“Kuang Ruo, don’t be lazy. If you said you’d help, then work seriously!”
Just then, a serious-looking pink-haired nun approached, rubbing her temples as she addressed Kuang Ruo. “Don’t just flirt with guests. This is a very respectable church. Everyone is looking.”
The nun’s words were thought-provoking, as if a “respectable” church was, in itself, an anomaly.
“You have a point,” Kuang Ruo conceded, scratching his head. “Let’s talk in the back, Sister Meryl, if that’s alright? They are our guests.”
Meryl nodded thoughtfully. “Please follow me.”
As Meryl led Ye Xi and Adair towards the back of the church, numerous parishioners warmly greeted her. She responded to each of them with a genuine smile.
Adair remarked with a sigh, “Sister Meryl is so popular.”
“Right? She really is,” Kuang Ruo chuckled, introducing her. “This is Meryl Phoebe, the Grand Nun in charge of the church in the Helada region. You can just call her Sister Meryl.”
“She is a truly gentle, kind, diligent, and considerate nun—a genuine powerhouse, completely unlike that large-chested, violent woman masquerading in a nun’s habit. Sister Meryl earns respect through her genuine merit.”
“That other one, though, she just seduces people with those two mounds of flesh, only stirring up people’s sinful desires. I seriously suspect she’s a succubus reincarnated. Otherwise, why would those guests she violently abuses still look satisfied and eagerly anticipate their next session? The fact they even make appointments is just ridiculous.”
Both Adair and Ye Xi knew exactly who Kuang Ruo was referring to as the “large-chested, violent woman.”
By this point, they had entered the interior of the church, and with only staff nearby, they felt more comfortable speaking freely.
Sister Meryl looked troubled. “Father Kuang Ruo, I know you and Sister Celine have a good relationship, but if you slander her like this and she hears it, I won’t speak up for you.”
Kuang Ruo waved it off carelessly. “It’s fine, the big-chested woman isn’t here, she won’t hear. Wait, Miss Maid, what are you writing?”
While Kuang Ruo was speaking, Ye Xi had conjured a pen and paper from seemingly nowhere and was furiously jotting down Kuang Ruo’s words.
Ye Xi sneered, “Coincidentally, Sister Celine and I are quite close. Regarding someone’s baseless slander, I have the right to inform her so she has a chance to prove her innocence. Your Reverence, where is the post office in this city?”
Ye Xi seemed intent on acting immediately. Meryl chuckled softly. “Exit the church, turn left, and you’ll see it at the first crossroads on your right.”
Kuang Ruo frantically exclaimed, “Wait! I’ll be beaten to death! Give me a chance, don’t send that to her!”
“Indeed, why write a letter to tattle?”
Just then, a man in a black robe adorned with white iris patterns approached, seemingly to intercede for Kuang Ruo.
Kuang Ruo looked astonished. “Holy moly, this is rare! Has the sun risen from the west? You’re actually speaking well of me.”
The man ignored Kuang Ruo completely. He walked directly up to Ye Xi and handed her a crystal ball. “The letter would have taken a week to arrive, and that fellow would have long since fled. This is a communication crystal, directly connected to Sister Celine, the person in charge in Pecoin City. Feel free to use it, don’t be shy.”
“Thank you,” Ye Xi said, accepting the crystal ball and bowing slightly in gratitude.
Kuang Ruo’s eyes nearly popped out. He gasped, “I thought your conscience had finally emerged from a dog’s belly! You deceived my feelings!”
With that, Kuang Ruo lunged at Ye Xi. Ye Xi deftly dodged, simultaneously tripping Kuang Ruo, sending him sprawling. “How do I use this?” she asked.
The cunning man enthusiastically replied, “Just channel your Qi into it.”
Kuang Ruo struggled to his feet, urgently declaring, “Communication crystals are very precious! Do you know how high the cost is to use them even once? It’s not necessary for such a small matter, truly not necessary!”
The cunning man responded with amusement, “No, no, no, this is not a small matter. Pecoin, where Miss Celine resides, is the origin of this anomaly, and she herself is the person in charge of that region. We must maintain good communication and relations with Miss Celine.”
“After hearing your words, Kuang Ruo, I sense a deep misunderstanding between you and Sister Celine. These matters should be resolved as quickly as possible. Sister Celine is always eager to solve problems face-to-face, so I believe she will rush over without delay once she hears your words. Hehe, I’m truly looking forward to it. Ah, no, I sincerely wish you both a peaceful resolution.”
Kuang Ruo continued to snatch at the communication crystal in Ye Xi’s hand, shouting, “Peaceful? It’ll be a fist-fight! There are no misunderstandings between us that need resolving!”
Ye Xi was far too agile for Kuang Ruo to catch. She perfectly dodged his pursuit while simultaneously focusing on activating the communication crystal.
“It’s connected. Is this Sister Celine? I have something to tell you…”
Adair watched the cheerful scene unfold. Despite taking place in a sacred church, there was no sense of incongruity. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is this the usual state of the Grand Cathedral?”
The cunning man chuckled. “Isn’t it? It’s quite joyful. I love a cathedral like this.”
Sister Meryl protested, “It is not the usual state. Left Enforcer, you mustn’t mislead others about the impression of the Holy Church.”
Adair’s eyebrows shot up. An Enforcer was the title for a member of the Inquisition. He hadn’t expected this cunning man to be from the Inquisition—a terrifying presence for unorganized or small-scale heretics.
Left Enforcer remained unrepentant. “Eh? Really? I genuinely feel there are very few normal churches. Everyone here is a superb actor, full of talent.”
Meryl sighed. “You two, honestly. The Holy Church is only ever so informal because of people like you.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s not dwell on these minor issues,” Left Enforcer said, turning to Adair. “You are the young man who reported the cult and saved Pecoin City, aren’t you? Do you have something important to discuss this time?”
Adair scoffed self-deprecatingly, “A hero? Let’s not go there. I don’t qualify. At my current strength, I’m at most a coward. I simply did what I could.”
Left Enforcer laughed. “Haha, Your Excellency is truly modest. A hero is never defined by strength. One who accomplishes things beyond their own limits is a hero. That Venerable Crowned One speaks highly of you, and even had Commander Furn bring you something good. Remember to claim it when you go to the capital.”
“Something good?” The only one referred to as the Venerable Crowned One in the Grand Cathedral was the Pope, who commanded hundreds of millions of followers. Adair was surprised that he had caught the attention of such a figure, and even more so that he was being sent a gift. A good item from the Pope… the thought alone filled him with anticipation.
Adair pushed such thoughts aside; now was not the time to dwell on them. He took out the bottle containing Quentin’s flesh and handed it to Left Enforcer. “I came here hoping you could analyze this.”
Left Enforcer took the bottle and looked at the piece of flesh inside. He could confirm it was a discarded biological tissue, yet strangely, he felt a vitality emanating from it that only living organisms possessed. Furthermore, with all his knowledge, he couldn’t discern what creature it came from. “What creature is this tissue from?” he asked.
“It’s from a person,” Adair replied.
Left Enforcer stared at Adair in disbelief. “A person?!”
“More accurately, a mutated person. I also want to take this opportunity to tell you everything I’ve encountered recently, hoping it will help you in your search for the cult.”
Left Enforcer and Meryl’s expressions turned serious. Just then, a warm, steady voice chimed in.
“In that case, why don’t we sit down and talk? It seems Sir Adair has very important information.”
Meryl and Left Enforcer looked towards the speaker, greeting him in unison.
Sister Meryl bowed. “Father Charles, you’re here too. I saw you busy greeting congregants at the front, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Yes, things outside have settled down, so I came over.”
Father Charles, as expected of a priest assigned to such a grand cathedral, exuded a refined and gentle demeanor, with a smile as comforting as a spring breeze. He was entirely unlike Reiz or Kuang Ruo. Even Left Enforcer had abandoned his usual casualness.
Adair was deeply moved. He never thought he would live to see a truly normal nun and priest within the Holy Church.
Father Charles addressed Adair. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Adair. Please allow me to express my gratitude for saving Pecoin City. You rescued countless innocent lives and atoned for our oversight.”
Adair quickly waved his hands, somewhat embarrassed. “You’re too kind. My own selfish motives were also intertwined in that.”
“Even so, it does not diminish your noble character. Moreover, as humans, to be without desires is unnatural,” Father Charles said with a smile. “Please come to the reception room. We can sit and talk there.”
“Very well, thank you, Your Excellency.” Adair turned and asked, “Ye Xi, we’re leaving. Are you done?”
During Adair’s conversation, Ye Xi had meticulously relayed every detail to Celine via the communication crystal. From Celine’s thunderous expression on the crystal, it was clear how furious she was.
Kuang Ruo, pinned to the floor by Ye Xi’s foot, could only watch the horrifying scene unfold in despair, making futile attempts to salvage the situation.
“She’s lying to you, Celine! Don’t you know what kind of relationship we have? Would I ever speak ill of you behind your back?!”
“A succubus, is it? So that’s how you see me. Two days, I’ll be there in two days. That’s all. Reiz, you watch the church for a few days!”
“Yes! Sister Celine, I have whips, candles, steel needles—everything prepared for you. You just go, I’ll watch things here. I swear to defend Sister Celine’s church with my life!”
Reiz’s fawning voice came from the other end. He seemed to have prepared a lot of unnecessary baggage, but Celine didn’t pay it any mind. From the sound of her footsteps, it seemed she had already departed.
Reiz’s lecherous face filled the communication crystal. He gloated, “Thanks, brother. I’ll remember your sacrifice. I can finally catch a break for a few days. That big-chested woman forces me to learn how to be a proper priest every single day.”
“Big-chested woman?”
Celine’s voice returned. Reiz’s old face stiffened. He turned his head and asked, “Didn’t you leave?”
“I forgot my brass knuckles.”
Reiz stammered, “Oh, th-that’s how it is. I was just repeating Kuang Ruo’s words. Believe me, I swear on the gods’ integrity, I had no intention of disrespecting you.”
“I don’t believe you. Execute justice!”
“Ah~ !”
The communication crystal went dead. Silence fell upon everyone present, and Kuang Ruo on the floor had turned into a marble statue.
Meryl gently said to Adair, “Sir Adair, could you pretend you saw nothing?”
Adair’s heart tightened. The reflexes honed by Ye Xi allowed him to instantly reply, “Of course!”
What a bunch of miscreants