Duoxia seemed to have found his way, but the Pale God Norton was always on the path he was desperately searching for.
Inside the newly renovated monastery, missionaries dressed in pure white monks' robes come and go, chatting and laughing as they move about, a far cry from the somber and resentful atmosphere that had previously perpetuated the old Papal State.
Since that Pale God developed a mental illness, he changed his attitude and became far more tolerant of the lower classes than before.
For example, the old, outdated rules of not being able to talk freely or go out freely have been abolished in this monastery. All the rules have been completely relaxed. Missionaries are no longer subject to any control except for handling necessary work, which greatly increases the freedom of Church personnel today.
As a result, the happiness index within the monastery has increased dramatically.
And the reason for all of this lies in the fear in the heart of that Pale God.
Inside the Pale Monastery, in the openwork dome that was built specifically for the Pale God to bask in the sun, a slender, pale figure lay weakly on an exquisite wooden chaise lounge.
Although the pale monster's appearance was still exquisite and its aura still holy, a deep sense of exhaustion was visible to the naked eye.
This state of physical and mental exhaustion made Old Norton look listless; he didn't even have the energy to lift his eyelids.
The warm sunlight shone on Norton's pale skin, and the God holiness carried in the sunlight gave him a rare sense of comfort and warmth.
It's strange that Norton, who was so afraid of God that he was almost dying, would go out to bask in the sun every day, even going so far as to stand under the sun, which was extremely blasphemous and audacious.
After all, the sun symbolizes death and is the gateway through which God observes the Garden of Garden of Eden.
Lying like this in the sunlight, aren't you directly exposing yourself to God?
Only under this warm sunlight did Norton feel a sense of security in the light, allowing him to barely fall asleep and rest.
Perhaps this can be considered a kind of love-hate relationship.
Years of mental stress have left Norton in poor mental condition. Although his body is no longer fatigued, the immense mental pressure still brings him unimaginable mental torment.
This meant he didn't sleep very soundly; his slender, pale, and perfect body tossed and turned on the soft couch, causing his long, silvery-white hair to fall around the couch. His brows were slightly furrowed, making him appear even more delicate and holy.
In reality, that despicable Norton was indeed very vulnerable in his sleep.
He is now plagued by nightmares, and the immense psychological pressure has led to his mental exhaustion; he urgently needs mental rest.
However, the relentless nightmares prevented him from getting proper rest, and instead, rest became a means of increasing his mental stress.
"Don't touch me... I'm inedible... I didn't kill anyone... I'm not the culprit who wreaked havoc on the Southern Continent!"
Rays of sunlight touched his skin, like tiny hands gently brushing against the ends of his silvery hair, but also made his sleep even more shallow.
Accompanied by a few murmurs mixed with roars, the Pale God who was resting on the soft couch suddenly sat up, his dark eyes staring intently at the empty balcony in front of him, his smooth chest heaving, and a strong Pressure life spreading out and then receding in an instant.
"Call..."
As Old Norton awoke, the fear mixed with extreme killing intent slowly returned as his consciousness recovered, leaving behind a fine wrinkle on his furrowed brow, revealing yet another crack in the heart of that Pale God.
Norton sat wearily in the recliner, his pure white body completely bathed in sunlight, the warmth unable to dispel the winter chill in his heart.
He just had another dream.
I dreamt of the final, heart-wrenching scream when I was nailed to the cross by Kuba, of the holiness that seemed to be manipulated by a giant finger, of all the terrible things I had done over the years, and of Kuba's desperate questioning as he sealed me away.
'Where on earth did you come from, you disgusting thing, to dare to destroy all life in my Garden of Eden...'
The voice that once questioned him with divine might still echoed in his ears, and the hidden rage within it, which almost wanted to tear Norton apart, still terrified him to this day.
That feeling of powerlessness in the face of a true deity seemed to break through the dream and reach reality.
Even though Norton is now Fourth Stage being, he still trembles with fear at the memory of Kuba from back then.
That was a state of complete and utter helplessness, just as no life in the Garden of Eden of Eden could resist Norton at present.
But the more this was the case, the more terrified he became.
If a vessel capable of containing God is already of such a scale, then what level of terror must there be in God who could not even be contained in the Garden of Eden?
Whenever Norton thought about this, he felt so oppressed that he could hardly breathe!
He has even developed a severe fear response, otherwise he wouldn't have had such a dream.
"What if that damned... no, no, what if it is the holy God who resents me for ruining Garden of Eden? What if it is the Shenyin who separates Heaven who is angry at me for slaughtering living beings? What if it is Jonah, who is sealed in the sun, who is hostile to my unclean soul?"
Norton looked up at the sky as if sensing something.
Above the clear, cloudless azure sky, the sun that had been hanging there for so long was no longer the golden color it had when Norton was first nailed to the cross; instead, it had taken on an orange-red hue, so much like the sunlight of the old mythological era.
He had long sensed that the sun in this Garden of Eden of Eden was beginning to fade away, just as it had during the Papal State period.
As the sun gradually faded, Norton felt a chill run down his spine.
"No, no, no, I am not the culprit who brought chaos to Garden of Eden. I have never destroyed any life! On the contrary, I, Norton, am the wisest leader of Garden of Eden, and I have made a great contribution to Garden of Eden with my own blood!"
Countless new races have been born into my bloodline; the vibrant life of Garden of Eden is all thanks to me!
I am good, I am holy, I am the Lord of all things, I have never committed sin!
Feeling the warm sunlight on his body, Norton was drenched in sweat.
He even felt that the warm and bright sunlight had become scorching hot, and the sense of security he had just felt from the sunlight had now turned into a chilling feeling of being watched by God's gaze with nowhere to hide.
This feeling made him feel as if he were being watched nakedly by God, with all the disgusting things he had done exposed to the light of day.
Guilty conscience!
Norton had never felt so guilty as he did at that moment.
Does he not know what despicable things he's done over the years?
Even so, he remained sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, drenched in sweat, stubbornly insisting, "It's nothing more than a necessary sacrifice! All my past actions were necessary sacrifices to make Garden of Eden more prosperous!"
Without me, Garden of Eden would still be in that dark age, controlled by the Holy Lord Empire!
Without me, countless people in the Holy Empire would be suffering from oppression!
I am the true savior; I have never wreaked havoc on the Garden of Eden!
O God, Shenyin, Jonah, O Kuba, all the gods who can see me, open your eyes and see! I, Norton, am the true faithful servant of this Garden of Garden of Eden!
Abraham, Abraham, obey my will, reform immediately!
I want my Pale God's mercy to manifest throughout the entire Garden of Eden!
I will show God that I, Norton, am the most devout believer in this Garden of Eden!
Norton, in his current state, panicked; he was nearly scared to death even before God had descended.
Despite suffering immense mental anguish, he achieved an excellent outcome.
The Pale God Norton, abandoning his former despicable demeanor, began to make amends, attempting to cover up his past mistakes with benevolent means.
Even as he began calling Abraham, that number one old beast, he was smugly thinking, "If I manage to make the entire Garden of Eden prosperous and thriving, even if the gods were to rise again and God were to descend, seeing the flourishing state of Garden of Eden, he would surely not punish me!"