Fortunately, Father Braun was well aware that in the Orland United States, where materialism was prevalent, most people didn't really understand what a miracle signified.
As a professional missionary envoy dispatched by the Teaching Nation, Father Braun quickly explained the so-called miracle to Lin Lan in just a few sentences.
In the Teaching Nation of Saint Lothalon, the Church of Holy Light was the state religion, and also the mainstream belief of most citizens.
The deity of the Church of Holy Light often bestow blessings upon believers. These blessings came in many forms and were collectively referred to as miracles.
A parent's love for a newborn could be blessed by the deity, protecting the child's health;
A sincere marriage vow between two individuals could be blessed, strengthening their bodies and subtly enhancing their bond and understanding;
A weapon forged with a craftsman's lifetime of dedication could be blessed, imbued with holy magic, and become a divine artifact worshipped by many;
New magical formulas developed by a mage after decades of study could also be blessed, with their effects greatly enhanced and recorded in the church archives, stored in the archives of the Magic Association.
A few hundred years ago, such so-called miracles were quite common.
However, in the past century, the frequency of miracles granted by the deity had decreased dramatically.
Even within the borders of the Teaching Nation, it was often several years before a single miracle occurred.
"So, you're saying that our vow ceremony was blessed by the deity of your Church of Holy Light?
And it's also the very first miracle to appear in the Orland United States?"
Lin Lan looked at the reverend Father Braun and replied with a wry smile:
"You say your people are devout and thus receive blessings—I get that. But I'm just a foreigner. Your god sure holds me in high regard."
The other clerics had already been dismissed by Braun. At this moment, only Braun remained standing in the church.
"That's right, blessed one. I sincerely thank you for allowing me to witness a miracle once more in my lifetime."
"These young ladies beside you must be shipgirls, I presume. Then you must be a commander of Orland's Navy."
"Whether or not you believe in our Lord, the fact that a miracle chose to descend upon you and your partner proves the purity and sincerity of your love.
I offer my heartfelt wish that your bond will last forever."
"This is my token. Once our lands resume open navigation, you may present it at any church within our borders to receive respect and special treatment."
Braun took a small silver cross necklace from his pocket and offered it with both hands. Lin Lan chuckled and accepted the necklace.
This old man truly lived up to the name of a priest—he sure knew how to talk, and it was hard to dislike him.
Lin Lan held the necklace in his hand and examined it through the perspective of the Hero's Elemental Vision.
Once he confirmed it was just an ordinary silver necklace, he turned and placed it around Sui Qiong's neck.
He recalled Sister Richelieu telling him during a call that the Iris faction was currently residing in a city where magic could be used.
They must be within the borders of the Teaching Nation.
When the time came to pick them up, this necklace might actually come in handy.
Still, this was just a minor episode. The vow ceremony had concluded perfectly, and the blessing of a deity didn't mean much to Lin Lan personally.
After handing over the silver cross necklace, Father Braun sensibly left the church, leaving only Lin Lan, Sui Qiong, and the shipgirls inside.
Lin Lan chatted and laughed with Sui Qiong and the others as they enjoyed the cake and desserts prepared by Roon, and before long, it was nearly noon.
Naturally, as the main character of the ceremony, Sui Qiong received blessings from all the other shipgirls.
Even the sharp-tongued Deutschland and the aloof Graf Zeppelin weren't exceptions.
Since the vow ceremony with Sui Qiong had successfully concluded, it was time to leave the church.
Lin Lan, accompanied by Sui Qiong and the shipgirls, exited the church and was greeted by a cold wind tinged with the scent of the sea.
He looked up.
Today was overcast; the thick clouds completely blanketed the sky, and the temperature was several degrees lower than the day before.
When they had arrived earlier that morning, the sun had not yet risen, so he hadn't noticed the weather.
"Commander, do we have any plans for today?" Hutton asked Lin Lan at this moment.
"Hmm... how about this—let's go back to the villa and change clothes first.
Then in the afternoon, you, me, Agir, and Akashi will head to the West Continent Research Institute," Lin Lan said, checking the time on his phone.
With only two days left until the Ship Equipment Trade Expo, it was time for him to go to the institute and revise the event rules in advance.
And while he was at it, he could copy the institute's latest tech for Akashi—especially the technology related to surveying and refining oil.
Having made up his mind, Lin Lan took Sui Qiong and the shipgirls back to the villa.
After lunch, he called Sun Dewang to ask him to drive over and take him to the West Continent Research Institute.
But Sun Dewang said he had urgent internal matters to deal with in the afternoon and couldn't get away.
He asked if he could send an autonomous navigation vehicle for Lin Lan instead.
After hearing this, Lin Lan thought about it carefully. It made sense that Sun Dewang couldn't come.
With one of Tian'ou Group's three major board members and a bunch of senior staff suddenly dead the night before, the internal state of the conglomerate was surely in chaos.
Even though Jian Qian'ou had made prior preparations, the process of integrating new personnel and aligning their responsibilities couldn't possibly be handled in just a few days.
So Lin Lan didn't insist on Sun Dewang coming. He just had him notify the West Continent Research Institute in advance that he would be visiting that afternoon.
Once the self-driving car arrived at the villa, Lin Lan and four others departed.
There were five people because he had also brought along Sui Qiong—he still didn't fully trust the car's autonomous navigation system.
If something went wrong with the vehicle and none of them could drive in Orland, they'd be stuck calling a taxi.
The West Continent Research Institute was located on the outskirts of Yunhai City, near the inland region.
From their villa, it was about an hour's drive on the expressway.
—
"So... Director, why did you specifically ask me to accompany you to receive the Tian'ou Group's executives? I've only been working here for less than a month..."
A tall, thin man in a white lab coat and round glasses—Tian Ming—stood in an office in the West Continent Research Institute.
Looking at the elderly white-haired man seated behind the desk, Tian Ming couldn't suppress his doubt and asked.
That's right. Tian Ming, formerly the lead researcher in magic cube mecha technology at Battleaxe Military Industries, was now at the West Continent Research Institute under the Tian'ou Group.
Back at the underground mecha research facility in Dongyun City, he had lost consciousness when the terrifying white mist engulfed the place.
When he awoke, he had inexplicably become a prisoner of the Tian'ou Group.
At first, he was despondent, but later he figured this might not be a bad thing—at least he didn't have to pay off the debts he owed to Zhu Mobai and Battleaxe Military Industries.
He could even use the time in prison to adjust his lifestyle and maybe live a bit longer.
Originally, he thought he'd be locked up for years, but things didn't go as expected.
Once his old colleagues at the Tian'ou Group heard he had been captured, they immediately applied to bail him out.
Even his former mentor advised the higher-ups at Tian'ou Group to bring him into the West Continent Research Institute for research.
After all, Tian Ming had been a top student in mecha engineering, and after graduation, he had led the development of magic cube mecha at Battleaxe .
His achievements in applying cube tech to mecha were among the best in the entire Orland United States.
Tian Ming himself, however, had no idea.
He had always been bad at socializing and spent nearly all his time developing magic cube mecha.
In the underground lab in Dongyun City, he was constantly berated by Zhu Mobai, the city's general agent: "If you don't do it, someone else will," which kept him under immense stress.
Combined with Battleaxe 's ruthless, disorganized management style, his personality became increasingly withdrawn and warped.
If Lin Lan knew all of this, he would immediately understand what had happened.
This was a textbook workplace manipulation.
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