Chapter 113: Alliance of Wealth [Seeking Recommendations]
2016-09-03
Author: Floating Tower
Winning over the Agricultural Goddess was only part of Soren’s plan.
After returning from the City of Harvest, his second target was the somewhat dilapidated City of Wealth.
Soren’s visit was also a significant event for the City of Wealth, but he did not alert anyone; instead, he quietly entered the deepest part of the Temple of Wealth.
There were two Holy Spirit Priests responsible for guarding this place.
In one sentence, to describe the Temple of Wealth, it would undoubtedly be resplendent and magnificent. The entire temple looked as if it were shimmering with gold, with walls even inlaid with gems as decorations. However, there shouldn’t have been any blind thieves coming here, as it would be tantamount to seeking d*ath.
Within the grand temple, Soren met the embodiment of the Goddess of Wealth.
It was not surprising that the Goddess of Wealth was indeed hiding in this city, after all, this was her stronghold.
The Goddess of Wealth’s appearance was that of an elegant and dignified noblewoman, with beautiful long golden hair, wearing a light golden lace gown. A beautiful large emerald necklace adorned her full chest, and a gem the size of a goose egg was secured to her headband. She wore various exquisite jewelry rings on her fingers, a golden shawl adorned with many patterns, and her long boots woven with gold threads were embedded with many pearls, making her appear like a walking golden beauty.
This goddess loved gold.
Almost everything she cherished radiated the brilliance of gold and jewels. Regarding Soren’s arrival, she appeared very friendly, at least on the surface.
— Goddess of Wealth – Wokin.
Almost every incumbent goddess of wealth had this name; however, unlike the previous goddess of wealth, the current one was a young and industrious goddess, full of vigor and vitality. She deeply loved wealth, not for its intrinsic value, but rather for its purposes. She cherished the bustling and busy marketplace, and loved bargaining. She governed all transactions, both legitimate and underhanded—ranging from legitimate trade to black market dealings. Although she was quite interested in reforms, she would sometimes exhibit a stubborn side, which led to her encountering some troubles.
The faction of the Goddess of Wealth is [Absolute Neutrality].
This means that this goddess could collaborate with any deities, whether good or evil.
Wokin’s followers travel the world, assisting merchants with their trades and serving in Wokin temples in major cities. The Wokin temples typically also serve as local financing centers, currency exchange hubs, and parcel storage facilities. They privately provide channels for disposing of stolen goods, and all of their activities are aimed at acquiring wealth. Wokin’s clergy must pay a quarter of all their income to the church and are required to invest in potentially profitable enterprises run by other devout believers.
Though on the surface, the Wokin church appears disdainful towards using rumors, monopolies, and employing thugs to manipulate trade activities, and they have consistently denied committing these acts while vocally criticizing these methods, in private, they require priests to employ these methods in the most clandestine ways, so that no one would suspect these actions were related to the church.
“Accumulating one’s own wealth” is regarded within the church as synonymous with “success.” Of course, the premise is that this money is earned through investment, rather than through improper means.
To some extent, the ideology of the Wokin church is very similar to modern society; it is a typical form of money worship.
Wealth is seen as a symbol of success; someone who can make money and possesses a lot of it can easily attain a high status within the church. Wokin’s followers do not care about the means; they will use many underhanded tactics, but on the surface, they maintain their own glamour.
“Welcome to your arrival.”
The Goddess Wokin smiled to greet Soren, and five beautiful Holy Spirit maidens gradually appeared behind her: “My Lord of Shadows.”
These five Holy Spirits were quite famous.
They were once beautiful, powerful, and ambitious women in life; all of them were top-notch merchants, formidable diplomats, and extremely powerful professionals. In life, they were referred to as the ‘Five She-Wolves,’ and their names are still remembered to this day—Barasta Selies, Dela Isjil, Fisai Jabros, Helena Jasha, and Sariela Taibroton.
They are the most important members of the Wokin church’s [Upper Gold].
The strength of an old deity can be seen by the Holy Spirits behind it. Although the Goddess of Wealth was not particularly powerful, her foundation was certainly not lacking.
The five maidens quickly arranged a long table and chairs within the temple, almost to the utmost luxury, with pure golden goblets and utensils inlaid with gems. Huge pearls were displayed as decorations, and even the richest king in the mortal realm could not compare to what lay before them.
Soren smiled and sat down, gazing at the Goddess Wokin before him, “I have come this time, hoping to form an alliance with you.”
“Of course.”
“I also have a very good idea I need to discuss with you.”
The Goddess Wokin smiled and looked at Soren, her expression somewhat playful. She was a tall and slender beauty, like the most renowned luxurious matron, and she pointedly inquired, “I wonder what thoughts you have, my Lord of Shadows? It seems you have just come from the City of Harvest, right?”
Soren smiled, took a sip from the goblet offered by a maid, and said cheerfully, “Yes. I have just formed a close alliance with the Agricultural Goddess.”
Wokin’s expression appeared thoughtful.
Soren looked directly at the goddess before him and said, “I plan to establish a bank. A truly meaningful bank. Starting from Modo City, so I believe you would also be interested in this, Lady Wokin.”
Wokin’s face changed slightly upon hearing this.
Then, she smiled and said, “I wonder what ideas you have, Soren? If you don’t mind, perhaps you could share them with me.”
A bank.
Just hearing the name, it was clear it must relate to her divine profession.
After saying that, the Goddess of Wealth waved her hand, signaling the five maidens to step back.
Soren pondered for a moment and then began to slowly articulate his ideas. He wasn’t describing how to create a bank but rather discussing its role and its future prospects. To some extent, what Soren described was a bank of the future—a bank that everyone needed, used for any transaction, and which played an enormously crucial role in savings.
At the current level of civilization, most ordinary people have no surplus wealth, so naturally, savings would be improbable, and at most only nobles and merchants needed it. However, many times they would protect it themselves.
Soren described an alternate scenario.
One in which everyone possesses surplus wealth, and everyone needs a bank for deposits.
Lady Wokin had been quietly listening, but slowly her expression grew more excited; she seemed to envision the scene Soren painted. She could almost foresee that if all this came to fruition, her power would become ever more robust, likely ensuring she would enter the realm of Strong Divine Power.
At that moment, Soren proposed the alliance agreement.
Without any hesitation, the Goddess of Wealth readily agreed, for she understood one point clearly—achieving everything Soren described was impossible relying solely on her own power. This was a mutually beneficial cooperation; she had what Soren needed, and Soren also had what she required.
This alliance was not as solid as that with the Agricultural Goddess.
Soren did not propose a True God Pact because he could not trust the Goddess of Wealth as he did the Agricultural Goddess, and the Goddess of Wealth had not perceived any tangible benefits and might be reluctant to throw all her chips with Soren.
However, unsurprisingly, Soren persuaded her.
The prospect of a future where everyone possesses wealth, where everyone needs to utilize a bank, and where anyone could potentially become her believer, convinced her. The Goddess of Wealth could not resist such temptation; if everything could be realized, her followers would no longer be limited to merchants; everyone would be closely related to her divine profession.
“Then.”
The Goddess of Wealth seemed a bit impatient, saying, “Soren, when shall our plan commence?”
Soren smiled and shook his head, “There is no hurry.”
“Establishing a bank is not an easy task. It requires sufficient power and credibility. Moreover, currently, mortals do not have much wealth accumulated. Concerning the present situation of the Material Plane, only Modo City, Taro Port, Shipwreck Bay, and Arendelle are capable of establishing a bank.”
“This requires some time for preparation.”
“And we also need a sufficiently strong military force. After all, the Material Plane has quite a few giant dragons.”
The biggest trouble in establishing a bank isn’t anything else.
That’s right!
It’s those damned dragons.
These pure-bl**d dragons, who become completely uncontrollable at the sight of wealth and gold, when they go crazy, they are undoubtedly the bank’s greatest enemies.
Perhaps these dragons wouldn’t dare to offend Soren and the Goddess of Wealth, but might, when wealth accumulates to a certain degree, even the ancient dragons might lose their minds. They might not be the match for the two deities, but if the bank expanded to other locations, these dragons could very well attack places they had not considered.
Ten thousand Gind? Perhaps the dragons wouldn’t care.
A hundred thousand Gind? Maybe the dragons would just be tempted.
But when one million Gind is piled together, likely those dragons would start to consider how to act.
The bank absolutely cannot afford to make mistakes.
Not even the slightest possibility can exist, thus this plan needs ample time to prepare. Currently, Soren cannot issue paper money; given the current civilizational backdrop and turbulent times, Soren has never considered the issue of issuing paper currency.
Upon hearing Soren’s words, the Goddess of Wealth couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.
“Alright.” Wokin looked up and said, “This indeed requires a detailed plan.”
As if she thought of something, the Goddess of Wealth’s gaze suddenly turned towards Soren, and then she elegantly smiled, slightly lifting her skirt as she leaned forward, revealing an enticing cleavage before Soren, playfully saying, “I believe there are many places in this plan that require further discussion. Why not have you stay here tonight, so we can have a deeper talk this evening?”
“Perhaps our relationship could become a little closer.”
Soren was slightly taken aback, then gladly accepted the invitation of the Goddess of Wealth.
………………
(PS: Second update.) (To be continued ~^~)
