Chapter 418: Need to Pay Extra (54K Thanks to yrmtnbe's 2 Alliance Masters)

To become a banner.

Although Herbert's words were somewhat abstract, Pope Lieri could still easily understand his meaning.

"Oh? You've already figured it out? Hehe, you really are clever."

The old man looked at the young man's strained expression, finally recovering the face he'd lost earlier, and contentedly stroked his beard.

Good.

Satisfying.

Knowing the "conservation of smiles" law, when Pope Lieri showed a smile, another person in the room would lose theirs.

"……"

Herbert now couldn't smile at all.

no-hehe. jpg

Once he realized what Pope Lieri intended to have him do, Herbert could no longer hold it together.

"No, Your Holiness!"

"I really don't think this is possible!"

Herbert could no longer care about propriety or rank, stared at the smiling old man, gritted his teeth, and said excitedly:

"Having me deal with Miss Xie Shen's avatar or something—how could that possibly be done!!?"

No, bro!!?

You just have to play it this way, huh?

Both sides were clever people; some things didn't need to be spelled out to be understood.

Once Herbert received help that didn't match his current strength, he knew things were going to go badly.

If he received a legendary-level reward, Herbert would gladly accept it, take it graciously, and express sincere thanks.

If he received an epic-level reward, Herbert would hesitate briefly, then after a moment "reluctantly" accept it with a show of half-refusal, afterward expressing gratitude with reverent awe.

But if he received a "windfall from the heavens" above epic, Herbert would accept it with a delighted face, then look for a chance to run.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Take a person's money, do a person's work.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The gifts of fate have long been priced.

Herbert had always understood these truths.

This gift beyond fate certainly couldn't be taken lightly and safely.

Take the money, and you have to do the work.

And Herbert actually didn't want to get involved in this mess at all.

He just wanted to be an ordinary salary thief, with no intention of doing anything proper!

Being a "meat armor rack," smoothly bringing Valentina and the others into the Radiant Holy City, and the task the Xiudaoyuan Sect had given him would already be complete.

That's it!

No more effort needed.

From then on, he just needed to slack off, coast along, help Flora find a way to get baptized, wait for both churches to withdraw, and this trip to Soranthes would be smoothly concluded.

I really want to escape, but I can't—

Herbert wasn't nominally a member of the Sun Church either, so he didn't need to obey Pope Lieri's orders—when faced with this kind of forced assignment, he could actually choose to refuse.

But the problem was… right now, he simply couldn't refuse.

The other party simply wouldn't allow him to refuse.

"Don't worry, if it were just you alone, you really couldn't do it, but now you've received my help."

Pope Ivansen twirled his beard and smiled, saying proudly: "Don't worry, even if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in me—you can definitely do it."

"A mere cowardly evil god who doesn't dare descend in true form, just an avatar of His—what's there to fear? Ahahaha!"

Herbert listened to Pope Lieri's proud laughter, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily, wanting to punch him and cut off this damned laughter.

Weak?

What kind of nonsense are you spouting!

Is the God of Depraved Desire weak?

He has absolutely nothing to do with being weak!

As one of the few evil gods possessing high-level divine power, He Himself was a great banner of the evil camp.

It's just that because of His style of conduct, compared to those righteous gods, He was more insidious and cunning in His ways, seeming somewhat shady.

People always said He was bad, but no one ever said He was weak.

Especially the authority of 【Corruption】 He wielded—although it was hard to exert enough power on the high-end battlefield, making it difficult to cause considerable damage.

But this ability against low-end combatants was outright crushing; many weaklings were silently corrupted before they even had time to resist.

And besides, listen to the nonsense that old bastard Pope Lieri just said?

Do it easily?

Do my ass!

Herbert gritted his teeth secretly, gazing resentfully at the aged pope whose smile had spread all the wrinkles on his face.

Retracting my earlier words.

This old fellow isn't some grandmaster chess player either—he's also a shameless old bastard!

The wicked old man is truly rotten!

If he really followed Pope Lieri's plan, Herbert would truly be crazy.

Never mind how difficult this "easy" challenge claimed by the Lieri Emperor truly was, or how many terrible dangers lurked behind it.

Even if one succeeded exactly as the Lieri Emperor described, afterward, problems would abound and consequences be endless.

At that moment, Herbert would surely become a hero known to all the world!

This time, he would not again be like in the Dark Regions—having accomplished a monumental feat, yet known by scarcely anyone.

This time, he would not remain obscure again, but would truly be watched by the entire world.

But the problem was, this honor, coveted by ordinary mortals, would be an extremely sharp double-edged sword.

Put kindly, it would be a banner fluttering prominently, inspiring all enlightened souls to press forward.

But put plainly, at that time, Herbert would merely be… a target.

A target for every arrow!

At that time, all beings would know his name.

He would, for the first time, step formally before the gods and be noticed by Them.

And the gaze of the gods was never a positive boon; more often, it symbolized destruction and death.

The forces of evil would also fix their eyes upon him.

Fortunately, by then, Herbert had already advanced to Legend, no longer weak in the mortal realm.

Though the forces of evil would still see him as a stepping stone to fame and seek opportunities to assassinate him, they would no longer regard him as a lamb to be easily manipulated.

Moreover…

Not only enemies, but even allies would cast dangerous glances toward him.

The forces of evil were riddled with rival factions, always a scattered mess.

But the forces of justice were no less fractured.

In terms of acting independently and harboring ulterior motives, the heroes of the forces of justice were hardly inferior to the vermin of the forces of evil.

Everyone would watch Herbert, trying to become him—or pull him down.

"But… do you think this is appropriate?"

Herbert calmed slightly, shook his head, and said slowly to the Lieri Emperor: "I know you wish to appoint someone to end the chaos within the Church."

To a high-ranking Emperor like you, whether conservative or progressive, all are merely members of the Church—no difference at all.

Ivan tolerated their rivalry, but had grown weary of it and no longer wished them to continue this internal strife.

This childish bickering has no meaning whatsoever; it is time to stop.

To balance things, he would introduce a third force to shatter the existing equilibrium.

"I indeed belong to neither the conservative nor the progressive faction—I am a suitable candidate."

"But the problem is, I don't even belong to the Sun Church at all!"

Herbert was enraged.

Am I one of you?

Are you using me as a tool?!

Did we sign a labor contract?

Do you even follow labor laws?

Is there no justice? Is there no law?

And… oh, right, they're the Church—they don't obey secular law.

Then does the Religious Inquisition have no scripture left!!?

Look up!

The Sun is still watching you all!

"So what? Your identity makes it even better!"

Yet Ivan, the Emperor, still smiled calmly, chuckling: "Precisely because you are an outsider, you will better stir up those narrow-minded little brats."

Herbert cared about his identity, but the Lieri Emperor viewed this issue from an entirely different angle.

An outsider?

Then… wouldn't that be even more stimulating?

If they cannot even match an outsider, what face do they have left to beg our Lord for favor?

"It is precisely because they care too much about those dull matters that the gods have abandoned them and lost interest in them."

Here, the Lieri Emperor's smile vanished; a terrible majesty radiated from him as he snorted coldly: "During this time when our Lord has slipped into semi-sleep, they have given me no end of trouble, hmph!"

The old man's angry snort was quiet, yet it caused the entire space to tremble slightly.

Ivan had long been dissatisfied with them, but had never found a suitable opportunity to discipline them.

The God of Lust's provocation gave him this chance.

And now, he had finally waited for the right moment.

Now, the opportunity had come.

The Lieri Emperor intended to use Herbert to convey one message—Our Lord is disappointed in you! He would rather support an infidel than grant you His blessing!

This was the Lieri Emperor's plan.

If it succeeded smoothly, it would achieve multiple goals at once, making the entire Sun Church the greatest winner.

They would gain tremendous prestige among divine sects and prove to the world that the Sun God's power remained undiminished.

Second, they would establish a "role model" for all Sun Church members to strive toward.

To spur those idle fools into action and stop their useless petty schemes.

"Um… have you forgotten one thing?"

Herbert raised a hand, expressionless, interrupting the Emperor's reverie, and said gravely: "The most important thing!"

"What is it?"

The young man stared at the old man, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "From all this, it seems I haven't gotten any benefit at all?"

According to how things would develop next, Herbert would become a target for everyone, and with a high probability would be regarded as a thorn in the flesh by the younger generation of the Sun Church.

I just came here to slack off — do you really need to put such a heavy burden on me?

Is this right?

This isn't right!

And, most importantly — where's my benefit?

Herbert glared at Pope Ivansen, looking as if he was about to reach straight into his pocket.

Where's the benefit!!?

Give it to me!

The various risks mentioned earlier, being watched by the world and all that nonsense — actually none of it matters.

When you are still weak, you can hide yourself, concealed beneath the canopy.

But once you have grown, once you have become an elephant, you can no longer hide behind a single tree.

In fact, Herbert today is not afraid of stepping into the spotlight.

Ever since the night he formed an alliance with Nie Nasha, he knew this day would come sooner or later.

And he had already made his preparations.

Herbert now possessed enough strength to protect himself, and on top of that, his monster-girl enforcer team had grown increasingly lavish.

As long as he didn't go courting death by provoking the gods or clashing with a handful of dangerous powerhouses, he could basically run rampant in the mortal world.

Whatever he wanted to do, he could do it!

Not afraid at all!

So the reason Herbert had put on such an agonized, conflicted, sullen act just now… was actually all an act.

All so he could demand a higher price at this very moment!

Want me to be your tool-man?

Sure.

Want me to be your white glove, to straighten out the Church?

That works too.

These things are hard, but not impossible — anything can be negotiated.

But the problem is…

Pay more!

I'm very cute, please give me money!

Stop drawing empty pies for me!!!

"Uh…"

The Lieri Pope paused, blinked, then quickly caught on and laughed helplessly: "You little rascal, you really are… hahaha!"

He didn't feel angry at all — on the contrary, he found this little fellow especially interesting.

This fellow wasn't just brazen; his personality was genuinely quite amusing.

"I knew you'd say that, which is why I didn't prepare any specific reward for you. I just wanted to ask — what is it that you want?"

The Lieri Pope smoothly changed tack, smiling as he rocked the lounge chair, and said leisurely: "Child, speak your wish. As long as it's not too much, I can grant it."

He wasn't afraid of Herbert making demands; he was afraid of Herbert wanting nothing at all.

If Herbert truly refused his "help" by threatening his own life, the Lieri Pope really had no way to force him.

After all, they were still on the same side — he couldn't go too far.

Besides, even setting aside the monk's face, one still has to consider the Buddha's face.

Forcing the junior isn't the end of it — behind him there's still an old thing.

That old fellow, bound day after day in the monastery, has long been looking for a chance to wander about… tsk.

Every time that fellow runs out, the whole world gets tense — who knows how many people live in dread.

Each time he takes the chance to roam the world, and once he's played enough, he casually drags back the target that "disturbed" him.

For some reason, he'd quieted down these past few hundred years — as if he hadn't found an excuse to go out for a long time.

No one knows what kind of thing would be let loose if he were released again now…

Old acquaintances are old acquaintances, and they're all long in the tooth — best not to actually come to blows.

The Lieri Pope certainly didn't want to become the Archbishop's excuse for an outing.

And since Herbert had made a demand, that proved he was willing to accept the task.

Herbert had taken on this outsourced job!

The monastery didn't restrict it anyway, so he might as well openly take on some side work.

A horse doesn't get fat without night feed.

Although the monastery had treated Herbert generously, he still had so many little animals at home to feed!

He didn't know how many tons of rice they'd eat in a day — providing for the family is hard work.

Working so hard, taking on a few more part-time gigs is perfectly normal!

Since the Lieri Pope dared to be so generous, Herbert didn't hold back either, and immediately opened his mouth like a lion to state his conditions.

"I need a full set of epic-grade dragon battle armor — I'll rely on it to protect my companions and improve our safety."

"I also need to obtain a legendary-grade battle harp — that's very important for resisting the temptation of the Depraved."

"Next, I also need the Sun Church's Lieri Holy Water… let's start with three hundred bottles? Uh, dragons use a lot."

"I hope to obtain permission to enter the Lieri Library, to read all the collected information on magical creatures, and if there are corresponding flesh specimens, that would be even better."

……

Herbert listed demands for quite a while, and finally felt it was about enough. He nodded and spoke his last request: "Lastly, I hope my companions can undergo a baptism within the Radiant Sanctuary."

The Lieri Pope listened quietly to Herbert's sky-high demands the whole time, his smile remaining calm and composed, never once feeling the pinch.

Although this little fellow had raised some seemingly excessive demands, his imagination was honestly rather limited.

Those demands meant nothing to him personally, and to the entire Church, they were even more trivial.

But only the very last point caused the Pope's brow to furrow. He said slowly, "Child, I can fulfill all your other requests, but as for that last point, you should give it up."

"The Radiant Sanctuary is our Lord's holy ground. Only devout believers may enter — even you cannot, let alone your other companions."

"This is a rule since ancient times."

The Church of the Gods still had its own rules. A place like the Radiant Sanctuary strictly forbade outsiders from entering, let alone allowing them to undergo baptism.

"No?"

Herbert was not surprised his request was refused, but he did not give up. Instead, he cast a sidelong glance at the Pope and immediately changed his terms.

"Well, if that's the case, I understand. I'll modify my request."

"I don't want anything else."

He looked at the old man and said slowly:

"I only need you to spread the news within the Church that 【the Sun God may be the Sun Goddess】… Oh, right, and it has to be in the Pope's name."

"There shouldn't be a rule against that, right?"

Herbert had said all that just for this last point — how could he give it up easily.

Old bastard!

Can you take this punch!!?

"……"

Pope Ivanson wore a dead-fish expression, silently staring at Herbert, cursing him wordlessly with his eyes — You son of a bitch, here you go again with this?

"Hah!"

Herbert, meanwhile, fearlessly returned his gaze, answering with his eyes as well — What, are you scared?

The two stared at each other for quite a while, until the entire space began to tremble, and the old man was the first to look away.

"……Then let's go with the previous one instead."

Pope Ivanson scratched his head, smacked his lips, and said with an awkward expression: "Um, what was it you said at the very beginning?"

"Wasn't it letting the demons and devils undergo baptism in the Sanctuary? Haha, that one we can still discuss, cough cough."

The corner of his mouth twitched as he offered an excuse even he could barely hold together: "I believe our Lord also hopes to give them a chance to turn over a new leaf, cough cough!"

……

……

Just as Herbert and the Lieri Pope were discussing the specific details of the deal, Valentina in the residence had entered the "Spineback Dragon" bristling form.

"Ha—"

She let out a threatening roar at an empty corner, trying to scare off that unknown presence.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Back! Back! Back!

Valentina did not know what that thing was, nor whether it truly existed, but she instinctively resisted it.

Danger!

Extreme danger!

She even recalled that when she had encountered that old bastard back then, she had felt this same irresistible fear.

If she hadn't promised Herbert not to leave the residence, she would already be carrying Flora and the others and fleeing for her life.

Even now, she had already wrapped her tail around the demon and devil's waists, ready to run at any moment.

"Leave!"

"You are not welcome here!"

"Please leave this place!!!"

Fortunately, no matter how Valentina threatened, the other party never responded, which put her slightly at ease.

Then……

Just when Valentina thought the other party was about to leave, or that everything was merely her imagination.

Valentina's expression changed, her eyes widening.

At this moment, she "watched helplessly" as she felt that presence move, seemingly strolling leisurely into one of the rooms of the residence.

The room where Herbert had slept last night!

(End of this chapter)