"Of course, whether you can obtain this divine grace depends on the sincerity of the visitor. Only those knights who are unwavering in their devotion to the Goddesses and are determined to bring glory to the Goddesses can receive the Goddess's favor and blessing."

Su Li took a deep breath. If it were that strict, there was no way he could gain the favor of the Sun Goddess—didn't he know how devout he was? Which Goddess's knight spent their free time fantasizing about lifting the Goddess's skirt and wanting to engage in knightly training with the Goddess?

But before Su Li could refuse, Bishop Hector, full of confidence in him, instructed, "Next, you will recite with me the prayer oath, praising the wisdom and generosity of the Goddess. I will say a line, and you will repeat it."

"Great Sun Goddess, Violet!

You cleanse the filth with fires of war,

and recast order with your sharp edge—

please hear the vow of the warrior's sacrifice!"

At such a moment, Su Li had no way of interrupting the prayer in front of everyone, and the knights behind him were waiting to praise the Goddess with him, so he could only go along with it: "Great Sun Goddess..."

"Our flesh and blood are the firewood,

the sword's edge points wholly to the sacred ground!

The victor for prayer, the vanquished for ashes,

This body eternally belongs to the wildfires!"

...

As Su Li finished reciting the last sentence, the eyes of the sacred marble image burst forth with a golden and dazzling holy light, causing a wave of exclamations from the onlookers.

In the Great Cathedral, all the knights' weapons suddenly bore a layer of resplendent golden light, and as the light gradually retracted, a burning golden mark resembling liquid gold appeared on the blades.

Even Selanweir, who was visiting for the first time and just introduced to the Fiery Sun Church, was no exception.

After Bishop Hetok rose, he lit the holy fire before the religious holy image, offered fresh flowers, fine wine, and Quiklik's severed head as sacrifices, and after thanking the Goddess again, he rose and smiled at Su Li, saying, "Indeed, whether you and your knights are devout, the Goddess has already seen through everything. Bauhinia Knight, you have proven your loyalty and faith to the Goddess!"

Hiss~

Su Li rose and took a deep breath, "Goddess, are you serious?"

However, this kind of descended divine grace was something no one would dislike. This meant that after visiting the Sun Goddess Holy Land in this Border Prince's Territory, he gained a new ability; as long as he fought, it was like praying, obtaining some meager divine grace, which could accelerate the improvement of his strength, which was an added bonus.

After the worship was completed, Su Li turned to Bishop Hetok and said, "I've come to visit the Flame Sun Knight Order's headquarters, and I have a few matters for which I seek the Order's support."

Hetok immediately smiled and said, "Is it about the territory's financial issues? Don't worry, at your stage as a Pioneer Knight, as long as you have a bit of real strength and ability, you will encounter such problems and need financing. Don't go looking for loans from those unscrupulous merchants in Marle Castle; our Church generally provides some support to believers within the Church to expand the faith of the Sun Goddess."

"Visiting the Eternal Flame Cathedral was a wise decision, as the Church would naturally offer you some support. Moreover, you have earned the respect of all of us, and within my authority, I can immediately provide Hesse Territory with a loan of 10,000 Golden Crowns. If more is needed, you will have to wait a while as I convene the Bishop's Council to discuss raising the loan limit to 30,000 Golden Crowns. And they are low-interest loans, with an annual interest rate of only 8.5%."

An annual interest rate of only 8.5% is really low in this chaotic Border Prince's Territory, meaning a significant portion of the loans may not be repaid. After all, most Pioneer Territories may not last for ten years.

This truly was the Church making a risky investment to expand its domain of faith.

But Su Li smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Thank you, Dean, for your kindness, but I have resolved the financial issues and am not currently short of money. This time, I came primarily to seek other support from the Knight Order."

Not wanting money?

Hetok's calm and proud demeanor finally faltered. How could that be?!

This was one of the Church's important means of binding its followers. Otherwise, what if such a promising believer turned to another church? Although it was rare for a knight to change faith, it wasn't unheard of.

The more Su Li refused this investment, the more concerned Hetok became, immediately responding, "Don't be in a hurry to refuse! This is a strong support from the Knight Order and the Church for you. You must know that other Pioneer Knights at your stage would be granted, at most, 500 Golden Crowns of assistance upon arrival. This is a unique benefit and advantage of our Church, as our Church's wealth surpasses that of many other churches."

"If you think the interest rate is too high, we can lower it. For example, no interest for the first three years, from the fourth year onwards, repayment with a low-interest rate of 4.5%, with the principal starting repayment in the tenth year, and the loan to be fully repaid within twenty years."

Dean Hector evidently had high expectations for Hesse Territory, as with so many Divine Chosen Knights in allegiance, the territory wouldn't easily be destroyed. This thriving territory needed to be bound tightly to the Sun Goddess Church's carriage.

No interest for the first three years? This was the most favorable financing and loan terms Su Li had received so far.

He also understood that if he didn't accept this loan, there was no way Dean Hector would be at ease, so he said, "Then I gratefully accept. I will first withdraw 10,000 Golden Crowns from the Church. You can continue discussing the rest of the amount, and it can be given to the Gray Market Trading Company to take to my territory. However, the request I mentioned really isn't about this."