Is This Our Home

Chapter 26: Is This Our Home?

The Truth Society's worship gathering this time was held in an abandoned church outside Leibu City.

As a place once dedicated to the Lord of Blossoms, it was quite spacious. The walls still bore scriptures praising the majesty of this land's master, though time had rendered them old and blurry.

Linton and Iris, dressed in black robes identical to everyone else's, entered the church, looking for a corner to sit.

"Do we need to prepare anything?" Iris asked, observing the actions of others.

"No, we just need to wait quietly for the ceremony to begin."

Linton clasped his hands in front of his lower abdomen, leaning against the wall. "If you really want to know what preparation is needed, it's finding a comfortable sleeping position."

Iris rolled her eyes at him, but still sat up straight with proper decorum.

Her good upbringing prevented her from making such unseemly gestures in public.

Time ticked by.

As moonlight slanted through the stained-glass windows at the top of the wall, the church suddenly lit up with a faint, yellowish glow, despite the absence of any light source.

Everyone looked up, towards the spot where the priest would normally stand to deliver prayers.

There, a middle-aged man in a blue robe had appeared at some point. He looked solemn, with an air of authority between his brows. Under the blessing of the blurred statue of the Lord of Blossoms behind him, he seemed like its most faithful follower.

Iris sized up the man and whispered, "Is he the one hosting the worship?"

Linton nodded, squinting at the text hovering above the man's head, remaining silent.

[Billt Marvin (Lv.40)]

In the early stages of the game, an NPC of level 40 was definitely considered high-level. If Linton's intelligence hadn't been as high as 21, he wouldn't have been able to detect the man's specific level. He would have seen the same question marks that other players saw.

"Is someone this high-level hosting this worship because of me?"

Linton recalled what Frel had said – that he had profited in the True Lord's name.

Though he didn't fully grasp the meaning, he believed that anyone coming to cause trouble for him would be a decision made after reporting his actions to the Truth Society.

"What a hassle."

Iris heard Linton's faint sigh and turned to ask, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that person?"

"I hope there isn't, or we'll be in trouble." Linton gently patted the girl's head, her eyes now filled with confusion. "Don't worry about it, it's about to start. Be ready."

Iris smacked his hand away with a look of disdain. "Don't treat me like a child. Also, since I haven't joined the Truth Society and haven't been baptized, can I still participate in the worship ceremony?"

"If foreigners come to the Kingdom of Blossoms, can they participate in the worship held in the Blossom Church?"

"...I understand."

Iris suddenly realized.

Just as she was about to say more, the middle-aged man on the stage finally moved.

He spread his arms, and transparent moonlight, under an indistinct power, gradually gathered towards him, like Ma Liang's brush, sketching a pure white object into shape.

—It looked like a book, but it had no words, lines, or textures on it, as if it were the world at the dawn of creation, until someone appeared and painted it stroke by stroke into a vast mural.

The next second, the pure white book suddenly lit up.

Light, brighter than ten thousand suns, surged and flowed, expelling all darkness within the room, along with any scattered starlight that differed from it. Then, it rose high, illuminating the dilapidated church as if it were daytime, like a new birth.

The scriptures on the wall slowly twisted, transforming into characters Iris couldn't understand. The statue of the Lord of Prosperity behind where the priest stood also began to change, but Iris could no longer focus her gaze on it.

After a moment, the beam of light quietly shattered. Pure white light pressed down from above, but no one in the church attempted to dodge. Instead, they slowly closed their eyes, clasped their hands together, like pilgrims prostrating themselves at the feet of a deity.

Iris did not believe in the True Lord, but facing the bright light, her body instinctively reacted, and she closed her eyes.

"Iris, wake up."

A familiar voice reached her ears. Iris's eyes snapped open, and she asked blankly, "Is the worship over?"

"You still remember that worship?" The voice seemed to chuckle. "How long has it been? You still can't forget?"

"Huh?"

Iris's consciousness finally broke free from the chaos.

She instinctively looked around.

The space was small. She was sitting on a cushioned seat, like she was in a carriage. Linton sat opposite her, no longer wearing his signature black robe, but a rather exquisite silk garment.

He watched her, a gentle smile on his face.

Rubbing her temples, memories flooded Iris's mind like a tide.

After their encounter with the Truth Society's worship, the two of them had returned to Blackwater Village without any noteworthy incidents.

After that, due to Linton's cooperation with Frel, he quickly gathered the one million gold coins needed to leave the Truth Society. He successfully departed from the strange cult and brought her back to her hometown, Frazer.

"Are we just going to live in the countryside like this?"

Looking at the house with a yard, which wasn't overly luxurious but could be called cozy, Iris asked softly, "Don't you want to explore the mysteries of death anymore?"

"That was never my wish," Linton said leisurely. "To have my own house with a yard, to water the flowers every morning, to grow my favorite vegetables, and ideally to have a dog and a cat. Not to worry about money and to be able to do whatever I want. That's my wish."

"Of course, if your wish is to travel the continent and see all sorts of different landscapes, then go ahead. I'll handle your connections and the money you'll need. Consider it my way of thanking you for your help these past few days."

Iris quickly shook her head. "I don't have any wishes. Being by your side is enough."

Linton tilted his head, looking at the young girl. His eyes seemed to soften, and then a genuine smile spread across his face.

"We'll stay by each other's side forever. I promise."

The doll girl felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly turned her head away, stammering, "Don't misunderstand... I mean, oh dear..."

"Alright," Linton said with a smile, ruffling the girl's hair. "Let's go move furniture. We still have a lot to do. Once we're done, we can properly enjoy ourselves."

"Mhm, mhm!"

Iris was instantly filled with energy.

This is our home...

...Or is it?