Chen Jixian turned his face away. What a menace, he thought.

Chen Gu certainly had his own purpose in wanting to subdue these overseers.

The entire mining area was permanently garrisoned by the city-state's army for mine protection. If these overseers reported to their superiors, the army would immediately come to suppress the believers. He also needed to use his identity as a "Prophet" to continue communicating with other shrines and ascertain the inner workings of this heretical cult, so he could not afford to be interrupted by the military.

Now, he had managed the entire mine so tightly that it was like a solid block of iron, allowing him to proceed comfortably with his subsequent plans. This mine pit, too, had become unprecedentedly "unified." The miners and overseers had all become "fellow worshippers." The overseers no longer needed to scream themselves hoarse urging them on, nor did they need to wield whips as threats. The miners, in turn, worked exceptionally hard.

Although a mining accident had caused significant delays, the discovery of a high-grade ore vein meant that by evening, when work ended, this mine pit's total output was the highest of any in the Green Forest mining field!

The head overseer, Yudel, was summoned by the mining field's supervisor and lavishly praised.

「Later that evening」

When they returned to the city, everyone treated Chen Gu and the others with great respect. Old Charles even specially invited Chen Gu to preside over that night's prayer service.

With the covert cooperation of the Psychological Spy Gong Shuxu, every believer who participated in that night's prayers felt as though their soul had grown closer to the "Great True God," and it seemed as if they could truly hear the voice of the deity within their hearts!

After the prayer service, every believer queued up to kiss the back of Chen Gu's hand, asking Chen Gu to bless them before departing with great excitement.

After seeing off all the believers, Chen Gu stayed behind and had a detailed talk with old Charles.

Old Charles voluntarily served as a "follower" to the honorable Prophet, behaving with utmost respect and reverence. Chen Gu's words were more important to him than even royal decrees. So, even though they were in old Charles's home, Chen Gu was seated with dignity while old Charles lay prostrate beside him, having sent his family into the inner rooms.

Fortunately, old Charles only has sons. If he had a daughter, he might have already offered her to serve me in bed by now, Chen Gu mused. With Charles acting like this… it's like I'm the one being pimped out.

"Tell me about the situation with the various shrines," Chen Gu said.

"Yes," Charles replied immediately. "I was also planning to report this to you, Your Excellency. Every mine pit in our Green Forest mining field has a branch altar, just like ours."

Chen Gu listened without a change in expression, quickly understanding. This old Charles is truly a remarkable "talent"! My previous estimates weren't wrong; in this city, about forty percent of the population are followers of the "Great True God"—among the miners, this proportion is higher, around fifty percent or so. Although the doctrines proclaimed by the "Great True God" are very appealing, until now, there have been no concrete "manifestations" to give the miners true hope. So, having so many believers is already quite an achievement. It's also because this world hadn't previously seen religion appear, so the people are more "naïve" in this respect, easy to sway… However, this "altar master" under my command, old Charles, has actually managed to convert over ninety percent of the miners in his pit into believers! That's far above the average level. One mining field constitutes a shrine, one city a grand shrine. Before I appeared, old Charles also harbored "grand ambitions" of becoming a shrine leader, and then a grand shrine leader—beyond that, he lacked the vision and hadn't thought further.

Now that Chen Gu, the "Prophet," had appeared and displayed miracles right before his eyes, Charles was incredibly excited. I truly must be chosen by God; otherwise, why would the Prophet appear at my side? he thought.

Charles was well-versed in matters concerning believers in other mining fields within the city, but he knew little about other city-states.

"The situation in other mine pits is similar to ours; forty to fifty percent of the miners are our followers. I've personally verified this, so there shouldn't be any issues," he said. "But I haven't been to the other cities. I've only heard that the light of our God is shining on more and more places; even in those dark areas, about ten percent of the miners have converted to our God."

Having finished his report, Charles remained quietly prostrate nearby, not daring to speak further and disturb the Prophet's contemplation.

But he didn't know that Chen Gu's thoughts were entirely different. It's not about how to let the light of *their* God shine over the land, dispelling evil darkness and saving more lost lambs. Quite the opposite, I'm thinking about how to limit this heretical cult, Chen Gu pondered. The situation is more severe than they—or even I—initially assumed, and not by just a little bit. With the current prevalence of believers, banning this heretical cult in these city-states would immediately trigger massive upheavals. What the Confederation wants is for these people to mine peacefully. If large-scale disturbances occur, these believers certainly won't meet a good end. With the Confederation's power, they could easily be wiped out. But a war would kill a large number of people and result in the loss of a significant workforce. I know this is indeed very cruel to the beings of this planet, but our positions are different. I can't afford to be a saint. Within my capabilities, and without harming the interests of my homeland, I will try to secure some rights for these underdeveloped beings. But my fundamental loyalties will never waver.