Incalculable Merit

Shortly after, in the Administrative Office, Olivia met with Melanie.

The lady sat elegantly behind her desk, a cup of steaming coffee placed before her. A smile played at the corners of her lips; she seemed to be in a good mood.

"You're here, Olivia. Your performance this time was exceptional, and your contribution is immense. So, what would you like?"

"The materials and ritual details for my next advancement."

Olivia gave her answer without a moment's hesitation.

She had truly felt the benefits of carrying ritual materials with her this time. Had she not undergone a temporary advancement on Huys Street, she wouldn't have been able to let the magic mirror cover that area, and naturally, she wouldn't have been able to resolve the danger and trouble they faced.

The descent of an evil god's will had come dangerously close to reality; the resulting casualties would have been immeasurable.

"No problem," Melanie agreed, then added, "In fact, given your merits, you've already fulfilled the requirements for your next advancement, and even the ones after that. However, because you are currently still at the Sensate class rank, we cannot give you things too far ahead. We can only provide the materials for your advancement to Transcender. But once you become a Transcender, you can claim the advancement materials for a Domainist at any time."

A Domainist was the class rank following Transcender.

A transcendent of this rank could form their own domain, exerting suppression over their targets.

In the supernatural world, there was a saying: only a Domainist can fight a Domainist. Without a domain of one's own, one would find it impossible to move even a single inch within an opponent's domain.

Olivia had no objections to the church's arrangement and nodded in understanding.

"You have a lot of merit. Is there anything else you want?" Melanie asked again.

This gave Olivia pause for thought.

She knew her contribution was massive and that she could make many demands of the church, but at a time like this, she found herself unsure of what to ask for.

After a moment's reflection, she could only say, "Then, those sealed-grade forbidden artifacts—can I have those?"

Forbidden artifacts seemed like terrifying things, but if they were sealed-grade, their danger level was greatly reduced. Olivia was naturally interested in these items with their various strange and mystical effects.

Melanie couldn't help but give a wry smile upon hearing this. "You certainly know how to pick them, but forbidden artifacts are off-limits. Because... every forbidden artifact is unique."

The church possessed quite a few forbidden artifacts, especially sealed-grade ones, but these were strategic assets.

The church frequently dealt with heretical organizations and fought against hostile transcendents; it was inevitable that clergy members would need to apply for certain forbidden artifacts to assist in combat.

Therefore, the church would only continue to collect such items and would not give them away lightly.

Melanie recalled a previous incident and said, "Sister Julia gave you the Amber Tears, didn't she? The church knows about that, but the Amber Tears were Sister Julia's private collection; she has every right to give them to whomever she chooses. But if it belongs to the church, not even Sister Julia could give it to you."

Olivia said helplessly, "If forbidden artifacts are out, then let's just save these merits for now. I really don't know what else I might need."

Seeing this, Melanie suggested, "Actually, you should have some needs. For example, Belu—I don't think anyone would complain about having too much of that? You could exchange a bit. Of course, compared to your merits, the cost of exchanging for Belu would be negligible."

Olivia nodded, thinking that was a fair idea. She was indeed running low on money.

For church personnel, it was perfectly normal to exchange accumulated merits for money.

Melanie continued, "And then there's housing. I think it's time you had a house in Kaliron that belongs entirely to you."

"Buying a house?" Olivia was startled.

"Yes. After all, the living quarters inside the cathedral are temporary. You can't live there forever." Melanie shrugged.

It was true; there were no dormitories within the cathedral itself. Clergy members usually had their own families.

Unless someone was visiting for a short period, there were only a few rooms available for temporary stays.

Previously, Olivia's role was that of a nun who had come to help for a few days, which was why she could stay in the cathedral.

But the situation had changed.

"Olivia, as a Sensate, your combat power cannot be underestimated. Plus, the church is currently short-handed and truly needs your help. You might be staying for a long time. Therefore, you need your own place."

Melanie smiled as she explained that this was the primary reward the church could provide: a house of her own in Kaliron.

"You can choose any house, though it's best if it's in the South District and not overly extravagant. The final value shouldn't exceed four or five million Belu. Of course, you can also choose not to have a house and rent instead. In that case, your church merits will be saved for your future use."

These partial merit expenditures, along with the Ascetic's...

Olivia grew thoughtful, then couldn't help but ask, "Exactly how much... what is the specific numerical value of my merits?"

Only then did she realize that Melanie hadn't given her a complete answer.

Within the church, everyone's merits could be quantified, making calculations easier.

If these quantified merits were converted to Belu, roughly 1 merit point could be exchanged for 1 Belu.

In essence, they were equivalent to Belu.

As for houses... as the Imperial Capital, property prices in Kaliron were not low at all. Even old and cramped houses were expensive because the land was so valuable.

Olivia felt that if she were to buy a house, she would definitely want one that was move-in ready, fully furnished, in a good location, and sufficiently comfortable. Such a place would likely cost several million Belu.

That was equivalent to millions of merit points, which wasn't something just anyone could accumulate.

So, in reality, many people preferred renting over buying.

Yet Melanie was saying she should buy a house.

Olivia looked at Melanie. "Lady Melanie, why aren't you saying anything?"

Melanie gave a wry smile. "Because... I don't know how to put it."

Olivia looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

Melanie chuckled. "Alright, Olivia. To be honest, your merits haven't finished being calculated yet. After all, this matter... this matter is simply too significant. The church hierarchy hasn't figured out how to calculate your contribution yet. Therefore, the church can only track your expenditures. For now, as long as your requests aren't too outrageous, they will be approved. Once your expenditures are high enough that the church feels it's about right, they might stop your spending."

Olivia's expression suddenly became quite colorful.

Her contribution was too large?

So large it couldn't be calculated?

"If I asked for ten million... no, one hundred million Belu right now, would the church give it to me?" Olivia couldn't help but ask.

"They would." Melanie confirmed the statement with certainty.

Olivia fell silent.