Winter Offering Day

That makes sense... So... Neph stared at the treasure chest in confusion and asked:

"So the Treasure really isn't you?"

The Treasure wasn't Amon's; the open chest was surprisingly empty, containing only a shimmering crystal. The crystal was cut into countless facets, each reflecting a different scene— the Beyonder Characteristic of the "Trojan Horse of Destiny."

Neph managed to extract the Beyonder Characteristic of "Mentor of Deceit" before the Winter Offering Day, but then she changed her mind, because the Beyonder Characteristic was a blanket formed of transparent worms; although colorless and transparent, the worms' shapes were clearly defined.

Neph stepped back with disgust, her face full of regret. "I should have waited until everything else was taken care of... tsk, the Ritual... the auxiliary materials..."

She raised her hand to seal the seemingly wriggling insect-like blanket, tossed it into the Pure White Space, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Ais's Potion had indeed been completely digested, but Ais couldn't pinpoint exactly when. Therefore, only the Ritual and the necessary materials remained to be prepared.

Among the auxiliary materials, three are particularly difficult to obtain: the blood of the Swamp Giant, the creep of the Profane Priest, and the nine Spirit World Wraith who died due to the misleading influence of the ascendants.

Of these three, the Profane Priest carpet is the easiest to obtain—according to Arrodes and Reinette Tinekerr, it's a general term for a type of Spirit World Creature, a faceless, ethereal humanoid wearing a carpet robe. It possesses the Beyonder Characteristic of "Mentor of Deceit" and "Trojan Horse of Destiny," making it very easy to lure this creature.

The more difficult part is obtaining the blood of the Swamp Giant, because this is a long-extinct creature, and even its blood no longer exists. However, this is only a supplementary material, so using Historical Projection is fine.

What truly troubled Neph was the nine Spirit World Wraith.

Leaving aside the time spent selecting a suitable target and misleading the other person into death, the birth of a vengeful spirit requires certain conditions!

"You should wait a little longer," she said to Ais. "I'm going to celebrate my birthday."

Winter Offering Day is the longest Evernight of the year, which is also the winter solstice for Neph.

According to Archbishop Anthony, on this day, all believers who are Evernight go to the nearby church to witness the Sun and the coming of night, then participate in Mass, receive Holy Communion, listen to the choir sing, and engage in various other activities.

However, for the Church, this day has an even more important meaning.

"Generally speaking, donations increase significantly on the holy days of major Church," Archbishop Anthony explained calmly. "Wealthy commoners will donate two to three soli, the middle class around five pounds, while the upper class donates directly to the diocesan bishop and Church charities, ranging from several hundred to several thousand pounds."

This is already a very high amount. Even devout believers who love to donate don't put money in the donation box every day. They usually donate once or twice a week or every two weeks, depending on their family's specific circumstances.

In terms of amount, commoners paid a few pence each time, the middle class three to five soli, and the wealthy and nobles paid in Pound, with the amount not exceeding 100.

Neph calculated the proportions, secretly marveling, and couldn't help but ask, "But this year is different, isn't it? This year's situation..."

The battle between Loen and Feysac has not yet ended; the war has brought not only death but also soaring prices.

To support the war effort at the front, taxation was an essential part of the effort, and most people's wallets had already been emptied by these two sources, leaving them with no money left to donate to the Church.

Archbishop Anthony seemed to know what she was going to say, and nodded slightly in agreement.

"We don't expect to receive many donations this year, but the war has caused unrest, many people have died on the battlefield, and their bodies cannot even be recovered."

"The Goddess, in her mercy, commanded us to hold a grand mass on this day to comfort the departed souls and soothe the pain of the living."

"Meanwhile, the Mass will attract large crowds. We've communicated with various charitable foundations in Backlund beforehand, and they will distribute food stamps on this day. Those who receive the stamps can use them to collect food at relief centers or any church."

Neph paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, "Isn't this just like steaming Eggs?"

"What?" Archbishop Anthony frowned.

>p/<"... Ah, Tu Xinfan", his eyes fell down, Funai", what did he not"

>p/<". "Place a good one, leave me for the sky, that must be remembered": she said, shaking her head and laughing. She was good.

>p/<...

>p/<. The smoke and flowers of Fangdi became a symbol of the Three Dynasties and the Three Dynasties, Qiao, the square day of commemoration, the western district

>p/<. A hint of guilt and pain lingered in her eyes, yet her expression remained unusually composed. Her face, clean and simple, was that of a noblewoman of noble birth. She carried a small leather bag with a large golden retriever strap, and wore a black cloak.

>p/<. She had already prepared the medicine and collected all the necessary materials, and put the small bag on her back inside.

>p/<... She walked away from there, and she found that there were few people who could do it, and there was no one at the scene who believed in Lidiao. The 6-column sequence of "hypnotic teacher" is already Sissoko.

>p/<. Confused and bewildered, Cynthia suddenly looked up, her head lowered. "Cynthia?"

>p/<. The two small bags on her back swayed, and her body rocked. A low bark came from Qian Su: "Woof!"

>p/<. A premonition suddenly arose in her mind, and just as she was beginning to think about it, she looked at Lydia, who was acting strangely. "...?"

>p/<: Confused and bewildered, the younger sister stopped in her tracks, looking at the tall, slender Duke Bertholl, who looked around and suddenly raised his head.

>p/<"? Lideo, what happened?"

The bottle disappeared without a sound. Then, she shook the bottle in her hand, raised her hand, and seemed to turn her head away. Suddenly, Pure White figure flashed past her eyes. Just as Lidiao was about to open her mouth...

>p/<"~Ah, you can steal, but you can't rob."

The large, golden-haired woman tilted her head slightly, her head lowered. The long white robe of the young woman had vanished without a trace. When she looked at her again, her gaze was fixed on her. A strange, restless anxiety and unease settled in the center of Lydia's mind. A familiar, soft voice echoed in her inner sea.

"Bag," he whispered.

"Woof?"

She shook the backpack on her back again, then walked forward with her head held high, giving Audrey her answer through body language.

As Neve watched Anthony Stevenson, dressed in a black robe with red stripes, walk up to the platform and stand there praying, Neph suddenly felt a little dazed.

Compared to Klein, who entered the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" after the death of George III, the changes were more noticeable for Neph, who was still in Backlund.

She could hear people discussing the price of bread; the price varied daily, and the discrepancies often made her wonder if she had misremembered or misheard.

The jarring noise sometimes made Neph glance towards the other side of the city, where nobles continued their various banquets, the sounds of singing and dancing filling the air; nothing seemed to affect them.

It was a truly complex feeling. She had read about it in Historical Records, read about it in novels, and seen it online, but when she stood in this stark contrast herself, Neph always felt a sense of disorientation.

She remembered that in this scene, the "Justice" lady, now Demigod, manipulated the crowd, forcing the nobles to hand over their stored grain, but--

The catalyst of the "Spectator" is subtle and natural; when "Miss Justice" can so easily stir up such a wave, it means that even without her, a surge of public outrage is already imminent.

The situation is somewhat better now—without data for comparison, Neph can't be certain, but Loen has the advantage on the battlefield, which is certainly better than being at a disadvantage; however, Neph can't be sure exactly how much better.

The Uniqueness she was certain of was that, at this moment, she felt a genuine, heartfelt disgust for the war that was still raging.

Especially in --

As the choir sang, the power of dreams swept through silently. Neph broke free from the dream, but her gaze could still see the dreams of others whenever it swept across the room.

A profound sadness permeated the place, and if she wished, she could see the source of this sorrow: shells falling from the sky, letters from the front lines, old belongings that had lost their owners...

I think I'd rather just dream about it...

Neph silently withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes.

Whether it's the choir's singing or Anthony's sermons, their wording has been modified. Although the Evernight Goddess remains the central figure, the Winter Goddess is always present within the narrative.

Neph pricked up her ears to listen to the poetry, forcing herself to shift her attention to it, which was relatively successful because she remembered Leonard, who couldn't write poetry.

... By the way, sister, can you write poetry?

The soft sobs pulled Neph from her thoughts. She could hear the faint, few sobs, the sound of tears sliding down her cheeks. She blinked gently and sighed softly.

Cry it out, just cry it out...

She pursed her lips, forcing herself to refocus her attention on the choir's chanting.

This time it was much more troublesome; Neph took much longer to do it until the sound of the poetry became clear again in her ears.

Cross your hands.

"Place it on your chest."

"Make that silent prayer,

"And shout from your heart:"

"The Uniqueness refuge is An Ning!"

Amidst these cries, people unconsciously crossed their hands in prayer. Neph tilted her head slightly and reached into her pocket to poke Ais.

"Can you turn into a dove?" she asked in a voice no one could hear.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak?" Ais made two puzzled noises.

"Why pigeons?" Neph chuckled softly. "Because in my hometown, pigeons symbolize peace..."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Ais squealed twice more.

"You don't want to turn into a pigeon?" Neph lifted Ais up. "Are you sure?"

She stared intently at Ais, and after a few seconds, Ais whimpered:

>p/<"~woo~gu"

>p/<...

"Are you feeding the pigeons? It's been a long time since you've seen them here," a vendor called out enthusiastically from the square in front of the memorial plaza. "Are you feeding the pigeons, miss?"

>p/<". The pigeon is just a little pigeon, how can I learn to be a pet? Hmm... in my opinion, no," she shook her head, the vendor turned to look at her, "Hmm."

>p/<: The merchant sighed, his expression revealing surprise and astonishment. He poked her with the bag he was carrying.

>p/<! I didn't even see the root of it before I saw it, and you and it were wearing clothes that were melting together? It was just a rat that I raised... I didn't notice it, oh."

>p/<"... Let's start talking"

>p/<"I don't mean you": The question was very good, and Funa, who had a long face and long hair, crossed the line and looked at him.

>p/<. First nod gently, Funa

"... Who among us looks like you? Are you of mixed blood?" someone laughed, "Well, I'm just saying..."

>p/<"? How to sell pigeons": I asked, "I've been there before, but I haven't been able to answer this question." (Funai)

>p/<: The question was asked by Ding Bu Leng, who nodded to himself as he listened. He then enthusiastically introduced the pigeons, drawing the attention of the merchant who had been easily distracted.

>p/<"? Is there a special mark here? Are you from a wealthy family?

"... but... when things were done, everything was like that, but... of course, there wasn't one before..." The vendor paused, stunned. "Ah?"

>p/<. She took out a beautifully embroidered silk pouch, felt inside, and casually pulled it out with her left hand. She then took out a portion of pigeon feed with her right hand and nodded to herself. "Ah, like this..."

>p/<. The upper-class stall was thrown away, and she was taken away. Na.

>p/<~Dangding

The gold coins, gleaming brightly, were seen inside. He instinctively picked them up, startled by the sound of the coins hitting the merchant.

He looked up and said, "... This money, miss, is for you." He hadn't seen the girl standing in front of him at the stall.

"... What is this?" Klein hesitated as he took a handful of unidentified particles, looking at Neph with confusion.

"Pigeon feed," Neph explained.

"Why are you giving me pigeon feed?" Klein continued to ask, puzzled.

"I thought you'd like to try what pigeon feed that costs ten Gold Coin tastes like," Neph smiled. "I fed Big Head to Ais and tasted some myself; this was specially saved for you."

"Ais... wait, you're saying this White Dove is the Rat you used to keep???" Klein's eyes widened.

"Yes," Neph nodded, "Ais, show him a backflip."

"Coo-coo?" Ais flew from Neph's shoulder into the air, drawing a question mark in the air.

"... I won't even ask how it turned from Rat into a pigeon," Klein gritted his teeth. "Stop torturing it... Fine, tell me first, what's with the pigeon feed you bought for ten Gold Coin?"

"Why don't you try it first?" Neph said.

Klein hesitated before tasting one, but one clearly had little flavor, so he silently popped a few more in before commenting:

>p/<"... Why is it that... it seems like a trendy spot, but... it looks a bit like dried biscuits? Is it made of grain? Okay... it looks good."

>p/<. Tsk, the best dog food is still... but... have the cats eaten good food?" Funa rolled her eyes... That's strange, isn't it? Frankie's breath...

>p/<"??? What are you eating, you know?" she asked Enlake, her eyes filled with confusion. "..."

>p/<: Mouth opens gently, Funa

>p/<"... When you were hungry, you stuffed your cat's mouth with food, then found the leftover vegetables, then went to find more leftover snacks, then got up and searched for more in the middle of the night, wondering if you had any snacks."