The God of the Flame Hell

Soon, the knight emerged from the church and gestured for him to enter.

"The bishop will see you now."

"Thank you."

Lin Qi placed his hands before his chest, lowered his head, and muttered to himself, This nauseating etiquette... Only then did he walk through the church doors.

According to the church's rules, he was supposed to praise the glory of the God of Source Cards and the bishop in his heart. But Lin Qi would never do such a thing. He was a staunch atheist.

Especially on a continent with such a Western character, the so-called gods were, in his view, powerful beings who had cultivated to the pinnacle at most. He could make them his goals, but they would never be objects of his faith.

As soon as he stepped into the church's main hall, a gigantic sculpture came into view.

Unlike the white stone statues found in ordinary churches, this divine statue had been carved from crimson ore. The patterns across its surface resembled flowing lava and scorching rock, creating a searing visual impact. It was a stunning sight.

"Bishop Xiaoduo," Lin Qi called out.

Bishop Xiaoduo stood beneath the statue, dressed in a robe embroidered with flame patterns. His hands were clasped together as he bowed in worship.

Hearing Lin Qi, he turned to look at him.

"Oh, isn't this little Lin Qi?"

Xiaoduo smiled faintly and beckoned him over.

As a genius from Stone Iron City who had been known as one blessed by the gods since childhood, Lin Qi had naturally been summoned by Xiaoduo before.

But back then, he had sensed no response from the God of Source Cards in Lin Qi, and as time passed, he forgot about the genius.

Only when a card maker appeared in Stone Iron City, and that card maker turned out to be the father of the one once thought blessed by the gods, did Xiaoduo remember him.

"Three-Star Card Master..."

As soon as Lin Qi approached, Xiaoduo saw through the fluctuations of Source Power coming from him.

"Child, I misjudged you back then. You truly are blessed by the gods."

"You jest, Bishop."

Lin Qi smiled calmly and said in an even tone, "I'm just an ordinary Card Master. 'Blessed by the gods' was nothing more than idle gossip the neighbors spread without thinking."

But Xiaoduo shook his head, an expression of "you don't understand yet" on his face.

"From awakening a useless card to advancing to Three-Star Card Master in just one month-only someone blessed by the gods could achieve such speed!"

Lin Qi was somewhat startled. Clearly, he hadn't expected his circumstances to be seen through as soon as he arrived, nor to have an old man staring at him with such fervor.

"Quick, come worship the chief god with me and thank him for the blessing he bestowed upon you."

Without waiting for an answer, Xiaoduo took Lin Qi by the wrist, pulled him in front of the statue, and taught him the posture for worship.

Lin Qi was bewildered the entire time, and worst of all, he couldn't resist.

Although Xiaoduo looked elderly, he was unquestionably the strongest person in Stone Iron City. Even the city lord feared him.

By the time the lengthy worship ended, Lin Qi had noticed the change in Xiaoduo's attitude toward him.

"Child, the master card maker who wandered into Stone Iron City ten years ago must have been following the God of Source Cards' instructions. He came looking for you! But seeing how young you were, he took your father as his disciple so your father could teach you his skills later."

"Huh? Is that so?"

Lin Qi stared wide-eyed, striving to maintain an expression of shock while laughing with delight inside.

Xiaoduo nodded emphatically, his tone utterly devout. "It must be so. You are blessed by the gods. Even though you were born in this small town, your future is bright. For the God of the Flame Hell has already laid out your future for you."

"The God of the Flame Hell? What god is that?"

This time, Lin Qi was genuinely puzzled. He knew about the God of Source Cards, but he really hadn't expected there to be other gods on the Source Card Continent.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you all about it."

Xiaoduo kept Lin Qi there and told him many stories about people blessed by the gods.

Every protagonist in those stories had become a prominent figure on the Source Card Continent.

"On the Source Card Continent, there is one empire and three kingdoms. The founding rulers of these four empires were all blessed by the gods. After they achieved fame and success, they each established a church for their respective gods in their own countries.

"The Holy Empire has the Holy Light Church. They worship the God of Holy Radiance, whose light is regarded as a symbol of hope and salvation, capable of dispelling all darkness and evil in the world.

"In the Winter Kingdom's Ice Church, they revere the Goddess of Frost Radiance. She governs winter and ice and snow, giving the kingdom its austere and resilient character.

"The Hundred Beasts Kingdom holds the Beast God of All Spirits in awe. He is regarded as the ruler of all living creatures, protecting every beastman in the kingdom and granting them the ability to survive and reproduce.

"And where our Lava Church is located, the people worship the God of the Flame Hell. This deity governs flames and lava. His power brings fiery destruction, but also holds the potential for new life."

Lin Qi listened in astonishment. Only now did he learn how complicated the Source Card Continent's religious system was, deepening his understanding of this world.

A question suddenly occurred to him, and he hurriedly asked, "Since there are so many gods, why does everyone call them all the God of Source Cards when they worship?"

Xiaoduo smiled faintly and explained:

"Only devout believers may worship a god by their true name. Ordinary believers pray to the gods to help them obtain benefits. When they do so, they fear the gods will blame them, but they also hope to get lucky. Thinking that, with so many gods, perhaps one of them can grant their wishes, they use the name God of Source Cards for them all."

"I see..."

Lin Qi suddenly felt as though a veil had been lifted, and his understanding of the Source Card Continent grew deeper still.

"Child, can you tell me what your Natal Card is?"

Xiaoduo finally asked the question that intrigued him most.

He knew Lin Qi's Natal Card was a useless card, a single bone. But just how could a bone transform enough to turn someone from a Trainee Card Apprentice into a Three-Star Card Master in one month?

"Well..."

Lin Qi hesitated. To this day, no second person had ever seen his Natal Card.

Oh, no, that wasn't right.

Wang Meng had seen it, but he was dead.

"Child, you are blessed by the gods. As a bishop of the church, I would never hurt you. You can trust me completely."

Xiaoduo's aged face was full of sincerity, as if pleading for Lin Qi to believe him.

Lin Qi pondered for a moment. If I refuse outright and this little old man attacks me in anger and humiliation, the consequences would be unthinkable.

After weighing the pros and cons, he finally nodded. "All right."

"Summon, Hellfire Skeleton!"

Lin Qi took out his Natal Card. The instant he activated it with Source Power, a blazing figure suddenly appeared in the center of the church. The skeletal knight wore flaming battle armor, and its greatsword radiated waves of scorching heat that warped the air around it.

"Th-this is..."

Xiaoduo had been nonchalant before, as composed as though everything were under his control.

But the moment the Hellfire Skeleton appeared, he sprang to his feet, trembling all over with excitement.

Xiaoduo walked unsteadily over to the Hellfire Skeleton and circled the flaming skeleton again and again, his gaze full of fervor.

Seeing him reach out to touch the flames on the Hellfire Skeleton, Lin Qi couldn't help warning him, "Bishop, be careful..."

But Xiaoduo seemed unable to feel the burning pain. As his fingertips brushed the flames, an expression of enjoyment appeared on his face.

He slowly turned around, and the way he looked at Lin Qi had completely changed.

"Child, you are not one blessed by the gods."

"What?"

Lin Qi's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and alarm bells rang in his head.

He was afraid Xiaoduo would say the next moment, "You're not blessed by the gods. You're not worthy of possessing such a powerful Natal Card. You'd better hand him over to me."

Yet Xiaoduo's next words left him utterly stunned.

"I have worshipped the God of the Flame Hell all my life, but I never expected to meet a Messenger of God in my lifetime."

A Messenger of God?

Hearing the term, Lin Qi was taken aback at first, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, sounds like he still considers me one of his own.