The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Sigh..." He still pretended to sigh and said with some difficulty, "The old man Pope is not a big problem. What I am worried about now is that guy named Li Moran. He was too ruthless back then!"

Once I find out that the church and I are making a secret deal, I will have to bear all the risks.

I can give you a small portion of the potion on credit to help you get through this month.

If you can handle Li Moran, I guarantee our trading channel will open immediately!

The bishop's eyes twitched, but thinking of the potion he was about to get his hands on, he quickly agreed, "Don't worry, I'll get to it. We'll work on it together; you take care of the Pope, and I'll deal with Li Moran."

The future is bright, dear Slor!

"Remember to tidy up. You're at church headquarters now, don't give yourself away."

Slor's gloomy voice disappeared, clearly indicating that he had unilaterally severed the communication first. The black hole under the archbishop's feet also disappeared, and a moment later a small black porcelain bottle appeared in the teleportation array he had activated.

"My darling!"

The bishop hurriedly gripped the bottle in his hand, opened it to see the few black pills inside, quickly poured one out, and swallowed it.

The black pill rolled down my throat and into my stomach, and a burning sensation like fire instantly rose up.

"Uh!"

That moment must have been incredibly difficult. The bishop was pale and gritted his teeth to hold on, cold sweat instantly streaming down his face.

But the subsequent feeling of comfort intoxicated him. His body went from burning hot to icy cold in an instant. The rapid transition between fire and ice, mixed with pure magical effects, made him feel like he was in heaven and couldn't stop.

It took the archbishop about ten minutes to recover from the effects of the medicine.

The little white cat noticed that although his appearance didn't seem to change much before and after he took drugs, his demeanor, complexion, and behavior were completely different!

At this moment, the bishop truly looked like a young man in his forties, and even his eyes were much brighter.

The gloom that had settled over him vanished, replaced by a vibrant energy emanating from within. The bishop stood up, unbuttoned his uniform, and carefully examined the young body that had regained its elasticity and normalcy. He exclaimed sincerely, "This is what it means to be alive! Dragging around such a lifeless body, it seemed like even the brain was about to be buried!"

He slowly clenched his outstretched right hand, looking at his hands with their smooth, white, elastic, and powerful skin, feeling quite proud.

If that guy Slor could really win over the Pope, he could be a great help to me.

The priest and the holy son are both lazy and easy to fool. In addition, once their superpowers break through, they will be more than capable of dealing with the two of them. At that time, they will be fearless and the human world will be theirs for the taking!

And the magic potion that I rely on for survival will no longer be needed then, and I will become the first person in the world to live forever!

If Slor is sensible enough to establish trade relations with me and obediently exchange different resources between the two worlds, that's fine. But if he dares to have any disloyal intentions, I'll sell him to other strange lords, and I can just stand by and watch.

"At that time, humanity will forever remember my greatness!"

Envisioning a bright future, the archbishop laughed unrestrainedly with ambition, "The sacrifice now is necessary. As long as I can achieve immortality and obtain various resources from the Abyss Demon Realm, they will naturally become the greatest driving force for the development of the human world."

Humanity... only temporarily pays a pittance in the price of money and blood, a negligible cost in exchange for a future of prosperity and peace. Indeed, only I could accomplish such a feat!

By then, what other countries will be left?

All humanity will bow at my feet, and they will sing my praises…

The fluffy little ball couldn't help but stick out its pink tongue and took out a summoning magic stone to send a message to its host, "Host, the archbishop has gone mad!"

A person who is almost insane in his pursuit of immortality and also holds a high position is clearly a great security risk to humanity.

After sending the potion, the demon lord Slor severed the connection and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Hahahaha... Foolish humans! Mere mortals, if they want to gain more life, they naturally have to exchange it for the most precious things. Life-extending potions? Hahaha! Yes, that's a 'good thing' that I painstakingly made."

Not only can it maintain your vitality and help you prolong your life, but it can also make you energetic and feel the powerful magic filling your body!

The more frequent the seizures, the deeper your dependence on the medication.

He carefully admired the black fingernails on his left hand through the soft light shining in from above the black hall, and said with satisfaction, "The only thing that can stop me is the monumental hero Li Moran, and he cannot lay a hand on his own kind."

I can't wait to see him driven to his doom!

At that time... I will assist the bishop in ascending to the supreme position, and the entire human world will be in my hands.

Cross-border trade?

"Hahaha, I will send the 'best' potions to the world, and then I will have even more puppets under my control. The archbishop? He's nothing but a lackey I can replace if I don't like him!"

Slor withdrew his fiery eyes and gazed at the blood pool deep within the hall, where some strange corpses floated, and black lotuses growing within it were budding and about to bloom.

The archbishop, feeling refreshed and in high spirits, straightened his back and headed to his bedroom, ready to get a good night's sleep and move the plan forward as soon as possible!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: This year's bugs are pretty powerful...

Jiang Chen hadn't slept all night, and his bright eyes were bloodshot.

In contrast, the highly skilled Gerson and Li Moran were full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue from not having rested for a long time.

"As expected, there are huge differences between people. I can't take it anymore, I'm going to get some sleep. You guys continue chatting..." He yawned, got up, and said goodbye.

Having been completely exposed and now having a monumental hero as his backer, Gerson no longer bothered to hide. He snapped his fingers, and several fluttering black butterflies appeared at his fingertips to lead the way, guiding Jiang Chen to the guest rooms upstairs in the tavern to rest.

For the two native inhabitants of the magical alien world, this night was like opening the door to a new world.

Jiang Chen extended his thoughts from the significance of the revival of traditional science and technology to his vision of an ideal nation with revolutionary ideology, emphasizing the concept of a harmonious society where everyone is equal. His words were met with admiration from both the former enigmatic lord and the silent heroes who protected humanity.

If we could transform the world according to the ideas Jiang Chen described, what a wonderful future it would be!

The elderly are provided for until their end, the able-bodied are employed, the young are educated, the poor are supported, the needy are helped, and the widowed, orphaned, lonely, and disabled are all cared for.

People were no longer divided into high and low classes, noble and lowly, and everyone performed their duties happily.

"If such an ideal country could truly be created, it would be worth it to dedicate my entire life to protecting it!"

Li Moran took another sip of sake, his eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed into the void, seemingly sketching out a brand new and beautiful world. Something was stirring within him. "Although I don't know how the young man managed to think so thoroughly about every aspect and conceive such a wonderful world, I am willing to fight alongside him and try to fundamentally change and create a perfect socialist modern new world!"

Gerson, who was naturally inclined to peace, nodded in agreement. "Yes, his dream world is truly wonderful. After the children have rested enough and the belongings have been handed over, I will begin looking for a suitable location to open the school."

Once you list out the detailed plan like this, there's quite a lot to do!

“Hmm… I can also help you in some ways, though not much.” Li Moran looked at the densely packed notes he had taken all night and pointed to one line, saying, “To revive traditional science and technology, students need to completely abandon the influence of magic and relearn from the most basic aspects of nature, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and so on.”

I'll help you find these teaching materials, and once you've prepared everything on your end, I'll try to ship them back so we can have a seamless transition.

Gerson shrugged and smiled helplessly: "That's stuff from before your Dark Ages, I really don't know much about that. Hopefully, the ancient libraries in major cities still have books from a hundred years ago, otherwise it will be quite difficult to revive various disciplines."

"I might not have the books, but I do know a few antiques." Li Moran put down his wine glass and began planning which old friends he could ask for help.

After returning to his room and washing up, Jiang Chen didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he carefully reviewed the information sent by the little white cat.

[Misty: Are you awake yet? Guess what I discovered while stargazing last night?]

[Jiang Chen: Meow meow meow?]

[Miwu: You replied so quickly! Looks like you're awake. Perfect timing, let me tell you something. The last time I observed the stars was over a month ago, and the night sky hasn't changed at all in all these years. It's all a sign of the death star descending and the world being utterly destroyed.]

But last night I noticed a not-so-bright star appearing, seemingly poised to help the chosen one soar to new heights and dispel the ominous star's descent. I believe that newborn star is you!

[Jiang Chen: ╮(─▽─)╭ I'm flattered. The church keeps promoting the idea that the Holy Son is the chosen one. Does that mean we're going to save the world this time?]

[Mi Wu: Bah! Don't listen to their nonsense. I'm not the chosen one. According to my calculations, the chosen one who can save the world should be the monumental hero Li Moran, so if you want to play, you can't go wrong following him.]

[Jiang Chen: Thank you for letting me know, that's great news! By the way, I'd like to ask again, if Huo Mingyao had been corrupted and fallen into demonic possession that day and needed your help, would you have been able to kill him?]

[Mi Wu: Of course, if my spatial channeling ability isn't on cooldown, it's possible. After all, it can't transport living things; it has to be inanimate objects. If I forcibly trap Huo Mingyao and just throw him somewhere in the abyss, he'll die on the spot.]

The Holy Light Array would work, but it's unnecessary to deal with a small fry like him; activating it once would be too taxing on my body.

[Jiang Chen: Meow meow meow? Spatial channels can be used like this? I've learned something new! By the way, does the bishop know about your Holy Light abilities?]

Miwu: Of course I know, but I don't really trust that cowardly old man, so I haven't revealed much.

It's possible he already figured out the function of the Holy Light Array, since I didn't deliberately hide it from him, and even that bookworm priest knew.

Why did you suddenly ask this? Are you planning to start with the bishop?

[Jiang Chen: Overthrowing the church's rule needs a starting point, right? That old guy has always wanted to kill me, so isn't it perfect to use him as a scapegoat?]

[Miwu: (ー△ー；) Then you'd better be careful. Don't let the Archbishop's cowardly appearance fool you; he's actually a super executor. He just likes to keep it hidden, so I'm not too sure about his exact strength. The Archbishop's superpower is related to his life force, and I've never seen him personally take action. You'd better be very careful.]

[Jiang Chen: Okay.jpg]

[Miwu: A final friendly reminder: It's good to have a few secrets that no one knows about; at least you have the ability to protect yourself in a pinch. But don't easily use your hidden secrets, especially when they're exposed on camera, as they're most easily discovered. Not everyone is as easily fooled as those two idiots.]

【Jiang Chen:(o'ω`o)ノ】

After giving the reminder, Miwu deleted the information from the calling magic stone, pulled the soft, cloud-like blanket over herself, and began to sleep soundly.

“This bug is really powerful…” Jiang Chen put down the summoning magic stone, lay down on the bed, and began to think about how to use the deal between the archbishop and the strange lord in the abyss to completely drag the church down.

Early in the morning, the church headquarters issued an honorary medal to Jiang Chen, a former executor and civilian staff member, for killing bandits, benefiting the people, and protecting the safety of the Xuan Kingdom.

At the archbishop's behest, major media outlets launched a massive propaganda campaign to incite the public, quickly portraying him as a great figure second only to the Monument Hero.

Taking advantage of this wave of hero worship, some people with ulterior motives even formed a fan club and gave Jiang Chen the title of "Holy Light Knight," encouraging fans to worship him and push him to the altar.

"Li Moran—even the monsters of the abyss fear you, and aren't you also a stumbling block to my ascension to the supreme position of humanity?"

The archbishop looked at the wave of online discussion and smiled with satisfaction. "Since you two are tied together and both like to be in the limelight, then I'll let you enjoy the boundless glory of standing at the top."

Then... being personally cast into hell by the very person you worship—that must feel incredibly desperate!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Making Empty Promises

"The five major bandit groups and so much gold and silver treasure..." The archbishop felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it. "Using the lives of nearly a thousand people and the years of hard work I've built up to set this up, Jiang Chen, you deserve to die!"

Taking advantage of Jiang Chen's massacre of the five major bandit groups, the church issued a commendation and further promoted him as a second superhero.

With the addition of the Holy Light Knight Jiang Chen and the Monumental Hero Li Moran, the combined effect of one plus one is greater than two, creating an unparalleled and glorious spectacle. Once the momentum reaches its peak, they can then use that ambiguous video of his intense battle to manipulate things and directly pin the blame on him for believing in an evil god.

If necessary, have Slor help put on a show with a weird little henchman, and the angry crowd will personally push the two of them into the abyss!

The world believes that the human world has survived only because of Li Moran's extraordinary combat power, and even the strange creatures in the abyss believe so.

But in reality, it is the Holy Light Array of the Holy Son that truly protects humanity from harm!

As long as the Holy Son stands firm, the entire human world will be absolutely safe.

Fortunately, that guy isn't one to show off or steal credit; he's been quietly taking responsibility all these years, and he'll continue to do so in the future.

Through this series of actions, the entire world will know that even without Li Moran, there's no need to worry about strange attacks. Having successfully ascended to the highest level of immortality, he will be a truly immortal hero, a monument to the holy monument!

"Host, that old guy is up to no good!"

The little white cat perched on his shoulder, munching on dried fish, its cheeks bulging with discontent as it grumbled, "Isn't this a case of 'praise to kill'? They deliberately elevate you two to the highest point, then stab you in the back, sabotage you, pin the blame on you, and block your right to speak. Ordinary people are the easiest to fool and lead by the nose. And since the protagonist won't actually harm humans, what are we supposed to do?"