I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 191: Missionaries, Merchants, Age of Exploration (2)

There’s a fact that people often forget.

It’s that the ones at the forefront of imperialism are often missionaries.

Because missionaries have religious convictions that allow them to endure extreme conditions, they’ve received high-level education since childhood, and they possess wisdom and knowledge acquisition skills.

And they use all of that to conduct espionage while pretending to be harmless.

“Moreover, navigating in this era is something you can’t do unless you cling to your faith.”

The region I often travel to, Sayfriqiya, isn’t too dangerous as long as I make proper supply stops and occasionally visit other cities.

But going beyond Sayfriqiya to explore the New World, the Indies, or possibly even the vast empires of the East?

It often takes over a year just for one-way travel, including supply and rest stops.

Even after establishing a trade route, it’s common for 15 to 50 out of 100 sailors to die during the journey due to the dangers.

“The fleet getting wiped out is also quite common.”

That’s why there are missionaries from the Jesuit order who set sail for overseas missions, ready to die at any moment as martyrs.

“If I work with overly pious people, it’ll be hard for me to get what I want.”

It’s tough to work with crazy individuals who will do anything for the sake of spreading their faith.

“Father Fiat has arrived.”

Before long, a middle-aged monk in his mid-forties entered the room.

Usually, monks establish monasteries in small rural areas, living self-sufficiently.

They farm, make wine, and remove themselves from worldly desires. This is typical...

But the glint in his eyes seems to suggest he’s just like me—a person full of desires.

“Thank you for coming. I have much to discuss, so please, sit comfortably.”

“Yes, Baron.”

“You must have already read the letter I sent, so there’s no need to waste time on formalities. Let’s get straight to the point: How would you like to become the head of the new religious order I’m establishing?”

Being the head of a religious order sounds like a significant position, possibly equivalent to an archbishop, but...

Just like how a CEO of a huge corporation and the CEO of a small business with less than five employees both share the title “CEO,” their actual influence and social standing can differ vastly.

My religious order isn’t that big yet, so even if I get approval from the Vatican, it’ll likely just mean the ceremonial rank of bishop.

Of course, in terms of military rank, it’s equivalent to a general star, and in terms of business, it’s like being an executive. So it’s still quite a step up in the social ladder.

Fiat, upon hearing my words, didn’t sparkle with excitement but instead responded with a look of suspicion.

“Though I did well in seminary and received my priestly ordination, I’ve been in this state since the Archbishop Johannes was unjustly defrocked and left the clergy.”

In the Toscanian Empire, or rather on the continent of Albania, there are generally two paths to becoming a clergyman.

One is to graduate from a seminary with a highly challenging academic degree, formally receive ordination, and build a career in a large city or prominent monastery.

Those who follow this path become bishops or abbots.

The other path involves paying a bribe to a large cathedral in the region, learning only the bare minimum knowledge and rituals needed to perform mass for about a year, and then receiving ordination.

These individuals typically spend their entire lives at small churches in the village they were initially assigned to.

Not everyone follows these paths, but someone like Father Fiat, who graduated from seminary, surely has a strong desire for advancement.

“At 40-something, living as just a lowly monk in a rural monastery, having given up on status and everything? I couldn’t stand it.”

It’s like passing the civil service exam and then living your whole life as a contracted 9th-grade public servant.

“What specifically would I need to do?”

“To spread the gospel of Deus to the heathens in the western continent of Ifriqiya, and further, to the heathens across the world.”

To be honest, I don’t like Deus’ religion.

But if I don’t believe in Deus, everything I enjoy now—the wealth, my happy life with my wives—everything will turn to ash. So, I have no choice but to endure it.

It’s like paying taxes.

If you don’t pay, you die.

Since I’m standing at the forefront of the Age of Exploration, if I want to continue benefiting from it, spreading faith is something I must do.

“It sounds dangerous, and I might end up sacrificing my life for the faith, just like the saints who died for Deus... Of course, if I must die for Deus, I would willingly offer my life.”

This rhetoric is just like the corrupt big church pastors who always say they would die for the Lord.

If they don’t say they’re willing to die for the Lord, the congregation will leave, and the donations will drop.

But if they use a bit more provocative wording, claiming they are ready to die for the Lord, money will accumulate under the guise of building funds.

“Can you die for the Lord?”

You don’t have to immediately die for the Lord just because you’re asked that question...

Of course, everyone will claim they’re ready to die for God.

Whether or not God is in their hearts, it doesn’t matter.

“However, I feel like there might be someone more suitable than me.”

When the Catholic Church canonizes saints, they consider martyrdom as something beyond human capability.

That’s why they recognize it as a miracle.

Of course, no one wants to die for an unseen being they believe in.

“But I need that person.”

I’m extremely greedy, and I can bend someone’s faith for money and power. He has nothing right now, so I can manipulate him.

Having such a person become the head of a foreign missionary order will allow me to direct the mission in my favor.

To acquire one of the three key pillars of early imperialism—merchant, missionary, soldier—I need to secure a missionary.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. There are plenty of others who could take the position.”

What I need right now is a puppet who will listen to me.

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Someone who won’t act on their own will.

In this world, there are very few people who can change their surroundings and the world like a protagonist.

But there are plenty of people to manipulate with money, power, and desire.

Without even blocking him with empty words, Fiat tilted his head and stood silent for a moment.

“If you want to go, you can. But I’m sure you’ll regret not accepting my offer for the rest of your life. The Bible says, ‘Those who could not attend the feast will weep and gnash their teeth for eternity.’ That will be your life.”

“Such harsh words...”

“But isn’t that the reality? If you had graduated seminary with good grades, you would be competing for a bishop’s position in a provincial town with your peers. Or, you’d be debating whether to enter a big city as an assistant bishop.”

I stood up and slowly took a step closer to him.

I deliberately made my footsteps a bit louder.

“Look at you now. I have no intention of blaspheming Deus, but someone who has even completed seminary has chosen the wrong path and is still just a lowly monk.”

I do respect those who believe in religion with a sense of calling.

That’s why I’ve intentionally kidnapped a priest who has been using his personal wealth to build an orphanage and have him do whatever he wants.

I’ve built an orphanage, a poorhouse, and other facilities to help the disadvantaged (even by 21st-century standards, facilities that respect human rights).

He’s saving his salary to help the poor, and I’m giving him what he needs while telling him to spend his money on himself and live comfortably.

“Well, later, when I start the Reformation, he’ll have the strongest motivation to live well in a good environment...”

But how many people in this world are really living as priests with ‘pure motives,’ including monks and nuns?

“Isn’t your situation worse than those who studied theology in the big city? They even have monasteries, so they don’t have to struggle like you do.”

In big cities, around the church, there are brothels, and when a priest gets promoted, they often end up enjoying married life in the guise of having a servant for household work.

Local priests often end up marrying nuns because they have nowhere else to go.

But a bottom-tier monk lives in a shared dormitory, essentially like a military barracks.

“Will someone who became a monk for asceticism, rather than for a human reason, endure such a life?”

“If you accept my offer and go overseas, you could become the head of a religious order. That’s a way to gain social privilege.”

Becoming the head of a religious order is something I couldn’t do with my power alone.

But to lead a missionary order to convert the heathens of Ifriqiya?

Who would want that position?

“If you succeed there, you could eventually become a bishop of another diocese in the Toscanian Empire. Again, I ask you—will you do it?”

“I will. What do you want me to do?”

I’m a little bit of a wicked person, but honestly, it’s much easier dealing with someone who is so driven by desire.

How wonderful it is when they immediately reveal their desires and go looking for what they want.

“Become the vanguard of exploration.”