1205 Fate is Inevitable Part 1 (1/2)

Saleen mobilized over 10,000 mages to build the city. Over 100 magic towers and countless magic nuclei were used in the magic power furnaces.

Saleen used common materials instead of high level ones in order to achieve maximum speed, which meant that they needed to be reinforced with magic and have their attributes boosted.

If it had not been for his alchemy factories possessing great numbers of magic power furnaces, it would place a serious toll on even someone like Saleen.

Saleen built a huge city in just three days. The city leaned against a tall lone hill and canals were excavated outside the city, which was tasked to the demons for the time being. Saleen needed to attend to something more important—open up a temple.

The Nature Knights were deployed and began summoning adherents. There were already about 400,000 people who embraced the Nature Faith in northern Qin.

The adherents came to the holy city for pilgrimage, and they were allowed to choose to live there. The Nature Goddess was capable of making good weather and ensuring crops grow in abundance. It was lethally attractive to the Qin.

The Cloudflow people jeered at Qin people for being countryside dorks, not only because of their aristocratic pride, but also because Qin loved the land too much. Some Qin nobles even got themselves plots of land just to plant things.

The plots were not allowed to be touched by anyone else, as the nobles themselves would plant things on them personally. It was a type of satisfaction that the Cloudflow people would never know. The Cloudflow people inherited the Fourth Dynasty's tradition, making them too extravagant, complacent, and lazy.

Holy masters were sent out as well. There were only about 100 holy masters in a believer population of 400,000. The ratio was too small, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Anyone could be made a believer but only people who fulfilled relatively strict requirements could be holy masters.

Especially so with the holy masters of the Nature Faith, as they needed to be knowledgeable not only in terms of religious doctrines, but also knowledge about magic and comprehension of the world.

Many of the Nature Faith's holy masters were scholars, and some were even magic apprentices.

Saleen was reluctant to make qualified magic apprentices into believers, finding it unthinkable to lure even the ones of average talent into the Nature Faith.

He could have to destroy the faith personally in the future. If he had been the one who proselytize them, it would be incredibly awkward if to kill them later.

While mages hardly suffered moral pressures from doing things, Saleen did not want to end up burying people he was supposed to lift.

He had learned it from his teacher. Jason drew a clear line between his own and his enemies, and would never bring innocents into his fights. Such people were more broadminded with their methods and their minds more resolute as well.

Anyone who dare stands in my way, I shall crush using magic. Anyone who has nothing to do with me, I shall not involve them in my business.

Despite the fact that mages placed little importance on emotional attachments, they ironically happened to be the ones who knew people the best. Only mages who ended up achieving little would know nothing but magic.

Even Hogina was actually very smart, but was reluctant to use her brains in other things.

It was the same with Imposa. He looked like a monster, but he had toughed things out in Alchemy City for many, many years. If he had been a stupid oaf, he would have died a long time ago, regardless of his proficiency in alchemy.

To the mages from Alchemy City, everything was disposable and replaceable.

He dismissed the holy masters and had them summon believers to the Nature City. Saleen left the Magical Element Tower to stand guard over the city, while he took Don to open a portal and enter the temple.

The interior of the portal was broad and bright, which Saleen found new. Furthermore, the portal was unusually stable. He was able to tell with one look with his Elemental Eye that the portal had not been opened for 10,000 years and the energy did not dissipate.

Saleen almost changed his mind, but he quickly caught on to the fact that if he maintained the portal, the adherents of the Nature Faith would know that the temple was left behind by the goddess, which would diminish his standing.

The reason Saleen had offered them favors was to establish two idols in their minds; the goddess and himself. Saleen had no need for power of faith, but if he destroyed the faith in the future, the believers would not go nuts against him.

The portal was short, and the temple left behind by the goddess was at the very end. The temple wasn't unusual. It simply looked more lavish and extravagant.

Saleen cast the Puppet Constellation and sent puppets to raid the place, while he and Don talked about things in the north outside the temple.

Don told Saleen straight to his face, ”Your Highness, I suggest that you do not eliminate the holy masters and believers of the Lord of Glory for the moment.”

”Why so?”

”The Lord of Glory is merciless and brutal. The doctrines seemed to be filled with mercy and love, but at its core, the faith sanctions elimination of all life who refuses to heed his words. The Nature Goddess is different. Anyone is welcomed into the faith, and no one is coerced into it. Non-believers would not be called infidels and there are no brutal punishments. When you compare things like that, it makes it easy for people to choose to either join the Nature Faith or the Holy See.”

”But the Holy See would attack adherents of the Nature Faith.”

Don smirked. ”My liege, didn't you build Nature City for waging holy wars? Wars push more people into seeking faith. The war between the gods are all just a ploy to reinforce their own kingdoms.”

”Heh, one hell of a way you have of looking at it, but Don...”

”Yes, Your Highness?”