Chapter 23: Believe in the Holy Light! Annual Leave Starts at Four Days

Walking to the city’s Second Hospital, he found himself before an eighteen-story building painted white, a stark contrast to the surrounding dark, steam-powered industrial aesthetic.

In front of the medical tower was a spacious garden with fountains, and beyond that, the main entrance bustled with crowds. It looked like a thriving establishment.

He even spotted a towering, burly brown-skinned orc, carefully lowering his head as he lined up to enter, cautiously retracting his severed tusks for fear of bumping into others nearby.

Hmm... it had the flavor of the 1950s American civil rights movement. An orc, of all things, wealthy enough to seek treatment at a human lord’s hospital?

Sure enough, with a keen eye, one could spot half-elven hybrids with pointed ears and finer skin texture among the crowd. Unfortunately, their appearances were rather ordinary, indistinguishable from average humans.

Ah, how swiftly four centuries have passed! The descendants of the first-generation ancient elves have long since assimilated into this planet, becoming the new “Crystal Wall Indigenous.”

“Please don’t block the way if you’re not going in! Thank you!”

A child’s voice sounded behind him, accompanied by a slight pain in his calf. He turned, initially seeing nothing. Looking down, he found a small cat-eared girl in a white nurse’s uniform, clutching a wooden box and glaring irritably at him for blocking her path.

“Oh? You look so strange, but adorable.”

It was his first encounter with such a cat-girl, and it felt utterly novel, like a life-sized doll suddenly speaking. His soul, a cat lover’s at heart, instantly ignited.

The cat-eared nurse rolled her eyes in indignation. “If you don’t know how to compliment, then don’t bother! Now please move aside!”

Yuan Zhu stepped aside to let the strange little cat-nurse pass. “Um, are you an adult? No, I mean, how do I get to the Holy Light Department?”

The little cat-girl puffed up and strode quickly, her short legs unable to keep pace despite her speed. “I’m an adult! The Holy Light Department is on the third floor, left at the stair exit. There’s a sign on the wall—go see for yourself.”

“Thanks.” Yuan Zhu, unsure what had offended her, restrained his cat-loving urge and watched her leave reluctantly.

The little elf suddenly jumped up, sighing, “I really want to give her a good petting!”

…

He reached the third floor smoothly. Along the way, Yuan Zhu observed that the hospital in Runing was not much different from those on Earth. Besides the usual integrated Western and Chinese medicine, there were additional departments such as the Holy Light Department, Witch Doctor Department, Inner Fasting Department, Spirit Communication Department, and Alchemy Department—none of these were obscure specialties.

Because this world had gods, these departments possessed genuine abilities. They could treat spirit possession, soul loss, contamination infection, and more from various angles.

For complex and difficult cases, multiple departments would collaborate, combining acupuncture, surgery, exorcism rituals, and other multidimensional approaches to eradicate the disease in the operating room.

After showing his medical card to a nurse, Yuan Zhu was led by a plain-looking middle-aged woman to a consultation room.

At the center of the desk sat an incense burner with a stick of calming incense burning. Against the wall on the desk stood a redwood shrine housing a white jade statue of a Bodhisattva.

Opposite the desk was the attending physician: a blonde, blue-eyed white man in a white coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a cup of fragrant tea.

???

What kind of strange stylistic blend was this? Yuan Zhu was momentarily stunned, forgetting what to say.

“Please sit. I am your attending physician, Lucius, a dispatched steward from the eastern New Continent. I graduated from medical school and work here at the city’s Second Hospital, while also spreading the faith of our Lord. May I ask where you feel discomfort? Your medical card was issued through cooperation between the Sanctuary and the Security Bureau—ordinary people cannot possess one.” Lucius spoke in flawless local dialect, without a trace of accent, utterly authentic.

“I…” Yuan Zhu opened his mouth but found no words.

“Don’t worry. I have seen many patients with polluted bodies and untold afflictions. I graduated from medical school with professional training and have studied at the Sanctuary for years, gaining extensive experience in Holy Light exorcism. Moreover, professional ethics require me to keep patient privacy, so you need not fear your information being disclosed.”

Lucius wore a kind and gentle smile that radiated human warmth, naturally drawing people closer.

[Beep! Mental intrusion detected and blocked.]

As expected!

Already accustomed to such occurrences, Yuan Zhu maintained a neutral expression, smiling politely as he replied, “Due to certain reasons, I became involved in an abnormal case. The Security Bureau conducted tests and found me very healthy. Finally, they gave me this medical card to receive Holy Light treatment—treating any risks, or if none, simply as prevention.”

Lucius raised an eyebrow. “I understand. Shall we begin treatment directly, or would you prefer a chat first to sort out your mind? By the way, do you drink tea?” He gestured to his cup, inquiring of Yuan Zhu.

Having never been a tea drinker in past or present lives, Yuan Zhu curiously asked, “Is tea popular in your country too?”

“It’s a local custom. After arriving in Runing, a monk friend introduced me to it, and I developed a fondness. Once accustomed, it tastes quite good.” Lucius enthusiastically recommended.

Yuan Zhu waved off the offer but glanced at the white jade Bodhisattva on the desk. “Did your friend give you that? Can the Sanctuary’s stewards worship gods from other religions?”

Lucius responded with mild surprise, “Freedom of belief—why not? According to the New Federation’s rules, one may declare up to eleven legal faiths per year. Though I serve the Sanctuary and wield the Holy Light, living and working in Runing allows me to also worship external deities. For example, this ‘Great Joy Bodhisattva.’”

??? What? Where is the ‘Great’? Where is the ‘Joy’?

Yuan Zhu turned to look at the dignified, solemn white jade Guanyin statue. Only the tentacles peeking from beneath the hem hinted at some difference from the orthodox Guanyin. And yet you tell me this is the “Great Joy Bodhisattva”?

“How is your friend doing?”

Lucius shook his head. “Ah, no contact for two years. He was reported and wanted for inciting followers and personally interpreting the doctrine during the last anti-Buddhist campaign. He fled south. We exchanged letters a few years ago, then communication ceased. But enough about him. Your choice to visit the Holy Light Department shows your heart acknowledges the Sanctuary and the Holy Light. Would you be interested in learning more about the Sanctuary and adding it to your list of legal faiths?”

Yuan Zhu recalled that on the planet Duling, due to the proliferation of various deities, a polytheistic coexistence had formed in recent times.

With less than four centuries of history of supernatural power, monotheism had difficulty taking hold and never reached dominance in any region.

If a deity’s civilization tried to isolate and monopolize a region, it would be attacked by other righteous and evil gods. Thus, ordinary people commonly worship multiple gods simultaneously—a tacit norm even religions won’t oppose.

In Runing and the surrounding areas, citizens may declare up to eleven legal faiths. In fact, it doesn’t matter how many gods people believe in; this declaration mainly applies to working employees.

Because declaring legal faiths is directly linked to an employee’s annual leave, which is paid.

Different deities hold festivals corresponding to their domains. If someone favors a particular festival’s theme or timing, they can research the deity’s information and include them in their annual legal faith list.

Then, during the next year’s festival, they enjoy the related holiday and receive blessings from the deity during the festivities. Best of all, this is paid leave, divinely arranged! The ultimate perk.

For instance, a god codenamed [IIII], the Patron of Singles, holds the frenzied “Shopping Spree Festival” each year on November 11th. Those who include [IIII] in their annual faith list gain a legal holiday that day to revel in the spree, along with a divine buff of “Rationality -90%, Discount ×0.98.”

Citizens of Runing have the right to select 3 to 11 legal gods based on their needs, forming their annual faith list. Faith isn’t just about holidays; it also grants additional divine buffs.

For example, those trying to conceive might follow gods of fertility, though they’ll abandon the faith after the baby’s birth.

Farmers favor gods who protect seeds or enhance orc labor efficiency with a whip. This faith lasts a lifetime, without regret.

Parents like to choose festivals for their children that boost intelligence, ensure passing grades, or bring hardship, often lasting through the school years.

Later, graduates pick gods for love, contraception, bad luck, or beer, engaging in retaliatory faith until virility wanes, then return to gods of fishing, imperial herbs, and anti-hair loss.

Lucius said, “Faith in the Sanctuary guarantees a minimum three-day New Year holiday and the Festival of Light in July. That’s four days of legal annual leave right there. Additionally, believers receive a free annual Holy Light health check. After three years, they can attend monthly secret sermons at a ten percent discount. After nine years, converting to a true believer grants a free monthly check-up, some holy water, and an annual family health package. After twenty years, believers or their descendants can participate in the Holy Light Trials, gaining access to and mastery of Holy Light power.”

A series of VIP, annual subscription, and corporate loyalty program vibes flashed before Yuan Zhu’s eyes. The gods and faith here were remarkably flexible, like membership services offered by major websites online.

Believing in a god granted access to festivals and temporary buffs.

But becoming a loyal, long-term believer accumulated faith points, gradually solidifying blessings into permanent passive effects.

As long as one didn’t switch gods, their faith points remained intact.

If this were Earth, Yuan Zhu mused, his QQ account might at least grant him a supernatural buff, condensed into a passive “trait” state, ever-present. (All those years of gaming top-ups actually transformed into another form of companionship.)

A major benefit of Sanctuary faith was that ordinary believers with over nine years’ loyalty gained the weakest “Holy Light Protection” buff, causing evil spirits to preferentially target others.

This alone attracted many potential believers. Furthermore, after twenty years of faith, one could access the Holy Light itself. Thus, parents often registered newborns under the Sanctuary faith, hoping they’d grow up close to it and, at twenty, step into the Sanctuary to wield the Holy Light.

Yuan Zhu sighed. How had he never been so lucky? He and his brother switched beliefs every few years, always chasing perks. No one had told him that steadfast Sanctuary faith could grant free access to supernatural systems for study.