An Alliance with the Goddess

Fina was feeling very unwell at that moment.

The holy light was almost pushing her into a semi-conscious state. After all, vampires are a race of darkness, and even an ordinary person would feel uncomfortable after being exposed to light for so long, let alone vampires who are most sensitive to light. In addition, this was not ordinary sunlight, but light mixed with holy power. The protection given by Angela was almost useless against it. If Angela had not told Fina Lilin through the telepathic link that she would come to rescue him, Fina would probably have already given in.

"Just a little longer... just a little longer..."

While forcing herself to recall the complex magical formulas to distract herself from the pain brought by the holy light above her head, she desperately tried to stay conscious. Although Fina didn't know what would happen if she lost consciousness, a deep intuition told her that if she gave up completely now and lost her original consciousness, she might never wake up again.

As Fina stared at the ground, diligently reciting the spell incantation, she suddenly sensed a strange presence in front of her. Fina looked up in surprise and saw it was her friend, the young priest.

"It's you? What are you doing here?"

Fina asked in surprise. With her Vampire Species keen senses, how could she not have noticed the girl's arrival? She could even clearly sense the breathing of the holy knight guarding her outside the door, yet she hadn't detected this girl's presence. She hadn't simply opened the door and walked in; so, how had she gotten here?

However, Fina didn't ask any further questions. Although she understood that it was perfectly normal for a priest to react that way when encountering an undead creature, Fina still couldn't easily forgive her. After all, they had been study partners, friends, and companions... No matter what...

Seeing Fina's changing expression, the girl's face darkened slightly, but she said nothing. Instead, she softly chanted an incantation and casually drew a vertical line in the air.

This isn't a divine spell from the God of Justice?!

Realizing that the girl was chanting a spell that wasn't one she had ever learned, Fina looked up in surprise, staring at the priest in confusion. But what happened next made her eyes widen in astonishment: Li Lin and Mina emerged from the gap in the air and nodded at her.

"Master, sister? You...?"

"Keep your voice down, we finally managed to block the detection here."

Li Lin raised his hand, signaling Fina to remain silent. He then turned to Mina and made a gesture. Mina quickly stepped forward, her gaze fixed worriedly on Fina's pale face. Her hand then rested on the hilt of her sword. With two soft clicks, the chains binding Fina, blessed by the divine light, were instantly severed. Fina hurriedly took two steps forward, moving out of the area illuminated by the holy light. She stood beside Mina, tightly embracing her arm. Back in the familiar darkness, Fina immediately felt much better. Her consciousness gradually returned. Only now did the poor little Vampire Species and magic apprentice have time to observe and assess her current situation.

Now that their master had appeared, they were presumably safe. In fact, Fina had felt relieved upon seeing Li Lin. During her time with Li Lin, Fina had greatly admired her nominal master. After all, he had always been gentle during his lessons, and although he turned a blind eye to Angela's actions, he still cared for Fina. She understood that Li Lin wasn't the type to do anything reckless. If it were Angela, Fina would probably have to be prepared to fight her way back through the entire Temple.

But... why would the master be with her...?

Before Fina could think any further, Li Lin had already turned to the young female priest beside him.

"Angela has completed the task you requested."

Gazing at the girl, Li Lin spoke—or rather, gazing at the starlight in the girl's eyes that was no ordinary mortal.

"Now it's your turn to step in."

"..."

The girl didn't speak, but nodded slightly and then extended her right hand.

"The alliance is established."

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Lin grasped the other's soft, small hand. Instantly, a faint light flashed, then vanished into nothingness. After the girl withdrew her hand, she remained silent as usual, but her originally fair complexion was slightly flushed. Soon, the girl began to reach out and take off her priest's robe.

"Miss, excuse me, please wait a moment..."

Li Lin had no choice but to stop the other person's actions, and he shook his head with a wry smile.

"You must have been misled by the others. This isn't the era of the Magic Empire, and we don't have the leisure to enjoy such pleasures..."

"I don't care."

Of course, doing such things in his god's Temple without being discovered by anyone is also a kind of "secret," so you naturally don't care. After all, it's not your physical body that's being defiled... Li Lin began to consider whether he should change his approach. In any case, he never intended to make this kind of thing his trademark. After all, in the past, because there were thirteen Arcane Mage, it was okay for Li Lin to indulge himself occasionally, just like how some Arcane Mage were greedy, some were fond of alcohol, and some were lecherous. But now, times have changed. He is the only Arcane Mage left, which means that Li Lin now represents the image of the entire Arcane Mage and can no longer be as casual as before.

"Besides, your follower is also a friend of my student, and I don't want to do this in front of her."

Li Lin's words finally drew the girl's attention away from Fina.

"You..."

Only now did Fina finally realize that her friend was different from before. The starlight hidden deep in her eyes seemed to carry immense pressure, even making Fina pause involuntarily.

"However, a deposit still needs to be paid; that's the rule... um..."

At this point, Li Lin noticed Fina's pale face and couldn't help but smile slightly. Then he looked back at the Goddess of Secrets and asked.

"I imagine your follower must still be a virgin."

That's for sure.

With the help of the Goddess of Secrets, entering and leaving the Temple became much easier. Li Lin didn't want to expose himself so quickly, given how much the Temple valued Fina; if they discovered her disappearance, a large-scale search would be inevitable. Therefore, while Fina absorbed the blood of her friend to replenish her lost power, Li Lin created a simulacrum based on Fina. This way, unless one was a powerful mage, it was unlikely to see through the illusion. The simulacrum, imbued with a false life, would also exhibit some normal reactions to the outside world. Although it would automatically turn to dust and disappear after a while, by then, Li Lin and his companions would have already left the city, and naturally, they wouldn't need to worry about the Temple's search.

After leaving the Temple and returning to the night and moonlight, Fina finally returned to her normal self.

"We should go back."

After casting a detection spell to confirm that no one in the Temple had discovered this "switcheroo," Li Lin spoke. However, Fina hesitated and raised her head, as if she wanted to ask something.

"Um... Master?"

"Um?"

"You... used to do that kind of thing with goddesses often... I mean..."

I knew she was going to ask that.

Faced with Fina's question, Li Lin shook his head helplessly. Li Lin had seen Fina's surprised expression when the Goddess of Secrets offered herself in the Temple; how could he not understand the little one's thoughts?

"I want to clarify that this is not a decision made by me alone."

Li Lin decided to clear his name from now on, to avoid being seen as a womanizer who would seduce anyone. He wasn't a follower of God of Love who liked to spend all his time messing around. Although goddesses were half-rules, half-personal beings, that half-personality couldn't be ignored. Feelings existed for them too. Li Lin had read fantasy novels on Earth about goddesses of magic who would frequently descend to the mortal realm to have affairs with mages they admired, leaving behind children everywhere. Although there were no goddesses of magic here, what these goddesses did was not much different. One-night stands were something Angela, living on Earth, could easily accept. But for these sisters, it might still be too difficult.

"But..."

Fina clearly still couldn't accept Li Lin's explanation.

"Even so, what about those girls themselves? Are they willing...?"

"This is why devout believers dedicate both their bodies and souls to the divine."

"Lord and the Bookman, so what should we do next?"

Mina clearly didn't care about these issues as much as Fina did.

"Go back to the hotel and rest, Fina. Don't go out these next few days. I'll figure out a way to keep you hidden. Luckily, with that goddess's help, it shouldn't be too difficult."

As Li Lin issued the orders, he simultaneously considered the next course of action in his mind.

Hopefully, that businessman can finish what he's doing soon.