Chapter 594

Suggestion

“What are you doing! Stop it!”

Seeing Vania’s unusual actions, Bahoda immediately prepared to stop her, but at this moment, Anman intervened swiftly.

“Step back, Bahoda…”

“What, Lord Anman… Just now, this nun…” Listening to Anman’s words, Bahoda showed an expression of disbelief. Before Bahoda could continue, Anman spoke again immediately.

“I know, it’s fine. Go back and listen to me. I will talk with her alone; she cannot threaten me.”

“Yes…” Listening to Anman’s words, Bahoda’s expression revealed confusion and concern. In the end, he decided to follow Anman’s words and left the longhouse alone. For a while, only Vania and Anman remained in the scene.

“Sit down.”

Anman said softly to Vania. Seeing Vania sit on the ground in front of him, he added some firewood to the pit ahead and continued.

“You… Where did you learn those gestures?”

“I’ve known them since I was young. They were taught to me by my priestess sister from my old hometown.”

Vania sincerely responded to Anman. Hearing Vania’s words, Anman was taken aback, then slowly said.

“Your old hometown? Where is your hometown, and who is this priestess you mentioned, what deity do they worship?”

“My hometown is far away on the mainland. It used to be like here, preserving its unique beliefs and culture, isolated and remote. But now, it has become a devout temple of the Holy Mother. The priestess who taught me worships the same deity as you, the Goddess of Abundance.”

“Yes, I am also a devout follower of the Goddess of Abundance, just like you. We share the same faith.”

Holding her chest, Vania quietly told Anman. Hearing Vania’s words, Anman’s mouth opened wide in surprise.

“As expected… I never thought there would be other goddess followers in this world besides us. It seems the ancient priests were right; the goddess’s faith once spread across the continent, and we only knew a small part of it. Ha… After spending so much time with the Radiant Church, I thought the outside world was entirely under their control.

“I heard from Bahoda and others that you are different from other Radiant Church members. You treated everyone on the ship without distinguishing between friends and enemies. So, the reason behind it is that you are also a goddess’s follower…”

Anman said with a surprised tone, clearly not expecting the nun before him to be a fellow believer.

“Yes, I didn’t expect to meet a goddess follower in this remote sea. During my conversations with the warriors, I realized it. After seeing many decorations and sculptures on the island, I confirmed it. Finally, I decided to meet the priest here and used the pretext of a message from the Radiant Church.”

Facing Anman’s reflection, Vania also expressed her sincerity. After hearing Vania’s words, Anman sighed and said.

“Oh… Is that so? I thought you really brought news from the Radiant Church. Now, our entire tribe’s fate depends on it.”

Anman’s words carried a hint of disappointment. Although meeting another goddess follower besides XiaTree made him feel a bit happy, his current concern was more about the Radiant Church’s response, which was crucial for their tribe’s future.

Seeing Anman’s disappointment, Vania paused for a moment, then continued.

“Priest, your demand to the Church to abandon forced missionary work in XiaTree is unreasonable. You want to use the Radiant Church pilgrims as leverage to make them respect the goddess’s faith. Do you think the Church will accept this condition? Will they negotiate with you because of these pilgrims?”

Vania said seriously to Anman. Hearing Vania’s words, Anman paused, then changed his tone slightly.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I simply want to say that based on my understanding, the Church will not agree to your demands, even if all the pilgrims were killed, the Radiant Church would not compromise with XiaTree, but instead, it would lead to a more brutal retaliation. Therefore, I want to warn you, Priest, not to hope to use us to pressure the Church into submission. The Church would rather abandon us than agree to your conditions. This way, XiaTree’s fate can only be destruction.

“Priest, are you really leading XiaTree to such an end?”

Vania said solemnly to Anman. Dorothy had read secret transmissions about the Church’s methods against heretics, and she knew where the Church’s bottom line lay. The Church would not make any concessions for a few hundred people to heretics.

After hearing Vania’s words, Anman fell silent for a moment. He sat there motionless for a long time, then said sternly.

“I naturally know the Church won’t easily give in, but we also have our own bottom line. XiaTree was once a place of outcasts, and it was the goddess’s grace that gave us the right to survive. XiaTree cannot do without the goddess; the goddess is the foundation of XiaTree. Revering the goddess is the meaning of XiaTree’s existence. Our faith in the goddess is fundamental to XiaTree’s continuation. The Radiant Church cannot compromise, and neither can we. We will not accept the Radiant Church’s faith.”

Anman said firmly, then his tone became severe, and his expression became more vigilant. He pointed directly at Vania and said.

“As a goddess’s follower, saying such things, are you trying to make us give up and convert to the Radiant Church? Even though you claim to be a goddess’s follower, your words seem to favor the Radiant Church. Are you truly sincere in your faith? Did you accidentally learn those gestures to deceive me?

“I have never heard of a nun who worships abundance under the Church’s watch. The Radiant Church’s rituals are numerous and strict. How do you hide your own faith in their eyes? You are too suspicious. Are you being taught by the Radiant Church to pretend to be a follower of abundance and convert to the Radiant Church to deceive me? If so, I can tell you, that is impossible!”

Anman said sternly to Vania. From the beginning, he never truly trusted Vania just because of some gestures. His vigilance never wavered. He was merely pretending to trust her to get more information.

After hearing Vania’s words, Anman directly suspected that Vania was not a follower of the Goddess of Abundance but a Church nun trained to pretend to be one to deceive him.

Facing Anman’s stern questioning, Vania did not react much but continued to sit quietly. Then, looking at the wary Anman, she slowly said.

“I am indeed a goddess’s follower. You don’t need to doubt this, Priest. If the gestures cannot prove anything, I can provide stronger proof later.

“As for how I can believe in the goddess under the Church’s watch, it’s quite simple. I just need to worship the Holy Mother of the Radiant Church as the Goddess of Abundance.”

Vania said seriously to Anman. Hearing Vania’s words, Anman was stunned. After digesting her words, he muttered.

“What…? Worship the Radiant Church’s Holy Mother as the goddess?”