The Stage Play That Was Forced to Take the Stage

"Oh, my dear Zain, you are the starlight, you are the moon, you are the little sun that will never fall in my heart."

"Oh...my dear...Jerry, you...you are also the most handsome man in my heart...in my heart."

The two on stage are performing a play. The plot is about two people meeting on a ship and pledging their lives to each other. The male and female leads are a burly man and Zain, respectively.

Yes, Zain plays the female lead.

The burly man wrapped his strong arms around Zain from behind, looked down at Zain's face with affection in his eyes, and even pouted his lips.

The instruments playing below the stage reached their climax at this moment.

"No...no...ah—"

With Zain's pitiful wails, the second act of the play came to an end.

Sitting in the audience, Meleson enjoyed the play with great interest, calmly listening to Smithson's well-organized report.

"Andrew... Church of Light... Bishop Gar..."

Yesterday, Lord Hades sent down a divine oracle, which was poured into his brain.

The oracle was very simple, consisting of only two sentences:

Protect Andrew in the black market; don't let him die.

[Prevent Andrew from establishing a church.]

He knew Andrew; it was Lord Hades who had sent down a divine oracle before, the oracle's instruction being that Andrew should become addicted to gambling and accumulate debts.

Meleson did it with ease, from feigning weakness to praising to flattering Andrew, Andrew fell perfectly into every trap, successfully incurring a debt he could never repay in his lifetime.

Later, Meleson heard that this guy had joined the Necropolis and become an extremely rare necromancer, and then he went and looted the Glory Sanctuary.

Thinking about this, he found it very interesting. This doll had returned to the black market area today, so he had to go and take a good look at it.

As expected, Melissan saw Zain and Andrew fighting as soon as he left the gambling den, just as he had anticipated.

He originally intended to help. Although Zane wasn't very bright, he was still Kazan's disciple, and his strength was indeed comparable to that of an average elite knight.

However, upon seeing the magic swirling in Andrew's hands, he refrained from approaching.

Light magic? Isn't he a follower of the god of death? Or perhaps a magic scroll?

Although it was unclear why he could use other abilities, the battle between the two took an unexpected turn. A dazzling light burst forth from his palm, and when the light ended, Zane had been defeated, and Andrew had vanished from the spot.

However, Meleson was not in a hurry. He had many informants in the black market, and soon he learned that Andrew had purchased the church blueprints and a necromancer who was proficient in architecture.

With the addition of Lord Hades' divine oracle, he immediately guessed what Andrew wanted to do.

Following the clues, he quickly investigated many churches in Black Twilight City, and Church Lane 19 was no exception and was within his surveillance range.

I never expected that he would have a high-level magical tool that could change his appearance, which made it quite a search for him.

"Interesting! In that case, I'd better make some proper arrangements."

Meleson clapped lightly, stood up from his seat, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

"Andrew, I hope you like the...stage I set up for you!"

-

"How come this church is almost finished after just one night?"

"A miracle! This must be a miracle performed by Lord Icarus!"

"Praise be to the light!"

"..."

The believers discussed amongst themselves, occasionally crossing their hands in prayer.

Selena followed the gaze of the worshippers to the church, which had been fitted with stained glass, and the half-broken church door now looked brand new.

She rubbed her eyes, then looked at the bishop who was still fast asleep in the hut.

His identity became increasingly unfathomable to Selena.

[84 Days to Go]

Looking at the countdown and the number of believers growing to 24, Garr sat up and walked out of the bedroom.

"Bishop Garr! Look, look!" Eugenie ran over excitedly, grabbed Garr's hand, and pointed to the renovated church: "It's a miracle! Lord Icarus performed a miracle last night!"

"Really! Lord Icarus is indeed amazing!" Gar also showed a surprised look, but his heart was completely unmoved.

This is no miracle at all; it's just something he worked overtime to finish last night.

The efficiency of dozens of undead skeletons was terrifying. Under the command of the necromancer, they achieved twice the result with half the effort, and almost all the work was completed in the latter half of the night.

He can then crawl into bed and get a good rest for a while.

Next, Gar began his morning prayers.

He used the same rhetoric as yesterday, but he added praise for Icarus's miracles. The interior of the church was also transformed, and the worshippers were spared the cold wind, making their prayers even louder.

After distributing the wheat porridge as usual, Gar began preparing to recruit more refugees from the surrounding area and convert them to believers.

Large quantities of black bread, a wooden cart for carrying bread, and articles for an upcoming sermon.

After all, the Kingdom of Slo still reveres the God of War, so Gal needs to keep a low profile and recruit believers on a small scale first to avoid direct conflict of interest with the Temple of War.

Just then, a few people walked in from outside the church. The one in the lead was a man with a fur coat draped over his shoulder and an effeminate appearance.

A person dressed like this would stand out awkwardly in a place full of tattered clothes.

His gaze wandered, and the warm yellow sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows into the church gave the simple church a sense of holiness.

"Hmm, the decorations here are quite nice. Although they're not as impressive as the Temple of War, they still have a touch of its charm."

Garl looked toward the source of the voice. His pupils, which had been calm, slowly contracted. After subconsciously touching the Faceless One's face, he forced himself to remain composed and adopt a peaceful demeanor.

"Hello, I am Bishop Gar Hawke here."

The man also performed the aristocratic greeting with great politeness, speaking in a sincere tone:

"Hello, Your Excellency Bishop Garr. Let me introduce myself. I am Melerson Brooks, the leader of the Black Gold Society. I prefer to be called Boss Melerson."

"So it's Boss Meleson. I've often heard of the Black Gold Society. I never expected Boss Meleson to suddenly come to my dilapidated church. What an honor!" Gal chimed in. "May I ask, Boss Meleson, what brings you to my humble church?"

Meleson didn't mince words, a smile playing on his lips: "I've heard that Bishop Gar has recently been helping refugees, a truly admirable act of kindness. I admire your work, so I'd like to offer some assistance to you and to the development of the Church."

Garr secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need it for now..."

"Don't be so quick to refuse, Bishop Gar," Meleson interrupted, his smile widening. Gar looked into his deep eyes and realized he couldn't see the bottom at all.

Meleson stepped forward, lowered his voice, as if sharing an interesting secret:

"Or...should I call you Andrew...?"

Gal's heart leaped into his throat, his fists clenched tightly, and a murderous intent rose from the depths of his heart.

He knows...he knows who I am! I must...kill him.

"Now, can you patiently listen to my good intentions?"

Meleson seemed oblivious to Gar's odd behavior, simply stepping back with his usual smile, though Gar's expression toward him grew increasingly hateful.

Garr remained silent, and Melissan, far from finding it boring, was actually delighted by this silent anger. He began to speak to himself:

"The day after tomorrow, the Black Gold Society will sponsor a public sermon for you, Bishop Garr. You can demonstrate your doctrines before the entire city."

Meleson handed a letter to Gar and then left.

Melessen's farewell echoed in the air:

"Black Gold Club looks forward to your arrival."