Wizard: I Can Refine Everything
Chapter 544 - 8: Missionary Work

Chapter 544 -8: Missionary Work

Ben’s data were pretty excellent, except that his spiritual power lagged behind, causing some control issues that were neither too big nor too small. His overall strength had already reached the middle rank of Level 1 Creatures.

With just a bit of training, Ben’s combat abilities could surpass those of the former Osiris.

Keep in mind, Osiris, as the student of the Bishop of Tyr, had cybernetic augmentations that were considered top-notch within the Master of All Machines Church.

Otherwise, his prosthetics would not have withstood a probing strike from Richard without being completely destroyed.

After testing the data, Richard handed over the Magic Equipment that had been prepared in advance to Ben.

“This is the Healing Staff. It can heal wounds and cure diseases caused by bacteria. From now on, you are the Pope of the Miracle Sect. The Crow God will guide you on what to do.”

Ben knelt on the ground, raising his hands above his head to receive the Healing Staff.

Beside him, Osiris silently recorded this moment. As a former Bishop, he knew all too well what this handover would signify in the future scriptures of the Church.

After passing the Healing Staff to Ben, Richard left the Secret Realm with Osiris and Ben.

Back in the world, the filthy air polluted by industrial waste instantly caused both goblins to frown.

Without comparison, there’s no hurt.

If they had not experienced the Secret Realm, they might never realize just how dismal their living environment actually was.

Picking up a newspaper casually, Richard’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Osiris, your teacher has been making great efforts to find you. The Protective Knights have been dispatched.”

Osiris took the newspaper and, upon seeing the news that the Church’s investigation team would soon arrive in Bruno City, felt a headache coming on as well.

“My teacher only has me as his student, so it’s normal for him to react strongly. But given the current situation, he most likely thinks this is a show of force by political opponents.

My teacher belongs to the Church Faction, and he has always opposed the Church becoming a lapdog of the Royal Court. Over the years, the Royal Court Faction’s influence has grown stronger, and the Church Faction is losing its grip on the Church.”

Power struggles are an indispensable part of any large organization.

Even within the Truth Council of the Wizards, the battle between the Alchemy Shaping Power factions never ceased. It’s just that, because the Wizard Civilization was always expanding, the cake kept growing, so the struggles were hardly noticeable.

When the Wizard Civilization could no longer expand, or when it expanded to a certain size, fierce power struggles would inevitably emerge.

However, Richard was not interested in the power struggles of the goblins. He just wanted to solve this trouble.

“The Church plans to expand in Bruno City. Do you have any way to make this team beat a retreat?”

Osiris shook his head, “No, the appearance of the Protective Knights signifies the Pope’s approval of my teacher’s stance. But their arrival is no obstacle to you, Master Sage, in expanding the Church.”

Richard’s eyebrows rose. “The Protective Knights don’t investigate heresies?”

“They do. They don’t just investigate; they will eradicate any heresies,” Osiris replied blandly. “But the Protective Knights are a group of snobs. They won’t care if there are any issues with the worker class.

In the eyes of the Church, Mechanics are the congregation. Ordinary workers are nothing more than a breeding ground for producing Mechanics.”

Osiris’s tone was very calm, but his words were decidedly cold.

Richard was indifferent to this, even feeling somewhat pleased. Because the Master of All Machines Church didn’t care about workers, it meant that the workers were a huge cake that no one shared with him.

Faith only relates to the quantity and strength. Whether nobles or commoners, as long as they had not stepped onto the Evolution Road, their value was the same.

The faith energy produced by an Emperor wouldn’t be more than a slave’s.

Since the Master of All Machines Church had given up on this segment, he was quite happy to impolitely take it for himself.

“So, what are you going to do?” Richard suddenly asked. “I think your identity could be quite useful. How many people like you are there within the Master of All Machines Church?”

Osiris was stunned momentarily, then shook his head, “I do not know, but I am sure my teacher would join under your banner, sir.”

“Oh? Like father, like son, huh?” Richard teased.

“No, my teacher and I are different,” Osiris said with respect on his face. “My teacher has always wanted a technological revolution. He believes we have taken the wrong path. For the sake of a technological revolution, my teacher would even sell his soul.”

“That’s devotion, isn’t it?”

“That’s just the kind of man my teacher is.”

“So, what are you planning to do?”

After a long silence, Osiris slowly spoke, “I plan to make clandestine contact with my teacher next, and the rest will depend on how he arranges things.

If all goes as expected, this team of Protective Knights should become my teacher’s sharp blade against the Royal Court Faction.”

Richard’s face showed a hint of amusement.

“These Protective Knights aren’t cheap. Are they really to be used as expendables?”

Osiris replied calmly, “As long as the Church can be thoroughly controlled, let alone a team of Protective Knights, even if a whole Protective Knights Order were to perish, what does it matter? Protective Knights can be recreated, but opportunities to tackle the Royal Court Party, once missed, are hard to come by again.”

…

Not all factory workers lived in the dormitories of their workplaces.

In the cheap apartment blocks that were home to most workers, located a couple of streets away from where Ben and the other Mechanics lived, eight or nine people would often live together in a single room. Even married workers had to share a house with other families. These houses lacked essential facilities such as toilets, sewage systems, and dumpsters, and various diseases were frequent visitors here.

Upon seeing the living conditions of these workers, Richard fell into silence—his residence in the Heisen Territory was better than this. At least they could dig a toilet at home.

“I feel like with your capabilities, you could build a somewhat better living area for these workers,” Richard said, turning to Osiris. “Under these conditions, the lifespan of a worker is significantly reduced, and disease and plague are constant visitors. Doesn’t this affect your factories?”

Osiris shook his head, “There will always be people entering the city. As for the impact… the factory owners are all shortsighted mortals. They only see the immediate profits. And the nobles of the Royal Court don’t even see us as human.”

“The Church isn’t making a move?”

“Why should the Church make a move?”

That’s right, if the Church doesn’t care about the faith of the slaves, naturally, they wouldn’t be interested in their living conditions either.

Richard turned his head to look at the other side, where Ben was listening blankly to the conversation between Richard and Osiris.

“Ben, don’t you have anything to say?”

Ben shook his head honestly, “I don’t have anything to say.”

“Doesn’t this situation touch you at all?”

Ben replied blankly, “This is just how it is at my home. Everyone squeezes into one room, it’s so warm in the winter even without a heater.”

Richard felt somewhat helpless in the face of Ben’s response. He looked at the cheap apartments in front of him and slowly began, “You’ve become numb to this status quo, and that’s not a good sign.

Especially you, Ben.”

Ben felt a bit confused by Richard’s admonishment. To him, these living conditions were perfectly normal, so much so that they seemed like a natural right.

That’s how he got by, and so did his parents before him.

This situation had started so long ago that it had become accepted as a rule of the world.

“Ben, have you ever thought about getting these workers a place to live like yours? It might still be crowded, but at least each family could have their own room.”

Ben was startled by Richard’s words and smiled awkwardly.

“Sir, you’re really joking. Where are all these houses for them to live in going to come from?”

“There’s always the option to build more.”

“What about their work? If they live too far away, getting to work would be…”

“There can be steam locomotives for commuting.”

Richard looked calmly at Ben. Although he didn’t feel much about the current state of affairs, his reason told him that changing it could not only earn him a great deal of faith but might even complete his ritual once and for all.

“Ben, I am a Sage, and my purpose in this world is to change it. This era has been tainted for too long, so long that you all take it for granted. You are limited by your own vision and fail to see that this world could be different.

But that’s alright because I am here.”

Richard’s tone was very serious as he spoke, and a faint glimmer of Holy Light began to radiate from him, unnoticed by anyone when it had started.

“Ben, I have granted you power. Though it’s not much, it’s enough to change many people’s lives. These changes, trivial compared to the vast world, but everything must start somewhere.

Ben, do you have the courage to change this world with me?”

Ben looked at the Holy Light emanating from Richard, and the word “yes” almost burst forth from his lips. But as he saw the calm gaze of Richard, Ben suddenly halted.

With a dejected tone, he said, “Master Sage, I don’t know.”

Richard patted him on the shoulder.

“If you don’t know, then let’s just try. Do your best, and have no regrets.”

Osiris, standing to the side, noted down this scene. Many years later, this moment was captured in a mural, along with many other legendary deeds, and the members of the Miracle Sect referred to this painting as—Divine Revelation.

…

Banaby was a worker, employed at a metal smelting plant called Aus. Each day, he watched as the molten metal poured from the Melter, forming coils of steel or ingots, which were later loaded onto steam locomotives after cooling.

Among many jobs in the city, Banaby’s wasn’t the most strenuous. However, the smelter’s mineral dust, the incompletely filtered toxic air, and the perpetual noise still led to his occupational illness.

Pneumoconiosis, chronic poisoning, hearing loss… these afflictions did not spare Banaby even with factory improvements.

Yet Banaby felt indifferent.

That’s just the life of a worker, no different from his grandfather’s time.

But an illness is still an illness, and Banaby soon couldn’t work. Pneumoconiosis left him gasping for air, hearing loss made his ears feel plugged, and chronic poisoning sapped his strength.

The once capable Banaby, who could move steel ingots with his coworkers, became a waste of space.

His savings were insufficient to treat his occupational diseases, and he was reluctant to dip into them for health care.

His eldest son was set to take the Mechanic’s exam next year, and passing it would change their lives. Failure would mean his savings could still support two more attempts.

The thought of his son not needing to live as lowly as he had once did made Banaby’s breathing feel easier.

However, his body degraded faster than anticipated, and he was soon dismissed by the factory. Following that, he could only lie on the ground, gasping for breath.

His body couldn’t sustain his activities any longer.

As he lay on his blanket, Banaby’s life flashed before his eyes. Just before death, a question suddenly nagged at him.

What did his boss, Mr. Aus, do on a regular basis?

He hardly saw Mr. Aus—most days, it was that toad-like, damned supervisor. He had only seen Mr. Aus once; in his memory, Mr. Aus dressed impressively, he spoke like a “Big Shot,” even his stature was taller than theirs.

Banaby murmured to himself, “With such height, Mr. Aus must be very strong.”

Soon, Banaby felt overwhelmingly tired. He knew his time was running out. There was regret in his heart, that he wouldn’t be able to see his son become a Mechanic with his own eyes.

But just as he was about to close his eyes for the last time, a commotion kept his eyelids from shutting.

He heard his eldest son crying next to his ear, “Dad, Brother Ben has come, he can surely cure you!”

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