Seeing Parkin's nonchalant attitude, Lucas didn't say much else.
"Your Excellency Lucas, I would like to open a Divine Lord's church in the city," Parkin spoke up.
This was a sudden whim of his. If he hadn't seen Sedona City, he definitely would have tried to find a way back to the Yadian Kingdom. But now that he had seen a city more prosperous than the Yadian capital, he felt he had to develop a following of believers here no matter what.
If he returned with such an achievement, he would absolutely be able to compete for the position of Archbishop. His results would be much more convincing than any of the other bishops.
"Open a church?" Lucas's eyes flickered as he said indifferently, "The Divine Lord's Religion... our Sedona City doesn't believe in such illusory things."
"How can you say it's illusory? Don't speak nonsense if you haven't witnessed a miracle," Parkin said, exasperated. To think this man would call the Divine Lord's Religion, which they revered above all else their entire lives, illusory!
"A miracle? What miracle?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. He had absolutely zero favorable impressions of the Divine Lord's Religion's teachings.
Serve the Divine Lord to receive blessings, be spared from hunger and disease, expel evil energy... This was just scamming people. It had no practical use whatsoever.
If you're hungry, can the Divine Lord give you wheat porridge to eat?
If you're sick, can the Divine Lord cure your illness?
...
At a glance, it was all nonsense. It was definitely meant to trick people, give them a little benefit at first, and then, once a following of believers had been developed, turn around and collect their coins.
Lucas had seen far too many cases like this. Back on Earth, there were far too many scammers who specialized in tricking the elderly.
It was just that the scammers in this era had more power and influence, and the commoners were easier to deceive.
"By the seaside in our Yadian Kingdom, the Divine Lord descends with a miracle every year. The holy mountain of the Divine Heavenly Kingdom appears in the sky, we just have no way of going up to it," Parkin said fanatically.
"..." Lucas froze for a moment, then immediately understood what it was. Wasn't that just a mirage? These people just casually gave it a name, made up some Divine Lord's Religion and Divine Heavenly Kingdom... and used it to achieve their goal of ruling over the masses.
He still remembered Amos's notes, which wrote about the so-called Divine Heavenly Kingdom. However, it had said it was located within the Forbidden Mountains.
"Is that so? Did any gods come down?" Lucas asked indifferently.
"Gods? How could gods easily descend to this filthy world?" Parkin shouted excitedly.
"In that case, how do you cure the believers' illnesses?" Lucas asked calmly.
"..." Parkin choked, then raised his voice a pitch and shouted, "The Divine Lord will bestow blessings and heal them. As long as you believe in the Divine Lord, the illness will cure itself."
"Is that so?" Lucas smiled faintly and said nonchalantly, "How about this: give me a few days to think it over."
"Uh..." Parkin froze, frowning as he looked at Lucas, trying to glean something from his expression.
He knew Lucas didn't believe a word he said, but there was nothing he could do. There were only three of them. If they were in the Yadian Kingdom, it would be a different story. Anyone who didn't believe in the Divine Lord was a heretic; he could directly bring the knights of the Divine Lord's Religion to capture them and send them to the Inquisition to serve the Divine Lord.
"Mina, see Parkin out," Lucas said indifferently.
"Yes," Mina complied.
"Please think it over. I'll come back in a couple of days," Parkin said with an ugly expression, getting up and walking out.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Lucas watched Parkin's trembling shoulders as he walked away, along with his violent coughing, and couldn't help but shake his head. He hoped the man wouldn't need to see a doctor.
"Master, this person is very strange," Ayesha frowned, thinking about Parkin's behavior on the way here.
"Strange how?" Lucas asked curiously.
"He said the Yadian Kingdom doesn't lack food... and that they have a grand bridge just like ours..." Ayesha recounted everything about Parkin from earlier today.
"Hah... interesting," Lucas chuckled lightly, asking, "So what do you find strange about him?"
"It seems like a lot of it is fake. This 'Divine Lord's blessing,' and the Yadian Kingdom not lacking food... I find it hard to believe that all the commoners there can eat their fill," Ayesha analyzed based on her own everyday experiences.
Although the cow-horned girl didn't like to use her brain and was simple and straightforward, that didn't mean she was stupid. She had experienced quite a bit and knew the current living conditions of the commoners.
"You're right, he's just a scammer," Lucas couldn't help but laugh. The other party couldn't even trick the simple-minded Ayesha; this bishop was completely unqualified.
Did he treat Ayesha like an ignorant, inexperienced beastkin? One had to remember that Ayesha lived in the castle; just the things she saw and heard on a daily basis had broadened her horizons significantly.
She was no longer the cow-horned girl who had just left the mountain stronghold, the Ayesha who had been tricked three times in a row.
"Hmph! I knew he wasn't a good person," Ayesha snorted coldly, standing up and shouting, "I'll take some people and arrest him, bring him to the Security Department!"
"Alright, leave him be for now," Lucas raised a hand to stop the furious cow-horned girl, saying softly, "Keep him around for now; he still has some use."
An intelligence source had finally been delivered right to his doorstep. He was just looking to understand the Yadian Kingdom better. He had previously heard that the newly ascended queen was implementing reforms, but he didn't know how those reforms were progressing.
"Your Excellency Lucas, this person knows how to bewitch people's hearts. It's best to be careful," Nancy warned. She was afraid Lucas might actually believe Parkin's words, which would bring no benefit to the beastkin.
"Don't worry," Lucas said indifferently. He knew what Nancy meant; she was worried the other party would target the commoners in the city.
Didn't they know that the human heart is unpredictable? Especially when he had the newspaper at his disposal.
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200 power stones.
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