Chapter 152: Seal of Apostle Gideon

The Archbishop thought for a while and shook his head.

"Manifesting miracles while you’re still at C-rank... This alone proves that the Church can give you its full support.

But there’s still limits of course and we still require transparency.

Speak, what do you seek?"

The Archbishop stared at Max with eyes shining with his current class—Divine Apostle.

Nothing could escape his eyes.

Max inwardly sighed.

He was at first excited that he might be able to seek for money.

But his greedy nature would be exposed, and he might gain their bad impression.

After excluding the money compensation, he immediately went straight to what he needed.

"Incense pack worth of a year? A letter to the Imperial Family supporting your request to accommodate the cost of commissioning a Grand Artificer?

You sure don’t hold back, do you?" The Archbishop was intrigued.

Max smiled. "I’m planning to enter reclusion to grow stronger." His face turned serious. "I have a feeling that the demon forces might be active this time around."

The Archbishop stared at Max’s eyes and was surprised that he was actually not lying.

His face turned grim.

After sometime of pondering, he said, "The incense pack can easily be granted. As for the letter, don’t bother. If the Imperial Family refused, we will cover the cost."

Max was stunned. "It’s a staggering amount, you know."

The Archbishop shook his head. "I know that you badly need resources to grow stronger. You’ve proven yourself already that it’s worth to invest on you.

Furthermore, you are an Imperial Demon Vanguard.

A bearer of the Imperial and the Church’s responsibility.

It’s not easy."

The Archbishop smiled at Max, giving him assurance.

"Also, if the Imperial Family will come to know about your Authority, possessing the same Authority of the First Emperor himself, they will certainly grant your request.

That’s why if you need something, don’t hesitate to contact my office.

I’m sure your communication device had already included me in the contact list, right?"

Max’s eyes widened. He showed a sign of excitement and elation, satisfying The Archbishop.

The Archbishop glanced at the people praying and turned to Max.

"People are praying. We should continue our conversation in my office."

Max nodded. He knew he could get the incense pack within the day, so he followed the Archbishop to his office.

Along the way, the Archbishop invited Max to visit the Hall of Saints first, and the latter accepted the invitation, not wanting to be disrespectful, seemingly showing only his interest on receiving the rewards.

They arrived in a long gallery, honoring the greatest servants of the Church throughout the history.

The walls depicted life-sized marble statues depicting renowned Saints, Divine Apostles, Holy Paragons, and other legendary figures whose deeds shaped the Empire.

Each monument was accompanied by engraved chronicles detailing their lives, miracles, and sacrifices.

It took them an hour for them to finish exploring the long gallery, depicting not only the greatest servants from the Mirefall Province but from the Empire as a whole.

The Archbishop said, "The hall serves as both a place of reverence and a source of inspiration for aspiring clergy.

I hope you’re inspired."

He turned towards Max with a smile. "Do you also wish to visit the Cathedral Library? It contains all the existing body of knowledge from the demon forces and their abilities."

Max pondered for a while and shook his head. "I assume my residence’s library also possessed the same amount of knowledge.

Studying in the library was included in my plan to seclude for a year straight.

If I still have many questions unanswered, I will only then visit the the Cathedral Library."

The Archbishop’s eyes widened.

"That’s a good approach, Max. You can compile all the lessons and topics not covered from your library and finish them in the Cathedral Library."

Max nodded. "That’s not a bad idea."

As they finally arrived in the Archbishop’s office, located within the Archbishop court, a restricted wing serving as the residence and administrative offices of the Archbishop.

The Archbishop’s office and a senior clergy, a Saint Class had already prepared a full sack containing all the incense inside.

The Archbishop glanced at him and said, "Thank you."

The Saint bowed and left, after politely biding farewell to Max.

The Archbishop led Max to the sack of incense and had him store it to his storage ring.

Afterwards, Max politely expressed his desire to return to his residence.

The Archbishop smiled at him and summoned a ring, radiated an aura of a Unique equipment, stunning Max.

The Archbishop pulled Max’s hand covered with glove and pushed the ring on his middle finger.

The system then showed the description and effects of the ring, which was told by the Archbishop.

"This is the Seal of Apostle Gideon. It’s a Unique rank equipment, able to stay and be useful to you until you reach A-Rank.

Apostle Gideon is one of Saint Aurelius’ earliest disciples. He specialized in identifying hidden cults before they could summon greater demons. Entire provinces were saved because of his investigations.

This tool reveals hidden infernal contracts, identifies disguised demons, and detects corrupted individuals. It even displays the lingering memories of demonic rituals, which greatly increases overall investigation efficiency.

This is perfect for you, Max. I hope you will take care of it."

Max smiled and scrutinized the ring.

It was a silver signet ring engraved with a radiant sun surrounded by seven chains.

The Archbishop stared at the seven chains and said, "The radiant sun encircled by seven interlocking chains, symbolizing the seven sacred vows Gideon required of every investigator.

Truth before comfort.

Vigilance before rest.

Mercy before judgment.

Duty before recognition.

Wisdom before certainty.

Courage before fear.

Faith before despair.

The ancient inscription engraved in the inner band said, "No shadow is without a light to reveal it."

I thought of giving you that simply because not of your Authority but your profession before the Authority chose you.

You were a demon investigator before you become a demon slayer.

It’s already in your nature to investigate them to successfully slay those hideous creatures."

The Archbishop gnashed his teeth in anger after he said his last sentence...

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