After meeting with their fellow Dionysus followers, Lance and his team returned to Angel City's church to report their "success."
"Ah, Lord Champion!" Thaddeus spread his arms wide. "Your service to the church deserves proper reward. Our most beautiful sisters await to tend to you and your men. They'll provide whatever... comfort you desire."
Lance studied the gathered sisters - most wearing inviting smiles, though a few showed clear discomfort. His gaze paused on Elena, recognizing her from the underground sanctuary. Her presence explained much about the cult's preparation.
"High Inquisitor Thaddeus," Lance's voice cut like ice. "You dare offer sacred sisters as common whores? Is this what Solarus's church has become?"
The chamber fell deathly silent.
"My lord, this is merely tradition-" Thaddeus began.
"Tradition?" Lance's laugh held no warmth. "You corrupt these women, twist their sacred vows into prostitution, and call it tradition? Look at them - some can barely hide their disgust. Yet you'd force them to service us like common brothel workers?"
"We meant no offense-" another elder tried to interject.
"No offense?" Lance's voice rose. "You've turned Solarus's temple into a whorehouse! You speak of fighting cults while running one yourselves! At least street prostitutes choose their profession - you take advantage of women who sought spiritual purpose!"
Thaddeus fell to his knees. "Please, Lord Champion, we only thought to honor you as we have other holy warriors-"
"And there it is," Lance's tone dripped disgust. "Admitting this is how you've treated every sacred warrior. How many sisters have you forced to 'honor' visitors? How many have you broken with your 'traditions'?"
The church officials prostrated themselves, begging forgiveness. Just days ago, Lance and his men would have eagerly accepted such "rewards." Now they stood as harsh judges of the corruption they once participated in.
Through this exchange, Lance caught Elena's eye. Their fingers formed subtle gestures only Dionysus's followers would recognize - silent acknowledgment of their true faith.
Time slipped into October, allowing Arthur to focus on his projects now that his cult's safety was secured.
The Hellfire HQ's ring-shaped construction project, now in its fourth month, had become Horn Kingdom's most talked-about development. Its distinctive circular design sparked widespread speculation about inspiration from his Lord of the Rings, though Arthur neither confirmed nor denied these theories.
Meanwhile, his technology initiatives faced different challenges in other regions.
Despite the QR code system's success in Horn Kingdom, expansion into U.S.E proved frustratingly slow. Giant corporations like Dwalric systematically blocked computer sales in major cities, while local merchants faced pressure to reject the QR code system.
This resistance wasn't limited to U.S.E - across the Empirican, Evros, and Eden continents, kingdoms stubbornly maintained their Rune-based systems.
Traditional magic runes still processed every transaction, despite being slower and more expensive than barcode technology. Dwalric Corporation's influence ran deep, their contracts with major retailers effectively blocking Hellfire's entry into these markets.
However, the Anatolian region told a different story. Kingdoms like Morningstar, Japon, Choson, and South East Anatolia had begun embracing the new technology, starting with their largest cities. Major urban centers saw immediate benefits - transaction times dropped by 75%, error rates plummeted, and businesses reported significant cost savings.
Arthur leveraged these success stories through aggressive media campaigns. Hellfire Network broadcast detailed reports showing merchants processing hundreds of transactions per hour with barcodes, while neighboring stores using runes struggled to handle dozens. Print media carried statistics and testimonials from business owners praising the new system's efficiency.
These demonstrations of success made it increasingly difficult for resistant kingdoms to justify their opposition. Every report of improved profits and reduced costs in early-adopting regions weakened their arguments against modernization.
In U.S.E, Arthur's influence extended into politics through carefully chosen proxies. The Empirican Freedom Party, led by presidential candidate Paul Hennessy, had become his most promising investment.
At his latest campaign rally, Paul gripped the microphone with practiced passion. "How can we justify our president and congress rejecting the most efficient system ever invented - the 'barcode'?" He thrust his hands skyward. "The 'Rune-based patterns' belong in history books! Computers and bar codes are our future! While we cling to outdated methods, demon realms are racing ahead of us!"
The crowd roared their approval, feeding off his energy.
"When I become president," Paul's voice swelled with conviction, "I will champion this innovation! We'll surpass even the dwarven kingdoms! Under my leadership, we'll achieve greatness, and every citizen will know true prosperity!"
"Paul! Paul!" The crowd's chanting filled the air.
Paul savored their adoration, hiding his satisfied smirk. After the rally, he noticed a masked figure whose mere presence made his skin crawl with dread.
"Mr. President," the figure extended a hand in greeting.
Paul kept his voice low, refusing the handshake. "Not here. Federal agents watch everything. Their surveillance network runs deeper than you know."
The masked figure chuckled softly. "No need for concern, Mr. President. You alone can see me. We're conversing through 'Genjutsu' - within your mind's eye."
"Impossible," Paul started to protest. "This can't be in my-"
His words died as reality warped around him. The world shifted, sky bleeding into crimson, their feet standing atop water the color of fresh blood.
"This..." Paul stared at the impossible landscape stretching endlessly around them.
The masked figure multiplied before Paul's eyes - dozens becoming hundreds, then thousands until identical forms surrounded him completely. Their synchronized voices echoed across the blood-red expanse.
"Now, Mr. President, let's discuss our plans for you."
Paul could only nod, sweat beading on his forehead. The organization backing his campaign was clearly far more powerful than he'd imagined. This display of supernatural might shattered any illusions he had about being truly in control.
Two weeks after securing the cult's safety, the Dionysus followers had transformed their recruitment strategy. Rather than the obvious methods that had drawn attention before, they now operated with calculated precision.
Their masterstroke was founding the "Corleone" gang, taking the name from the influential Demonfather that had revolutionized crime dramas worldwide.
The name carried weight in criminal circles, lending them immediate street credibility. New recruits joined what they thought was simply another organization inspired by the legendary film franchise, only later being introduced to the deeper truth of Dionysus's faith.
This two-step recruitment process kept them invisible to religious authorities. The only ones who took notice were other gangs in the city, but these posed far less of a threat than organized religions.
Interestingly, there are potential recruits that was rather unusual.
Elena discovered an unusual gathering of potential recruits in an alley. Young men stood in a circle, taking turns delivering quick-spoken verses about street life, their words flowing with rhythmic precision over beats pounded out on crates and walls. The crowd around them grew larger, cheering as each performer tried to outdo the last. Discover more novels at novel⸺fire.net
She listened, baffled by their strange slang and patterns of speech. "What are they even saying?" she muttered, straining to understand their coded language and street terminology. After a moment, she shook her head. "Well, it's not my concern how they express themselves." She turned away, leaving the enthusiastic gathering behind.
Meanwhile, as the Dionysus cult flourished in secrecy, Hellfire Studio had hit a creative lull. Other major studios dominated the market - Titan Pictures, Lava Brothers, Bryan Brothers, and Underground Films released blockbusters monthly, maintaining constant presence in theaters.
Arthur recognized he'd neglected his audience's demands too long, particularly the highly anticipated Lord of the Rings sequel. Beyond that, Star Wars remained unrealized - an intellectual property that could cement Hellfire's dominance even further in the industry.
On October 27, 1274, he launched two parallel initiatives: opening auditions for Lord of the Rings's second installment while personally venturing into Eden's wilderness to scout dragons for the production. Real dragons, he knew, would give his film authenticity no other studio could match.
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