The First Magic World War

Charles smiled and said, "Of course!"

Pale City probably had a few tens of thousands of residents, but there weren't many minors under fifteen, perhaps only a few thousand. Although according to the normal population model, this structure was definitely not right, Charles wasn't conducting a census; he just wanted to rebuild the faith of the Serpent of Destiny here.

As for a few thousand centimes, that wasn't much money.

A hundred centimes were one Fore, a thousand centimes made one Aegeus, and getting a few thousand believers would give Charles an excellent start. After that, it wouldn't be so difficult.

Ding Tang pinched his lips together and blew a loud whistle, and a dozen children all scattered. After a while, each of them brought back three or five more kids. Ding Tang looked quite proud as he said to Charles, "Sir, it's time to pay the first installment of Faith Gold."

Charles laughed heartily and indeed paid each of these children a centime, then he also rewarded those teenagers who brought friends over, paying them accordingly for each head.

Ding Tang's eyes lit up. He gathered the kids together, chattered for a while, and sent them off again. This time, even more children quickly showed up.

Not only did Charles really give these children centimes, but he also taught them Beast God Shapeshifting Art as well as Bloodthirsty Fighting Spirit. As for whether any of them would manage to cultivate these skills, that was like "buying a lottery ticket." After all, in Fars, those who had received a formal university education and managed to step into the Transcendent realm were also one in a thousand.

Because Charles had too many soldiers, the Westwind Knights numbered hundreds of thousands, but only a dozen or so had actually become Transcendents by cultivating the Beast God Shapeshifting Art. Most of those who were successful with this Secret Technique were already Transcendents.

These children never expected that Charles would not only give them money but also teach them Transcendent Secret Techniques. Some children were tempted by wealth, but there were also some who had an immense desire to enter the realm of the Transcendent. Thus, a group of children quickly gathered around Charles. Some ran out to bring back more friends, while others sat on the ground, listening to Charles explain the scarce and valuable Extraordinary Knowledge.

The area around the Golden Temple was empty, and gathering a few hundred children there didn't look odd. Plus, since this city was far from the mundane world and its residents were all acquaintances and relatively innocent, with almost no crime, the patrolling soldiers didn't bother with what was happening. Although many children were gathering, every passerby was just curious and came to have a look; aside from a very small number of people who had heard about Faith Gold and came to receive a centime, most quickly moved on.

After all, adults valued their faith relatively more and would not change it easily, not even for a centime, and they certainly wouldn't deceive outsiders casually.

As evening approached, Charles raised his voice and said, "I will return here tomorrow. Those who still wish to believe in the Serpent of Destiny can continue to come and receive Faith Gold." He announced the time for the next day and then took two Sacred-level individuals to find more places to stay in the city.

There were very few travelers visiting Pale City, thus there were no inns or similar establishments. However, Charles had his ways. He randomly chose a few households that seemed clean enough, offered to pay for a few days' lodging, and by the fifth attempt, the homeowner hesitated and then agreed.

After Charles, Kratos, and Agon settled in, Agon couldn't help but ask, "Do you really believe those kids will have faith in the Serpent of Destiny?"

"They're clearly just after the money! Tomorrow there will surely be many people pretending to be believers, coming here to swindle money, taking you for an easy mark."

Charles smiled faintly and said, "It's still better than going to war."

"If I could attract a group of True God's followers this way, I would not resort to brute force,"

"After all, we have fought too many battles recently. A peaceful solution, even if slightly wasteful, is far more cost-effective than warfare."

A single cannonball from the Magical Alchemy Warship was enough to make tens of thousands of residents of Pale City worship the Serpent of Destiny at least once.

A few thousand centimes, even if they were deceived, what of it?

Agon pursed his lips, aware that Charles extremely disliked war and the death it brought. This was one of the reasons he was willing to follow Charles who truly made great efforts to integrate the Beastman race into humanity. Even though Agon felt that Charles's methods were highly inefficient, he still appreciated that they suited his taste.

After all, entrusting the Beastman to a leader who valued their lives was much better than to a warmonger.

Charles said to Kratos, "Tomorrow, I would trouble Sir Kratos to purchase a plot of land as we intend to construct a Temple of the Serpent of Destiny. If there is any surplus land for sale, feel free to buy it all. We will certainly need a second, a third, and even more Temples of the Serpent of Destiny."

Kratos smiled slightly and replied, "No problem!"

He also explained their purpose in coming to the Agres Sea was to challenge the Labyrinth Evil God. After learning the details of the challenge, he would make them clear to all his subordinates. Kratos knew that Charles needed to replace the worship of Agmilas with that of the True God's faith, and whatever method Charles used, he would support him with all his might.

After resting for the night, the next morning, Charles sent Kratos to buy land and told Agon to return to the fleet and bring more people over.

By noon, as Charles was proselytizing, Kratos brought over a plump, wealthy-looking middle-aged man, saying, "He owns five plots in Pale City, three of which have buildings on them and are also willing to sell to us. But he doesn't want money; he wants a ship to seek opportunities in the New Continent."

Charles looked at the portly businessman, who had an air of commercial acumen, and without mentioning the chaos among the deities in the New Continent, he said with a smile, "Indeed, I have many merchant ships, but the price of a merchant ship is much higher than that of land. You know that these are ships that can sail the vast oceans, unlike the fishing boats of Pale City."

"The best sea vessels must be able to carry more passengers, have designs to withstand storms, require a crew of experienced sailors, and be capable of hauling even more cargo."

The plump merchant smiled slightly and said, "I can help you obtain a document from the town hall granting you permission to preach publicly in this area."

"You must understand, this place has its own deities' worship, and other preachers are not allowed unless you have preaching permission."

After thinking for a moment, Charles said with a smile, "Alright! You've convinced me. We have a deal."

The two parties quickly reached an agreement and signed a contract. Charles instructed Agon to bring a well-preserved Ghost Ship near the coast and sent Kratos with Ding Tang to inspect the ten plots of land.

Ghost Ships are certainly capable of crossing the sea; they were just unlucky to have sunk, not due to flawed design or insufficient technology. Most of these Ghost Ships used for long voyages were more robust and larger than the merchant ships Charles had captured in Cappadocia City, able to hold more cargo and sailors.