Chapter 332: The Church’s Proposal

Chapter 332

The Church’s Proposal

Amidst the chaotic situation, many people continued hunting for resources, led by the Setter family, who benefited greatly from either way, not to mention that they were at the forefront of this resource hunt. Ellie set off with the servants who insisted on accompanying her. The head the Setter family, despite being very busy, found time to see her off. Meanwhile, the young lords of the house had all disappeared since the previous night to prepare for the hunt.

"If anything happens, come back to the family or send someone," Steven reminded the young girl. He didn’t want her to work too hard, but she refused to stay idle. So, he let her go, knowing that his eldest son wouldn’t let her come to any harm.

The current situation was unsafe, with reports of demonic toxin spreading everywhere, even in the Tower of Eternity. Many had encountered demonic beasts. It seemed that these people were releasing demonic beasts to transform all beasts into demonic ones. The authorities were now aware of the creators of the demonic toxin, but they were too elusive to track easily. Fortunately, the Setter family focused on hunting resources in the higher floors, so they didn’t encounter many demonic beasts. However, no one knew when these demonic beasts would spread to higher floors.

"I understand," Ellie replied obediently, but Steven didn’t realize that Ellie’s skills were not just the result of flattery. She was genuinely capable of participating in battles effectively.

Steven believed that Ellie, at 17 going on 18, couldn’t be skilled enough to handle level 5 beasts, even though those who participated in the hunts vouched for her abilities. He thought they were exaggerating. Naturally, there was no solid proof of her true prowess, so Steven himself misunderstood and his concerns seemed somewhat exaggerated, especially when Aman heard them.

As for the second son, he thought that the person most in need of concern was himself. There was no need to mention the eldest brother, and now, there was no need to mention the sister-in-law either!

If he joined the battle, the one who should die first would probably be him...Even if he didn’t want to admit it, it was an undeniable truth.

"Alright, make sure you take good care of Ellie and ensure she is comfortable."

"Understood, my lord," the 7 servants replied in unison. Selin bowed earnestly to her former master. Her request to accompany Ellie was to protect and take care of the young lady of the house.

After saying their goodbyes, Ellie headed straight to the 5th floor. Previously, she wouldn’t have dared to fight alone on the 5th floor. However, things were different now. With her improved skills and many trustworthy comrades, Ellie was ready to take on the challenge of the 5th floor seriously.

Currently, Ellie owned a city on the 1st floor named "Pan 1." There were also Pan 2 and Pan 3 on each respective floor, and on the 4th floor, there were 2 cities named "Pan 4.1" and "Pan 4.2." While the names seemed unoriginal, Ellie didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about them. The same went for the 5th and 6th floors, with cities named Pan 5.1, Pan 5.2, Pan 6.1, and Pan 6.2. In total, she had 9 cities, elevating her status to that of a "princess."

In fact, owning this many cities should have made her an empress. Did the Emperor alone possess so many cities? Even though he was the Emperor, he couldn’t protect all cities under his name alone. The names of his children, wife, and even his mother, who was still alive, were used to spread the ownership. This was a strategy to mitigate risks in case of an assassination attempt, ensuring that the cities wouldn’t be left ownerless instantly.

On the day Ellie ascended to the 5th floor, the Setter family received unexpected guests. These visitors were from the Sacred Church, and yes...they were "High Priests."

Following the central association’s recruitment, the priests began to feel the danger to themselves. They adopted the central association ’s strategy of recruiting all the geniuses from various families to work for them. However, the church couldn’t just accept anyone. But if they did nothing, they risked their own lives. Thus, during this period, forming alliances became crucial.

Previously, they had visited various families throughout the Ares Kingdom to secure their standing, and they received quite a positive response. Because priests possessed healing powers far superior to others, so they used their abilities to their advantage. Initially, they used their powers to rally believers, aiming to integrate with ordinary people and use their faith as a shield to elevate their status to that of nobility. No! Their power was so significant that it rivaled that of the Emperor.

If the situation hadn’t suddenly changed...one might have seen the priests’ leaders become the true rulers of the kingdom.

The only regret now was that the people’s needs did not represent the majority’s voice. These nobles could abandon their troublesome subjects. Just securing the right to ascend to the 7th floor required immense effort, and they had no time for such trivial matters.

So, what did the priests gain from helping the commoners? Now they gathered all the priests together to function like an association, without the grandiosity of the central associations. They simply acted as a central hub for renting out priests.

After successfully negotiating with many major families and receiving positive responses, today, it was time to propose cooperation with the kingdom’s true "giant."

In their cooperation with other major families, the priests operated like hunters. Major families could send requests to borrow priests for assistance. For example, if they needed to hunt for resources, they could request a priest for a day and pay the rental fee in specified resources.

Each priest had a different price. Families with fewer resources could hire lower-level priests. This garnered significant interest because priests were as useful, if not more, than using various potions. One priest could provide a multitude of healing services, unlike carrying numerous potions. Other families, unlike the Setter family whose heads possessed dimensional rings, found it preferable to bring along 1 additional person rather than carry loads of supplies.

However, the offer made to noble families couldn’t compare to what they wanted to propose to the Setter family. Normally, the Setter family did not cooperate with others in hunting. They had various methods for handling battles, so offering the services of ordinary priests was out of the question.

Steven wasn’t there to welcome them today. After sending Ellie to the tower, he had to immediately rush off to manage the chaotic exchanges. His schedule was incredibly tight, and if it weren’t for “Ellie,” Steven wouldn’t have even considered it. Therefore, the one handling the negotiations today was the Setter family’s butler.

After inviting everyone into the Setter family’s reception room, the butler immediately ordered tea and snacks to be served. He himself sat opposite the guests. The atmosphere in the Setter family estate was noticeably different without the young lady of the house. The beautiful flower garden was closed off from the entrance, not allowing anyone inside or even to see it. The arrangement of the furniture had reverted to a simpler style because the original decorations were quite valuable, and it wouldn’t be worth damaging them.

As a result, the reception room that once had flower decorations now only had sturdy and luxurious furniture. When guests arrived, the first thing they noticed was the orderliness of the place. It was rare for other families to arrange their reception rooms so simply.

The church representative swallowed hard. He knew the Setter family wasn’t the same as before, and his overthinking only increased the pressure.

"May I ask the purpose of your visit to the Setter family, Reverend?"

"Ha ha, no need to be so formal with me, sir. Let’s have a friendly conversation," the high priest waved his hand. He didn’t want to put on airs now, as he needed the Setter family’s help. Starting the negotiations on a distant note would only make things difficult from the outset.

"How could it be otherwise? There’s no need for formalities or to be overly polite with us, Reverend. What purpose bring you here, you can state it directly. In 1 hour, we have another appointment with the Max family, so I’m afraid we don’t have much time for casual conversation."

The priest nearly choked on his tea. He had hoped to lighten the atmosphere, but instead, he was urged to get straight to the point because the other party only had 1 hour for idle talk.

As a high priest, he was accustomed to receiving great respect. Any family that didn’t value the church simply ignored it. Only a few families in the entire kingdom dared to do that, and the Setter family was one of those who didn’t want to get involved. It was rare for them to engage in conversation, so it wasn’t surprising that the priest was unaccustomed to such arrogance.

Trying to maintain composure, the priest forced a smile.

"Very well, let’s get to the point. I believe the Setter family’s intelligence network must have already heard that the Church is collaborating with the nobles of the Ares Kingdom to gather resources. We are also prepared to cooperate with the Setter family. Although your family hunts efficiently, don’t you also want to train the younger generation to improve their skills?"

"We see that the current hunters of the Setter family are highly capable, but will you let the younger generation learn only from books? I think it would be better for them to experience real combat. We, as high priests, will accompany them to protect them."

"This is because we see great potential for growth in the Setter family. Your bloodline is strong and could be the hope of humanity. Everyone is focused on ascending to the 7th floor, but they don’t realize what the situation will be like afterward."

"I fear there will be many powerful individuals there. If everyone only thinks of themselves, our strength might not keep up. To protect humanity, the Church believes we should collaborate with you, supporting the Setter family’s younger generation in gaining true combat experience."

"Moreover...I’ve heard that the young lady of the Setter family is only in her second year and about to enter her third year. She has skills in potion concocting and creating stratagems, correct? Then, what training could benefit her more than participating in real combat?"

"In the past, during wartime, were these skills openly demonstrated? Learning to create stratagems and concoct potions is the institution’s responsibility, but the opportunity for gaining practical experience is rare. You would surely feel more assured if high priests like us accompanied and protected her, wouldn’t you?"

The priest laid out his proposal in one go, no matter how far-reaching his points were. Ultimately, his goal was to pique the Setter family’s interest by focusing on their young lady of the family!

The butler smiled slightly. It seemed that the church indeed had some clever individuals. They found an excellent way to approach the Setter family. If the young lady of the house lacked combat experience, allowing high priests to assist her and the family’s younger members could be quite beneficial.

The only pity was that outsiders underestimated her strength...

Though everyone knew she participated in the recent challenge, the Setter family only mentioned her involvement in solving puzzles. They did not reveal her significant role in hunting level 5 beasts, which would have drawn too much attention.

The priest’s proposal was certainly reasonable...

"Your proposal is very interesting, but..."

"But?" The high priest thought this was an excellent proposal that shouldn’t be refused. So why was there a "but"?

As he was confused, on the 5th floor, a young girl was dancing before a level 3 beast. In the blink of an eye, its small body was sliced into pieces effortlessly.

"It seems that the increase in magic power has also improved the Soft Jade Body technique," Ellie murmured softly. This truly was a good "stretching exercise"....