Chapter 346: The Sun-Chaser

“The Church of the Sun-Chaser? Hmm, is this an elf church?”

“No, how could you think that? Elves generally worship the moon. This is a purely monetary church.”

After bidding farewell to Dainya, Li En returned home, still pondering this new major problem.

A true god’s church seemed to sense the opportunity here, actively inserting itself—and even planning to establish a high-level diocese to trouble Dainya—yet they were utterly untrustworthy.

“A monetary church? That’s quite an exaggerated term.”

But when Li En saw those plump orange-robed missionaries tossing out small gifts, shopping vouchers, and flyers to sell goods, he nearly lost his composure.

“They really are priests running businesses. No, it’s more like merchants who became priests.”

Their holy symbol was a human figure sprinting toward the sun—the literal pursuer of light.

But those who knew them called them:

“The Gold-Seekers have set their sights on this place again?”

The Sun-Chaser, a true deity, is known to oversee “Commerce,” “Travel,” and “The Sun.”

Clearly, this is a powerful deity, holding some of the most lucrative divine domains, and its clerics naturally wield considerable domain power.

But they are rather unusual—their clerical ranks and divine offices can be purchased.

Yes, this bizarre church is pure feudal-era capitalism: from the Pope down to regional bishops of every branch, all positions are bought and paid for.

Even at the bottom, becoming a member brings no income—you must pay annual dues based on your divine rank, years of membership, and number of subordinates.

Fail to pay enough, and you’re demoted; drop below a certain level, and you’re expelled outright.

Of course, no one is foolish enough to join willingly—this church is in fact a gathering place for countless wealthy merchants, a hub of business opportunity.

Joining grants access to their commercial network, and you can trade money for supernatural power—highly favorable for major merchants.

“This business model sounds good, but it also seems deeply flawed—how do they sustain constant revenue and continuous income growth?”

After glancing at the data, Li En noticed something off: annual dues rise by at least five percent each year, and the increase compounds annually for the same position—within four or five years, the rise exceeds forty percent.

In other words, to retain your church position and clerical rank, you must desperately scramble to make money.

Not only is there pressure from “annual dues,” but you also face revenue pressure from “your diocese’s property income.”

No matter how much you earn this year, the pressure will rise again soon.

“Isn’t this forcing these people to constantly find ways to squeeze out money?”

With KPI growth like a financial index, honest, steady industrial work won’t cut it—they must pursue predatory, speculative, explosive income; draining the pond is nothing—they’ll pump out the entire fishpond and sell the water and mud.

“No wonder their reputation is so terrible. Are they targeting this region’s material market? Or planning to interfere with the adventurer market?”

The Gold-Seekers have a terrible reputation because they recognize nothing but money.

But one must admit, their sense for profit and gold is among the best in the world—if there’s a chance to get rich, they’ll come.

Li En considered: they’re likely targeting the supernatural materials from the underground ruins; if exploration proceeds smoothly, the output will inevitably exceed what the local market can absorb.

These materials, if left locally, won’t be fully absorbed in the short term—but they can gradually enhance the kingdom’s overall strength. Wealth and supernatural substances attract power; power further accelerates exploration, eventually forming a virtuous cycle.

But if military resources are converted into coins, and future power is taken away…

“No wonder Dainya is so annoyed. If the Sun-Chasers merely sell goods here, it’d be fine—their commercial network is excellent—but I fear they’ll keep playing short-term games.”

Li En wasn’t as troubled as Dainya. Commercial operations are hard for the state to control; the kingdom’s biggest problem right now is its lack of reputation and commercial network. If the Sun-Chasers truly build up business here, spreading their name isn’t necessarily bad—and with their network, the kingdom could buy high-quality weapons from other nations.

These people are infamous for doing any business—if there’s profit and demand here, they’ll naturally offer other services.

Recent reports show several fleeing nobles purchased service packages from them, and their lands and properties were cheaply acquired by the church.

“The key is still control—ideally, force them to trade primarily in barter: materials for finished goods. But forget it—the royal house has no authority to enforce this.”

Dainya controls extremely limited resources; the Sun-Chasers deigning to greet her politely is already a sign of respect. Even if you try to stop them, you can’t stop them.