Chapter 143
“I have come to pay my respects to the Blood Lord.”
Tian Ryuyeon entered the room and paid his respects.
I opened my mouth while pretending to be at ease, gently fanning myself with my fan.
“Yes, Bishop. What is it?”
“Blood Lord. There is something I must report. There are people who wish to make contact with the main cult.”
“Who are they, and where are they from?”
“……They called themselves ‘Eun (隱).’”
Tian Ryuyeon continued his explanation.
“They identified themselves as the Assassination Guild, but… It is a name I have never heard before. Judging by the name, they seem to be quite a covert faction.”
Even back when he was an inn attendant, Tian Ryuyeon had picked up quite a bit of knowledge about the murim by eavesdropping, and now that he was a bishop, he knew the murim’s current affairs thoroughly.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that he knew nearly every group in the vicinity of Namyang.
A faction even he knew nothing about.
Tian Ryuyeon seemed somewhat wary, but the moment I heard that name, I realized who they were.
‘Eun.’
It was a faction I had read about in Solo Warrior’s strategy guide.
Originally, the first objective of Chapter 1 was to make contact with either the orthodox faction or the demonic faction.
To take the orthodox route, I had to gain recognition from the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Families.
But to take the demonic route, I had to find this group called “Eun.”
‘They’re practically a spy organization for the Demonic Cult.’
They disguised themselves as an Assassination Guild on the surface,
but in reality, they were an intelligence agency of the Demonic Cult, operating undercover within orthodox territory.
‘So the Demonic Cult has taken an interest in our Blood Cult….’
They clearly hadn’t viewed us favorably.
The Blood Cult of the past had rampaged indiscriminately among both the orthodox and demonic factions, so the Demonic Cult naturally did not have particularly warm feelings toward the Blood Cult either.
Why else would the orthodox and demonic factions have joined hands to exterminate the Blood Cult?
Still, unlike the orthodox faction, the demonic faction was more pragmatic.
‘Should I say the Demonic Cult is actually more open-minded?’
Eun’s thinking was probably something like this.
There was no guarantee that the Blood Cult of the past and the newly emerged Blood Cult of the present were the same.
Let’s see them in person and decide.
Judging by the behavior patterns of those guys I had read about in the strategy guide, it would definitely follow this pattern.
That was why they had approached the Blood Cult.
“They have conveyed that they wish to learn more about the Blood Cult and, if possible, visit us in person. What shall we do?”
‘Hmm.’
As I listened to Tian Ryuyeon’s report, I immediately recalled the quest for Chapter 2 of the sixth floor.
[Spread the renown of the Blood Cult among both the orthodox and demonic factions.]
Thanks to the agreement I had made with the Namgung Family, the orthodox side was effectively taken care of.
And if Eun was an intelligence agency that reported directly to the Demonic Cult….
‘This is totally an invitation-only event for the Demonic Cult press corps, isn’t it?’
There was no reason to stop them.
No, on the contrary, this was great!
“Very well. Tell them to come.”
When I gave my breezy permission, Tian Ryuyeon flinched and asked again.
“Do you mean we should let them inside the main hall?”
“That is correct. There is no need to hide a single thing about the Blood Cult.”
“Oh…!”
If we were going to advertise ourselves anyway, it was better to show off all of our Blood Cult’s excellent benefits and overwhelming martial prowess.
***
The next day. As part of preparing to receive Eun, I decided to properly inspect the Blood Cult together with Tian Ryuyeon.
After returning to the Tower, I had immediately gone to fetch Namgung Yeonhee, so I had only heard a rough verbal account from Tian Ryuyeon and had not checked things myself.
“This is where the Blood Cult’s wealth is stored.”
Tian Ryuyeon led the way and opened the door to a massive storehouse.
Sacks of grain were stacked tightly together,
while mountains of neatly sorted silver and valuables filled the place.
‘Whoa, there’s this much?’
I was secretly startled by the far greater scale than I had expected.
“As the number of congregants has grown, many people have wanted to offer money, grain, and other things to the Blood Cult, so we created ledgers and manage everything systematically.”
At those words, a warning light suddenly flashed in my head.
‘Gasp. Offerings? Isn’t this exactly how a cult operates?’
Surely they weren’t forcibly squeezing offerings even out of commoners who had no money, were they?
With a suspicious look, I asked him about it.
Tian Ryuyeon smiled faintly, took out a ledger, and opened it.
“Congregants who are struggling to make ends meet do not have to give anything, and only those who can afford it offer as much as they are able, according to their circumstances.”
According to Tian Ryuyeon’s explanation, some of the wealth collected this way was used for the main cult’s upkeep, while a substantial portion went toward relief for the poor and support for the congregants.
The results of checking with [Eye of Emotion] showed that this was 100% true.
‘……He’s really good at his job.’
“Hmm. Not bad.”
“The treasury was already well stocked with wealth obtained by subduing the Black Sects, so it was not particularly difficult. Is this not all thanks to the Blood Lord’s benevolence?”
Tian Ryuyeon bowed his head modestly.
The next place we headed to was the spacious training ground behind the main hall.
“Haaap! Hyaa!”
Dozens of congregants stood there in formation, training while shouting their battle cries.
“Let’s hurry and prepare the meal!”
At another open area, people wearing aprons had hung a huge iron cauldron and were boiling porridge for famine relief,
while there were also people assigned to patrol and others in charge of organizing the ledgers.
There were even separate people tasked with explaining the doctrine and guiding first-time visitors.
‘This is incredibly systematic.’
We had started out in a small, run-down tavern,
but now it gave off the unmistakable air of a proper martial sect.
“We separately selected those with a talent for martial arts, those who could read, and those who would handle odd jobs and security, then assigned each of them to positions suited to them.”
I had heard the explanation long ago, but seeing it with my own eyes felt completely different.
‘How much work did they get done while I was away?’
As expected of someone with what it takes to be a bishop for life.
I really want to turn him into a vampire and make him a bishop for real—for life.
Unfortunately, his Vampire Potential was F-rank, so I could not bite him myself.
Even if he could not be a direct servant, he would be worth seriously considering as an indirect servant.
I smacked my lips at the thought, imagining how horrified Tian Ryuyeon would be if he heard it.
‘Good. The administrative side is perfect.’
The matters I could not handle, such as accounting and administration, had been taken care of perfectly by Tian Ryuyeon.
Then it was my turn.
The Demonic Cult would of course be curious about the Blood Cult’s organization as well,
but since they were martial artists, they would surely be more interested in just how strong the Blood Cult was.
To spread our renown, I had to make sure they witnessed the Blood Cult’s martial strength firsthand.
This was something I was confident about.
Ah, of course, I meant my servants, not me.
Just then, Tian Ryuyeon spoke cautiously, as though he had remembered something.
“Blood Lord. Come to think of it, there are still congregants who have not received the Blood Lord’s grace….”
Grace.
He was referring to [Blood Army], the effect of my second divine artifact, the Red Crown.
Since it was just a matter of clicking a button, I was about to do it right away when—
‘……Wait.’
A spectacular scene in which I bestowed my power on a large number of people all at once.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to do this in front of the Demonic Cult guys?’
If I showed them ordinary humans instantly receiving my blessing and growing stronger right before their eyes,
it would make for an excellent display of power.
“That can wait a little.”
So I deliberately decided to postpone the blessing ceremony.
“I shall bestow it myself in front of the people of Eun.”
“Ah…!”
Tian Ryuyeon’s eyes widened as he understood what I meant.
I was starting to enjoy this situation, too.
From then on, I gave Tian Ryuyeon instructions one by one to prepare for Eun’s arrival.
In particular, I made detailed plans for how to show off my servants to maximum effect.
I arranged a dramatic entrance for Katarina, while Siyeon would play the role of startling them….
Hmm, could I put the newly joined Namgung Yeonhee to use like this?
***
And so, our preparations were nearly complete.
Just then, Tian Ryuyeon cautiously opened his mouth.
“There is one thing that still has not received the Blood Lord’s approval.”
“What is it?”
“The Blood Cult’s emblem.”
He said that, as the number of congregants gradually increased, someone had suggested embroidering a unified emblem on flags, clothing, and the like.
‘That makes sense. An emblem would be nice.’
Especially since the Demonic Cult’s press corps was visiting this time.
“I have something in mind, though.”
As expected, our capable bishop had even thought up a design.
However.
“I did not dare decide something as important as the Blood Cult’s symbol on my own, so I put it on hold until the Blood Lord returned.”
I was moved once again.
‘Wow.’
He had waited for me instead of making such an important decision on his own.
‘Perfect. Absolutely perfect.’
I nodded while sending him a look of complete trust.
“I see.”
“May I tell you about the candidates I carefully considered?”
“Go ahead!”
My anticipation mounted.
Tian Ryuyeon immediately began explaining the first symbol.
“To begin with, the background is naturally red, symbolizing our Blood Cult.”
‘Oh.’
Exactly, exactly.
Since it was the Blood Cult, a red background was fundamental.
“Then, to represent the merciful intent of our main cult, which embraces all people regardless of noble or lowly birth, I placed a pure white circle in the center.”
‘Ooh.’
It has a pretty nice feel, doesn’t it?
Is he even good at design?
My expectations rose even higher.
Seeing my positive reaction, Tian Ryuyeon added to his explanation with a proud look.
“Finally, for the central emblem, I took inspiration from the swastika (卍), which in Buddhism signifies good fortune and the accumulation of all virtues.”
Hmm…?
The swastika (卍)? The Buddhist temple symbol?
“To represent the Blood Cult’s great ideals spreading throughout the world, I rotated the swastika diagonally to complete it!”
Red background.
White circle.
And a diagonally rotated swastika (卍) in the center…?
I screamed in horror.
“Th-that won’t do!!!”