Ascetic

Neph remembered this.

But that happened a month or two ago, and she didn't pay much attention to it at the time, focusing more on Sherman, who had just become an "Assassin"—the boy who would later become Shermane, the unlucky one handpicked by Trissy.

Hearing that the matter was still unresolved, even after meeting Ouroboros, Neph couldn't help but ask, "I remember this, and then what?"

Laila continued, "Because this misfortune has not dissipated, and even shows signs of worsening, I have asked Lord Ouroboros for help—"

"My lady?" Neph interrupted her.

"Is it... uh, Your Grace?" Laila asked uncertainly.

"No, there's no need for that—" Neph waved her hand, her expression somewhat strange, "Go on."

Calling Angel "Your Highness" and Pope "Pontiff" or "Your Grace" is a customary rule among the Seven Gods Church. Neph suddenly realized that this rule might not apply to the "Aurora Order."

She should have realized it when Snoman called her "Sir".

But no one has ever corrected me—well, I should say, the few who did correct me just happen to not care much about it—tsk, what a coincidence!

"Lord Ouroboros told me something," Laila continued, "He said that when I decide to betray Fate, Fate will naturally abandon me."

"Hmm?" Neph raised an eyebrow.

These words, coming from the mouth of an King of Angel of the "Fate" Pathway, were practically Curse. But Neph knew this King of Angel; he was probably just stating the facts, recounting what he had seen, which made things seem strange.

"To betray Fate?" Neph asked. "What do you consider to be betraying Fate?"

"Unless I take another Pathway," Laila shook her head, "but I have no such intention, after all, Wheel of Fortune Pathway never Adjacent Pathways— "

"Adjacent Pathways— " Neph repeated, her brow furrowing slightly, "... Prophecy is future history—"

"What?" Laila looked confused.

"You might not actually lack Adjacent Pathways— " Neph looked at Laila, recalling the other's declaration to follow her, and a bad feeling arose within her. "Besides, even if you don't have Adjacent Pathways, you probably don't know that some Pathway possess the power to expel Beyonder Characteristic, for example, me—"

This made Laila gasp in surprise. She couldn't help but ask, "I heard this is the power of the ' Sun ' Pathway Sequence 4, ' The Unshadowed,' but you seem to—"

Neph tilted her head. She no longer had that excessively pale complexion. Compared to the Backlund who didn't have a good relationship with the Sun, Neph's skin was even much healthier, but that didn't stop the faint chill emanating from her.

Neph could completely conceal this aura, but she was clearly more accustomed to leaving a faint trace of coldness as a "mark" of her presence. This wouldn't make anyone feel cold, but it would be enough to draw a clear line between her and the warm "Sun".

Besides, even if the "Sun" Pathway were to change, it shouldn't result in white hair, but rather golden hair and golden eyes. The white hair at the back of her head and her color-changing eyes don't actually match any Pathway. It's just that most people's first reaction upon seeing her is that they feel they lack knowledge.

"It's not Pathway only the Sun has such power," Neph tilted her head. "Haven't you seen the Church of Evernight's New Holy Bible?"

"This... I've seen this before—" Laila seemed to be trying to recall, "It said that the Eternal Blazing Sun 'stole your warmth'—"

Neph shrugged. Laila's eyes flickered, and she asked thoughtfully, "So, you also possess the power of Purification?"

"So—" Neph shrugged, "It seems quite possible that you would defy Fate."

She paused, noticing Laila's obviously eager expression, and warned, "But not now, and—"

She paused, hesitated for a moment, and then warned, "I don't care what Fate has in store for you, but following me means following the Lord. I have no intention of repeating the Betrayal Banquet, nor do I intend to rise up and become the master—hmm? Speaking of which—"

In fact, from the time they merged until the second book, or the sixth book—no, eight years later, in 1358—the Lord had not become a true Pillar, nor had he reclaimed the other three Uniqueness.

Although I don't know what happened, but----

If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to become the Great Old One during this period. Then, it seems I really can—Lord, you've called upon you for so long, can you call me that too—?

Neph swallowed hard, her hand trembling as she drew an Inverted Cross on her chest, banishing the thought from her mind.

"I will definitely follow the Lord devoutly, I will." She said firmly, as if convincing herself.

Laila did not refute, though a clear doubt lingered in her eyes. In the end, she said nothing, only bowing her head and saying, "Your will is my will!"

This only made Neph panic more; when she left, she was actually fleeing in panic.

Snoman walked on in the darkness with his Lantern, without any thought of slacking off. For a devout believer, the opportunity to meet the gods was a great honor, and the mere fact that he had to walk was not enough to dampen his enthusiasm.

But he soon realized that the young Angel probably lacked understanding of human life; he had forgotten something crucial—humans need to eat.

Yes, Neph left Snoman no food or water.

This was certainly not good news, but Snoman was an Ascetic, and when Oldest One realized it all, he saw it as a test, as part of his Asceticism.

After discovering that there were no plants on the land, Snoman began to think about where he should go to find food and water.

He quickly came to mind the Monster that would appear in the darkness. It wasn't difficult at all, because even with Lantern, he could feel the ever-present presence in the darkness— Monster were always passing by him, spying on him, this normal person who hadn't been corrupted.

And so, in this "forsaken land" where both Moon City and Silver City had switched to eating normal food, the ascetic Snowman faced the monsters in the darkness and swung his butcher's knife.

Neph learned of this after Snoman had completed his Pilgrimage. The "True Creator" did not have Ouroboros send Snoman away directly, but instead had Snoman pray to her.

When Neph appeared at the foot of the mountain amidst the White Mist, the first thing she noticed was the pollution swirling around Snoman —the same chaotic pollution originating from City of Silver and Moon City. Seeing Neph's brow twitch, she couldn't help but ask, "What did you do?"

Chapter 26 Asceticism

"I am carrying this Lantern on my Pilgrimage as you commanded," Snoman replied.

"So—" Neph frowned, "Why would you—well, no, I should ask you, did you eat the flesh and blood of those Monster?"

"Yes," Snoman nodded, "you didn't leave any food or water—"

"Wait," Neph interrupted him, "I didn't—oh, I really didn't—"

She and Snoman locked eyes. The matter was settled, and Neph couldn't admit that she had truly forgotten. So she retorted, "This was a test I gave you."

"After that War of the Gods, this land was polluted, and the people living on this land lost their water and food sources, and could only rely on hunting these Monster in the darkness to survive."

"The bad thing is that these Monster grow up on this land and their bodies are full of pollution. My Lord's followers eat these Monster and are naturally also polluted."

"They Affliction against the pollution in the darkness, generation after generation. The pollution continued to accumulate. More terrifying than the deaths caused by exploring the surroundings was the possibility of becoming Monster after going out of control."

"And the bad news doesn't stop there; the Newborn are beginning to show signs of deformity. They become short, thin, crippled, and eventually disappear—"

Snoman clenched his fist.

His breathing quickened. Neph's description was brief, but it revealed a great deal. Snoman, recalling the taste of those "foods," frowned and said, "That can't even be called food!"

"Yes," Neph's voice unconsciously tinged with sadness as she recalled the scene she witnessed when she first arrived in Moon City, "That could hardly be called food—yet they survived on this land, their legacy enduring for over three thousand seven hundred years—"

Snoman asked in astonishment, "Is there still civilization on this land?"

"Yes," Neph replied, looking at him. "Not only that, they also steadfastly maintained their faith in the Lord, and as soon as I emerged from that fog, they greeted me with the highest level of courtesy—"

Snoman's eyes were filled with admiration, and he said in a low voice, "This is true Asceticism —my previous Asceticism is nothing compared to this."

He paused, then asked again, "So, what about them now—?"

"I brought back food from outside," Neph whispered. "It was a Druid," she said. "and I paid him with my own flesh and blood to cultivate crops that could grow on this land—"

Snoman's eyes revealed clear admiration, and he said sincerely, "You are a true Holy Spirit."

Neph didn't speak, but simply raised her hand and cleaned the filth off his body.

"I left behind a Sealed Artifact that can cleanse the contamination," she said, turning away as she walked. "When I took out that Sealed Artifact, someone questioned why I was so late."

Snoman retorted angrily, "He shouldn't have questioned you like that, a truly great Holy Spirit!"

"I was angry for a moment too," Neph glanced at him sideways, "But now, when I think about it again, I also wonder, why couldn't I have come sooner?"

Snoman's expression hardened, and he was about to speak when the Angel in front of him added, "Of course, that's just my opinion—he shouldn't be questioning me under any circumstances."

Snoman understood, and he lowered his head, saying, "Of course, your willingness to pity them is your kindness."

Neph gave Snoman a strange look and asked, "My Lord clearly said that all things have Divinity, so why do you respect me so much? I am just like you, serving the Lord; I am simply standing closer to the Lord."

This question stemmed from Neph's curiosity. Unlike others, she was a half-baked follower of the faith and hadn't even read the complete Doctrine. In this respect, she was more like a believer in the Evernight, because she had indeed read through the Holy Bible of the Church of Evernight.

Although Snoman had doubts, he did not show them, and simply replied, "It is precisely because you stand closer to the Lord."

"The Lord's Holy Bible say that every king represents a part of the Lord's will, and we should respect them as we respect the Lord."

Oh, you even have this trick up your sleeve? So your idea that everything possesses Divinity is quite flexible. I thought you were really playing the game of equality in this extraordinary world, but it turns out you're judging cases based on Divinity! But that's much better than the aristocracy system, and it sounds pretty good to say it that way.

Neph blinked and asked again, "What about the Holy Spirit?"

"They are the eyes of the Lord, the ears of the Lord, the mouth and nose of the Lord, the hands and feet of the Lord—" Snoman's face showed a reverent expression.

The Eye of the Goddess, the Goddess's ears, the Goddess's mouth, the Goddess's nose, the Goddess's hands, the Goddess's feet—no, what am I thinking?

Neph shook her head, then couldn't help but ask, "What about the Lord's sword?"

"Huh?" Snoman looked puzzled.

"Alright," Neph looked away, "It seems the Lord doesn't like using swords."

To stop Snoman from continuing, she pressed on without pausing, "And what about the Saint? How are Saint referred to in the Holy Bible?"

"Those are the incarnations of God on earth—" Snoman frowned. "Sir, haven't you read the Holy Bible?"

"I've read it," Neph blurted out, "I was just testing you."

Snoman understood; it was the same as making him go on Pilgrimage.

"Where should I go now?" he asked.

Neph thought for a moment and replied, "I'm going to take you to see another fanatic of the Lord—no, Saint."

"But before that, perhaps I should send you to a few history lessons—though I don't think she necessarily knows enough about the history of the Fourth Epoch, but that should be enough—well, anyway, I'm not going to teach you myself. You'd be better off relying on a future ' Scholar of Yore ' than on me."

For Neph at this moment, uncovering the history of the Fourth Epoch was by no means difficult. If she wanted, she could browse through most of the history that did not involve Angel and God, but she would have to be careful in choosing the parts that did involve them to avoid being discovered.

But Neph clearly had no interest in giving a lesson. She shook her head, wrapped Snoman in her wings, and took him aboard the "Golden Dream."

Then, she spotted someone she knew.

"Danitz?" Neph called out to him, "Where's Anderson? Why isn't he with you?"