After the slave owners went bankrupt, they all wanted to keep me as a mistress.

but……

Upon closer reflection, Mu Qiu felt a little strange.

According to Lily, shouldn't Mother Earth have noticed him long ago?

Why did the temple priest say that the Earth Mother Goddess only realized the hero's arrival last night and sent angels to find him?

Is it because there are reservations about the priests of the temple?

After some thought, Mu Qiu concluded that this explanation was the most likely.

Should we believe Lily or this messenger from the Earth Temple?

Of course, it's Xin Lili!

The angel girl who called herself Lily was much more believable than the priests of the temple.

She had given her body to him, signed a contract with him, and her demeanor last night didn't seem fake.

More importantly, Lily is innocent, shy, and completely inexperienced, resembling a pure and holy angel.

In other words, the contracted angel sent by the Earth Mother Ariana has found him, but has not made this information public, presumably to protect his safety.

If you encounter someone claiming to be an angel again, be careful. Listen to whether they make a gurgling sound before judging whether they are real or not!

True angels would never make such a gurgling sound! That's a sound only vile demons would make!

Mu Qiu glanced at Vera.

Well, this lewd elf is an exception!

Chapter Fifty-Four: A Hundred Martial Arts Skills, This is the highest level of the art of breathing, which is exempt from all other forms of breathing.

Mu Qiu silently warned himself.

A pure and innocent girl like Lily, with a reserved and shy voice, is a true angel!

If you encounter any other people who claim to be angels in the future, you must listen to their voices and verify their vocal cords first. Don't believe them easily!

At this moment, Priest Hans took over the conversation, looking intently at Mu Qiu, and finally revealed his true purpose: "Such a grand ceremony requires the preparation of the finest offerings, the repair of the temple, and the lighting of the sacred fire for seven days and seven nights... all of which require enormous financial support."

"If you are willing to generously donate a sum of money, the goddess will surely remember your contribution, and the earth will reward you with abundance!"

His words were earnest, and his eyes were filled with eager expectation.

In his view, this young nobleman had just bought a luxurious estate and slaves, spending millions of gold coins, and was definitely not short of money. Since the other party was new to the country, it was precisely the time when he needed to accumulate reputation and seek the recognition of local forces. There was no reason for him to refuse such a good thing that could both win him a good reputation and please the gods.

The other temple staff members also cast expectant glances their way.

Mu Qiu listened without showing any emotion.

Donating to the temple might increase his influence, but he doesn't need it.

He only cared whether the system could view this as an indirect investment in slavery.

"How much do you need?"

Mu Qiu put down his teacup. The black tea today didn't taste as good as the one last night, and he couldn't drink it anymore.

"It costs five hundred thousand!"

Priest Hans was overjoyed, but suppressing his excitement, he carefully stated a figure: "To express the highest respect for the goddess, this ceremony will require at least 500,000 gold coins! Of course, we know you are quite wealthy, and if you could support more, that would be even better..."

Five hundred thousand gold coins!

Mu Qiu's heart stirred. If he could lose such a large sum of gold coins, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

"system."

He silently asked himself, "Can I use the system funds to donate 500,000 gold coins to the Temple of Earth?"

[Ding! The faith of slaves who have signed contracts with you in any deity will weaken over time. Therefore, under normal circumstances, you cannot use system funds for religious purposes.]

If the host insists on donating, personal wealth will be required.

Mu Qiu raised an eyebrow.

So, does that mean his slaves will never believe in any god?

Hmm... at least one less way to lose money.

On the bright side, this also means they won't be misled or brainwashed by any religion, which is a good thing for him.

Mu Qiu closed the system panel and turned his gaze back to Priest Hans. The look in his eyes made the priest, who had previously felt that victory was in his grasp, feel a jolt in his heart.

Since we cannot afford to lose money.

Of course, he couldn't possibly donate his own money to the Temple of the Earth.

He was a hero who had made a pact with the angels sent down to the mortal realm by the Earth Mother Goddess. It was already good enough that he hadn't asked the Earth Temple for money. How could it be the Earth Temple's place to ask him for money?

"Mr. Hans, have you come to our manor to beg for food?"

Priest Hans's expression changed slightly. Why did the other party's tone sound like the aristocracy of the capital looking down on outsiders?

"My Lord, what do you mean?"

What do you think I mean?

Mu Qiu casually crossed his legs, his posture arrogant. "My money will only be spent on me and my slaves. Even if you beg in my manor, I will not give you a single gold coin out of pity."

"You! You are blaspheming the Mother Goddess!"

The young deacon couldn't help but shout excitedly, his face turning bright red.

They came to this nobleman to raise funds, hoping to get a donation in the name of the Mother Goddess, but he said he would only spend money on slaves...

Isn't this just a veiled attack?

Who are you calling a slave?!

Priest Hans quickly stopped him, his face turning extremely ugly, but he still managed to maintain the last shred of dignity: "My lord, please be careful with your words! The goddess's majesty is beyond question! We have come with sincerity and hope that you can contribute to the ceremony."

“I have not blasphemed your Mother Goddess.”

Mu Qiu stood up, looking down at them with an icy tone, "But you, instead of going to the local city lord and nobles, come to me, an outsider, first. What, do you think I look like a soft persimmon, easy to bully?"

"If you're not satisfied, then go and invite your mother goddess over, and see if she'll be on your side!"

He waved his hand, as if shooing away flies.

"Luna, show the guest out!"

Before she finished speaking, Luna led several orange-haired catgirls into the side hall like a whirlwind, surrounding the clergy.

Luna, standing with her hands on her hips, looked smug and arrogant as she shouted at Priest Hans, "Get lost, meow! Your master doesn't welcome you, meow!"

Seeing that this noble youth had only sent the lowest of the lowly demi-human slaves to drive him away, and that even this slave was so arrogant, Priest Hans's face turned red and white in turns. He gripped the scepter in his hand tightly, his nails almost digging into the wood.

This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!

When has he ever suffered such a humiliating disgrace?

It was one thing for him to kneel and beg for food in front of nobles, but when did even a lowly demi-human slave dare to act arrogantly and domineeringly over him?

Hans took a deep breath, suddenly looked up and stared intently at Mu Qiu, his voice hoarse as he said, "My lord! If you are unwilling to donate, our Earth Temple will understand!"

"But you allow these lowly demi-human slaves to humiliate us like this... Isn't that going too far?"

"Meow?!"

Luna's furry cat ears twitched at Hans's sudden ferocious expression. She hurriedly shrank her neck and timidly turned her head to look at Mu Qiu.

Did she... say something wrong just now, meow?

In that instant, countless terrifying thoughts exploded in her mind.

She felt as if she had returned to the days when she was wandering in the forest with a group of big and small cats. Just when she finally found a place to settle down, she was captured by a group of human slave hunters...

Shouldn't she have breathed on the guest just now?

Will her owner feel ashamed of her? Will they kick her out? Will they abandon her?

"Then what do you want?"

Mu Qiu's indifferent voice rang out, as if he didn't take the other party's anger seriously at all.

Luna gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

She held her breath, her tail hanging stiffly behind her, not daring to move.

Hans, however, assumed that Mu Qiu had given in, and his expression softened slightly. He smiled gently, intending to offer a way out: "My lord, let's let today's matter rest. But what about this lowly demi-human maidservant...?"

He pointed at Luna, his intention all too clear.

With just a little punishment, even if it's just a show, he can save face and get things out of this smoothly.

The other party is, after all, a nobleman. No matter how arrogant he is, we can't really offend him.

He didn't say anything about having the other side execute the slaves, as that was unrealistic.

Even the lowest of the subhuman slaves is still the property of their master. What right does he have to ask a nobleman to confiscate his property?

But surely it shouldn't be a problem to just give a little punishment to a lowly demi-human slave?

This gives him a way out without offending the other party, allowing both sides to end things amicably, as if nothing ever happened.

In his view, this would be a win-win situation for both sides, with no loss whatsoever.

As for the orange cat girl's opinion?

What dignity and will does a lowly subhuman slave have?

Everything a slave owns belongs to the master, and it is only natural and reasonable for the master to punish the slave.

Hans believed he had already made enough concessions, only hoping that the other party could punish this arrogant demi-human slave in person, so that he could also save face. Such a simple matter should not be something the other party needed to consider at all.

Luna's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Oh no, meow!

Luna's doomed, meow!

Luna said something wrong, meow! She's going to be punished by her owner, meow!

Waaaaah... Luna will never hiss again! Luna never wants to be an orange tabby cat again in her next life, meow! Luna wants to be human too, meow!

Just because Luna is a demi-human, a slave, she's not allowed even the slightest offense, meow! This world is so malicious towards meow!

Luna regretted her earlier breath, her body trembling slightly, no longer daring to imagine her fate.

No, don't be afraid, meow!

Their owner is already very good to them, meow!

Luna wants to stay with her owner and everyone else, meow!

Anyway, the master will only punish Luna, meow! Even if he docks all her wages, Luna still wants to stay, meow!

Adele, standing to Mu Qiu's right, also tensed up. She clenched her fists instinctively, her golden eyes fixed on Mu Qiu, and even her breathing became soft.

Yes.

They were merely slaves, the property of their masters.

No matter how good their master is to them, he wouldn't offend important figures from the outside world for their sake, would he?

She could almost picture Luna being severely punished; yesterday's events were nothing but a fleeting dream, and soon they would face a truly tragic future as slaves.

However, at this moment——

"You bunch of filthy beggars, you actually think you're something special?"

Mu Qiu's voice was cold and arrogant, and his eyes looked as if he were a master from the capital looking down on a group of stinking outsiders with disdain.

Hans shuddered.