Su Cheng looked at him with a dark face for a few seconds. "I don't really want to talk to you right now."
Some terrible memories subconsciously welled up in her mind.
...Actually, it wasn't too bad.
After all, he hadn't gone against her, nor had they crossed swords; they just had a conversation.
Logically speaking, there wasn't much wrong with his behavior at the time. After all, that place was close to the High Court, and she had used illusions.
It was already good enough that he hadn't fought her.
It was just that, for some unknown reason, she felt a little upset.
It would have been fine if she couldn't see him, but now that they met, that feeling surged up again.
Ian was silent for a moment. "I apologize, if it's because of what happened in the Echoing Plane."
"That wasn't the real you," Su Cheng crossed her arms. "You don't need to apologize for something you didn't do—"
"If it helps alleviate the current situation," the blond young man said slowly and methodically, "I don't mind apologizing, even though I also feel I did nothing wrong."
Su Cheng took a deep breath. "...Do you know what happened in there?"
"I can only say that everyone you met in the Echoing Plane, as long as they are currently alive, or more strictly speaking, existing in any form—"
Ian explained patiently, "Can receive those 'memories', and even merge with them, if they want to."
Su Cheng felt a little creeped out hearing this. "Merge? After merging, the things that happened in the Echoing Plane will become somewhat like their own memories?"
"Memories are not inscriptions carved in steel. Unlike mortals, deities can use their own power to keep them permanently clear, or make them fade and blur, or add something else according to their own wishes."
Su Cheng looked at him thoughtfully. "...I've heard something similar."
After saying that, she regretted it a little.
Because the person who last expressed their views on memories seemed to be the God of Illusions, a heretical false god in the eyes of the Holy Church.
Ian didn't press the matter. "Many people hold this view because it is the truth."
"However," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "Many people participate in the trials. Everyone has a different personality, makes different choices, and creates different stories—"
"Theoretically, yes," Ian raised an eyebrow. "But you know that some people might die after going in before they even encounter a deity."
Su Cheng: "...Ah?"
He pondered for a moment. "After all, the participants have different levels of strength and luck. But actually, they don't necessarily have to interact with the deity themselves. As long as they show the required traits, they can still be chosen."
Su Cheng narrowed her eyes at him. "You seemed to have said before that you didn't know much about the Divine Grace Trial—"
"That was also the truth," Ian met her gaze without any guilt. "I have no interest in such things, but after you said you were going to participate, I looked into it."
Su Cheng looked at him silently for a while. "Why exactly did I meet you in there?"
"Perhaps it was because of that holy relic," Ian sighed softly. "I didn't deliberately... make you meet me, or stop you from doing so."
He said calmly, "I prefer to let nature take its course, letting fate and probability decide. Although I knew that if we did meet, it likely wouldn't lead to a very beautiful outcome."
"Is that so?" Su Cheng said grumpily. "Don't tell me, I actually quite liked the series of events that happened after that, even though none of it had anything to do with you."
Ian looked at her calmly. "Then why are you angry now?"
"Because," Su Cheng forced a smile, "you are obviously a god, yet you pretended to be a cleric."
"Oh," he said as if suddenly understanding, "You feel uncomfortable because of this concealment, not because the me in the Echoing Plane was cold to you?"
Su Cheng stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "You know what, I still want to take a good tour around the Holy City."
After saying that, she turned and walked away.
Judging from all the signs, this guy's appearance in there was no accident. So ever since she woke up in the Shadow Forest, she had pretty much guessed it.
The deities in the Divine Realm, especially those in the God of Light's faction, numbered in the triple digits at least.
There were dozens of major and minor gods combined, along with many demigods who lacked divine status and were merely granted power.
Moreover—
According to the typical tropes of the original novel, basically everyone who interacted with the protagonist had some extraordinary identity.
Even they themselves might be in a state of amnesia, suddenly awakening one day to remember that they were originally a certain god.
Similar situations were too numerous to count.
Of course, there were also those who hadn't lost their memories but, for some reason, had to disguise themselves as humans or take on other identities while moving around the Northern and Southern Continents.
Su Cheng had long been mentally prepared for something like this.
"I can accompany you."
A large shadow suddenly fell beside her, almost completely covering her figure.
Ian stood up and walked to her side. "If you want to stroll around here, I'm quite familiar with this place."
Su Cheng did not refuse.
"...The aura on me," she suddenly asked. "You've mentioned it several times, so you've always been able to tell who I've been in contact with, right?"
"Not entirely," Ian mused. "Sometimes it's just chaotic."
Su Cheng frowned at him. "You know that I and—"
Ian tilted his head slightly. "No matter which name you spit out, it won't affect our relationship."
"Really," Su Cheng crossed her arms. "It's hard for me to say what our relationship even is."
He paused for a moment, looking slightly confused. "Aren't we in a relationship where we've gone on a date?"
Su Cheng didn't know if he was pretending or being genuine, but based on her understanding of this guy, it was mostly likely the former.
"...Can each deity only see memories related to themselves?"
Su Cheng couldn't help but ask the question she was most curious about. "Or, for example, if you wanted to look, would everything I did in there be seen?"
Ian gave her a calm look. A hint of amusement seemed to float in those deep and quiet golden eyes.
"Theoretically speaking, the answer to this question is yes."
Su Cheng: "..."
To be honest, since it was hard to say how much time she would spend in the Echoing Plane, she had been informed of some relevant rules before entering the Divine Grace Trial.
And neither she nor anyone else would care about their privacy being peeked at, such as bathing or changing clothes in daily life.
First of all, deities weren't that bored. Secondly, the gods of this world were a bunch of non-humans.
Furthermore, in order to gain power, this little matter couldn't even be considered a sacrifice; no one would care about such things.
So that wasn't what she was conflicted about right now.
One moment she was kissing the God of Jealousy, the next she was making out with the God of Purity, and she even had a passionate dance with the God of Darkness.
Anyone who didn't know better would think this was some sort of romance visual novel trial.
"But—"
Ian looked at the girl beside him puffing out her cheeks, and slowly added, "Whether they can see it or not isn't actually up to them, but rather the provider of that memory."
Su Cheng looked at him in confusion. "Do you mean, for example, during the time we met, if you didn't want other deities to see it, then they wouldn't be able to, but if you didn't care, they could?"
The blonde young man nodded elegantly. "Exactly."
Su Cheng hesitated to speak.
Fine.
This made it even more suspenseful.
Su Cheng rubbed her forehead. "Alright, whatever. It's not like I did anything shameful anyway. All my words and actions are just my true self."
Ian smiled silently, the slight irritation in his eyes dissipating a bit. "...Yes, I know."
They walked side by side deeper into the Holy City.
The entirety of Solan was predominantly white, yet it was not a hollow, pure white.
The stone materials, nourished by sunlight and lake water, had undergone special processing to present various shades of white: chalcedony white, mother-of-pearl white, ivory white, cloud white, and moon white. Perhaps individually they all just looked white, but placed together, one could see the subtle differences, thereby building a sense of depth throughout the entire city.
From the towers, temples, library, and the outer residential areas of the clerics, the warm and delicate white stone glowed softly in the morning sun, with the Church's cross and flame ring crest inlaid everywhere.
They passed through wide, straight streets. The crystal windows of the shops on both sides were smooth as mirrors, reflecting the clear sky and clouds.
The verdant green belts were also exceptionally neatly trimmed, with a few magical plants possessing calming effects mixed within.
Going a little deeper, huge arched skywalks appeared overhead, connecting different blocks and functional buildings.
Clerics passed by from time to time.
Some walked straight past without looking sideways, while others gave friendly greetings, though it didn't look like they were greeting acquaintances.
Su Cheng actually wanted to ask Ian more things about himself, but thinking about that experience in the trial just made her inexplicably annoyed.
So she chose to remain silent.
Ian also seemed to have a destination in mind, leading her into a massive, magnificent temple, weaving through the bright and spacious corridors.
The morning light passed through the arched windows, drawing bands of light in the air and illuminating the floating dust. A slender figure turned the corner at the end of the corridor.
He wore a pure white robe with gold trim. The expensive, silky fabric draped beautifully, making him look all the more solemn and elegant.
Su Cheng immediately recognized her old acquaintance. "...Zane?"
The Archbishop looked up and saw them, revealing a hint of surprise, followed by a subtle awkwardness.
But he was very good at adjusting and concealing his emotions, quickly returning to normal. "Someone sent me a message earlier. I guessed it would be you. Congratulations on completing the Divine Grace Trial."
"Thanks," Su Cheng thought for a moment. "By the way, has that study class for the God-favored already started?"
"Yes," Zane smiled gently. "...In the time we haven't seen each other, the speed of your strength's growth is truly astonishing. Perhaps you don't really need to attend the classes anymore."
He then explained, "Except for those who want to participate in the Ceremony of the Holy Crown, what the others are mainly learning is how to summon a divine descent or techniques to have deities bestow power at critical moments. Of course, you can also go and listen to their courses. But if you ask me, your understanding of divine power should already surpass the vast majority of them."
Su Cheng did not refute this.
She was currently carrying some incredible things on her and did not want to expose everything to the Church.
Su Cheng knew she couldn't die now, and the curse wouldn't flare up like before, or rather, it was no longer a curse.
Su Cheng: "Alright, that was just an excuse. I actually just wanted to come in and take a look. I've heard of Solan for a long time."
While they were talking, another person walked over from around the corner.
The man had dark red curly hair, with reddish-brown animal ears perked up on his head. He wore a complex and gorgeous cloak over a crisp, sturdy uniform.
He looked up and saw them.
The red-haired man was obviously quite familiar with Zane, so his gaze swept past the Archbishop's face and first landed on Su Cheng, who was standing in front.
"It's you, miss. Oh, I should call you Your Excellency now. Back when I saw you in Amber City—"
His gaze paused, and his voice came to an abrupt halt.
Su Cheng recognized him too.
The Church had a total of nine legion commanders in the Northern Continent, and one of them was this Lord Ling Yang. On the night she transmigrated, right after sending away the succubus, she had encountered him.
Later, he annihilated the Gauler family and even sent her a letter.
"Anyway—"
Ling Yang's expression became a bit strange, and the animal ears on his head twitched. "I knew you would definitely achieve something, I just didn't expect it to be this fast."
"Thank you," Su Cheng said sincerely. "Thanks to you going easy on me that day. Also, regarding the matter with Count Gauler later, thank you for keeping me in mind and sending me a letter. At the time you said we'd meet again in the imperial capital, but unfortunately we missed each other. How about I treat you to a meal?"
Ling Yang's gaze uncontrollably shifted to her side.
Ling Yang: "..."
Su Cheng watched in shock as his ears flattened backward.
Su Cheng: "......"
