Chapter 222: Chapter 193 Blasphemous Gospel Chapter 222: Chapter 193 Blasphemous Gospel “The top ranker of the future?”
The crowd was stunned, but Hanna did not continue, instead, she turned to introduce the Gospel Book.
“The Gospel Book is a blessing from the All-knowing Weaver and the foundation of the Gospel civilization. The All-knowing one did not skimp on sharing His glory, allowing us to hear the truest Gospel, confirm our own talents, and find our own place.”
“The ranking lists are the Weaver’s way of spurring on and rewarding people of the world.”
“According to statistics, there are currently a total of 3,788 kinds of lists, including overall lists, regional sub-lists, personal lists, and organizational lists, not only covering all Magic Factions, but also including various common professions and special feats,” Hanna said. “For example, the Azura Task List counts the number of tasks completed most excellently by various offices within the Azura region; my Funeral Service Office is ranked ninth, making it a top-tier office in Azura. Another example is the Heroic Deed List, the Songstress List, and the Rope Twisting List, where even non-Mages can make the list.”
At this, everyone couldn’t help but glance at the only Mage in the room who was not on any list. He covered his face with his Gospel Book, dried his silence, and felt impulsively regretful.
Igula raised his hand to ask, “Are there any lists related to inventing new devices, popularizing advanced tools, transforming cities, and improving the lives of citizens?”
“The Advanced Invention List, the Enterprise List, the City Comprehensive List,” Hanna glanced out of the window at the multi-tiered city. “I think I know what you’re asking, Banjee. Has Azura changed much over the decades?”
“Miss, sixty years ago, Azura had dry toilets; thirty years ago, it was not a multi-tiered city.”
The young housekeeper beside them let out a prematurely old sigh, “When I was a child, I never imagined that one day I’d see towering skyscrapers hanging upside down.”
“Because competition on the lists is fierce, every minute and every second new inventions, new tools, and new designs spring forth from every corner of the Kingdom of Gospel, swiftly moving into application phase, becoming reality, transforming the world.”
Was it really due to a systemic advantage…
Although the research institution system of the Kingdom of Blood Moon was quite good, it involved only the Longevity Species entirely in research, ensuring not only that leading figures played a role for a long time but also that they weren’t premature in seeking benefits and could engage in fundamental research with no short-term gains. In fact, the Kingdom of Blood Moon was indeed a resource-rich developed country, else it could not have developed a social support system.
But compared to the competitive Kingdom of Gospel, those blood-sucking bats still seemed overly conservative and outdated. Perhaps a thousand years ago the Kingdom of Blood Moon was not much different from the Kingdom of Gospel, but while the former relied only on the lengthy cultivation of a few Longevity Species, the latter thrived on full-scale societal competition, so it was only natural that a huge gap emerged over the centuries.
Igula then asked, “The list rankings that both organizations and individuals take so seriously must have substantial rewards, right?”
“Points,” Hanna nodded. “Compared to gold and silver, points are the real hard currency of the Kingdom of Gospel. As long as you have enough points, you can obtain anything you desire.”
“Anything.” Hanna stretched out her hand, and the next second, a bunch of fresh grapes suddenly appeared in her hand. She grabbed a grape with her mouth and gently burst its juice. “For instance, you can use points to obtain a bunch of fresh chilled grapes.”
“All tangible items, all Technique Spirits, all Miracles, anything you can think of, as long as you have enough points, you can obtain it. However, there are a few restrictions, such as not harming others or engaging in illegal acts.”
“But things like extending life span, treating near-fatal injuries, instantly moving to a target location, obtaining a rare Four-winged Technique Spirit—those are still possible with the Gospel Book.”
“Must be expensive, right?”
“Exorbitantly so,” Hanna laughed. “The real purchasing power of the points spent on these grapes could have bought me an entire grape farm. Red Hat, come eat grapes.”
Ash and the others wondered who she was calling when suddenly a cream-colored lizard popped up on her shoulder, its vertical pupils vibrantly moving around, looking very adorable. It smacked its mouth a couple of times, and the bunch of grapes was left nothing but stems and twigs, not a single one remaining.
The Mages couldn’t even see how it ate!
“Carmine Dragon Lizard,” Igula muttered softly.
“An endangered species?” Ash asked.
“It’s not about being endangered, they simply don’t exist in reality,” Harvey explained. “I remember this is a special creature from the Time Continent, which, once bonded with its master, can travel with them to reality, and help catch fleeing Technique Spirits on adventures in the Void Realm, making it a very precious pet.”
Compared to the large flats, office relationships, and connections with the Red Hat—these ‘real world achievements’, the Carmine Dragon Lizard as a ‘Void Realm achievement’ finally made Ash and his group take Hanna’s personal strength seriously—the world of Mages is just that simple; being formidable in reality doesn’t count as formidable, only being formidable in the Void Realm counts as truly strong.
In a sense, Mages are like a group of gamers engaged in live-action role-playing games, except their ‘game’ abilities can also take effect in reality.
Hanna stroked the little dragon lizard’s head, saying, “The real use for points is to purchase guidance for one’s own ‘Gospel,’ that is, information and knowledge.”
“For instance, if you can’t advance in your Magic Faction Realm, you spend points to seek guidance, and the Gospel will tell you what efforts to make next; like if your research experiments hit a dead end, the Gospel will tell you what exactly went wrong; like if you don’t know which talents you possess, the Gospel will inspire your true potential; like if you want to verify whether someone is lying…”