NOVEL NEXT Chapter 180: All Three Female Guests Left Their Lights on for An Su (Two in One)
Three flickering candle flames elongated the shadows of everyone present, making them stretch grotesquely. The tallow of the candles, yellowish-brown with decay, dropped along the trembling light and congealed on the floor, forming a thick, sticky layer. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire
The atmosphere in the entire space was oppressive and unsettling, with indescribable gazes swaying slowly with the flames.
All the prodigies scrutinized by the gaze of the Mother Goddess stood erect on both sides of the steps.
The ceremony served both to test their loyalty to the Mother Goddess and to assess their aptitude for the Esoteric Religion.
So far, including Lister and Arthur, ten believers, with three candles lit at the same time, had undergone the scrutiny of three Angel Envoys, proving their characters to be in harmony with the three great mystical sects of Chaos, Life, and Pain.
The brighter the flame of the human fat candles, the higher the corresponding level of compatibility.
However, the main purpose of the ceremony was to root out any saints or spies from the other four great mystical sects.
The next task was of great significance, requiring meticulous discernment to detect any heretical beliefs that might have infiltrated their ranks.
The Hierarchical Holy Daughter Elf yawned languidly, her crimson eyes filled with boredom; she had no interest in such a flawed and tedious ceremony.
As a child, she had participated in similar ceremonies, where her three candles shone as bright as daylight, but this meant little to her. Elf never prided herself on such achievements; to her, it was simply a matter of course.
In plain terms, the tri-deity ceremony was incomplete, aimed primarily at identifying spies from other sects.
It wasn't possible to select so-called saints of a sect through such a flawed ritual.
In the Avad Church Nation, there existed a complete ceremony, known as the Seven Deities Ceremony.
This required the lighting of seven human fat candles, each symbolizing one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects, presided over by bishop-level figures from each cult, with the blood sacrifice of over a thousand people—only then would the seven deities truly descend upon the world.
At eleven, Elf had partaken in the Seven Deities Ceremony.
According to the outside world, her three candles constantly burned as bright as day, but in fact, six of her candles blazed. This feat broke the history of the Church Nation and was recorded in the archives.
A believer cherished by the gaze of six Mother Goddesses had shattered the beliefs of the faithful.
'The flame of the Mother Goddess burned solely for her.'
Given the Mother Goddesses' diverse personalities, beliefs, and preferences, with some holding conflicting doctrines or even being mutually hostile, the last to receive such grand favor was the Azure Sorceress three thousand years ago.
The attention of six Mother Goddesses meant that Elf was born for the Esoteric Religion, free to choose among six sects.
In the end, she chose the Chaos Sect, which was closely aligned with her personality. Not long after joining, she was crowned as the Hierarchical Holy Maiden, bestowed the title 'Chaotic Ladder.'
Thus, for Elf, this incomplete ceremony of lighting three candles hardly warranted her concern, nor did it deserve her attention. Perhaps those who could light three candles at once showed some promise, but that was all.
The only shadow in the perfect life of the Hierarchical Holy Maiden was the time she had infiltrated Seden Town in a playful mood with her soul projection and was forced by that bastard to take a month of lessons.
In contrast to her indifference, Bishop Rada wore a face full of pride.
With his shiny bald head, he watched the devotees of the Gorilla Cult with satisfaction.
The Gorilla Cult had four believers with all three candles brightly lit; indeed, the rise of the Painful Esoteric Sect was imminent, especially the Serpent of Pain, whose candle creativity flattered Rada immensely.
He had not misjudged the man.
In comparison, the followers of the Ladder Sect lacked such creativity.
Rada's glance swept past the devotees of the Ladder Sect, pausing particularly on An Su, his eyes narrowing slightly. For some reason, this young man felt especially cold to him; from the first moment he saw him, Bishop Rada inexplicably felt a chill on the top of his head.
It was a pity he was not physically present, or he would have taken a closer look.
An Su hadn't noticed Rada's assessment; his concern was more on the candle test of the believers.
The Chaotic Elevator, who was ahead of him in line and seated firmly at the top of An Su's sacrificial menu, did live up to An Su's expectations. With the brightest candles in the entire ceremony, he was certain to be a dish of exquisite delicacies.
Still somewhat tipsy from alcohol, the Chaotic Elevator staggered down the steps amidst the audience's gasps, patting An Su's shoulder with a gesture of closeness.
This Esoteric Religion prodigy, who had previously made things difficult for An Su, was now exceedingly friendly towards him, radiating a protective big brother vibe as he bragged,
"Younger brother, there's no need to be tense. Relax. Even if your results are poor, I'll have your back."
After drinking strongly, a boundless heroism and fantasy filled his chest. The Chaotic Elevator felt that all the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion were nothing special, and even the formidable Hierarchical Holy Maiden was but a woman. If not for the limited number of candles preventing him from showing his full potential,
Had there been seven, the Chaotic Elevator believed he would have lit up all seven.
Touched, An Su sincerely wished the brother well, "Brother Elevator, the position of Quasi-Holy Child of our sect is truly yours to claim."
Capturing the Ladder Sect's Holy Child had brought him more rewards.
"Where, where, Staircase younger brother flatters me too much."
The Chaotic Elevator, with his hand on An Su's shoulder, although verbally modest, couldn't hide the pride on his face; clearly, he enjoyed the compliment,