Chapter 20 Chapter 20 I heard that you are also a person favored by God?
There are indeed many forms of deities, and human form is just one of them.
In addition to the human form, there is also a "true body" that can better reflect the essence of divine power. It may have various appearances and is not limited to a certain form.
Su Cheng covered his face.
No wonder the God of Purity is so angry!
My last words were just a punch in the face!
It was a good thing he didn't hack her to death on the spot.
...Maybe he understood that she actually didn't know that the horse was him.
Su Cheng sighed, "That horse—"
"What do you mean by 'horse'?" the captain frowned. "It's a unicorn!"
The unicorn is a rare high-level magical beast.
As the followers of the God of Purity, the reproduction method of this tribe is also very mysterious. It is said that their individuals live alone for their entire lives and live in remote mountains and forests.
They are known as picky measurers of virtue. Only those with pure hearts and noble character can approach them or even have the opportunity to sign a contract with them.
Su Cheng: “…”
She suddenly understood why the God of Filth called him a stupid donkey.
She had wondered why he would humiliate a statue of a horse, which was clearly not a donkey.
It turned out that he was cursing the God of Purity.
Su Cheng: "...I thought this was a mount for some important figure, or a legendary monster or something like that. After all, you seem to have statues of this type."
There were constant discussions outside the door. Some of the clergy had dispersed, probably because they were busy with their work, but more people had heard the news and gathered outside to watch.
"You really are—"
The paladins nearby were whispering to each other.
Someone looked at her with a bewildered look. "You don't even know what this statue is, and yet you've managed to win Her Highness Cesia's favor?"
"Don't tell me," another person shook his head. "Perhaps those who are free from desires, who have no understanding of the gods at all, are the ones who most closely fit the definition of 'pure,'"
"Huh? Pure? Her? Then she was outside before..."
"Perhaps it was just pure admiration, appreciation of a beautiful being, uh, so she impressed His Highness—"
Su Cheng was so upset after hearing this.
They don't really think she is the one favored by the God of Purity, do they?
The clergy made wild guesses and kept casting curious glances at her.
If it weren't for the terrible look on the face of this Lord Favored by God, they would have probably come up to ask questions.
Su Cheng turned around numbly and walked to the unicorn statue.
She looked down at the lettering embossed on the pedestal.
The fonts were very strange, more like symbols than words, and were composed of various geometric patterns.
The team leader came over and asked, "Sir?"
"I know. I'll leave right away. But," Su Cheng whispered to her, "Do you recognize these words?"
The team leader nodded.
It was obvious that she had accepted the "lack of knowledge and skills" of this God-favored Lord.
"We measure your name with the scale of glory, and offer our ordinary souls to the Holy White Radiance, the Immaculate Blessing, the Messenger of Light."
The team leader slowly recited the inscription with a solemn expression on his face.
Her soft voice echoed in the prayer room.
The clergy around also stood in silence, with their heads bowed. Some of them moved their lips slightly, muttering something silently.
Su Cheng was forcing himself not to stare at the horse.
Otherwise some of the previous memories will come back.
——Although that was the result of being influenced by the power of the God of Lust, she did have evil intentions towards a horse.
What's even more outrageous is that this horse and the statue outside are the same person.
She also said stupid things in front of that person.
Just thinking about it made her scalp tingle with embarrassment.
"Oh no," Su Cheng covered his head, "Let's go see His Excellency the Archbishop quickly. Don't make him wait too long."
The clergy glanced at her, wanting to blame her for interrupting such a sacred moment, but when they thought of her being favored by God, they couldn't help but have strange expressions on their faces.
The crowd quickly dispersed, and the priests and knights looked at her. When Su Cheng walked outside, she heard greetings from afar.
The people around bowed and saluted.
The corridor suddenly became quiet, with only the sound of light breathing remaining.
A group of high-ranking clergymen came over.
"Miss Su."
In the middle was a blond young man who smiled and nodded in greeting.
"I'm very sorry for asking you to come here this time. I hope you can forgive me."
He was tall and dressed in formal attire, a long coat with platinum and gold lapels, intricate runes on the epaulettes, gold trim on the cuffs and hems, and the emblem on his chest was two intertwined scepters surrounded by a circle of flaming pale golden holy light.
"I am the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Rotherham, Jenn White."
The blond young man smiled and held out his hand.
He was wearing snow-white gloves, the flexible leather fitting the contours of his bones, making his fingers look long and beautiful, and the lines full of power.
Su Cheng originally wanted to shake hands with him.
Just as he raised his arm, his movement suddenly froze.
Since he is the Archbishop, shouldn't others kiss his hand?
When I looked up again, I saw that the Archbishop was really handsome, with a pair of deep and beautiful green eyes, and his smile was like a spring breeze.
Okay, not a loss.
Su Cheng hesitated for a while, but was afraid that he might make a mistake and cause more embarrassment.
There is no relevant content in the previous life's memory, because most people will never have the opportunity to talk closely with a priest of this level in their lifetime.
While she was thinking, Zhan En had already taken her hand as if nothing had happened, "Nice to meet you."
Instantly separate.
No one around was unusual.
Su Cheng was extremely grateful that he didn't kiss him.
Otherwise, you will never be able to get rid of the title of sex maniac.
"Me too," Su Cheng smiled bitterly, "but I guess you might already regret having me here."
The high-ranking clergymen around the archbishop all revealed subtle expressions when they heard this.
Obviously these people had heard what had just happened.
"You're joking," Zhan En said gently, "Just don't blame me for being abrupt."
He then introduced the people around him, two of whom were captains of the Paladins, two were ordinary diocesan bishops, and several priests and clergymen.
Su Cheng also greeted them one by one.
They were very friendly and no one mentioned anything else tacitly.
Zhan En led her into the depths of the temple. The crowd around gradually dispersed, and the corridor became quieter.
Occasionally, a clergyman in a hurry passed by and simply bowed to the group before leaving.
“Have you been studying at home?”
A kind-looking bishop asked.
Su Cheng hesitated to speak.
How is this set up?!
Her predecessor did study at home, and her parents left her a legacy that was enough for her to hire a private tutor to teach her at home.
——Many low-level magicians who are short of money will go to the Magic Guild or Mercenary Association to place orders and make money in this way.
Teaching the young ladies and masters of wealthy families is safer and easier than going out to fight monsters, and the money earned is not much less.
Several of my predecessors were in similar situations.
When she was sixteen or seventeen years old and able to study at those graduate schools, she packed her bags and came to Jinpo City to participate in the enrollment.
However, this is the setting of cannon fodder Su Cheng!
What to say now?
Su Cheng suddenly felt overwhelmed. He pretended to be embarrassed and lowered his head, mumbling to himself that he was not very talented and knowledgeable, and had not mastered many magic spells yet.
"You're too modest," someone congratulated her. "I heard you passed the entrance exam for the Cross Star Secret Academy. Congratulations! The examiners were very strict this time."
Su Cheng was stunned.
Aren’t these people too well-informed?
Either they have spies in the Magic Guild, or they are connected to the people from Cross Star.
"Thank you, I was just lucky."
Su Cheng was making some random polite remarks, but before he could finish a few words, a young priest came running over from a distance.
She stopped beside a bishop and whispered, "Earl Gawler's son died in front of the Magic Guild, and his family has brought the body here."
The bishop had a calm expression, as if she didn't take it seriously at all. She looked at Jane while listening.
Finding his superiors had no instructions, the bishop pondered, "Do they want us to rescue him, or investigate how he died?"
"Both," the priest said softly, "they say that the young master was persecuted by heretics."
At that moment, similar subtle disgust appeared on the faces of many high-ranking clergymen.
Su Cheng almost laughed out loud.
The son of an earl may seem unattainable to ordinary people.
But for the clergy, especially the high-ranking clergy who are capable of treating the recently dead and are responsible for searching and arresting heretics, it is nothing.
Obviously, only this statement can attract the attention of the Holy See, but from another perspective, it also seems to reflect their incompetence.
Otherwise, how could they allow heretics to enter the city, and even kill people in front of the Magic Guild?
If this is true, then the people in the Vatican seem to be just decorations.
"What's the state of the body?"
"Only half remains," the priest thought for a moment. "The area above the ribcage is completely missing, the heart and lungs are gone, and the remaining ribs are broken in many places, with jagged ends..."
She gave a detailed description, and the high-ranking clergy present had different expressions.
"Since they're so certain it was a heretic, Lina, go ask them what kind of heresy the deceased offended during his lifetime, and what connections his family had with the heretics."
Zhan En spoke slowly.
The bishop who was named bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."
After saying this, he took the young priest away.
Su Cheng's heart moved.
The Earl himself, or rather the entire Gawler family, did collude with the pagans of the southern continent.
They did not do it out of faith, but originally purely for the purpose of making money, using this relationship to resell some banned magical materials from the south in the northern continent.
However, after being in contact with pagans for a long time, it was inevitable that he would be influenced by them, so he did more bad things.
Su Cheng vaguely remembered that they seemed to sacrifice innocent civilians.
In the original novel, after Lin Yun had a relationship with the Earl's daughter, he also used her to get in touch with the power of the Dark God.
Of course, the connection between Lin Yun and the Eternal Night Cult, or other followers of the Dark God, is not just based on this line.
But based on this situation——
If the Earl's son was killed, and died in that way, the Earl himself might think the matter was complicated and consider whether it was a warning from the Vatican.
So maybe those servants coming over to make a fuss was a test?
"...Your Excellency?" the Archbishop called out to her. "What's wrong?"
Su Cheng came to his senses and found that a group of clergy were looking at him.
"It suddenly occurred to me," she cleared her throat, "that person was supposed to participate in the house sorting duel with me—"
A hint of feigned anger crossed her face. "If he is indeed a heretic, I shall regret missing the opportunity to execute him myself."
This is actually true.
After all, it was the God of Contract who killed the person, not her.
The clergymen all had subtle expressions.
The Archbishop's previous words were rather vague, but they merely hinted at the Gawler family's ties to heresy.
She directly labeled him a pagan.
The archbishop murmured, "We don't have any evidence yet—why not investigate? After all, it's rare to hear anyone talk about heresy."
Although he did not call out anyone by name, a paladin captain quietly stepped out and turned away.
Su Cheng knew that the Gawler family had done a lot of bad things, but they were not well-known, at least to the Holy See, so they did not attract much attention.
Now that the Archbishop has spoken, those people may not be able to withstand scrutiny.
"Speaking of the deceased, among the instructors who came to Nanhe College to recruit students, there was one who I knew well."
Another bishop suddenly said, "She came to me quietly before, asking if we could rescue someone who was killed by a divinely favored one."
Su Cheng: “…”
The Archbishop smiled slightly and asked, "What's your reply?"
"The one who died was an elder of the Jianwu Academy, a battle master. I said that since he could kill a seventh-level warrior, he must have started at the seventh level at least. If we don't count our people, there is no seventh-level strongman in this entire city."
The bishop paused. "She just said that it wasn't the divinely favored one who killed him personally, but rather the divine incarnation. I said that since it was the divine's doing, this person must be guilty, and we naturally cannot interfere. Don't you agree, sir?"
Zhan En nodded slightly, "Yes, we will not care about this matter anymore."
"There are some people who want to see you," said a priest holding a thick notebook nearby, "but they are all insignificant minor characters. Among them is the son of Marquis Murong——"
Su Cheng raised his eyebrows.
There is only one marquis in the entire empire with this surname, right?
"Well, I don't have time for those people."
The archbishop was clearly uninterested in this. He waved his hand without asking for details and said, "Everyone can go back to work. Ava, go preside over the service in the main hall, and John, go receive the guests from the south..."
The clergy responded one after another and soon dispersed, leaving only His Excellency the Archbishop standing there.
They had already reached the side corridor, where few people were around. A warm spring breeze blew through the open high windows, and the midday sun gradually became stronger, filling the archway with golden light.
Su Cheng hesitated to speak.
She finally understood what was said. This group of people probably knew that she was a person favored by God and that the two dead were related to her.
They probably brought it up in front of her on purpose.
"Your Mightiness."
The blond young man called out to her, still looking gentle and elegant. "I asked you to come here this time because of two matters. The first is about the bracelet."
Su Cheng was still wondering why Murong Yue came over, "Huh?"
She had originally thought he was going to talk about the God's Favored Ones, or the appearance of the God of Purity, but she was stunned again when she heard that. "I heard the bracelet was sent to the Holy City."
Zhan En nodded slowly. "After your uncle brought it to the temple, a priest presented it to me. I discovered some problems with it, so I took it to the Holy City and handed it to my mentor, Monsignor Bernard. She is a member of the Council of Cardinals and one of the twelve cardinals. She discussed it with several other colleagues and His Holiness the Pope, and His Holiness decided to send the bracelet into the divine realm."
Su Cheng: “?”
All the popes of the Holy See were called Near-Gods. In addition to their own strength being comparable to that of demigods, this position also meant that they were destined to communicate frequently with the gods.
The Pope has to report to them on all things happening on the continent, and sometimes he has to ask for their instructions and accept their orders.
——This “they” naturally refers to the God of Light and his subordinates.
Especially now that the God of Light no longer cares about the affairs of the Holy See, the lesser gods are more likely to make decisions.
But they don't have to take care of everything. Only major decisions require consultation with them.
Are bracelets really that important?
Su Cheng remembered that the bracelet had not been mentioned much since the middle of the novel. It was more like a novice upgrade tool that was thrown away after use.
That old man with the cheat is a ghost from two thousand years ago. In a world like this, there are probably more than one similar things.
What other secrets are hidden?
"Divine Realm?" Su Cheng asked doubtfully, "Did His Holiness the Pope hand it over to His Majesty the God of Light?"
Zhan En shook his head. "No, after the Dark Day War, His Majesty the God of Light has been busy dealing with the threat of the Void. Most of the affairs of the Church have been handled by His Majesty the God of Purity."
"Ah?" Su Cheng was almost shocked by the name. "The bracelet was given to... him?"
When they reached the corner, her mind was in a mess and she didn't even notice the steps in front of her. She missed a step and stumbled suddenly.
Zhan En grasped her lower back, holding her steady, and then withdrew his hand.
"Yes," the Archbishop nodded. "His Highness asked about the bracelet's original owner and also said he wanted to see you."
Su Cheng only felt a thunderclap above his head.
"So, his statue glowed, not because of some magical mechanism that was triggered automatically, but because of the bracelet. He originally wanted to talk to me?"
She was not the favored one of the God of Purity, there was no special connection between them.
Therefore, if he were to directly communicate with her through his image like the God of Contract, it might have some bad effects on her, and might even cause her to lose her mind and become crazy.
The statue is one of the media for communication between gods and humans, so communicating with her through the statue is a relatively safe choice.
Su Cheng suddenly felt a little guilty.
People actually chose this method for her sake, but the result was—
Su Cheng spoke with difficulty: "When I stand in front of his statue and he happens to want to chat with me, can he also 'see' what I am thinking?"
"Generally speaking," the Archbishop said calmly, "the gods are not interested in our thoughts, but if you have some strong thoughts at that moment, they will surely be able to sense them."
Su Cheng: “…………”
It is true.
Her mind was full of that breast at the time, which must have made the other person angry and run away.
Later, the God of Lust came to make trouble and deliberately chose the prayer room of the God of Purity, so the God of Purity was so angry that he came to drive him away personally.
And I have to face her rude person.
Then she started saying those nonsense again.
hateful.
It’s all Lin Yun’s fault!
Su Cheng closed his eyes, "Is there anything else I need to know?"
The Archbishop mused, "Your Highness believes that your act of offering your family inheritance proves your loyalty to the Holy See and that you are a kind-hearted person with a sense of justice."
Su Cheng: "...It seems like he had a pretty good initial impression of me?"
Although it may have fallen into negative numbers now.
never mind.
Anyway, she didn't want to provoke a guy with that kind of personality.
Considering certain developments in the original work, she neither wanted to become the target of the Purity God's hunt, nor did she want to be good friends with that guy.
——She might have offended the other party before, but since he didn't chop her to death now, it meant that he was not yet to the point of wanting to kill her.
Just maintain the status quo.
"...Also," the Archbishop continued, "he also reminded His Holiness the Pope that the bracelet was of extraordinary importance. Since you had come into contact with it, it inevitably left a special aura on you, which could potentially attract the pagan Darkspawn."
Su Cheng was a little surprised, "Did the God of Purity say that?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Su Cheng became more and more confused. "That's it? He didn't give any other instructions?"
Shouldn't this be followed by something like "If she's found colluding with the Darkin, she'll be executed."
"In fact," the Archbishop glanced at her, "yes. He hopes you will join the Church to protect you from being harmed or influenced by heretical forces. However, His Majesty the God of Light once said that we believers must convert voluntarily, so naturally, this matter requires your consent."
Su Cheng: “?”
From the meaning of his words, it was obvious that he needed her to express her opinion, but from his expression, he seemed to be just asking.
It seemed that any answer she gave would be fine.
"Sir," Su Cheng suddenly thought of his own experience and said jokingly, "I heard that you are also a person favored by the gods? I assume that there should be no main gods or minor gods looking at me through your eyes right now, right? If I say something that goes against the rules, will I be shattered on the spot?"
…
Divine realm.
In the soft mist, white marble steps and arch bridges float in the air and intertwine, surrounding a giant palace hanging high in the clouds.
In the quiet garden on the side of the palace, giant trees with gold and silver interwoven together stand tall and majestic, and their branches and leaves are like flowing galaxies, shining in the misty gauze.
Statues of seven gods stand beside the pool, holding jade bottles of various shapes. Clear water pours down from the bottle mouths, scattering into tiny rainbow lights in the air.
There were several people standing by the water, with a hazy white halo on their bodies, and their exquisite faces were blurred in the light.
"…Luxara has taken back her power."
The person in the middle said this.
When he lowered his head, the scattered hair looked like a half-melted frost river. His handsome profile was bathed in soft light, and his cold lines seemed to be warmed a little.
"As for his target," the silver-haired young man continued in a deep voice, "that rude lunatic, I saw her fear. She refused only because she was afraid of being punished."
"Really?" someone whispered. "Perhaps the image chosen by the Goddess of Lust doesn't suit her taste. I think she might prefer someone like you."
The silver-haired young man frowned, as if wanting to refute the remarks.
"...Even if, as you say," someone else said, "it's the instinct for survival that resists temptation, it seems natural to say it, but in reality, how many people, under the influence of such a force, would forget even their own names, let alone their safety?"
Driven by darkness, there were more than one or two clergymen who openly fell into depravity. Many rebelled in public or even in the temple.
——Don’t they know the consequences of doing this?
"really."
Someone suddenly spoke in the corridor that surrounded the water.
In an instant, all the lesser gods fell silent.
No one made any sound anymore.
"I told you long ago that you should learn to see the good in others instead of just getting angry at the parts you don't like."
The man leaned against the ivory column, his hanging curly hair like frozen sunlight, or like brocade woven with thousands of golden threads.
He had a thick ancient book spread out on his knees, his jade-like fingers stroking the pages. "This will make you miss out on a lot of friends, or at least people you can use."
After a few seconds, the silver-haired young man lowered his head and replied, "I'll keep your teachings in mind."
The lesser gods still stood quietly.
However, the people sitting in the corridor did not communicate with them anymore.
He simply turned his head to look at the misty garden, his sight seeming to penetrate the mist and fall on some distant place.
"Of course you can answer her, Zhan En," he said in a light tone, "After all, I am neither a main god nor a secondary god."
The deity's sweet voice drifted on the wind.
The lesser gods all bowed their heads and remained silent.
Everyone knew he wasn't talking to them.
"Well, probably. I might go and take a look myself."
…
In the corridor of the Amber City Temple.
The archbishop smiled and shook his head. "You are joking, Your Excellency. I swear that no major or minor god is listening to our conversation through me."
He paused, "I am also willing to bear all the consequences of deceiving you, such as allowing His Highness the God of Contract to take my soul."
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