“Your Holiness… Should we head back?”
On the piece of parchment in Mu Xuan’s hand, the outline of the village had already begun to take shape.
But at this moment, Mu Xuan looked a bit bedraggled.
His clothes, never good to begin with, now bore two or three more tears, and there were four or five wounds on Mu Xuan’s arm, faintly oozing blood.
Along the way, Mu Xuan and Griffinde had already been ambushed seven or eight times.
Although Mu Xuan had gained a measure of the power of light through the feedback of faith, this feedback was far weaker than the strength gained from a full wisp of faith power.
Mu Xuan could enhance himself using faith power, but he had a premonition that this would surely leave behind grave hidden dangers, and it was not yet time to resort to the power of faith.
Because of this, Mu Xuan’s strength was limited. Aside from his exceptionally strong perception, he was basically unable to deal with the strange beings attacking them. The entire way, he had relied on Griffinde’s protection.
“No… We’re just a little bit away…” Mu Xuan did not intend to retreat now. Bishop Herr had gone to the center of the village, while Mu Xuan circled along the perimeter.
With the two unable to meet up, this was the best opportunity. He had to seize the moment and completely map out the village.
But then, Mu Xuan sighed, “Griffinde, you’ve worked hard along the way. If you think I’m a burden, you can go to the designated spot and hold position. I can manage the rest of the way myself…”
“No, Your Holiness! Only you can lead us to the true light. I swear by the light itself, even if I die, I will defend Your Holiness with my life!” Upon hearing Mu Xuan’s words, Griffinde did not hesitate in the slightest, speaking with resounding conviction.
In his heart, the deity was supreme, and the Pope, able to communicate with the divine, was the deity’s own proxy. As a devout believer, he must unwaveringly support the Pope.
Seeing the devotion and resolve in Griffinde’s eyes, Mu Xuan gave a gratified smile. He then picked up his staff and continued forward.
“Then, let’s finish the last piece of the puzzle…”
Hearing this, Griffinde immediately followed.
After fending off two more of the strange beings, Mu Xuan finally finished his map.
Looking at Griffinde, resplendent in silver armor beside him, Mu Xuan spoke slowly, “Your devotion has earned the approval of the goddess. Now, the goddess shall bestow you with even greater power!”
Throughout this journey, Mu Xuan had come to realize—even with Griffinde’s boost from the equivalent of three wisps of faith power, it was barely enough. Many of the monsters could only be driven back, not slain.
Moreover, faith power increased over time and with the number of followers. Griffinde’s performance had left Mu Xuan extremely satisfied.
Because of this, Mu Xuan was moved to grant Griffinde a significant enhancement. This time, Mu Xuan intended to directly grant Griffinde two wisps of faith power.
Upon hearing Mu Xuan’s words, Griffinde immediately knelt, eyes full of excitement and unwavering faith.
“Praise be to the merciful goddess!”
Mu Xuan nodded, then lifted his staff and gently tapped it atop Griffinde’s head.
Two wisps of faith power surged forth at incredible speed, flooding Griffinde’s body.
The crackling sound rang out like firecrackers.
Then, the silvery radiance of Griffinde’s armor grew even brighter, faintly pushing back the encroaching black mist.
But this was not what shocked Mu Xuan most.
Griffinde had managed to split a single wisp of faith power into three portions for use; now, with three wisps, Griffinde could split it into ten portions.
Moreover, Mu Xuan had evaluated before: faith power in the double digits was in a completely different league from single digits! One enhanced with single-digit faith power could not inflict substantial harm on the strange beings, but once in the double digits, even those monsters could be powerfully slain!
“Praise the goddess!”
While surprised, Mu Xuan did not forget to give thanks.
In truth, Griffinde was like an SSR card in his own hand, with immense potential for growth!
After feeling his own strength multiply several times over, Griffinde too cried out with Mu Xuan, “Praise the goddess!”
Suppressing his excitement, Mu Xuan withdrew his staff and motioned for Griffinde to rise.
“Griffinde, your devotion has amazed me! Now, in the name of the Pope, I officially induct you into the ranks of the Church Knights. You shall be the first knight in the rebuilding of the Church!”
“By your will, Your Holiness!” Griffinde once again knelt on one knee, placing a hand over his chest in salute.
“Alright, it’s time to head back.” Mu Xuan patted Griffinde’s shoulder, then started back the way they had come.
Griffinde hastened to follow Mu Xuan.
Perhaps because of the silvery light covering Griffinde, the two encountered no more strange beings as they neared the rendezvous point.
Mu Xuan nodded to Griffinde, signaling him to proceed as planned, then jogged ahead a few steps, stumbling as he entered the view of the waiting congregation.
“Your Holiness… what happened…”
“Go! Back, quickly!” Mu Xuan barked in a low voice, then dashed toward the building where they had stayed before.
The crowd panicked, wasting no time as they hurried after Mu Xuan.
It was no joke—the Pope was covered in wounds, and even Griffinde who went with him had not returned. Anyone could guess that something terrifying was approaching from that direction.
If they didn’t run now, would they just stand here and wait to die?
Some even threw away the wild vegetables they’d gathered, desperate not to be slowed down, and sprinted for their lives.
At the very front, Mu Xuan glimpsed Herr standing at the gate through the black mist, and rushed even faster.
“Your Holiness?”
Watching Mu Xuan run toward him out of breath, Herr’s face showed confusion. But the moment he saw Mu Xuan’s wounds and filthy clothes, his expression grew grave.
“Your Holiness, what happened…”
Mu Xuan ran up to Herr, braced himself against the doorframe, caught his breath, and hurriedly said, “We were attacked, Griffinde is dead…”
After weaving a completely fabricated story of what happened, Mu Xuan anxiously asked, “Will the idol hold them off?”
“Your Holiness, since Griffinde sacrificed himself, it means we won’t need to worry for now… The strange beings won’t attack again until they’ve finished digesting their bloody feast…”
Although Herr’s face was equally grave, he tried to offer comfort. This was no lie—it was the Church’s hard-won experience. It was also why, whenever people died, the Church could still manage a safe ‘retreat.’
“That’s good…” Mu Xuan clearly breathed a sigh of relief at Herr’s words. Soon after, his group returned one by one.
After checking their numbers, Herr glanced at the pale Mu Xuan, sighed, and said, “Your Holiness, the fortunate thing is that we only lost one person.”
“Yes…” Mu Xuan answered in a daze.
“Your Holiness, please rest for now…” With that, Herr left the room to calm the people and give Mu Xuan a chance to recover.