Volume 5 Chapter 0070 The Complete Divine System - I, The Dragon Overlord

The City of Wealth is an exceptionally prosperous metropolis, with a massive cathedral towering over its center. Its grand hall soars skyward, embodying opulence; the entire cathedral is adorned in resplendent gold and jade. Every material used within it is sourced from the most premier building resources the world of San Soliel has to offer. Whether the ceiling, walls, columns, or floors, they are all lavishly embellished. The Baroque-style cathedral, combined with these expensive adornments, is an overt declaration of what it means to be luxurious, what it means to be wealthy. This place is the church of Danluciel, where the 'Holy Coin', as the current Pontiff is known, leads the faithful in prayer, preparing for Danluciel's apotheosis. The titles within this demigod's church are rather quirky. The Pontiff is called 'Holy Coin', followed by hierarchies like 'Gold Coin', 'Silver Coin', 'Copper Coin', and so forth, each representing church members’ ranks, distinctly conveying the notion of the common vulgarity of 'money'. Over several centuries, this demigod has crafted its doctrine, aspiring to become the god of trade and wealth. Its teachings are relatively straightforward: protect wealth, laude wealth accrual, and criticize acts like thievery or robbery, which entail getting something for nothing. This safeguarding of wealth is a core principle. To Louie, this is fundamentally a god that traders or the affluent would worship. The impoverished lack assets, hence do not require excessive protection of them. Moreover, wealth accumulation is not something the poor are typically involved in. What are the real methods of making money? They're 'monopoly' and 'capital's money-making money'. Truth be told, if one is poor, worshiping the god of wealth won't render them rich; only the wealthy will see their fortunes grow through such faith. In whatever world, ugliness and poverty are consistently scorned, which is exceedingly realistic. “However, the circulation of wealth necessitates strong protection. If tyranny surfaces, then even the wealthiest will find themselves with nothing... Money is a manifestation of power, but it is not absolute. ‘Money’ isn’t inherently valuable; it’s merely an ‘equivalent exchange’, devoid of intrinsic utility.” “...It seems Miss Danluciel clearly comprehends the essence of ‘money’. That’s why she sought the protection of might from the 'Temple of Clear Waters'. Yet, Princess Shuni can at most offer protection between gods, not for her followers on the material plane. I am the true power!” If Danluciel were on Earth, she would likely be an economist, rather than merely a wealthy individual. To become a deity epitomized by a 'divine office', it’s not just about possession; it’s about understanding the office’s core, grasping its true essence. Clearly, Danluciel excels in this aspect. Louie felt utterly assured; there was no chance this demigod would fail in becoming a deity. It was now morning, and Danluciel had scheduled her church ministers’ prayer time at dawn. She believed in the adage, ‘The plan of the day lies in the morning,’ endorsing the earning of money through diligent labor. To become a qualified wealthy person or merchant, one must rise early and hustle, not laze around waiting for death. She firmly believed that laziness leads to the shrinking of one's wealth. In Louie’s view, at the heart of Danluciel’s cathedral, a new divine flame kindled. The emergence of this divine flame symbolized successful apotheosis. The next step was forging the divine spark, and sculpting a level '0' divine spark was not difficult. For any who successfully ignited their divine flame, failure was impossible. Before long, what was a clear morning turned to night. Among the sky's numerous stars representing gods, a single star wavered and rose, finally settling at the very bottom of this celestial domain, symbolizing the birth of a new deity. When changes occur in the material world, they attract the gods' attention. The alignment of this newly birthed 'God of Trade and Wealth' is staunchly neutral, indicating that money neither embodies righteousness nor evil; it depends on who wields it. Apart from deities associated with ‘thieves’ or ‘tyranny’, no other gods hold antagonistic grievances against this god of wealth. The gaze and thoughts of gods converged, offering respect to this newly emerged deity. Even Louie couldn’t completely conceal his presence from the gods. When so many divine gazes focused upon him, they naturally noticed the Dragon God residing in the City of Wealth. Except for those like the 'Patron God of Orcs', 'Goddess of the Earth', and 'Queen of the Dark Elves', who held grudges against Louie, other deities who were either friendly or had no prior dealings with Louie greeted this god of formidable might and showed their respect. If intermediate divine might and lesser divine might represent the backbone of the pantheon, then the few possessing mighty divine might are considered the ‘kings’ by the gods. Upon seeing Louie in his avatar form, the other gods’ attention receded. Unless deliberate secret meetings were intended, there were seldom secrets among the gods. Louie’s earlier interception of the God of Love and Beauty at the 'Temple of Clear Waters' was well-known among the deities. They recognized that the ‘strong power’ sought by this newly ascending goddess of wealth was indeed Louie, the Dragon God. Consequently, they harbored no further thoughts regarding the goddess of wealth. Adding a goddess of wealth, who would inevitably become of intermediate divine power, into his divine pantheon, Louie's assembly of gods had essentially formed. The pantheon represents Louie’s sphere of influence. Typically, a pantheon would have only one or two with intermediate divine power, three to four with lesser divine power, and many or few with weak divine power, apart from the chief god with formidable divine power. A pantheon crowded with numerous deities doesn’t exist because it would lead to conflicts of faith among gods. Currently, as the chief god, Louie wields formidable divine might and possesses the divine office of the 'God of Kobolds’, sufficient to become intermediate divine might. Coupling this with the inevitable intermediate divine might of the goddess of wealth, along with two gods of lesser divine might — the benevolent and malevolent dragon gods — this marked the entirety of Louie’s subordinate deities. It wasn’t perfect, but it was sound. The starlit sky over the material world returned to the dawn of morning sun, signifying the end of the god-making ceremony. Louie didn’t dwell on it further. His avatar continued to roam the material world’s lands. Depending on his mood and nature, he might undertake some actions or, through fate, encounter a certain mortal. Such mortals meeting deities will, in time, transform into the subjects of legends and chronicles. His other avatar awaited in the 'Dragonblight' to welcome the recently apotheosized goddess of wealth. A deity is most vulnerable immediately after successful apotheosis when the divine spark is level ‘0’. Having not yet undergone qualitative transformation, a team of demigods can vanquish a freshly formed true god. Only when a deity establishes their primary divine realm do they achieve safety and truly immortal transformation. However, Danluciel, the goddess of wealth, faced none of these concerns. With Louie's protection, she promptly entered Louie’s divine realm upon successful apotheosis, circumventing all potential dangers, and came to pay homage to her master. “Congratulations, Lady Danluciel. You are now a true deity!” Louie’s avatar appeared before the goddess of wealth's true form, warmly extending his congratulations.