Dazzling Light

The dark, unfathomable night had ended. Canfoer's residents, kneeling before the churches, had chanted the doctrines of the Ouston Church throughout the night:

"Do not commit adultery; treat others with compassion—"

"Do not murder; treat others with kindness—"

"Do not steal; treat others with justice—"

"Do not bear false witness; treat others with courage—"

"Do not be greedy; treat others as equals—"

Tens of thousands of worshippers waited beneath the steps of Salat Church for dawn to arrive. Light streamed onto the dome of Salat Church, and the Holy Father upon the cross atop the dome reflected a dazzling radiance. Bishop Labrador slowly emerged from within the church, leaning on Monk Abelato's support and holding a shepherd's crozier.

"May the Almighty bless us—" Bishop Labrador proclaimed.

"Dong dong dong—" The bells of Salat Church rang for the arrival of dawn, followed by the churches throughout all of Canfor.

"Dong—dong—dong—"

Yalila, sprawled in bed, desperately burrowed deeper beneath her blanket. Pillows, clothes... she used everything she could grab to block her ears.

"It's so loud—are you people ever going to stop?!" Yalila rolled out of bed. "Pillows can't block you... clothes can't block you... and now even lamp wicks can't block you! Why does your XXXXX church love ringing bells when people are trying to rest so much?! XXXXXXXX!"

Driven by her morning temper, Yalila, clad in nothing but thin pajamas, pulled out the Flame Scroll she had secretly hidden beneath her bed from Oyana. She planned to burn down the neighboring Ostun Church while no one was looking, but when she went downstairs and stepped outside her shop, she discovered that the entire street was filled with kneeling Ouston Church followers.

"Oh my god... what... is going on..." Yalila hid the scroll in her hand and retreated into the shop. "What happened overnight..."

"Ding-a-ling—" The shop bell rang as the brothers Pervi and Lanta walked in, both looking unhappy.

"Didn't you two go to Elrina Forest to hunt dragons... why are you back already..." Yalila asked.

"We can't get into Elrina Forest anymore..." Lanta replied. "All of Canfor is covered by a divine miracle now. The people inside can't get out..."

"Huh??" Yalila sat atop her scrolls and ancient books, sounding disappointed. "Then you two are going to stay in my shop and freeload..."

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing... nothing..." Yalila hastily brushed it off. "You two must be hungry! I'll make breakfast... Today we're having fried eggs and bacon!"

"Sorry to trouble you—" Pervi tossed a Kralimaya Gold Coin to Yalila. "Consider this rent."

"G-gold... a pure gold coin..." Yalila cradled the Kralimaya Gold Coin in her palm, then gave Lanta a gentle, friendly smile. "I'll go make breakfast for you two right away. Wait for me, okay?~♥"

"Dong—dong—dong—"

The bronze bell of Salat Church finally stopped after ringing seventy-two times. Oyana, dressed in black gauze, attended the Ouston Church's memorial service alongside the owners of the other magic shops.

"May the Almighty bless us—" Cardinal Labrador stood at the very top of the church, holding a scripture bound in black as he read aloud:

"In the name of the Lord of All Things, the God of Creation, and the King of Kings, I hereby sing the praises of our beloved Sister Latmimi. It was she who used her frail body to resist the invasion of evil demons into Canfor, safeguarding our lives... May the merciful Almighty lead this devout servant of the faith to the blissful divine kingdom... May the Almighty be eternal—"

"May the Almighty be eternal—" the crowd, including Oyana, echoed loudly.

"The southern residents of Canfor's outer city were the ones who brought those evil demons into their own homes and into Canfor itself. Bandits! Thieves! Illegal merchants! These terrifying people disregarded the Almighty's commandments. They killed and plundered at will, bringing about this calamity. Yet despite all this, Sister Latmimi still refused to abandon them... May the Almighty also forgive these sinners and allow them... to enter the Almighty's blissful divine kingdom..." Bishop Labrador closed his eyes in mourning.

"May the Almighty forgive them—" The residents kneeling outside the church prayed loudly as well. The disparity in status and wealth did nothing to affect their faith in the Almighty. Even while kneeling outside the church, they felt entirely at peace.

"That old liar is broadcasting with magic formations again... At his age, isn't he afraid he'll play himself to death? Imira—block that old bastard's amplification formation for me. I want to enjoy my breakfast in peace and elegance!"

Lord Yetara of Canfor lounged sideways on a luxurious sofa in his mansion's guest room. He was wrapped in a thick sable coat. Though the firelight before the fireplace was faint, it still brought a trace of warmth. Even fashioned into a folding fan, the fragrant locust wood shipped from Tagro still emitted an intoxicating scent.

"Yes—" the attendant hidden in the shadows answered.

Enjoying breakfast quietly and elegantly was a right every noble deserved, especially after last night's disturbance. Yetara needed peace now more than ever. Take a fresh boneless Russell Fish fillet and fry it in green-shelled coconut oil from Larideli. Once the aroma of coconut oil filled the air, add Sichuan pepper, black pepper, curry powder... When the fish turned golden, add two drops of the scarce syrup from Arls Island.

"Mmm~ As expected... an elegant, perfect morning must begin with fish..." Yetara lightly waved his folding fan, sampled a little Russell Fish, then sipped white wine that had been sealed in a cellar for a hundred years. "Imira, how are things outside? What little tricks has that old liar been pulling now?"

The first sip of white wine had to be used to moisten the tongue. Otherwise, if other flavors covered the tongue, the taste of this century-old cellar wine would be wasted.

"My dear lord..." The attendant emerged from the shadow on the wall. A red-eyed, purple-haired demon maid knelt on one knee before Yetara. "Bishop Labrador is currently leading Canfor's lower and middle classes in prayer for the dead nuns, priests, and outer-city residents."

"Oh~ So the old liar has started eliminating dissidents already..." Yetara straightened himself. "Imira, tell me, how did those clergy members die?"

"Other than a nun named Latmimi, who was infected by an outer-city monster and had to be burned to death, most of the other high-ranking clergy were crushed alive beneath the collapsed Mira Cathedral."

"An outer-city... monster?" Yetara seemed intrigued. "Was it one of the northern Old Gods' underlings?"

"No, my dear lord," Imira replied. "The power driving that monster came from the Lord of Decay—Rosa Kevin."

"That giant snake? Didn't that brat Okasht kill it with the Holy Sword?"

"Perhaps it has revived now..." Imira said.

"Come on, Okasht's Holy Sword was forged in the depths of the Sacred Sea—within its abyss. It is a divine treasure capable of slaying gods. Not even Qi, Father of All Gods, could withstand its corrosion... How could a Demon King transformed from an ancient giant snake possibly revive from the Holy Sword's corrosion? Don't think so highly of it..." Yetara's lips curled slightly. "That said, we can make use of this... undead monster... and stir things up a little..."

"Right—Imira." Having eaten and drunk his fill, Yetara tossed the remaining Russell Fish fillet out the window for the goblins who had yet to eat. "Notify the dragons beyond the mountain. Canfor should be running out of salt soon... Have them bring back some fine rose salt from the Qilabudan Islands. As for the price, keep it the same as usual."

"My lord, those dragons likely cannot fly into Canfor now..." Imira said slowly from where she knelt. "All of Canfor is currently shrouded by a divine miracle called Holy Wall. Dragons cannot enter."

"Can't teleportation formations be used either?" Yetara asked.

Imira shook her head. "Only teleportation spells rooted in the New Gods can be used. Most of the teleportation formations used by our merchant association draw their origins from the Fourteen Witches, the Old Gods, and arcane energy. Those formations cannot be cast within the divine miracle of Holy Wall."

"That damned old liar! He's gotten bold enough to meddle with my business too?!" Yetara furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth. "If it weren't for those little brats causing trouble last night! Just watch and see whether I'd come out and skin you alive!"

"My lord, please calm down... Your current physical condition is... not very good..." Imira reminded him.

"Tch—do I need a low-ranking demon like you to remind me?!" Yetara tore off the sable coat wrapped around him. His withered body resembled a salted fish drained of all moisture. His rough hands had lost their former luster, and nothing remained on his pale face but wrinkles. "Once I catch those little bastards... I'll drain them dry, then leave their corpses exposed in the wilderness—"

"Ah... achoo—" In a charity home north of Canfoer City, the orphan Kesasian kept sneezing after saltpeter got into his nose.

"I told you not to play with those powders, but you wouldn't listen. Suffering now, aren't you..." Forest Elf Malidra shook her head.

"What... what do you know... If it weren't for the explosives I mixed yesterday, how could Big Sis Deanna and Big Brother Kilis have saved the Hero from that old monster Yetara?!" Kesasian retorted.

"Saving the Hero was Big Sis Deanna and Big Brother Kilis's achievement. What did it have to do with you? You didn't even go! What are you so proud of?!" Malidra made a face at Kesasian.

Kesasian made a face back at Malidra. "Wooo—wooo—"

Malidra said, "What are you looking at, shorty—"

"Pointy-eared idiot—"

At the slightest disagreement, Kesasian leaped onto Malidra and began wrestling with the Forest Elf.

"Enough, enough—" The director of the charity home—Archmage Dilanna—pushed her wheelchair out of the office and stopped the two elves from fighting.

"Kesasian, Malidra, stop fighting. Go check whether the Hero has woken up, then wake Deanna and Kilis as well. It's time for breakfast..."

"Okay—" Kesasian and Malidra answered in unison.

"Don't copy me, shorty—"

"You're the one copying me, you pointy-eared idiot!"

Dilanna shook her head. "These two children..."