"Why do you even have to bring me with you?" Pei said with some reluctance as she was squatting at the top of a cathedral alongside her nasty coworker.
"I figured you needed the exercise. Like Jin had not been working out much lately. All those business models, earning profits and creating some pathetic alternate reality probably tired you out, no?" Kraft said as he took in a deep breath when a breeze blew through them.
"I thought you wanted to have some fanciful invasion against the city? Like with the latest airships and stuff." Pei did not want to answer Kraft since either way, he would ultimately coerce her to his bidding.
"Hmm, yea. I thought about it. It's more fun to create havoc by myself." Kraft said with a nod of his head as if he had gone through a phase of enlightenment. "But myself would be truly boring. Having a competitor always spices things up."
"More likely, you already knew Jin had no money to spare since he had been investing more on his business. Also, the upcoming war with the Farming World has been ramping up rapidly and you are now penniless, without an army."
"What? Penniless? Please! My coffers are with Demopolis, and Rex is taking hold of it very well! I told him to invest in the Seven Cities' infrastructure and soon enough, I would have sufficient pocket change to build an army of my own." Kraft shrugged off Pei's accusation.
"Well, who was the one who resolved the Seven Cities bullshit?" Pei rolled her eyes.
"You mean who was the brilliant one who started the chain of reactions that lead to this day?" Kraft twisted her words while Pei waved off Kraft's bullshit. Indeed, that Seven Cities 'bullshit' turned out to be a miracle which Jin and Kraft had not expected. (with the help of some celestial intervention.)
Upon learning the existence of Pandapolis and a new 'god' who was able to resurrect them without charging a single cent. The Army Generals were shocked and understood why the Church of the Afterlife had their suspicion in the leader of Pandapolis. Perhaps, there had always been someone or an organisation who were able to have the same powers as the Church themselves all along. Yet, the incumbent had always done what was necessary to root out the competition.
But this time around, they did not expect their new adversary would be able to literally hold its fort against them. Not to mention, the armies were not only being resurrected for free but kindness was paid doubly so by giving them accommodation and warm food while their new 'god' prophesied their return should not be too prompt.
Because of Kraft's devious plan to spread the 'stomach flu' virus in all the cities simultaneously, the armies had concluded that the Church of the Afterlife had either branded them as enemies or wanted to take the opportunity to grab the cities when they were defenceless. (Not to mention some misinformation from the Night Foxes.) The generals who were given the gift of telepathy by their new god, saw the real truth behind the Church of the Afterlife's intentions.
Furthermore, their god had even prompted his servants to provide the army sufficient antidotes for the particular virus, portraying benediction and salvation for their small and humble cities. It was as if it was preordained by the god's oversight to show them the way to the real truth.
Thus, when the armies had decided to make the grievous decision to perform a military coup to take control of their cities back from the Church of the Afterlife, they found out they were not abandoned by their new gods even when they were outmatched against the Church's Knights' armies. In fact, they were resurrected at a safer location near to their fight zone and continued the skirmish against the Church's Knights.
Even more, they realised that some of the new god's servants were in the mix against the Church, allowing them to subsequently have an upper hand in the fight. As the servant's assistance was minimal and the coup was mostly their efforts, the military somehow felt liberated from the Church's embrace and claimed their city as rightfully theirs. (Because in name, it was their city but in essence, the majority portion of the dungeon core's rights belonged to the Church.)
And as they heard the words of their new God through their ears when the armies turned victorious, they cried in joy as all their God wanted the exact opposite from the church.
They can have full reign of their own city.
But because these cities' cultures were predominantly about honour, all of them instinctively became servant states for Pandapolis, in hopes that their cities would have the same benefits as Pandapolis does. And now, Pandapolis and Demopolis were taking swift action to establish a foothold in those cities the moment their protection bubbles came up.
"I am surprised that the System had been talking to them behind our backs without consulting any of us. In fact, I AM surprised I was not the new god they all had been raving about."
"If you have a voice telling you stuff and everyone hears the same thing, there is no doubt about it being a higher power." Pei shrugged her shoulders. "In fact, by establishing the System as the one true god made even more sense than making Milk and Peppers their new goddesses. They are too lazy and irresponsible to do such a thing. But as servants of the true god? That makes more sense and freedom."
"Bleargh. Fine, I agree that the System handling the god component is way better. None of us, even me, would have bothered with each and every petty request to be fulfilled in the near future." Kraft surrendering the thought of being a god. "Besides, it's time for the System to do some work of its own. It had been relying on us way too much."
"There you go. Glad to hear that you have sorted out your problems with my consultation. Besides, you don't need to be a god when you still have your own group of followers which brings back to the point. WHY. DO. YOU. NEED. ME?" Pei asked once more as the Night Foxes could be seen emerging in every roof in the vicinity and that made Kraft chuckled hard.
"I said it once, and I will say it again. Stop being a poor sport and have some fun!" Kraft said as a wave of his fingers and the Night Foxes disappeared, merging themselves with the shadows of the night.
He then stood up and extended his hand to Pei. "The series of military coups which the System single handedly prompted had made history in the Dungeon World but also incurred some serious deficits in the numbers. Care to earn some profit? Loser got to buy the winner a week's worth of dinner."
