“Your Holiness, may I inquire as to the purpose of this unexpected gathering?” asked one of the esteemed members seated at the table.

Pope Alaric’s gentle smile, which had been carefully maintained until this point, morphed into a malicious grin within moments. This was his true face, a visage so far removed from the saintly demeanor he presented to the public. If the common people, who revered him like a god, ever caught a glimpse of this dark countenance, they would undoubtedly be struck with disbelief, perhaps even terror.

“We’ve arrived at a pivotal juncture, my dear council,” Pope Alaric began, the earnestness in his voice a stark contrast to the wicked smile he had just displayed. “We’ve successfully diverted all culpability onto the Istarin Empire, tarnishing their reputation while bolstering our own. The next step in our master plan involves finding a suitable candidate to ascend to the throne and finally quell this turbulent civil war.”

At this, nods of approval circled around the table, each member internally calculating how the new phase could further elevate their own positions within the church hierarchy.

“I have no objections, Your Holiness,” responded one of the council members, a twinge of greed lining his words. “After all, these tumultuous times have been rather lucrative for us. The coffers are overflowing, thanks to the chaos we’ve so expertly exploited.”

Indeed, the church had skillfully used the ongoing unrest to not only improve their public standing but also to amass a fortune. Their influence had now reached a point where a mere word from them could mobilize the common populace into war, should they so wish. This was a terrifying level of control, one that allowed them to steer the fate of an empire even while its people languished in suffering. And all of this was orchestrated under the careful guidance of Pope Alaric, the man who wore the mask of a saint while harboring the soul of a devil.

“Ah, the beauty of manipulating public sentiment!” the Holy Knight exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with a blend of malice and satisfaction. “Should the Istarin Empire even think of waging war against us, they would have to face not just our armies, but also the hordes of common folk who revere us as messengers of the divine. Emperor Aditya clearly understands the weight of this reality; he can do nothing but wallow in the shame we’ve so skillfully imposed on him.”

“Your Holiness, pray tell, what course of action do we undertake next?” inquired the Head Nun, her voice tinged with a restless eagerness for further subterfuge.

Pope Alaric leaned back in his chair and stroked his white beard thoughtfully. “First and foremost, it is crucial to bring this disruptive civil war to a close. We must identify a pliable figurehead to sit on the throne, someone who can be easily controlled to serve the interests of this esteemed institution,” he outlined, the veneer of sanctity overlaying the calculated scheming in his words. “Continued unrest will only stir suspicion among the populace. Our decades-long subterfuge could unravel if we overextend ourselves. As the old adage warns, ‘Do not bite off more than you can chew.’” Ironically the one who was speaking is more than 500 years old.

Heads nodded in solemn agreement. The council members recognized the wisdom in Pope Alaric’s words. They had come far by treading the fine line between greed and caution; to overstep now would be disastrous.

“But rest assured, halting the civil war doesn’t imply that our revenue streams will dry up,” the Pope continued, his eyes narrowing and his lips curling into a sly grin. “After all, we still have our most precious asset at our disposal—the Drug. With it, our stranglehold over the empire, both in spirit and coin, will remain as strong as ever.”

Pope Alaric cleared his throat before speaking, a subtle smile crossing his lips. “How many promising young talents have we managed to acquire recently?” His inquiry was, of course, a veiled reference to the church’s long-standing practice of scouting for children with powerful elemental affinities under the guise of baptismal ceremonies. Once identified, these children would be whisked away, only to undergo a form of indoctrination that would ultimately transform them into obedient pawns for the church.

In this world, the link between an individual and an element—known as affinity—was crucial for any cultivator. This affinity essentially meant the strength of connection a person had with a certain element or, in exceptional cases, multiple elements. A strong affinity with an element, such as Fire or Water, made it much easier for a cultivator to manipulate that element in battle. Not only would they require less Mana for attacks of that specific type, but the attacks themselves would also be far more potent.

Take, for instance, the Emperor of the Istarin Empire, Aditya. He was one of those exceedingly rare individuals who possessed robust affinities for two elements—Fire and Lightning. Rumors abounded that Aditya’s affinities were of the extraordinary SSS-rank, a level so high that the odds of encountering someone of such caliber were astronomical. To provide a sense of the rarity, the chances of someone having a triple S rank affinity for any element were lower than the odds of being struck by a falling meteor from the sky.

Another example could be a simple fisherman in a coastal village who had a C-rank affinity with Water. He could catch fish with a bit more ease compared to others, maybe even summon a small wave to bring the catch toward his net. But he’d never rival the capacities of someone with an A or S-rank affinity, who could command tides or even cause storms if they so wished.

Yet another example was a baker’s daughter with a B-rank affinity for Earth. She could make the most extraordinary pottery because the clay almost seemed to shape itself in her hands. But she was leagues away from a military general with an A-rank Earth affinity, who could use his power to raise walls of stone for defense in mere moments.

These affinities weren’t merely about personal capabilities; they also represented valuable assets for organizations like the church, who sought to manipulate these individuals for their own gains. Hence, their covert operations to identify and “secure” these promising souls under the benevolent mask of religious sacraments.

Pope Alaric’s question, therefore, carried a weight of implications, each more sinister than the last, as it echoed in the room filled with equally devious minds.

On the other end of the affinity spectrum, consider someone with an F-rank affinity for the Fire element, the lowest possible classification. For such an individual, performing even the most basic of elemental tasks would be a daunting challenge. Casting a simple fireball spell, for example, would require double the amount of mana compared to someone with an S-rank affinity for Fire. The spell’s impact would also be notably weaker, barely capable of lighting a campfire, let alone causing any meaningful damage in combat.

Now contrast that with someone like Aditya, the Emperor of the Istarin Empire, whose Fire affinity is of the extraordinary SSS-rank. The mana efficiency for him is unparalleled. He would not only require significantly less mana to unleash spells of cataclysmic power, but those spells would also be infused with a level of destructive force that could annihilate entire armies. Where an F-rank individual might struggle to start a fire, Aditya could effortlessly conjure a blazing inferno capable of engulfing entire landscapes.

The benefits of having such a high affinity extend far beyond simple mana conservation or the potency of attacks. With his dual SSS-rank affinities for both Fire and Lightning, Aditya could potentially combine the elements to create uniquely devastating hybrid spells. He might also possess an innate understanding of these elements at a molecular level, allowing him to manipulate or even invent new elemental abilities that would be unthinkable for anyone with lower-ranked affinities, though doing it takes a lot of times. And no one in the history has managed to accomplish something like this.

Furthermore, Aditya’s remarkable affinities likely grant him faster recovery rates for his elemental mana reserves, allowing him to maintain a sustained onslaught of powerful attacks over extended periods. His high affinity could also afford him a natural resistance to attacks of the same elemental nature, making him practically impervious to most Fire or Lightning-based assaults.

To sum it up, the gap between having a low F-rank affinity and a towering SSS-rank affinity is colossal, impacting everything from basic resource management like mana consumption to the scale and diversity of magical abilities one can wield. It’s not merely a matter of being ‘better’; it’s like comparing a flickering candle to a raging sun.

For many years, the Church had been methodically scouring every nook and cranny of the Northern Frost Dragon Empire. They ventured into rural villages, bustling cities, small towns, and almost every other kind of settlement you could think of. Their aim? To identify youngsters with powerful elemental affinities. Posing as holy messengers of God, they had a knack for persuading parents to hand over their children under the guise of divine service. Once the children were in their clutches, they were systematically brainwashed and molded into unquestioning instruments of the Church.

This had been the Church’s practice since its inception. In the early days, these gifted kids would be handed over to the military forces of the Northern Frost Dragon Empire. Back then, the Church was firmly under the thumb of the White Dragon King. But as time passed, the Church gradually broke free from the King’s influence. The Pope, now holding the reins tightly, ensured that his flock’s loyalty was solely to him. Of the multitude of children that they collected from all over, only a handful—those deemed less talented or useful—would be sent to serve in the Empire’s military. The rest were kept under wraps, secretly nurtured and trained by the Church itself. With the demise of the White Dragon King, any previous restraint evaporated. The Church ramped up its efforts, emboldened to cast a wider net and identify even more prodigious children.

“In the past quarter of a year, we’ve identified a staggering 1,200 children with elemental talents. This number surpasses our tally for the entire last year, and even the year before that,” said a young man, standing just behind Pope Alaric. “Moreover, we’ve successfully dispatched our operatives to other empires under the cover of anonymity. There, they are propagating our religious beliefs, accumulating more followers, and, of course, continuing our quest to discover more children with unparalleled elemental gifts,” he informed the group assembled around the table.

As the meeting progressed, what Pope Alaric and the high-ranking church officials failed to realize was that they were not alone in their deliberations. Unbeknownst to them, every word they uttered, every secret they disclosed, was being closely monitored. They were unwittingly spilling their most confidential plans and underhanded schemes, completely oblivious to the eyes that were covertly watching them.

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