Chapter 40: No Cheating Allowed

In any war, the only outcomes are victory or defeat. A tie, in the usual sense, generally means the battle was not fought hard enough.

And the lopsided war of last night finally came to a close at dawn.

Early the next morning, Felix, feeling spirited and refreshed, went to lead confessions at Saint Erde Cathedral. As for the two ladies who are still languishing in bed, too weary to even move a finger, there is no need to go into detail.

In truth, when Felix saw Lady Elizabeth brandish her whip, his heart did indeed skip with a 'thump-thump' in fear. Already at a disadvantage fighting two-on-one, they even brought props into the fray!

It was outright cheating! Felix had always despised cheaters with a passion. Overcome with righteous anger, he declared, "Let my soul ignite," and he unleashed his fury.

He first pinned Lady Elizabeth beneath him, then pulled the snickering knight sister beside them onto the grand bed. Wielding his steel lance, he engaged in an intense battle with the two sensual women.

Since they were cheating, Felix no longer held back, casting spells like "Pleasure Intensifies" freely upon them.

A virgin's stamina may not be promising, but his sustainable fighting power was unmatched! When quantity shifted to quality, the results of Felix's efforts were truly startling!

"Praise the holy light, for it has fortified me time and again..."

Upon leaving the Marquis of Elizabeth's estate, Felix praised the 'holy light' with a lingering satisfaction and expressed his admiration to the merciful Lord. He was a devout believer, indeed. It was under the name of 'holy light' that he would bless his followers and grant them "Redemption."

The overnight battle had revealed to Felix an unexpected strength of 'holy light' in another domain; his supposed failed marks actually burst forth with boundless combat power in the bedchamber!

All of this was beyond Felix's expectations. It's necessary to mention an academic point here, about the dual effects of the holy light's "Healing of Wounds" and "Restoration of Vitality." Of course, other casters wouldn't parse a single spell into two functions like Felix did.

The energy distribution of a Level 36 "Grand Healing" spell was roughly as follows: over 95% for "Healing of Wounds," between 1-3% for "Restoration of Vitality," and 1-2% of holy light energy had the attached effect of "Purification."

Because "Restoration of Vitality" is only a small fraction of the holy light energy, people feel invigorated when healed by "Grand Healing." During those days and nights at Saint Erde Cathedral pouring over texts, Felix tried to change the usual pathways of the magical network in the "Sub-Plane Conscious Space" to increase the "Restoration of Vitality" proportion.

Unfortunately, the results of the research were not ideal; he could only forcibly enhance the holy light energy ratio to 5-10%, barely restoring a portion of vitality, far from supporting 24-hour magic research as he wished.

But last night, what Felix considered a failure erupted with demonic combat power! Normally, with Felix's vitality and magical tricks, the best outcome should have been a draw with the two graceful matrons. How could he have imagined prevailing so completely, still left wanting more? The demonic 'output' of last night even gave Felix the illusion of being an 'invincible little cannon'...

...

"God tells us to face our desires squarely, to understand them, and to conquer them..."

"God tells us to help those in need, to save those who believe in Him..."

At noon, Felix finally felt a twinge of anger. He glared with his handsome dark brown eyes at Countess Elvina, who appeared devoutly praying before him but was stealthily wiping grease on him with her delicate little hands, and at her friend, Viscountess Bellina, whose eyes brimmed with a sullen grievance and an unwillingness to be outdone.

Felix, with a Bible - New Testament in hand, stretched out his hand with a calm face but a heart full of ire, and pinched the Countess Elvina's round and pert backside gently, then with a twist!

Watching the ripe flush and the tinge of pain on the face of the voluptuous matron, Felix exhaled a long sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. If you had been covertly teased all morning, you'd probably want to leave a neat row of bite marks on that round and full little bottom too.

"God tells us that when you are hungry, you should eat."

Felix smiled, watching the ladies of the imperial city first in shock, then giggling behind covered lips. Today, he was hosting a small mass, an event somewhat similar to a prayer meeting, primarily featuring readings from the Bible - New Testament and some meaningful religious anecdotes.

A rich life experience and knowledge allowed him not to be like those stodgy priests who could only drone on from the Bible, inducing sleepiness. Felix's interspersed tales and the humor and wit he revealed occasionally made the noblewomen famous in the imperial city sparkle with interest.

The reason Felix held this event was simple: he was short on money.

Church fundraising is quite interesting. Typically, priests don't directly ask for money from the congregation. During events, if there's a large box with a cross sticker at the lower right corner of the pulpit, it signifies the priests are running low on funds and need relief from the congregation.

Of course, not all churches operate like this. In some duchies under the Church's influence, clerics even have the right to collect a tithe from national taxes! This is common only in militarily autonomous empires like Titans.

As Felix stepped down from the pulpit, a few nuns in snow-white robes, looking exceedingly charming, came into the prayer room of the church with some exquisitely made pastries.

Generally, the church doesn't keep the congregation for lunch during mass. They partake in the "Blood of Christ" and the "Bread of Life" as a formality, and by that time, it usually means the service is nearly over, and it's time for you to go have your meal.

Felix had his reasons for doing this. It's said, eat a man's food, and you are soft in his hands.

The pastries, which he had spent a good sum on for custom orders, were delicate in appearance and tasty, with a pleasant floral scent. Felix doubted the ladies could eat much with their delicate arms and legs. This was only the first step. When the afternoon mass concluded, he planned to gift each person a hardcover Bible and a white tulip from the Saint Erde Cathedral's own gardens!

With all these steps taken, Felix couldn't believe those wealthy women would hold back during the fundraising. Gold coins? It would be embarrassing to offer such small change! Caesar vouchers? You'd have to throw in a thousand at least to look Felix in the eye and match his 'pure' gaze!