Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow.
The simple, easy-to-understand, and catchy slogans of the cat education program quickly swept across the entire city, with meows rising and falling everywhere. If you didn't know better, you would think you had entered a large cat cafe.
Even the way people greet each other has changed, from "Have you eaten today?" to "Have you meowed today?"
This clearly reflects the growing number of followers of the Sacred Fire Cat Cult—so much so that the royal family had to advance its plans to build other churches due to the rapid pace of expansion.
The department in charge of construction naturally did not dawdle; they worked with exceptional efficiency, and in less than a week, they built the new branch from scratch. Moreover, the quality was outstanding, making it a true marvel in architectural history.
Nonsense! If they were to continue their corrupt practices and extortionate money from the state religion, wouldn't they be courting death? Not to mention the fury the royal family would unleash, they might not even be able to withstand the enthusiasm of the general public.
So sometimes you don't know how much potential you have until you're pushed... Of course, this is also because there are Ascended Ones, or "Chosen Ones," in this world. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try, it would be unlikely to achieve such a thing in a place where large-scale machinery is not yet widespread.
In any case, the result was a win-win situation, with everyone willing to spontaneously promote the Holy Fire Cat Cult.
First and foremost, you should bring in all your friends and family. Whether you've witnessed the Cat Cult's incredible powers or not, at least fill out a form to register.
The reason is simple: the free supplies are distributed per person each day, so doing this allows you to get an extra egg. The Cat Cult doesn't care whether people are related or not; everyone who comes gets one.
Of course, there were also those with ulterior motives who took advantage of the vastness of the main city to seek out people who were not yet familiar with the Cat Cult and offered conditions such as "I will introduce you to collect money, and I will return 30% after the matter is completed".
Clearly, this is highly similar to those who profited from speculating in the Poseidon Stone trade at the time; they were all people who tried every means to exploit loopholes to make money.
However, this time they ran into a brick wall – the compensation for losses was handled very formally, with dedicated staff at each branch responsible for answering all kinds of questions. In addition, the Cat Cult spread very quickly, so this little trick naturally fell apart on its own.
The city's defense forces showed no mercy, arresting several typical speculators and publicly punishing them severely for fraud. In addition to confiscating their gains, some were even sentenced to death, giving the public a free show of cracking down on the nouveau riche.
Everyone was delighted by this, since most people lost money in the Poseidon Stone incident, and naturally they couldn't stand seeing speculators making a fortune from it. They wanted nothing more than to spit in their faces and leave.
Everything is proceeding smoothly.
"My lord, what is your opinion on this matter?"
Inside the Grand Duke of Gujian's mansion, some people couldn't help but worry about this and cautiously inquired about Cheng Gujian's opinion.
"How do you see? With your eyes."
Cheng Gujian remained calm and even made a rare witty remark, "Isn't this a good thing that benefits the country and its people?"
He's absolutely right. The reason why the Sacred Fire Cat Cult was able to spread so quickly among the people is ultimately because they were willing to invest money.
After all, for most people, the greatest pursuit is to eat well, dress well, have a wife and children, and a warm bed. Although Xu Shi's approach was simple and crude, it did hit the bullseye perfectly.
And this alone may already put them ahead of 100% or even 90% of leaders.
As for the benefits to the country, it's easy to understand. The Poseidon Stone incident caused widespread panic, and now that the people are at peace, it's the best thing that could be.
The royal family's reputation has also been greatly improved – as a result of this incident, their approval ratings, which had previously declined due to the Poseidon Stone trade, have begun to recover. In addition, they were not significantly affected during the campaign against Poseidon, so overall, things are even better than before.
"Of course I know that, I'm just worried about you..."
Steward Chen, who was also the elder brother of the royal knight commander Chen, naturally understood these principles. However, what he was worried about was not these things, but Cheng Gujian's own position, which now seemed to be slightly weakened.
This is inevitable, since Dongfang Xiao is the one handling the Cat Cult's affairs, while Gu Jian Da Gong has become the mascot—calling him a mascot isn't wrong, since his biggest role in this matter is to express his opinion.
With him here keeping things in check, no matter how many dissenting opinions there are, they won't dare to voice them.
However, this has led to some doubts about him, because it is inconsistent with his usual style. How could he not personally handle such a big matter?
With this trend emerging, rumors began to circulate about his injuries, being sidelined, and even whether he was nearing death. If it weren't for his iron-fisted methods in the past, things would not be as simple as just a decline in his reputation.
Not to mention the fact that Xu Shi, an outsider, was involved—the royal compensation was paid through the Cat Cult, which inevitably caused a loss of public goodwill and popular support.
Although it seems that the other party did indeed pay the lion's share of the money, it is by no means a good thing for an outsider to gradually rise to the political stage of the Hualan Empire.
They are well aware that this is a trick where the wool comes from the sheep's back; it's no exaggeration to say they're getting something for nothing.
Given these multiple factors, they certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch.
However, to everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Cheng Gujian raised his head and looked at him with great interest.
"Is this something you should be concerned about?" he asked.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
