Mu Xuan’s mind kept speculating about Hel’s purpose, but on the surface, he only showed a hint of surprise and gravity.
โWhat do you mean, Bishop Hel!โ
โYour Eminence, there’s no need to play dumb when you already knowโฆ During the prayer, Iโm sure you noticed the abnormality in the idol. Thatโs right, the former Pope sacrificed himself to the idol in exchange for temporary protectionโฆโ Hel sighed, his tone tinged with sorrow.
โNo matter where we used to settle, it wouldn’t take more than three days for the Uncanny to invade, bringing endless corruption with themโฆ But now, thanks to the former Popeโs tradeโusing his life with the idolโthe idol has successfully isolated the Uncanny and absorbed their corruptionโฆโ
โVibrant life is far more favored by the idol than corrupted Uncannyโฆ The original plan was for me to perform the next sacrificeโฆโ
โButโฆ as the idol absorbs more and more corruption, it grows increasingly insaneโฆ Which also meansโฆ the next sacrifice will kill us allโฆโ
After Hel finished speaking, Mu Xuan’s gaze flickered. Tapping his staff, Mu Xuan said in a low voice, โIf I had pretended I noticed nothing all along, what would you have done thenโฆโ
At these words, Bishop Hel gave a wry smile. โYour Eminence, youโve seen it yourself, there are quite a few people who are hostile toward meโฆ And it was I who spread the news about this sanctuaryโฆโ
โGet to the point!!!โ Mu Xuan suddenly shouted sternly.
Bishop Hel was stunned for a moment, then sighed. โI plan to forcibly take some people and head into the Black Mist to seek a way out, while leaving behind a spark for the Churchโฆโ
After hearing Helโs words, Mu Xuanโs tense expression finally relaxed, a smile of relief appearing on his face.
โYour idea is commendableโฆ But why are you telling me this?โ
โYour Eminence, I want to knowโdo you have any way to deal with the idolโฆ If not, I implore you to take us away from here as soon as possibleโฆโ
Helโs expression was extremely sincere, and his logic flawlessโฆ 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.
โI donโt have a wayโฆ but thereโs still some residual power left in the staffโperhaps, we could try to reduce the idolโs corruption?โ
Upon hearing this, Hel looked disappointed. Clearly, Hel knew that the staff didnโt have enough power left to purify anythingโฆ
But soon, Hel reined in his disappointment and said seriously, โIt might be worth a tryโฆโ
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 Xuanโs actions caught most peopleโs 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 Griffinโs 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 flowedโthen swiftly turned black and dripped into the earth.
The dangerous signals kept bombarding Mu Xuanโs 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 idolโs abnormalities gradually faded and it returned to that seemingly sacred appearanceโฆ
Mu Xuan looked at the beads of sweat appearing on Helโs brow, deep in thought. But he quickly shook his head, pulling Hel with him as they hurried back inside.
โBishop Hel, what just happenedโฆโ
Clearly, even those inside had noticed the abnormality just now. Many looked frightened.
โThe Uncanny in the Black Mist have returned, butโฆ the Divine has expelled them for us!โ Hel took a deep breath and declared excitedly, as if it truly was the Divineโs 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 madeโฆ
Mu Xuan tried mimicking it a couple of times, but it didnโt make any sense. If he asked directly, heโd probably just get an answer like โthe former Popeโ again.
After all, the former Pope was deadโmany things could be pinned on him, with no way to verify.
Still, it wasnโt without its rewards. Though Hel seemed to be acting for everyoneโs sake, Mu Xuanโs wariness toward Hel now exceeded even that toward the idol.
One thing was certain: the idolโs corruption could be cleansed.
Only a third of that residual powerโa mere three-thousandths of a wisp of faithโwas 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. Tomorrowโs 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 searchโฆ 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 Helโs true natureโtomorrow 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 Helโor perhaps some among the believersโhad major problemsโฆ
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 staffโฆ
I honestly have no idea how this will becime gender bender and Yuri. So far it’s been enjoyable though.