Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 339: Underground

Throughout history, all wars, whether just or unjust, have one thing in common: the main characters are soldiers and the generals who drive them to fight, and various types of cold and hot weapons.

Civilians will never be the main characters in war.

They might become refugees fleeing the disaster, or perish at the hands of the enemy, or huddle in seemingly safe corners, trembling and waiting for everything to pass.

Whether it was the Papacy army that had long enslaved and oppressed them, or the Revolutionary Army that flew under a noble banner, they were all threats to them, terrifying beings that threatened their lives.

This is why, after the Revolutionary Army achieved victory, they had to go to great lengths to appease the people, including distributing the Vatican's property, opening granaries to provide food, and issuing benevolent policies.

This is an inevitable process, although such inevitability is somewhat unavoidable.

The underground shelters of Sadington City, large and small, are now packed with residents who couldn't escape to the city in time.

The shelters had been unused for so long that people only knew the vague knowledge from books that "there are shelters built underground in the city," and even finding the entrance to a shelter took a lot of effort. Moreover, these shelters were built a long time ago, when the population size was different from now. Although these shelters were packed to the brim, they actually only accommodated a small portion of the residents who were unable to escape.

Not to mention that a considerable portion of the space was occupied by clergy and nobles who were also seeking refuge. Even in the dark underground that had been sealed for centuries, there were "comfortable places" and "uncomfortable places," not to mention that the refuge was specially built with separate rooms for the use of people of high status.

In contrast, the more intact and less damp areas naturally became the domain of the nobles. They complained about the cold, dark underground while having their attendants and guards "invite" the commoners out. The displaced commoners were forced to huddle in large, seemingly collapsing rooms, sitting on the dusty floor, letting cobwebs cling to their bodies, and wrapping themselves tightly in their clothes to ward off the dampness. The cramped space offered no room to move, and there were practically no toilets; everyone had to make do with relieving themselves in the corners. Several hours had passed since the start of the battle, and the place was now a stench of excrement, sweat, and the decay of dust and moss—a mixture so strong it was nauseating. The outdated ventilation system was utterly inadequate for so many people.

Under the dim light of oil lamps and ancient, almost unusable spirit stone lamps, everyone remained silent, simply huddled in their places, wrapped tightly in their clothes, clutching the meager rations they had hastily brought with them. A sense of unease permeated their hearts. Who knew how long this damned war would last? At least a day, at most a month. Although there was no longer any sound coming from above, no one dared to look up; who knew if your head would be blown apart the moment you peeked out from the ground?

The terrible environment and oppressive atmosphere were something that ordinary people could barely endure.

But there was one girl who simply couldn't adapt.

At this moment, she was wrapped in a black robe, kneeling in the shadows of the corner, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, her body trembling.

The sacrificial spirits had never received such treatment before.

Before becoming a nun at the Cathedral of the True God, I was a young lady from an ordinary noble family. Although I wasn't particularly wealthy, I certainly ate and dressed well.

After becoming a nun, life in the Cathedral of the True God was not free due to the strict rules, but the food and clothing were still excellent. The fabric of the nun's clothes was very high-quality, and although the dishes were simple, they were all delicious. As long as you did your job well, you could eat your fill and stay warm.

After becoming Goddess, things became even more exaggerated. Every word she spoke was a sacred decree to all believers. Whatever she wanted, she only needed to ask, and even fresh sea fish from the Cold Current Bay of the North Realm Continent could be transported to her from afar. She truly had everything she wanted.

Therefore, the environment here was extremely stimulating for her; it was practically a scene from hell.

But what confused her most was not the unpleasant environment, but the fact that "so many people are suffering."

God said, "Those who are faithful to me, I will surely bless."

God said, "I will guide those who pray to me in their suffering."

Every person on the West Saint Continent is a faithful follower of the Supreme God; they are loyal to the Church and devout in their faith.

But why would the Supreme God abandon them?

Is it really because of the Rebel Army? Are those blasphemous Rebel Army the reason why divine protection cannot reach this place?

A child's innocent voice interrupted the spirit's thoughts. She turned her head and, through the shadow of her hood, saw a little boy with a dusty face, crying and begging his mother for food, his innocent eyes filled with fear.

"Mom, I'm so hungry and so cold..."

"My dear child, just bear with it, trust Mommy, we'll be out soon..."

The young woman suppressed her panic with the strength of a mother. She and the little boy were covered in dirt and grime from the filthy floor and walls. She was only wearing a thin shirt, while the little boy was wrapped in a thicker coat. She herself was exposed to the biting dampness of the ground and shivered.

"Mom, your face is so pale, is it because you're not—"

"Mommy's okay, come here, hug me tight, let's take a nap, everything will be alright when we wake up..."

Seeing the woman's trembling hands cradling the little boy in her arms, warming him with her last bit of body heat, the spirit of the sacrifice could no longer hold back.

She stood up abruptly, pulling her long robe tighter around her, making sure her face wasn't visible. Her sudden movement startled the woman.

"Hey, little sister, you need to--"

The woman lowered her voice and asked, while the spirit priest simply replied:

"This cannot continue, nobles... nobles have a duty to stop this from happening."

As she spoke, she began to weave through the crowd of refugees sitting on the ground, leaving the woman's anxious whispers behind. She could feel herself stepping on many seemingly filthy things, and the unpleasant smell in the air grew stronger, but these things could no longer distract her. Countless people were suffering from hunger and cold in this damp and filthy underground; how could she let such a situation continue!

God said that those who are capable should extend a helping hand in times of crisis.

God said that there is no distinction between rich and poor, noble and lowly; everyone is a close brother or sister.

So shouldn't we help each other in times like this?

"Arrive..."

After passing through a corridor filled with cobwebs, she finally arrived at the door of another room. If she remembered correctly, she had seen well-dressed people entering and exiting through this door earlier...

Knock. No response.

Are they sleeping?

"Excuse me..."

She gently pushed open the door—

Then I was shocked.

Inside and outside the door are two completely different worlds.

It's clear this was originally a dark and dilapidated room, but many things that were obviously moved in later have completely transformed it. There are small, high-end portable spirit stone lamps, a steaming heater, a travel folding bed embroidered with patterns, a huge velvet cushion, an exquisite little tea table and tea set, and cakes and pastries that are clearly not dry rations. If one hadn't seen the dilapidated state of the outside, the spirit would never have believed that this was also part of an underground shelter!

"What... what's going on?!"

Several wealthy-looking men and women, who were lounging on cushions and munching on cakes, were quite surprised by the intruder. They were accompanied by several waiters and guards, who immediately became alert upon seeing the stranger.

"Huh? Who are you? What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"You..."

What happened?

Isn't that obvious?

Why are you enjoying yourselves while the common people suffer from hunger and cold outside? Why not distribute this much food to the starving people? Why not take this powerful stove outside for everyone to share? Why not send out these well-trained guards to maintain order?

Why turn a blind eye to the tragic scene outside?

"You lowly commoner! Do you know who this sir is? If you know what's good for you, get out of here!"

Seeing the spirit standing motionless by the door, a guard with a sword spoke impatiently, which signaled all the guards to draw their swords.

"No, no, I came here to..."

The spirit suppressed its unease and tried to speak loudly.

"I'm here for... food and heating equipment. Many people outside are suffering, including many elderly people and children... so please..."

As they talked, the spirit made a new discovery.

Among these people was one with a cross around his neck; judging from the patterns on it, he must be a high-ranking priest.

There are clergy here... Great! Maybe that will allow us to communicate!

"Didn't the Supreme God teach us that 'those with ability should extend a helping hand in times of crisis,' and 'there is no distinction between rich and poor, noble and lowly; everyone is a close brother or sister'? So why not help those suffering outside...?"

Her voice grew softer and softer, and even she, naive as she was, realized something was wrong.

Everyone was looking at her with amusement, as if they had seen some rare and exotic beast.

"... Hey, is this lowly commoner out of his mind or what?"

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, speaking in such a flowery way, do you have a death wish?"

"You even said you'd give our stuff to those filthy bastards outside? They couldn't afford to pay for even a single broken piece, you know that?"

The spirit of the sacrifice felt as if it had fallen into Ice Cave.

This isn't what we agreed on!

Why do they not only fail to follow the teachings and fulfill their obligations according to the teachings of the Supreme God, but also mock her? Aren't they afraid of the Supreme God's punishment?

No, there's still a glimmer of hope!

The spirit looked pleadingly at the fat, high-ranking priest, hoping he could put in a good word for it.

"Hey, wait a minute, don't you think this girl... is actually quite a good find?"

... Eh?

"Although her face isn't visible due to that unsightly robe and hood, that tiny waist... tsk tsk, it's a pity her chest is a bit flat."

What was he saying?

"Hey everyone, since we're all just killing time anyway, why don't we find some fun?"

Looking for some fun?

What does "find some fun" mean?

The portly priest beckoned, and three guards with menacing expressions immediately approached, while the spirit priest, still reeling from the shock, stood there dumbfounded.

"I'm so sorry! My sister has caused you trouble! She's a little confused and likes to talk nonsense!"

A small hand suddenly grabbed her from behind.

Not to mention the spirits, even the nobles were stunned.

"That's it! Excuse me, gentlemen!"

Then, without saying a word, the little hand pulled the sacrificial spirit away.