A Plan to Win the Church’s Support

“Alright, even if this plan succeeds, how do you plan to gain the support of the national church?”

Cecilia obviously had an answer ready.

“Gaining the national church’s support essentially means gaining the support of their deity—the Sea God.”

“Gaining His support? I don’t think we have any way to move a god.”

Not all gods were as starved for affection as Miss Thanatos, where just not running away from her would increase your favorability.

The Sea God was the main deity of the Three Island Kingdom, lacking nothing in followers, wealth, or power. Jodel thought he definitely wouldn’t be as easy to talk to as Miss Thanatos.

“No, there is a way. Gods have needs from mortals, even… even their power comes from mortals. If we use that, we can find a way.”

Gods’ power comes from mortals? The information Cecilia revealed startled Jodel. How did she reach that conclusion?

“Jodel, did you know that the Sea God has had different names throughout history?”

He shook his head. As a transmigrator, he could predict some future trends, but he knew very little about things like gods that didn’t exist in his previous life. He really didn’t know that the Sea God’s name had changed.

“The Sea God’s original name was the Wind God, and back then the national church was called the Wind Church.

“But over time, records of the Wind God disappeared, replaced by the widely used title Storm God, and the national church changed its name to the Storm Church.

“That was the first name change. The second change led me to guess that gods’ power is related to mortals.”

Cecilia didn’t notice the strange look from a certain true goddess beside her and continued speaking.

“This time, the Storm God changed to the Storm and Sea God, shortened to Sea God, and the national church took its current name.

“The problem lies in the timing of this change. After my research, I found that this renaming process closely coincided with the Great Voyage Era. Once the kingdom established maritime hegemony, the national church officially announced its renaming to the Storm and Sea Church.

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

Jodel roughly understood what she meant.

In her description, the gods’ actions were influenced by the secular world. As soon as the Three Island Kingdom gained sea power, the national church added ‘Sea’ to its name. This was likely instigated by the deity—the church couldn’t and wouldn’t dare change its name on its own.

If the Sea God had always held the authority over the sea, He could have called Himself the Sea God from the start. There was no need to wait until the kingdom dominated the oceans to change His name.

In other words, the authority over the sea didn’t originally belong to Him. It was the kingdom’s rise in the secular world that allowed Him to gain that power.

Cecilia made her final conclusion.

“By the same logic, if the Three Island Kingdom declines one day and no longer rules the seas, could He lose His authority over the sea?

“If another country’s naval power surpasses the kingdom’s, would that country’s god take away the authority over the sea?

“We need to make Him believe that if the monarchy and parliament continue their infighting, the kingdom will weaken, and His authority will be diminished. Then, do you think the Sea God and the national church will just sit back?”

At first glance, the conclusion seemed sound, but there was a counterexample right beside them.

Miss Thanatos had no followers, no church, and wasn’t a god of any country, yet that didn’t stop her from holding the authority over death.

But Jodel felt Cecilia’s theory wasn’t entirely without merit. He also didn’t believe the national church and the Sea God changed their names just for fun.

Her deduction was like a puzzle missing a piece that needed completion.

Jodel noted this doubt and turned to another question.

“If, as you say, the national church is so powerful, why don’t they directly control the government?

“They could combine divine authority, royal authority, and parliamentary authority into one—more centralized than your proposed plan and more effective at reducing internal strife.”

“How strange. Are you from another world? How can you be so ignorant of history?” Cecilia’s casual jab made Jodel and Thanatos exchange glances.

“The church did once directly rule the world, but that was a long time ago, in the era of theocracy.

“But around the 7th century, major churches withdrew from the secular world and handed power to mortals. Since then, although churches have interfered in secular affairs, they no longer directly govern countries. The reason remains a topic of debate.”

Another doubt, but this time Jodel knew who to ask for clarification.

Right next to him was an old-timer who had lived for ten thousand years—no, boss. She had experienced that era firsthand and must know something.

He looked at Thanatos with hope.

“What are you looking at me for? I stay in the spirit world all day and don’t care about what happens in the mortal realm. Besides, I don’t have a church. How would I know why other gods’ churches withdrew from the secular world?”

Great. It seemed Miss Thanatos was a bit of a homebody.

It looked like he’d have to ask at the Chant Church. Their history shouldn’t be shorter than that of the national church. Maybe they had records of that period.

“Alright, let’s stop here for today. I’ll also look for information about the gods.”

“Good. But I still want to ask: do you agree with my plan? First take control of the palace, then seize power in parliament.” Cecilia hadn’t given up.

“I’ll give you an answer after I learn more about the national church.”

For now, the task of re-establishing contact with Cecilia was complete. The next step was to build a basic trust with the national church.

And after realizing the church’s power, Jodel decided to change this task from building trust to winning the national church’s support.

Before officially contacting the church, he needed to learn more about the gods to better gauge the church’s thoughts.

Returning to the real world, Jodel went to the Chant Church again to inquire about knowledge of the gods.

But this time, it wasn’t Yelica who greeted him, but Archbishop Sasha.

“It’s been a while since we last met at the barracks. I heard that during my absence, you came to see Yelica again?”

Although the archbishop’s ever-present gentle smile remained soft, Jodel could feel a hint of a protective father’s concern in his words.

“I will tell you the truth about Yelica, but not here.”

Archbishop Sasha understood.

“How about the Forbidden Library? It’s the safest place in the church, accessible only to bishops.”

“Then please lead the way.”

The Forbidden Library was at the deepest level of the church’s underground. No magic lamps were installed; instead, candles provided illumination.

Jodel noticed that these candles were lit by sacred fire, emitting light far brighter than ordinary flames.

“Alright, let’s talk here. I hope you can tell me: what price did Yelica pay to obtain so much important intelligence?”