Chapter 854

【 CYPHER’S MISSION OF SPREADING FAITH 】

Church of Life missionaries like Old John were not uncommon throughout the empire. Among them, quite a few Elves were doing the same thing.

In the western part of the Holy Maniya Empire, within a large city with a population of more than two hundred thousand, there was a district that seemed completely detached from the prosperity of the city itself.

At the northern end of the city lay a dilapidated and filthy district.

The low buildings here were clearly showing their age, their walls weathered and cracked from years of neglect, while illegally constructed and dangerously unstable structures could be seen everywhere. The roads were riddled with potholes and had long since fallen into disrepair, covered with filthy puddles and muddy water. Discarded household waste was piled up in the corners almost like mountains, giving off an unpleasant stench that lingered throughout the streets.

Flies buzzed through the air, filling the surroundings with a sour, rotten smell. Yet the residents who lived here had long since grown accustomed to it. To them, this unpleasant environment was simply a part of their daily lives.

Everyone in the vicinity were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces pale and emaciated from years of hardship. Some curled up in corners to rest, while others sat inside half-collapsed buildings, their hands constantly occupied with simple tasks such as weaving baskets and other grass-made crafts.

Their movements were slow and mechanical, as though they had long since become accustomed to spending their days working simply to earn enough to survive.

It was a world that seemed to have been completely forgotten by the rest of society.

Only the occasional laughter, clear and melodious like silver bells, brought a trace of color to this desolate place.

They came from the young children.

Although their bodies were thin and frail, their eyes remained pure and bright. They jumped and played beside the filthy drainage ditches, chasing one another and laughing as they ran through the narrow streets. Despite their ragged clothing and dirty faces, they were as happy as little angels, seemingly unaware of how different their lives were from those of the children living in the prosperous parts of the city.

This was the slums.

And slums like this could be found throughout almost every city in the Holy Maniya Empire.

Most of the people living here were impoverished farmers, craftsmen, disabled experts, low-ranking mercenaries, and others like them.

Some had lost their livelihoods because of failed harvests or debt, while others had been pushed out of their original professions by injury, poverty, or the increasingly harsh conditions of society.

They were people forgotten by the world, people who lived at the very bottom of society and whose existence rarely attracted the attention of those living above them.

No one knew how the first slums had come into existence.

However, according to the various historical records of the empire, such dilapidated districts had become increasingly common ever since the imperial council began extensively granting noble titles and expanding the cities.

Some had evolved from old urban districts that had fallen into disrepair due to poor maintenance and aging public infrastructure. As the cities expanded and their wealthier districts developed, these forgotten neighborhoods were gradually left behind, becoming increasingly dilapidated with each passing year.

Others had gradually formed when farmers, after nobles seized their land and deprived them of the fields on which they depended for survival, were forced to leave their homes and gather in cities in search of a livelihood.

Without land to cultivate and without the resources to establish themselves elsewhere, they could only settle in the cheapest and most neglected parts of the cities.

Over time, these scattered groups of impoverished people grew larger and larger, eventually forming entire communities of their own.

The nobles despised these areas and never set foot here, while the wealthy residents of the inner city feared the poor security and rarely ventured into these districts either.

To those living in the prosperous parts of the city, the slums were little more than a filthy and unpleasant place best avoided.

And so, year after year, the people living here continued to struggle in obscurity, rarely receiving any attention from the outside world.

Suddenly, a hooded figure appeared on the street.

The moment the children saw him, their eyes lit up, and they immediately rushed over. Even the impoverished residents sitting in the corners seemed to gain a trace of light in their eyes upon seeing him. The previously dull and lifeless atmosphere of the slum seemed to change in an instant.

“Lord Cypher! You’re here!”

The children shouted excitedly.

Hearing their cheers, the hooded figure paused slightly.

He reached up and adjusted the hood over his head, revealing half of a handsome face with a warm and gentle smile.

“Lord Cypher… It’s Lord Cypher!”

“Lord Cypher, you’re so handsome as always!”

The children’s eyes shone brightly as they crowded around him.

Cypher simply smiled and waved gently to everyone, his demeanor calm and approachable.

Gradually, like a stone dropped into a tranquil lake, his arrival sent ripples through the entire slum. The lifeless district slowly began to come alive.

More and more impoverished residents gathered around. Some emerged from their homes, while others came out from the corners where they had been working or resting. Their eyes now held faint glimmers of light, like beacons shining in the darkness.

The children were the quickest to arrive.

They soon gathered around Cypher, their faces filled with excitement and their eyes brimming with anticipation.

“Lord Cypher, I… I already memorized what you taught us last time!”

“Lord Cypher… what are you going to teach us this time?”

“Can you tell us more about Maple Moon Free State?”

“No, I want to hear the story of the Frost Elves!”

The children chattered excitedly, their voices overlapping as they eagerly asked question after question.

However, their excitement was soon met with an elderly voice scolding them.

“Why are you making such a racket? Lord Cypher is our honored guest. Behave yourselves!”

The speaker was an elderly man with snow-white hair.

He was as old and withered as a piece of dry, cracked wood. His face was covered with deep wrinkles, and his thin body seemed as though it might collapse under the slightest strain. His right leg was missing below the knee, and he relied on a worn crutch to support himself.

Despite his frail appearance, however, he possessed an imposing aura.

The moment he spoke, the children immediately fell silent and obediently settled down. They were clearly somewhat afraid of him. Yet whenever he was not looking, they would pout, stick out their tongues at him, or make faces behind his back.

The old man was a disabled expert and the most respected person in this slum neighborhood.

His words carried considerable weight among the residents, and even the unruly children knew better than to openly disobey him.

He limped over to Cypher, tucked his crutch beneath one arm, and tremblingly drew the somewhat crooked symbol of the Scepter of Life over his chest.

“Praise be to nature, praise be to life, praise be to the great World Tree… Goddess of Life Evé!”

His voice was old and hoarse, yet there was unmistakable sincerity in his words.

“Lord Cypher, we have already prepared the room. What do you intend to teach everyone today?”

The old man looked at Cypher expectantly.

The other impoverished residents gathered around them also looked at him with the same yearning.

For these people, Cypher’s arrival had gradually become one of the few things they could look forward to in their otherwise difficult lives.

Cypher smiled slightly and took a crystal-clear projection stone from his robes.

“I brought some projection stones with me. Today, I’ll show everyone some information about Maple Moon Free State.”

“In addition, we will continue from our previous lesson and begin analyzing Chapter Seven of the appendix to the Codex of Life: ‘Life, Rights, and Struggle’…”

Upon hearing Cypher’s words, the impoverished residents became even more expectant. Their previously subdued expressions gradually brightened, and they gathered around him before entering the most impressive building in the slums.

Of course, it was only impressive compared to the other buildings in the slums.

In reality, it was merely an abandoned little chapel that had once belonged to the God of Commerce.

Naturally, its clerics had long since abandoned it. Even the statue of the god and the sacred emblems had already been removed, leaving behind an empty and somewhat desolate interior.

The little chapel had been cleaned thoroughly. The floors had been swept, the dust had been wiped away, and several freshly picked wildflowers had even been deliberately placed on the windowsills, adding a rare touch of color to the otherwise worn-down building.

The impoverished residents who gathered here had also done their best to put on their most presentable clothes, choosing those with the fewest patches and the least amount of dirt. For them, attending these lessons had gradually become something worth taking seriously.

At the center of the chapel stood a small wooden statue.

It was none other than the Goddess of Life.

The craftsmanship was crude, and the features of the statue were far from exquisite, clearly the work of someone with little experience in carving. Yet the residents treated it with great reverence.

Of course, upon closer inspection, one would discover that this statue was different from the holy statues worshiped in the Church of Life. It contained no light of faith, had never received the Goddess’s blessing, and could not be used to communicate with the divine.

But as a spiritual anchor, and as an object through which they could begin to understand faith, it was already enough.

As Cypher entered the little chapel, more and more impoverished slum residents came after hearing the news.

Some hurried over from their homes, while others put down whatever work they had been doing and followed the growing crowd. Before long, the narrow streets outside the chapel had become noticeably quieter as more residents gathered inside.

Soon, the entire chapel was packed with people. Even the windows were crowded with heads peeking in from outside, while those who could not find a place inside simply stood nearby and listened.

Yet despite the growing crowd, everyone remained quiet, gazing expectantly at Cypher standing in the center of the chapel.

For these impoverished residents, this small gathering had gradually become a rare opportunity to learn about the outside world and hear teachings they had never encountered before.

Cypher smiled slightly. Facing the statue of the Goddess of Life, he bowed gently and drew the symbol of the Scepter of Life over his chest.

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life!”

Soon, all the impoverished residents followed his example and spoke in unison.

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life!”

Their voices echoed throughout the small chapel, carrying a solemnity that seemed somewhat out of place in such a dilapidated building.

Cypher nodded lightly. He took out the projection stone, infused it with magic power, and projected the magical visual images onto the wall.

“I know that everyone has always been curious about Maple Moon Free State. So before we begin today’s lesson, I will first show a magical projection depicting Maple Moon Free State.”

“Maple Moon is one of the regions that best practices the Goddess’s teachings. I think… after watching this projection, everyone will also gain a deeper understanding of the core beliefs of the Church of Life…”

With that, Cypher channeled his magical power and began playing the projection.

The footage had been specially recorded by the players, capturing the beautiful scenery, prosperous cities, and peaceful daily life of Maple Moon Free State and displaying them before the eyes of the people.

Even Cypher himself could not help but feel a trace of longing for Maple Moon Free State as he watched the magical projection.

Without a doubt, for the vast majority of the empire’s impoverished residents, who had spent their entire lives seeing very little of the outside world, the rapid development, peace, and prosperity depicted in the projection would have an incomparable psychological impact.

For people who had grown accustomed to hunger, poverty, and constant hardship, such a world seemed almost like a dream.

And all of this had been brought about by the great World Tree, the great Goddess of Life, Evé.

The magical projection played slowly as the impoverished residents widened their eyes, watching with rapt attention and an almost insatiable hunger for knowledge.

They were afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

When they saw the hot-air balloons and airships rising into the sky in the projection, they could not help but gasp in astonishment. Some of the children even pointed toward the magical images and whispered excitedly among themselves.

When they saw night descend upon Zelouan, followed by the dreamlike glow of magical lights in every home, they could not help but exclaim in wonder.

Such a sight was completely beyond their imagination.

And when they saw the refugees being interviewed in the projection, witnessing how those people who had once possessed nothing but the clothes on their backs had, in less than a year, transformed from desperate refugees into respectable and prosperous new citizens, their faces filled with even greater astonishment and longing.

They had seen people like those refugees before.

They knew what it meant to have nothing.

They knew what it meant to lose their homes, their land, and their livelihoods.

Yet now, those same people were living completely different lives.

Facing the burning gazes of these impoverished humans, Cypher felt somewhat emotional.

Before entering these human kingdoms, because of the setting of Elven Kingdom, he had never held much goodwill toward the empire, nor had he felt particularly favorable toward its common people.

However, after gaining a deeper understanding of human imperial society, Cypher realized that most of these common people were merely unfortunate individuals oppressed by the nobles and exhausted by the struggle to make a living.

He still vaguely remembered that when he had first arrived here half a month ago, these residents had been extremely wary of him.

At that time, even speaking a few words to them had required considerable effort. They had looked at him with suspicion and caution.

Now, however, they had finally accepted him.

They no longer regarded his arrival with suspicion. Instead, they would gather around him whenever he appeared, eagerly waiting for him to begin his lessons.

Of course, this was inseparable from his tireless efforts day after day over the past half month.

Cypher glanced at his system notifications.

By now his system quest had already reached 95% completion.

The quest was none other than the missionary quest that had recently become extremely popular among players with priest-class.

However, unlike the previous missionary quests, this one was aimed specifically at the common people of the empire.

As a Gold-ranked expert, Cypher had accepted the quest with the highest-level difficulty:

[Chief Priest Trial Quest: A Spark Among the Stars]

The objective of the quest was to develop at least 500 believers of the Goddess of Life within the empire, have them sincerely acknowledge the Goddess’s faith, and make them willing to fight for her.

The greatest difference between this quest and the previous missionary quests was that it specifically required these new human believers to develop the will to resist oppression from the nobles.

This was not something that a simple bit of cult-like brainwashing, such as what Demacia had done, could accomplish. Instead, these new believers had to genuinely understand the core teachings of the Church of Life and awaken the courage to resist the nobles.

Only then could they truly be considered believers who had embraced the Goddess’s teachings.

Cypher had no doubt that soon, the main storyline of Elven Kingdom would probably begin progressing toward upheaval and war within these human kingdoms.

He was quite looking forward to it.

Being able to personally participate in a revolution within the game and lead the NPCs in creating a new era was undeniably exciting.

As for the spread of his personal reputation and the large number of rewards provided by the system during the process, he did not care about them very much.

There was nothing he could do about it, since the Frost Elves had already given him far too much at this point…

Cypher believed that he had already transcended such vulgar pursuits.

So, without the pressure of accumulating contribution points, without the pressure of leveling up, and without the pressure of building his reputation or fame, he now wanted to pursue more sophisticated forms of enjoyment.

What he wanted was not merely to leave his name in the Elven Forest, but throughout Elven Kingdom, and in the history of the human kingdoms as well.

That would give him an enormous sense of accomplishment, especially when he saw his own actions changing the game’s storyline…

Just like when the Frost Elves returned.

In just half a month, Cypher had already completed the requirement for developing new believers.

All that remained now was to completely awaken their will to resist.

And if nothing unexpected happened, the quest would be fully completed once today’s lesson ended.

The magical projection continued for a full twenty minutes.

After twenty minutes, the projection slowly faded away, while the slum residents wore expressions of lingering fascination.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The chapel was completely silent. Every resident who had come to listen to the teachings was filled with longing and hope, their minds still occupied by the scenes they had just witnessed.

To them, the world depicted in the projection was almost unimaginable.

Yet it had been real.

Seeing the fascinated expressions on their faces, Cypher smiled slightly and took out the materials he had prepared.

“The miracles of Maple Moon Free State are also the result of its people’s arduous and unrelenting struggle.”

“The empire has declined, the nobles have fallen into corruption, and even the Eternal Church has decayed…”

“Only by uniting together, only by choosing to resist, can we possibly clear a path through this dark age and forge an unprecedented road forward. Only then can we create a world without oppression, a world of prosperity and happiness…”

Cypher spoke with a solemn expression, his voice carrying clearly throughout the quiet chapel.

Upon hearing his words, the slum residents fell into thought.

For people who had spent their entire lives accepting their circumstances as something unchangeable, these words were difficult to digest.

But they were also difficult to forget.

“Lord Cypher… then what should we do?”

Someone could not help but ask.

Cypher smiled slightly.

“That is precisely what I am going to teach you next.”

As he spoke, he took out three new textbooks.

The first was titled, in gilded characters, Life, Rights, and Struggle.

The second was titled The Theory of the Church of Life and the Ideology of Maple Moon Free State.

The third was titled The Relationship Between the Feudal Nobility and the Eternal Church.

All three were works cobbled together by Dōngdōng, the very same player who had mostly rewritten the contents of the Codex of Life.

And just like her usual writing style, they were filled with all kinds of mischievous ideas.

Cypher opened the textbooks and began teaching according to the strategy guides posted on the official website, explaining everything in a way that even the uneducated residents of the slums could understand.

He did not simply read the words from the pages. Whenever he encountered a difficult concept, he would explain it using examples from the residents’ own lives, making the unfamiliar theories easier for them to grasp.

As he continued, the impoverished residents alternated between contemplation, confusion, sudden realization, and excitement.

Some frowned deeply as they tried to understand the ideas being presented, while others quietly exchanged glances as they began connecting those ideas with their own experiences.

No one knew how much time had passed when, accompanied by a soft system chime, the notification announcing the completion of the quest suddenly rang out.

At that moment, the impoverished residents had already begun to stir.

The atmosphere within the chapel had changed completely.

The old man who had once been an expert was especially flushed with excitement, his fists clenched tightly.

“So that’s how it is… So that’s how it is!”

He repeated the words several times, as though he had finally understood something that had been hidden from him for his entire life.

Seeing the increasingly intense light of faith surrounding everyone, Cypher was also deeply gratified.

He knew that the spark had finally been ignited.

Now, all that remained was to see how brightly it would burn.

However, just as everyone began discussing the teachings passionately, a sudden scream came from outside the little chapel.

The lively atmosphere inside the building instantly fell silent.

Cypher frowned and looked toward the chapel doors.

The next moment, the doors were violently kicked open with a loud bang.

Several of the slum residents flinched, while others instinctively stepped backward. The children who had been gathered near the windows hurriedly moved behind the adults, their faces pale with fear.

Amid the frightened, hostile, and panicked gazes of the slum residents, a group of silver-armored Inquisitorial Knights appeared before them.

Their armor glimmered coldly beneath the dim light, and their expressions were stern and unyielding. The sight of them immediately filled the small chapel with an oppressive atmosphere.

At the head of the group was a tall, black-robed priest.

His strength was formidable, and the moment Cypher saw him, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger.

The black-robed priest slowly stepped into the chapel, his cold gaze sweeping across everyone present before finally settling on Cypher, whose expression had turned solemn, and the statue of the Goddess of Life beside him.

His expression immediately darkened.

“Knights! Arrest that heretic who is misleading these people!”

The black-robed priest gave a cold snort and issued the order.

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