Six Hundred and Ninety-First Chapter: Helplessness
In the tranquil and peaceful garden, Vania, dressed in a white nun’s robe, sat on a stone chair, listening to Amanda’s narration with a stunned expression, as she recounted the new trials that Vania was about to face.
“In other words, I must go to those chaotic places, relieve ten thousand innocent sufferers in disasters, and truly complete my promotion?”
“Yes, the Path of Redemption must practice redemption, bestow redemption. This is your ultimate test on the path to advancement. Only by truly tempering the heart of benevolence through countless acts of relief can you ascend to a high position within the Holy Mother’s Church.” Amanda continued patiently, sitting not far from Vania. After listening, Vania pondered for a moment and nodded seriously.
“I understand, Sir. I will do my utmost to help those in need, to assist the suffering in escaping their hardships and fulfill the duties of a servant of the Lord.”
Vania said earnestly to Amanda. Smiling slightly, Amanda nodded and then continued speaking.
“I have seen your determination. Although this mission will be difficult, I will provide full support to assist you in completing this final trial. By the way… regarding the location of your relief efforts, I suggest going to Northern Ufeiga. You have helped the Shadi regime, and they can become your allies to some extent. Additionally, the Holy Mother’s Church needs to hold a pilgrimage in Adus to declare its influence, but this can be arranged after you successfully complete the trial.”
Amanda continued to explain seriously to Vania. Listening to her instructions, Vania responded respectfully.
“I understand, Sir. I will definitely complete the trial and not disappoint your expectations!” With a serious expression, Vania said to Amanda. Seeing this, Amanda nodded slightly and said:
“Then, I will await your success, Sister Vania…”
…
In the same tranquil and peaceful garden, Amanda, dressed in plain robes, still sat in her original position, silently appreciating the serene scenery around her. Next to her, the ethereal, semi-transparent nun remained standing in place, her gaze fixed on the direction where Vania had left not long ago.
“What do you think of her, Evi?”
Suddenly, Amanda, who had been enjoying the scenery, turned her gaze toward the ethereal nun beside her and asked. Listening to Amanda’s words, Evi paused slightly before turning back respectfully and responding.
“Do you mean Sister Vania?”
“Who else? You’ve been taking care of her recently. Tell me what you think of her…” As Amanda picked up a cup of tea from the nearby stone table and took a sip, she continued. After listening to Amanda’s words, Evi pondered for a moment and then replied slowly.
“Sister Vania… At first glance, she is kind, polite, devout, loving, easy-going, and diligent. She possesses all the qualities an excellent follower of the Holy Mother should have, and it doesn’t seem like she’s putting on a show; one can immediately feel her likability. However, sometimes she seems overly nervous, always being cautious no matter when. While this could be explained by her unfamiliarity with the Sacred Summit, there are times when I wonder if she might be hiding some secrets deep down.”
Evi slowly expressed her thoughts about Vania, while Amanda placed the tea cup back on the table and continued speaking.
“Your feelings are generally correct. Vania is indeed a good girl, but she also has secrets.”
“Could it be that she really has some hidden secrets… Has Sir already discovered them?” Evi said in surprise upon hearing Amanda’s words, and Amanda nodded in response.
“She definitely has some secrets… Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain the numerous miracles and events happening to her one after another. I’ve long suspected something special about her, and just now, I caught a glimpse of it…”
Amanda said, and Evi curiously asked.
“What did you see?”
“Traces, traces of spirituality. When I helped alleviate the aftermath of a ritual, I conducted a thorough examination of her body and found unusual spiritual traces, extremely rare ‘Enlightenment’ spiritual traces,” Amanda said slowly. Hearing this, Evi furrowed her brow slightly.
“‘Enlightenment’ spirituality… Could Sister Vania actually accumulate such spirituality within her body?”
“Yes, and quite a lot. I can tell that she has frequently accumulated ‘Enlightenment’ over a long period, but before coming to the Sacred Summit, she somehow consumed them through certain methods… This little nun has planned and organized her spiritual components before coming here. Her cleanup was thorough, but some minute traces remain, traces so subtle that only someone like me or the Holy Seat could detect them.”
Amanda continued to respond slowly. Hearing this, Evi was startled and then seemed to recall something and spoke up.
“Traces of ‘Enlightenment’ spirituality… Could this be related to the Judge of Heaven Church? Sister Vania has deeper connections with those people. The Lightning Judgment Incident in Adis wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Those people surely didn’t protect Vania in the Kankdar incident for nothing…”
Evi concluded, and then her expression became serious as she asked Amanda.
“Sir, should we detain Sister Vania and interrogate her thoroughly now?”
“Heh, if I wanted to lock her up, I wouldn’t have let her leave just now,” Amanda laughed lightly and shook her head in response. Evi, somewhat puzzled, continued to ask.
“Sister Vania’s deep collaboration with external societies is not only a huge risk but also a severe violation of church rules. If we don’t handle it internally quickly, once the Tribunal discovers evidence, it would be very detrimental to you…” Evi said seriously, and Amanda replied slowly.
“Whether inside or outside the church, Vania is being watched by many. Her promotion has been a focal point for almost the entire council of cardinals. To suddenly interrupt it now would create big problems and give Krama an excuse. Under the current circumstances, we cannot afford any mistakes with Vania; even if she has issues, we must temporarily set them aside…”
Amanda said, explaining that she couldn’t afford any errors regarding Vania at this crucial moment. She had invested much political capital in Vania, and in a sense, their interests were intertwined. She couldn’t easily terminate Vania’s promotion.
“Are you concerned about these matters… You should have foreseen some issues with Sister Vania, but despite that, you continue to invest resources in her until it’s become too entangled to cut off cleanly… This rashness doesn’t seem like your usual style…” Evi said, somewhat confused. Amanda answered with a hint of helplessness.
“It’s unavoidable. During this time when the Holy Seat is absent, all the cardinals have begun to lose control over their expanding power, attacking each other. I intended to adhere to the rules, but others haven’t stopped their covert attacks against me. Especially Krama, he is the boldest and most brazen in his attacks. Every time he attacks, the best weapon in my hand is always that little nun.”
“As it happened from XiasTree to Kankdar and Tivyán, every event has been like this. I originally wanted to carefully examine Vania over the long term to thoroughly understand her, but Krama and the others won’t give me that chance. They keep breaking the rules, so I can’t continue to follow old conventions…”
Amanda said with half-closed eyes, explaining that her attitude towards Vania’s issues was a helpless response influenced by the increasingly intense political struggles within the church. The internal rules of the church had changed significantly compared to before.
“If possible, I also hope to handle these matters cleanly and avoid getting involved with unclear external societies, but the situation now is vastly different from before. Krama has already become so rampant that he’s contacting the Amniotic Sac Cult to counter me. If I continue to follow the rules, I won’t be able to deal with him.”
Amanda continued, and Evi, surprised, said,
“Sir Krama has contacted the Amniotic Sac Cult?”
“Yes, indirectly, but it counts as contact. This is a secret letter from the fourth governor of Faraluo sent to me, detailing the aftermath of his assassination attempt. You can read it…”
As Amanda spoke, she took out a small envelope from her sleeve and placed a letter on the table in front of her. Evi scanned the letter and furrowed her brow even more.
“There’s actually such a thing… Sir Krama, to continue attacking you, has gotten involved in Faraluo’s internal politics and even contacted the Amniotic Sac Cult. Have they lost all principles? Such a person… is actually a cardinal of the Holy Mother’s Church…”
Seeing the content of the letter, Evi couldn’t help but say in disbelief, and Amanda sighed and said,
“Yes, isn’t it ironic? Selected personally by the Holy Seat, we, the high-ranking members of the Holy Mother’s Church, have become power-hungry individuals. With a bit less regulation, we have grown out of control, our piety even lower than that of a novice nun. This is the most twisted aspect of the upper echelons of the Holy Mother’s Church…”
As Amanda sighed, she put away the secret letter on the table, and Evi added,
“Therefore… because Sir Krama has contacted the Amniotic Sac Cult, you are tacitly allowing Sister Vania, who has deep ties to the Judge of Heaven Church.”
“To some extent, yes. Compared to the Amniotic Sac Cult, the mysterious Judge of Heaven Church seems better for now. At least they haven’t committed any evil deeds, perhaps they are similar to the White Stone Craftsmen Guild…” Amanda responded to Evi. After hearing Amanda’s words, Evi continued with a solemn expression.
“Although the Judge of Heaven Church appears much stronger, Sir, you cannot take them lightly. After all, they seem to want to use Sister Vania to infiltrate us.”
“I’m well aware of that… So, Evi, I have a task for you. You can accompany Sister Vania on her trip to Northern Ufeiga, providing long-distance protection. During this process, try to make contact with the Judge of Heaven Church again and clarify some things with them, to understand their intentions as much as possible.”
Looking at Evi beside her, Amanda instructed. Hearing Amanda’s words, Evi nodded directly.
“I understand, Sir…”
“Alright, now go prepare yourself,” Amanda commanded Evi. Bowing slightly, Evi gradually faded away.
Watching Evi disappear, Amanda took a deep breath and looked at the setting sun on the horizon, contemplating something.
In her contemplation, Amanda took out an item from her sleeve and examined it closely. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be an old, worn-out small pendant of the Holy Mother.
…
Prit East Coast, East Tivyán.
During the day in East Tivyán, on a bustling street in the East District, people were coming and going, carriages were passing by, and a black carriage slowly made its way through the traffic. Inside the carriage, Dorothy, who had just returned from abroad, sat watching the scenery outside the window.
“Ah… Just back from abroad and I have to leave again. Traveling is so tiring…” Dorothy scratched her head and muttered, though she had a new goal, she didn’t rush to leave for Northern Ufeiga from Faraluo but instead returned to Prit first.
Although Dorothy was now a Red Tier Extraordinary Being, traveling long-term still required informing her family—or rather, her older brother—of her plans. Even though this repetitive travel was tiring, it was necessary.
“But it’s convenient this way. I can directly buy the Secret Transmission from Beverly. I need to replenish quite a bit of spirituality, and the craft guild’s stores may not be sufficient for me right now. Beverly can prepare for me in advance, which is convenient.”
Dorothy thought to herself, then while calculating how much money she had and how many Secret Transmissions she needed to buy, she controlled a zombie puppet driving the carriage through the streets swiftly, heading home.
