New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 23: Believe in the Holy Light! Annual leave starts from 4 days

We walked to the Second Municipal Hospital, an 18-story building painted white, which was out of tune with the dark, steamy industrial style of the surrounding area.

In front of the medical building, there is a spacious garden and fountain, and at the outermost edge is a bustling gate. It looks like business is booming.

He even saw tall and burly brown orcs, who were queuing up carefully with their heads down, trying hard to retract their severed fangs for fear of touching other people around them.

Hmm... It feels very 50s American Civil Rights Movement-esque. A mere orc can afford to come to a human master's hospital for treatment?!

Sure enough, if you look closely, you can find half-elf hybrids with pointed ears and delicate skin in the crowd. Unfortunately, their looks are mediocre, not much different from ordinary people.

Congcong, four hundred years have really flown by! The descendants of the first generation of ancestral elves have long since integrated into this planet, becoming the new "Crystal Wall Natives."

"If you're not going in, please don't block the way, thank you!"

A slight pain tingled in his calf, and a child's voice echoed behind him. He turned around, but saw nothing at first. Then, looking down, he saw a little girl with cat ears in a white nurse's uniform, clutching a small wooden box and glaring at him, who was blocking his path.

"Huh? You look so weird, so cute."

This was his first time encountering a kitten girl like this, and it felt incredibly novel. It was like a giant doll that had suddenly spoken. His cat-loving spirit was instantly ignited.

The cat-eared nurse rolled her eyes in anger: "If you don't know how to compliment someone, don't do it. Thank you! Also, please get out of the way!"

Yuan Zhu moved aside to make way for the strange cat nurse. "Um, are you an adult? No, I'm asking how to get to the Holy Light Department."

The little cat girl took long, angry strides, "dengdengdeng..." Her steps were fast, but her calves were too short, so she still walked slowly. "I'm an adult now! The Holy Light Department is on the third floor, on the left side of the staircase. There's a sign on the wall. Look for it yourself."

"Thank you." Yuan Zhu, who didn't know how he had offended her, suppressed his urge to pet the cat and watched the little cat girl leave reluctantly.

The elf suddenly jumped out and said regretfully, "I really want to rub her hard!"

...

After successfully reaching the third floor, Yuan Zhu observed along the way and found that Running's hospital was not much different from his hometown on Earth. The only difference was that in addition to the main Chinese and Western medicine systems, there were also additional popular systems such as [Holy Light Department, Shaman Department, Internal Medicine Department, Psychic Department, and Alchemy Department].

Because spirits exist in this world, these departments all have their own unique abilities, capable of treating various conditions, including possession by evil spirits, astral syndrome, contamination, and so on.

If we encounter difficult and complex diseases, multiple departments will jointly diagnose and treat them, using acupuncture, scalpels, shamanism... a multi-dimensional and three-dimensional attack to eradicate the disease in the operating room.

After showing his medical card to the nurse, Yuan Zhu was led into a consultation room by an ordinary-looking aunt.

On the table in the center of the room sat an incense burner, holding a single incense stick, known for its calming and soothing properties. Furthermore, against the wall sat a mahogany shrine, housing a white jade statue of the Bodhisattva.

The attending physician across the table was a white man with blond hair, blue eyes, a white coat, gold-rimmed glasses, and a cup of fragrant tea in his hand.

???

What the hell is this mix and match style? Yuan Zhu was stunned for a moment and even forgot to say anything.

"Please take a seat. I'm Lucius, your attending physician, and a deacon dispatched from the eastern part of the New World. I graduated from medical school, so I work at the Second Municipal Hospital, and I also work part-time to spread faith for our Lord. May I ask where you feel unwell? This medical card of yours was issued by our church in cooperation with the Security Bureau, and ordinary people cannot have it." Lucius spoke the local dialect without any accent, and was very authentic.

"I..." Yuan Zhu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry. I've seen countless patients whose bodies have been contaminated and who have unspeakable secrets. Not only am I a medical graduate with professional medical qualifications, I've also spent years studying in the Holy Temple and possess extensive experience in Holy Light exorcism. Finally, my professional ethics require me to maintain the confidentiality of my patients. Don't worry about me leaking your condition."

Lucius looked friendly and kind, and his smiling face seemed to radiate the radiance of humanity, making people unconsciously feel close to him.

[Beep beep! Mental erosion detected, blocked.]

really!

Yuan Zhu, who was already used to all this, had no expression that was unusual. He smiled and responded politely, "For some reasons, I was involved in an unusual case. I was tested by the Security Bureau before, and they all said that I was very healthy. Finally, they gave me this medical card and asked me to receive treatment from the Holy Light. If there are hidden dangers, I will treat them. If there are no problems, I can just take it as a prevention." Lucius raised his eyebrows, "I understand. Then, should we go straight to treatment, or should we talk first and sort out your mind? By the way, would you like some tea?" He pointed to his teacup and asked Yuan Zhu.

Yuan Zhu, who had never had the habit of drinking tea in his past or present life, asked curiously, "Is tea drinking popular in your country?"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This is a hobby I developed after coming to Running, after a monk friend introduced it to me. After I got used to it, I found it tasted very good." Lucius highly recommended it.

Yuan Zhu waved his hand to refuse, then looked at the white jade Buddha on the table: "Is this also a gift from your friend? Deacons of your temple can also believe in foreign gods of other religions?"

Lucius retorted doubtfully, "Freedom of belief, why not? According to the New Federation's regulations, a person can declare 11 legal beliefs per year. Although I'm a deacon of the Holy Temple who wields the Holy Light, I live and work in Running and can also believe in gods other than religion. For example, this Great Joyful Bodhisattva."

What are you talking about? How is she older? How is she happy?
Yuan Zhu turned his head and looked at the solemn and dignified white jade Guanyin. Only the tentacles exposed under the hem of the robe seemed slightly different from the orthodox Guanyin. And you tell me, this is the 'Great Joy Bodhisattva'?
"Is your friend okay?"

Lucius shook his head. "Alas, we haven't been in touch in two years. He was reported during the last anti-Buddhist movement because he misled believers and personally explained the Dharma and resolved doubts. He was wanted and fled south. We exchanged letters a few years ago, but then the conversation stopped. Let's not talk about him anymore. The fact that you chose to come to the Holy Light Department to check for hidden dangers shows that you deeply recognize the Holy Church and the Holy Light. So, are you interested in learning more about the Holy Church and adding it to your list of legal beliefs?"

Yuan Zhu recalled that due to the proliferation of various gods on Duling Star, a pattern of coexistence of multiple gods was formed in modern times.

Because supernatural powers have only existed for more than 400 years, it is difficult for "monotheism" to survive and it has not yet developed to the point of dominating the region.

Once a certain divine civilization isolates itself from the outside world in a certain area and eats its own food, it will be righteously attacked by other gods of good and evil. Therefore, it has become common sense for ordinary people to believe in multiple gods at the same time, and even religion will not stop it.

In the Running and Taixi areas, citizens are allowed to declare up to 11 legal beliefs. While it doesn't really matter how many gods you believe in, this declaration is primarily for employed workers.

Because 'declaration of legal belief' is directly related to an employee's 'annual leave', and it is paid leave.

Different deities hold festivals corresponding to their functions. Once someone takes a fancy to a particular festival's theme or time period, they can look up the deity's information, add it to their legal beliefs for the year, and complete their application.

Then, next year during XX Festival, not only will you get to enjoy the corresponding holiday, but you'll also receive additional blessings from the gods while participating in the "festival carnival." Finally, it's a paid vacation—a divine arrangement! That's the best part.

For example, there's a bachelor god codenamed "IIII" who hosts a frenzied shopping festival every November 1111th. Anyone interested in participating can add "IIII" to their "Annual Faith List." This grants them a legal holiday on the same day next year, allowing them to participate in the shopping festival and enjoy a divinely-given bonus of "Rationality -90%, Discount x 9.8%."

Running citizens have the right to select 3-11 legitimate deities based on their needs to form their annual list of faith. Faith not only affects the distribution of annual leave, but also provides additional buffs from the deities.

For example, people who want to get pregnant will choose the god in charge of healthy pregnancy, but the newborn will be abandoned after it is born.

Farmers, on the other hand, have long held a fondness for the gods who protect their seeds, or the whip gods who increase the efficiency of their orcs' work. This faith lasts a lifetime, and they will never repent.

Parents like to choose difficult festivals for their children, such as "increase IQ, ensure passing grades, Zhang Xianzhong", which often last throughout their school years.

After that, the graduates will choose: the god of getting rid of being single, the god of contraception, the god of bad love, the god of beer... and carry out revengeful beliefs until their cocks are no longer powerful; only then will they return to the embrace of the fishing god, the six-flavor emperor god, the anti-hair loss god...

Lucius: "Those who believe in the [Holy Temple], according to Running's Holiday Law, are guaranteed a minimum of three days of New Year's holiday, and there's also Hanukkah in July. Legal annual leave alone starts at four days. Furthermore, those who believe in the Holy Temple receive a free annual Holy Light health checkup. If you maintain your faith for more than three years, you can attend a monthly internal secret sermon and receive a 3% discount on additional purchases. After nine years of faith, you'll become a true believer and receive a free monthly health checkup, some holy water, and an annual family Holy Light health checkup gift package. If you maintain your faith for more than 7 years, you or your descendants can directly participate in the [Holy Light Trial] to encounter and master the power of the Holy Light."

A sense of déjà vu of a series of VIP membership annual packages, continuous annual packages, and corporate loyal users emerged in front of Yuan Zhu. The gods and beliefs in this world are too flexible, just like the membership services launched by major websites on the Internet.

If you believe in a certain deity, you can not only participate in the corresponding festival, but also receive festival benefits and blessings from the deity. However, these blessings usually only last for a short time.

But if you become a loyal believer, persist for many years, and continuously accumulate faith points, then the blessing buff of the gods will gradually solidify and transform into a long-term passive effect.

As long as you don't switch to other gods, your account points will not be reset.

If it were on Earth, Yuan Zhu felt his QQ account would at least bring him an extraordinary buff, solidifying into a passive state similar to an "entry," always with him. (The wealth he had spent on game top-ups over the years had truly transformed into another form, accompanying him.)
One of the great benefits of believing in the Temple is that ordinary believers who have believed in it for more than 9 years can, without paying too much, condense the weakest "Holy Light Protection Buff" on their bodies, allowing other evil spirits to prioritize attacking other people when they have a choice.

This alone attracted many potential believers. Furthermore, maintaining 20 years of faith in the Temple would grant access to the Holy Light. So, by giving a newborn a "Temple Faith" sign, they would be exposed to the Temple from a young age. After turning 20, they would have the opportunity to ascend to the highest level, join the Temple, and access and master the Holy Light.

Yuan Zhu sighed. Why didn't he have such luck? The two brothers' faiths changed every few years, all seeking to take advantage. Someone also told me that if I persisted in believing in the Holy Hall, I could learn the extraordinary system for free.

　Recommendations, monthly tickets, collections, comments, melon seeds, peanuts, beer...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)