[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-346":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269992,4431,"Chapter 346: The Sun-Chaser","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-346",346,"\u003Cp>“The Church of the Sun-Chaser? Hmm, is this an elf church?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, how could you think that? Elves generally worship the moon. This is a purely monetary church.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After bidding farewell to Dainya, Li En returned home, still pondering this new major problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A monetary church? That’s quite an exaggerated term.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They really are priests running businesses. No, it’s more like merchants who became priests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their holy symbol was a human figure sprinting toward the sun—the literal pursuer of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those who knew them called them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Gold-Seekers have set their sights on this place again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sun-Chaser, a true deity, is known to oversee “Commerce,” “Travel,” and “The Sun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this is a powerful deity, holding some of the most lucrative divine domains, and its clerics naturally wield considerable domain power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they are rather unusual—their clerical ranks and divine offices can be purchased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fail to pay enough, and you’re demoted; drop below a certain level, and you’re expelled outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joining grants access to their commercial network, and you can trade money for supernatural power—highly favorable for major merchants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This business model sounds good, but it also seems deeply flawed—how do they sustain constant revenue and continuous income growth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, to retain your church position and clerical rank, you must desperately scramble to make money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only is there pressure from “annual dues,” but you also face revenue pressure from “your diocese’s property income.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much you earn this year, the pressure will rise again soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t this forcing these people to constantly find ways to squeeze out money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder their reputation is so terrible. Are they targeting this region’s material market? Or planning to interfere with the adventurer market?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gold-Seekers have a terrible reputation because they recognize nothing but money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if military resources are converted into coins, and future power is taken away…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people are infamous for doing any business—if there’s profit and demand here, they’ll naturally offer other services.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recent reports show several fleeing nobles purchased service packages from them, and their lands and properties were cheaply acquired by the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>",784,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","37016ae13b25e91b425c85a541ccf36485af351d4e861888754eff614c23188d","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-347","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-345",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]