I find it very sacred to pick someone up and make them a saint.

The capital of the Cassirer Empire.

Inside the Temple Scholars' Institute.

"Chief Mien, you must know that the Holy See of Light has not had a saintess for more than nine years. This is no small matter."

Bishop Phil, sitting across the table, had a serious expression. He deliberately leaned forward in his chair, closer to Mien, which created a slightly oppressive atmosphere.

The chief scholar's office was spacious and simple, yet filled with many items. On the long table made of star-patterned black wood, a large map with magical runes was spread out on the left, and several stacks of documents were piled up on the right. A pure black quill pen was placed lightly to the side.

Behind me was a wall full of bookshelves, filled with all kinds of books about arcane arts, the history of civilization, doctrines, and mystical objects, filling my field of vision.

Surprisingly, the chief scholar opposite him, Mien, looked like a young man. The gold-rimmed monocle on his right eye added to his refined and elegant demeanor, and he was wearing a fitted indigo silk scholar's coat.

Mien sensed the other person's urgency, so he sat up straight and adopted a serious and attentive demeanor.

But he still said what he was supposed to say:

"I understand, Your Excellency, but the Light Resonance of the prospective Saintess, Funila, is only 59.1%. Only those who reach 60% are qualified to become Saintesses of Light. This is a rule established three hundred years ago at the founding of the Empire. Not even a fraction short is acceptable, and it has been so for so many years..."

"I know all that," Bishop Phil interrupted him, sounding slightly annoyed.

"But this is not just a matter for our Holy See, nor just for the Emperor, but also for your Academy of Scholars."

The Papacy, the Emperor, and the Academy of Scholars jointly maintain peace and prosperity between the Empire and the continent—a rule established at the Empire's founding!

Mien has received this seriously:

"Naturally, the Temple Academy also bears an inescapable sacred responsibility."

But in his heart he thought: When you were fighting for power, why didn't you remember that the Academy was also one of the three laws?

Mien has been reincarnated into this world for over fifty years.

With his exceptional mental strength and his past life's talent for solving problems, he fought his way up to the position of chief scholar of the Temple Academy, causing a small shock in the other world.

However, this is partly because the competition within the Academy is much less intense in comparison.

Although nominally one of the three laws governing the empire, along with the Royal Family and the Papacy, the Academy does not have its own armed forces.

Without power, you're just a roadside nuisance!

Thus, it was effectively removed from the center of power early on and gradually transformed into an organization that maintained the operation of affairs.

He is taking on more and more responsibilities, but his actual power is getting smaller and smaller.

In addition to basic academic research, they are also responsible for academic assessment, basic education, rituals, doctrinal interpretation, archives management, and investigation of visions, among other things.

The Royal Family and the Papacy only need to focus on training combat forces, while the Academy of Scholars has much more to consider.

Especially since Mien took office, he has made a sweeping move to completely detach himself from the power struggles and prioritize "neutrality" and "academic rationality".

They gradually severed all ties of interest with the Papacy, princes, and grand dukes.

I will do whatever my professional and academic needs require of Mien and the Academy of Scholars, and I will do it in any way that is required, without involving either party.

Over the course of more than twenty years, the Temple Academy gradually restored its image and prestige of "absolute neutrality," becoming a major NPC in the Cassirer Empire.

This will make it clear to all parties that they will not side with them, nor will they side with the other side.

Everyone reached a consensus not to touch the Academy or break the rules of the game.

After all, the Temple Academy is one of the three nominal laws, and it enjoys high esteem among the people, so it's best not to go too far in anything.

Seeing Bishop Phil's anxious expression, Mien felt even more relieved.

The less power you have, the less responsibility you bear. If the sky falls, you'll be there to hold it up. Even if the empire is overthrown one day, the new king will still need people to do things.

He only wanted to be the chief scholar of the academy; it didn't matter whose chief scholar it was.

Bishop Phil placed his hands on the table, frowned, and softened his tone, his words carrying a hidden meaning:

"59.1%, after all, it's not that far from 60%, we can always find a way to get past the threshold... In all these years of nationwide searches, she has already achieved the highest level of resonance."

Bishop Phil was trying to hint at something.

Mien nodded in response, seemingly understanding; he knew Bishop Phil's anxiety.

The Cassirer Empire has existed for three hundred years. Two hundred years ago, it swept away all heretics and defeated evil gods, creating a period of unparalleled glory.

It exists on this continent as the highest truth and has become the glory in the hearts of all people.

However, starting fifty or sixty years ago, as internal strife intensified, many ominous signs appeared in the glorious empire.

The power struggles led to the neglect of the people and arcane arts, and the people's lives deteriorated.

At the same time, many ominous phenomena have frequently appeared in various places:

Sudden landslides, strange fires in the deep forests, howling sounds on the seashore, plagues in the border towns...

People had long since lost trust in nobles and bishops in their grief and despair.

Curses and resentment continued.

There was only one exception—the saintess of the Holy See of Light.

For hundreds of years, the Holy Maiden of Light has been a spiritual anchor in their hearts, comforting everyone's soul as a representative of God.

However, since the last saintess, there has been no suitable young woman to succeed her for nine years.

One can imagine the impact this had on people's hearts and the ripples of public opinion it stirred up.

—Imperial Pill.

Bishop Phil sighed: "In any case, let's get her across the threshold first and resolve the immediate issues."

Upon hearing this, Comien immediately began to pour out his grievances:

"Your Excellency, you should know that the Academy of Scholars has been doing its best recently. Funira's initial Light Resonance was not 59.1%, but 55%."

The Academy used every method they could think of, whether it was cultivation, spellcasting, or treasures; they searched thoroughly for any place that could improve their skills even slightly, hoping to improve them even by a fraction.

59.1% may not be her limit, but it is definitely the limit for scholars and professors!

Professor Phil looked at Mien's determined expression and excited tone, and was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

He could only helplessly squeeze out, "But now we can only rely on your Academy for this."

"We'll do our best," Mien replied again, in a formulaic manner.

Every sentence received a response, but none were actually implemented.

Bishop Phil felt a surge of anger rising within him as he looked at Mien.

"Chief, doesn't your Academy's research on the Goddess of Light magic and faith require the cooperation of a saintess?"

"If you don't care that no saintess has appeared for nine years, that's a dereliction of duty on your part, Academy of Scholars!"

Mien showed a helpless expression:

"Your Excellency, the saintess does not belong to the Academy of Scholars. Theoretically speaking, she belongs only to the Church of Light."

Even when there were saints, their interactions with the Academy of Scholars were minimal, and they hardly assisted their academic research.

"If you can really find a qualified saintess, she will belong to your academy."

"Don't joke around, Your Excellency," Mien laughed.

"I'm not kidding!"

After losing his composure, Bishop Phil calmed down and slowly said:

"This matter can only be resolved by your Academy of Scholars now, and I believe the Royal Family shares this view."

Mien remained noncommittal.

Phil sighed helplessly:

"Go ahead and do it. No matter what method you use, I will communicate with the nobles. As long as you can find a suitable candidate, you will be responsible for the subsequent training and management."

Mien reiterated, "I will do my best."

After all, saintesses aren't something you can just summon at will, or that one can simply fall from the sky if you want one.

'It's rare to see these people make such big concessions,' Mien thought to himself.

It should be noted that the saintly woman, who represented the people's faith, was once the object of contention and a tool in the struggles between different forces.

Now that both sides have compromised, it's acceptable to leave it to him as a neutral third party.

After all, the saintess herself has no power; she only gains power when placed in the hands of a powerful being.

Phil knew he couldn't ask for more, so he stood up after a moment of silence.

Mien also stood up, and the two exchanged greetings before Phil left.

The moment the door opened, Mien saw a familiar figure who had been waiting outside for quite some time.

She timidly stepped aside and awkwardly bowed deeply to Bishop Phil, only daring to raise her head after he had walked away.

Then another head peeked out from beside the door and looked inside.

"Come in." Mien was tidying up the documents on the table without looking up.

"Okay!" The girl outside the door hurriedly came in, turned around, and carefully closed the door.

The girl wore a blue academic robe, large glasses, and had some freckles on her face. Her short, slightly curly blonde hair gave her a serious and reserved expression.

"Shana, how did your thesis defense go?"

Shanara hugged her paper to her chest, a happy smile spreading across her face: "Thank you, teacher, I passed!"

"What did they say?"

Shanara looked puzzled.

"It's a bit strange. In the twenty-minute review, they spent nineteen minutes praising the topic selection and even asked me to tell you."

Mien smiled and didn't seem to care.

He trusted his gifted student's abilities without a doubt; in just three years since enrolling, Mien had already helped her prepare her doctoral dissertation.

"Okay, then come to another meeting in a couple of days. I'll let you know in advance."

"Yes!" Shanara nodded vigorously.

"Is there anything else?"

"Oh right!!" Shanara suddenly realized she had almost forgotten something important.

She took two documents from beneath the papers she was holding:

"Professor Phyllis asked me to give you these two documents. One is the questions for this year's national theoretical examination, which you need to prepare."

Another issue is some unusual activity on Iron Can Street. Professor Phyllis finds it difficult to assess the situation and is reporting this to you.

"I understand, just put it on the table."

After Shanara placed her hands down, she was about to back away when Mien noticed something.

He gently moved his right hand, and Shanara's wand suddenly emerged from her scholar's robes, startling her.

The wand flew between the two, emitting a pale purple light under Mien's magical perception.

"You've imprinted the energy of your faith in life?" Mien examined the staff with interest.

"Yes." Shanara scratched her head, a little embarrassed, and chuckled:

"I feel that the structure and material of this staff are in harmony with life energy, but it doesn't provide much of a substantial improvement; it's just something I'm trying out."

In this world, the Light Church's faith in Light is the core energy, the most powerful and widespread.

It's not that other faiths are not allowed to exist, but after the empire wiped out cults and evil gods two hundred years ago, the people within the empire no longer had to fight.

Naturally, everyone chooses the most powerful and effective faith and the most promising path of development.

Besides the Holy See, there are five other sects in the Empire, but they are all growing weaker.

As for the esoteric sects among the common people, they have declined even further and become unorganized, to the point that the empire has become too lazy to care about them.

Although some esoteric incidents have occurred occasionally in recent decades, they have not gained much traction and have gone largely unnoticed.

Shanara has a natural talent for sensing energy and magic, which is also a reflection of her academic talent.

However, just like the life faith energy she imprinted on her staff, it was no match for the power of the faith in light. Whether in terms of learning efficiency or the degree of system development, it could only be used as a game.

Mien sighed: "The research environment these days is really terrible!"

Scholars' exploration of unknown magic and beliefs represents the future of this world.

But in this already powerful and dominant empire, no one cares about the future of the world; people only care about their own future.

Mien raised his right hand, and the purple light resonated with the staff. To Shanara's astonishment, the purple energy seeped into the imprint, and the imprint changed shape accordingly.

The light faded, and the staff gently landed in Shanara's hands.

"You have a good perception of life energy, but you lack understanding of the imprints of the Life Sect."

But it's not your fault; not many people bother to learn about these things anymore.

Shanara checked in surprise and found that the staff had been given the [Disguise] attribute.

Effect: Adjusts the energy fluctuations around the body, allowing one's appearance and energy to blend into the surrounding environment, achieving a mimicry and camouflage effect.

"The effect is not significant, but it may be effective in protecting oneself by surprise, even if some people don't recognize it."

"Wow..." Shanara's eyes, hidden behind her large glasses, lit up as she stared at the staff.

Shanara felt a flutter in her heart, whether from curiosity about new knowledge or admiration for Mien's vast knowledge, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

After leaving the office, she went straight to the laboratory.

Mien first opened the first document, which concerned the compilation of questions for the national theoretical examination.

A smile immediately appeared on his lips. This was an annual assessment that everyone across the country had to undergo, regardless of which faction or academy they wished to join.

No one can escape this process—whether they are preparing to become saints, saintesses, or officers.

It is also the happiest time of the year for Mien.

Whether it's setting traps in very basic questions that are easy to fall into without realizing it, or making the last few questions so incomprehensible that no one can understand them...

Whenever I think of the students sweating profusely and having a mental breakdown in the exam room, I feel a surge of satisfaction.

Mien picked up another report about the strange phenomena on Iron Can Street, but the more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

This is a street in a poor community where the plague broke out three months ago, but it has remained at a low level.

It neither erupted nor spread, nor did it slowly dissipate, as if it had cast a curse on the neighborhood.

After Professor Phyllis went to investigate, she found no abnormal or extraordinary energy, as if it were just a natural disease phenomenon.

She was still worried, so she reported it to Chief Mien. If she hadn't had to rush to attend the sainthood ceremony today, she would have gone to investigate with Mien herself.

After reading the report, Mien felt a sense of knowledge being awakened within him, and he tried to establish some kind of connection, as if it were related to a secret cult that had disappeared a hundred years ago—the Cult of Contractual Truth.

He stood up, put on his star-studded scholar's robe, and went out the door. People stopped and bowed in greeting as he went.

If you didn't know him, he would clearly be just a handsome young man in his twenties.

Mien stepped out of the Temple Academy and headed towards the Plague-stricken Iron Can Street.