Chapter 478: The God of Gold and Wealth

The third labyrinth was also located on an island.

Well, it could hardly be called an island anymore. From the sea, its coastline stretched endlessly, more akin to a continent. If Charlot Mecklenburg hadn’t calculated their route and confirmed that they were still in the Aggras Sea, he might have thought they had arrived at the New Continent.

Standing aboard the Radiant Holy Kingdom, Charlot gazed at the land. Its coastal areas were shallow sandy beaches, clearly unsuitable for large ships to dock. The fleet had to anchor far offshore. Beyond the beach rose steep cliffs, atop which stood a temple.

Unlike the previous two labyrinths, which were palatial, this labyrinth was a temple. Charlot found this peculiar and mused to himself, “Could this be another domain captured by the Labyrinth God Agmirlas?”

This time, Charlot had brought along Argon and Cresto. They took a small boat to the shore.

As soon as Charlot stepped onto the land, the diary in his possession radiated a thought: Charlot Mecklenburg is about to challenge the third labyrinth—the Golden Temple. It originally worshipped the God of Gold and Wealth, Lanududu. After Lanududu was torn apart by three Evil Gods, the temple became an ownerless domain.

Charlot, accompanied by Cresto and Argon, climbed the cliffs and came upon a bustling small city. The city surrounded the Golden Temple and had a thriving marketplace centered on the temple. Behind the temple stood structures resembling government offices. The streets were filled with people, and the atmosphere was lively.

Though there were no explicit hints, Charlot could see that the city’s inhabitants were ordinary humans. They were no different from those in any city of the Fars Empire, save for their unique customs.

As Charlot and his companions appeared, a dozen boys ran toward them, shouting, “Outlanders! Where are you from? Do you need help?”

Charlot couldn’t help but ask, “Do you often have visitors from outside?”

A handsome boy with delicate, almost girlish features replied cheerfully, “Of course not! Our Golden Island is far off the Christophor Route and even further from the Ferdinand Route. Generally, ships traveling between the Old and New Continents don’t pass through here. But exceptions happen—sometimes lost ships stop here to resupply. We also have some trade with other inhabited islands along the Christophor Route.”

Charlot was slightly surprised. He knew about Golden Island—it was technically part of the Christophor Route but lay far off course, making it rarely visited. However, it wasn’t completely unknown.

Charlot had done his homework and reviewed nautical records. He knew that the island’s inhabitants were mostly descendants of the Sherlock Dynasty. After the fall of their kingdom, many fled to the New Continent to rebuild their nation. Some settled on various islands en route, including Golden Island.

These settlers brought a wealth of books with them and maintained contact with the outside world. As such, they weren’t isolated, and the boys’ curiosity about Charlot and his companions was mild—they were more interested in earning some extra money.

Charlot smiled and said, “How much would it cost to hire you as guides?”

The handsome boy responded, “You can exchange your money for ours at the temple. Hiring us only costs one centime.”

Charlot, intrigued, replied, “Very well, take us into the city.”

As they entered the city, the diary in Charlot’s possession radiated another thought: To complete the challenge of the third labyrinth, you must restore the faith of a True God in Pale City.

The Pale City had originally worshipped the God of Gold and Wealth, Lanududu. After Lanududu’s fall, the Labyrinth God Agmirlas seized control of the Golden Temple’s functions. Charlot Mecklenburg, you must drive out Agmirlas’ priests and followers, replacing their faith with that of any True God.

Charlot thought to himself, “Naturally, I’ll establish faith in the Serpent of Fate.”

“However, these are ordinary people. I mustn’t harm them. I’ll need a gentle approach… but I’m not exactly skilled in that.”

Currently, Charlot commanded three legendary warships, seven magical alchemical warships, eleven ancient magical ghost ships, and five to six hundred ghost ships. Conquering this small city would be easy, but changing its faith would require more finesse.

In truth, Earth’s mainstream ideology often preferred for less-developed peoples to remain that way, preserving their unique characteristics. It was also commonly believed that conquest could not make people submit...

But history books tell a different story—even Rome was conquered, and even Persia changed its faith.

With the boys leading the way, Charlot and his companions arrived at the Golden Temple, where they could exchange money.

The local currency was that of the defunct Sherlock Dynasty.

After the rise of the Fars Empire, which supplanted the Sherlock Dynasty, many of the latter’s cultural and institutional practices were inherited, including its currency system. Like the Sherlock Dynasty, the Fars Empire used écus, flors, and centimes. The languages of the two nations were also part of the same language family, sharing over 90% of their vocabulary, with similar pronunciations and grammar. Charlot’s fluency in Sherlockese wasn’t due to any particular fondness for Sherlock culture—it was simply because Farsians could easily master it with a bit of effort.

Though the currency units were retained, the Fars Empire naturally minted its own coins. Charlot used two gold écus to exchange for a full bag of ancient Sherlock centime coins. He split the coins between Cresto and Argon, keeping only a dozen for himself. He then distributed these coins among the boys.

The boys were overjoyed. They had expected to receive just one centime in total, as guiding wasn’t a particularly skilled job. Moreover, they would have stayed together even if Charlot had only hired one of them.

Charlot asked the lead boy for his name and learned it was Tongding.

The name carried a slight hint of self-deprecation, meaning “spoon.” It reflected the hardship of his family, as his parents had named him for being yet another mouth to feed.

Charlot casually inquired about Pale City and then said, “We’re not just travelers but also missionaries. If you’re willing to believe in the Serpent of Fate and become its followers, you’ll receive one centime of faith gold each month. If you bring other children to the faith, I’ll pay you an additional centime for each new recruit. Are you willing to believe in the Serpent of Fate?”

Tongding, overjoyed, exclaimed, “Will the people I bring also receive one centime of faith gold each month?”

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