything in the world operates according to the will of the church and the nobility, and ordinary people are even deprived of the ability to think.

"Just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's right?"

Sain was completely stunned and didn't come to his senses for a long time.

Lu Yan slowly stood up from the sofa and walked to the window, the hem of his black tuxedo fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

He looked toward the towering chimneys and massive brick-red factory buildings in the distance, where the constant roar of machines mingled with the shouts of workers and the curses of supervisors.

In the morning mist, everything appeared blurry and oppressive.

"Times are changing, which is ultimately a good thing, but in this process, there will never be a shortage of exploitation by those in power."

"If they could have relinquished even a little bit of their profits and reduced exploitation, the working class wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

The doubt in Sain's eyes was gradually replaced by contemplation.

He thought of Little Wood, whom Booker had mentioned who had been swindled out of all his wages by the factory owner, and his sister who had fallen ill and hadn't received her wages, now lying in a cold, damp basement, unable to even afford a doctor.

These images flashed through Sain's mind, prompting him to ask, "What should we do?"

Lu Yan turned around, looked down at Sain, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Before you openly establish a church, what you need to do is figure out how to get back what's rightfully theirs from the church workers; they will be the cornerstone of the future church."

"Starting today, the Black-Clad Gang will abandon all the businesses that used to exploit the workers, and those gang members who coerced the lower classes will be eliminated."

You need to learn to unite the workers and leverage your own strengths.

Sain was stunned; what Lu Yan said was something he had never imagined.

Under normal circumstances, helping workers to demand benefits from aristocratic capitalists would undoubtedly be a suicidal act.

If a Sequence Seven dares to say such a thing today, his body will be thrown into the incinerator tomorrow.

But now, behind Sayin is Lu Yan, a rising True God Church. What are mere capitalists compared to him?
"I will follow your orders, sir!"

Sain looked excited and, after speaking, prepared to clean up the gang's internal affairs.

But before they could even leave the conference room, Sain seemed to remember something and quickly turned back to ask:
"Your Excellency, can the Black-Clad Gang still use this name from now on? Shouldn't it be changed?"

However, Lu Yan had already disappeared from the conference room, and only gusts of cold wind mixed with smog blew in through the window.

Sain was somewhat disappointed, but at that moment a faint voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Since it's about bringing together the strength of workers, let's call it a trade union!"

(End of this chapter)