Chapter 903: An Attitude
Although the few people present were surprised, they weren't perplexed, because they all understood why Zhu Rong would make such a decision, and besides, Zhu Rong herself had explained the reason.
"The magnitude of the remuneration our Administrative Courtyard offers you depends on the extent of your support," Zhu Rong added, seeing their astonished expressions.
"They all have their respective deities of faith. But what about someone like me, who has no faith and no need to construct temples or recruit followers? I imagine I'm not the only one here with this question, am I?"
The Corpse Raising Sect Representative remained calm, even glancing at the two Exorcists as he spoke.
"I've long considered this. While you don't need to build temples, our Administrative Courtyard can establish branch halls for your Corpse Raising Sect and promote your sect's formidable strengths, letting more people learn about you and inspiring more to seek entry into your ranks. How does that remuneration strike you? " Zhu Rong inquired.
The Corpse Raising Sect's core expertise lay in refining and cultivating zombies through secret arts. To successfully refine a zombie, a corpse was essential, primarily human corpses. It was precisely for this reason that the Corpse Raising Sect had always suffered from a poor reputation; ordinary people were utterly terrified of the sect and dared not associate with its members.
Consequently, the Corpse Raising Sect found it very difficult to recruit disciples on a normal basis. On one hand, few desired to join a sect that dealt with corpses daily; on the other hand, the Corpse Raising Sect also had its own requirements for prospective disciples.
However, with official backing for public promotion, diligently highlighting the Corpse Raising Sect's merits, this issue wouldn't be entirely resolved, but it would certainly improve to a certain extent, no longer inspiring the widespread dread it currently did.
Zhu Rong didn't press the Corpse Raising Sect Representative for an immediate reply; instead, her gaze shifted to the two Exorcists.
These two were different from everyone else present. They belonged neither to any religion nor any sect. They required no temples built and no disciples recruited. Thus, the remuneration Zhu Rong had described held little appeal for them. To sway them, she naturally had to offer other conditions.
"If both of you are willing to support our Administrative Courtyard, I will not only provide generous compensation but also make a pledge: should any of your family's descendants wish to enter the Administrative Courtyard as officials in the future, I, Zhu Rong, will open all avenues for them. As long as I, Zhu Rong, remain Lecheng's Administrative Chief, this promise will hold true. " Upon hearing Zhu Rong's words, the two Exorcists exchanged a glance before returning their attention to her.
"Lecheng is my home. I, this old woman, was born here, and naturally, I wish to die here. Only by dying here can I find peace. I have too many memories here, too many things I can't let go of, because my family, my friends—they are all here. Heh heh, I don't have many years left to live, so in these final moments, I don't wish to go anywhere else; I only want to remain in Lecheng. Originally, I had decided not to interfere in anything and just live out my remaining days peacefully. However, since the Administrative Chief needs this old woman to contribute to Lecheng, this old woman naturally won't refuse. Our family can't provide a suitable Exorcist, so I shall come myself. " The old woman said with a smile.
"Heh heh, I am just like her; I also don't have many years left to live. Since she's willing to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police and contribute to Lecheng, I, this old man, naturally can as well. " The elder said with a laugh.
Their replies brought a surge of delight to Zhu Rong's heart. While she knew their decision to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police was certainly related to the conditions she offered, their willingness to do so was a good thing for her. Compensation was only right, for there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Whether they genuinely wished to contribute to Lecheng or were drawn by the conditions she offered was irrelevant to her.
"Here, I represent all the common folk of Lecheng and extend my thanks to both of you. Henceforth, for every deed you perform for Lecheng, I will ensure that all its citizens know, and remember your contributions to our city. " Zhu Rong declared.
"Heh heh, I've always valued my reputation. If the Administrative Chief can truly ensure this old woman leaves behind a good name even after death, then that would naturally be for the best. " The old woman said with a smile.
"Lecheng has many adherents of our Talisman Order. With the world now in chaos, our Talisman Order will not abandon its followers. Even for those not of our faith, our Talisman Order will extend a helping hand. Therefore, I am willing to dispatch ten formidable Yellow Talisman Masters to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police. I hope the Administrative Chief will not find this inadequate. " Wang Yiming stated.
Lecheng's Talisman Order already had few Black Talisman Masters to begin with, and half of them perished during the previous internal strife, making their numbers even scarcer.
Moreover, Black Talisman Masters held a revered status within Lecheng's Talisman Order, making it clearly impossible for them to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police. This was why Wang Yiming decided to dispatch ten Yellow Talisman Masters instead.
Ten Yellow Talisman Masters was already a considerable number. Currently, the entire Lecheng Talisman Order comprised only a little over twenty Yellow Talisman Masters in total. For Wang Yiming to send ten at once, the magnitude of his commitment was apparent.
Everyone present was aware of the Lecheng Talisman Order's strength, at least their overt power. Seeing Wang Yiming actually willing to commit half of their Yellow Talisman Masters to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police, they couldn't help but feel a degree of surprise, even Yang Haoran was no exception.
"Many thanks, Divine Emissary Wang!"
A smile bloomed on Zhu Rong's face, and she quickly offered her thanks to Wang Yiming. Wang Yiming's generosity had exceeded her expectations.
In her estimation, even if Wang Yiming had sent only a single person to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police, her objective would have been met. Her aim was to secure the Talisman Order's support; even one Talisman Master from the Talisman Order being stationed with the Spirit Police would signify Lecheng's Talisman Order's stance. Gaining the Talisman Order's support would, naturally, be immensely beneficial for Lecheng.
But the outcome had far exceeded her expectations. Wang Yiming was much more generous than she had imagined, willing to dispatch ten Yellow Talisman Masters to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police, and formidable ones at that. For her, this was naturally a delightful surprise.
"Our Saint Mother Cult's strength is limited, so we cannot spare too many personnel. I can only assign two Saint Servants to be permanently stationed with your Spirit Police. However, should Lecheng ever face danger, our Saint Mother Cult will not stand idly by. We will intervene as much as possible to mediate and resolve conflicts between parties, preventing their escalation and minimizing casualties."
The Saint Servants of the Saint Mother Cult were equivalent to the Night Watchers of the Underworld Office and the Yellow Talisman Masters of the Talisman Order. They were all beings of the same rank, differing only in their titles, the power within their bodies, and the methods they employed.
Above Saint Servants were Saint Disciples, Saint Emissaries, and Saint Sons. Above Saint Sons was the deity worshipped by the Saint Mother Cult, the Holy Mother.
Qin Jie's current realm was rumored to be at the Saint Disciple level. As for the extent of her attainment within this realm, no one had ever witnessed her fighting seriously, so her true strength remained unknown.
Regarding the Saint Mother Cult, Zhu Rong likewise sought their support. If Qin Jie dispatched more Saint Servants to be permanently stationed with the Spirit Police, that would naturally be ideal. If fewer were sent, it would be no great harm, as long as the Saint Mother Cult was willing to support their Administrative Courtyard. To put it plainly, all she wanted was an attitude – a clear stance.
However, while Qin Jie's words expressed her stance, they did not fully align with Lecheng's Administrative Courtyard. She merely pledged that if Lecheng encountered danger, their Saint Mother Cult would intervene to mediate and prevent the intensification of conflicts as much as possible.
Although Qin Jie's statement left Zhu Rong somewhat dissatisfied, she did not show her displeasure, instead smiling and expressing her thanks to Qin Jie.
"Many thanks, Saint Emissary Qin. If, one day, our Lecheng truly faces immense trouble, I hope you will, for the sake of our countless common folk, lend us a hand to overcome the difficulties."
Qin Jie simply nodded, saying nothing. Zhu Rong didn't press Qin Jie for any further commitments either, instead turning her gaze to the representative of the Corpse Raising Sect.
Seeing Zhu Rong's gaze fall upon him, this person spoke up, preempting her.
"Administrative Chief, don't look at me just yet. I think you should first ask Divine Emissary Yang how he intends to support your Administrative Courtyard. Compared to the Underworld Office behind Divine Emissary Yang, our small Corpse Raising Sect is far too inferior. Furthermore, I've noticed your Administrative Courtyard has been quite close with the Underworld Office recently, so I expect Divine Emissary Yang's support for your Administrative Courtyard will surely leave us all astonished."
Comments