Chapter 18: Breath of Holy Precepts |
Nemus walked along the village''s cobblestone path. Whenever the passing villagers saw him, they bowed respectfully.
Nemus returned their greetings with a warm, friendly smile.
This was something that had never happened before.
It was exactly as Nemus had judged Nels. The man had wanted to be a villain, yet was not ruthless enough; he had wanted to be a good person, yet lacked the perseverance.
Despite harboring good intentions, he had isolated himself behind a foul expression, turning himself into a lone outcast with no one to rely on.
In reality, changing one''s public reputation was not all that difficult.
Nemus was certain that when the two Precept Church members—who were ostensibly here for an internship but were actually conducting an inspection—asked the villagers about him, they would receive a landslide of glowing praise.
Relying on this alone would save him a massive amount of trouble.
"Do you understand now?" Nemus asked. Downs was following closely behind him, wearing a fresh change of clothes, and listened carefully to his words.
Establishing a persona was one of the fastest ways to extract benefits from strangers.
"Most people have limited mental bandwidth. They are often incapable of processing complex matters, so rather than think too deeply, they habitually attach labels to others."
"Their brains will then dictate how they treat you based entirely on that label."
"Therefore, disguising yourself as a character they like is an effortless method to yield massive rewards."
Downs nodded, seemingly grasping the concept.
The only reason Nemus bothered explaining this was that he did not want his subordinate to be completely incompetent.
The young shepherd was currently riding high on his newfound power. If he lacked even this basic level of cunning, he would inevitably attract jealousy and jeopardize Nemus''s plans, which would be a catastrophic loss.
Nemus smiled and nodded at another passing villager just as they arrived at Opper''s residence.
Nemus then informed Opper''s servant of his visit.
Opper hurried to the front door a few moments later to personally welcome him.
Inside Opper''s study, the servant set down freshly brewed black tea and pastries, then turned and left, closing the door softly behind them.
"Downs certainly has good fortune. Even though he encountered a demon, he unexpectedly awakened to the supernatural path and even earned your favor, Sir Nels." Opper did not immediately ask the purpose of the visit, opting instead to sigh in admiration at the young man standing behind Nemus.
This rumor had only just spread yesterday, and Downs had not gone around boasting about it to everyone he met. The fact that Opper already knew proved that the village chief was keeping a very close eye on them.
"I merely saw a good deed through to the end. I could hardly turn a blind eye to sins like demons running amok, now could I?" Nemus replied, though his words carried a distinct double meaning.
Opper picked up on the thinly veiled implication in his tone and was just about to probe further when Nemus continued speaking.
"After all, people from the Precept Church will be arriving for an inspection in a couple of days. If matters are handled cleanly, it will be much easier for me to extract myself from any entanglements."
The moment Nemus finished his sentence, a sheen of cold sweat broke out on Opper''s forehead.
He hastily pulled out a handkerchief to dab his brow, though his gaze sharpened considerably.
"Oh, then congratulations are in order. Perhaps you will secure a promotion this time, Sir Nels, and finally leave our little village," Opper offered, breaking a brief silence with a feigned tone of joyful congratulation.
"That is not guaranteed just yet," Nemus chuckled heartily. "Besides, even if I am permitted to leave, I might not have the heart to part with this place."
"After all, a man as generous as yourself, Mr. Opper, is exceptionally rare."
"To receive such a substantial donation of tokens of faith from you, merely for handling some matters that were already within my duties."
"It is only right, only right!" Opper replied, his smile now completely strained and utterly devoid of genuine warmth.
He perfectly understood the underlying message. Nemus had discovered his illicit whale skin ore business and was now ordering him to clean up the operation and erase all evidence immediately.
At the same time, the bribes he had previously handed to Nemus needed an official, legitimate cover story—transforming from corrupt payoffs into devout donations to the church.
This was Nemus sending a clear, undeniable signal that he intended to wash his hands of the entire affair.
Otherwise, Opper himself would become one of the matters within his duties to be eliminated.
The threat was undeniably present, yet masterfully concealed beneath layers of polite phrasing.
"I merely came today to discuss the matter of the donation. I will not intrude upon your time any further, Mr. Opper," Nemus said, rising to take his leave. He had not touched a single bite or sip of the black tea and pastries the servant had brought.
"As you wish!" Opper stood as well, though he made no move to escort Nemus to the door as he normally would have.
''This did not trigger the Precept of Forgiveness. It seems the current situation does not constitute me forgiving Opper just yet,'' Nemus thought to himself. As he departed, he subtly shifted his gaze toward the shadows off to the side.
He felt a faint sensation from the Oath Rope. The Watchman, who carried a matching segment of the Oath Rope, was hiding silently in that exact spot.
Nemus had come here today specifically to rattle Opper''s cage and flush out his secrets.
He wanted to deliver a warning so Opper would scramble to prepare for the inspection. Simultaneously, he had ordered the Watchman to lie in wait, ready to track Opper''s movements to locate the illegal whale skin ore mining site and identify the personnel involved.
Only by verifying these details could Nemus gradually seize the initiative.
Once he had the facts, he could make a clear, calculated decision on whether to silence them all to guarantee his own safety, or to help cover it up and slip past the inspectors.
Nemus had not taken action personally, delegating the surveillance to the Watchman precisely to completely distance himself from the matter in the public eye.
''I still do not have enough manpower,'' Nemus thought.
Although Downs possessed Demonic Power, his experience was woefully shallow, making him highly prone to blunders when carrying out tasks.
Purr was mature for his age, possessing a steady temperament and unwavering loyalty, yet his current strength was far too low.
Having such a pitifully small roster of subordinates left Nemus feeling constrained in everything he tried to do.
''I need to develop a clandestine force in the form of a religious order...'' After confirming the importance of faith for his own advancement through Purr, he had decided to cultivate a cult of his own.
However, this was not something that could be rushed.
Currently, the churches of the Orthodox Gods were spread far and wide across the land.
Any religious order that did not worship an Orthodox God would be subjected to severe crackdowns by the ruling church.
With the meager manpower at his disposal, even if he managed to pull a cult together, its loose organization would quickly lead to exposure, inevitably dragging him down with it.
One should never underestimate the church''s absolute resolve when it came to eradicating heretics.
"Therefore, the first thing you need to do is properly control your Demonic Aura," Nemus said aloud, deciding to take things one step at a time by resolving the minor issue with Downs first.
"I am going to pass the Breath of Holy Precepts down to you. You must endure the pain and practice it over and over again!"
"The Breath of Holy Precepts?!" Upon hearing that name, even Krog, who had been playing dead inside Downs''s body, could not help but cry out in question. His tone was laced with sheer astonishment. "Nels, who the hell are you?!"
Even as a lowly Lesser Demon of the Abyss, he had heard the illustrious name of the Breath of Holy Precepts. After all, the existence of this technique was engraved into the inherited memories of all demons as basic common knowledge.
It was the absolute apex Breathing Technique within the Precept Church. It was said that even an ordinary person could use it to elevate their potential, advancing from the Black Iron Rank to the Iron Rank.
Aside from the saints of the church, virtually no one knew it!