Chapter 81 [City of Redemption Extra] Cold. This is Wen Yin...
Cold.
This was Wen Yin’s first feeling after regaining consciousness.
She opened her eyes dazed and saw only snowflakes falling in front of her.
She seemed to be lying on the snow-covered road.
Wen Yin shivered from the cold and sat up from the ground with the help of her arms.
The world was covered in ice and snow, and the streets were lined with thick snow. She was wearing the thin long skirt she had worn when she separated from Gasiel, and suddenly appeared on the street as it was almost dark.
The white dress was already soaked by the accumulated snow, revealing large patches of wet dark color.
The cold wind whistled through the narrow alley, freezing Wen Yin's lips white.
"028?" Wen Yin called out, but got no response from 028.
The points and props panel in my mind, like 028, completely disappeared.
Wen Yin stood up, rubbed her hands, and after trying to bring out some warmth, she hugged her arms.
Although he had anticipated the bad situations he might face, Wen Yin still felt a bit troubled by the fact that he was penniless and wandering the streets in the snow.
She sighed and thought that the most important thing right now was to find a place to stay.
-
Wen Yin stayed voluntarily.
The look in Gasiel's eyes as he looked over in the broken sunset was filled with despair and the pain of being abandoned again.
They were like sharp thorns that pierced Wen Yin's heart, causing her great pain and discomfort.
Gasiel was complete because of her, will he be broken again because of her departure?
028 didn't seem too surprised when he learned that Wen Yin wanted to stay.
It took advantage of the last ten seconds before breaking away to quickly convey the possible consequences to Wen Yin.
[According to the regulations, if the host voluntarily abandons leaving after completing the mission and chooses to remain in this small world permanently, I will return to the main divine space alone and will no longer be able to provide any support. And you...]
[You will lose all system permissions, props, and points, and become a true person of this world.]
[Also, since the world has been reset and the timeline is uncertain, I cannot guarantee which time point you will land in.]
[The host may encounter Gashir while still an infant, or face him directly in his twilight years...] [You will follow the rules of this world, experiencing the complete cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, until the end of your life, when your soul can return to the main divine dimension.]
Wen Yin still remembered that she listened very carefully, but her eyes never left Gasiel for a moment.
She saw Gashir reaching out his hand in vain in the direction where she disappeared, silently calling her name.
A crystal tear slid down from his pale golden eyes, reflecting a brilliant and desperate light in the broken rays of light.
Wen Yin felt heartbroken.
She wanted to hug him so much.
So she chose to stay.
028 finally confirmed Wen Yin's choice and received her affirmative answer.
"I'm sure."
"He needs me. At least...this time, I don't want to leave him alone again."
028 didn't try to persuade him any further.
[Please take good care of yourself, host. I will be in the main divine space, waiting for your return...]
-
The cold wind scraped across my skin like a knife.
Wen Yin walked on the snow-covered streets, leaving deep footprints.
Everything around me is unfamiliar.
The low buildings were covered with thick snow, and thin smoke was rising sporadically from the chimneys.
There was no towering temple on either side of the street as remembered, as if that huge symbol of divine authority and power had never existed.
The restart of the world wiped out all traces of the past, leaving only this peaceful snow scene that made her feel at a loss.
In the winter evening, the sky has darkened, and only the snow reflects the faint light coming through the windows, barely illuminating the way ahead.
There were a few pedestrians wrapped tightly in blankets, hurrying along with their necks hunched, looking at Wen Yin with surprise and a hint of pity.
After all, it was very unusual to wear only a wet thin skirt in such cold weather.
A white-haired old woman carrying a basket passed by and saw Wen Yin shivering. She couldn't help but stop.
"Oh, kid, what's wrong with you? Why are you standing in the snow with so little on? You'll freeze!"
Wen Yin raised her frozen face and forced a grateful smile.
"Thank you for your concern, old man. I... I came from out of town to visit relatives. I didn't expect to get the address wrong, so I couldn't find them. My luggage was also stolen along the way..."
Wen Yin's voice trembled with authenticity.
When the old woman heard this, a look of deep sympathy immediately appeared on her face.
Without saying a word, she quickly took off her coarse cloth coat that still held her body temperature and draped it over Wen Yin's shoulders without a word.
"Put it on quickly, put it on quickly! Poor child, how can you bear it in this icy and snowy weather?"
A warmth instantly enveloped Wen Yin. Although she was still cold, it dispelled some of the deadly chill.
She wrapped her coat tightly around her and thanked you repeatedly: "Thank you, thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome," the old woman waved her hand and looked at her worriedly, "So what are you going to do now? Do you have anywhere to go?"
Wen Yin shook her head, confusion and pleading showing on her face at the right time.
"I'm broke and don't know where to go... Do you know of any place nearby where I can stay temporarily, or... is there any work I can do to earn a living?"
Hearing this, the old woman sighed, looked up at the snowy sky and prayed softly, as if asking for God's mercy.
Then she took Wen Yin's cold hand and pointed to the street ahead:
"Don't be afraid, child. Keep going along this road. At the end you will see a gray-roofed church."
"Today is 'Thanksgiving Day,' and the church will be distributing hot soup and bread tonight. The priest who presides over the church is a truly kind and benevolent man with a very good heart. He often takes in desperate people like you, giving them temporary shelter and guidance."
"Go there and try your luck. At least you don't have to sleep on the streets tonight."
Wen Yin thanked the old woman again, tightened her life-saving thick coat, and walked towards the end of the street as she was told.
Not long after walking, Wen Yin saw a simple yet solemn church.
A warm orange light shone through the church windows, and faint voices could be heard.
She pushed open the slightly heavy wooden door, and a warm current mixed with the aroma of food, candle wax and old wood immediately enveloped her.
There was a short queue in the church lobby. Most of the people were dressed simply and had weathered faces, quietly waiting for something.
At the front of the line, church workers were distributing steaming soup and coarse wheat bread.
Wen Yin quietly lined up at the end of the queue.
Her body gradually warmed up, and her frozen mind became a little more active.
She listened to the low conversation of the people in front of her, whose words were full of gratitude and praise for the "priest".
"...I was grateful to the priest for taking me in last time, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have survived that winter."
"Yes, the priest is kind-hearted and never looks down on people like us..."
“It is our blessing to meet such a priest.”
Wen Yin quietly lined up and received a bowl of hot soup and a piece of solid bread.
She found a seat in a corner and sat down, sipping her soup in small sips.
The warm food dispelled the last bit of chill in her body and restored some of her strength.
After solving the most basic problem of food and clothing, the next step is to find a place to live and a way to make a living.
She carried the empty bowl and walked up to a young man who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old who had just distributed food.
"Hello, may I ask... does the church need any help? I can do anything. I just need a place to stay temporarily and some food."
The young man looked at her and saw that although she looked disheveled, her eyes were clear and her behavior did not seem like that of someone who had been wandering for a long time. He then pointed to a passage on the side of the church.
"The priest is hearing confessions now. Please wait in the rest area at the back."
"When the priest is done with his work, you can ask him in person. He's a very kind man, and if the church needs anything, he'll be willing to help you."
Confession… Wen Yin muttered this word in her heart and nodded: "Thank you."
She followed the instructions, walked through the side aisle, and came to the relatively quiet back of the church.
There is a small seating area with a few simple benches.
Next to the rest area, she saw the "confessional booth" the boy mentioned. It was two small rooms separated by wooden boards, with a grid-shaped window in the middle.
I could vaguely see the outline of a person sitting in one of the compartments. That should be the priest who was listening to confessions.
In another compartment sat a person who was confessing.
Intermittent, muffled voices came through the wooden boards.
"...Father, I...I lost my temper with my wife again and even pushed her..."
"I know I shouldn't be doing this, but business is getting worse and worse, and the children's tuition is about to be paid... I feel so depressed, like there's a fire burning inside me... I, I can't control myself... I feel like a sinner who doesn't deserve peace..."
It was the voice of a middle-aged man, choked with sobs and filled with deep remorse.
Soon, a voice came from another compartment, and it was the 'priest' who spoke.
"Being able to recognize one's faults and confess them to the Lord is the beginning of grace."
Wen Yin suddenly raised her head at the sound.
“The burdens of life do sometimes weigh down our sanity, but this is not the unforgivable sin.”
"What's important is that you felt remorse after your anger subsided, which shows that your heart hasn't been completely taken over by darkness."
"Don't dwell too much on self-blame; it's another form of bondage."
"Try to apologize to your wife and seek her forgiveness. God's love is vast and boundless. He understands your weaknesses and is willing to forgive those who truly repent."
The priest's words were unhurried, ethereal and gentle.
There are no condescending admonitions, only gentle guidance and heartfelt comfort.
He seemed to be trying to convey a kind of peaceful power through words to the soul overwhelmed by guilt on the other side of the cubicle.
Wen Yin sat on the bench, wondering for a moment if she was having delusions because her brain was frostbitten.
Could there be... such a coincidence?
But this sound... is so similar.
Wen Yin has always been decisive. Whether she was facing the weirdness in the mission world or facing the unknown when choosing to stay, she has never been so hesitant.
But at this moment, she was really timid.
She is scared.
She was afraid that he would not remember her, and that all the past events would become her memories alone.
She was also afraid that he would remember her, remember their time together, and remember her abandonment.
I still remember the long years of loneliness before the world restarted.
While he was hesitating, the man who had confessed earlier came out of the confessional.
Wen Yin saw that although there was still sadness on his face, the heavy sense of self-blame seemed to have dissipated a lot.
Almost as if possessed by a ghost, Wen Yin suddenly stood up and walked quickly towards the empty confession compartment.
She opened the door and walked in.
The door was closed.
The light in the small space was dim, with only a little light coming in from the grid-like window in front, barely outlining the vague figure of the person opposite.
The air was filled with the scent of old wood and light incense.
She sat down in the chair reserved for penitents.
It seemed like the silence lasted too long.
On the other side of the grid, the blurry silhouette seemed to move slightly.
Then a low and gentle voice slowly flowed through the mesh, with a magnetism that was almost a sigh:
"Lost Lambs..."
He spoke softly, his gentle voice brushing against her eardrums like a feather.
"Is there anything you want to confess, to seek forgiveness and...pardon from God?"
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