Temple

Now that he'd had this exchange, Zhao Xu had a general understanding of Rayne's frivolous speaking style.

"Also, you don't actually think you could have hit Antinoa just now, do you?" Rayne said.

Zhao Xu shook his head; he knew his own limits.

Besides, judging by Rayne's tone, it would be foolish not to realize something was amiss.

Antinoa could normally cast a spell like the Prismatic Sphere, which could also block one of his attacks.

"Fortunately, you're not like me. Back then, I thought I'd actually hit my mentor, and I was happy about it for a long time." Rayne suddenly fell into a nostalgic mood.

Zhao Xu suddenly felt a bit awkward. As he listened, it sounded a bit like the bell-grabbing gag from some anime!

"Actually, in front of Antinoa, you wouldn't be able to cast any spells at all. Because we Mages can perform 'Counterspells,' which can completely maintain a high level of suppression against rookies like you. But that's a side note; we'll discuss it specifically after you undergo training for the Spellcraft skill."

Following that, Rayne directly teleported him to Mistral below.

This was Zhao Xu's second time setting foot on the real land of Arthur in half a month.

He breathed in the surface air and felt it had a different flavor.

The Temple of the Goddess of Magic and the church headquarters, Sacred Heart Cathedral, were adjacent to each other.

The Temple had been expanded from the Goddess's residence before she ascended.

Sacred Heart Cathedral was built tightly adjacent to it; the church's daily administrative affairs were carried out in the inner hall, while the outer hall was for believers to pray and worship the deity.

Many research institutions and organizations of the Mage Association were located on the Floating City.

Therefore, the entire Temple and Cathedral occupied a vast area within the city.

Mistral itself had been expanded outward from here as a center, spreading out in a starburst pattern.

As the most central place for believers, the outer area of Sacred Heart Church had always been bustling with people.

Zhao Xu had experienced this on his first day here.

This time, as he returned, he found the crowds even denser, making it impossible to push through.

Logically, churches were usually only crowded closer to the inside, but surprisingly, at this moment, it was already so crowded even in the outermost areas.

"Today is the Goddess's Divine Birthday, that's why," Rayne explained.

Zhao Xu nodded upon hearing this.

In his past life, his family lived in the harsh and cold north, where most residents believed in gods like the God of Justice and the God of War.

On the Divine Birthday, local churches would send blessings to their believers.

The most sought-after and popular items were the Holy Water, which normally cost 25 GP.

The Holy Water given away for free on the Divine Birthday naturally led to people scrambling for it.

However, living in the prosperous south, the residents of Mistral were like those in capital cities on Earth.

Not necessarily superior, but at least their living standards were among the highest in all the towns on Arthur.

Looking closely at the crowds, many were wearing decent clothing, and they didn't look like they were from impoverished families at all.

At the farther road intersections, carriages were restricted from entering.

"The Goddess might descend her will to the prime material plane of Arthur on her Divine Birthday," Rayne explained. "So, there's a high chance today she will bestow Divine Favor and officially make someone a Priest."

Zhao Xu's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Although he felt his chance of becoming a Level 1 Priest was ninety-nine percent, he saw no harm in securing that last missing one percent.

Priests in Arthur basically followed two paths.

The first path was to be cultivated as Priest candidates from a young age, diligently studying the deity's doctrines in local churches and undergoing some basic vocational training.

Then, they waited.

Until the deity sensed their piety, they would directly advance from an apprentice to a true Level 1 Priest in one step.

If one were to say that the path of a Mage apprentice was difficult at first and then easy, the path of an apprentice Priest was easy at first and then difficult.

Most people present at the Mage apprentice awakening ceremony Zhao Xu attended would succeed.

But for apprentice Priests, there were still many senior ones queuing up, waiting for the deity to notice their devotion.

This was because the number of Priest slots granted by deities was limited; otherwise, everyone could have a Priest, and they could directly become the most powerful force on the continent.

The other path for a Priest was to gain the favor of a deity and be directly chosen as a Priest.

People like this would just go through the motions at the church, receiving some training.

Therefore, Zhao Xu was confident he could complete his Priest training within a week.

Speaking of which, Zhao Xu was filled with emotion.

In his past life, his wife was also from Earth.

After transmigrating, she was recognized by Bella, the chief Priestess of the local Goddess of Fortune, and accepted as an apprentice Priestess.

However, his wife had wasted two years and still hadn't become an official Priest.

At that time, among the Earthlings who had transmigrated, the player groups who had already transformed into upper-class forces were slowly reaching the stage of marriage.

Zhao Xu had served as a peace officer in town for those two years, performing well and earning a good reputation, so he was well-known and understood.

As breakthroughs were hopeless, his wife, through the arrangement of her parents, ended up marrying Zhao Xu and having children.

If transmigration hadn't happened in this life on Earth.

She, coming from a prestigious noble family, was someone he could never have approached given his original social class.

He didn't even have a way to notify her right now.

But one day, he would make the poets of Arthur sing of his fame.

"Brother Rayne, why don't we just teleport inside?" Zhao Xu asked, snapping back to reality and seeing Rayne still patiently waiting in line.

"The Guild Leader enters through the main gate," Rayne said grumpily. "You, a Priest, can fly in directly later, but I can't."

"Brother Rayne, you're not a Priest?"

"Nonsense. Anyone in the Association can take on the role of a Priest, but not me, the liaison officer. If I were the liaison officer of the Association, wouldn't I also be the liaison officer of the Goddess's church?"

Zhao Xu immediately realized he had underestimated the situation.

In his previous life, although he had risen to the upper echelons of the town, he hadn't reached a level where he could directly appeal to the highest authorities; any lord could easily suppress him.

"But a liaison officer shouldn't have to wait in line like an idiot," Zhao Xu said irritably.

To put it imprecisely, someone like Rayne would be considered an ambassador on Earth.

Even if not for special privileges, basic etiquette should be afforded to him, right?

"I notified them when I arrived. Who knows what problem the church is having today to make them drag this out. Usually, I'd just swagger past the line with you or blast everyone away with a spell to get in, but I wouldn't dare on Divine Birthday."

Suddenly, a middle-aged Priest in a white robe walked out.

Seeing the Priest emerge, the surrounding believers instinctively parted, creating a path.

The entrance to the church, which had been as crowded as a tourist attraction, suddenly opened up, forming a path three people wide.

"Mr. Rayne, I apologize for making you wait." The Priest bowed his head slightly in apology.

"It's fine, let's go in quickly. This kid is here to become a Priest," Rayne said indifferently, pulling Zhao Xu's robe as he walked forward.

Zhao Xu was wearing a cloak at the moment, styled like Antinoa's, with his entire head shrouded in shadow, blocking the gaze of the curious crowd.

The Priest glanced at Zhao Xu again, nodded in acknowledgment, and said, "Then please follow me inside."

After the middle-aged Priest spoke, Zhao Xu and Rayne hurried to follow, not wanting to be caught in another crowd if they lagged behind.

The outer walls of the Sacred Heart Cathedral were adorned with bas-relief sculptures depicting the Goddess's miracles.

At the entrance, the threshold wasn't a standard rectangular stone but the side of a semi-arched stone pillar, as if half-buried in the ground.

After the first two crossed, Zhao Xu followed.

Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his mind.

At that moment, melodious bell chimes echoed from the temple behind the church.

They came in waves.

"Praise the Goddess," the middle-aged Priest quickly lowered his head, praying silently.

Countless people around them also bowed their heads in prayer, and some even knelt down.

"The Goddess has descended," Rayne whispered.

Zhao Xu felt a sense of bewilderment. In his mind...

It seemed like some Divine Spell slots had appeared?