Chapter 7: The Temptation of the Idol

Mu Xuan’s mind kept speculating about Hel’s purpose, but on the surface, he only showed a hint of surprise and gravity.

“What do you mean, Bishop Hel!”

“Your Eminence, there’s no need to play dumb when you already know… During the prayer, I’m sure you noticed the abnormality in the idol. That’s right, the former Pope sacrificed himself to the idol in exchange for temporary protection…” Hel sighed, his tone tinged with sorrow.

“No matter where we used to settle, it wouldn’t take more than three days for the Uncanny to invade, bringing endless corruption with them… But now, thanks to the former Pope’s trade—using his life with the idol—the idol has successfully isolated the Uncanny and absorbed their corruption…”

“Vibrant life is far more favored by the idol than corrupted Uncanny… The original plan was for me to perform the next sacrifice…”

“But… as the idol absorbs more and more corruption, it grows increasingly insane… Which also means… the next sacrifice will kill us all…”

After Hel finished speaking, Mu Xuan’s gaze flickered. Tapping his staff, Mu Xuan said in a low voice, “If I had pretended I noticed nothing all along, what would you have done then…”

At these words, Bishop Hel gave a wry smile. “Your Eminence, you’ve seen it yourself, there are quite a few people who are hostile toward me… And it was I who spread the news about this sanctuary…”

“Get to the point!!!” Mu Xuan suddenly shouted sternly.

Bishop Hel was stunned for a moment, then sighed. “I plan to forcibly take some people and head into the Black Mist to seek a way out, while leaving behind a spark for the Church…”

After hearing Hel’s words, Mu Xuan’s tense expression finally relaxed, a smile of relief appearing on his face.

“Your idea is commendable… But why are you telling me this?”

“Your Eminence, I want to know—do you have any way to deal with the idol… If not, I implore you to take us away from here as soon as possible…”

Hel’s expression was extremely sincere, and his logic flawless… Yet for some reason, Mu Xuan felt something strange about it all.

Mu Xuan had no intention of telling Hel about the power of faith, but he did have some ideas he wished to test.

“I don’t have a way… but there’s still some residual power left in the staff—perhaps, we could try to reduce the idol’s corruption?”

Upon hearing this, Hel looked disappointed. Clearly, Hel knew that the staff didn’t have enough power left to purify anything…

But soon, Hel reined in his disappointment and said seriously, “It might be worth a try…”

The residual power in the staff, Mu Xuan never mixed it with the power of faith. Though that remaining power was very small, it was still equivalent to three-thousandths of a wisp of faith.

It was a good opportunity to see if it could erase some of the corruption from the idol.

Heading outside once again, this time Mu Xuan’s actions caught most people’s attention. After all, with things relatively peaceful now, such frequent coming and going was bound to arouse curiosity.

As Mu Xuan and Hel walked out the main door, many people grew curious and tried to peek through the crack, wondering what exactly the two of them were doing.

Buzhazi and Beikeze exchanged a glance, then Buzhazi slowly moved closer to the door to block others from approaching. Beikeze pressed down on Griffin’s arm, signaling him not to move.

Outside the door, Hel wore a worried look as he watched Mu Xuan. The idol had returned to normal, showing no sign of strange abnormality.

Mu Xuan glanced at Hel, nodded slightly, and slowly approached the idol. With the end of the staff in hand, he gently placed its tip on the idol.

A third of the residual power began to flow from the tip of the staff into the idol, and at once, the idol underwent a transformation. The Black Mist grew restless in an instant, faint and frenzied howls emanating from within it.

The idol itself twisted unnaturally, gaping wounds splitting open, from which bright red blood flowed—then swiftly turned black and dripped into the earth.

The dangerous signals kept bombarding Mu Xuan’s mind. The moment he felt that speck of power sinking into a bottomless swamp, Mu Xuan immediately withdrew the staff and retreated quickly to the doorway.

Hel, too, looked troubled, making some odd gestures before the idol’s abnormalities gradually faded and it returned to that seemingly sacred appearance…

Mu Xuan looked at the beads of sweat appearing on Hel’s brow, deep in thought. But he quickly shook his head, pulling Hel with him as they hurried back inside.

“Bishop Hel, what just happened…”

Clearly, even those inside had noticed the abnormality just now. Many looked frightened.

“The Uncanny in the Black Mist have returned, but… the Divine has expelled them for us!” Hel took a deep breath and declared excitedly, as if it truly was the Divine’s miracle that had driven the Uncanny away.

Mu Xuan said nothing, letting Hel calm the believers, and returned directly to his own room.

Just now, what was that odd gesture Hel made…

Mu Xuan tried mimicking it a couple of times, but it didn’t make any sense. If he asked directly, he’d probably just get an answer like “the former Pope” again.

After all, the former Pope was dead—many things could be pinned on him, with no way to verify.

Still, it wasn’t without its rewards. Though Hel seemed to be acting for everyone’s sake, Mu Xuan’s wariness toward Hel now exceeded even that toward the idol.

One thing was certain: the idol’s corruption could be cleansed.

Only a third of that residual power—a mere three-thousandths of a wisp of faith—was enough to cause such upheaval in the idol. If his guess was right, a single wisp of faith could completely purify the idol.

Mu Xuan had four wisps in hand, and could purify the idol at any time.

Therefore, what mattered more for now was the danger within the Black Mist, that unsettling Hel, and the Uncanny hiding among the believers.

After pondering for a while, Mu Xuan had made up his mind. Tomorrow’s prayer must be prohibited. Most of the food was in his hands, so, using the pretext of lacking food and needing to go out to search… Hel would have no choice but to agree.

Though the Uncanny calamity had swallowed the world, there were still plenty of wild vegetables that could be eaten.

Having decided, Mu Xuan assigned tasks to the three of them.

Whether he could figure out Hel’s true nature—tomorrow would be the test. If they entered the Black Mist without power, encountering the Uncanny would mean certain death; if there was no Uncanny, then Hel—or perhaps some among the believers—had major problems…

Lost in thought for a long time, Mu Xuan kept refining some plans in his mind. Soon, he grew sleepy.

After dozing off, he raised the staff, and a radiant, holy figure appeared before his eyes, only to quickly fade away. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in that pitch-black space, four wisps of light floating around him, along with three slender threads connecting to the staff…