Chapter 31: A True Man, Standing Between Heaven and Earth, How Can He Languish Long Under Another's Roof
The morning light fell gently, streaming through the stained-glass windows and casting dappled hues across the temple floor. Furina stood quietly before the window, letting the sunlight dance across her slender fingertips as if playing upon the keys of a silent melody. Her gaze passed through the kaleidoscope of colors, toward the distant, sprawling city walls. Her thoughts had already drifted to those city lords entrenched in their domains, each clutching their own tight-fisted hold on power.
How can I make them submit—truly, sincerely submit? The question circled endlessly in her mind. She knew all too well that in this world where the strong devoured the weak, ideals and faith alone were nowhere near enough.
Profit—profit was always the most direct key to any door. And the sharpest blade in her arsenal right now was the pills and elixirs from another world entirely. These miraculous medicines had already become the very foundation upon which the Church of the Water God stood on this continent.
"Coagulation Powder... Strength-Storing Pills... Qi-Nourishing Powder..." She murmured the familiar names under her breath, a complicated smile tugging at the corner of her lips. These pills, originating from the world of Battle Through the Heavens, could be exchanged with system points. In the Douluo Continent, where the alchemical arts were impoverished beyond belief, they had become the engine of her rise to prosperity.
Their effects were so dramatic, their prices so accessible—it was practically a dimensional strike against the native medicinal system. Furina still remembered the early days when she'd first introduced these elixirs: the skeptical, doubting eyes of commoner soul masters, turning to fervent worship the moment they witnessed the results with their own eyes; the initial disdain of the nobles, transforming into frantic, scrambling pursuit once they'd tasted the miraculous effects.
The profits had snowballed, fueling the church's initial expansion. Every day, merchant caravans from all across the region gathered in Fontaine City, just to obtain a single vial of the Church of the Water God's elixirs. These tiny medicine bottles not only brought a ceaseless flow of wealth but also wove an invisible web, binding more and more people's fates inextricably to the church.
"Perhaps... just these foundational elixirs alone might be enough to make those city lords sit down and talk," Furina mused silently. In this era of ceaseless conflict, no one would refuse a stable source of wealth—especially not miraculous medicines that could enhance strength and heal even grievous wounds.
Yet her fingertips tapped unconsciously against the window frame, betraying an inner restlessness. She knew all too well that alliances built on profit alone were as fragile as the first thin ice of winter. Those who came for gain today could just as easily turn away tomorrow for the promise of greater profit elsewhere.
Lei Bao's total, wholehearted allegiance had come not from material temptation, but from awe before "miracles" and a genuine embracing of faith. What Furina wanted was true submission—the kind where her will was carried out like her own arm, where her allies were comrades bound by shared purpose. Not temporary coalitions concealing hidden agendas.
Her consciousness sank into the system space, her gaze sweeping across the higher-tier elixirs: Profound Water Pills, Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid, Soul Ascension Pills. These were treasures capable of cleansing marrow and reforging meridians, of accelerating cultivation to astonishing degrees—items that on the Douluo Continent were essentially priceless. Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid, in particular—this miraculous fluid had never once appeared in this world. To any soul master clan, it was a temptation capable of stirring seas of blood.
"If I were to use these elixirs as bargaining chips..." The thought had barely surfaced before she suppressed it. The risk was too great—so great the Church of the Water God simply couldn't bear it yet.
"The crime of possessing a treasure..." Furina murmured, so softly the words were barely audible. In the eyes of those wily, calculating magnates, her ability to consistently produce such rare, unparalleled elixirs could only mean there was some hidden secret behind her. Human greed was bottomless. Presented with a temptation vast enough to raise a clan to prominence, to shatter one's own bottleneck, the choice to take desperate risks—to kill and plunder—was almost a foregone conclusion.
She could already see the scene: open strife and covert warfare among the powers, the Church of the Water God becoming the target of all, the foundation she'd labored so bitterly to build reduced to ashes in the flames of unchecked greed. Using high-grade elixirs to lure the strong, before her own power was sufficient to overawe the ambitious—that was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.
With the path of elixir-based diplomacy temporarily blocked, Furina's thoughts turned naturally to herself. That unique fourth soul skill—the Golden Doughnut Vanilla Cake—contained a vast, surging life energy capable of regenerating flesh and bone, restoring severed limbs, and reconnecting shattered nerves. Its effects were nothing short of miraculous.
Even the renowned Healing Douluo, Wang Xian'er, in the domain of limb regeneration, likely couldn't match what she could do. If she were to display this ability before the imperial house or the highest nobility, trading it for exalted status and protection would be laughably easy.
But the thought was barely formed before she snuffed it out. Living under someone else's roof, dependent on their whims?
A certain oath rang unbidden through her mind—that earth-shattering vow of Lu Bu: "A true man, standing between heaven and earth, how can he languish long under another's roof!"
What's more, Furina's ambition extended far beyond carving out a quiet corner and living in peace. What she'd once confided to Neuvillette had been no passing whimsy. Unite the continent. Eliminate the endless internal strife. Consolidate the full strength of the Douluo world. Focus every effort on development. And pour all that gathered power into the total eradication of every last evil soul master. That—that—was her ultimate goal.
She had witnessed too many commoners torn from their homes by the chaos of unending war. Too many innocents sacrificed on the altar of power struggles. Better to build a new order—a bright and righteous order—with her own two hands than to keep stitching patches onto the crumbling fabric of the old. Subordinating herself to any existing power ran completely counter to that goal.
At this thought, a gleam of resolve sharpened in Furina's eyes. But then, a wave of weariness washed over her, and she found herself unconsciously rubbing her temples.
"...Ahh." She sighed softly, her long silver-white hair swaying gently with the shake of her head. "Honestly. I've thought so much my brain is swelling."
She realized she'd backed herself into a corner. Political calculations and commercial stratagems had never been her strengths. These tangled webs of interests, these endless calculations of gain and loss that demanded such meticulous care—they wearied her in ways she hadn't known were possible.
As an "actress" who had once portrayed countless joys and sorrows upon the stage, what she truly excelled at was speaking directly to the human heart, the art of stirring emotion—not cold, bloodless calculation. Forcing herself into this role not only crippled her efficiency, but made her feel as if her very soul were being drained away, inch by inch.
"Professional matters should be left to professionals." The thought brought her an immediate, palpable sense of relief. She had watched Lei Bao's talent for governance and city management with her own eyes from the very beginning. Since there was a suitable candidate, why insist on handling everything herself?
Once she'd thought it through, Furina's whole being seemed to brighten. She stood, adjusted her robes, and walked to the door. Speaking softly to the figure waiting in attendance outside, she instructed, "Ask Wang Situ to come see me."
Moments later, the hale and sharp-eyed Wang Situ strode briskly into the temple hall. Though advanced in years, his steps were still steady and strong, his eyes gleaming with intelligence. He bowed respectfully, his voice resonant and clear: "Your Holiness, how may I serve?"
"Wang Situ, I need you to go to the City Lord's Manor at once and request that Lord Lei Bao come to the temple with all haste." Furina's tone was even, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness. "Tell him I have matters of grave importance to discuss—matters concerning the future development of the Church of the Water God."
"Your divine decree shall be obeyed!" Wang Situ asked no extraneous questions. His face was filled with solemn loyalty. He stepped back two paces, and soul power instantly surged around him. With a low shout, he cried: "Martial soul—possess!"
A flash of multicolored light blazed forth. The powerful phantom of a Winged Tiger materialized behind him, then merged seamlessly into his body. With a soft ripping sound, a pair of broad wings, covered in brilliantly-hued feathers, burst forth from his back. Their faint beating stirred currents of air throughout the hall. With his martial soul fully manifested, Wang Situ exuded an aura of commanding authority.
"This subordinate shall bring Lord Lei at once!" Wang Situ clasped his fists and bowed, then gave his wings a mighty beat. His form shot skyward like an arrow loosed from its string. The powerful draft set the temple's gauze curtains billowing, and in moments, his silhouette had dwindled to a black speck on the horizon, flying at full speed toward the City Lord's Manor.
Furina watched him disappear into the distance, then turned her gaze back to the window. Fontaine City was waking in the morning light. The streets were gradually filling with life. Vendors were setting out their stalls. Soul masters were heading out in groups to train beyond the walls. Children chased and played in the square—all this peace, all this tranquility, was the change the Church of the Water God had brought.
She saw believers sweeping the streets of their own accord. She saw wounded soul masters queuing in orderly lines before the clinic the church had established. She saw on every face a hope for the future. This scene only hardened her resolve.
Perhaps she was not a politician skilled in cold calculation. But she knew how to unite hearts. Perhaps she was not a scheming, far-sighted merchant. But she understood what true value was. In this world, there were things far more precious than profit—faith. Hope. And the ideals one was willing to fight for.
The world beyond the temple was brimming with life. And Furina's thoughts had already begun sketching the outline of her next move, awaiting the moment Lei Bao arrived. She believed in letting professionals handle professional matters. Her task was to hold the right course, and lead everyone toward that bright, new dawn.
The sunlight grew steadily brighter, gilding the entire temple in a layer of golden radiance. Furina stood in stillness, her silver-white hair gleaming within the halo, like a goddess descended. Yet in her eyes shone the steadfast light of a pioneer.