2 Nothing except the air is free

The journey took about four hours, but Lucifer finally arrived in front of the Hezo city church.

The church stood at least a hundred feet tall with a golden cross on the top. The arts and statues around the church were so well crafted that it made him wonder, 'how much time did it take to even make all these?'

In this world, it wouldn't be surprising if the churches turned out to be richer than the royal family. Faith was a powerful tool, so it wouldn't be surprising if the churches were ahead in terms of strength as well.

As he walked in, he observed how the people with faith prostrated themselves in front of the almighty standing above all.

But what he found strange wasn't their dedication towards something they assumed existed. It was how the priests stood tall and acted with so much pride that it seemed as though they themselves were gods.

Lucifer —up to this point— was a non-believer. The matters regarding the existence of god and supreme power that rules all, write everyone's fate and such were none of his concerns.

He walked straight towards the ceremony room where his soul was supposed to be enchanted.

Even though it was technically called the rebirth of the soul, the ceremony was simple. In the presence of a priest, the holy stone —a part of god— and the godfather, one would just need to be renamed.

Once renamed, the class one was granted would become apparent along with the type of system they possessed.

The whole thing was so mumbled-jumbled that there wasn't any fixed classification. However, a few classes were commonly observed like an artist, craftsmen, trader, and such.

"You can't pass."

Before he could reach the shining green holy stone, the guards stationed outside stopped him. The way they pushed him back while bringing their spear forward seemed strange to him.

"I am only here for the Crescer ceremony. I don't have a godfather, so I was hoping if the priest here would be able to help me."

Obviously, he assumed the lack of a godfather was the reason why he was stopped. However, when he saw them looking at each other, he realized that it was not the case.

"Kid, you need to pay 4 silver coins as a donation. That's the standard charge for entering the sanctuary."

"But I had heard that the ceremony was free."

That's how it was supposed to be. Since this was an inseparable part of one's growth, it was common knowledge that this ceremony was free.

"Keh-Keh! It is free. That charge is just for entering; the ceremony inside is free of cost."

Lucifer felt like punching in the man's face for once, but he held himself back. He realized that losing his cool here would mean spending a few years in prison.

However, he had no choice here. All he had on him was the two silver coins that his brother gave him. This money was supposed to help him with the stay and food. But now that it had come to this, his only option was to negotiate with the guards with those two coins in hand.

"I am broke. All I can offer is this one silver coin. If your charges are fixed, I will have no choice but to give up and leave."

The guards looked at each other. It was apparent by their reaction that they had no intention of getting him through at that price.

"Sorry kid, but we love our job. Since the priest changed, donations have become mandatory. You can come back later when you have the amount to pay."

Unlike the first guard, the guard who just spoke didn't seem to be enjoying all this. He looked tall and strong; however, his head was hung low in shame.

"Then how about you let me talk to him just once. Maybe I will be able to convince him."

The taller of the two guards sighed. "It's pointless."

Lucifer tilted his head in confusion. "Pointless?"

"He won't listen… This priest is one of those that came with the high priest. I bet he is following orders, too."

Lucifer looked towards the ceremony room in disappointment.

Corruption wasn't a new thing in this world, but seeing it up close was always somewhat displeasing.

There were authorities he could report to—like the royal guards or nobles. But he realized that was going to be a pointless exercise.

If they were doing it this openly at such a stage, it must mean that those authorities will be just as corrupted.

Left with no choice, he decided to do what most normal people would do at this stage. He walked towards the exit, thinking of a way to earn more money.

Earning that much money at a place like this would at least take him a week or two weeks. On top of that, he would also need to arrange food and stay.

While walking down the stairs, he saw the high priest treating a street kid.

The kid had a wound in his hand, and by the looks of things, it appeared as a monster infection— a disease caused when a lower level monster injures someone.

The easiest way to treat this disease was by purifying the wound using holy magic. However, in the case, where it is not treated completely, the disease would spread again and become life-threatening.

"I think this is the only bit I can do with the amount you provided."

The high priest took two copper coins while leaving the infection just about to be healed. Obviously, this meant that the infection would spread again in just a few days.

Lucifer understood that this was his plan to make people a regular customer. But the problem here was who he was praying at.

For once, he felt like fuel had been added to the flames that had been burning within him.

"You scumbag!"

Without wasting a second there, and without thinking twice, he walked up to the priest and punched him in his face. His fist was strong enough to make the unguarded priest nosebleed.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Naturally, the priest punched back, but by that time, guards had already rushed in and caught Lucifer from both sides, making him immovable.