Golden threads of light outlined the shape of a goblet, while purplish-red halos flowed from the corners of her eyes, weaving into plump, luscious grapes.
Following the deity's kiss, scattered specks of shattered light seeped from her skin, quickly condensing into the alluring and bizarrely beautiful mark of a favored one.
The patterns engraved on the goblet's surface were also quietly changing, sometimes appearing as burning fire, sometimes as surging waves, and at other times as a sweet smile.
The contours of that smiling face actually bore quite a resemblance to her own.
Zane watched this scene in silence.
As a favored one himself, and one who had been blessed for a long time, his sensitivity to the aura of a deity was naturally more acute.
However, it was obvious that not everyone was qualified to face that ancient deity...
In other words, the deity simply did not want him to see.
Therefore, he could not witness the descent of the God of Joy with his own eyes, nor could he listen to the deity's voice.
Most people might feel a sense of regret, but beyond that, he felt slightly fortunate; after all, that entity's power was incredibly difficult to resist.
No matter how formidable a powerhouse was, in the presence of the Goddess of Love's Apostle of Joy, they would inevitably lose their minds and fall into a period of wonderful ecstasy.
The only difference was the duration.
Of course, for intelligent races like humans and beastmen, any deity would inevitably have such an effect.
It was just that different gods, due to their different domains of authority, gave people different sensations.
However...
The blond young man lowered his eyes to look at the pattern spreading across the young girl's face. In just a brief moment, the entire crest was completely formed.
At that moment, he felt a strange, indescribable emotion.
It was hard to describe with simple words like anger or jealousy, because perhaps there was a bit of both, but it wasn't entirely just that.
Zane: ...
Zane: Your Holiness...
He did not actually make a sound, yet this was enough for him to communicate with the deity.
The emotions transmitted through the link deep within his soul were difficult to decipher, and it seemed the deity did not want him to react further to this.
Thus, the Archbishop shut his mouth.
He neither dared nor wished to rashly infer the deity's intentions, so he could only stand quietly in place, waiting for the little girl in front of him to gradually regain her senses.
?!
Su Cheng suddenly blinked her eyes.
The Archbishop was looking at her thoughtfully, his expression somewhat hard to describe.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds.
Su Cheng: ...
Su Cheng: Did you see that? Did you see it too?
Judging from his expression, there was a high probability that he knew what had happened.
No, the blond young man spoke in a gentle voice. I could feel the aura of His Highness the God of Joy, but not everyone has the qualification, or meets the conditions, to witness His manifestation.
He paused for a moment. Or at least in that moment, He only wanted you to see Him.
Su Cheng was silent for a few seconds, touching her own face. Is there a wine goblet here now?
The Archbishop nodded lightly.
Su Cheng: ...
I was actually chosen?!
What did she do?
Beat up the favored one of the God of Joy?
Did she break that domain?
Based on her experience, among the series of messy events that had just occurred, there had to be at least one thing that demonstrated some sort of trait of hers.
And then it met the standard for the God of Joy's selection of people, or at least one of the standards.
Su Cheng pondered carefully. ...Could it be that I am very good at amplifying my own happiness? Or did He think that what I did to him...
As far as I know, Zane hesitated for a moment, the favored ones chosen by His Highness the God of Joy... usually have less common ground to be found.
Unlike the Seven Gods of Glory, or other main gods, as a subordinate god of the Goddess of Love, the God of Joy, much like the master He served, rarely picked favored ones.
This rarity was, of course, in comparison to other deities.
But...
Even some people in the Southern Continent, or even those tainted by heretical powers, might be chosen by the God of Joy as favored ones due to a certain personality trait.
Even though He and the Goddess of Love were both allies of the God of Light, they seemed to have far fewer scruples in this regard.
Of course, such situations were still relatively rare.
Su Cheng: ...I like that sentence. I will never admit that I have any similarities with someone like Qin Jing.
This matter was truly unexpected.
She had originally thought that the Grand Inquisitor was a favored one, and unlike a half-baked one like herself, that guy was actually quite old and had been a favored one for a long time. Perhaps he had more communication with the deity, which in other words meant a better relationship.
What if the deity was protective of their own and ended up hating her? It wasn't like every god was like a certain someone, constantly thinking about how to screw over their own favored ones.
So she had apologized.
As a result...
She hadn't even fully mastered the power of the previous two main gods, and now there was another one; she felt even more clueless.
Zane couldn't help but smile. Rest assured, at least in my eyes, he is completely incomparable to you.
Su Cheng tilted her head and looked at him. That guy is really annoying, right? I thought someone like you would praise any colleague you brought up, or at least offer a more polite assessment.
He did indeed act in disregard of the laws, the Archbishop shook his head slightly. Not only did he harm the defenders stationed in the temple, but he also attacked you without authorization.
He paused for a moment. Had you not shown the intention of wanting to end the battle with your own hands, I would have done the same.
Speaking of which, Su Cheng sighed, he didn't die, right? Even though I wish he had.
Regrettably, no. Zane shook his head again. However, in the short term, he shouldn't be coming to bother you. Even for him, enduring the divine punishment of a main god twice in a single day requires some time to recover. The damage of such a punishment doesn't just affect the physical body; it also traumatizes the soul. When you clashed with him in the domain, his mental state had actually already been affected.
The Archbishop paused slightly. Of course, you were also subjected to his manipulation. Even if you broke free through some means, you wouldn't be in your peak condition either. So this was clearly still a fair duel, and you won.
Su Cheng: ...
The so-called some means was actually that curse.
It seemed this thing was truly troublesome.
Su Cheng met his gaze. Seriously, have I gotten myself into trouble?
She actually knew that the Grand Inquisitor was a very troublesome character; once provoked, it was highly likely she would be endlessly pestered.
So she didn't really want to offend him in the first place.
But having him come knocking on her door to pick a fight and directly doing that kind of thing to her, she couldn't tolerate it either.
In my opinion, Zane pondered for a moment, you don't need to worry too much, because he is not a person... who is liked by the majority of people.
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. You mean he's offended a lot of people, and a lot of people have offended him, so one more like me doesn't make a difference?
She couldn't help but recall that Qin Jing believed she and Zane were accomplices.
In the original novel, Qin Jing didn't make an appearance this early. If he was currently using the excuse of tracking down a fugitive to actually cause trouble for Zane, then it all made sense.
After all, Lin Yun didn't know the Archbishop at all. If Qin Jing was just here to cause trouble for Zane, the focus would likely be on the latter.
And she had suffered an unprovoked disaster simply because she was acquainted with the Archbishop?
Su Cheng: "Do you two have a grudge against each other?"
Zane raised his eyebrows slightly. "There is indeed some conflict between him and me, so I think I might have implicated you."
Su Cheng couldn't help but be surprised.
He actually admitted it?
"I'm sorry," the Archbishop bowed slightly to her. "It was also my lack of foresight. If I had invited you to stay in the temple last night, perhaps things would have been simpler."
Su Cheng knew that even if he had offered, she would have refused, since she had to go drink her medicine.
Su Cheng: "...It's fine, otherwise he might have been even more convinced we were in this together. Wait, is that fugitive really the Incubus King?"
Zane nodded slowly. "Under the Light-forged Binding Seal, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his power is reduced to less than a hundredth of what it was. For an incubus, that also includes his appeal in every aspect."
Su Cheng couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder I thought you were much more handsome than him. But I don't think that's necessarily because of the restriction seal."
He looked a bit taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to say that.
But he quickly recovered. "Then I must thank you for the compliment."
The blonde young man looked down at her, his emerald green eyes swimming with amusement, as if he were genuinely pleased by the praise.
Of course, he could just be acting.
Su Cheng thought uncertainly.
However, she had no time to ponder it carefully.
After the deity's power faded, that floating sense of euphoria also gradually dissipated, and she began to be gripped by another sensation.
The cursed brand on her back was still radiating heat, like an ignited flame, roasting her spine.
"By the way."
Zane took two letters out of his pocket.
"Your recommendation letter, and the letter I'd like you to pass on to Duke Batten for me. If you need anything else, you can come to me anytime."
Su Cheng forced herself to stand up straight, took them, and thanked him.
She was already in a state of exhausted weakness, her arms still trembling slightly, and her fingertips accidentally brushed against his hand.
"!"
Su Cheng almost groaned out loud.
Even though she didn't lose her composure too much, this unnatural reaction was quite obvious, not to mention her legs were turning to jelly.
The blonde young man paused, then quickly extended his arm to support her elbow.
Su Cheng swayed a bit and was steadied by his grip on her arm, but that sensation only grew more intense.
His body temperature should have been higher, but right now she felt his hand was very cool, and the chill seeping through her clothes bit by bit penetrated her skin.
It felt incredibly comfortable.
The muscles in Su Cheng's arms tensed, and her fingertips almost subconsciously extended to rub against his palm.
Zane looked at her in some surprise.
"Sorry," Su Cheng coughed forcefully. "I'm not feeling very well right now. You know, it might be that guy surnamed Qin who affected me."
A flash of understanding crossed the Archbishop's eyes.
Even if she had become a Blessed of the God of Joy, the Blessed were not immune to the power of deities; sometimes they were even more susceptible to it.
So if Qin Jing had done something to her...
"I apologize," Zane apologized again. "Just now I was communicating with the Holy City's... Whatever the excuse, it is my fault. How are you feeling now?"
He paused, his voice turning even gentler. "If there is anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Su Cheng looked up and stared at him. "Actually, you really can..."
She gazed into those beautiful, bright emerald eyes.
Though also green, they were much more pleasing to the eye than that venomous snake's.
Su Cheng panted softly and raised her hand to climb up the man's sturdy arm.
"I'm not sure if it's because of Qin, or because of His Highness's kiss, but I feel so hot right now..."
Her slender fingers traced across the cold, sharp epaulets, trailing down the golden seal chain to touch the powerful muscles wrapped beneath his uniform.
"I think you might be able to help me?"
Zane looked down at her.
The young girl tilted her head to rest against his arm. Her amber eyes gazed at him, her long, thick eyelashes wet and trembling slightly in the air.
Even her breath as she spoke seemed to exude a sweet scent, a fragrance blending flowers and fruits, carrying the freshness of morning dew.
This scent instantly seized his rationality.
His entire being seemed to relax, and all his troubles and worries became utterly unimportant.
His soul felt as if it were about to detach from its shell and ascend to the heavens in sheer joy.
Zane: "..."
Zane sighed softly.
Clearly, this new disciple of the Lord of Joy was using her newly acquired power, even though she herself might not have realized it.
Or perhaps she was doing it on purpose?
The Archbishop leaned down slightly, picked up the hammer from the ground with his left hand, and glanced toward the end of the alley.
He casually grasped the handle of the hammer, not even fully wrapping his hand around it; using only three fingers, he effortlessly lifted it by his side.
As if it were merely a wooden toy.
The blonde young man sighed softly, then opened his arm and wrapped it around the young girl's slender waist.
"...Of course," his voice remained gentle. "Happy to be of service."
The next second, Su Cheng was swept up into his arms.
The Archbishop looked down at her, his fine golden hair brushing past the side of his face. Those emerald eyes were like a tundra washed clean by the rain, the edges of his irises flowing with a golden-green radiance.
Then, they began to exude a heavy, dangerous aura.
