"I remember Varrela Calendar 158 lasted nearly an entire Old Calendar year."
Gao Yuan's voice came from beside him. "Varrela Calendar 159 ended way too quickly..."
"Old Gao, let's not talk about the Varrela Calendar yet. I found a more serious problem."
Chen Fan raised his arm and awkwardly draped it over Gao Yuan's shoulder, adopting an earnest, grave demeanor.
"If this keeps up..."
"Our Goddess might have a tendency to be a chatterbox!"
One: ? Gao Yuan: ???
Just imagine it.
As time passed, one Old Calendar day would equal one Varrela year. Further down the line, a few minutes or even a few seconds might equal one Varrela year.
At the same time, the changing of every Varrela year required an oracle from the Goddess.
So...
Just how much of a chatterbox would this Goddess have to be to issue oracles nonstop?!
This unit believed there was something wrong with your train of thought.
One delivered this jab from its exclusive VIP roasting seat.
As for Gao Yuan...
He was still frowning, pondering the meaning behind Chen Fan's words.
The Goddess, a chatterbox?
Those two utterly incompatible words nearly fried Gao Yuan's brain.
"Cough!"
Afraid that his little intelligence-gatherer would get stuck in a mental rut, Chen Fan hurriedly interrupted his thoughts. "Anyway, every year of the Varrela Calendar is getting shorter, right?"
When Gao Yuan nodded, Chen Fan raised another question.
"Why is that?"
Gao Yuan snapped out of his thoughts and shot Chen Fan an odd look.
"What's so strange about that?"
"Because the Goddess said the year was changing!"
Chen Fan: "..."
Damn, Gao Yuan's look just now felt like he was staring at an idiot.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about that for now."
Seeing that there was nothing useful in his little intelligence-gatherer's head, Chen Fan swiftly changed the subject. "Do you remember that Isa from earlier?"
"Why does changing the Varrela Calendar have to be so... high-profile?"
"Isn't this a calendar used only within the church?"
"Huh?" Gao Yuan paused. "Was there nothing about this in the library?"
Before Chen Fan could ask, One took the initiative to clarify.
No, absolutely nothing.
There were not even many records of the specific times when the Varrela Calendar changed.
After confirming it repeatedly, Chen Fan nodded at Gao Yuan with certainty. "There really wasn't."
"That's strange..."
Gao Yuan raised a hand and scratched his head. "This isn't some secret."
"Forget the church—even if you grabbed a random passerby, they'd know why."
Under Chen Fan's puzzled gaze, Gao Yuan casually spoke words that left him utterly stunned.
"On the day the Varrela Calendar changes years, the Goddess descends from the God Kingdom into the world."
That brief sentence hit Chen Fan with a ton of shock.
Before Chen Fan could recover, Gao Yuan continued.
"At that time, all the believers in Varrela City will go to the Land of Divine Descent to attend the Divine Descent Ceremony."
"As God Chosen, we must stand before everyone and pray to the Goddess alongside the Archbishop."
East Main Church Side Hall.
"Priest Isha."
A hoarse voice filled with mechanical undertones came from ahead, interrupting Isha's thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
Seeing the pair of Mechanical Eyes glowing red beneath the black hood, Isha, who had just come back to herself, subtly changed expression and instinctively apologized.
"Quinton, s-sorry..."
"Hmph."
Quinton, clad in a black priest's robe, snorted coldly. He then extended his mechanical hand to straighten his robe, making sure it did not have the slightest wrinkle. "The Archbishop will arrive soon. Priest Isha, you would do well to be more focused."
"Be careful not to give anyone something to use against you."
"Not everyone is as easy to talk to as that God Chosen."
Hearing the obvious warning in his words, Isha felt a faint cold sweat seep down her back.
She was sweating bullets.
As Quinton turned away, Isha steadied herself and turned her gaze toward the side hall's metal doors.
I need to focus!
Isha silently warned herself.
The changing of the Varrela Calendar's year was a major event. Aside from the Pope, all clergy members would be busy with it.
Come to think of it, what did the Pope even look like...
She had been a member of the clergy for so long, yet she had never once seen him.
She had heard that the Pope lived in the North Main Church. It would be nice if she had a chance to see it...
"Lady Isha."
That familiar voice sounded from behind her again. "Quinton is a priest just like you. You really don't need to be so afraid of him."
Isha suddenly came back to her senses.
Her body trembled slightly, and her pretty face beneath the black hood twisted somewhat.
She had drifted off again!!
She had just said she needed to focus, yet she had gotten distracted in the blink of an eye!
"Lady Isha?"
Seeing Isha standing there in a daze, the voice behind her called out again.
Isha slowly turned around. Once she recognized him, she relaxed slightly. "Deacon Carlisle?"
She raised her head a little, looking up at the lean, tall deacon in white robes.
Isha fell silent for a moment, stiffened her small face, and tried her best to appear calm and composed.
"...What did you say just now?"
Carlisle laughed helplessly.
Looking at the black robe priest before him, who stood below average height, he smiled and shook his head. "Lady Isha, your old habit hasn't improved one bit."
Isha could not help falling silent.
The oversized black hood completely concealed Isha's rich facial expressions.
"Lady Isha, don't forget that you're already a priest." Carlisle lowered his voice and repeated himself. "You don't need to be so afraid of Quinton."
"Do you remember the method I taught you before?"
Isha was silent for a moment. Then, beneath Carlisle's gaze, she nodded gently, making her oversized black hood bob up and down as well.
"...Deacon Carlisle, you're right."
"Yes, exactly." Carlisle nodded approvingly. "Just agree with them a little, and no one will notice that you've drifted off."
"...Deacon Carlisle, you're right."
Carlisle: "..."
Just as Carlisle was about to say something else, a series of steady, forceful footsteps came from outside the open doors of the side hall.
"The Archbishop is here."
Carlisle lowered his voice and reminded her, "Lady Isha! Priest Isha!!"
"..."
The footsteps outside gradually drew closer. Under Carlisle's anxious gaze, Isha slowly turned around and, like the other God Chosen, directed her gaze toward the side hall doors.
Just as Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief, a faint voice drifted from beneath the black hood before him.
"...Deacon Carlisle, you're right."
The words had barely fallen.
A figure in a dark crimson robe appeared at the entrance of the side hall.
Dozens of bishops in purple robes followed closely behind the crimson figure.
Before you continue