Chương 153: Chapter 152: When the Electricity Vendor Gets Sainted

Central Jongno District, Seoul. In front of Lucian stood a recently repurposed former concert hall, now dressed up as a cathedral in tempered glass and gleaming chrome steel. Above the marble archway, a sign glowed in soft gold letters: THE PURE GRID CATHEDRAL. Lucian tugged his black sunglasses down the bridge of his nose and stepped into the main hall. Inside, there were no crosses, no angels.

At the center altar, surrounded by thousands of magical candles and bundles of glowing fiber-optic cable, stood a five-meter white marble statue: a ten-year-old boy in a sharply tailored suit, a stack of contracts in his left hand, and in his right — raised high — a metal multimeter, glowing with a soft golden light. Eleanor, in a beige trench coat, took one look at the statue and clapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.

She leaned in, eyes glistening from holding back laughter, and whispered in his ear:"Lucian... they gave the statue a sharper jaw and a straighter nose than you actually have. Would you like me to bless your Electricity Cathedral, in the name of House Solaris?" Lucian's face went black as coal. He glared at her.

"Laugh one more time and I'm cutting your entire bubble tea budget for the month." Clack! Clack! Clack! From the vestry behind the altar, an elderly man in a white robe embroidered with gold-thread power plugs came hurrying out. This was Kim Jin-Seok — a retired former energy official who had become the public face of this new religion. The sight of Lucian standing there in the flesh stopped him cold. Then he dropped to both knees on the red velvet carpet and pressed his palms together.

"The Progenitor of Electric Current! You have descended in person to grace our cathedral!" Lucian reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a formal civil notice prepared by Vance Earth Holdings' Korean counsel, and set it down on the altar with a loud SLAM.

"Mr. Kim. I am demanding you remove that statue and stop using my likeness to sell or solicit anything. My counsel will pursue civil damages and licensing remedies if this continues." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Kim Jin-Seok looked up, eyes red and shining with devotion.

"Lucian... the public power tariff you brought to humanity is the greatest expression of Unconditional Love there is! You used sacred energy to save countless homes from darkness and pollution!" Lucian pressed a hand to his forehead, then rapped his knuckles hard on the altar.

"I sell it because Crystal Island produces it cheaply and I keep a healthy margin! That is capitalist exploitation! I am fleecing you people and you build me an altar to worship at?!" Kim Jin-Seok's folded hands came apart. He stared at Lucian's scowling face — and then tears spilled from the corners of his eyes. He struck a fist against his own chest, his choked voice ringing through the cathedral.

"Behold such magnificent humility! He tests our faith with mortal accounting figures! That feigned greed is nothing but the sacred robe hiding the Savior's boundless compassion!" Kim Jin-Seok turned to the clergy behind him, shouting through his tears.

"That civil demand is really a chance for us to make an offering, to keep the light of the world burning!" Lucian stood in the middle of the cathedral, arms hanging at his sides, staring up at the ceiling. Ting! Ting! The dim black panel of Unified System V2. 0 opened in front of him: [OBSERVED MISUNDERSTANDING PATTERN:] → Every recorded clarification from Host has strengthened the cult's interpretation. ● Suggested response: consult legal counsel; do not expect a profitability explanation to end a faith movement.

[STATUS: CIVIL REMEDIES PENDING.] Lucian turned and walked briskly toward the main doors. Along both sides of the pews, thousands of white-robed worshippers knelt on the floor. White paracord-wrapped USB cables were wound around their wrists like prayer beads, and they murmured hymns about alternating current, over and over. Lucian pushed through the glass doors and out onto the wide Jongno boulevard, breathing in the cold autumn air. Click.

Sylvia stepped down from the black SUV parked at the curb, a bright tablet screen in hand. She walked straight over and held the tablet out to him.

"Lucian. While you were inside, a philosophy essay went up on the underground forum for former Hunters and university professors." Lucian glanced at the bolded headline on the screen:'ESSAY: THE VANCE GLASS CAGE — How a Perfect Energy Empire Is Quietly Retiring Humanity's Capacity to Save Itself.' By Professor Kang Min-Jae, Philosophy, Seoul National University. It had been shared millions of times overnight. Lucian stared at the words the Vance glass cage, his finger tracing lightly over the screen.

Sylvia watched him, her voice quiet.

"The author of this essay... is the same person who sent you that brown handwritten letter on the island yesterday."