“Yes, that’s right. I need you to have someone organize all the sect’s assets. Land deeds, warehouses, shops, secret channels, ledgers, credits, debts, stolen goods, donation pledges, noble sponsorships, and illegal income—list them all. I want to see it tomorrow. Also, prepare a list of assets we can potentially seize.”
“Besides that, I don’t know much about the current trade routes on the Red Moon continent. Go find a couple of merchants and bring them back for questioning. I want to know what high-value products and materials we can get from Solitude. Also, go ahead and purchase some alchemy carriages.”
“Mer... Merchants?”
Modi’s face was a mask of pure bewilderment.
This? What was the meaning of this?
These were such sacrilegious words, statements that so blatantly violated the sect’s laws and the Canon.
If the Goddess hadn’t just declared that the Saintess’s will was her own, Modi would have certainly moved to purge this heretic from the sect by now.
Saintess... why are you leading a rebellion?
“You... you want it by tomorrow?” Modi asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
He was starting to suspect that he was having auditory hallucinations from staying up too late.
At the very least, give him some time to process this...
“Yes, because I have things to do this afternoon. So, get everything organized today and hand it over tomorrow for my consideration,” Sophie said with a nod.
Now that the New Moon Sect was in her hands, it could no longer operate like a typical evil cult.
Setting aside the fact that the Hero would cut them down the moment she heard the name...
Just consider the Witches themselves.
They were the source of all evil on the Red Moon continent, seen by countless people as the incarnation of a curse.
No matter how much a sect worshipping a Witch claimed to be an orthodox religion, without a response from a True God, no one would ever believe them.
Therefore, keeping the name 'New Moon Sect' was useless. It was better to change the name and go legit.
Whether it was for making money legally or gathering intelligence, this was what Sophie needed right now.
She couldn't just keep living off her little sister forever.
Furthermore, she was desperate to gain control over the situation on the Red Moon continent, so the latest intelligence regarding the mainland was essential.
Compared to traditional chambers of commerce, the New Moon Far-Trading Chamber of Commerce had far too many advantages.
All the merchants were Clerics, which meant their survival skills were far superior to those of ordinary merchants.
Moreover, all the merchants were believers. Whether it was cohesion or loyalty, wasn't that what cultists were best at?
For those who might be tempted by profit to betray the chamber, the Canon explicitly detailed exactly how traitors were to be treated.
In fact, while ordinary chambers of commerce had to negotiate salaries, subsidies, and injury compensation when asking employees to work overtime...
The New Moon Far-Trading Chamber of Commerce only had to tell its cultists one thing:
“This is the Goddess’s will.”
They would immediately explode with 120% conviction.
Of course, this conviction was also due to the professional trait of Clerics, where 'great power stems from the grace of the gods.'
The more devout the faith, the greater the bonus from the class template—there was nothing wrong with that.
As for it being against the Canon...
The Moon Goddess had already spoken: the Canon was but her footnote.
It was perfect.
This was the preliminary plan Sophie had come up with on the way here—a way to avoid being killed by the Hero without abandoning the church.
She looked at Modi with great expectation.
The old man had an eye for talent; since he had chosen her on the road, Sophie would show him some mercy and help the New Moon Sect prosper.
After all, she ran an alchemy shop herself, so she was quite familiar with the business.
Modi’s eyes showed one part bewilderment, two parts confusion, three parts panic, four parts shock, and the remaining ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety parts of 'The Moon Goddess said so, so what else can I do?'
Modi opened his mouth.
Then he closed it.
Finally, he took a deep breath and lowered his head with difficulty.
“We follow... the Goddess’s divine oracle.”
Our church... He choked back a sob.
What is it going to become?
...
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