[…]

[Figures crisscross beneath the host dais, the tiered seats filled to capacity.]

[In the very front sit the eleven black-robed Disciples and the three red-robed Grand Elders. Behind them, the seats are packed with Apostles who have come to witness the ceremony.]

[You stand upon the host dais, and beside you is a gray-robed figure, hazy and indistinct…]

[Messiah: …The Old World is about to be destroyed. Every Apostle of devout faith has hope of stepping through the gates of the New World.]

[The Twelve Disciples who follow the Savior possess the firmest faith. They can be the first to enter the New World and spread the gospel as guardians of the Way.]

[Today, we will together witness the birth of a new guardian of the Way…]

[…]

The gray-robed officiant, codename Messiah, was the Master and leader of the New World.

Lin Xun felt not a shred of piety. He complained inwardly that the New World truly lived up to being a villainous organization. Even the coronation lines sounded like a cult.

The ceremony’s wording was exceedingly long. He waited until he felt drowsy and secretly thought that with such a long script to recite, no wonder the Master refused to officiate further coronations for other Disciples afterward.

[…]

[For the most devout guardians of the Way, we shall call their name with a sacred voice…]

[Please choose your Holy Name anew!]

[1. Judas]

[2. Rudas]

[3. Loreamon]

[4. Gusman]

[5. …]

Lin Xun brightened, recalling what Amos had told him beforehand.

His title Blood King, while resounding, did not meet the standard for a Disciple’s name. Seed candidates like Amos had already settled their Holy Name before becoming the Eleventh Disciple.

Many candidates confident in themselves even changed to a Holy Name before deciding to participate in the selection.

Once a Holy Name is chosen in the New World, his callsign would no longer be Blood King, and everyone would address him by the Holy Name.

Lin Xun was picky about choosing an alias. He was satisfied with none of the names in the list, and even after randomizing several times he still could not find one he liked.

He hesitated for a long time without pressing a choice.

Suddenly, a private chat window popped up beside him.

[Messiah: Still not choosing your Holy Name?]

Lin Xun’s mouth twitched and he replied decisively.

[Blood King: Master, could I not change it? Your subordinate feels the current name is quite good.]

[Messiah: No. All must be according to the rules.]

Lin Xun could only mash the random option repeatedly, hoping for a slightly more pleasing alias.

The selection dragged on so long that even Amos below could not help sending a private message, asking whether something had gone wrong.

At last Lin Xun found a name he could barely accept, one that in a certain misinterpreted sense aligned with Blood King.

[You have chosen the Holy Name Cain!]

[Messiah: The Holy Name of the Twelfth Disciple is Cain. He will devoutly follow the Savior and spread the gospel of the New World…]

[…]

“Cain, huh. Round it up and it is basically the Blood King.”

Lin Xun was fairly satisfied with this new alias. In the underworld, the most important thing is a name that resounds.

Cain, to the ear, sounded far more formidable than the likes of Amos or Vishnu.

If some clueless newcomer joined the New World, Lin Xun might be able to recruit a few bewildered masterless lambs on the strength of this name alone.

A pity there were no names like Yahweh, Tathagata, Odin, or Zeus among the Holy Names, otherwise he would certainly have picked something even more eye-popping.

[…]

[Messiah: The Savior not only bestows great teachings upon devout guardians, but also grants sacred authority to steadfast Disciples…]

[You obtained Disciple Holy Robe (Special Equipment).]

[You obtained Disciple Diadem (Special Equipment).]

[You obtained operation authority for Disciple Stigmata Brand.]

[You obtained operation authority for Council Chamber No. 12.]

Lin Xun started in surprise.

Letting the Master continue officiating, he opened the Inventory to inspect the newly obtained equipment.

[Disciple Holy Robe (Special Equipment): On the left chest of the black robe is a small emblem of sacred flame. The flame represents both the destruction of the Old World and the birth of the New World.]

[You can hide the sacred flame emblem at any time, and the holy robe will appear as an ordinary black robe.]

[Equipping this item allows you to conceal your soul imprint and present yourself by Holy Name.]

[The robe’s effect can overlay the Book of Letters, the Book of Arena, and any Invasion function.]

[Disciple Diadem (Special Equipment): At the center of the ornate diadem is a brilliant gem shaped like a flame. The flame represents both the destruction of the Old World and the birth of the New World.]

[You can set the diadem to an invisible state while still enjoying its effects.]

[Equipping this item allows you to know the basic status of Apostles under you who bear the Stigmata Brand, including soul imprint, current difficulty, number of clears of the current difficulty, and more.]

[Please note that both Special Equipment items cannot be normally discarded, dropped, or traded.]

“The New World is… truly formidable.”

Seeing the effects of the two Special Equipment items, Lin Xun finally understood how Amos had previously learned that his alias was Lord of Cinders.

He also finally knew why Amos, among the many Apostles, had judged his talent to be exceptionally outstanding.

It turned out that once the brand of a designated Disciple is applied, that Disciple can learn the soul imprint of Apostles under their command.

They can also see which difficulty that Apostle is currently in and how many times they have cleared it.

However, the information obtained through the Stigmata Brand is still limited. It does not reveal specific chapter numbers or interpretation ratings.

Even so, the lambs in the pen are like sheep shorn clean, with no secrets to speak of.

Fortunately, he had gone from a bare lamb to today’s shepherd, shifting from the viewpoint of a wage earner to that of a capitalist.

The ceremony neared its end and concluded formally amid a harmonious chorus of devout prayers that the New World shall surely descend.

The gray-robed figure beside him vanished. A group dispersed from the council chamber, while most remained to offer congratulations.

Looking at a slew of unfamiliar aliases, Lin Xun could not tell who was who. Thankfully, old hand Amos led the way, introducing them one by one.

[Messer: The Holy Name Cain is excellent. At a glance you can tell he is a devout Disciple beloved by the Master.]

[Japheth: I have a premonition that after the next Disciple war, Cain’s Twelfth seat will have to move up a notch or two.]

These two were Messer and Japheth, among the eight great knights of the Templar Knights.

The Templar Knights are the core combat organization under the Elders Council. Aside from the various Disciples, they are the foremost force engaging the authorities head-on.

[Noah: A pity I did not discover Cain earlier. Otherwise Cain would certainly have joined the Elders Council. One must admit that Vishnu’s luck is truly good.]

[Barsabbas: That is not quite right. If an Apostle under my command had brought Cain into the organization, where would it be Vishnu’s turn, let alone you lot in the Elders Council.]

No sooner had Noah, one of the three Grand Elders, spoken than he was rebutted by Barsabbas, the Second Disciple.

[Vishnu: Heh.]

[Amos: Heh plus one.]

Lin Xun at once became the most popular person in the room. The fervent atmosphere felt less like a villains’ gathering and more like major warlords and conglomerates courting a rising star.

[Barsabbas: Cain, I have added you as a friend. Approve it later and let us get properly acquainted.]

[Noah: I added you as well.]

[Messer: Same here.]

[…]

While Lin Xun was dealing with the enthusiastic villain Apostles, he did not expect Amos to send a private message.

[Amos: …Damn it. After my coronation these people left without a word. Why is it that when it is your turn they are like sycophants, and I cannot shoo them away.]

[Amos: Do not be fooled by appearances. These people are actually demons who eat without spitting out the bones.]

[Only Vishnu and I are truly sincere toward you…]

[Cain: Relax, bro. I will not be bewitched by those gaudy temptresses. In life I belong to Vishnu, in death I will be Vishnu’s ghost.]

[Amos: I knew you were a man of loyalty and feeling.]

Lin Xun very much wanted to say no, I am a white-eyed wolf, but at that moment the Third Disciple, Vishnu, also sent a private message.

[Vishnu: Amos has spoken of you often, saying you were the strongest contender among the candidates and repeatedly drawing on my resources to invest in you. Facts prove that Amos’s eye is indeed discerning. You are truly a rare talent.]

[Vishnu: You are quite good. I hear from Amos that you are in Hang City. In a while I will make a trip there. As it happens I have a few idle pieces of equipment and items you can use.]

[Cain: My Lord, that is far too generous.]

[Vishnu: It is nothing. Though you and I are superior and subordinate, it has been a long time since I have met a young man with whom I feel such affinity.]

[Cain: Uh, what your subordinate meant was that it would be too much trouble for you to make the trip to Hang City. Perhaps you could simply send them to me via the Book of Letters.]

[Vishnu: Heh. We can speak when we meet.]

[Vishnu: The Rectification Society will soon allocate lambs into your hands. If you cannot manage them all, you can draw a few capable assistants from Amos for the time being to help with the herding.]

[Cain: Understood, my Lord.]

After half a day of socializing in the council chamber, the various forces finally departed.

Amos and Vishnu chatted with him for quite a while longer, as if afraid that this Twelfth Disciple favored by the Master would switch allegiance to the Elders Council or other Disciples.

To that end, Vishnu even promised to share some lambs from under his own command, though such promises would only be fulfilled after an in-person meeting.

When at last only he remained in the council chamber, Lin Xun began to study the newly obtained Disciple authority.

One was the Stigmata Brand. The other was operation authority for Council Chamber No. 12.

The Stigmata Brand is akin to ear tags and paint marks on lambs. Branding an Apostle under his command signifies that lamb now has an owner.

Though he was last among the Twelve Disciples, a Disciple’s status is at the apex level on the pyramid.

Aside from the three Grand Elders who stand as equals to the Disciples, even a great knight of the Templar Knights must be respectful when meeting him.

The last-ranked Disciple’s fighting power may not necessarily exceed that of a great knight, but in potential he absolutely crushes a great knight.

Disciples are shepherds at the top. The moment Lin Xun became a Disciple, the Stigmata Brand on him that belonged to Amos automatically disappeared.

From now on he would join the ranks of masters, expand his pasture, increase the number of lambs under him, and become a qualified shepherd.

If the Stigmata Brand is the mark on the lambs, then his very own Council Chamber No. 12 is the sheepfold.

There he can summon his Apostles and conduct the Offering Ritual once per quarter.

There are usually two methods for a Disciple to herd. One is draining the pond to catch fish, taking all the Spirit Essence offered by the grassroots Apostles to strengthen oneself.

The other is sustainable development, returning part of the offered Spirit Essence as rewards to subordinates so they have surplus Essence to strengthen themselves, ascend to the next difficulty, and create longer-term returns.

Most Disciples adopt the second method. Amos’s advice to him was the same.

But Lin Xun knew his own position clearly. He was not truly a New World Apostle. Sustainable development be damned. If there is more wool to shear, he will shear more.

Why leave Spirit Essence for enemy Apostles?

Every bit of Spirit Essence left behind will become a bullet aimed at official Apostles in the future.

“Supporting the enemy is absolutely unacceptable. I do not like Spirit Essence. I am merely a porter of Spirit Essence.”

There is another reason most Disciples choose the second method, which is to cultivate their own base to face the future Disciple war.

Disciple wars are among the fastest ways to expand the pasture.

Disciple wars are also the bloodiest battlefields, where every participating Disciple will use every means to kill the other side and inherit their lambs.

Another quick way to expand a pasture is to fight the authorities, earn Contribution Points, and request lambs from the Rectification Society.

Lin Xun did not wish to adopt the latter. Although staging fights with the authorities to farm Contribution Points can quickly gain many lambs, the risk is too great, and exposure would render all previous effort void.

By contrast, taking out other Disciples both weakens the enemy organization and grows his own pasture. Round it up and it is equivalent to strengthening the authorities.

Disciple wars depend not only on the Disciples’ strength but also on whether they take the right side.

Fortunately, the Vishnu faction to which he belongs is not weak and is the most numerous among the Disciples.

Among the upper seats is the Third Disciple, Vishnu. Among the middle seats is the Eighth Disciple, Mattithiah. Among the lower seats are Amos and himself.

Among the great knights under the Elders Council, one also belongs to the Vishnu faction.

The Vishnu faction alone occupies four of the Twelve Disciples.

Although Amos, ranked Eleventh, and he, the last seat, are relatively weak, they at least have the advantage of numbers.

After finishing his study of Disciple authority, Lin Xun returned to the library.

Within the Book of Letters there was an extra list titled Cain, which contained a large haul of friend requests.

The applicants’ names were all somewhat familiar-sounding aliases.

Once he approved a request, the two sides could communicate via alias.

It is worth noting that during an Invasion, inputting these aliases cannot lock onto enemy Apostles.

Only by learning the true soul imprint can one invade in a targeted manner.

Lin Xun smiled slightly and clicked ‘Approve’ on all of them.

An undercover must truly integrate into the enemy organization to count as an undercover.

He could use the Master’s figurative tiger skin to build good relations with other Disciples.

Even if the Vishnu faction were to lose in a future Disciple war, he would not worry about finding a new patron.

“Feels like the label turncoat will be hard to peel off.”

After approving the requests and sparring with these Elders and Disciples for quite some time, Lin Xun finally had a free moment.

He reported his progress to his female boss, only to receive an invitation from headquarters.

He was invited to Yun Capital City to join the most core organization of the authorities, the Apostle Committee.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep