Lucifer walked up the hill, his boots crunching on the frozen grass. Behind him, the hundred elite Cryo-Vanguards fell into a perfect, silent formation.
Their ice-crystal armor caught the dim light, making them look like an army of ghosts.
As Lucifer approached the chapel's barricades, the paladins scrambled to push aside a broken wagon to let him through.
They looked exhausted. Their white tabards were torn, and many wore hastily tied bandages soaked in red.
"Halt!" a voice barked from the chapel steps.
A large man in pristine, heavy plate armor walked out of the sanctuary. Unlike his men, his armor shone brightly, untouched by the dirt or blood of the battle.
A brilliant red cape fluttered behind his shoulders. He held a golden broadsword resting casually on his pauldron.
This was Paladin Commander Thorne. Lucifer remembered him clearly from his past life. A man who loved gold far more than he loved his god.
"I am Commander Thorne of the Lumina Order," the man announced, puffing out his chest. He looked past Lucifer, his eyes lingering greedily on the Cryo-Vanguards. "You have done the Church a service today, boy. I see you brought mercenaries. Who is your master?"
Lucifer stopped a few feet away. He didn't bow. "I am Lucifer of the Citadel of Obsidian. These are my soldiers. I don't have a master."
Thorne's eyebrows shot up. He looked Lucifer up and down, noting Lucifer's relatively simple combat gear.
The Warlord's Warlord Aura was currently suppressed, so to Thorne, Lucifer just looked like a minor, wealthy noble who had hired an incredibly strong escort.
"A minor baron, then," Thorne scoffed, lowering his sword to lean on it. "Well, Lucifer, the Church thanks you for your assistance. However, the Whispering Weald is under Lumina Order jurisdiction. We had the Abomination right where we wanted it. You simply interfered with our siege."
Elara shifted her weight. The air around her instantly dropped in temperature.
Lucifer raised a hand, stopping her before she could summon her killing intent. He looked back at Thorne with a flat, neutral expression. "I see. My apologies for interrupting your... masterful hiding."
A few of the wounded paladins looked away in shame, but Thorne's face turned red. "Watch your tongue, boy. You stand on holy ground."
Lucifer reached into his inventory and tossed the glass vial. It flew through the air and landed perfectly in Thorne's heavy gauntlet.
"The Corrupted Blood of the Plague Abomination," Lucifer said smoothly. "Proof of the kill. I wish to submit this to the Church's registry. I believe defeating a Zone Boss warrants a bounty."
Thorne held the vial up to the light. His eyes gleamed. With this blood, he could report to the capital that he had led the charge to slay the giant. The promotion would be massive.
Thorne cleared his throat and stood taller. "Yes, well. As a registered kill, this belongs to the Order. I will see to it that your House receives a commendation. A bronze medal, perhaps. Now, leave us. We have holy work to finish."
He turned to walk back into the chapel, dismissing Lucifer entirely.
"I also wish to make a donation to the Light," Lucifer said loudly.
Thorne stopped. He turned around slowly. "A donation?"
"I am a faithful man," Lucifer lied with a straight face. "I saw the poor state of your men. The barricades are broken. You are low on supplies. I wish to offer my support to the Lumina Order."
Thorne sneered. "We do not need the copper coins of a minor baron. The Church requires substantial offerings to record a deed in the Holy Ledger."
"I am aware of the ledger," Lucifer said. He walked past the barricade, stepping directly into the chapel's courtyard. He gestured to an empty patch of stone. "Bring out the Holy Ledger, Commander. Let us see if my offering is substantial enough."
Thorne narrowed his eyes. He snapped his fingers. A young, nervous priest scurried out from the chapel carrying a heavy, glowing book.
The Holy Ledger. It was a magical artifact linked directly to the Church's central vault in the capital. It calculated the exact value of any donated item and converted it into Contribution Points.
The priest placed the book on a stone altar in the center of the yard.
"Place your offering on the altar, boy," Thorne said, crossing his arms. "Let us see your faith."
Lucifer walked up to the altar. He opened his Dimensional Vault.
With a thought, a massive wooden crate materialized in the air and slammed down onto the stone courtyard. Then another. And another.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Ten heavy crates hit the ground. The wood groaned under the immense weight.
Lucifer casually kicked the lid off the first crate.
The courtyard went entirely silent.
The crate was filled to the brim with refined Arcanum crystals, glowing with pure, dense mana. They were the size of apples, perfectly cut and utterly flawless.
Lucifer kicked the lid off the second crate. It was packed with solid gold bars, stamped with the mark of the old kingdom.
He moved down the line. The next crates contained thousands of high-tier healing potions, rare monster cores, and pristine iron ore.
It was a fraction of the loot he had gained from the GNOME massacre and the multiplied supply crates from the Void Merchant. To Lucifer, it was pocket change.
"Thirty thousand gold pieces worth of raw supplies," Lucifer stated, his voice ringing clearly in the quiet courtyard. "To aid the wounded and rebuild the chapel."
Thorne's jaw hung open. His eyes were wide, darting from the gold to the crystals, then to the potions. The sheer wealth sitting in the dirt was more than the annual tax revenue of a major city.
"By the Light..." the young priest whispered, falling to his knees.
"Process it," Lucifer ordered.
The priest scrambled up, his hands shaking as he placed his palm on the glowing Ledger. He pointed his other hand at the crates. A golden light swept over the supplies, scanning their value.
[System: Lumina Order Donation Detected.]
[Base Value: 30,000 Contribution Points.]
[Divine Talent: Apex Multiplier Activated!]
[Applying 10,000x multiplier to Faction Standing rewards...]
The Holy Ledger began to hum. Then, it shrieked.
A blinding column of golden light erupted from the book, shooting straight up into the dark clouds of the Whispering Weald.
The magical pressure was so intense that the stained glass windows of the chapel shattered inward.
The priest screamed and jumped back as the pages of the Ledger flipped wildly. The magical ink burned onto the parchment like fire.
Thorne stumbled backward, tripping over his own cape and falling hard onto his rear. "What is happening?! What is that magic?!"
The light slowly faded, leaving the Ledger smoking slightly on the altar.
Lucifer walked forward and looked down at the open page. His name was written in bold, glowing golden letters. Beside it was his updated standing within the Church.
[Faction Standing: Lumina Order]
[Contribution Points: 300,000,000]
Three hundred million points.
Lucifer tapped the page. "Read it, Commander."
Thorne crawled forward on his hands and knees. He grabbed the edge of the altar and pulled himself up. He looked at the book. His eyes bulged out of his skull. He blinked hard, rubbed his eyes with his armored knuckles, and looked again.
"Three... three hundred..." Thorne gasped, clutching his chest. His breathing grew shallow. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "Three hundred million? That... that is impossible. The total vault capacity... the High Pope himself doesn't have..."
Thorne collapsed to his knees right in front of Lucifer. The arrogance was entirely wiped from his face, replaced by absolute, groveling terror.
In the Lumina Order, wealth was divine favor. A man with three hundred million Contribution Points wasn't just a noble. He was practically a living saint. With that many points, Lucifer could buy the entire chapel, the land it sat on, and legally execute Thorne for disrespecting him without facing a single consequence.
"M-My Lord," Thorne stammered, his forehead touching the cold stone. "Forgive me. I was blind. I did not realize I was in the presence of an Exalted Patron."
The rest of the paladins immediately dropped their weapons and knelt in the dirt, bowing their heads toward Lucifer.
Elara walked up beside Lucifer. She looked down at the groveling Commander, a look of pure disgust flashing in her eyes. "They change their tune quickly when the gold is counted."
"Men of faith usually do," Lucifer said quietly.
He looked down at Thorne. "Stand up, Commander."
Thorne scrambled to his feet, keeping his head bowed submissively. He didn't dare make eye contact. "How may this humble servant assist you, Lord Lucifer?"
"I have business in the capital soon," Lucifer said, his voice cold and commanding. "I need access. I want the Honorary Rank granted by this donation processed immediately. Send the raven tonight."
"Yes, my Lord! Immediately!" Thorne shouted, sweat pouring down his face. "With a donation of this magnitude, the Hierarchy will grant you the rank of High Inquisitor. You will have full authority over regional deployments and unrestricted access to the Grand Archives."
"Good." Lucifer turned away from the man. He had exactly what he needed. The title of High Inquisitor would give him the legal shield he needed to move his army freely across human territories without triggering a war with the Crown.
He gestured to the crates of wealth sitting in the courtyard. "Distribute the healing potions to your men. If I find out you hoarded them to sell, I won't bother asking the Church for a tribunal. I will simply return and freeze you solid."
Thorne swallowed hard, his face pale. "Your will is our command, High Inquisitor."
Lucifer signaled to Elara. She nodded and raised her hand, signaling the Cryo-Vanguards to pull back.
As they walked away from the chapel, leaving the bewildered and terrified paladins behind, Elara glanced at Lucifer.
"You just gave them enough wealth to fund a small war," she noted. "Was the title truly worth that much?"
Lucifer smiled. It was a cold, knowing smile. "It cost me nothing but a few seconds of my time. And in return, we now hold a leash around the neck of the largest religious military in the world."
He looked toward the dark horizon, his Warlord aura slowly bleeding back into the air.
"The real war is coming, Elara. And I intend to own every piece on the board before the enemy even knows we are playing."