Big Beard had just managed to slip away from the high-ranking ascetics' internal meeting. He was still dressed in that same unremarkable outfit of a ragged robe and coarse cloth shoes, looking like an ordinary old man who had just crawled out of a refugee camp. Nothing about him suggested that he was a veteran ascetic who could stand on equal footing with a high-ranking Bishop. At first, Hao Ren had no real concept of the ascetics' rank within the Church, but he later learned that they held an exalted position. They answered directly to the Pope and even had the authority to participate in major decisions by the Church's upper echelons when necessary—because their loyalty to the Goddess was beyond doubt, and they possessed the finest adaptability to divine revelations, allowing them to form the strongest spiritual resonance with the Goddess. Devout ascetics were regarded as the Goddess's direct guards, so Big Beard had been qualified to attend the Bishop-level meeting earlier.
Becky, however, had little idea about any of this. In her mind, Big Beard was simply an approachable, easygoing gentleman—and someone who had once shared a room with her for a while—so she stood up and greeted him without a care in the world. "Yo, old man! Meeting just ended? Come grab something to eat!"
Big Beard beamed at Becky and nodded, politely declining her offer. Then he looked at Hao Ren and Ofra. "Looks like you've already discussed it?"
"You mean the divine-mark ritual?" Hao Ren frowned. "What has your Church decided?"
"Of course, we have some religious considerations." Big Beard nodded frankly. "Whether it's the written instructions left behind by the Pope or your actions during several incidents, it's difficult not to associate you with the Goddess's will. The high-ranking Bishops believe that the foreigners'