HTLCCBFT Chapter 100

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 100

Arte’s piercing scream immediately caused Fosse’s expression to darken, made the large cat lazily coiled on the boulder turn its head with displeasure, and nearly made Oliver drop the pickaxe in his hand.

“Arte, you’re awake?”

Since Arte was his guest in name and also the laborer he had mentally assigned, Oliver only hesitated briefly before pausing his stone-quarrying work.

He smiled at the easily startled young man: “I hope you spent a pleasant night in Laina.”

“Good day, Your Grace.”

Arte dismounted in a daze, bowed instinctively, then pointed a trembling finger at the indifferent Fosse beside him and angrily exclaimed: “How dare you make His Grace do slave work!!!”

“Slave? No, I think you’ve misunderstood.”

Before the butler with the cold expression could intervene, Oliver smiled, his tone carrying that elegant arrogance unique to nobility that Arte deeply admired: “This is the sacred trial bestowed by the great Cat God upon his chosen one, not something base slaves without wisdom are worthy of doing.”

As the words fell, no one noticed the large golden cat that had slightly risen and been staring intently at Arte settle back down.

Its fluffy tail began wagging rapidly.

…… No…….

…… I have never…….

……. I have never given Oliver…… such a trial……

Though not the first time, he still couldn’t help feeling somewhat frustrated.

He stared at his beloved believer who for some reason insisted on doing those things, quietly lying there as if immersed in his own thoughts.

“The great… Cat God?”

Arte murmured this divine name he had never heard before, which even his knowledge couldn’t decipher any meaning from.

The only deity the rebellious young man was willing to worship in the eyes of the world was Design, the god said to grant artists endless inspiration.

And even towards Design, he couldn’t be called devout.

“Since you arrived in Laina yesterday, you must have seen it.” Oliver slightly turned, meaningfully indicating the lightning rod at the castle’s highest point: “That is the divine pillar symbolizing the Cat God’s mighty power. Its existence grants Laina protection from lightning damage.”

What Oliver didn’t expect was that after he pointed this out, Arte’s previously skeptical eyes suddenly burst with fanatical light.

“Ohhh, so that’s how it is!”

Recalling the scene that had deeply shaken his soul, Arte’s face gradually reddened. After muttering to himself for a while, he looked at Oliver with barely contained excitement: “Your Grace, I, Arte, beg you as your faithful servant, grant me the privilege to paint that magnificent divine pillar, so all may know the glorious greatness of the Cat God!”

Oliver: “……”

Ordinary people and artists truly are almost entirely different species.

Is this some form of reproductive worship?

Thinking of the Lightning Rod’s peculiar shape that left him at a loss for words, he wasn’t particularly inclined to agree.

However, compared to having Arte paint him, having him paint the Lightning Rod was definitely preferable.

After thinking this, he didn’t immediately agree, but instead said with an air of nonchalance: “Although the Cat God possesses formidable divine power, he is by no means a flamboyant deity who would deign to accept worship from those with impure hearts. And the divine pillar, being the unique honor he bestowed upon Laina, is certainly not something that just anyone can depict.”

Arte pursed his lips, looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

He, Arte Studio, was a renowned artist even in the royal capital! How could he be lumped into the category of “just anyone”?

But the person saying this was the muse for whom he had willingly abandoned everything to follow to this desolate place.

And the subject being referred to was that divine pillar he had witnessed with his own eyes, possessing earth-shattering power…

After much deliberation, Arte could only swallow his words of defense with resignation.

Fortunately, the muse in his heart didn’t completely reject his request.

Just as Arte’s heart sank into an icy abyss, Oliver smiled and said: “Of course, if you can accept and pass the great Cat God’s trial like I did, then things would be different.”

Arte was taken aback.

His eyes immediately lit up with excitement, his back unconsciously straightening further as he declared loudly: “Oh, esteemed Highness, I am absolutely eager to accept the trial from the great Cat God! Please, in recognition of my sincere devotion, tell me what I must do!”

The golden cat on the large rock had unknowingly stopped swishing its tail.

It silently watched its beloved believer, waiting to hear what this… trial that even It didn’t know about would entail.

Oliver, who was accustomed to using the Cat God’s name, had no idea the actual deity was watching obediently nearby. he only smiled and said: “The first thing you must do is demonstrate sufficient patience.”

He didn’t want to waste this rare sunny day perfect for mining.

What was even more incredible was that his luck seemed particularly good today – the number of metal ores obtained from breaking rocks randomly ranged from 2 to 5, usually hovering around 3 or 4.

He had only mined about half his energy bar, yet most ores had given him the full 5 pieces!

Perhaps it was the good luck brought by Cat God No. 2.

Oliver thought amusedly, completely unaware he had actually guessed the truth, only thinking to take advantage of this lucky day to finish mining the remaining half of his stamina bar before it rained again.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After a moment of surprise, Arte indeed waited obediently to the side.

However, he maintained an expression either deeply contemplative or profoundly troubled, as if every second of waiting was filled with anxiety and torment.

As Oliver kept mining, he began to suspect he was playing a sound-controlled game.

Every time he struck the rock, Arte beside him would sigh.

Whenever the broken stones disappeared into his game backpack before everyone’s eyes, Arte would gasp sharply.

Oliver: “……”

He suddenly regretted his earlier decision to ‘let Arte watch from the side’ rather than finding an excuse to send him back to the castle to wait.

With such delicate nerves, was he a baron or the princess from princess and the pea?

Fosse’s gaze toward Arte grew increasingly cold.

Arte remained completely unaware of this: To others, this young noble might appear somewhat affected, but after witnessing the marvelous scene of the “Angel Duke mining,” his mind was ignited with peculiar inspiration.

At first glance, he undoubtedly found it profoundly dissonant and bizarre.

Yet, miraculously—perhaps because he considered it a sacred trial from the deity, or perhaps because his muse, a beauty unparalleled in this world, remained captivating no matter what she did—as he continued watching, he gradually grasped an indescribable aesthetic.

Softness and strength, delicacy and ruggedness, sanctity and filth.

Though seemingly the most contradictory existences, they achieved perfect harmony in his muse……

The more Arte watched, the more his fingers itched to create.

He truly, truly wished to paint it all.

Though the sun still shone, Oliver felt somewhat uneasy with such an excitable noble watching him.

As his energy bar was about to deplete, he decided to take the cat and his attendants, calling Arte along to return to the castle.

Coincidentally, the originally sunny sky rapidly turned gloomy during their journey back.

Just as Oliver stepped through the castle gates, the first large raindrop fell from the sky, striking heavily upon the half-dried ground.

“Thanks to the blessing of the Cat God.”

Though he considered it mere coincidence, Oliver’s mood improved considerably from perfectly avoiding the hassle of getting drenched.

He couldn’t resist kissing the tip of his large cat’s ear, chuckling softly as the fluffy ear twitched as if shyly: “Well, thanks to the blessing of Cat God number two too.”

The golden cat, who had remained inconspicuous throughout the journey, suddenly widened its golden pupils, staring dazedly at the soft lips that had just kissed it.

Only after the group returned to the hall and it slid down to lie on its beloved believer’s lap did it casually swish that striking large tail.

It licked its lips, savoring the faint rose scent lingering there.

…… It’s……

…… Oliver’s……. scent……

Meanwhile, Oliver’s attention had shifted to Arte, who had taken a seat nearby.

“Of course, the great Cat God gives different trials to different believers.”

Oliver got straight to the point, prepared as he pushed the first set of textbooks—initially compiled by him and then copied by prisoners—toward Arte: “These are blessings from the benevolent Cat God, written according to the oracle I received in a dream. But to help those foolish slaves understand the wisdom of God, besides text, they need more direct assistance.”

What he wanted Arte to do was illustrate all the textbooks extensively.

Although these teaching materials originated from the God of Light’s temple, after removing the lengthy, convoluted content that only served to brainwash temple personnel, the once thick book appeared pitifully thin.

Oliver didn’t mind the reduced volume: What he retained were elements proven over years of temple preaching to help most who could afford it.

The basic literacy section for the children of commoner households, funded by the church’s taxes.

In addition to the vast majority of foundational knowledge he had mastered about agriculture and public health, which he personally compiled and added, the gaps were interspersed with a handful of relatively typical stories he could still recall from Aesop’s Fables, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and One Thousand and One Nights.

Of course, he made significant adaptations to those short stories: removing content that too overtly criticized dark authorities, making them more fitting for the era.

His motivation was certainly not some lofty ideal like “planting the seeds for future resistance against injustice.”

In an age of scarce entertainment, hearing novel and interesting stories was absolutely one of the spiritual comforts that even commoners couldn’t resist, let alone slaves.

Even many modern students, upon receiving new textbooks on the first day, couldn’t help flipping through their language books to see if there were any interesting stories inside.

Oliver simply wanted to boost the slaves’ enthusiasm for learning collectively, on top of rewarding top students, by teaching through entertainment.

“These are only the most superficial parts of the great Cat God’s wisdom,” he said, letting Arte slowly flip through the textbooks, and added expectantly, “If you can draw suitable illustrations for every story in these books, you will surely receive the Cat God’s reward.”

Arte, mesmerized, flipped through the pages and nodded vaguely in response.

It seemed he had heard, yet he appeared completely absorbed in these short but incredibly engaging tales.

Even the content about agriculture and public health, woven into little stories, no longer felt dull at all.

At the very least, it kept him reading with great interest.

It was truly astonishing.

Why was it so fascinating, yet at the same time sent a chill down his spine?

The more Arte read, the more awe he felt.

Indeed, this must be the wisdom only a God could possess…!

Meanwhile, the large golden cat, which had been lying obediently on Oliver’s lap, suddenly twitched its ears.

It lifted its chin, looking up intently at the smiling Oliver.

…… Clearly…… It was Oliver who said it……

…… I don’t want to reward…… this annoying person……

TL Note: we’ve reached 100 chapters!
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I’ve been churnin out chapters like a madman, so I’ll be taking a short break – no updates for next few days.