Work Prophet

Tristan chatted a bit with his daughter and the granddaughter of the former castle steward, then returned to his study.

Although the head of the Panglos Family showed no change in expression, once he sat down at the long table, his face immediately darkened.

He realized he had underestimated one thing; these days, Tristan had been pondering whether the Deer Horn Gate, his castle built on the cliff, could withstand the siege from Ireya and her western army.

But now Tristan understood that once Ireya actually attacked, he would have more to worry about than just her formidable forces; he also had to consider the attitude of his people within the city.

It was well known that Ireya and the rise of the Alyas Family were closely tied to the Double Rest Sect, and Ireya's consecutive victories had made the name of the Saturday God increasingly known.

Moreover, with the entire continent either at war or preparing for war, everyone from nobles to commoners hoped for the protection of the gods.

However, the old religious sects clearly could not fulfill the desires of the faithful.

The emergence of Li Yu and Cornelia frequently produced miracles, unconsciously raising everyone's expectations for the gods, making it increasingly difficult for the old sects to bluff their followers.

Thinking of this, Tristan had someone summon Banke, the High Priest of the Thorny Church.

The Thorny Church was the largest church in Elk Valley, worshiping Boris, the God of Thorns and the Uncrowned, and the cooperation between the Panglos Family and the Thorny Church could be traced back a thousand years.

Tristan himself was a follower of Boris, although he temporarily changed his faith after aligning with Solomon.

It wasn't until the defeat of the Wing Tribe that Tristan returned to the embrace of the God of Thorns and the Uncrowned.

Like most old reform sect High Priests, Banke was also elderly, needing support while he walked.

Seeing Banke, Tristan could not help but compare him with Merlin and Cornelia; in comparison, Banke seemed increasingly lifeless.

Yet, Tristan remained respectful on the surface and personally pulled out a chair for Banke.

Banke enjoyed this respect and never mentioned Tristan's past betrayal of Boris, making for a harmonious atmosphere between them.

Until Tristan spoke again, "Can you estimate how many Double Rest Sect followers are in the Deer Horn Gate now?"

Hearing that name, Banke was momentarily stunned, then immediately replied, "Where did you hear that Double Rest Sect followers appeared in the city?"

"No?" Tristan retorted.

Banke shook his head, "The people in this city are all followers of Boris, just as devout as you, not easily swayed by those foreign false gods, although there might be some talk about that fellow named Merlin.

"But they are just foreign refugees, not many, and I was about to discuss that with you. We can accept refugees because they are quite pitiable, but we must ensure they are not heathens.

"Since they have come to this land, they must join us in the belief of the God of Thorns and the Uncrowned…" Banke rambled on.

Tristan wasn't fooled, knowing the old man was making a mountain out of a molehill and dodging the issue.

Banke had been the High Priest for nearly a century. Despite Half-Beasts usually having long lifespans, he had only a few good years left.

His only thought was to live out his remaining years peacefully, caring little about what happened after his death.

Thus, even with many Double Rest Sect followers in the city and increasing wavering in faith toward Boris, Banke turned a blind eye and intentionally downplayed the issue.

If Tristan could symbolically expel a few refugees and brush the matter under the rug, all the better.

Seeing the old priest feign ignorance in front of him, Tristan felt a surge of anger, but it quickly dissipated as he thought of something.

It wasn't out of respect for the elderly, not wanting to trouble Banke due to his old age, but because Tristan saw his own reflection in Banke.

Banke's situation was quite similar to his own; Tristan couldn't defeat Ireya, just as Banke couldn't handle Merlin. It's not that he wasn't trying hard or deceiving himself.

The key was, even if Banke got serious, he could do nothing against the Double Rest Sect, so he turned a blind eye to their poaching, taking it one day at a time.

Seeing this, Tristan no longer found the old priest so annoying.

But the problem was, the other party could afford complacency, while he could not.

Tristan had over a hundred years left to live and had responsibilities as the head of the Panglos Family.

The room fell into brief silence until Tristan suddenly spoke again, "I seem to recall you have a whip."

"Oh, you mean the Thorny Whip, one of the Church's Three Holy Artifacts? It has always been in the hands of the priest most devout to Boris and highly esteemed within the Church, so yes, it is in my possession."

Seeing Tristan no longer discussing the troublesome Double Rest Sect and that prophet named Merlin, and redirecting the topic to their own sacred items, Banke's spirits lifted.

But Tristan's next words left him stupefied, "Very well, hand over that whip to me, oh and bring the other two artifacts as well."

"May I ask, what do you intend to do with the Three Holy Artifacts?" the old priest cautiously asked.

"To present them as a gift to the Divine Chosen King," Tristan said stoically, "I forgot to send a gift during her coronation."

Banke was so startled that he began to stutter, "Th-this is unacceptable. Those three items are the Holy Treasures of our Church, containing immense Divine Power. How can they be given as gifts?

"Especially to those heathens. What if those heathens destroy these artifacts?"

"You mentioned they contain the Divine Power of the God of Thorns and the Uncrowned, so they should be able to protect themselves, right?" Tristan said.

"This… this…" Banke was momentarily speechless.

"If they are unable to protect themselves, then perhaps the Divine Power of the God of Thorns and the Uncrowned is not that formidable, and the Panglos Family and the people of this land are better off believing in Saturday."

Tristan had made up his mind to continue the family's tradition—if you can't beat them, join them.

Though he had once betrayed the Red Lion Empire to join the Wing Tribe, betraying them again to align with Ireya would certainly not speak well of his reputation.

Yet an ill reputation was preferable to death.

This year, though Tristan spent most of his time at home, he had not been idle, constantly observing the three new emperors, and felt none had as good a chance as Ireya.

Though Tristan cautiously preferred to wait a bit longer, observing the future developments of the situation, it was inevitable: Ireya was advancing with formidable momentum, and if the young girl intended to unify the Bratis Continent, her next target would undoubtedly be him and his Elk Valley.

Most importantly, Tristan simply did not want to engage in another battle against those iron spheres and steel monstrosities.