The Holy Church Orb's sudden return sent a powerful shock through the town. This special town had few civilians to begin with. Most of its residents were registered clergy, kingdom knights, or at least "militia" who had received combat training. After the orb disappeared, everyone here had participated to some extent in the subsequent operations, and every person knew exactly what the Holy Church Orb meant to the kingdom. Thus, when a knight raced through the town's main street, shouting the news that "the Holy Church Orb has returned," it was only natural that the entire town was thrown into an uproar.
Not long after Hao Ren and the others entered Leighton Town on horseback under the escort of the knights, they saw townspeople lining the streets to watch, along with groups rushing over from every direction to receive them. When they reached the first major intersection, the town's great bell tower began to toll thunderously. The distant, resonant bells rang through the sky, as if trying to dispel the oppressive atmosphere that had lingered here for over half a month. Amid the pealing bells and the clamor of the spontaneously gathering crowd, Hao Ren could not help turning to the knight captain beside him. "Is it really all right to spread the news like this? In theory, shouldn't an artifact like this remain secret even after its return...?"
"This is the Goddess's territory." The knight captain solemnly pointed toward the church. "Everyone qualified to stay here is one of the Goddess's most loyal servants. The moment the orb entered this place, it had already returned to where it belonged. Besides..." The knight captain paused, a smile appearing on his face. "The people here need encouragement too badly. Nothing good has happened for months. We need some good news to