Chapter 41: Conversation

“Yes…” Mu Xuan affirmed.

There was no need for the priest to know that he was the Pope or about his relationship with the Goddess. Besides, without the scepter in his hands, who would recognize him anyway?

Hearing Mu Xuan’s confirmation, Ander became even more excited. To have a believer blessed by the Goddess appear in his own church would undoubtedly add to his achievements.

“Sir, could you perhaps… show the power bestowed by the Goddess…? Please don’t misunderstand, I don’t doubt you. It’s just that, as a devout believer, this is my first time witnessing a miracle from the Goddess…”

Besides the rewards he might gain, Father Ander was even more eager to witness the power of the Goddess with his own eyes. The reason this local church held little weight was precisely because, as its priest, he and the church’s supporters possessed no power at all.

He had devoted so many years here, worshiping the Goddess with utmost sincerity—was it not all for the chance to witness Her power? Though there was the Silvermoon Knight, the Silvermoon Knight never displayed his power so casually.

And now, the opportunity was right before him.

Seeing the priest’s almost pleading and extremely fervent expression, Mu Xuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. This was a fanatical believer—there was no need to let him down.

Father Ander’s smile grew even wider at Mu Xuan’s nod.

Beside him, the young nun’s bright eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Looking at the rather thin Father Ander, Mu Xuan thought for a moment and decided to improve his physical condition.

Under the expectant gazes of both Ander and the nun, a wisp of light flared at Mu Xuan’s fingertip, then shot into the air, bursting apart and turning into countless specks of light that rained down on them.

Seeing this, Father Ander’s vision blurred for a moment. He rubbed his eyes, then hurriedly reached out with both hands, trying to catch the falling lights.

The nun followed suit, reaching out to try to gather the points of light.

But as soon as the lights touched their skin, they melded into their bodies, impossible to catch.

Both of them froze for a moment, then exchanged smiles. They could feel the warmth spreading throughout their bodies and the comfortable sensation it brought.

“Father Ander, will I also be blessed by the Goddess one day?” The nun’s heart was instantly filled with yearning. She, too, wanted to receive the Goddess’s favor—then she could help even more people…

Feeling as though his body had grown younger, Father Ander chuckled, “Of course, as long as you have devout faith in the Goddess…”

Then, Father Ander looked at Mu Xuan with gratitude. “Thank you, sir.”

“It was nothing, really. But Father Ander, I do have a few questions for you,” Mu Xuan said.

Father Ander immediately replied, “Of course, sir. Please ask whatever you wish. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Seeing how readily Ander agreed, Mu Xuan got straight to the point: “May I ask, who is the current Pope? Which number in the line is it now?”

Father Ander was taken aback by Mu Xuan’s question. Wasn’t this something known throughout the continent?

But he didn’t question it and answered directly, “Sir, it is His Holiness the thirty-second Pope, Berrison.”

Mu Xuan listened and wore a thoughtful expression. As expected, the people’s perception of the world here was clearly different from the outside.

But why? Time here seemed to pass normally. If so, why had no one noticed anything amiss… or that so much time had already passed…

Moreover, if these people were from the era of the thirty-second Pope, how could they still be alive today…

This place couldn’t be fake, nor could these people. Otherwise, how could the idols still generate so much faith power, some of it quite recent?

Narrowing his eyes, Mu Xuan asked again, “I mainly heard about the Silvermoon Knight, which is why I came here. Could you tell me about the Silvermoon Knight… or what weapon does he use to fight?”

This question made Father Ander frown.

Not that he suspected Mu Xuan’s motives, or thought he might harm the Silvermoon Knight. After all, anyone blessed by the Goddess would hardly be an enemy of the Church… However, he simply didn’t know much about the Silvermoon Knight…

Ever since the Silvermoon Knight arrived, he hadn’t expanded the Church’s influence; except for returning to the church at night, he spent all other time outside and refused to show anything to Ander…

Father Ander found this rather frustrating.

Seeing Ander’s expression, Mu Xuan immediately understood—he truly knew nothing about the Silvermoon Knight.

“It’s fine. Can I meet the Silvermoon Knight tonight?” Mu Xuan asked.

“Of course, sir. You, too, have been blessed by the Goddess. I’m sure you’ll be able to speak with the Silvermoon Knight.” The priest agreed at once.

If it were someone else, Father Ander might not have allowed them to meet the Silvermoon Knight at night. But Mu Xuan had received the Goddess’s blessing, and after demonstrating the power of Light, had even improved Ander’s own body. In the priest’s eyes, Mu Xuan was already one of their own.

Mu Xuan smiled and let the matter of the Silvermoon Knight rest for now, asking another question: “By the way, I’ve heard rumors that our Church has three divine artifacts?”

Hearing this, Father Ander furrowed his brow again, not answering immediately.

The nun blinked her eyes and said, “There are only two… a Book of Revelations and a sword. Why would there be three?”

Her tone was full of confusion.

Father Ander did not correct her; what the nun said was exactly what he knew.

Mu Xuan fell silent.

Book of Revelations… Sword…

But the scepter was missing!

Why? Had successive Popes deliberately hidden its existence, or had something else happened?

The scepter was a divine artifact personally acknowledged by the Goddess! No Pope could be ignorant of its importance.

It was the highest symbol of the Church, as well as the anchor for the power of Light passed down through the generations! How could a Pope rule the Church without holding at least one artifact?

Especially since, within the entire Church, the Pope’s strength wasn’t even the greatest…

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Mu Xuan gave up pondering further. He shook his head, trying to dispel the doubts swirling in his mind, but the movement of his body brought an odd sensation…

Why did it feel uncomfortable as his chest brushed against his clothes?

Probably just another effect of this strange place… Perhaps he’d suffered a bit of spiritual contamination without realizing it.

Determined to purify his whole body with the power of Light at the next opportunity, Mu Xuan turned back to Father Ander and asked, “Alright, it seems the rumors outside aren’t trustworthy after all. By the way, how is the relationship between the Silvermoon Knight and the city lord?”

This question brought a look of distress to Father Ander’s face, and even the nun showed some concern.

“Not good at all… Recently, the Silvermoon Knight has had several arguments with the city lord over the mines… Our situation is quite dire. We used to have no city guards here, but now there are always guards patrolling outside the church…” Father Ander sighed helplessly.

“That’s right, sir. Because of the guards’ patrols, many believers are too afraid to come to the church to pray anymore.” The nun’s face was full of worry and dissatisfaction.