Soul

Adam studied the priest closely and concluded that he was the head priest of this South District Church.

The Holy Sound Church's structure was not complicated. In regional churches, priests had different duties, though most were simply addressed as priests. They were later ranked according to factors such as their overall merits, command of divine arts, and age at which they joined the church.

Though they were all called priests, the standards of their clerical robes differed as well. For example, newly inducted priests usually had only one pattern on their collars, while veteran priests could have three.

Only veteran priests were qualified to preside over a local church. A priest who presided over a church was also called a head priest, and only head priests could have patterns embroidered on their cuffs.

The kind-faced head priest before him slowly bent down, took out a holy wafer from a cabinet, and placed it enthusiastically before Adam. Like an old grandfather next door, he urged Adam to eat.

"You've worked all day. You must be hungry. Have something first."

Adam understood that the risks of using Priest Fula to enter the church had revealed themselves. Although the Holy Sound Church had made many concessions in recent years due to the rise of noble power, and some priests had even been corrupted by the nobility, there were still many formidable figures within it.

Adam appropriately showed some hesitation and said timidly, "No, thank you. My uncle and aunt left food for me at home."

"It's fine. Young people should eat more." The head priest drew back the curtains and stood by the window, looking out at the scene beyond it.

"Then thank you, Priest." Adam did not refuse too much. He picked up the holy wafer and ate it in a few bites.

"No rush. I have plenty more here." The head priest narrowed his eyes and smiled kindly before saying, "Fula is a young man I think highly of. His soul has never been tainted, so I wanted to see what the person he recommended was like. What sort of soul do you possess?"

Adam looked at the remaining holy wafers on the table, seemingly too embarrassed to take a second one. Hearing the head priest's words, he asked in confusion, "A soul?"

"That's right." The head priest tapped on the window, then turned to Adam. "At the beginning, human souls are no different from one another."

"From the moment one is born into this world, however, everything one experiences affects that soul."

"You are learning painting from Alva, so let me use painting as an analogy. A human soul is originally a blank canvas. One's experiences are paints of every color, while the choices one makes regarding those experiences are the brush."

"It determines how you accept your own experiences, and it determines the form your soul takes."

"Some compose them into epics. Some turn them into a sun that warms others. And some souls sink into mud, reeking beyond measure. What about you?" The head priest's eyes seemed able to see through the human heart and directly into Adam's soul. "Adam, what will your soul be like?"

"I... I don't know." Adam lowered his head, seemingly afraid to meet the head priest's gaze. His hands clenched his trousers as he forcibly suppressed his panic, reciting the words he had prepared through countless acts of self-hypnosis. "I only want to live a little better. I don't want to keep wandering from place to place."

"Then may the glory of God watch over you and free you from confusion." The head priest's broad palm pressed down on Adam's head. At that moment, his voice became vast and majestic, as though countless holy bells were ringing, or countless sacred angels surrounded them, chanting hymns.

Seeing Adam grow increasingly peaceful beneath his palm, the head priest relaxed his brow and withdrew his hand. He shuffled back toward the cabinet and began rummaging through it.

"Let me see, Puldo brought some preserved fruit last time..." the head priest muttered. "Where did I put it? I remember it was right here."

Adam snapped awake, looking somewhat embarrassed as he hurriedly said, "Priest, there's no need. It's getting late, and I need to get home quickly..."

"Found it!" As if he had discovered some great treasure, the head priest laughed and pulled a bag of preserved fruit from the cabinet. Letting out a breath, he completely ignored Adam's refusal, grabbed a large handful, and placed it in Adam's arms.

"Be careful on the road and get home early. Come early tomorrow too. That Alva fellow hates people who are late, even though he can't remember anyone's name himself."

"I'll have to speak to him tomorrow..." The head priest rambled on without the slightest hint of the dignity expected of someone in charge of a local church.

Adam could only hold the preserved fruit. After thanking him, he hurried back home.

After Adam left, the head priest took out a holy wafer and tore it apart bit by bit, placing the pieces into his mouth. With his head lowered, he seemed to be considering something.

A priest entered from outside and quietly asked about the situation.

"He is an ambitious person. He does indeed seem suspicious of using Priest Fula," the head priest said with a sigh.

"Then I'll stop him at the door tomorrow." The priest frowned, clearly displeased.

"There's no need, Rob. No need." The head priest shook his head. "Everyone has their own path to walk. Ambition is not necessarily a bad thing. What matters is the choice in one's heart. Fula needs to grow, Adam needs redemption. I believe they are both good children. Under the glory of God, they can grasp the light and make their souls shine brilliantly."

I almost got exposed. Adam knew that anyone capable of serving as the head priest of a district in a border city like Roa would not be simple, but he had not expected the man to be so terrifying.

If Adam himself had not been special, even other purebred werewolves would probably have been unable to restrain themselves, transformed on the spot, and then been slapped to death.

That old, frail body contained terrifying holy power. Holy power of that level was not common. Adam only felt the '<' scar on his face burning. A pain that sank into his bones nearly made him cry out.

"I have to speed things up!" Adam knew one thing clearly: his identity was not without flaws. 'Adam Boku's' birthplace was some distance from Roa, but if someone investigated and spent enough time, they could still discover that he was not the real Adam.

"But I also need to be careful not to arouse suspicion again." This time, using Priest Fula to enter the church had already made the head priest feel that something was wrong with Adam, prompting him to test him.

If he revealed anything unusual again, that man would probably investigate him from top to bottom.

Those television dramas from his previous life, where spies were suspected countless times, cleared themselves countless times, and eventually won the other side's trust, did not exist in reality. The higher someone stood, the less they believed in coincidence.

Clearing up one suspicion might indeed make someone think it had been a misunderstanding and trust you more. But if you were suspected a second or third time, your undercover career should be over.

"My soul will never remain in this place. Even without God's so-called glory, I will crown it and make it incomparably noble!" Recalling the head priest's words, Adam sensed the werewolf bloodline within him that the church called the Sin Bloodline, yet his face revealed nothing unusual.

Before the sky had fully darkened, Adam returned to the Kubo Family home. He put the preserved fruit into a jar and called Lina over to eat.

After messing up the little girl's hair again, then carefully tying it back up once more, Adam's heart gradually calmed.

He began reviewing what he had gained from his trip to the church today.

"I was slightly careless. I overestimated my ability to hide myself. If I had prepared earlier, I could have handled today's situation more steadily."

"Priest Jim has something that can be exploited, and there is also that Knight Rube. When I was eavesdropping at Baron Mansla's residence, I heard information about him."

"I need to deepen my understanding of the different kinds, so I can find and subdue them later." Adam calculated bit by bit. "The power I possess is far too little. That is my disadvantage."

"My advantages are my concealment and the method I possess for hiding abnormalities in my bloodline. Now I can add that I have already infiltrated the South District Church."

"So next, I need to use my advantages to seize more initiative and make up for my disadvantages."

"Of course, there is one greatest problem as well: time." Adam smiled and pinched Lina's cheek. After feeding her another preserved fruit, he decisively closed the jar and put it away. Only when he saw Lina drooling with craving did he take out another one and let her eat it slowly.

"I don't know how long my arrangements from back then can mislead them. Once they find Roa, based on what they know about me, they should be able to find me quickly."

Thinking of this, Adam looked through the window at the night sky outside. A sliver of crescent moon was slowly rising.

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