Demon Bible

Chapter 142: The Missing Part of Power

When Isabella found Nemus, he was just handing a stack of reviewed documents to Krew.

As she watched Krew take the paperwork and leave the room, Isabella could not help but cast a few extra glances his way.

Her attention was particularly drawn to the pair of spectacles he wore.

Before she could observe any closer, Al, standing beside her, blurted out an interrogation.

"Lord Great Knight, why are you colluding with those smugglers?" Al demanded sternly, glaring at Nemus as if he were a convicted criminal.

It had to be said that Al was truly pure—purely out of his mind.

Isabella had never expected Al to be this reckless. Leaving aside whether there was any evidence or if the matter had even been officially defined...

Simply based on their hierarchical relationship, Al had absolutely no right to question him like this.

Even the Judgment Squad could only come here to conduct an investigation.

Unless there was irrefutable proof, the situation blew up, and Nemus was stripped of his Great Knight title, no one else would dare shout at him in such a manner.Nemus looked up, shot Isabella a brief glance, and then turned his attention to Al.

"Three Gold Coins for medical expenses, three for food, and seven for training medicinal herbs. I will not even tally up the various miscellaneous costs. All told, Al, you owe me roughly thirteen Gold Coins." Nemus completely sidestepped the accusation, rattling off these figures instead.

"Since when are there such fees? Holy Knight training is..." Al immediately retorted, refusing to believe he owed anything to a wicked man who cooperated with smugglers.

"They actually do exist." Isabella interjected, cutting off Al's protests with her corroboration.

"Whether you are a Holy Knight or a Priest, from the very moment anyone joins the Church, they require a massive expenditure of money."

The purchasing power of a Gold Coin was robust, yet everything related to the clergy was priced in gold.

"The finances of the Tail Fin Town Church have encountered a massive crisis," Nemus finally explained with a serious tone.

"Before I took over, not only did Intern Holy Knights receive zero salary, but they also had to pay out of their own pockets for many necessities."

"With your financial situation, even if you joined the Church, you would never have truly qualified to become an Intern Holy Knight."

Holy Knight cultivation was much cheaper compared to that of a Spellcaster, but that was strictly a relative comparison.

When compared to an ordinary person, every single Holy Knight consumed a month's worth—or more—of a commoner's resources in just a single day.

This included treating the respiratory, pulmonary, and full-body injuries often caused by practicing the Breathing Technique, procuring special meat supplements, and acquiring specific auxiliary materials needed during cultivation.

All of these things cost money. One or two Intern Holy Knights might have been manageable, but the problem was that the Church had to support a considerable number of trainees.

Moreover, the same applied everywhere else. In the past, the benefits provided to the Church's clergy were dismally scarce.

"Even so, I would rather not be a Holy Knight at all than have the Church collaborate with smugglers to pay for it!" Al stubbornly clung to his ideals.

Wrong was wrong. There was no way he would accept a wrong as right just to compromise with reality.

"Alright, Al, you should leave for now. I will ask him for the full story and explain it to you later." Isabella did not blindly assume Nemus was right, but she knew Al idealized everything far too much. He would find no satisfying answers here; he would only back himself into a corner.

If they delved any deeper into this topic, his entire worldview might collapse, leaving him completely ruined.

Only after Al had left the room did Nemus resume speaking.

"The entire Church in Tail Fin Town had already rotted to the core."

"It is not that Tail Fin Town is poor; it is that the Tail Fin Town Church is poor." Nemus was stating a cold, hard fact.

"Clergy members of all ranks formed various cliques, embezzling all the profits for themselves. The actual revenue the Church itself could secure was severely limited."

"This created a vicious cycle. New clergy could not obtain sufficient resources from the Church, so they had no choice but to join or establish their own little factions, acquiring what they needed through whatever means necessary."

"Is this also because of the changes in recent years?" Isabella asked, a troubled expression on her face. "Not entirely," Nemus replied. "It is the result of multifaceted reasons."

"Previously, the Church could suppress these individuals by monopolizing legitimate advancement resources. But now, those resources—primarily Whale Oil and the Sacred Power Baptism—are gone."

It could only be said that the issues with the God of Precepts had triggered a massive chain reaction.

The Sacred Power Baptism was divided into two types: a major one and a minor one. The major baptism was known as the Grand Offering, while the minor one was called the Pilgrimage.

The Pilgrimage could help individuals at the Black Iron Rank Peak Limit sublimate into the Iron Rank.

The Grand Offering, on the other hand, could assist those at the Iron Rank Peak Limit in advancing to the Golden Rank.

Because the Church controlled these two unique methods, it was previously able to maintain balance among its clergy.

In those days, as long as a clergyman harbored even the slightest desire for advancement, they would never dare to cross the line.

Therefore, the Church's income back then had been fairly decent.

That was until problems arose with the Church's major and minor baptisms, drastically reducing the benefits the clergy could obtain from the institution.

Consequently, a myriad of problems erupted one after another.

This was what shaped the Church into its previous state—insiders conspiring with outsiders to form various interest groups, all raking in massive amounts of wealth.

"Among these money-making schemes, smuggling is the hardest to prohibit, and the profits are extremely lucrative," Nemus explained, laying out his reasoning. "Various Nobles, and even some trading companies, own industrial parks dedicated to Whale Products."

"These items are the primary resources utilized for cultivation."

"Only by allowing them to circulate can revenue be generated, which is the only way to fill the Church's financial deficits."

"This is also one of the best ways to convert the Church's authority into tangible assets."

The Church's power was dwindling by the day. If they did not leverage their remaining authority to secure profits through smuggling, the Church would be completely finished.

If the Church refused to participate, the trade of Whale Products would simply shift from its currently stable smuggling model into an utterly frantic and chaotic one.

The supply would plummet, causing prices to skyrocket.

Everyone's cultivation needs would be affected by the fluctuations.

In the desperate bid to acquire more resources and wealth, chaos would inevitably ensue.

Once chaos broke out, the Church's authority, credibility, and influence would plummet across the board.

"When that happens, the Church will face an even greater disaster, and it will undoubtedly implicate Sky Spring City."

"For now, the Azure Sky Whale will just have to suffer a bit. I will shoulder the infamy," Nemus stated with a look of utter helplessness.

Isabella gazed at Nemus. Although she could not sense much emotion radiating from him, she clearly understood the predicament he was in.

Besides, regardless of what Nemus's true motives were, the predicament was objectively standing right in front of them.

At the same time, Nemus had genuinely extracted the resources, providing the people within the Church with considerable benefits.

Whether it was cultivating more Holy Knights and apprentices, or constructing additional outposts to stabilize order.

Nemus had actually gotten things done, and he had indeed solidified the Church's order.

Judging by the current situation, as long as the smuggling operations were not exposed for the whole world to see, Sky Spring City would absolutely never punish Nemus for it.