Master Ye's adventures in modification and Silver Wolf's hack-and-slash game came to an end. There would be no more Fragmentum Monsters in the restricted zone for a while.
Everyone was happy. Silver Wolf had experienced the power of [Preservation]'s amber hammer in her real-world game, and, still not having had her fill, hurriedly opened a portal and left.
If she wanted to stay in Belobog, Ye Yan would have to book another room for her. Too much trouble.
Silver Wolf had enjoyed herself, but he still had unfinished business. Improving the Silvermane Guards' weapons was only part of the plan.
Before leaving, Silver Wolf even said jokingly:
"I can sense it. A little farther ahead is the arena for the final boss fight!"
"Too bad my stamina's completely drained. I don't have the energy to explore."
She would explore the area ahead another time!
"Logging off. Bye."
She really envied Ye Yan. He didn't have to worry about sleep at all...
Wait a minute!
It dawned on Silver Wolf. No wonder every PvP match against Ye Yan ended in her crushing defeat. Even setting aside his blessing of [Eternity], he must have been secretly practicing behind her back in his spare time!
This Aeon of [Eternity] was far too awful, giving neither His Emanators nor His Pathstriders any time to rest.
Silver Wolf muttered under her breath. In her mind, her favorability toward the Aeon of [Eternity] was almost dropping into the negatives. He was about ready to share a table with Nanook.
Hmm, perhaps she should look at it another way.
Both Yite of [Eternity] and Yaoshi of [Abundance] could grant people immortality, so...
Why couldn't Lan of [The Hunt] shoot an arrow at Him too?! She really hoped His Path could broaden a little. Perhaps someday Silver Wolf would get to see it happen.
After watching Silver Wolf leave, Ye Yan turned and headed to Everwinter Hill. Looking at the still-dormant Engine of Creation, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
The sooner he finished his business, the sooner he could clock out. Tomorrow would be another wonderful day!
Underworld, Boulder Town
"Heh, it's only been a day... why'd you come back looking so miserable? Don't tell me the Silvermane Guards beat you up."
"Miss Seele, please don't give old Sampo a hard time. Every trade has its potential hazards. People in our line of work get hurt the easiest. Luckily, a flash of inspiration let me escape the Guards' prison."
Sampo hung his head. He couldn't stay here too long. He had used a smoke bomb to knock out the Guards on watch, and he had to get back before they woke up to keep them from getting suspicious.
If the Supreme Guardian learned of his prison break, she would have an even better excuse to pin trumped-up charges on them.
In the past, Sampo would certainly have welcomed such a situation. It would give the villain a suitable excuse to frame the protagonists.
Things were different now... if he really did that and Ye Yan found out, Sampo's role would go from supporting character to protagonist. Who knew what he would do?
With the Church that insane, how could the Aeon they worshipped be anything good?
It wasn't right to judge others through a biased lens. Sampo knew that.
But that was a goddamn Aeon. Was that the same thing?
Never mind His Church. Just hanging around with the god of Elation... was enough to prove He wasn't any sort of respectable Aeon.
Speaking of which, Sampo had to bring up what had happened to him and Silver Wolf at the Church again.
Having a prison inside a church was already absurd, but hold on. Something even more absurd was coming.
The golden-haired High Seat Blake was speaking with another cleric.
"Mr. Blake, thank you for being willing to hear me out."
"Not at all, devout cleric Lante. Speak freely of your troubles. The supreme and exalted Yite of [Eternity] will forgive all."
With that, Blake took out a stone carving shaped like a bar of soap and placed it before Lansi.
"There is no need to trouble Lord Yite over such a small matter. Tell me... hmm, Fulisi'na should have been handling this, but she went out to play under the pretext of spreading our teachings."
She was actually the Church's highest authority. His own position was that of an assistant.
Since she hardly ever attended to anything, Blake had already usurped her position.
"What a joke. Someone actually uses soap to represent himself!" Silver Wolf sneered. Now she had another reason to mock him later.
"Uh, how about we talk somewhere else?"
Sampo and Silver Wolf were hiding behind a pew. If anyone else entered the church, they would be discovered.
The viewpoint shifted to cleric Lante, who sat earnestly before Blake and began to speak.
"Please hear my prayers and show me the way forward!"
"Mm, I'm listening."
Silver Wolf and Sampo immediately took out listening devices and began listening intently.
"You know that my heart's devotion is beyond question... but, but! A few days ago, I traveled to the Abundance star domain and saw people who followed the Lord of Abundance.
"The Denizens of Abundance created paintings and poetry for their beloved deity, spreading praise of Their universal love and compassion among the stars."
"After seeing that painting, my heart was terribly conflicted... especially those two peaks towering into the clouds. I felt as though I'd found the Idrila of my heart..." Cleric Lante's gaze grew heated, his eyes radiating endless light.
"Huh? Looking at Yaoshi of [Abundance] made him think of the Aeon of [Beauty]? What kind of bizarre thought process is that?"
Silver Wolf had heard Yaoshi's stories too:
In worlds blessed by Them, rivers, lakes, and seas never ran dry. Flowers, trees, birds, and beasts were unfettered by cruel time, freely blossoming with the vitality of life.
In worlds blessed by Them, thousands upon thousands of years passed in a glance. Mortals no longer feared aging or death, leisurely enjoying life's pleasures and familial happiness.
The Merciful Medicus was compassionate, but how did that have anything to do with Idrila... he was lusting after Their beauty!
Silver Wolf's gaze gradually filled with disdain. How was this guy three-timing them?!
He professed faith in [Eternity], yet was attracted by a portrait of [Abundance], while his mind turned to [Beauty].
Cleric Lante fell to his knees. "Oh no! That was the devil's portrait! High Seat, please forgive this deeply sinful man, tempted by another Aeon!"
"Raise your head, cleric."
Blake helped Lante up as he pounded the floor. He had just finished cleaning, so he had better not dirty it.
"It's all right. God will forgive everything. You must cherish yourself and cherish the world... come, recite our first tenet."
Looking at Blake's loving smile, he couldn't stop the tears from spilling from the corners of his eyes.
"The teachings of the Church of Eternity... permit everything."
"That's right. Even if you accomplish nothing; even if you're lazy and gluttonous; even if you fancy inorganic life or the Swarm, as long as you don't like the Aeon of [Destruction] or the Antimatter Legion..."
"As long as you have love and commit no crimes, He will forgive it all."
Seeing how sincere High Seat Blake was, cleric Lante could no longer hold himself together. Tears streamed down his aged face as he sobbed, dripping tears and snot.
"The universe is in turmoil, and we are merely pawns in the confrontations between gods. Only He! The holy Lord of Eternity! Has saved us from dire peril time and again. Come, let us once more express our highest reverence for Him!"
"All for [Eternity]!" Cleric Lante raised his hands and cheered.
"Devout believer, I shall bestow upon you a holy incantation. If you encounter such a situation again, simply repeat it ceaselessly in your heart."
Blake leaned toward Lante's ear and whispered something. Eavesdropping, Silver Wolf and Sampo couldn't make out the words at all.
Once he finished speaking, cleric Lante's pupils immediately widened. Blake patted him on the shoulder.
"May you no longer suffer temptation, devout believer."
"So the Denizens of Abundance added some extra embellishments... oh, oh! I feel clearheaded all of a sudden. What a miraculous incantation. Thank you!"
"Very good. Remember to recite it silently a few more times before bed. May you enjoy sweet dreams tonight."
"Oooooooh!"
Silver Wolf, Sampo: ...
The silence was deafening.
"A bunch of lunatics."
Silver Wolf knitted her brows. They were all followers of [Eternity], so why was Ye Yan so different from these people?!