Chapter Nineteen: The Four Departments

As soon as Link grasped the basic magic core, the knowledge of how to use it and its effects flooded his mind, filling him with delight. To put it simply, a magic core is the heart of magic itself; once implanted, it greatly boosts the wielder’s magical power and accelerates the recovery rate of their mana by several times—a truly divine artifact for any mage.

Although Link was not a professional mage, he often relied on magic, and his limited magical reserves had always been his greatest weakness. Now, with the basic magic core, the problem that had troubled him for so long was finally solved.

Without hesitation, Link pressed the magic core to his chest. The violet crystal immediately melded into his body, rapidly transforming him from within. With the system’s assistance, the fusion was complete in just three minutes. At that moment, Link felt his magical power increase tenfold. While not immense by any means, it was far more than before. Most importantly, the speed at which his mana replenished itself was incomparable to the past—even if he cast healing spells continuously for an entire day, he would no longer feel exhausted. The abundance of magical energy left him exhilarated. If he could master a few combat spells, he would even be able to stand his ground against a second-tier warrior.

After savoring the surge of power within, Link smiled with satisfaction and turned his attention to a newly unlocked feature.

Before his eyes appeared a shop option visible only to him. Upon opening it, a row of new categories unfolded, corresponding to the six types of prizes in the system’s lottery—herbs, spirit beasts, equipment, buildings, skills, and divine arts.

However, of these six categories, only herbs were currently active; the others were grayed out. Selecting them revealed that he did not have enough faith points. At one hundred thousand faith points, the spirit beast category would unlock; at two hundred thousand, the spirit pet category; at five hundred thousand, buildings; at one million, skills; and at three million, divine arts.

The staggering numbers made Link’s heart sink. He had hoped the shop would offer valuable goods, only to find that he could use just one category.

When he opened the herb section, he discovered a variety of items, but only basic herbs were for sale, and all were raw materials. One would need to master alchemy or pill-crafting to use them.

That, however, was not the worst of it—the truly vexing part was the outrageous prices. Link could only purchase items with divine power, which was exchanged from faith points at a rate of one divine power per thousand faith points. Currently, he had a total of 21,742 faith points, translating to just 21 divine power available.

Even the cheapest herb cost 3 divine power, and the priciest demanded 20—absurdly expensive. Link felt utterly defeated. He had been so hopeful about the shop system, only to find it even more exploitative than those bootleg online games back on Earth. He wondered whether the system had also inherited their shamelessness when mimicking their functions.

After browsing for a while, Link lost interest and closed the shop, burying himself in sleep.

The next morning, Link summoned everyone in the Church of the Father to the Grand Cathedral of Holy Light, announcing that he had an important proclamation. Upon hearing his summons, everyone quickly assembled at the cathedral.

At present, the Church of the Father numbered seventeen: aside from the original members, the brothers Aeolus and Aioria had also joined. After praying in the cathedral the previous day, their injuries were completely healed, and both became fervent believers. In fact, aside from Link himself, all sixteen others were now zealous devotees. Having witnessed miracles and personally received the “blessings of the god,” even those most skeptical had undergone a complete transformation.

Once all were present, Link entered the cathedral, now dressed in a white robe. Though not ornate, the robe radiated authority, making everyone’s eyes shine with awe and anticipation, suspecting what Link was about to announce.

Standing before the altar, Link surveyed the congregation, then offered a gentle smile and said, “Everyone, I have called you here today to announce three things. First, our Father is very pleased with our actions yesterday. Last night, the Father came to me in a dream, directing that I be formally elevated to Archbishop of the Church of the Father. Furthermore, the mayor has officially registered our church.”

Hearing this, everyone looked unsurprised, then erupted in joy. Link’s appointment as Archbishop was more than a mere change in title and rank; it meant the Church of the Father had gained official recognition.

In the world of Solakon, religions abounded, and the authorities of every nation could not simply ignore them. After centuries of struggle, all religions were required to register with the government and be declared legal; otherwise, they were considered illegal organizations, and their founders could call themselves nothing more than priests.

Though the little town of Qinke was lax in its management of religion, the law could not be blatantly ignored. That was why Link had always referred to himself as a priest. But after yesterday’s miracle, even the mayor became a believer, so getting official legalization was a simple matter. With a word, the process was complete, and Link could now proudly call himself Archbishop.

However, that was as far as Link could go for now. To become a Pontiff, he would need the endorsement of a provincial lord, and no province could have more than five Pontiffs. In other words, for Link to advance, he first had to suppress at least one of the five existing religions with a Pontiff.

This system was a calculated measure by the authorities to limit religious power, ensuring constant competition and conflict among the faiths.

Above the rank of Pontiff was the Pope. While the terms were synonymous on Earth, in Solakon, the Pope was the supreme religious leader, on par with the emperors of the major empires, and any religion with a Pope was the state religion of its empire.

At present, there were only eight empires among the human nations, but only four had state religions—meaning there were only four Popes in all of Solakon. Most religions, at best, had a Pontiff; more often, they could go no higher than Archbishop.

Although Link found this system frustrating, he had no choice but to play by the rules. Otherwise, even if the authorities left him alone, other religions would not tolerate such a rule-breaker.

After a thousand years of enforcement, this system was ingrained in society—even clergy saw it as natural.

Once everyone had digested the news of their official recognition, Link continued, “Since our church has now taken shape, we must no longer operate haphazardly. Therefore, as Archbishop, I will assign duties to each of you.” He paused, then went on, “Within our church, there will be four main departments: the Inquisition, the Order of Defenders, the Administrative Office, and the Department of Enlightenment. The Inquisition will supervise and punish corruption or degeneration within our ranks, though we currently have no suitable candidate, so this position will remain vacant for now. The Order of Defenders is charged with protecting our church and resisting external threats. The Saints and other defenders fall under this department. Saga, Aeolus, and Aioria—you three, as candidate Saints, will be assigned here. The security of the Church of the Father is in your hands.” With that, he looked at the three men.

They immediately felt the weight of their responsibility and nodded solemnly.

Link smiled in satisfaction and added, “There is no suitable candidate for the head of the Order of Defenders yet, so for now the position remains vacant. Do your best—when you are ready, one of you will be chosen as its leader.”

At this, the three were so moved that their bodies trembled with excitement.

Smiling at their enthusiasm, Link turned to the others and continued, “The Administrative Office will handle the daily operations and management of our church—a responsibility just as important. Jack, you have performed admirably of late; I appoint you as acting head of the Administrative Office for one year. If you do well, the ‘acting’ title will be removed next year.”

Overjoyed, Jack immediately knelt respectfully before Link. “Priest—no, Archbishop, rest assured, I will not disappoint you. I will manage the church well!”

Link nodded with a smile. The others looked at Jack with undisguised envy. Though now fervent believers, their personalities and ambitions remained; as long as they were human, they would pursue status and compare themselves to others. Seeing Jack become head of the Administrative Office, even temporarily, they could not help but feel envious.

Since the Administrative Office was crucial to the church’s operation, even if the church was still small, Jack could not manage it alone. Link assigned Jack’s original subordinates to remain with him, as Jack was familiar with their strengths and temperaments.

After assigning responsibilities for the Administrative Office, Link turned his gaze to Elia and Yuna. Meeting the hopeful and nervous looks of the two young women, he announced, “Finally, the Department of Enlightenment. Its task is simple: to establish orphanages and schools—not just one or two, but wherever our church extends its influence. In other words, as our church grows, so too must our orphanages and schools.”

At these words, not only the two girls but everyone else was stunned.

Link was not surprised by their reaction. Opening orphanages was one thing, but founding schools was an ambitious undertaking. The world of Solakon was backward; education was rare, and schools could only be found in large towns or cities. Places like Qinke and its neighboring villages were too small to support schools. Ordinary people seeking education had to travel to the cities or hire a tutor.

This situation resulted not only from backward institutions but also from a lack of qualified teachers and the tendency to hoard knowledge, just as in ancient China.

But Link knew that founding orphanages and schools was essential to the church’s future. He never expected a flood of talent to flock to the Church of the Father, nor did he intend to fully trust all who joined. Faith and loyalty are best fostered from a young age. On Earth, the Catholic Church’s rise to prominence was closely tied to its widespread orphanages and religious schools.

Moreover, in every respect, this was a good thing. If successful, the church’s image and reputation would be greatly enhanced.