Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Edgar entered the hall with Gordon following a few steps behind.

The room was considerably more comfortable than he had expected.

Several large sofas were arranged around a low wooden table, while warm lamps illuminated the walls and gave the chamber a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere.

The moment the three people inside noticed Edgar, they immediately stood.

Surprise flashed across their faces.

None of them had expected the person who had brought down the Northern Sect to be a young boy.

Edgar calmly observed the three visitors before walking toward the largest sofa.

He sat down, leaned against the backrest, and gestured toward the other seats.

"Please, sit."

The three visitors exchanged glances before slowly taking their seats.

There were three of them.

A woman wearing a simple nun’s outfit sat on the left. Her expression was calm, but her cautious eyes never left Edgar.

Beside her sat a bald merchant dressed in expensive clothes, several rings covering his fingers.

The final person was an elderly priest whose long white beard reached almost to his chest.

The nun was the first to speak. "My name is Sister Elara."

She placed a hand against her chest before gesturing toward the bald merchant. "This is Merchant Valen."

The merchant gave Edgar a polite nod.

"And this is Father Oren, the senior priest of our church."

The elderly priest quietly nodded.

Edgar returned the gesture before looking at all three of them. "So, what does the Church want from me?"

Sister Elara smiled faintly. "It’s actually a very simple request."

Edgar tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to continue.

"We want to keep our church running."

"....."

Edgar stared at her with slight confusion.

"What does that have to do with me?"

Elara hesitated before explaining. "The previous ruler of the Northern Sect changed the amount of charity we were required to provide."

She sighed softly. "He demanded fifty percent instead of the usual twenty percent."

Edgar’s eyebrows rose. "Fifty percent?"

Merchant Valen immediately nodded. "The demand was excessive."

His expression became noticeably frustrated. "Most of the money collected by the Church is used to feed orphans and provide shelter for people who have nothing."

He clenched his hands. "When the Northern Sect increased the demand, we were forced to reduce the amount of aid we could provide."

Edgar leaned back against the sofa. "So you want to return to the previous twenty percent?"

Valen immediately nodded. "Exactly."

He gave Edgar a polite smile. "We would be extremely grateful if you allowed us to return to the original arrangement."

Edgar remained silent for several seconds and then he asked the obvious question. "And what do I get in return?"

The three visitors exchanged glances.

This time, Father Oren answered. "Connections."

Edgar’s interest immediately increased. "Connections?"

The old priest nodded. "Our Church has existed in this region for a very long time, Lord Edgar."

He slowly placed his hands over his knees.

"We have priests, merchants, messengers, and believers scattered throughout numerous settlements."

He looked directly at Edgar.

"Our network can connect you with places that would otherwise be difficult for you to reach."

Edgar’s expression became thoughtful.

’That’s actually useful.’

His thoughts immediately turned toward the resources accumulating inside his Fortress.

Iron ore. Food and Nightmare materials.

Various items he currently had little use for.

Until now, he had mostly been gathering everything because he lacked a reliable way to sell it.

But if the Church could connect him with merchants across different settlements, that problem could finally be solved.

’I need wealth.’

Edgar had already begun expanding his territory, and maintaining it would require enormous resources.

Paying soldiers, constructing buildings, purchasing materials, and eventually developing Soragon Bazaar would all require money.

He couldn’t depend on the system forever.

After thinking for a while, Edgar finally nodded.

"Fine."

The expressions of the three visitors immediately brightened.

"I accept your proposal."

Father Oren smiled.

"I’m glad we could reach an agreement." The elderly priest slowly stood and walked toward Edgar. "Then let us seal the agreement properly."

Edgar stood as well.

The two extended their hands and when their palms touched everything changed.

Father Oren’s expression instantly froze.

His eyes widened as the color drained from his face. He immediately released Edgar’s hand and stumbled backward.

"What..."

His breathing became noticeably heavier.

Edgar frowned. "What happened?"

Father Oren stared at him as though he had just witnessed something impossible.

"You..." His voice trembled. "What are you?"

Edgar’s expression remained confused. "What do you mean?"

The old priest’s hands were shaking.

"When I touched you..." He swallowed nervously. "I felt an enormous power."

Edgar remained calm despite the sudden change. ’He sensed my Solar Energy.’

But there was no way he could allow them to know that.

"What power?"

Edgar deliberately adopted a confused expression.

Father Oren stared at him for several seconds.

Then he finally answered. "The power of our Goddess."

Edgar’s eyebrows rose. "...Your Goddess?"

That made even less sense. He possessed the power of the Sun.

There was no reason for a priest of the Night Goddess to mistake it for divine power belonging to his own Goddess.

Sister Elara immediately stood.

"Father."

She looked toward Edgar before giving him a small apologetic smile.

"I’m afraid he has been startled."

She gently placed a hand on the elderly priest’s shoulder.

"We’ve already taken enough of your time."

Merchant Valen also stood. "Yes, Lord Edgar. We are grateful that you agreed to our request."

Edgar continued looking at Father Oren and the old priest still appeared shaken.

’What exactly did he sense?’

Edgar couldn’t understand it.

Still, he decided not to press the matter.

"Very well."

The three visitors bowed before leaving the room.

Father Oren was the last to leave but before stepping through the doorway, he looked back at Edgar one final time.

His eyes contained an emotion Edgar couldn’t identify as the door closed behind them.

Silence returned to the hall and Edgar slowly sat back down. "...The power of their Goddess?"

He rubbed his chin.’That doesn’t make any sense.’

Before he could think further, Gordon suddenly cleared his throat.

Edgar looked toward him. "What is it?"

Gordon’s expression became slightly more serious. "There is one more thing you should know."

"What happened?"

"The treasury." Gordon paused. "We opened the vault beneath the Fortress."

A faint smile appeared on Gordon’s face. "You should probably see it yourself, my lord."

Edgar slowly stood. "Lead the way."

The veteran knight nodded and turned toward the door.

"There is quite a lot inside."

Edgar followed him out of the hall.

’If the Yamhad Clan ruled this place for generations...’ A faint smile appeared on his face. ’Then their treasury should be interesting.’

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