Sheep Horn Town center.
Church.
The chilly, icy moonlight stread through vine-like window panes, casting mottled, twisted shadows on the floor.
The warm and gentle atmosphere, resembling that of a barn during the day, vanished under the shroud of night, leaving only an eerie silence.
The wall lamps were extinguished; candles that should have been lit rested quietly in the depths of darkness.
Such a vast church, with its only light source being the pale Silver Moon beyond the skylight.
And right in that beam of light, like a spotlight descending from the do, under the silver-white moon glow.
A hunched, frail elderly figure, as he had for over twenty thousand nights before, knelt at the feet of the goddess, offering his devout and humble faith.
Unlike usual, Priest Moen, who always showed himself as ordinary, was particularly solemn on this night, donning a brown-green ceremonial robe he reserved for significant holidays or celebrations.
Gold threads adorned the edges and collar, the silky texture making the moonlight seem like a sheer veil over the priest.
Lowering his head deeply, his pale hair resembled withered frost grass;
His lips moved, reciting prayers, and his coarse, thick farr-like hands clasped before his chest, revealing no rose Holy Emblem of the goddess, but a trace of gorgeous pink instead.
Priest Moen slowly opened his hands, a pink glow lasted briefly in the air, revealing in his palm a crystal-clear, pink Jadestone, inside which a sticky pink mist flowed.
His rough fingers caressed the gem’s surface almost obsessively, the flickering pink light seeming to respond, as if tempting him.
Outside the moonlight, in the depths of shadows.
The towering stone statue of the Agriculture Goddess revealed only a vague outline, with fleeting pink light briefly illuminating Her face.
Still kind and peaceful.
Yet those eyes silently gazing from the darkness, under the shadow’s cover, showed an unspeakable compassion.
Suddenly, as if sensing sothing.
Moen abruptly lifted his head.
His ancient, murky eyes gazed upward, eting the stone statue’s lifeless and fixed eyes.
Devotion remained, but beyond that, it was a mix of fatigue, struggle, disappointnt, resolve, and pain.
After countless days and nights of praying, Moen said nothing, just gazed at the great existence he once pledged everything to.
And "Shang Tiya" wouldn’t bestow divine grace upon such a small, humble clergy mber of the church.
Ti seed frozen.
No idea how long it lasted.
Until suddenly, a loud noise erupted from sowhere in the town outside the church.
Imdiately, the pink Jadestone in Priest Moen’s palm flickered twice as if conveying so ssage.
Only then did he lower his head with a dim and resolute deanor.
A barely audible murmur echoed in the air:
"O great and rciful Mother of All Things... why do you turn away once more..."
Crack—
A sudden, abrupt cracking sound echoed in the church.
Fingers clenched tightly, under the pressure of that fleshy, powerful hand, fine cracks appeared on the gem’s surface.
""Boom-ing!!!"
Brilliant pink light soared skyward, transforming into a dazzling, massive beam, swallowing the moonlight, ascending from the church do into the depths of the clouds.
Only then did it slow down, gathering radiant light that spread outward and descended.
At a seemingly slow pace, yet too fast for any ordinary person to react, in rely a few seconds, it ford a hemispherical light do, encompassing the entire Sheep Horn Town.
Like an upside-down pink glass bowl on a table.
...
...
During dinner, Xia Nan and Margaret speculated about the innkeeper, though lacking tangible evidence. Yet, given the current odd atmosphere in Sheep Horn Town, Horak and others heightened their vigilance, planning a more aggressive defense strategy.
Quietly changing room personnel, taking turns keeping watch, while avoiding leaving Horak alone. Even at night, a professional was left to guard until the caravan replenished and departed the town.
Unexpectedly, on the first night of the plan’s implentation, they had a breakthrough.
Xia Nan, who needed very little sleep, found watching over the first half of the night easy, with no chance of dozing off.
Possibly restricted by the environnt, unable to train in techniques like [Vortex Slash] or [Teeth Hunting], he sat in a chair, practicing [Gravity Control] with coins, which was an effective way to pass the ti.
It was because of this, that his alert mind almost imdiately detected the sound of footsteps, hidden well but conspicuously clear under his perception.
Utilizing stealth skills learned from [Dream Weaving Corridor], not extraordinary but sufficient for ordinary people, he hid in a room’s unnoticed blind spot.
Monts before the innkeeper acted, he suddenly erged, repelling the intruder.
Considering the interrogation that might follow, Xia Nan intentionally spared his life, leaving the innkeeper’s head intact and rely kicked him out of the room.
He believed he controlled the force quite well.
Without aiming to kill, his kick should incapacitate most ordinary people, nearing unconsciousness.
To be safe, he even applied special ans, secretly exerting gravity control on the innkeeper.
User Comments
0 comments from readers