"Sigh..."
A soft sigh rang out.
Less than a hundred meters from the station, the blonde nun appeared before Ye Qiyan.
Her appearance came without any warning, as though she had been there all along.
"Your train is only level 3, yet you managed to defeat my puppets. It's been so long since anything surprised me this much."
Creak-
The security device activated.
But before it could fire, several black chains blocked its barrels.
"A Guard Tower device? You even have something like that? How lucky."
Seeing the security device neutralized so easily, Ye Qiyan's mouth twitched.
"Lady, I've never done anything to you. Do you really have to target me like this? If there's anything you want, can't you just take it?"
"I'm not taking your things. Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting you."
The blonde nun walked up to Ye Qiyan and looked him up and down.
"Not running this time?"
"I can't get away."
Ye Qiyan sat down helplessly on the ground. Teleportation, controlling chains, puppets-this woman clearly wasn't someone he could handle right now.
He did still have one final trump card: Gunfire Judgment.
But she didn't seem to intend to kill him. Otherwise, there would be no need to merely stop him and waste so many words. Besides, Ye Qiyan felt that even if he used Gunfire Judgment, he probably wouldn't win.
"Good that you know. Come back with me. Oh, right, my name is Shaya. You can call me Sister Priest, too. I don't mind."
Shaya took Ye Qiyan's hand and pulled him up, her voluptuous figure on full, undisguised display.
Beneath her exquisite black-and-white nun's habit, her long, fair legs strode along the stone-paved road in little black boots that clicked with every step.
Back inside the church, Shaya brought over the Blasphemy Card, of which only a third remained.
"Here."
"For me?"
Ye Qiyan pointed at himself.
"Uh, never mind. You should keep something this precious for yourself."
The more she wanted to give it to him, the less Ye Qiyan wanted it.
This thing called the Blasphemy Card clearly wasn't an ordinary item. Otherwise, she wouldn't have valued it enough to cradle it in both hands.
Seeing Ye Qiyan's expression, Shaya burst out laughing. She patted his shoulder and reassured him:
"Don't be afraid. Look at me. I'm a nun. How could a kind nun hurt anyone?"
"Sigh, I..."
Looking at the card forcibly stuffed into his hands, Ye Qiyan could only reluctantly accept it. At worst, he could find a chance to throw it away after he escaped.
"Don't think about secretly throwing it away~"
Shaya grabbed a Townsfolk Puppet's head. With a crack, the skull that required level 3 bullets and the Blacklight Armor-Piercing Enchantment to penetrate was crushed to pieces in her grip.
Gulp-
Ye Qiyan swallowed. Looking at that slender, fair hand, he found it hard to imagine she possessed such tremendous strength.
"Sure thing. I definitely won't throw it away."
Discarding the head, Shaya turned, walked over to the prayer stand, and picked up the black-covered book.
"Tell me, what's your talent?"
"..."
"Don't want to say? Then forget it. I'm not a woman who's all that curious about other people's secrets."
"Hmm... You really won't tell me? All right, I won't ask."
This woman was unbelievably strange.
Still, there was one thing Ye Qiyan could now be certain of.
He wouldn't die here, and Gunfire Judgment probably wouldn't be of much use.
The atmosphere grew somewhat silent. He looked up and happened to meet Shaya's eyes.
Silence...
"Don't you want to ask me anything?"
In the end, Shaya broke the awkward silence.
"Aren't you curious? Why do I know about conductors? Why do I know about train survival? Why do I know about talents? Why do I know..."
"No. Curiosity killed the cat. I'm not a man who's all that curious about other people's secrets."
"You!"
Shaya looked a little exasperated.
Gritting her teeth, she stared angrily into Ye Qiyan's eyes.
"Staaare-"
As if venting, she crushed another puppet's skull in her hand.
The corner of Ye Qiyan's eye twitched several times. With her so close, he could smell the delicate floral fragrance drifting from her. He leaned back and hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no, Sister Shaya, just who are you? What is this place? Why are you here? What was that card just now? What do you want me to do with-"
"Stop!!"
Seeing Ye Qiyan start talking without pause the moment he opened his mouth, Shaya reached out and covered it.
"Mmph, mmph!"
"How am I supposed to answer when you say so much in one breath?"
Ye Qiyan hurriedly shook his head to show he hadn't done it on purpose.
Damn, this woman changed her tune faster than turning a page. She was the one who told me to ask. I only said a sentence or two more than necessary. Did she really have to get physical?
A kind nun? More like a violent woman.
Shaya released him, casually kicked a Townsfolk Puppet aside, and sat on a bench with her legs crossed. She took a deep breath, regained that holy, kindly appearance, and said with a smile:
"You could say I'm your senior. By the Wasteland's reckoning, I came to this world and began trying to survive twenty years ago."
"Twenty years ago?!"
Just as he had guessed, he really wasn't among the first batch of survivors to come to this world.
Then that would mean Shaya's age...
"Are you thinking something very rude?"
"No, of course not. I was wondering how you ended up here."
At that question, Shaya briefly grew distracted.
"I was sealed."
At this point, her gaze settled on Ye Qiyan's face again.
"By rights, no one should be able to enter this platform, because the bastard who sealed me erased this stop outright. The higher a train's level, the more impossible it is to find this place, so my former companions can't come rescue me."
"And low-level trains aren't qualified to enter this stop. But you got in. Why? Because of your talent?"
Ye Qiyan's gaze shifted away slightly.
If he hadn't had the Fork in Destiny, his destination for this stop should have been the Slaughter Platform.
And the Fork in Destiny had appeared because of his talent, too.
So Shaya had guessed correctly. All of this really was because of "Ascension."
Seeing Ye Qiyan's expression, the corners of Shaya's lips rose a little further.
"I won't force you to tell me your secrets, but don't casually tell other people about your talent or abilities, either. After all, there aren't many good people in this world. Only a tiny minority of survivors possess talents, and once you have one, it absolutely cannot be changed. But even the most worthless talent will make those without one jealous."
"Of course, you can tell me if you want. Your big sister won't let it slip."
"The same goes for that card. Never, ever let anyone know you have a Blasphemy Card, not even the person closest to you. Once word gets out that you have a Blasphemy Card, someone will eventually come for your life. Even if they can't kill you, you'll end up like me."
"If it's that dangerous, why don't..."
Ye Qiyan really wanted to say that she might as well take it back. This card was more than he could afford to enjoy.
But when he met Shaya's gaze, he understood that wasn't possible.
Before you continue