Chapter 97

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Chapter 97: Sealing the Contract

***

In the morning, Chaoyang rose from his bed with a deep yawn.

Even though the cathedral was well hidden, its living conditions were far from satisfactory. Each additional day that he slept on the wooden bed tested endurance of his back and waist.

As he opened the door to go upstairs for his morning routine, he unexpectedly saw Jeanne and Zhu Di standing guard near the stairs, as if they had been waiting for him all along.

“What’s going on with you two? Did something happen with the infusion?”

Upon seeing Chaoyang, Jeanne’s weary expression instantly brightened. “You’re finally awake! The sisters have been eagerly waiting for you to return!”

“Waiting for me?”

“Don’t ask yet, you have to see for yourself in the main hall first!” Zhu Di, who was always more assertive, walked right up behind Chaoyang and gently pushed him towards the stairs.

In the main hall of the cathedral, there seemed to be even more spectators than the last night. There were not just the nuns, but even the construction workers who were renovating the cathedral had gathered out of curiosity.

With Jeanne leading the way, Chaoyang weaved his way through the crowd until they reached the center of the main hall where the patient’s bed were placed.

“Look!” she exclaimed excitedly, “After just one night, almost every one of the twelve patients has recovered!”

Chaoyang noticed that most of the patients had already removed their eye covers, and the ropes that had bound them had been untied. Although they were still lying on their beds, but their expressions were drastically different from the yesterday. The fear of imminent death was gone from their eyes, replaced by a sense of relief and anticipation for tomorrow. As Chaoyang examined their wounds, he noticed that the red spots which were due to mild infection had almost disappeared, and for the first time, there was no pus seeping under the stitches. Even the people with severe infections had showed significant improvement. Not only were the red spots fading, but their high fevers were under control. It was obvious that they were at least out of death’s door.

But Chaoyang wasn’t surprised by this result, because it was the first effect of antibiotic use. In an era where antibiotic resistance is generally absent, these substances serve as a potent weapon against bacteria.

And given how advanced and refined their production process was, and how highly pure the penicillin powder they produced was, this success was almost inevitable.

However Chaoyang knew that Jeanne and the nuns were unaware of these details. For them, last night must have been an unforgettable one.

“Thank you… Thank you so much…” One mildly infected patient seemed eager to sit up and express gratitude to Jeanne, but she gently pushed him back onto the bed.

“You should not be thanking us, but this Mr. Chaoyang—no,” Jeanne corrected herself abruptly, “this Divine Envoy!”

Chaoyang was slightly taken aback.

How did he suddenly become an envoy now?

When he saw Zhu Di nodding vigorously nearby, he suddenly realized why so many people were willing to sincerely inscribe their names on the contract.

“Thank you for saving my life! Divine Envoy, thank you!” the patient continued to express his gratitude.

This person did not seem to know what the term “Divine Envoy” truly signified. However, the nuns and the construction workers in the crowd who witnessed the miracle reacted differently.

The former had at least heard Zhu Di mention it before, while the latter were completely stunned by the news and couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves in hushed tones.

“Glorious Fortress has actually welcomed a Divine Envoy?”

“I wonder if they’re from the Divine Machine Church or the Cult of Fertility?”

“It is unlikely to be one of those two major sects… It must be a believer of some lesser deity…”

“But regardless, that still makes him a Divine Envoy! He is a being with direct access to granting wishes!”

Listening to these whispers, Chaoyang felt a headache coming on. He had assumed the role of a Divine Envoy mainly because it was easy to influence and recruit Dunn and Zhu Di with it. He had no intention of using it to gain widespread attention. More importantly, his persona has always been that of a ‘detective’, and attracting too much attention to that would not be a good thing.

But Chaoyang also knew that Jeanne did it this way because she was trying to repay his kindness. It was a common knowledge that no religion would be discouraged increasing its number of believers, and besides, spreading the faith of their religion was perfectly in the interests of a divine envoy.

“Please let those who have no business here leave. I happen to have something important to discuss with everyone here.”

Now that it had come to this, Chaoyang couldn’t correct Jeanne’s description without causing further problems, so he tacitly accepted her words.

Jeanne nodded promptly and acted as if his request was an order.

Soon the onlookers were politely asked to leave, leaving only the nuns in the main hall.

Chaoyang waved his hand and produced a contract, “While we’re all gathered here, I’d like to make another announcement about the plan for cooperation between the Destiny Gate and the Cathedral. Before the antibiotic medicine was introduced yesterday, you must have already tried some samples of other medical supplies… I wonder what your thoughts are?”

These supplies mainly included bandages, sutures, and ethanol… items that can usually be obtained by simply spending money.

“It’s much better than what Lesheng provided!”

“Their bandages even had cockroaches in them!”

“Some of the sutures even smell rotten!”

The nuns immediately broke into a chorus of condemnation.

In fact, considering the cost of the supplies, Lesheng’s medical products should not have been of such poor quality. It was obvious that there were problems with embezzlement and substitution of inferior goods for better ones. Destiny Gate, on the other hand, had their orders personally negotiated by Anthony and his team, ensuring that the materials are offered were at least of medium to high quality. The difference in quality between what the cathedral used to get from Lesheng and what it got from Chaoyang was like the difference between heaven and earth. Thus, after two days of using these supplies, the nuns’ resentment towards the company that had previously seemed like a benefactor only grew.

“Once production is up and running, Destiny Gate will provide the cathedral with a steady supply of high-quality products, as well as free treatment for all impoverished patients. And yes, you heard me, I am not joking. Most of the patients currently being treated here will be able to receive free medication through this initiative! In other words, Destiny Gate will pay for their treatment!” Chaoyang declared emphatically. “In addition, our healthcare company will provide bonuses and subsidies to each of you. When you use our medical supplies, you are indirectly promoting our products, so you rightly deserve compensation!”

“We… will also receive bonuses?” The nuns sounded almost incredulous.

“Of course! In fact, these bonuses will increase with the company’s sales. Based on my initial estimates, assuming even if we only receive the minimum amount each year, each of you could earn an additional fifty to one hundred seryls per year!”

This amount was already considered as a mid range income in Glorious Fortress. Most residents would only be able to save about that much after working tirelessly for a whole year.

His words sent a ripple through the entire hall and shouts erupted among the nuns.

“So… what is Yeni Cathedral’s opinion on this?”

“Do we really need to express it?” the elderly nun smiled, her eyes narrowing. “Just look at everyone’s reaction.”

“Still, the contracts have to be signed,” another manager remarked contentedly. “I suggest we add one more name to the agreement—that of Miss Jeanne. Without her advocacy, we wouldn’t have received your support .”

After both parties officially signed their cooperation agreement, Chaoyang produced a separate contract marked with the insignia of hundred of individuals and handed it to Jeanne, “With this, our contract is sealed.”

“Yes,” Jeanne replied as she accepted the contract. “We will never forget what you’ve all done for the cathedral.”

Then she solemnly placed her seal on the document.

Right at that moment, a beam of white light erupted from Jeanne’s head and merged with Chaoyang’s body. Although it was not much in quantity, but the warmth it carried was gentle and comforting.

What was surprising, however,was that the contract did not vanish immediately; it remained in Jeanne’s hands.

She then passed it on to the next nun.

“We are forever grateful to you.” Another beam of white light arose, converging on Chaoyang.

“Thank you for your help!”

“Praise the Lord of Paradise!”

“May we be guided to his kingdom!”

“May his radiant glory shine upon the cathedral forever!”

As the contract continuously passed through the hands of the nuns, wave after wave of white light emerged, converging, and dissipating, clearly visible even in the morning light. Chaoyang seemed to be enveloped in this warmth, as if immersed in soothing waters. He noticed that despite concluding their contracts, the nuns did not sever their connection with him. Fine, thin lines, identical to those of Zhu Di, appeared above their heads, connecting them directly to Chaoyang.

When the number of white lines reached over a hundred, Chaoyang suddenly felt an immense power surge through him. Before he could fully comprehend it, the energy rapidly spread throughout his body!

What is this?

Momentarily taken aback, he observed through his spiritual eye that a transparent circle had formed around him, with a radius of about one hundred meters. Everything outside the circle remained unchanged, but within that hundred meter radius, objects were reduced to mere outlines, appearing hollow and devoid of detail.

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