Part Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 296: A Certain Goddess's Melancholy

North side of the Cathedral of the True God --

Here is a small open-air square, quite unique in the predominantly white and gold-toned Gloria City —it's all gray and black. The ground is paved with large gray stone bricks, and around the edge are placed black sculptures. These sculptures are all incarnations of supreme deities related to "death" and "the afterlife." The stone bricks and sculptures are covered with Divine Word, but their content is not the usual prayers for blessings, but rather words of solace.

Hundreds of citizens and clergy knelt on the ground with utmost piety, facing the high platform in the center of the small square, hands clasped together, eyes closed, as if performing something extremely important. Some of them would suddenly shudder, some would have expressions that were both happy and sorrowful, some would shed tears, some would smile, and some would have expressions that became serene.

Everyone is like that—except for one guy.

A man was sitting in the shadow of the eaves of a building that was often used as a temporary chapel next to the small square, looking down at the square.

He leaned casually against a protruding stone ridge, his posture so relaxed that he looked like a drunkard who had come home and collapsed onto his bed, completely out of place in this sacred place. His clothing was equally casual: a worn-out coarse cloth overcoat, shiny leather trousers, a roughly made wide belt, and weathered old boots. All of this combined made him look like a wandering knight-errant of the wilderness, the kind of character you'd find in a movie depicting pioneering regions.

However, he wore a thin gold chain around his neck, with a small, exquisitely crafted cross of unknown material on it, and the number "I" marked in the center of the cross.

"Um..."

He muttered something, seemingly bored, tilted his head, and his face emerged from the shadows. His medium-length, messy hair, sharply defined features, surprisingly handsome face, unshaven stubble, and deep, sleepy eyes combined to give him a decadent, aristocratic beauty. And perhaps because of his weathered air and the stubble, it was difficult to guess his age at first glance; many would believe he was eighteen, and others would believe he was thirty.

"Ugh... is this not over yet? My body's practically frozen... chew."

The chewing sound was because this man, who looked perfectly suited to cigarettes, was actually chewing gum.

"Hurry up, Spirit Sacrifice-chan..."

In front of him, on the high platform in the very center of the small square, stood a young girl.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with long, lustrous black hair that contrasted sharply with her fair skin. Her appearance possessed an otherworldly beauty; from the thickness of her lips to the length of her eyelashes, everything was perfect, as if she had received special favor from the gods upon her arrival on earth, with every detail meticulously adjusted. Below her was a graceful, delicate figure, exuding a youthful softness reminiscent of a fairy from a fairy tale. Despite her perfect appearance, the girl possessed no haughty air of detachment from the mundane world; instead, she had a gentle temperament that drew people in.

She is dancing.

Her black hair swayed gently with her dance steps, like a glossy black waterfall. Her exquisite body twisted and stretched beneath her well-tailored robes, each movement exquisitely beautiful. It was an ancient dance, perhaps even older than the history of the Divine Law Cult. The movements were small, yet filled with holiness and solemnity.

Goddess - Sacrificial Spirit.

Once a week, she presides over a ceremony here to comfort the spirits of the deceased, performing an ancient dance to soothe the dead and pray for both the dead and the living. People who want to see their deceased relatives and friends one last time gather here, and in this ceremony, as long as they pray sincerely, they can see the image of the deceased again through the power of the spirits.

"Phew... it's over, I'm so tired..."

Just now, the long ceremony finally ended, and the spirit, as usual, wore a solemn smile—which she found very solemn, but some jerk called a "business smile"—accepted the believers' thanks and praise, and then retreated back into the church, avoiding the crowd that wanted to get closer.

In the deserted corridor, she adjusted her robes while rubbing her slightly sore arms. Although the dance movements weren't large, it was still tiring after a while; the exercise was actually quite intense—wait, if this continued for a few years, wouldn't she develop muscles? Wouldn't her figure be out of shape?

Looking down at her body, she saw a figure that every woman would envy—a slender and exquisite one. However, the saying "an angel's face and a devil's body" didn't apply to her, because she had "an angel's face and an angel's body."

In short, she was Princess Taiping.

"Couldn't it be a little bigger... like Sister Tianlu's... ah!"

The spirit priest shook her head vigorously. No, no, she was Goddess, she couldn't have such lewd thoughts! She quickly recited some scriptures to purify her soul! "O all-knowing and all-powerful Supreme God, you are our merciful Heavenly Father, the refuge of our faith and souls, you are... and then what was it again?"

Oh no, I forgot again! I'm so sorry, Supreme God!

The priestess became dejected again. The canon was something every clergyman had to memorize, and the three Goddess at the pinnacle of the Divine Law Cult were no exception. Yet, she just couldn't memorize it; she'd forget it every time she tried. As a child, with her parents' help, she'd crammed for several nights to barely pass her nun exams. She thought she could just settle down as a little nun in Gloria and be content. But two years ago, the Pope suddenly appeared, saying the previous priestess had passed away, and an oracle declared she was the new Goddess. Her parents, trembling with fear, immediately helped her pack. Thus, she went from a little nun of ordinary noble birth to a Goddess worshipped by millions. Compared to the current Prayer Goddess and the current Heavenly Law Goddess, who had been groomed as Goddess since childhood, she was worlds apart in terms of enlightenment, faith, and appearance (←in her own opinion).

"... Um?"

Suddenly, a man—no, a group of men—appeared in front of her.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Spirit Master."

The leading man, clad in magnificent knight's armor, bowed reverently to her. He appeared to be at least sixty or seventy years old, but his sharp eyes showed that his energy was in no way inferior to that of a young man. His imposing figure exuded a sense of power, and the deep wrinkles on his face gave him a stern impression.

This old knight was the chief of the patrol team inside the Cathedral of the True God, and also the Sixth Seat Templar Knight —Georgia Soren.

"Ah... Uncle Soren, hello."

"It must be the guidance of the Supreme God that we met you here. Perfect, let us escort you back to the Pure Courtyard to rest."

"Uh, that's not necessary--"

"No, please forgive my impertinence, but it is utterly improper to allow such an important Goddess as you to walk alone!"

"But... but Yu Jie..."

"This is that guy's negligence! As the Chief, how could he—"

"What's up, sir? Is there something you need?"

"--!"

They didn't know when or how the man appeared, but he just appeared beside them without them realizing it.

Tall and wiry, dressed in the rugged attire of a wilderness wanderer, with a face possessing the decadent beauty of a fallen nobleman, and messy medium-length hair, this was the man who had been lying in the shadows in the small square earlier.

"How dare you show your face... As Guardian Knight, you should be here 24 hours a day --"

"Okay, okay, a grown man who sticks to a pretty girl day and night will be seen as a pervert~"

"You--!"

"In fact, leaving some personal space shows more consideration... Don't you think?"

"You're just making excuses for your dereliction of duty!"

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't fight! Uncle Soren is one of us, and so is Yu Jie!"

The old knight was so angry his face turned pale, but the man called "Yu Jie" just casually chewed his gum. The sacrificial spirit, unable to bear it any longer, quickly stepped between the two.

"Hey, Spirit Sacrifice-chan, you've worked hard on the ceremony." Yu Jie immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Tsk..." The old knight clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

"Hey, don't fight, Uncle Soren, don't worry, Yu Jie... he's actually quite reliable!"

"That's right, you're an old man, be careful not to get too angry and ruin your health."

"Since the High Priest has said so..."

The old knight shook his head, rubbed his forehead, gave a brief salute, and led his patrol away.

When leaving--

"... Sometimes, I really want to tell His Holiness the Pope to remove you from office."

The old knight's dissatisfied remark drifted on the wind.

Yu Jie replied as well.

"That's a real pity. As the mere Sixth Seat holder, you have no right to point fingers at me, the 'Chief'."

"Let's go, let's go! Don't cause trouble..."

The spirit quickly whispered something, but it sounded more like a girl's coquettishness than anger, so Yu Jie could only shrug and walk away with the spirit.

Watching the two figures walk away, the old knight sighed heavily.

"Sigh... Yang Yujie, as the chief, is always like this... The rebels are still rampant, and now we have news of the death of the fifth seat, Alan. Is our Divine Law Sect truly doomed to decline...? Hmm?"

He suddenly realized something was wrong.

It feels strange in my hand.

He raised his arm, opened his palm, and some kind of pink, soft, gel-like solid stuck to his hand was pulled into threads.

It's freshly chewed gum.

"Yang Yujie! You just wait, you brat!!!!"

"Hahaha~ I bet the old man is furious right now~~"

"Stop laughing, you rascal! Get your manners straight!"

The spirit pinched Yang Yujie's waist in annoyance, only to find that all it touched were extremely well-trained muscles, which it couldn't pinch at all.

"Want me to scratch your itch?"

No!

"That's flirting?"

What are you saying?!

The spirit was very unhappy, but then she noticed that her cheeks were burning.

"Hey, I said..."

"Um?"

"Flirting and bantering... does it really look like that?"

"It really gives me that feeling."

"How do people flirt and tease each other in other places?"

"Hmm..." Yu Jie for a moment, "Simply put, it's like couples playfully teasing each other, feeding each other, laughing, and exchanging sweet words... There are too many examples to list."

"Yeah..."

Yang Yujie, who had expected her to yell "Shameless!" again, was mentally prepared to be scolded, but--

"The outside world is so wonderful..."

What I heard was such a soft murmur.

"..."

He fell silent for the first time.

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A new character has appeared! It's almost the end of the month...