Darkness Falls

Wood's expression was a kaleidoscope of emotions, shifting from confusion to bewilderment, then to indecision, before finally settling into a look of utter surprise.

Dina stared blankly at her young master, completely unable to comprehend what everyone was saying.

Xiulunte's mind struggled to keep up, his gaze fixed on Wood with a mixture of shock and uncertainty, desperately seeking an answer he could accept.

Even the Diocese guards, who usually stayed close to Wood, were utterly dumbfounded.

As an old charlatan who had spent years scamming, deceiving, and pretending to be divine, Wood saw himself as the center of attention. He put on a show of reluctant acceptance, waving his hand dismissively and saying calmly, "My Lord Governor, you flatter me. Miss Dina, or whatever her name is, merely lost her way. I simply guided her a little, allowing her to bask in the Holy Father's radiance."

Wood's heart felt like it had been on a roller coaster. He unleashed an acting performance several times beyond his usual level, his exaggerated expressions and the tone of his voice, which screamed "bullshit," combined with his shifty eyes, nearly made him shout, "I'm lying, I don't even believe it myself, do you?"

Xiulunte wished he could run Wood through with his sword.

Seeing Wood's compliance, Allen "kindly" reminded him, "Old Wood, you're too humble. As a candidate Saintess personally chosen by you, Dina was completely moved by you."

"Huh? Diocese... Saintess?" Wood's smile froze on his face. He felt like he had been tricked again; the feeling was all too familiar.

A Diocese Saintess, also known as a candidate Saintess from the Holy See headquarters, was a woman of suitable age tasked with serving the Overgod for life. Her status within the Holy See was incredibly revered. Although she didn't wield much authority, even a Cardinal would greet a Saintess with a humble greeting. It was as if she were the adopted daughter of the Holy See's ultimate boss, the Overgod.

If the Overgod, the Holy Father, was the major shareholder behind the scenes, then the Pope was the front-facing CEO. The Saintess's status was akin to the Pope's adopted sister, someone who could do as she pleased within the Holy See.

This was because Saintesses dedicated their entire lives to the Holy Father and the Holy See, embodying sacred purity that could not be defiled.

As the chief priest of Outpost County, Wood should have had the right to select a suitable candidate Saintess from the local Diocese. However, he had never considered this matter.

The reason was simple: were there any women in Outpost County? Of course, there were. Female assassins, female killers, female warriors, female butchers, female widows, female fugitives, and perhaps even female mages – they had it all.

But suitable women, especially those with a sacred appearance, and even more so, suitable virgins with a sacred appearance.

"Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere. Our Outpost County doesn't produce such oddities."

Wood glanced at the imposing and robust Dina, his face turning pale. He had already cursed Allen's ancestors a thousand times in his heart.

"Brother, we're talking about a Holy See Saintess, not the female champion of the annual gladiatorial arena! What is a Saintess? She's the Holy See's sacred and pure monument."

Was Dina sacred? She was quite sacred. With her sturdy physique, if she truly participated in the Saintess selection, she could clear a street with just her fists. A hundred candidate Saintesses from all over the continent wouldn't be enough for her to kick.

Was Dina pure? Looking at her eyes, she seemed quite pure, incorrigibly so. As for purity, Dina was certainly very pure, after all, her previous occupation was a maid.

It wasn't just Wood who was stunned; Xiulunte was also completely bewildered.

As if struck by lightning, Xiulunte finally understood.

Comparing oneself to others was enough to drive one mad.

He finally understood why he had to fight and kill countless people to become a Legion Commander. To put it nicely, he was a Legion Commander; to put it bluntly, he was a high-ranking thug.

Then he looked at those sanctimonious chief priests who, with a few words, turned a major threat to the Holy See into a follower of the Holy Father.

Killing a powerful enemy was not as good as making that enemy submit and become an example for all enemies.

Xiulunte understood this simple principle, but understanding it didn't mean he believed Allen and Wood's nonsense.

But what could he do if he didn't believe? He could imagine that if the Cardinals and the Pope learned of this news, they would probably wake up laughing in their dreams.

Xiulunte knew he had been tricked today, but what could he do? Should he order his knights to kill the Titan Bloodline awakened one who had already converted to the Overgod and was running for Saintess?

If he really did that, the ascetics from the Holy See headquarters would surely send him to the stake, and anything less than eight minutes' cooking would be considered the Pope's great mercy.

With unconcealed unwillingness, Xiulunte walked up to Dina, who was half a head taller than him, and asked word by word, "Are you sure you believe in the Holy Father?"

Dina glanced at her young master and said confusedly, "I believe in the God of the Wasteland, Kakarou. What's wrong?"

Wood's face changed drastically, and he trembled uncontrollably. Xiulunte's face contorted into a sinister grin, and his right hand reached for the sword at his waist.

Allen pinched Dina's sturdy waist hard and winked at her.

Dina then lowered her head with a strange expression and said, "The Almighty Father created all things in heaven and earth. The other gods we speak of are all his subjects." After saying the first half, Dina couldn't recall the second half that her young master had taught her. So, she cleverly mumbled, "It's all the same who I believe in. I believe in my father, and my father believes in my grandfather. Isn't it all the same logic?"

Everyone who heard only the first half of Dina's statement wore different expressions.

Xiulunte's face turned ashen, and he was speechless for a long time.

Sakre looked at her as if she were a sow with double eyelids, blushing and making seductive eyes. This handsome Count looked like a suffocating toad, his mouth agape in extreme astonishment.

Wood collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Yes, the other false gods, ah no, the gods, are all subjects of the Overgod."

Old Laixi smiled as he watched the smug Allen. He felt that the Holy See's latest slogan had just been born.

The General Affairs Hall of Outpost County was still in ruins. Yorkshire stood on the rubble, on the verge of tears.

Xiulunte had left. Before departing, he hadn't said a single word of farewell, only silently leading his knights out of the city. However, the venomous look he cast at Allen before leaving left a deep impression on everyone.

As a distinguished noble, Allen remained unfazed by Xiulunte's threatening demeanor, displaying a smile that seemed to say, "I just love that you hate me, but you can't do anything about it."

Everyone knew that the two had a feud, but whether the East wind would prevail over the West wind or vice versa, no one dared to make a conclusion, and they could only wait and see.

None of the people present were fools. Anyone who still considered Allen to be the useless lord who only knew how to eat and sleep would truly be an idiot. Based on Allen's recent performance, everyone knew that this guy could definitely go toe-to-toe with the outstanding young talent, Xiulunte.

Everything that happened today had changed many people.

It had changed Allen, transforming him from a foolish noble and useless lord into a devout believer of the Overgod. It also made everyone realize that this kid's acting skills were definitely top-notch, specializing in setting traps and digging pits.

It had changed Dina, turning her from a barbarian maid living day by day into a highly revered candidate Saintess of the Diocese, and also making her a genuine "barbarian traitor" – a term for someone of barbarian origin who sided with humans, akin to a "traitor."

It had changed the old Butler Laixi, making him the first person in history to eliminate a potentially limitless Magus with just a few words, without even losing a single hair.

To know that once elemental users on the continent advanced to Magus, they had infinite potential for growth. This applied even to Archmages or Saint-level Mages who were closest to the gods, as their greatest bottleneck had been advancing to Magus. Unfortunately, the Water Magus Hels was already dead.

This changed Yorkshire, transforming him from an ordinary Clerk into a great hero who fiercely resisted the Wasteland Bandits in Outpost County.

By the way, Xiulunte's personal guards, who were thoroughly dead, were "Wasteland Bandits who committed all sorts of evil." Regardless of whether the many witnesses in Outpost County believed it, the outside world and the City of Locke certainly did.

After all, these "Wasteland Bandits" had previously attempted to attack the local lord and the Candidate Saintess, and Xiulunte had completely denied any connection to them.

This changed Sakre. He, who had dreamed of becoming a Sword Saint and making his name known across the continent since childhood, had his entire worldview shattered. He realized that beating up a Legion Commander of the Holy See wasn't a big deal, nor was killing a Holy See Consecrated Mage. Tampering with the Holy Father's will, misapplying the Overgod's blessings, and speaking carelessly in the name of the gods were even less of a concern.

Allen inadvertently made Sakre understand one thing: as long as you were shameless enough, anything was possible.

However, after all this, the one who changed the most, and suffered the greatest losses, was Xiulunte.

On his way back to the barracks, he secretly swore that he would never take a nap again. He glanced back at the gate of the impoverished Outpost County.

Xiulunte's mind involuntarily recalled a childhood ballad, a work titled "Darkness Falls" by the renowned poet of the Duchy of Rothel, Ya. Adu: Ah, when I close my eyes, it's naptime, a delusion of emptiness, shattered upon waking, a taste of blood in my mouth, houses silently crumbling before my eyes, former followers lying naked in heaps.

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