Chapter 1779: The young Count
âGourde, you will never have to participate in a Profession Selection ever again!â
Bamââ-
Following the teacherâs strict scolding, the schoolâs gates were slammed shut in his face.
Gu Qing Shan blankly stood at the schoolâs gates for a while.
The testing door was broken.
No matter how hard I tried to explain, all the teachers refused to believe that it had nothing to do with me.
...
ââfurthermore, I WAS actually the reason behind the breaking of the door.
However, the issue is that these elementary school teachers are limited in their understanding, none of them realizes that I overwhelmed the door through sheer mental strength.
I canât even blame them for it.
In this era, never before has there been a case where someone overwhelmed the doorâs capacity through nothing but mental strength.
ââthis is the power of evolution.
Gu Qing Shan sighed and prepared to leave the school.
âYoung master Gourdeâ
A voice called out from a distance.
As he turned around, he saw a horse carriage and a middle-aged man in a black butler suit.
âYou are?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
The middle-aged man gracefully bowed to him, then answered: âI am your butlerââ young master, letâs get on the carriage before we continueâ
He opened the door of the carriage.
Gu Qing Shan smiled as he observed him: âYou seem to know quite a bitâ
The butler replied: âThere was a guide at the initial location, so there are naturally guides in other eras as wellâ
âI seeâ Gu Qing Shan commented.
He boarded the horse carriage and left the school with the middle-aged man.
An hour later.
The horse carriage stopped in front of a medium-sized manor.
Gu Qing Shan walked inside and glanced at the paintings of various aristocrats that were hung around the main hall.
âThese are the paintings of your ancestors, the lineage stops at your generation, with you being the last heirâ the butler explained.
âSo this is the identity that has been pre-arranged?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âThere are two methods to progress forward through each era, the first of which is to begin at the era of the ape people, slowly but continuously driving civilization forward; the second is to directly break out from your bodily prison and leap forward to the next era of civilizationâ the butler answered.
âWith the first method, there are âprophetsâ who are responsible for guiding and mentoring; with the second method, there are those like me who make the necessary preparations ahead of time to welcome the Chosen Saints into each eraâ
âWelcome? Is there anything that you need to delegate to me?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âAs the second method is much faster compared to the first method, it would result in a certain degree of imbalance, so the Samsara established corresponding means of adjustmentâ the butler answered Gu Qing Shan.
He placed a tray in front of Gu Qing Shan.
The tray only contained a single envelope.
Gu Qing Shan took the envelope and opened it before carefully reading the content of the letter inside.
âAn acceptance letter into the Grand Divine Churchâs Academy?â Gu Qing Shan asked doubtfully.
âIndeed, as youâve directly bypassed two thousand yearsâ worth of eras, you need to do something else aside from just advancing civilizationâ the butler replied.
âGo to school?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âNo, you need to destroy the Grand Divine Churchâ the butler answered.
Gu Qing Shan paused briefly before pondering: âReligions are a part of civilizationâs existence and development, why do I have to destroy it?â
The butler chuckled and answered: âIt would be no problem if it was a normal religion, as âprophetsâ like us can easily establish a religion of our own to stimulate the development of a civilizationâs culture, philosophy, science, and artâ
âIndeedâ Gu Qing Shan agreed.
âFor that same reason, this Church isnât the one that you know of, it is considered a type of corrosion within the Samsara, an act of conversion and annexing if you willâ the butler explained.
âYou mean an Apocalypse?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âNo, it isnât an Apocalypse, it doesnât seek to destroy everything, but its threat is even greater compared to thatâ the butler replied.
The butler then moved a trunk onto the table and opened it.
Its content included an aristocratic emblem, clothing, genealogy, the Countâs seal, gems, gold coins, as well as a scepter of historical significance.
âCount?â Gu Qing Shan almost exclaimed in surprise.
âTheyâve been gathering dust for a long while, only to be used again if you choose to accept this identityâ the butler said.
âWhat if I decide to not accept them?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âThen please head back to the ape people era and lead the progress of their civilizationâ the butler answered.
Gu Qing Shan chuckled.
He then took out the scepter from the trunk and said: âThen Iâd be more than willing to bypass 2000 years and do some work in this eraâ
Instantly, lines of bloody red text appeared in his vision:
[Youâve received the scepter: Green Dragonâs Beard]
[All of your healing techniques will be improved by 30%]
[He who wields this scepter will be widely recognized under the Dragon clanâs name and automatically receive the corresponding reverence]
[Attention!]
[Youâve accepted the proposed identity]
[Youâve accepted the mission of trial issued by the Samsara: Destroy the Grand Divine Church]
[Begin]
Gu Qing Shan silently nodded.
If even the Supreme Sequence recognizes this, it seems I really will have to get rid of that something or other church.
âWhen can I set out?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âRight nowâ the butler smiled.
âDo you have anything else to inform me?â Gu Qing Shan asked again.
âNothing, Iâm only responsible for providing you with a clean and useful identity. Now that my job is done, itâs your turnâ the butler replied.
âVery well, then do you have anything else to tell me?â Gu Qing Shan emphasized his words a bit more.
âKeep in mind, theyâre very greedyâ
âGot itâ
...
Three days later.
A horse carriage that had traveled a long distance finally reached the gates of the Grand Divine Churchâs Academy.
Two men garbed in dark grey church robes opened the gates, from which an old man with a solemn expression emerged and sternly shouted:
âState your background, why have you stopped in front of the Sanctuary?â
Nobody in the horse carriage said a single word.
Only a small bag was tossed outside, aiming straight at the old manâs face.
The old man swiftly caught the small bag and furiously grunted: âNo matter who you are, such gallâââ
He suddenly noticed something.
The bag in his hand gave off a familiar and lovable noise.
ââthatâs right.
No other metal could make such a delightful noise.
The old man immediately stopped talking.
He silently evaluated the bag and estimated a number.
Well, well.
This amount shows ample respect for me, the best kind of greeting card from one of higher standing.
The horse carriage opened, from which a young man in aristocratic clothing disembarked.
The old man narrowed his eyes to observe him.
This is... a Countâs attire?
Which house has such a young Count?
That scepter also looks very familiar, an ink-colored shaft adorned with a deep green gem, these unique characteristics... I seem to remember such a description from historical records.
The Green Dragonâs Beard!
So it was the notorious Green Dragonâs Beard!
Then this young man must be the young Count of the Dragon clan â they who were blessed by dragons!
The old man placed the small bag of coins away without a sound, then solemnly asked with a ceremonious holy tone:
âChild, what is your desire by coming to the Sanctuary?â
Gu Qing Shan replied: âI wish for the protection of God and to listen to the teachings of Saintsâ
He handed the envelope to the old man.
Receiving the envelope, the old man felt even more sure of his inference.
He glanced behind himself as a signal.
One of the clergymen swiftly went inside to report this.
ââto receive an aristocratic family as dignified as the Dragon clan, some preparations must be made.
Especially when the one being received is a core member of the clan, a genuine Count.
âGod said, all devout sincerity shall be answered,â the old man smiled kindly.
âThank you, respectable oneâ Gu Qing Shan bowed to greet him.
âChild, have you gone through your Profession Selection ceremony?â the old man asked.
The corner of Gu Qing Shanâs lips twitched slightly before answering: âI have yet to do soâ
The old man nodded: âThen I shall arrange one for you right now, so that we can foresee the path of your careerâ
âI give my thanks, respectable oneâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
Although it was already long past the schoolâs opening day, the test was still arranged very quickly.
Three bishops and a cardinal had personally arrived to observe the test of a young Count.
âIf he does not have talents for magic research or knightly combat, then my History research institute will accept himâ one of the bishops whispered.
âHeâs only 12 years old, how could he endure being at your place?â one of the other bishops refuted.
âItâs also too early for him to enter your institute, heâs not even an adolescent yetâ the first bishop snapped back without pause.
âCease your disturbance, wait until we see the resultsâ the cardinal said in a heavy tone.
The group then all went quiet and focused their attention on Gu Qing Shan who was standing up on the high platform.
Gu Qing Shan also felt a bit anxious.
Last time, I already pulled back half of my mental strength and it still broke the testing instrument.
This time, Iâve spent time training my mental strength and made it so that Iâm capable of releasing only a quarter of it.
Furthermore, I can choose which element I wish to sense.
ââ-an instrument of the Churchâs Academy is surely sturdier compared to that elementary school, right?
He looked closely at the door behind him.
ââthis is a dark-grey metal door that exudes an unclear presence, it definitely looks several levels better compared to the metal door I broke before.
âDo not be anxious, childâ one of the clergymen encouraged him.
âEverythingâs readyâ
âVery well, Gourde, you may beginâ
Gu Qing Shan stepped forward and stood immediately underneath the door.
He took a deep breath and began to release his mental strength bit by bit.
Ooomââ-
The entire door began to radiate an immensely bright grey light.
The wind howled ferociously.
Everything that could be blown away in the vicinity had been blown away.
Everyone fell into deathly silence.
âMY GOD!â one of the bishops exclaimed.
Bamââ-
The door then broke into several pieces and collapsed to the ground.
In an instant, all the supernatural phenomena vanished.
Gu Qing Shan sighed and shrugged: âThat really wasnât my fault, I was justâââ
The cardinal suddenly flew down and spoke to him in an extremely gentle tone: âDo not be afraid, this wasnât because of you, it was because the testing instrument couldnât endure your innate talentsâ
âThen, will I be accepted?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âOf course, Count Gourde, your background as well as innate talents are more than enough to regain the glory of your clan, perhaps even surpassing their utmost moments of glory in historyâ the cardinal replied.
Gu Qing Shan appeared shocked and nervous, then asked: â Then, which institute should I enter?â
âInstitute? No, doing that would only be a waste of your talentsâ the cardinal said.
The others all focused their gazes on the cardinal.
The cardinalâs expression was filled with a fevered fealty as he replied: âI will arrange for a group of only the best scholars to be your teachers, but before thatââ please follow me, you need to first complete the Prayers of Corruption Ritualâ
âCorruption... ritual?â Gu Qing Shan doubtfully asked.
âChild, the ritual will grant you endless power and allow you to join usâ
Following his words, the clergymen all around them retreated, replaced by a group of higher-ranking clerics.
Everyone then placed their hands together into a praying pose before silently reciting the words of prayers.
The cardinal chanted his prayers: âCorruption is the foundation of all living beings, only corruption will separate one from life and death to observe the truth of the worldâ
Gloomy fog began to manifest out of thin air.
Various shuffling noises could also be heard emanating from the void of space.
One after another, arms reached out from beneath the earth, continuously moving until they covered every single inch of the venue.
The ground seemed to have turned into a gloomy ocean as numerous faces emerged from beneath the earth, all staring directly at Gu Qing Shan.
The clerics around them began to speed up their reciting.
Something seemed to be happening!
Gu Qing Shan didnât expect this situation at all.
âChild, you are about to witness a miracle of God, this is an unparalleled special honor!â the cardinal said, still stuck in his fervent fever.
âIt truly is grand, Iâm truly honoredâ Gu Qing Shan had no choice but to follow up with his words.
He looked around, only to see everyone else was in the same excited state.
...this is a kind of power that Iâve never seen before.
It isnât magic.
How interesting... for there to be a power unrelated to magic in a Magic-type civilization.
Not to mention that this power has also created such a huge religion.
Ah.
This is the middle ages.
And these are a bunch of people who hadnât seen a concert before.
No wonder they managed to make such a huge religious order from so little.
With that in mind, Gu Qing Shan felt a sense of understanding.