Father Danny's Faith Wavered

"Ansu," Father Luwen's smile vanished. "Explain yourself clearly."

"I remember very clearly." Ansu's smile remained bright and sunny. "I merely left the gold coins with you for safekeeping temporarily. Could It Be you misunderstood something?"

This brat!

He was even better at playing dumb than he was—a true master at it!

The Old Priest suddenly recalled what Ansu had said when he entered.

'I'll leave this money with you for safekeeping for now'—that was exactly what Ansu had said. He had not mentioned bribery even once.

No wonder he had made handing over the money seem so open and aboveboard.

"But don't you find it strange?"

The Old Priest stared into Ansu's eyes. "Why would you ask me to safeguard it for you? You were only going inside for a moment. There was no need at all to leave your money with me."

"Wasn't that what you asked for?" Ansu said in surprise.

"When did I ever ask for that?" Father Danny's mouth twitched slightly.

Danny vaguely Perceived that he seemed to have fallen into the youth's trap.

"No." Ansu smiled at him. His smile was still sunny, but to the priest, it carried a faint chill. "Those were your exact words."

"'I simply do not wish for the stench of copper from money to reach the Goddess's hall.'"

Ansu repeated Father Danny's words verbatim. "So I couldn't bring the gold coins inside. That was why I left them with you for safekeeping—I was afraid they would offend the Goddess with their smell."

That was a metaphor!

A metaphor!

I meant to tell you to get lost!

I didn't mean for you to leave the money with me, and then for me to return it afterward!

The Old Priest cursed inwardly, but then he realized that this youth was still deliberately playing dumb!

Back then, he had deliberately guided the atmosphere, deliberately followed the twisted interpretation, seized the Loopholes in his words, and deliberately constructed the false impression that the priest believed he intended to offer a bribe!

"Could it be that you misunderstood what I meant? Then what were you thinking at the time?"

Miss Luojia also looked at Father Danny with suspicious eyes.

Sweating Profusely.

Father Danny was Sweating Profusely.

This brat had successfully removed himself from any connection to bribery. If this confusion continued, it would become Danny, harboring guilty thoughts and coveting money, who had misunderstood the true intentions of Ansu, the future saint, and wished to accept a bribe!

"Father Danny, is what Ansu said true?" Father Luwen asked with a frown.

"I swear upon the Radiant Goddess that every word I have said above is true and without fabrication," Ansu swore before Danny could answer.

In the religious world, oaths were the most sacred and inviolable things.

Breaking an oath meant suffering Divine Punishment. So the moment Ansu swore, Father Luwen knew the matter was true.

Because none of Ansu's words above had indeed been fabricated.

Father Danny was ready to admit defeat. If this went on, no one would be able to save him.

He put on a look of sudden realization. "I remember now. Lord Ansu did give me a pouch. I hadn't had time to inspect it yet, so I didn't know—"

Who would have thought that Ansu's next words would make him tremble in shock?

"Then please return my one hundred and twenty gold coins."

You little bastard, are you robbing a robber?

There weren't one hundred and twenty coins—there were clearly only sixty!

Didn't you just swear an oath? How could you lie again? Danny's eyes widened, and then he suddenly remembered something.

'I swear upon the Radiant Goddess that every word I have said above is true and without fabrication.' At last, he understood what that oath meant.

That fucking oath was a dividing line!

I guarantee that everything I said above is true, but everything I say below is nonsense—all fabricated!

What was he supposed to do now?

Ansu had already sworn once, and Father Luwen and Your Excellency Luojia were already convinced. Ask him to swear again?

That would only make Danny seem ungrateful and insulting an Acolyte Saint of the Goddess. The Consequences would be even more severe.

Or rather, admit that there were only sixty gold coins in the pouch?

But damn it, he was only supposed to safeguard the pouch. He had just said he had not had time to inspect it—how could he possibly know the exact amount?

Father Danny had been at this for many years, after all. He still had some sense.

Ansu's words were clearly a warning and a threat, but at the same time, they gave him a way out.

'Give me sixty gold coins, and I'll pretend nothing happened. You did not accept a bribe—you merely safeguarded my money.'

Should he swear against Ansu too, claiming there had only been sixty coins and that he had not touched them? Then Ansu would completely tear off all pretense and expose the fact that he had accepted a bribe—this had been a threat from the start.

"Oh, oh. I remember now," Father Danny said with a kindly smile piled onto his face, his gums nearly clenched tight. "I'll get it for you right away. Right away."

He returned to his workshop, unlocked the drawer, and counted out sixty gold coins—savings from nearly half a year of work, though quite a bit of it had come from bribes.

After gritting his teeth, he placed the sixty gold coins into a money pouch. He weighed it in his hand, then emerged with a smile and handed the pouch to Ansu.

Who would have thought that Ansu would not even glance at it before passing the heavy pouch straight to Father Luwen.

"What is this?" Luwen asked, looking puzzled.

"This is my personal offering to the church," Ansu explained humbly. "It isn't for any individual. It's a tithe. I'll feel more at ease handing it to you personally."

The Church did indeed have tithes.

Believers donated money to the Church as a whole, and the Church was responsible for distributing it to the poor.

Simply put, it was charity.

"One hundred and twenty gold coins is too much, child."

The more Luwen looked at the young man, the more Pleasing to the eye he found him. Humble, mild-mannered, polite, and knowledgeable about the rules—nothing like those spoiled young nobles.

"It exceeds the maximum amount a single person may offer."

One hundred and twenty gold coins truly was an enormous sum.

It was the total income of an Ordinary Family for more than a decade.

"Then make it sixty gold coins," Ansu said, making Danny's face grow More and more sorrowful and More and more pained. "It's a token of my sincerity."

You didn't spend a single coin!

Why is the money yours, and the reputation yours too?!

That's my money!

Those sixty coins are dirty money you extorted through threats!

You're offering dirty money to the goddess and calling it a token of your sincerity? Your heart is filthy too, you brat!

You're only thirteen or fourteen, yet your heart is even filthier than mine.

Everyone's filthy. Why the hell did the Radiant Goddess choose this guy?

And even grant him a title!

Was it because he was young, handsome, or the rich second-generation heir?

Just like the High Priest who had believed in the Mother Goddess of Life for thirty years, Father Danny—the Old Priest who had believed in the Radiant Goddess for sixty years—felt doubt toward his faith for the first time.

Yet he could not show his pain. He still had to smile and clap along.

"Oh, right. This gold coin is for you." Ansu counted another gold coin from the pouch and placed it In front of the priest with an innocent smile. "Consider it a tip for helping me look after the money pouch."

The final blow—the most exquisite possible taunt delivered right to his face.

The Old Priest felt so angry that his heart was about to spray blood, but he could only force out a stiff, insincere smile.

"I'm sorry, we... we are clergy. We... we cannot accept any personal gifts, nor do we accept tips."

Father Danny said through twitching lips, "Not even... one gold coin."

From now on, he would never accept bribes again.

Father Danny used Scouting Magic to stare at the title above the boy's head. The bright, glaring The Newborn was so Dazzling.

The Newborn...!