Crimson Cathedral

"This... I'll pass," Wei En refused.

He was going to the cathedral to carry out a mission. If some unexpected situation happened and Kali got dragged into it, that would be terrible.

Kali thought he was worried about troubling her, and a warm smile appeared on her face. "Wei En, I don't mind you..."

"Kali, you don't want to be Wei En's guide? That's wonderful."

Yuan stepped right between the two of them and glared at Wei En. "Why haven't you gone to the church yet?"

That stern look, and the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, both gave off a dangerous air, as if saying: Watch your words, kid.

Wei En gave an awkward smile. "Uncle Yuan, Sister Kali, I'll head over to the church first."

He hurriedly pulled Tina along and turned to leave.

If he stayed any longer, Yuan might knock him down with one punch.

"Hey, Wei En?" Kali reached out, wanting to persuade him a little more. "Won't you think about it ag—"

But Yuan turned back and blocked her. "See? Wei En doesn't want you to be his guide either."

"Father, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kali looked at him, puffed up with anger. "I haven't even guided a new believer of the Dawn before..."

"There'll be plenty of chances in the future."

Yuan laughed it off, trying to muddle through. "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you. How about Deep Sea O-Shark sashimi? It was your favorite when you were little."

She could guide anyone, but Wei En—ab-so-lute-ly not!

He was a wizard, and a wizard from the Specter School, which was known for toying with life and death.

Unless Yuan had gone stupid, there was no way he would believe Wei En was a believer of the Dawn.

"I have to go to school," Kali said, pouting. "And why don't I remember ever eating Deep Sea O-Shark when I was little?"

With that, she walked around Yuan and headed in another direction.

Today, she absolutely had to complete her first guiding offering. She believed that if she did, the Dawn would be even happier.

"Stay safe."

Yuan watched her back and frowned slightly. "But that was clearly what she loved eating the most..."

Wei En and Tina arrived outside Crimson Cathedral. He instructed her, "Tina, help me take these things back to the Secret Investigation Bureau. I'll return a bit later."

The white-haired girl nodded obediently. "Tina understands."

Wei En handed her the box in his hand and rubbed her head. "Trust me. We'll see each other again soon."

Tina's eyes narrowed slightly, as though she were enjoying that warmth.

"Go on."

"Tina goes."

After she had gone far away, Wei En looked around, found an empty corner, and drank the bottle of Dawn Radiance Potion.

"Tsk. So bitter."

He had thought the ball of light inside the potion would have no taste. He had not expected it to be this bitter after drinking it.

Not only that, As the potion entered his abdomen, Wei En's entire body went numb. He could not even move a finger.

"The Dawn endures forever!"

This was... the Dawn?

A roar echoed beside his ears, and his head buzzed. Everything around him began to blur.

Only after a long while did Wei En shake his head and come back to his senses.

An indescribable power had appeared inside his body, like a shackle sealing off his body.

[You drank a potion containing the power of faith. Your origin has fallen silent, and part of your spiritual power has been temporarily sealed. Evaluation: Stupid ****. Special Reward: Survival Points +5, Spiritual Level 10 (temporarily sealed: 1 hour).]

So the Dawn Radiance Potion had this side effect too?

Wei En stared blankly at the prompt as a wave of exhaustion and weakness surged into his heart.

At the same time, he clearly felt that his perception of his surroundings had weakened as well.

He seemed to think of something and looked up, only to discover in astonishment that those two heads had also closed their eyes.

"Little Ashi fell asleep too?"

His origin falling silent had also caused his Origin Sub-entity to fall silent?

It seemed the side effects of this potion were far more serious than he had imagined...

Wei En gave a bitter smile and swept a glance over the panel. After confirming that his spiritual level had already been sealed, the spiritual power he could use now had been directly reduced by one-third.

Hm?

What was this?

There was an extra skill after Partner Contract?

[Partner Teleport: Intense feelings of longing for your partner can allow you to appear at your partner's side instantly.]

A teleportation skill?

After Wei En finished reading the skill description, realization dawned on him. So Tina had used this ability last night to appear in his room.

Intense feelings of longing... huh?

He had not expected Tina to feel that way about him, when they had clearly only known each other for less than a day...

Still, gaining a skill like this was honestly a good thing for him. At the very least, it gave him one more option when he had to run.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he also felt intense longing for Tina...

"Wei En, what's wrong?"

Just then, a voice came from behind him.

Hearing the familiar voice, Wei En turned around weakly and said, "Sister Kali? I-I'm fine. I just suddenly feel a little tired."

It seemed Yuan's plan had failed... Then the blame could not fall on him.

"Are you sick?"

Kali reached out and felt his forehead, confusion showing in her eyes. "Your temperature is normal. Wei En, did you not rest well last night?"

"P-Probably."

Wei En forced out a smile. "But I think the radiance of Dawn will shine upon his believers. I believe I'll be fine once I enter the cathedral grounds."

He had already drunk the potion, and the side effects had already kicked in. He had to continue the mission, didn't he...

"That's true." Kali seemed to like those words very much. She stepped forward and supported Wei En by the arm. "Come on. I'll take you to the cathedral."

Wei En could only nod and, with Kali supporting him, walked toward the area of Crimson Cathedral.

Sigh, he had not wanted to trouble her.

But in his current state, being able to walk at all was already good enough. Entering the cathedral and completing the mission really was somewhat difficult.

Before long, the two of them arrived inside the cathedral grounds.

A squad of guards dressed in the knight armor of the Church of Dawn stood at the entrance, sternly and earnestly scanning every believer.

Seeing the two of them walk over, they uniformly raised the index and middle fingers of their right hands to their brows and bowed slightly. "Praise the Dawn."

Kali returned the salute. "Praise the Dawn."

"Praise the Dawn."

Wei En also lowered his head and gave a salute, inwardly muttering, Were the guards of the Church of Dawn always this polite?

The leading guard pointed at Wei En, then looked at Kali and asked, "May I ask who this is..."

A warm smile spread across Kali's face. "A new believer. I will become his guide and lead him into Dawn."

"Praise the Dawn. As expected of..." The guard did not continue. He reached out and gestured for them to pass.

As expected of what?

Wei En kept feeling that these guards were a little strange. Their attitude toward Kali was also different from how they treated others.

After the two entered the plaza in front of the cathedral, Wei En could not help asking, "Sister Kali, why do I feel like they were very, very respectful toward you?"

"Were they?"

Kali seemed to think of something, and her face flushed. "Maybe because I'm a student at the church school... I guess?"

Wei En looked at her suspiciously. "Is that so?"

"Of course. The people of the Church of Dawn are all very good and very kind. Aren't you?"

"...Of course I'm also a kind person."

Wei En gave a perfunctory reply and did not keep pressing.

Right now, his top priority was to hurry up, complete the mission, and leave this place.

He only had one hour. If he missed it, that would be a huge problem.

After the two walked a little farther, Wei En felt his body lighten somewhat.

But he did not let go of Kali's hand. He even leaned a little closer to her and muttered softly, "So dizzy..."

"Hang in there a little longer, Wei En. The cathedral is almost there."

Kali let go of his hand and changed from supporting him to wrapping an arm around his shoulders, letting him lean against her more comfortably.

"Sorry to trouble you, Sister Kali."

This should be the power of Dawn Radiance, right?

So soft... no, so warm.

"It's no trouble. Once we get to the cathedral, if you still haven't recovered, I'll ask the bishop to heal you..."

"Treatment?"

Wei En hurriedly straightened up and broke out of her embrace. "Hey, I think I've already recovered."

To prove he was fine, he even pulled off a backflip with ease.

"Wei. En."

If Kali still did not know she had been tricked, then she really would have been stupid. She glared at him and said, "Under the illumination of the Dawn Radiance, those who lie will be punished."

"Praise the Dawn. I believe the Lord of Dawn in His venerable kindness will surely forgive an unintentional act by a new believer."

Wei En turned toward the cathedral at the end of the square and bowed devoutly.

When it came to lying, taking the initiative to admit it was always better than being exposed later.

As long as he did not feel awkward, the awkward ones would be everyone else.

"Pfft."

Seeing his gesture, Kali could not help laughing. "Wei En, you should raise your hand a little higher, and your fingers need to be together."

"Like this?" Wei En followed her words and demonstrated again.

"That's standard now." Kali nodded in satisfaction, like a strict teacher seeing a student succeed. "Come on. I'll show you around the cathedral."

Show him around?

Wei En could not have asked for more. The instrument that detected fluctuations from Forbidden Objects had a limited range, and he had needed to search around more anyway.

"Of course, that'd be great. But I don't have much time today. I still have to go to work later..."

He did not forget to remind her, laying the groundwork for slipping out of the cathedral before the potion's effects ended.

Kali took it as the truth. "Then let's hurry. The cathedral grounds are very large."

Crimson Cathedral stood at the center of Kaster City-State, a magnificent and sacred building.

Its outer walls were encased in black stone. Every block had been carefully placed, creating highly artistic patterns that formed mysterious images.

The spires gleamed with holy radiance under the sunlight, while the staggered arches revealed an ancient and enigmatic air.

Kali stood beneath the cathedral and looked up, her face brimming with pride and reverence. "It's spectacular, isn't it?"

Wei En nodded. "It really is spectacular."

A majestic cathedral like this could only have been built in a world filled with the extraordinary and the mysterious.

"Crimson has a long history. It's said to have been completed in the Third Era. It went through wars, but never fell. It's one of the Church of Dawn's most special cathedrals in Shatland."

"The Third Era?" Wei En's expression stirred, and he asked, "Sister Kali, do you know how long ago the Third Era was?"

"Well... I'm not too sure either." Kali hesitated, then said, "We're a little short on time, so let's hurry inside."

As she spoke, she took Wei En's hand and, together with the surrounding believers, walked into the cathedral.

She was not sure?

Wei En thoughtfully followed her into the cathedral. After passing through the main doors, they entered a vast nave.

The sight before him left him deeply shaken.

A gigantic hall stretched to the end of his vision. Towering stone pillars supported an enormous dome, like massive swords declaring majesty and strength.

The walls of the hall were inlaid with reliefs depicting mysterious, ancient stories. Every carving carried the weight of years settling upon it.

Light passed through the stained-glass windows and shone onto the floor, forming brilliant, colorful pictures. Under the interplay of light and shadow, everything was filled with a sacred hue.

On the huge vaulted ceiling were painted murals. A faceless "person" held a scepter high.

Winged angels knelt around him, their faces filled with piety and awe.

That should be the Lord of Dawn, right?

And in the center of the great hall stood a massive altar, upon which several strange statues had been placed.

A scepter, or perhaps a staff?

And a book?

Normally speaking, should the one placed on the altar not be a statue of the Lord of Dawn Himself?

Wei En's footsteps echoed across the marble floor. He lowered his head and looked. "Here..."

"Shh," Kali reminded him softly. "Wei En, you have to keep quiet here. It's recorded in the Dawn's Covenant that He dislikes noisy and trivial sounds."

"Oh."

Wei En nodded and did not think there was anything wrong with that. A god, after all. Maintaining a certain bearing made one seem even more distinctive.

Thinking this, he curiously looked around.

There were not many opportunities to enter Crimson Cathedral, especially after some time passed and his name appeared on the Church of Dawn's banned list.

All around them were devout believers of the Church of Dawn, just like Kali.

After entering, they kept their heads lowered and silently walked toward the altar at the deepest part, their expressions solemn and grave.

Around the great hall, dozens of followers in golden robes stood silently on both sides like statues, as if welcoming the arrival of these believers.

But Wei En knew these people were all guardians of the church, and Lacy had specifically warned him that he absolutely must not come into conflict with them.

"Come with me. We're going to the chapel next door."

Before he could keep investigating, Kali pulled him through the doorway beside them.

Wei En kept close behind her, and while there were not many people around, he quietly turned on the detection equipment at his neck.

Just then, a notification surfaced in his mind.

[You have stepped into the Sanctuary of Faith of an unknown existence. Because your Mental level is higher than level 20, you have successfully resisted the erosion of the power of Dawn faith. Evaluation: Almost flipped over there. Very good. Special reward: Survival Points +3, Mental level +1.]

Almost flipped over?

Wei En rolled his eyes. It seemed it was still talking about him taking the Dawn Radiance Potion.

However, he did agree with the description "Sanctuary of Faith."

Compared with the sacrificial site of the Despair Cult from before, the Church of Dawn was clearly far more open and aboveboard.

Buzz!

Hm?

It detected a fluctuation?!

P.S. Extra update tomorrow. I hope all you esteemed readers will support me. Updates will speed up later.

I'm begging you all to keep following the story. The story is about to unfold, and all the groundwork has already been laid.