novelraw Chapter 188: Compensation
Chapter 188: Compensation
"Master Mentor, I am the newly appointed Pope, my name is Astaros. I am deeply sorry that you were plunged into this crisis..."
Two days after the Pseudohuman incident, after the Church learned what had happened here, an old man knocked on Loren's door. Movila nodded, indicating he was a normal person.
This old man looked even older than Pastus. It was unclear where the Bountiful Church had found him, but Loren's intuition told him this old man was very strong.
Astaros looked very nervous. He knew exactly what the situation was. Age brings wisdom, and he was well aware of just how important Loren was to the Bountiful Church, so Astaros was currently under immense pressure.
Although he had now been promoted to Pope, if he failed to keep Loren today, he would be demoted back to the grassroots level tomorrow.
Conversely, if he successfully kept Loren, the position of Pope would truly be his.
"It's fine. Those Pseudohumans merely killed all my neighbors and nearly got me killed in the process."
He said it was fine, but Astaros understood perfectly well that Loren was emphasizing his heavy losses, which demanded sufficient compensation.
"To compensate for your losses, the Church has decided to offer you the position of Angel. If you agree now, you can ascend tomorrow."
Loren's status was unparalleled, but it was only first among mortals, second only to Angels. Although Loren had the right to summon Angels, he ultimately still couldn't compare to being one.After all, an Angel has nothing to do with humanity anymore. They have already obtained a Divine Spark and can be referred to as "It," beings on a completely different level from humans.
Moreover, becoming an Angel instantly grants unparalleled power, with no conditions required, as long as one ascends to the divine seat.
The peak for mortals is the Ninth Rank Mage, and even the strongest among Ninth Rank Mages can only rival the weakest of Angels, not to mention Angels possess vastly longer lifespans.
When he proposed this compensation, Astaros gained some confidence. He believed no one in this world would refuse such an offer.
In this world, becoming an Angel is the highest achievement a person can attain. Valentina (the BOSS who fought the Female Pope) spent her entire life pursuing nothing more than becoming an Angel, yet she ultimately never achieved that goal.
"My contributions to the Church are insufficient. I feel I am not yet worthy of becoming an Angel."
"!"
Astaros was utterly shocked. He never expected Loren to refuse becoming an Angel. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Loren's reasoning was simple: he simply looked down on Angels. Angels are highly bound to gods, their power ceiling is fixed. Not only are they suppressed by the Orthodox Gods, they are also monitored by them. Furthermore, Angels tend to develop some psychological issues.
Loren had countless methods to grow stronger. There was no need to confine himself to being an Angel.
"This..."
Astaros began to panic. If Loren didn't want the Angel position, he truly didn't know what else to offer him.
"What is it that you desire?"
"My devotion to the god is single-minded. I require no compensation. The attack by Church members was not the Church's fault."
Bound by his persona, Loren couldn't directly state what he wanted, but he kept hinting that he needed compensation, which gave Astaros a headache.
"In that case, to express gratitude for your efforts during this period, the Bountiful Church intends to grant you a Scythe of Harvest..."
The Scythe of Harvest and the Code of Justice are similar artifacts, both imbued with divine authority. Very few within the entire Church are qualified to possess such things.
"I have not contributed much. I feel I am unworthy of receiving *this one* thing."
Loren deliberately emphasized "this one" thing. The meaning was simple: he would take the Scythe of Harvest, but it wasn't enough.
However, Loren had at least relented somewhat, which allowed Astaros to breathe a sigh of relief.
The Scythe of Harvest was precious, but using it here was appropriate. Astaros continued to add conditions, producing a pendant:
"This is the Emblem of Bounty. Only those who have made outstanding contributions to the Church have a chance to obtain it. I believe you have already met the criteria."
"Thank you for the praise, but I feel undeserving..."
Loren reached out, pushing Astaros's hand back, but took the Emblem of Bounty for himself.
"..."
Astaros fell silent for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and made a decision:
"I have heard you are skilled in concocting magical potions. I have collected some medicinal ingredients. They are of little use to me, so I might as well gift them to you, allowing them to serve some purpose."
"Very well, then I shall graciously accept..."
A smile appeared on Loren's face as he shook hands with Astaros. Exchanging benefits was Loren's favorite part, because he was always the one who profited.
"The Scythe of Harvest and the ingredients will be delivered to you shortly. After such a major incident, you should rest for now. Provisions will also be delivered to you."
Astaros was very perceptive. Knowing there were no vegetable sellers outside now, he understood to proactively provide supplies for Loren.
"I appreciate your trouble."
After seeing Astaros off, Loren couldn't wait to close the door. He immediately put on the Emblem of Bounty, stringing it together with that pile of rings on his neck.
The Emblem of Bounty occupied the pendant slot. Generally, accessories with only one slot have stronger effects, and the Emblem of Bounty's effects were indeed worthwhile.
It had three effects. First, it could increase the potency of Abundant Magic. Loren didn't really need this, as he only used Abundant Magic when acting. However, now he could go learn some high-level Abundance Sequence magic.
Second, it could greatly enhance vitality. This was divided into many aspects: increasing Loren's stamina recovery speed, self-healing ability, and even physical strength. Now, with the stacking of many self-healing abilities, Loren could keep up with certain races famous for their regenerative powers.
However, Loren didn't have many opportunities to get injured. Whenever a situation required him to get serious, there likely wouldn't be any outsiders present. Using Void-walking to dodge was much more reliable than tanking hits.
It's just that now Laila and Scarlett would suffer. Mirrorheart, on the other hand, would probably enjoy it.
The final effect was to strengthen the connection with the God of Bountiful Harvest, making future sacrifices and prayers much more convenient. This was an active effect, so Loren wasn't too concerned about it.
For this effect, Loren thought of a use: perhaps he could use the Emblem of Bounty to sacrifice enemies during combat. This move was difficult to pull off, but with the Emblem, it would be much easier.
Overall, this disaster actually left Loren with substantial gains. He hadn't paid any price himself, only Movila had lost a significant portion of her soul. Loren planned to help her replenish it.
Coincidentally, the war between the Bardo Kingdom and the Canaan Kingdom was about to begin. Loren could have her send a crow clone to follow Gwen there.
One would be enough. When the time came, she could split on-site.