I was a charlatan in India

"Those were tough times..."

Shenhe was spouting ambiguous nonsense.

"When our religious order was first established, we were truly short of money, land, and manpower, and we had to use every single person as if they were made of stone..."

"...Countless predecessors worked day and night, one after another, to lay the foundation for the cult as it is today."

Like all small business owners, he incorporated a large number of fabricated stories.

Eating coarse food and wild vegetables, burning the midnight oil, working day and night...

Then all these troubles were attributed to the devout ascetic Nishi.

Mahata listened very attentively.

Although he only met Nish once, Nish's wisdom and profoundness have left an indelible mark on him.

Of course, Nish is very close to him now.

At the nearby stunt factory, they gave the substituted players foot massages.

Hard work, but fulfilling.

We must believe that Nish is happy.

Shenhe continued to spout nonsense.

"These dishes were prepared in this way to commemorate the piety and hard work of our ancestors."

The group of eminent monks all nodded in agreement.

It's surprising that the Mahakala Order is so humane; they actually came up with such a way to commemorate their predecessors.

Many high-ranking monks even asked for the merit ball snacks back and savored them carefully.

You know what, with the added meaning, this dish wasn't so hard to swallow.

It's just that the seasoning is a bit lacking, and the combination... ugh!

Okay, it still tastes awful.

Even Surya looked solemn.

Despite his lack of respect for biological fathers, this guy is actually quite devout to the heavens.

After all, this is his own business, and it will broaden that old man's horizons!

When the time comes, I'll make him kneel down and beg to come back, so that his family can really benefit from my good fortune!

However, Suriya still didn't eat it himself.

"You lot, eat it all respectfully for me, don't let down the great heavens' good intentions!"

In Surrey's view, these subordinates were his vassals; what difference did it make whether they ate or he ate.

If one can find someone to take one's place in ascetic practices, why can't one endure hardship?

Only four cooks were cursing under their breath.

Remember your grandmother's suffering!

It takes a lot of effort to make a dish this bad.

If the situation were truly as difficult as the messenger described, people at the time certainly wouldn't have had the time or inclination to do such menial tasks.

See, professionals have a different perspective on things.

And despite the righteous words of the divine messenger, he didn't touch a single bite of that wretched dish, and the presentation of the plate remained unchanged!

Oh God, if you can hear me, send down divine fire and burn this hypocrite to death!

Clearly, God cared more about Himself than the believers, and did not respond to their wishes by sending down divine fire to burn Him.

After the farce, Mahata's disciples were led to their quarters by servants, leaving only three of them to discuss their next plans.

"What the Great One means is that we will devour the entire religious community of Varanasi."

Surrey spoke first.

Shenhe was taken aback, thinking to himself, "When did I say such a thing?"

Surya began to lay the groundwork on his own.

"So we will eventually grow to a very large scale, and you two will naturally each rule a large religious order. You should always be prepared for this."

As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping across Shenhe and Mahata's faces, trying to catch any unnatural reactions or ambitions in them.

The good news is that he is very satisfied with both of them.

Shenhe felt he understood.

Isn't this just empty promises?

Goodness, this Surya isn't entirely a fool.

Although his values ​​are completely distorted, he's not entirely clueless when it comes to managing people.

At least in ancient India, the idea of ​​making empty promises was quite advanced.

However, it's somewhat unsuitable for certain use cases.

After all, the two people sitting next to you are a divine messenger and a true god, and the other is a highly respected monk. They probably don't have a strong desire for power.

He actually overestimated Surya.

Surya did not make this statement out of a desire to offer empty promises, but rather to assert sovereignty.

This is to tell the two that even if they come to control the religious order in the future, they will still be my subordinates.

Make this clear to me, young master!

Although there are some misunderstandings, they are minor.

At least this is a good start, indicating that Surrey intends to include the two as part of his team.

Otherwise, Shenhe might really have to issue a divine decree.

He doesn't have much time left.

The corruption of believers is too severe now; even just during this banquet, his consciousness began to blur again.

After examining his life countless times, Shenhe knew very well what actions he would take as "him".

But now his actions have certainly gone beyond the scope of "Shenhe".

This is certainly influenced by awareness, but more likely it is due to the influence of believers on divinity.

The essence of the matter remains unchanged; it's just that Shenhe himself is able to accept it to some extent and face the problem directly.

As for short-term solutions...

Naturally, the incense ash would help him cover up his memories.

However, before overwriting, he needs to record recent events to avoid creating a memory gap.

Speaking of Ajita's ability, it's unclear whether it's some kind of divinity or a supernatural power obtained through a blessing.

If it's divine, then swallow it...

Shenhe was startled, feeling fear for his own natural thought, and even the hand holding the cup stiffened slightly.

The honey water in the glass swayed back and forth, making him feel a little dizzy.

The human body is still too troublesome... No, wait!

The influence of believers is becoming increasingly serious.

He has even begun to develop the instinct to devour other divinities.

Furthermore, if not deliberately controlled, Shenhe's self-perception is now clearly biased towards divinity rather than humanity.

We need to address this quickly, otherwise, if these influences overwhelm our self-awareness, it may truly be too late to turn back.

The horror of divine corruption lies in the fact that it can slowly make you forget why you were trying to escape in the first place.

Shenhe decisively steered the conversation back on track.

"Then I must ask Lord Surrey to give me more guidance."

Shenhe quickly ended the pointless pleasantries and steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"What Datian means is that, based on cooperating well with you, we will do our best to educate believers and promote the integration and sublimation of Buddhism and our teachings."

"Does Lord Surrey have a plan, or... perhaps we can just do as we say, and you can simply oversee things for now?"

He had no intention of competing with Surya.

This conversation must end as soon as possible, and the notes and overwrites must be completed before we lose all sense of direction.

Whether he cooperates with Surya or has autonomy, ultimately it's still Shenhe who's in charge; it's just a matter of whether or not he needs to go around the oracle.

He said this simply to make Surrey feel that he was respected enough, and to get things moving quickly while establishing this foundation for cooperation.

Mahata also chimed in, saying, "I am also following Mahakala's orders, and under the premise of cooperating with Lord Surya, I am responsible for educating the believers."

Shenhe thought to himself, "A monk doesn't lie, but I can tell you this nonsense very well."

However, Surya was far more sensible than he had imagined, which saved him a lot of trouble.

I don't know why he was so stubborn back then, relentlessly searching for clues about me, forcing me to bombard him with a powerful beam of light.

Surrey was very satisfied with the two men's attitude. However, since the hospitality had been somewhat lacking, he felt a little insecure and readily delegated authority.

"My job is to convey the will of Heaven; the actual work is up to everyone!"

He picked up a glass of honey water: "However, with so many believers in the church now, it's probably not realistic to educate them all at once."

"The venue is easy to find, but we'll definitely run out of manpower. What are your plans?"

Shenhe thought to himself that having power really makes a difference; there's an abundance of land, even more than manpower.

He does have many solutions, and he knows exactly how to build these things with his team.

But he first looked at Mahata and asked, "I wonder what Master Mahata thinks?"

Let's test the waters and see how much knowledge this monk actually has, and to what extent he can delegate authority.

If you have to do everything yourself, wouldn't you be exhausted?

Mahata pondered for a moment before speaking.

"This matter shouldn't be too difficult."