Chapter 33: Surrounding the Cities from the Countryside
The oak doors of the council chamber, carved with flowing water patterns, swung slowly open. Sunlight spilled through the widening gap, painting a golden trail across the floor. What greeted the eye was Furina, seated at the head of the table.
"Greetings, Your Holiness." Lei Bao and Wang Situ saluted in unison, their voices stirring faint echoes in the spacious chamber.
Furina lifted her gaze from the scroll in her hands. Those deep, ocean-blue irises caught the shifting light, subtle glints swirling in their depths. A faint, elusive smile touched the corner of her lips as she nodded to them both.
"Wang Situ, you've had a taxing journey." Her voice was crisp and pleasing, like a mountain stream striking stone—carrying no oppressive weight at all, yet naturally imbued with a reassuring steadiness. "Go and rest first."
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Wang Situ bowed deeply, retreating three steps before turning to leave. The heavy doors closed behind him with a muffled thud.
"Lord Lei, I've summoned you today because I have an important matter to entrust to you."
Her voice was clear and pleasant. Though it bore no particular force of authority, nor much solemnity, Lei Bao found himself unconsciously straightening his back. Despite Furina's youth, despite the almost naive demeanor she often wore, despite the occasional whimsical, even flighty gestures that made her seem at times like an idealistic child—she had Neuvillette, that mighty envoy, under her command. Her own natural talent was otherworldly. She could produce all manner of rare and wondrous medicines at will. And then there was that fourth soul skill of hers, little short of divine miracle. All of this filled Lei Bao's heart with the deepest awe.
"Lord Lei, please. Sit." Furina gestured lightly. Lord Usher, standing at her side, gracefully drew out a carved wooden chair. "Talking on your feet is far too stiff. Sit, and then we can speak."
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Lei Bao took his seat as bidden, both hands resting on his knees, his palms faintly damp.
Furina used a small silver fork to take a macaron from the porcelain plate before her, nodding at the same time to Mademoiselle Chevaleyda at her other side. Mademoiselle Chevaleyda immediately brought forward an exquisite tray, upon which rested pastries identical to those before Furina and a pot of steaming, fragrant floral tea.
"A new creation of Huo Yuhao's," Furina said as she took small, delicate bites of the sweet. "Give it a try. It pairs rather well with the fruit tea."
Lei Bao respectfully took one. The sweet flavor melted across his tongue, but his mind was far from the delicacy before him. "May I ask, Your Holiness, what matter of importance you have summoned me for?" He set down the pastry after a single bite and spoke with the utmost gravity. "Rest assured—be it a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I, Lei Bao, shall see it through, no matter the cost."
Furina dabbed lightly at the corner of her lips and let out a soft laugh. "Lord Lei, you give it too much weight." She returned her teacup gently to the tray with a delicate clink of porcelain. "It's really no earth-shattering matter. Let's talk as we eat."
She paused, her gaze drifting toward the distant horizon beyond the window. "You see, the countless villages dotting the lands around Fontaine City—every last one has now embraced our Church of the Water God. As for the city itself, that goes without saying. Every morning when the church bells ring, believers fill the streets, pausing in prayer. This sight... it fills me with a deep sense of comfort."
And well she should feel comforted—every day, faith points surged upward in a ceaseless tide. In the system shop, she no longer had to deliberate over every pill purchase. She could buy what she wanted, when she wanted. Even the fragmented Water God Tome she'd drawn long ago had been completed in full. At this thought, Furina's fingertips tapped lightly against the armrest, an unconscious expression of her inner delight.
Lei Bao nodded in agreement. Just yesterday morning, passing through the central plaza, he had indeed witnessed the magnificent sight of hundreds kneeling in prayer toward the great cathedral.
"So I believe the time has come to expand our influence outward." Furina turned back, her gaze calm yet resolute. "Let the surrounding cities also receive the grace of our Church of the Water God."
Lei Bao unconsciously leaned forward, his attention absolute.
"Of course," Furina added, her fingertips resuming their light rhythm against the armrest, "we won't touch powers as formidable as the White Tiger Duke's Manor or the imperial capital for now. The Church of the Water God is still young, and hasn't yet fully established its footing in the Star Luo Empire. I don't wish to invite unnecessary trouble."
Lei Bao silently pondered this. In truth, if we simply dispatched Lord Neuvillette to make a show of force, those powers would likely capitulate overnight. The Church could become the state religion in the blink of an eye... But then he gave his own forehead a mental slap, cursing his own dullness. Her Holiness's plan is surely to first win hearts and minds through gentler means—starting from the common people, from the grassroots up, from the villages to the cities. In this way, the church's foundation will be unshakably solid, and its prestige among the populace will reach unprecedented heights. Given time, surpassing even the imperial household's influence—or even Shrek Academy itself—would not be beyond the realm of possibility.
"I understand." A gleam of enlightened comprehension shone in Lei Bao's eyes. "Her Holiness thinks far, far ahead."
Furina inclined her head slightly. She wasn't entirely sure what exactly he'd understood, but not having to explain further was a definite win. Before transmigrating, she'd been nothing more than a mediocre college student—the type who bought her graduation thesis online and submitted it just to get by.
Still, having a subordinate prone to self-persuasion and elaborate interpretation spared her a great deal of trouble. She lifted her teacup, using the act of drinking to conceal the slight upward curve of her lips.
"So what I wish is for you to discuss this matter with the lords of the neighboring cities. You shall have full authority over this operation. The only point to bear in mind is that the church's inner secrets must not be spread. As for those who prove trustworthy—by all means, give them more generous incentives. You may even reveal certain less critical secrets along the way."
"This subordinate understands. Leave this matter to me." Lei Bao thumped his chest in guarantee, then rose to his feet, pressing his right hand over his heart in a formal Water God Church salute. "I have a close friend who is also a city lord. We've known each other for many years. I believe that with him as our entry point, it's only a matter of time before the surrounding city lords accept the grace of our Church of the Water God."
Furina rose as well and walked to stand before him. She was a full head shorter than Lei Bao, yet the aura she radiated in this moment made him lower his head instinctively.
"Good." Furina handed him a storage ring, her fingertip tapping lightly upon it. "This is for you. I know that anyone who can hold the seat of a city lord must possess not only high cultivation and strength, but also a fair measure of strategic ability. These items are a small measure of assistance—and a reward, for your efforts."
Her voice was soft, yet carried an indisputable power. "Do not disappoint me, Lord Lei."
Lei Bao dropped to one knee, bowing his head low. He accepted the storage ring with both hands in reverence. "This subordinate shall not fail his mission."
When he lifted his head, Furina had already turned and walked back to the window. Her long blue hair gleamed with soft luster in the sunlight. She gazed out at the silhouette of the distant city, as if already seeing the future—the radiance of the Church of the Water God shining across the land.