Although the soft, fleeting female voice was extremely faint, Gilan's keen hearing easily picked it up.
'The person opposite me isn't Atonement Priest, but a woman?'
Gilan frowned and muttered to herself.
He became increasingly unsure of the other person's identity, and only felt a sense of unease.
"Wait a minute," Gilan suddenly spoke up. "Could it be that the 'secret manual' doesn't have a physical object? Isn't it just a book or a roll of parchment?"
"Since ancient times, 'secret teachings' have mostly been passed down orally, which is why they are called secret transmissions or inheritances."
The male voice explained to Gilan in a serious and earnest tone.
"Of course, physical forms are not excluded, but they are extremely rare. The 'secret teachings' I am now trading with you are oral traditions."
"I see." Gilan nodded. "Please continue."
"Hmm." The man paused before beginning his narration:
" The Furnace Sword Path, the 'Secret Teachings' of the Tier 2 ' Actor ', states: 'Observe all beings, portray others. Adorn the flesh, embody the soul.'"
"You need to observe each individual closely, identify a specific character or profession, and then portray that person. Ideally, you should use excellent makeup skills to enhance your appearance and then convince yourself that you are that character."
"Playing a role requires a strong sense of immersion; the more involved you are, the more 'guiding power' you gain. At the same time, a performance needs an audience; the better you perform, the stronger the audience's reaction, and the stronger the 'guiding power' will be."
"This way, you can find the original ' Actor ' much faster."
The sound came from the other side of the partition, through the tiny holes.
Gilan listened intently, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Soon, he heard the other person say again:
"Since we're on the topic, let me add one more thing. In mysticism, the body, spirit, and soul correspond to the id, ego, and superego."
"Physical desires and instincts are driven by the id."
"Memory and rules are controlled by the self."
"Moral goodness and ideals are governed by the superego."
The mystic Pala Celsus wrote in his book * The Worldly Mysteries *, "An Actor is someone who performs professionally, someone who plays a role in the performing arts."
"The power of an ' Actor ' lies in their ability to perfectly imitate another person's 'self.' If combined with exceptional makeup skills, you can even become anyone, and do so so convincingly that it's difficult to distinguish the real from the fake."
Upon hearing this, Gilan was taken aback.
No wonder Miss Tolina in the Black Castle in his dream suggested that he take the path of " Director " of the February Director, because if he could observe and imitate anyone's "self," it would indeed help him control his "id" which was gradually descending into madness.
Extreme madness requires extreme rationality to regulate and balance it.
"Thank you." Gilan took a deep breath and sincerely thanked the partition.
"May you find your way forward, you who are lost."
The male voice remained serious and earnest, even his wishes were sincere.
Regardless of whether the other person could see her or not, Gilan picked up her hat, placed it on her chest, and bowed slightly in greeting.
Immediately, he picked up his coat, opened the narrow wooden door, and went out.
With a heart full of thoughts, Gilan strode away from the Atonement Church.
Wait until he leaves.
After a while.
The door to the adjacent small room also opened, and a "young man" dressed in a white suit walked out. He was called a young man only because he was dressed in men's clothing and had medium-length, layered blond hair.
However, her facial features were exceptionally pretty and beautiful.
It's so perfect it's beyond words.
She has fair skin and a beautiful face, making it difficult to tell whether she is male or female.
"An interesting guy."
The woman looked at the church entrance and the departing blond youth's back, chuckled softly, and spoke in a mature and melodious female voice.
Inside the Atonement Church, there were actually dozens of believers sitting there to pray. Even on the notice board, a priest in black was holding a Bible, the Tome of Confessions, and conveying the gospel of the " Twin Kites " to the believers.
But Gilan inexplicably overlooked this point when she came in.
Meanwhile, everyone, including the priest, overlooked Gilan's presence.
The young man in the white suit walked straight down the aisle in the center of the seating area to the notice board. No one noticed him at all.
The priest remained completely unaware until the "young man" went up to the bulletin board and took the Bible from the priest's hands.
The "young man" held the Bible, glanced at it a few times, then pouted as if bored and turned to look behind him.
Behind the notice board is a huge wall of stained glass.
Two kites soar and circle, and below them are three smaller, less noticeable patterns: a flower basket, Golden Bow, and a locked book.
The young man first glanced at the kite on his right and said:
"Miss Maria, ' That Beauty ' has made 'contact' on your behalf, and you can witness everything he does at any time."
Just then, sunlight shone onto the stained glass, shining through the lavender eyes of the kite on the right and illuminating the "young man's" face, making it sparkle.
The "young woman" who called herself " That Beauty " revealed a smile that could launch a thousand ships.
He then lowered his gaze to the locked books and said:
" Shadai, speaking of which, the book you deliberately hid in the ' Director's' works has finally been found. It's really not easy, you finally have readers... But what's even more interesting is that your old flame, Pala, used to be a member of the Healing Knights '."
"I never expected him to be the army doctor under the ' Crippled King '. He's really something."
As " That Beauty " spoke, the pattern of the locked books on the stained glass window seemed to come alive and began to shake violently.
"You see every guy as an old flame, can't you have any shame...?"
"An androgynous fairy, an unwanted ugly monster..."
"I'm busy writing a novel, get lost..."
A string of vulgar and offensive curses rang out in the church.
However, the priest in black and the congregation remained unmoved, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
Upon hearing this, " That Beauty " was not annoyed at all; instead, her smile became even brighter.
"Finally got to go out, off to find the ' Flower Seller ' to play with, bye-bye."
The young man in the white suit tossed the Bible back into the hands of the priest in black, whistled, put his hands in his pockets, swaggered out of the church, and vanished without a trace...
*
*
*
A moment later.
A young homeless man walked into the Atonement Church.
"Visitor, please state the purpose of your visit."
An elderly male voice could be heard coming from the guardhouse on one side of the porch.
"I... I want to atone for my sins."
Fermi Campos took a deep breath and said in a low voice.
Bang!
Beneath the dark sandalwood window, a small opening appeared, and a rough, wrinkled old hand reached out, gesturing towards the donation box.
Fermi took out the loose bills and coins he had on him, which amounted to exactly 100 Caesar, and put them all into the box.
Accompanied by clanging sounds, the elderly man's voice came from inside the sandalwood window:
"In Confession Chamber number 5, Atonement Priest will listen to your sins and confusion."
"Thanks."
Fermi breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him.
Immediately, filled with anticipation, he found the Confession Chamber and squeezed into one of the narrow cubicles. After the Atonement Priest entered the other cubicle and began to ask questions...
Fermi quickly replied:
"I'd like to join the ' Investigation Committee,' but what's the fastest way to do so?"
"Hmm..." The priest on the other side of the partition pondered for a moment.
"Lost soul, you can try going to the July Baptist Church. Recently, a mysterious fugitive has infiltrated the Baptist Society. If you can arrest him before the 'committee members,' you will have a high chance of being recruited."
"What is the fugitive's identity and strength?"
Fermi looked serious and asked again.
A reply came from the other side of the partition:
"His name is Anbai Rogers, Path of the God-Communing Scepter, Rank 2 ' Prisoner '."