Su Cheng almost choked. "...That is not necessary. I was just joking, you do not need to be so serious."
She had been pondering the pros and cons of joining the Church. After weighing her options, she decided she wanted to maintain her current status for the time being.
"The God of Light is a benevolent deity who blesses the world and graces all creation, and I am filled with the utmost reverence..."
Although she was the main villain in the original novel, at this current stage, the God of Light was playing exactly this role.
Even among the clerics in the Church, very few knew her true face.
Aside from her harsh attitude towards the faith of the God of Darkness, in all other aspects, she was a loving and kind deity.
And this was not a contradiction.
The Church of the God of Light might not be purely flawless, but among the many sects worshipping the God of Darkness and his subordinate deities, there were indeed many appalling atrocities.
Various bloody and cruel rituals caused countless people to self-mutilate, commit suicide, or descend into madness, easily turning entire villages or even entire cities into sacrifices.
Therefore, the more the God of Light cracked down on the forces of the God of Darkness, the more it showed how she cherished human lives.
Su Cheng tried her best to organize her words. "But my plan for the future is to devote myself to studying magic. I might not have the energy to do anything else..."
This was a polite refusal.
The Church's methods of purging heretics were severe, but they truly would not force anyone to join.
According to the rules passed down for thousands of years, if a believer wanted to become a cleric, they had to undergo the Baptism of Holy Light.
This ritual was a test of sincerity. If it did not come from the heart, one simply could not pass.
Admittedly, there were some spies who managed to sneak through via self-hypnosis and other methods, but that was another matter entirely.
"I understand," the Archbishop nodded. "Then there is the second matter. I was going to say, if you are interested, you can go to the Holy City to learn how to use the power of the deities as a God's Favored..."
Su Cheng: "!"
"...The Seven Gods of Glory select Favored ones every year. If a suitable candidate appears, they are summoned to the Holy City for training. The Favored of other deities can also participate together."
Su Cheng understood.
There were many ways for a God's Favored to use the power of a deity, and in principle, they had to comprehend and unearth it on their own.
However, with thousands of years of heritage, the Church had likely long summarized various methods to allow people to master the corresponding powers more quickly, using them for combat or various dangerous environments.
It was just that some major gods might not even select a single Favored in several years.
But the Seven Gods of Glory were different. They were originally the enforcers of the God of Light. Selecting Favored in the mortal realm was probably a fixed task for them, akin to regularly supplying combat power to the Church.
Judging from the Archbishop's words, the selection ceremony was likely held every year, but true God's Favored might not be chosen every year.
...Facts had already proven that the target themselves had to exhibit certain traits, otherwise, the deities could not choose them even if they wanted to.
But regardless, the Church had also set up relevant courses, opening them to those who became Favored.
A training class exclusively for the God's Favored!
Su Cheng became interested again.
The power of a God's Favored obviously had many uses, otherwise, the Church would not go so far as to specifically open classes to teach it.
Just like the previous examiner had said, the Favored of the God of Contracts could bless certain pieces of paper.
Obviously, even if other people obtained this kind of paper and wrote treaty clauses on it, it would produce a restrictive effect imbued with divine power.
Su Cheng could not help but feel tempted.
She just did not know how to cast this kind of "blessing."
Su Cheng: "...Is this training class only for internal personnel of the Church?"
The Archbishop looked at her with a hint of teasing in his eyes. "I thought you wanted to focus on studying magic."
Su Cheng was left speechless.
That was just an excuse she used because she did not want to join the Church.
Truth be told, the power of a God's Favored was naturally more useful—otherwise, how many years would she have to cultivate to kill an expert like Elder Li?
It was just that, strictly speaking, she was not the one who did that.
Su Cheng: "...I am just asking. Besides, I am always curious about all kinds of unknown powers."
Zane pondered for a moment. "You know that after becoming a cleric, you can also learn the holy arts of the power of light, right? Or does that happen to fall into the scope of things you are not curious about?"
Su Cheng was speechless again.
"Apologies," he did not wait for her answer, and continued gently, "It was just a joke."
Su Cheng: "?"
Who would believe that!
You are just mocking me!
However, the other party still maintained a gentle and innocent appearance, making it hard for her to retort. "...You really have a way with words."
On second thought, she found it a bit strange.
Archbishops were all promoted from bishops. They had all preached and bestowed blessings upon commoners, spreading the gospel of the God of Light. This was done both to expand the Church's influence and to recruit more believers; this was one of their job duties.
Regardless of their personalities, these people could all put on a gentle, kind, and approachable facade on the surface.
Otherwise, how would they look like the spokespersons of a merciful Lord?
Logically speaking, unless he wanted to interrogate her or force her to join the Church, there was no need to mock her like this and make her feel awkward.
Since it was something everyone tacitly understood, wouldn't it be better to just gloss over it? Why expose it?
This kind of wicked sense of humor did not seem to fit his character setting.
Su Cheng faintly sensed a bit of dissonance, but before she had time to think deeply about it, the other party spoke again.
"I almost forgot to answer your question," the Archbishop said as if realizing it late. "If you want to know whether that course is only open to internal personnel of the Church, it is not. As long as they are recommended God's Favored, they can participate."
Su Cheng blinked. "Except for the God's Favored on the side of the God of Darkness, can everyone else be recommended?"
Zane looked at her with a smile. "They are naturally the first to be excluded. Secondly, they must also be trustworthy individuals to obtain a recommendation letter."
"So I am trustworthy?"
Su Cheng said somewhat uncertainly.
"Yes," Zane said as a matter of course. "The fact that you offered up your family heirloom simply because you suspected it was tainted with heretical power is enough to show your loyalty. What's more, not everyone can refuse the invitation of the God of Lust in that kind of situation. Therefore, I am willing to write you a recommendation letter. When summer comes, you can use it to go to the Holy City and participate in the studies."
Su Cheng: "..."
He actually knew!
At that time, there were so many spectators around the prayer room, and they only knew that the God of Purity had appeared, but no one knew that the God of Lust had come.
She could not help but recall the original novel.
After Lin Yun became the Favored of the God of Lust, someone had told him that when using divine power, he must try his best to stay away from the Church's temples.
Especially the temples in major cities and even the imperial capital.
Because the Archbishops or Paladin Commanders stationed there had a certain probability of being God's Favored.
And rather powerful God's Favored at that—there was naturally a distinction between strong and weak within this group, and some people could even sense the aura of other deities descending from far away.
"Oh," Su Cheng suddenly realized. "At the moment I became a God's Favored, you also sensed the presence of those two major deities? So that is how you were able to confirm my identity?"
"That is part of the reason," Zane did not hide anything. "Actually, I could only determine a general range. However, inferring from the various events that happened later, I believed it must be you, not to mention you have used the power of a deity more than once."
As long as they found the intersection of a few locations, it would be much easier to figure out who she was.
Su Cheng completely understood.
Lin Yun used the deity's power to seduce others into bed. If one were to look closely, the commotion Su Cheng caused was actually much bigger.
"May I ask, Your Grace, besides you, His Holiness the Pope, and your mentor, does anyone else know about the bracelet being sent into the Divine Realm?"
"Yes," Zane did not seem surprised by her question. "Lord Ling Yang also knows. I believe you met last night."
Su Cheng rubbed her forehead.
No wonder!
That Dragon Knight gentleman had deliberately let her off the hook. He probably already knew she had been in contact with a demon but didn't look into it too deeply, perhaps because of this.
As long as the God of Purity didn't explicitly state that she must be killed upon being discovered interacting with heretics, the people below might interpret it as the exact opposite.
After all, his previous words seemed more like absolving her, explaining why heretics would seek her out, especially since he even praised her.
Looking at it now, that succubus might not have been an important character. The reason Ling Yang came in person was probably mainly to see her.
Chasing a fugitive might have just been an excuse.
Various thoughts rolled through Su Cheng's mind. "May I ask you a few questions?"
Zane nodded slightly. "Please do."
Such an opportunity was rare, and Su Cheng couldn't care less about anything else.
She had to figure out a way to deal with the God of Contracts; after all, that guy could propose some life-threatening deal at any moment.
Su Cheng took a deep breath. "Have you ever entered a state where He reads part of your memory, knows what you have experienced, and knows what situation you are facing? Or where He is 'watching' you, witnessing what you are currently doing?"
"I have," the Archbishop nodded elegantly. "But please forgive me for not being able to tell you the specific details."
"No, no, no, I won't ask about that," Su Cheng quickly waved her hand. "I just want to know, in that state, my reactions are very slow, and my head feels dizzy like a fool. Is this a common situation, or is it just my problem? Is there any way to fix it?"
Was everyone like this? Or did the deity deliberately not want her to be clear-headed?
Su Cheng wasn't sure if the Archbishop could understand what she meant.
"It's not surprising," Zane pondered for a moment. "If there is no medium like a divine statue, communicating directly with a deity is actually more like establishing a soul link. It can easily cause wear and tear on a human's spirit. Sometimes, deities will even 'speak' in a literal sense, letting you hear their voices, in order to prolong the communication time between you and mitigate the harm to the favored one."
Su Cheng's eyes widened. "Speak? Speak with a mouth? Not just transmitting meaning into your brain? You mean they can actually make you hear them with your ears?"
"Yes, even if they are in the Divine Realm, or other planes, or anywhere very far away from you."
"Wow."
Su Cheng marveled for a moment.
She tried to recall which method the God of Contracts had used. Considering that the guy's manifestation had appeared and it looked like he was really talking, but the moment she heard his voice, her blood boiled and she felt like her brain was going to explode.
"However, for a young person like you, even if the deity intends to ease your burden, you might still feel very uncomfortable. What kind of spiritual power exercises do you usually do?"
"Meditation," Su Cheng coughed lightly. "Perceiving elemental spirits. Well, that's just a method of meditation."
Zane smiled faintly. "The daily routine of an elemental mage?"
"...Yes."
Elemental mages needed to train their spiritual power because if it was too weak, it would affect their ability to sense elemental spirits.
But as long as they met the standard, it was enough. Once past that baseline, no matter how strong their spiritual power became, it wouldn't improve their overall strength much.
Of course, as their rank changed, this standard would also increase.
"Your current spiritual power strength is more than enough to perceive elemental spirits and use elemental magic, but if you want to communicate with deities, it might be a bit lacking."
The Archbishop explained patiently, "If you want to improve your current situation, you can do some related exercises. I can recommend someone. In fact, there are professionals here at the temple who can give you more advice."
Su Cheng was also willing to chat with these people, so she quickly thanked him upon hearing this.
Before they could say a few more words, footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Two priests hurried over and stopped in front of them.
"Your Grace..."
The priests' eyes darted between her and Zane. They clearly had something to say but didn't want an outsider to hear.
"Please go ahead with your work," Su Cheng said immediately. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."
The Archbishop shook his head slightly. "I was the one who invited you, and I should thank you for not blaming me for my abruptness. How could I neglect you further—"
Su Cheng racked her brains, expressing from various angles that it didn't matter. "Besides, you've helped me more, haven't you?"
"Alright," Zane smiled. "I will be back soon, and we can discuss the contents of the recommendation letter. You can stroll around here for a while, or go sit in the garden."
After saying that, he followed the priest away.
Just as the two reached the corner, a group of clerics poured out from that side. They had obviously been waiting for a long time, and the crowd escorted the Archbishop away.
Su Cheng looked at their retreating backs and slowly let out a breath. She organized the various pieces of information in her head, and as she thought about it, she felt a headache coming on again.
She simply started wandering around the temple.
This was already the inner area. Only clerics and special guests could enter, and the occasional priests and knights passing by were all in a hurry.
One side of the corridor was lined with tall pointed arch windows. The stained glass had vibrant patterns, predominantly in warm gold, crimson, and amber tones, making the sunlight shining through look magnificent.
The gilded bronze wall lamps also emitted a soft halo. Stone flower troughs were embedded along the walls, where golden-leafed dwarf shrubs grew lushly and vibrantly.
This quiet and peaceful scene inexplicably relaxed her a bit.
Su Cheng walked for a while, passed through two corridors, and suddenly heard a faint rumbling sound.
Turning her head to look, she saw someone pushing a small cart coming from a nearby corner, preparing to enter the library opposite.
The handle of the cart was engraved with the Holy Light emblem of the Church, and on the top tier were some silver-plated dining plates covered with crystal cloches.
She sniffed and smelled an enticing aroma.
"My lady," the cleric pushing the cart smiled at her. "I am responsible for delivering meals to the lords in the laboratories and small library on the first floor of the West Wing. Would you like something to eat?"
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "I don't work here, is that okay?"
"Of course. No matter which lord invited you here, the fact that you can appear here means that even if you requested a banquet, it would be permitted, let alone these."
The cleric gestured to her as he spoke.
Su Cheng was actually quite hungry, so she silently took a large plate.
The main dish was a honey-glazed roast chicken leg, marinated in olive oil and rosemary. The meat was tender and gave off a rich, savory aroma.
The bones had already been removed, and the meat was cut into bite-sized pieces with a dainty silver fork stuck into them, making it incredibly convenient to eat.
On the side of the plate sat cabbage, mashed beans, and flatbread.
There was plenty of other food on the dining cart as well. The Holy Church was wealthy and certainly did not skimp in this regard, offering a rich variety of dishes.
And everything looked absolutely delicious.
But this plate was already huge enough, Su Cheng thought to herself. ...Thank you.
You are too kind.
The cleric pushed the cart into the library.
Su Cheng had also grabbed a glass of fruit juice. Finding nowhere to sit around her, she simply followed him into the library, figuring there must be tables inside.
A warm breeze carrying the scent of old parchment washed over her face.
They called it a small library, but it was not small in the slightest.
The central rotunda featured a soaring vaulted ceiling, revealing a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The evening glow filtering through the skylight diffused in the air, slowly sweeping across a forest of bookshelves and dancing dust motes.
The tall, black walnut bookshelves were packed to the brim. Every row was equipped with a wheeled brass ladder, and every three rows of shelves shared a long reading table.
...And every seat was taken.
With various books and scrolls spread out before them, everyone looked incredibly busy.
The cleric delivering the meals gently placed the plates beside them. The scholars remained immersed in their research; only a few murmured their thanks, and none bothered to look up.
Su Cheng noticed that the dish given to each person was different.
It seemed he remembered everyone's personal preferences.
She walked for quite a while without finding an empty table and began considering eating in the garden outside, having just passed one on her way here.
But it was a bit too far away.
Su Cheng finally reached the very end of the library and spotted the only empty table tucked away in a corner.
She ate her dinner in silence, feeling inexplicably as though she were sneaking a meal.
...The Churchs chefs were simply too good!
Staring at her empty plate, Su Cheng opened the glass of iced citrus nectar. After just one sip, she began to seriously reconsider the idea of joining the Church.
This sweetness! This texture!
Blood orange and lemon were mixed with some kind of syrup. A cool, refreshing sweetness bloomed on the tip of her tongue and slid all the way down to her stomach.
Light footsteps sounded from behind the bookshelf.
Submerged in the deliciousness, Su Cheng did not pay much attention at first.
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone walking over.
The person slowly stepped to her side of the bookshelf, standing in profile to her. Their curly hair was tied up in a high ponytail that cascaded down to their lower back, looking like a fluffy, golden cirrus cloud.
She could not help but take a look.
In the candlelight of the wall lamps, those strands of hair looked like the morning light floating in a spring stream, or golden threads spun from the dawn, rippling with a cold yet magnificent, shattered radiance.
Then, Su Cheng got a clear look at the persons face.
Su Cheng: ?!
She choked and spilled the juice all down her neck.
