Please Stop The Pope

Episode 31

Your mine is sweet.

The so-called ‘your mine is sweet’ had a much better effect than I thought.

Perhaps it was because it was a curveball thrown after attaching “hyung” at the end of every sentence, but cracks appeared on the face of Kang Byeong-soo, who had been smiling leisurely until just now.

However, he was definitely a pro among pros.

After momentarily frowning, he quickly recovered his expression and even adjusted his glasses, saying,

“We at the National Awakener Alliance have determined that Mr. Shi Yu aimed for the mana stone mine from the beginning and entered Ground Zero. You must have received that information from the Ministry of Ability Management.”

The order was incorrect, so it seemed there was a big misunderstanding.

Apparently, they thought I made the decision after discussing it with the Ministry of Ability Management, but I had no intention of clearing up that misunderstanding.

They were already guys who had taken a confrontational stance.

And they were bastards who I didn’t need to clear up misunderstandings and improve relations with.

They were guys who showed their teeth by hiring someone from the very first greeting, so why should I bother clearing up misunderstandings with those guys?

Moreover, it was highly likely that the cause of the magic of Pride was on their side.

Therefore, I didn’t give any answer to Kang Byeong-soo’s bullshit.

And as if taking that as a sign of agreement, Kang Byeong-soo continued his bullshit.

“The National Awakener Alliance expresses regret over the part where you forcibly seized the mana stone mine that major guilds had been legally occupying.”

“Oh, please continue.”

“The mana stone mine here was a very precious growth engine for the major guilds currently leading South Korea. The major guilds have all put aside their greed in the face of the meaningful value of South Korea’s growth and have been mining mana stones equally.”

Just listening to the story, it sounds like they are the heroes protecting South Korea.

I quietly looked at Kang Byeong-soo’s face as he spouted that brazen bullshit.

You would think someone spouting bullshit to this extent would feel a prick of conscience, but Kang Byeong-soo’s expression didn’t waver at all.

“The people who said they put aside their greed were fighting like dogs over territory?”

“That was merely a conflict between working-level officials. The alliance was going to step in to mediate anyway.”

“So… Everyone was mining mana stones while compromising with each other for the greater good, but I selfishly ate it all up like a greedy person, is that it?”

At my words, Kang Byeong-soo still answered in a gentle voice.

“That’s not exactly what I meant. It’s just a regret that we wish we could have discussed it with you beforehand, as we were the ones who had actual possession.”

“Ah, out of regret, you tried to make us look like idiots by sending those trash?”

“Well, we are not aware of that story. It seems there was an unfortunate incident.”

“I didn’t expect you to acknowledge it from the beginning, so let’s move on. Alright, you wouldn’t have come just to say such things, so please get to the point, hyung.”

Those words were just bait for the bombshell of bullshit that was to come.

I immediately demanded the main point, and Kang Byeong-soo nodded and opened his mouth.

“We will guarantee the Limen Church 50% of the mana stone mine’s mining volume. In addition, we will give you the right to use the infrastructure we have built, from mining to processing and sales, and we will also promise a substantial amount of donations to make it easier for you to operate the church. It will probably be a satisfactory amount.”

It was a clear enticement.

There was only one reason why these guys, who had been thinking of making me half-crippled until just yesterday, had changed like this.

[The number of believers is rapidly increasing!]

[Accordingly, a new main quest is being updated. Estimated time required: 7 hours 32 minutes]

Because the impact I had was incomparably greater than before.

Moreover, I had already thought of an answer to that question in advance.

Therefore, I was able to answer Kang Byeong-soo’s proposal without taking too long.

“It seems you came thinking it was a peace negotiation, Byeong-soo hyung. Think about it. You tried to stab me first, but when you failed, you came back with “Wow! Amazing! Let’s get along from now on”? No matter how I think about it, it’s ridiculous.”

Anyway, they were guys I didn’t like from the beginning.

Look at that brazen attitude without even a shred of conscience.

I put my right arm around the shoulder of Kang Byeong-soo, whose expression was slowly starting to crack.

Then, Kang Byeong-soo’s expression finally distorted greatly, and the guys behind him drew up mana as if they were about to engage in combat right away.

However, their rebellion did not last long.

Woong-!

Because the divine power that had emanated from my body at some point wrapped around their bodies.

“If you want to talk more with me, the guys who gave the order to stab me should come directly, kneel down, and apologize first.”

“…We gave you a chance.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

“You will surely regret today’s choice.”

I grabbed Kang Byeong-soo’s chin, who started to glare at me, with my right hand and slightly raised the corner of my mouth.

And in a languid voice, I concluded,

“Go back and tell them. If they don’t come to apologize, I will go find them myself. You know what a pastoral visit is, right?”

The National Guild Alliance friends quietly withdrew.

It was because they had no other way.

I’m not kind-hearted enough to let guys who blatantly bared their teeth at us first slide.

Once is hard, but the second time is easy.

Since I clearly conveyed my will, we will clash again soon.

Anyway,

After that, things went very smoothly.

I was able to successfully sign a mining contract for the divine stone mine with the representative of a Meister Guild called , introduced by Min-soo.

Dae Kang-ho, the representative.

Perhaps it was because he was the first production-class player I met since coming to Earth, but he was quite an interesting person.

-The major guild bastards have been controlling the mana stone mine, so our guys were going crazy. We will show you hot results as much as you trust us. Hahaha!

A cheerfulness reminiscent of the dwarves, one of the other races in Eden.

As soon as he saw the divine stone mine, he said that the spirit of challenge for a new mineral was burning, and he readily signed a contract with us. Thus, I was able to neatly solve one of my concerns.

Since Min-soo vouched for their skills to that extent, there was no room for doubt about their abilities.

Moreover, unlike mana stones, where mana explosions occur frequently during the mining process, divine stones do not cause any accidents at all.

Rather, divine stones bestow blessings upon those who mine them.

Blessings such as relieving fatigue and healing wounds.

Among the miners who had a high affinity for divine power, quite a few experienced true miracles.

For example, overcoming hair loss and such.

“But Your Holiness. Are the things you said to Representative Kang earlier true?”

On the way to the newly constructed Consecration Chamber after signing the contract,

Min-soo carefully asked me.

“Which part?”

“That… hair loss…”

“Ah, of course. In Eden, our Limen Church was famous for its abundant hair. But why so sudden… Don’t tell me, Brother Min-soo?”

“Ah, no. It’s just… someone I know…”

I see.

On the outside, his hair looks really thick, but I didn’t know he had such concerns.

I lightly patted Min-soo’s back and nodded.

“Good things will happen.”

Basically, Min-soo’s divine power affinity is quite high. If he just awakens divine power, there is a high possibility that he will obtain the results he wants.

However, that is a matter for the future.

It wasn’t certain yet, so I intentionally didn’t mention it.

As we were talking about this and that, we soon arrived at the Consecration Chamber built behind the temple.

A facility I constructed last night by paying a whopping 5,000 divinity points.

It was a facility that Leo was also familiar with, so Leo nodded slightly and said,

“Seeing it on Earth makes me feel even more welcome. But it feels quite small compared to Eden.”

Indeed, as Leo said, it was very small compared to the Consecration Chamber in the Vatican.

Well, actually, I didn’t think from the beginning that I would be able to build a mammoth-sized Consecration Chamber like the one in the Vatican.

“Is it because it’s still Level 1? It is smaller than I thought.”

“Is it possible to expand it later?”

“Probably.”

“Limen’s benevolence seems truly endless.”

To be precise, it is a miracle made possible through cooperation with Earth’s system, but there’s no need to tell that to Leo, so let’s pretend it is.

I lightly nodded, then entered the Consecration Chamber with them.

Consecration Chamber.

It is also a place that means a place where blessings are bestowed upon something.

To put it simply,

“It’s like a workshop…”

“That’s an accurate analogy, Brother Min-soo.”

As Min-soo aptly put it, you can think of it as a workshop attached to the temple.

A small workshop, not very large in size.

It was a workshop of about 100 square meters, but it had all the facilities that should be inside.

Starting with a small fountain where holy water was gushing out a little, to five workbenches.

Indeed, as Min-soo said, anyone could see that it was a workshop.

And I also had no intention of correcting that expression.

Just as objects are made in a workshop, sacred objects are made in a Consecration Chamber.

In Eden, it was operated mainly by dwarves who served Limen, so high-quality sacred objects were produced, but I’m not sure what to do on Earth.

It’s unlikely to be able to make sacred objects touched by miracles, such as armor imbued with divine power, or a sacred sword that dwarves made with all their heart and soul and Limen personally blessed.

I came in to roughly grasp how the situation was flowing, and fortunately, the system was still friendly.

[You have entered the affiliated with your temple.]

[Currently displaying the list of sacred objects that can be produced in your Consecration Chamber.]

Standard Holy Water: Holy water with a very small amount of divine power infused. It increases the body’s recovery power and can be an effective weapon against entities with magical power.
Divine Stone Bracelet: A bracelet with a divine stone partially embedded in the groove. The efficacy is determined according to the grade of the divine stone used in production and helps the wearer’s natural recovery power.

*The number of sacred objects that can be produced in the Consecration Chamber can be increased by raising the level of the Consecration Chamber or purchased through the DLC store.

“Isn’t this a religion management DLC rather than a Pope DLC?”

“What do you mean, Your Holiness?”

“It’s nothing. Well, it is what it is.”

I’ll say it again: there is no religious organization that can operate without capital.

To the extent that the finance department boasted the worst working conditions in the Vatican of Eden, sufficient budget support is naturally needed to grow into a huge denomination.

Moreover, this place is Earth, where capitalism is incomparably more developed than Eden.

Therefore, this Consecration Chamber can be said to be the core facility that I will have to pour my heart and soul into managing in the future.

But one fortunate thing is,

“Divine Stone Bracelet.”

The best hit product boasted by the Limen Church.

The fact that the Divine Stone Bracelet was on the list of sacred objects that could be produced.

A bracelet made in the form of a bracelet that has beneficial effects on the wearer’s health.

It was a sacred object that received a lot of love thanks to its low price, reminiscent of the pseudoscience called germanium bracelet, also known as a health bracelet, which was popular on Earth in the past.

If there is a difference from Earth’s health bracelets, the Divine Stone Bracelet actually has a positive effect on the body.

If the top-grade divine stones to be mined soon were used, it was certain to exhibit noticeable efficacy.

“Health bracelet… emerging religion… This looks a bit iffy, no matter who sees it. It really seems like a pseudo-religion.”

“Your Holiness. I am sorry to say this, but a consecration priest is needed to operate the Consecration Chamber properly.”

“That’s right. Craftsmen can make the objects, but the consecration work using divine stones must be done by a priest.”

That was the reason why the finishing work was always handled by a priest.

So, a specialized position called a consecration priest was also created, but as Leo said, there were no specialized consecration priests on Earth.

It’s also worrisome to ask Limen to bring them over because of the damn thing called causality.

“Don’t worry.”

If there are no teeth, there are gums. You just need to make a way.

If there are no consecration priests right now, you can temporarily appoint consecration priests.

I nodded and said to Leo,

“Leo Lumen.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“I temporarily appoint you as the consecration priest in charge of the Consecration Chamber. Continue to serve more for Limen in the future as well.”

“…Your Holiness. Just translating the Bible is already taking up all my time…”

“I will soon supplement the manpower, so let’s just endure it for a while. I will talk to Limen and definitely bring consecration priests. Do you trust me?”

“But that’s…”

This won’t do.

Judging by his hesitation, I have no choice but to use my secret weapon.

I looked at Leo’s hesitating face, then said in a very determined voice,

“Do it for me.”