Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 431 Welcoming Guests to the Holy City
Besides the multicolored black, there is also the multicolored white.

Sunlight streamed through a soft, magical field above the city, falling upon the facades of countless buildings inlaid with crystals, glass, and gemstones. The resulting refraction, scattering, and diffusion created a dazzling, flowing expanse of seven-colored white light.

Rainbow City truly lives up to its name.

"Respected Lord Chen Mo, Respected Princess Liu Shuang, welcome to Rainbow Holy City."

The person who came to greet Chen Mo was Bishop Nash, the pastor of Rainbow City.

The old man wore a pure white holy robe embroidered with the seven-eyed emblem, held a scepter inlaid with a large silver gemstone, and his face blossomed into a smile, every wrinkle rippling.

This old shepherd had dealt with Chen Mo many times before, and at first, he had quite a few complaints about Chen Mo.

In the eyes of the Holy City, Chen Mo was initially just an insignificant pioneering lord. However, things began to change after a loud bang in the desert.

A dangerous individual wielding a weapon of "forbidden spell" level proposed a series of so-called normative details regarding the use of "forbidden spells" and the triggering of "divine punishment".

For a long time, whenever the high priests of Rainbow City closed their eyes, their dreams were filled with a never-ending stream of "ten thousand whys!"

If a toddler asks why you can't kill people, you'll probably just chuckle. But if a burly man with a gun whispers to you, "Who should I kill here to get me arrested by the police? How many should I kill to get me wanted by the military?", you'd immediately have to consider whether you've ever had a grudge against this guy.

The level of detail in those questions could easily fill a book titled "Technical Guidelines on How to Maximize Murder Without Triggering Divine Punishment"...

It's important to understand that religious leaders in temples, much like middle-level managers in companies, derive a significant portion of their power from the authority to interpret scriptures during the communication process.

For example, "The Heavenly Father descended to earth!"
If the rules are made transparent, what opportunity is there for manipulation?

Rainbow City struggled for a long time, and could only vaguely and perfunctorily use phrases like "divine will is unfathomable, divine grace is not to be coveted."

Chen Mo just chuckled at the time.

I understand, the gods are omnipotent, but they can't explain it to me!
This is a little awkward!

After a period of contact, the bishops of Rainbow City could no longer fail to realize that this man was an out-and-out heretic, someone the Inquisition would have dealt with immediately in the past.

However, as the old saying goes, if you are a heretic who believes in an evil god, you'd better actually have an evil god behind you.

This lord clearly has a deity from another world or a plane lord behind him. In this case, even if it is his own god, he would not want to cause a cross-plane conflict over such a trivial matter.

Later, Nash dealt with Hanhai a second time.

Because they decisively defeated the army from the Zircon Territory of the Green Pine Kingdom and also dealt with the orc forces, the Mist Moon Divine Court developed a strong interest in certain weapons of the Vast Sea.

Nash personally went to the Vast Ocean. During the negotiations, he adopted a humble attitude and attempted to obtain some of the weapons for analysis, so that the Divine Court could learn from and study them, and better spread the blessings of the gods.

However, this young lord once again displayed a cunning far beyond that of ordinary people.

He readily agreed to the Divine Court's request, and then made a "small" request to the Divine Court as well.

The Divine Court must take responsibility for the whereabouts of the weapons.

If one day, a certain force uses weapons or weapon technology that flowed out of the Divine Court to attack the Vast Ocean, then the Divine Court must bear unlimited joint liability for this.

That's exactly what they said: the Divine Court should be held responsible, not even Rainbow Holy City.

This lord was extremely inexperienced in certain political areas, but his acumen on key and core issues far surpassed that of ordinary people.

How could the Divine Court possibly take responsibility for this? Even Rainbow Holy City cannot agree to it.

Therefore, the matter of importing weapons was put on hold.

Just as the relationship was getting increasingly strained, things took an unexpected turn for the better, and a special opportunity suddenly arose.

Bishop Nash accidentally discovered that the "Spring Rain" pills he had purchased at great expense from the Silver Duchy in the south, and which were subject to strict quotas, were actually produced in the Vast Sea Territory. So, he awkwardly went to the Vast Sea Territory to try to buy some from the lord of the Vast Sea Territory.

Chen Mo flatly refused his request.

“Selling is absolutely out of the question.”

"The exclusive agency rights for the next three years have been handed over to the Lord of Baroque City in the Molten City of the Silver Duchy. I am a man of my word, and I will never sell to anyone else!"

Just as Nash's smile froze on his face, Chen Mo changed the subject.

"However... Your Excellency the Bishop is a friend of our Han Hai. Since you are unwell, I am personally gifting you some 'Spring Rain' to help you recover. This is a matter of courtesy and is perfectly reasonable."

"The rules can't be broken! You can use the stuff yourself, and if a few relatives or friends occasionally need it, I won't see them sharing a couple. But it must be made clear that selling it to others is absolutely prohibited!"

"If I break my promise to the Lord of Baroque, we will never have any trust left to cooperate with again!"

Nash was overjoyed.

For a bishop of the pastoral level, going to great lengths to buy "Spring Rain" from the market was a last resort. The large sum of money spent was a minor issue; the bigger problem was that no matter how much you tried to hide it, people would directly associate it with the old man's health condition.

It's extremely easy to embarrass yourself.

On the contrary, this kind of private gifting, without even monetary transactions, is a secret channel that is tailor-made for the pastoral bishop.

In this situation, Nashel took the lead in mediating, and several bishops conspired to persuade Rainbow City to reluctantly and half-heartedly accept most of the management requirements of the temple from the Vast Ocean Territory.

The missionary work of the Divine Court in the Vast Sea region has been fraught with difficulties, with the core issue being the dispute over administrative control.

Setting up a temple requires approval from the Han Hai Religious Affairs Bureau; appointing a bishop requires approval from the Han Hai Religious Affairs Bureau; recruiting believers requires approval from the Han Hai Religious Affairs Bureau; even carrying out daily sacrificial activities requires approval from the Han Hai Religious Committee.

Small-scale sacrificial activities require the submission of a monthly or quarterly activity application in advance, detailing the activity content, format, time, frequency, venue, number of participants, etc.

The Han Hai side will conduct random inspections from time to time. Once any discrepancies are found, a rectification notice will be issued without hesitation. At the same time, a series of actions such as ordering the closure of the temple, imposing heavy fines, and confiscating sacred artifacts will be taken to severely punish the temple.

Large and medium-sized sacrificial activities must be reported on a case-by-case basis, and the entire process must be supervised by personnel from the Han Hai Religious Affairs Bureau. By the way, the expenses of these supervisors must be covered by the Divine Court...

These conditions, placed in a small territory that doesn't even qualify as a count's domain, can only be described as absurd! However, the Lord of the Vast Sea insisted on it to the bitter end, refusing to allow the main hall to be built unless he agreed.

Nash and Farrell discussed it and decided to make do for now and give it a try!
The results of the trial left the priests of the Divine Court speechless.

In the controlled areas of the Vast Ocean, it is almost common knowledge that priests govern believers, bishops govern priests, and gods govern bishops, but if the lord disagrees, none of the above opinions matter.

As a result, fierce debates have broken out repeatedly within Rainbow City, with some radical priests even calling for a punitive war against the blasphemous heretics of Han Hai.

On the other hand, the rapid expansion of the Vast Ocean Territory has also brought considerable benefits to Rainbow Holy City.

It's unknown how much faith has increased, but quite a few believers have come through the Rainbow City channel.

Moreover, the Han Hai Territory has another particularly distinctive feature: with the same population base, the proportion of its professionals is unexpectedly high.

Whether it was the mercenaries who came for the rich quest system, the captured army of the Zircon Territory of the Green Pine Kingdom, or the orc warriors who won the Spring Hunt and Autumn Hunt in several major battles, before conquering the White Deer Plain, the Vast Ocean even experienced a situation where the number of professionals far exceeded the number of ordinary people.

This is an absolute goldmine for the gods.

That's not all. There's another rule in the Vast Ocean that deeply displeases the Divine Court, yet is surprisingly satisfying in practice. Lord Chen Mo champions freedom of religion.

The Divine Court was certainly unhappy that the "Seven-Eyed Cult" was not designated as the only legal religion in the Vast Ocean. However, looking around, if free competition were to take place, who could possibly beat the "Seven-Eyed Cult"?

In terms of influence, the Seven-Eyed God was already renowned in the Northlands, and the Dwarf Merchant Guild also brought some marginal influence. Even among the orc tribes, the Seven-Eyed God was comparable to the Beast God, who had almost never performed any miracles.

In terms of missionary power, Mistmoon was the first to be approved to build a temple and the first to send a high priest. Farrell and the lord were close friends, and Princess Frost's mount was even a product of the Divine Court...

In terms of economic strength, the Seven-Eyed God has the support of the Dwarf Merchant Guild. Although he has short legs, he is very wealthy!
Although stinginess is ingrained in the dwarfs' bones, considering the past of the dwarf gods and the Seven-Eyed God, the Seven Luminaries Garland Merchant Guild of the dwarfs is still willing to spend money on developing effective followers of the gods.

After all, what this money bought was real divine grace!

With such powerful backing and strong support, as long as the lord doesn't deliberately suppress them, freedom of religion is the best form of favoritism for the Mist Moon Divine Court.

Without a doubt, after a period of time, the Temple of the Seven-Eyed God in the Vast Ocean consumed the largest share of believers.

Although these people's faith in the gods was so-so, they were usually busy working to earn money and work points. When the temple distributed money and food, they would come to participate in the sacrificial activities, chant a few half-baked tunes, and worship under the guidance of the temple.

If the lord has any plans, then no matter how many groundbird eggs you send, you won't be able to bring back a single person.

However, Chen Mo ultimately acquiesced to Rainbow Holy City's practice of using certain benefits to attract believers to participate in the sacrificial rites. During the regular guided sacrificial activities, the increase in spiritual energy obtained by the Vast Ocean Temple, that is, the amount of divine grace, achieved a solid and substantial increase.

For the past three consecutive years, Rainbow City's performance growth rate has ranked first among the seven holy cities. Within the Divine Court, this not only signifies honor, but also divine favor, resources, and a voice in certain events.

Other forces within the Misty Moon Divine Court had tried to poach him, their actions, both overt and covert, never ceased. However, Chen Mo was particularly sentimental, or rather, valued relationships.

He even summoned Farrell of Rainbow City and ordered him to take away these treacherous Divine Court visitors.

At that moment, Farrell was incredibly spirited.

Having had such a prior working relationship, Rainbow City had mixed feelings about this lord, both loving and hating him.

They were captivated by the benefits and value of this cooperation, but at the same time, they felt deeply uneasy about the fact that the Han Hai Territory was gradually tightening its grip, turning the temple into an institution under its complete control.

Regardless, Rainbow City treated this young lord with the utmost enthusiasm and the highest level of hospitality.

Having dealt with the gods for so many years, these charlatans in the Divine Court are best at creating the most spectacular effects with the least amount of divine favor.

For example, right now, Chen Mo is greeted by a rainbow bridge that leads directly from the city gate entrance to the welcoming platform not far away.

At first glance, the rainbow bridge was just a faint shadow, like a section of a rainbow that shines in the sunlight after rain, placed in front of Chen Mo.

Nash stepped forward first, while Chen Mo cautiously pulled Liu Shuang's hand beside him.

In my hands, there are real girls; under my feet, there is a solid, tangible sensation.

Guided by the priests of the Divine Court, the group walked along the rainbow bridge, rising step by step from the void. Soft halos of light rippled as their feet landed, and their boots were surrounded by tiny, colorful particles that refracted different lusters like crystals.

On both sides of the Rainbow Bridge, the honor guards, dressed in seven-colored crystal armor, stood solemnly. Each plate of their gleaming armor was like a mirror, reflecting the brilliance of the Rainbow Bridge in mid-air, like giant laser lights.

Further away, from the top of the giant temple in the city center, a pure beam of light shot straight up to the sky. Around the beam, tiny specks of white light could be seen falling, like a flurry of snowflakes.

Of course, in such an atmosphere, how could there be no music?

The sacred hymns of the divine court resounded from the corners of the city, near and far, as if hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people were murmuring at the same time. They were grand yet gentle, giving people a comfortable feeling of being bathed in warm sunshine.

In terms of sound and light effects, this is quite impressive.

Chen Mo slightly turned his body left and right to make sure the camera he was carrying captured a more complete picture.

After counting to forty-nine steps, which is the seventh set of seven steps, they reached the top of the welcoming platform, where Bishop Nash bowed slightly.

"Lord Chen Mo, Your Highness Liu Shuang, God's grace will guide us forward. Please do not panic. The Divine Court will ensure your safety in the Holy City!"

Liu Shuang took a half step forward, her muscles slightly tense, protecting Chen Mo behind her.

Upon seeing Chen Mo nod in confirmation, Nash raised his scepter and gently tapped it on the bridge surface.

The halo began to swirl again, and the rainbow bridge beneath everyone's feet crossed the welcoming platform, extending straight forward and transforming into a flowing river of light, its waters surging and carrying everyone on the rainbow bridge forward.

The moment the River of Light began to flow, Nash turned his head and looked at Chen Mo and Liu Shuang with a smile, as if he wanted to see some amazement or admiration in the guests' eyes.

However, Nash was soon disappointed.

Liu Shuang's little face was full of vigilance. When she saw Nash looking over, she returned a fierce-looking glare, but what kind of harm could a little girl have? It looked more like she was just glaring at him and trying to look cute.

As for Chen Mo, he remained completely expressionless.

In my hometown, this thing is called an automatic walkway or a ground elevator.

In most cases, only elderly people who can't walk and lively kids like this...

There's no handrail or railing here. If my little sister weren't so steady, I might have fallen.

If this happened in my hometown, and you dared to do this, the old folks would come here every day for a "leap of faith," and your shrine would probably go bankrupt...

Of course, Chen Mo knew that he was just talking nonsense. Not to mention coming to the Divine Court, even old men and women would become more reasonable when they arrived at the White Eagle.

If they really run into these charlatans, they'll probably be the ones who go bankrupt first...

As the river of light flows forward, the halos on both sides of the rainbow bridge gradually fade, and the entire city unfolds slowly like a scroll pierced through a thin veil.

A magnificent temple with an obelisk dome; towering statues dozens of meters high overlooking the city; shrines gleaming with holy light interspersed among the buildings; shrines everywhere, sprouting out of every alleyway like mushrooms…

Everywhere you look, there are traces of the Seven-Eyed God!
As the river of light deepened, the architecture grew ever more magnificent, with clouds swirling in the holy light and sacred fire flickering before the statues; believers knelt around the base like ants, their faces filled with anticipation; priests swung their scepters, scattering specks of blessing light.

The light fell on the believers, causing a blissful, intense tremor, followed by even more fervent worship.

The scene reminded Chen Mo of a powerful figure splashing illegal drug powder, surrounded by a group of thirsty, craving addicts...

Neat, magnificent, and full of ritual, yet also permeated with a carefully orchestrated, collective spiritual frenzy. In short, Chen Mo felt only boredom in this city filled with miracles.

It's devoid of humanity! It lacks the warmth and life of everyday life!
After completing this lengthy welcoming ceremony, Chen Mo met the ruler of Rainbow City, the current Archbishop and High Priest, Ryan Moonsong, in the central temple of Rainbow City.

The old man was dressed very simply; at his level, he no longer needed those elaborate ceremonial processions.

Dressed in a plain white robe without any patterns, without a scepter or crown, the old man had a ruddy complexion, kind eyes, and spoke with a sense of warmth and kindness.

"Your Excellency and Lady have had a long and arduous journey!"

"The cold winds of Bailu Plain have finally been soothed by you!"

(End of this chapter)