Is This Our Home...?

The Truth Society's gathering place for this worship service was an abandoned church outside Leibu City.

As a place that had once enshrined the Lord of Blossoms, it was quite spacious. Many scriptures praising the majesty of the land's master still covered the walls, though time had worn them down until they looked old, blurred, and indistinct.

Linton and Iris entered the church in black robes matching those worn by everyone else, preparing to find a corner to sit in.

"Do we need to prepare anything?" Iris asked as she watched the others.

"No. We just need to wait quietly for the ritual to begin."

With his hands folded over his lower abdomen and half his body leaning against the wall, Linton said lazily, "If we absolutely have to prepare something, it would be finding a sleeping position that feels comfortable."

Iris rolled her eyes at him but continued sitting upright with perfect propriety.

Her good upbringing made it impossible for her to make such an improper gesture in public.

Time passed, second by second.

When moonlight slanted down through the stained-glass window at the top of the wall, a dim yellowish glow suddenly lit up within the church despite the absence of any light source.

Everyone raised their heads and looked toward the place where the priest should have stood to pray.

At some point, a middle-aged man in a blue robe had appeared there. His expression was solemn, and authority lingered between his brows. With the blurry statue of the Lord of Blossoms behind him, he looked like its most devout follower.

Iris studied the man and asked softly, "Is he leading the worship service?"

Linton nodded, narrowing his eyes at the words above the man's head without saying anything.

Billt Marvin (Lv. 40)

In the early stages of the game, a level 40 NPC definitely counted as a high-level NPC. If Linton's Intelligence had not already reached 21, he would never have been able to detect the man's exact level. Just as the players saw him, all he would have seen were question marks.

"Someone with such a high level is presiding over this worship service because of me?"

Linton recalled what Frel had said—he had used the True Lord's name to seek profit.

Though he did not understand what Frel truly meant, he believed that someone coming to make trouble for him must have been the Truth Society's decision after his actions were reported.

"What a pain."

Hearing Linton's faint sigh, Iris turned to ask, "What is it? Is there something wrong with that man?"

"Let's hope there isn't. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble." Linton patted the head of the girl, whose gaze was gradually becoming puzzled, and said softly, "Don't worry about it. It's about to begin. Get ready."

With a disgusted expression, Iris slapped his hand away. "Could you stop treating me like a child? Besides, since I haven't joined the Truth Society or undergone baptism, can I still take part in the worship ritual?"

"If someone from another country came to the Kingdom of Blossoms, could they join a worship service held in a Church of Blossoms?"

"...I understand."

Iris suddenly understood.

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

He spread his hands, and transparent moonlight gradually gathered toward him under some indistinct force, like the brush of Ma Liang, sketching a pure white object into existence.

—It resembled a book, yet it bore no words, lines, or patterns, like the world at the beginning of creation, waiting for someone's arrival to paint it stroke by stroke into a vast masterpiece.

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

Light more dazzling than ten thousand suns surged and flowed, driving away all darkness in the room, along with every speck of starlight unlike itself. Then it rose high, illuminating the decrepit church as brightly as day, as though it had been reborn.

The scriptures on the walls slowly twisted into writing Iris could not understand. The statue of the Lord of Prosperity behind the priest also began to change, but Iris could no longer keep her gaze upon it.

After holding for a moment, the pillar of light silently shattered. Pure white light pressed down from above, yet no one in the church tried to avoid it. Instead, they slowly closed their eyes and clasped their hands together, devout as pilgrims prostrating themselves at a god's feet.

Iris did not believe in the True Lord, but faced with the intense light, her body still reacted instinctively and she closed her eyes.

"Iris, wake up."

A familiar voice came from beside her ear. Iris abruptly opened her eyes and asked blankly, "Is the worship service over?"

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

"Huh?"

Iris's consciousness finally emerged from the haze.

She instinctively looked around.

The space was small. She was sitting on a cushioned seat that swayed beneath her, as if she were inside a carriage. Linton sat opposite her, no longer wearing his signature black robe but a fairly refined silk outfit instead.

He watched her with a gentle smile on his face.

As Iris rubbed her temples, memories surged through her mind like a tide.

After Linton and she had attended the Truth Society's worship service, they returned to Blackwater Village. Nothing worth mentioning had happened along the way.

Afterward, thanks to Linton's cooperation with Frel, he quickly gathered one million gold coins—enough to leave the Truth Society. He successfully departed that strange cult and brought her back to her hometown, Freze.

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

Looking at the modest but cozy house with a courtyard before her, Iris asked softly, "Don't you want to explore the mysteries of death anymore?"

"That was never my wish." Linton said leisurely, "To have a house with a courtyard of my own, wake up early every day to water the flowers, grow vegetables I like, preferably keep a dog and a cat, never worry about money, and do whatever I want. That is my wish."

"Of course, if your wish is to travel the continent and see all kinds of different scenery, then go. I'll take care of your connections and the money you'll need. Consider it my thanks for all your help these past days."

Iris hurriedly shook her head. "I don't have any wish. Staying by your side is enough."

Linton tilted his head toward the girl. His eyes seemed touched, and then a sincere smile appeared on his face.

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

The puppet girl felt as though her heart had skipped a beat. She hurriedly turned her head away and stammered, "Don't misunderstand. What I mean is... ah..."

"Alright." Linton smiled and rubbed the girl's head. "Let's go move the furniture. There are still so many things to do. We can enjoy ourselves properly once we're finished."

"Mm-hmm!"

Iris was instantly filled with motivation.

This is our home.

—Isn't it?