While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 61: Let’s Have a Meeting

All forty-seven of them had now become Cidi Devotees.

Vikrant didn’t understand how it had happened, but in his final moments, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Cidi Sect’s formidable corrupting power — capable of turning even the God of Deceit’s Devotees.

That was his last thought.

Ashu had already begun the ritual sacrifice, offering Vikrant directly to the evil god Cidi.

Only a patch of blood remained on the grass in the dense forest.

With that, he had wiped this entire faction clean.

"Listen up," Ashu began assigning new tasks to the Cidi Devotees. "Our Cidi Sect still needs to expand. We must not only recruit ambitious locals, but also seek out potential talents from outside, like those from the Kingdom of Ankgarde."

Ashu’s plan was not to let these Devotees fall into complacency and pleasure, but to grow bigger and stronger.

Within the Divine Mother Goddess faction, he had risen to become a branch Bishop—but only a branch Bishop, not the Pope at headquarters.

Above branch Bishops, there were Cardinals at the regional level, then the senior Bishops at headquarters, and above them all, the supreme Pope.

But in the Cidi faction, although he was just a Bishop, the global network of Cidi Devotees had no fixed branches. Their bases were independent of each other.

In other words, becoming a Cidi Bishop was like becoming a local warlord. As long as he expanded enough, conquering small bases one by one, he could claim the title of Cidi Pope.

The promotion systems of the righteous and the wicked were different. Ashu chose to seize both black and white—if he was going to do it, he wanted to be the strongest.

"Yes, Bishop!" the group responded.

"One more thing: remember this well. Without my permission, you must not sacrifice anyone on your own, nor use Cidi’s dark magic to summon women. But within the Kingdom of Ankgarde’s borders, you have full authority to do so."

Without hesitation, everyone nodded immediately. "Yes!"

The Kingdom of Ankgarde was already plagued by factional struggles, unstable at best. More chaos meant easier opportunities for the Cidi Sect to spread.

"Go forth."

With Vikrant dead, there was no need for them to gather anymore. Scattering out to broaden the Cidi Sect’s reach was the way forward.

After everyone dispersed, Ashu took Anna and Leia deep into the wild mountains and forests for a full day of indulgence — feasting on game and firing wild shots.

Only past midnight did they return to the town of Riven.

No sooner had they stepped back into the Church than Bala Cleric rushed over, handing Ashu a letter.

The letter was unlike any common correspondence — it was infused with the Divine Mother Goddess’s power and could only be opened by someone of Bishop rank.

"What is this?"

"It’s an important message, Bishop. It came from the border city of Kakase," Bala Cleric explained.

Ashu frowned. Kakase was a metropolitan city, its administrative status second only to the imperial capital.

Riven was just a small town, while Kakase was a full-fledged city.

In short, Riven was under Kakase’s jurisdiction.

The Holy Cultivator Guild in Kakase was a regional branch—not a mere local substation—and its highest cleric was a Cardinal.

Cardinals were the direct superiors of branch Bishops.

Ashu didn’t like this feeling. In his previous life as a corporate drone, what he hated most was when his boss suddenly called while he was having a good time.

This situation was exactly the same.

"Go get some rest," Ashu sighed and said.

"Yes, good night, Bishop," Bala Cleric replied without another word and turned to leave.

"Don’t tell me it’s because I wiped out a neighboring Legion and now the higher-ups want to reprimand me?" Ashu joked.

Anna snorted coldly and said, "If that’s wrong, then the Cardinals might as well quit. They treat ’luminous saints’ like commodities. If they don’t fight back, they’re just cowards."

Ashu silently opened the letter.

On it were just a few sparse lines.

Time: Within three days.

Matter: All branch Bishops under ’Kakase’ are to go to ’Kakase’ to attend a sermon by the Cardinal.

Sender: Cardinal Kakarim.

"Oh, no. They want us to attend a meeting," Ashu summarized the letter with one sentence.

Besides Anna’s quiet muttering, what Ashu hated most was sitting through lectures.

But he couldn’t skip it either. Enjoying the privileges of a branch Bishop meant fulfilling the duties of a branch Bishop.

"It’s because of so many pointless things like this that much of the Holy Cultivator Guild’s work is so inefficient," Anna sharply criticized. "Those old farts love this stuff the most. Ashu, when you get old, don’t be like that, or I’ll... I’ll pluck every hair down there."

"I promise I won’t."

"This time, I’ll come with you."

Ashu had never been to ’Kakase’ in his life. Before, he was just an ordinary farmer, without travel money or strength.

The journey was long. Just riding a carriage took a day and a night. Without strength, encountering monsters or bandits halfway meant dying far from home.

Having Anna, a worldly woman, leading the way would save a lot of trouble.

"Let’s get a good night’s sleep. We’ll set off tomorrow at noon," Ashu said, putting away the letter.

...

The next day at noon.

Ashu chose not to take the carriage but to use Flight Magic, flying all the way there.

A carriage took a day and a night, but Flight Magic speed varied depending on the user.

His maximum flying speed was limited by his physical condition and had never been fully unleashed.

Following Anna’s pace, it took only half a day to reach the border city of Kakase.

Kakase was situated on a vast, sprawling plain, its city scale far surpassing that of Riven.

From the air, Riven looked no bigger than a single district within Kakase.

"Kakase’s city walls have anti-flight magic. That’s why it’s called a border city," Anna explained. "As long as it stands here, it’s a line of defense at the empire’s frontier. If it doesn’t fall, enemy forces can’t penetrate the heartland."

"Impressive. Feels like a whole different world compared to our countryside."

If it weren’t for being bound to the system, Ashu might never have had the chance to see how vast the outside world really was.

Both the scale of Kakase and the precision of its walls far outmatched Riven, let alone Gorn Village.

As the two entered the city, even the women’s clothing styles inside had become noticeably more revealing.

From time to time, they spotted women wearing low-cut dresses or others flaunting long, bare legs.

Women in the big city were indeed more glamorous than those from small towns, but even compared to retired Witch Anna, they still fell short by a long shot.

She was a one-in-a-million miracle—there probably wouldn’t be another like her in the world.

"A shame none of them score above 90," Ashu thought regretfully.

Given the nature of the Critical Return System, naturally, the more beautiful women he bonded with, the better.

But the system only accepted those rated above 90.

"We arrived two days early. Let’s find a hotel first and then enjoy ourselves for a couple of days," Anna suggested.

For a woman, simply shopping around with her lover was already quite an enjoyable experience.

Ashu hoped to meet a new top-tier beauty scoring 90 or above. Bonding with one more meant one more return.

"Alright, put it on the public tab."

As a branch Bishop of the Holy Cultivator Guild, he wasn’t in the habit of carrying money when traveling—he didn’t really have much to begin with, only the loot left behind by Midaldas.

Now that the expenses were covered publicly, of course, they had to pick the most luxurious hotel.

Soon enough, led by Anna, they arrived at a mansion complete with garden fountains.

The sign read: "Goth Manor."

"Do you have a reservation?" the receptionist asked as soon as they reached the entrance.

She could tell they were a well-matched couple but noticed their clothes weren’t very expensive.

Usually, guests at a place like this wore high-end custom dresses—not like they had been traveling rough.

Ashu said nothing. He simply raised his right hand, showing off his Bishop Sovereign Ring.

When the receptionist saw the distinct markings on the ring, her expression quickly shifted, and with a bright smile she said, "Please come in. I’ll arrange the most comfortable VIP suite for you."

Her voice softened noticeably, not mentioning money at all.

Though Ashu was only a branch Bishop, that still carried weight. In a major city like Kakase, he was considered someone important.

Just as the two were about to ascend the stairs, a group of people descended from above.

From their conversation, it sounded like there was some conflict.

"Old Goth, there’s no point wasting effort on your granddaughter anymore. She’s been possessed by the Demon for too long. Why did you only come to the Cultivator Guild now? You should be reflecting on that," a slick, arrogant man sneered.

The man called Old Goth was middle-aged, clean and well-dressed.

Worried, he replied, "I only ask the Cultivator Guild to give me more time. I will find a way to cure my granddaughter. She’s so young—how could I bear to see her on the burning rack? Being possessed by a Demon is not her fault."

"What do you mean by that? Are you implying I’m abusing my authority?"

"No, no, Your Grace, I didn’t mean that, I just—"

Before Old Goth could finish speaking, the arrogant young man spotted Ashu and Anna.

His eyes immediately locked onto Anna. Without hesitation, he brushed past Old Goth and stepped forward, saying, "Beautiful lady, the evening approaches. Might I have the honor of inviting you to afternoon tea?"

At his words, Anna furrowed her brow. Before she could react, Ashu’s palm struck the man’s face in a flash.

Smack—

Though Ashu had spent over a decade as a farmer and wasn’t trained primarily in combat, his muscle strength was no joke. That fierce slap sent the man staggering backward, falling onto the steps with his face turned upward.

He clutched his cheek in disbelief. His white gloves only made his swelling, reddening face stand out even more.

"You—you dare lay hands on me? What are you?"