CA – Chapter 77
Chapter 77
On the way back to the Central Church from the Bill Empire, Reese did not take Tang Qiu through a faster and more convenient teleportation array. Instead, they traveled slowly by carriage.
Reese's carriage was ornate and ostentatious on the outside, and luxurious and comfortable on the inside. There was even a light magic array that regulated the temperature set beneath their feet, and precious light gems were tossed casually in the corners. The aura of light inside the carriage was several times denser than outside.
The journey was always tedious. Just a third of the way through, Reese called Tang Qiu into her carriage for company.
Tang Qiu boarded the carriage, clutching a book on light magic. After sitting down, she lowered her head and continued to read.
Reese leaned against the carriage wall, watching Tang Qiu, who sat opposite her. Because the golden-haired priest had her head down, Reese couldn't see those memorably clear and gentle, sky-blue eyes. Her long, slightly curled eyelashes trembled gently as she blinked. Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent, and her rosy lips were pressed together lightly. Occasionally, she would silently mouth a few incantations from the book. Her long, golden hair cascaded over her, making her look both beautiful and holy.
Even in the Central Church, the golden-haired priest's looks were exceptionally outstanding.
And... she was Cambecus's type.
Because he believed the Light Goddess's hair color was gold, representing the light, he was particularly fond of golden-haired clerics.
A flicker of mockery crossed Reese's eyes, but it was hidden by the time she looked up again. She said to Tang Qiu, "Do you know anything about Eden?"
Tang Qiu's hand, which was turning a page, paused. She then looked up, met Reese's gaze, and shook her head slightly. "The Church's books have very few records about Eden."
Aside from recording that Eden was a holy land of the Church, suitable for cultivating the Power of Light, there was no other useful information.
Reese knew better than Tang Qiu what the Church's records said about Eden. She turned her head to look out the window, her expression somewhat indifferent. "Eden wasn't called this in the past, and it wasn't a suitable place for seclusion."
"Eden was originally a river. The Light Goddess left a seed of light in it. Later, after the First Pope established the Church, this river was designated the Holy River."
"The Holy Water of Light comes from here."
Tang Qiu put down her book and asked thoughtfully, "Then why did the Holy River become Eden?"
"The Pope before last established Eden near the Holy River to enhance the believers' Power of Light." Reese seemed reluctant to talk about this, her brow furrowing as she skipped over the question. "I'm telling you this just to let you know that Eden has existed for a long time, and my influence has not yet been able to penetrate it."
The power of the Church, which had once suppressed the dark forces that plagued the entire continent and spread light to every corner, was undeniably formidable. Even though it had weakened now, its position remained unshakable. The Black Witches might be stirring, but they only dared to operate in the shadows.
Within such a vast power structure, the struggles for power and factional conflicts among the upper echelons were all the more intense. This was especially true in the last decade, as the Pope had been in seclusion, praying to the Light Goddess without making an appearance, causing the undercurrents of turmoil in the Central Church to surge even more fiercely.
Otherwise, Reese would never have had the opportunity to climb to her current position.
The bond of the Vampires was their clans; the bond of the Werewolves was their bloodline; the bond of the Elf Race was their Elf Queen. And the bond of the Church... was self-interest.
Pious Light Believers perhaps only existed at the bottom ranks. The faith of the Central Church had likely already shifted to the Pope.
After all, it had been too long since the Light Goddess left this continent, and the Church had been at its peak for too long-so long that even a Red-robed Archbishop had "forgotten" that the Light Goddess's hair was white, not gold, yet clearly remembered all of the Pope's preferences.
"Eden is Cambecus and Gabriel's sphere of influence." Reese glanced at Tang Qiu. Seeing her brow furrow slightly, a curve formed on her red lips, and her tone grew cool. "I hope that when I come to get you, you haven't changed your mind and joined their camp."
Tang Qiu looked up at Reese, her eyes filled with inquiry. After a moment, she replied jokingly, "If they promised me the position of a Red-robed Archbishop, I might consider it."
Reese let out a soft laugh, and the atmosphere in the carriage lightened considerably because of Tang Qiu's joke.
After five days and nights of travel, the carriage finally entered the nation of the Holy See. After dropping Tang Qiu off at Eden, Reese signaled the knight to drive the carriage back to her residence in the capital.
Every Red-robed Archbishop had their own manor in the nation of the Holy See, and they were all situated far apart from one another.
Seeing Eden recede into the distance, Mario couldn't help but tentatively ask Reese, "Archbishop Reese, should we send someone to protect Grace?"
The person inside the carriage remained silent. Mario thought he had overstepped and was about to withdraw from the outer compartment of the carriage when he heard Reese say in a calm voice, "Go arrange for someone to keep an eye on her."
She wanted the golden-haired priest to discover the darkness of the Central Church on her own, but she wasn't yet willing to pull her into that darkness to be mired in the mud with her.
Eden looked like a small version of the Church-this was Tang Qiu's assessment after a cursory glance upon alighting from Reese's carriage.
The pure white architecture highlighted the sanctity of the Church. A statue of the Light Goddess, over three meters tall, stood at the entrance of Eden. Its face was still intentionally left blank, but the ring carved on its finger was more detailed than the statues in other churches, and the staff it held was also different.
The staff held by the Light Goddess statue in the Bill Empire's church had a massive gemstone at its tip, but the staff in the hands of this statue had nothing at its tip, looking more like a tree branch.
As Tang Qiu was looking up at the statue of the Light Goddess, lost in thought, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind her, its tone slightly cold. "Are you Priest Grace from the Bill Empire's church?"
Tang Qiu turned, glanced at the person, and nodded with a smile. She gave an elegant curtsy and said gently, "Good day." She handed over her nameplate.
The other person glanced down at it, then handed the nameplate back, saying coolly, "I am Lisa, the priest responsible for guiding you."
After speaking, she turned and entered Eden. Tang Qiu watched her back, raised an eyebrow, and followed her.
Lisa seemed cold, and in fact, she was very cold. After leading Tang Qiu to her assigned room, she left without saying another word.
Tang Qiu walked around the room, then went to the balcony and opened the window. A vine lifted a white flower to her hand, carrying a faint floral scent. She glanced down at it and reached out to touch the leaves.
Eden truly lived up to its name as a holy land of the Church. The concentration of the light aura was nearly five times that of the church in the Bill Empire. The purity of the light aura was evident from the flowers and plants here, which grew far more luxuriantly than those outside.
The sound of laughter drifted up from below. Tang Qiu looked down and saw several Light Believers in ordinary cleric robes playing near a flowerbed. They were only about seven or eight years old. Tang Qiu even recognized one or two familiar faces among them-Light Believers she had escorted before.
She watched them for a while, then reached up and closed the window. Instead of staying in her room to seize the time to enhance her Power of Light, she opened the door and walked out.
Every time she recalled what Reese had said to her in the carriage, she felt an indescribable sense of oppression. She always felt that Reese must have hidden something from her, and it was definitely about Eden.
What exactly was Reese hiding... A cloud of doubt formed in Tang Qiu's mind. She walked through the corridor and went outside. A young Light Believer ran past her. She glanced sideways at them, then walked in the opposite direction, observing her surroundings as she went.
Eden was vast. Due to the dense light aura, there were a great many flowers and plants. Colorful petals were scattered everywhere on the ground, and green plants climbed the walls.
The rich floral scent became uncomfortable after smelling it for too long. Tang Qiu rubbed her nose and stepped onto a stone bridge, following it to the other side. Beneath the bridge was a crystal-clear river, with delicate petals floating on its surface, creating a dreamlike beauty.
Tang Qiu followed the river to the other side of the stone bridge. Apart from the few young Light Believers she had encountered at the beginning, she hadn't met anyone else. She stood on the bridge, frowning slightly, feeling that this place was not quite what she had imagined.
It was far too deserted. Every year, the churches from various countries would send their talented clerics to the Central Church. The total number wasn't much less than that of the Light Believers. Could they all be diligently cultivating in their rooms?
"Why did you come here?" Lisa's displeased voice came from behind Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu turned to look at her and said with a smile, "I wanted to familiarize myself with the environment."
Lisa glanced at the river under the bridge and said in a low voice, "This is a forbidden area. Don't come here again in the future." She gestured for Tang Qiu to follow her away.
A forbidden area... Tang Qiu's eyes flickered. She swept her gaze over the spot Lisa had just looked at, then followed behind her, asking very naturally, "Priest Lisa, why haven't I seen any other clerics or priests here?"
"They are not here." Lisa pointed in a direction and said coolly, "Eden has two areas. They are on the other side."
Tang Qiu was taken aback. "Is there a difference between these two places?" She had never heard that Eden was divided into two parts.
"The place you are in has a denser light aura. Generally, only exceptionally talented and young Light Believers can come here."
Lisa paused after speaking, then turned her head to glance at Tang Qiu before adding faintly, "It was Archbishop Cambecus's order to transfer you here."
"...Archbishop Cambecus?"
Lisa nodded with a deadpan expression. "Archbishop Cambecus admires you very much." After saying this, she turned her head back.
The smile on Tang Qiu's lips slowly faded, and her brow furrowed imperceptibly. Archbishop Cambecus's order... She remembered how, when she was detained in a cell by the Inquisition, Cambecus had repeatedly sent his personal priest to recruit her.
They had only spoken once in the Church. So, what was it that Cambecus admired about her?
Tang Qiu raised a hand to touch her face, her lowered eyes concealing the cold glint within them. She followed Lisa back to her room. Seeing that Lisa was about to leave after setting down the Holy Water of Light, she spoke up and stopped her.
Lisa looked at her with a frown, her expression questioning.
Tang Qiu held a bottle of Holy Water of Light. Her sky-blue eyes were clear and pure, and her entire demeanor was gentle and approachable. She said softly to Lisa, "I am very moved by Archbishop Cambecus's appreciation. I hope you can help me convey my gratitude to him."
Lisa gave a cold nod, glanced at her one more time, and then turned and left.
Tang Qiu watched her retreating back, the smile on her lips slowly flattening. She toyed with the Holy Water of Light in her hand for a moment, then opened the stopper and lowered her head to sniff it.
Even the Holy Water of Light distributed by the Central Church was different from that of other churches; its aura was much purer.
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