Chapter 484: Being With One’s Family
“Let’s talk business,” the Arch Priestess said. At a wave of her hand, roots grew out of the dirt floor, forming into chairs before Jack and Brock. She sat back down, and then they did.
“Your breakthroughs were sensational,” she said, her voice taking on a more hands-on quality. “Especially Jack’s. It came at the perfect time. The war situation is unfortunate right now, and our army was in dire need of good news. We spread the word, giving our cultivators something to believe in, and morale temporarily recovered. Unfortunately, it will not last forever. Sooner or later, new things will happen, and your breakthroughs will become old news. We must ensure there is more to come.”
“What exactly does that mean, Arch Priestess?” Jack asked.
“It means that I intend to make you one of the faces of our army. It’s a gamble, of course, but one I am willing to believe in. For that to work, however, we need to keep your progress rolling.” She looked deep into his eyes. “If you agree to shoulder our army’s morale, I can give you access to a vast amount of resources you otherwise wouldn’t be able to touch.”
Jack considered it. This sounded too good to be true. “Is it that simple?” he asked. “I just cultivate, and you use my progress to maintain army morale?”
“Sort of,” she replied. “We have morale experts. They will curate your exploits and publicize them at regular intervals, making you into a celebrity. There is no downside to you besides the fame, which you may or may not welcome, and the fact that being in the spotlight makes it easy to create enemies.”
He just stared for a moment. “You want to turn us into influencers? Seriously?”
“If by that you mean influential people, then yes. It’s a proven technique. But you won’t need to do anything; just focus on your cultivation, and we will handle the rest.”
Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. What the hell. In the end, he chose to laugh. “Whatever. Fame is fine, and I like having enemies. However, I have to ask… Is that all? As arrogant as this sounds, I thought our breakthroughs and potentials were enough for the Church to invest resources into us. I didn’t think we’d need to make a show out of it.”