The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing

Arthur's wine wasn't something common; it was called "Fire God's Wine," the private brew of the Sun Lord.

He had stolen it from his father's cellar; considering it was a drink for demigods, it could even intoxicate a demigod.

There were twenty-four elites present; each had half a glass, thinking it wouldn't hurt to drink a little for courage, but as soon as the wine touched their lips, their heads started to swim. It tasted surprisingly sweet; they hadn't figured out the flavor before another gulp was swallowed, and then thoughts began to blur.
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This little thing really packed a punch.

The Cultists worried that too much of this wine wasn't good; they looked at An Su and his two comrades but saw that all three also drained their cups in one go, so they too were reassured,

An Su held his wine glass, his expression unchanged; he didn't have a high tolerance for alcohol; in his previous life, he had nearly gotten dead drunk at the graduation ceremony.

But he was more cunning than others; he seemed to tilt his head back and drain his cup, but in fact, the wine flowed down along his neck and into his collar due to the extremely high concentration of Fire God's Wine, evaporating in seconds.

Lister, too, was an expert; his father, known as "the Saint Hand of the Frontier," naturally had many sophisticated skills in manipulating Water Magic. Marquis Norman had a technique to expel the water element entering the body through his fingertips with a magic power circuit, which Lister had learned since he was young. He activated his magic power right then, pushing the water element out through his fingertips.

Then there was Arthur, who was the most heavy-duty. He was not as flashy as the previous two, muttering to himself, "Isn't this just beer?" Chugging it down with big gulps, he let out a satisfied belch, his complexion flushed as usual; he had been sneaking sips of this alcohol since he was young.

Even when his mother was mixing his formula, she would add a bit of alcohol.

Seeing these three drink straightforwardly in one go, the Cultist geniuses thought they couldn't lose their male pride. If they showed fear at a drinking party, how could they be chosen as a Quasi-Holy Child of the Orders?

How could they convince the crowd?

"Cheers!"

With that, they steeled their hearts and tilted their heads back to drink.

The burning liquor poured down their throats into their vitals, a surge of heat rushed to their heads, and the potency of Fire God's Wine became apparent in an instant. They felt a surge of heroism rise spontaneously from their chests, looking around at their colleagues, they thought with such brave men in the Three Major Orders, why should they worry about accomplishing great deeds?

Even if they rebelled right now, stormed the Seven Gods Hall, and chopped off the bald head of the leader of the Glorious, why couldn't they? If Merlin could do it, why couldn't they?

"To our success!"

"Drink!"

"Here goes!"

The drizzle had cleared, dusk was about to fall, and the blood-red glow of twilight bathed everyone, making the usually unlikable rival sects seem somewhat warm and familiar now.

Even the most unwelcome members of the Life Ecclesia seemed approachable.

"The atmosphere is high right now, perfect for someone to say a few words." Lister, representing the Life Ecclesia, was the first to speak, drawing nods of agreement from around him.

"I agree," Arthur chimed in, "but we need to choose the most widely accepted representative! Let's all pick someone together!"

The Cultist geniuses looked at each other; they were all undercover agents in the imperial capital, and while believers of the same Church knew each other, they didn't recognize those from the other two Orders. Even if they knew of a title, they couldn't match it to a face. How could they choose someone that everyone recognized?

At that moment, An Su stepped back a few paces, used the magic "Friendly Exchange" to change his voice to a deep tone, "I think Brother of the Stairs from the Sanctuary of Chaos is a good choice."

The Chaotic Stairs...

The inebriated believers all showed thoughtful expressions. Indeed, they recognized Chaotic Stairs.

An Su had introduced himself all around before entering the gathering, leaving an impression on all the Cultist geniuses.

And the title "Brother of the Stairs" was both memorable and striking.

An Su moved to another spot and changed his voice again to that of a passerby, "I choose Brother Stairs; he's the one we all look up to!"

"Yes, let's choose Chaotic Stairs!"

"Please, Brother Stairs, come on stage and say a few words."

People tend to follow the crowd, and the Cultists were no exception. Besides, they were already drunk and immediately joined in the fervor to urge An Su to take the stage.

An Su initially declined, his face showing reluctance, but then Arthur bellowed that refusing to speak would be a disrespect to him, so, not wanting to dampen everyone's spirits, An Su reluctantly walked to the center of the crowd.

By then, dusk had also dispersed, and Crow Alley dimmed, as An Su looked around, but instead of speaking, he simply went silent. The night draped itself over his broad shoulders, elongating his shadow, casting it upon the mottled walls of the alley like black wings, and his silent stature made the surrounding believers fall silent in anticipation.

"My esteemed colleagues,"

An Su lifted the wine glass capable of housing fish, and loudly declared,

"I am honored to meet all of you and to be part of this magnificent enterprise."

"The Empire has pushed the Church Nations to the brink; Avad Church Nation is right behind us, we have nowhere to retreat!"

"The evil scion Ansu Moningsta has taken over the Chaotic Frontier, along with his two lapdogs Arthur and Lister committing atrocities. These three have already deeply tainted the glory of our faith. After tonight, we, the loyal dogs of the Mother Goddess, must make these three pay the price in blood!"

An Su smashed the wine glass on the ground, its crashing sound adding to the atmosphere, and conveniently, he no longer had to drink the remaining half cup.