The midday sun filtered through the church's stained-glass windows, casting colorful yet silent patches of light across the floor of the empty hall.
Qu Xuanqing followed a weary-looking church deacon inside. The sound of her heels tapping against the flagstones rang especially clearly in the vast space.
A young nun was quietly sweeping dust from a corner with a long broom.
When she saw them enter, she stopped and bowed respectfully.
"May the Mother Goddess bless you, Deacon, Investigator."
The deacon sighed, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "May the Mother Goddess bless us. Sigh... Just look at how deserted it is. Three months ago, even at noon, plenty of believers would come here to pray or simply seek a moment of peace."
He shook his head, his tone somber. "But now... strange things keep happening in town. Everyone's busy making a living, and they'd rather not go out at all if they can help it, for fear of running into something unclean."
He seemed to remember something and added helplessly, "Of course, that doesn't apply to idle nobles and rich merchants. I hear there's an art exhibition at the Flowing Light Gallery tonight? Honestly... I don't know whether to call them carefree or numb."
Qu Xuanqing gave a faint "Mm" in reply, her gaze passing over the empty hall.
She rarely saw such desolation in the slums. If the nobles and rich merchants maintained their social lives out of "leisure," the people in the slums who kept working despite the danger had no choice. They were driven by necessity.
The factories over there had hardly been affected. The poor were uneasy because of the strange events, but they feared the factories closing even more. With no work, they and their families would starve to death.
The two crossed the hall