Chapter 003: Goodbye

Upon entering the prayer hall, there was a long corridor, with clergy members in various robes carrying the Holy Scriptures as they walked back and forth. Most of these clergy members had expressions of sanctity and dignity, their smiles seeming to emit light.
Du Fan took just one glance and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—these were true believers!
After observing their robes a bit more, Du Fan couldn’t help but smile wryly. Most of the robes were red; even if there were occasional white ones, there would always be a bright cross emblem at the collar.
In this place, those walking under the light were at least cardinal priests, and someone like him, a priest in white, probably didn’t qualify to enter.
Seeming to sense Du Fan’s admiration, Tasia beside him glanced at him and said, “Lord Du Fan, you’ve probably never been here before, right? This is the center of the Gavin Diocese, home to over a quarter of all bishops and archbishops in the Holy Church. Those who can enter here are mostly devout priests. Even an ordinary priest needs to have the status of a cardinal… Of course, these people handle the daily affairs of our Holy Church. After all, aside from prayer, there’s much to do to ensure its development.”
As she spoke, Tasia took another breath and added, “At the same time, those who aren’t at the core level of the Holy Church absolutely cannot enter here. Don’t think we came in easily from the prayer hall—there are at least a hundred Temple Knights lurking in that corridor. Anyone who dares to intrude would be considered to be desecrating the gods.”
Du Fan nodded slightly and looked around. From the corridor they were walking in, they could see the scenery outside.
His intention was quite clear—if it wasn’t possible to enter through the prayer hall, then they could simply enter through these places.

Tasia naturally understood Du Fan’s meaning. She shook her head slightly and said, “Lord Du Fan, although you can see the scenery of the capital city from here, there is actually an invisible wall between this place and the outside world. If you try to break through forcefully, it’s not impossible, but in doing so, you’ll trigger the warning magic. By then, if all the Temple Knights, Divine Mages, and Holy Light Mages in the cathedral unite, even a saintly expert would have no choice but to flee in panic.”

Du Fan had been in the Holy Church for a long time. Though he had never entered this place, he knew that the power of the Holy Church within this cathedral was undeniable. Not to mention anything else, just the mysterious and immensely powerful Divine Prison alone had an unfathomable strength. Moreover, after thousands of years of development, could the Holy Church really rely on just that?

Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel a bit scared. When he saved Chenchen back then, it was fortunate that only Temple Knights were guarding there. But if it had been the Divine Prison, he would likely be waiting in the arms of the God of Light for his next chance to cross over.

After walking some more with Tasia, they gradually encountered fewer clergy members. The surroundings became increasingly quiet, in stark contrast to the noise earlier. On either side of the corridor was either a garden or a wall covered in paintings. The paintings on the wall exuded a sense of holiness, yet they were so obscure that they were incomprehensible.

Du Fan had been in the Holy Church for quite some time, but he had never seen these runes before. He originally wanted to ask Tasia what they meant, but after opening his mouth, he decided against it.

Finally, after turning a few more times down this quiet path, guided by Tasia, Du Fan arrived at a small courtyard. The courtyard was filled with flowers and plants, and at its center stood a stone hall.

Tasia stopped at the entrance to the courtyard. She pointed at the stone hall and said softly, “Lord Du Fan, Lord Anthony is waiting for you inside. I can’t accompany you any further… I hope you’ll be careful!”

With that, Tasia bowed and disappeared into the dark corridor moments later.

Du Fan shook his head slightly. As he looked at the hall before him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. What benefits could he gain by coming out of there today? Or would he be completely abandoned by the Holy Church?

After a moment, Du Fan took a deep breath, adjusted his robe casually, and then slowly walked along the cobblestone path toward the entrance of the stone hall.

The doors of the hall were wide open, filled with holy light. Yet Du Fan instinctively avoided looking at it. Instead, he stood quietly to one side of the door, slowly lowering his head to gaze at his toes. He even made sure not to make any sound or emit any fluctuations of combat energy or magic…

Of course, this was a test. He had previously been unsure of Anthony’s strength, and now he wanted to see how long it would take for the other party to notice his arrival under such circumstances.

But soon, Du Fan was disappointed.

Less than a moment after he stood there, he heard an aged yet authoritative voice coming from deep within the hall: “Is it Du Fan? Come in!”

Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. But at such a time, even he didn’t dare play any tricks. Instead, he replied in a low voice, “Yes!”

Then he quickly stepped inside with his head lowered.

Once inside the hall, Du Fan still didn’t dare to look up. He could feel a scrutinizing gaze fixed on him for a long time. After a while, he heard that authoritative voice say indifferently, “It seems we haven’t met in a long time, hasn’t it, Priest Du Fan? Now, you may raise your head!”

Du Fan nodded slightly and slowly raised his head, glancing around for a moment.

The hall wasn’t very large—more like a small prayer room. In front of Du Fan were nine stone steps leading to a platform, on which stood a statue of the God of Light. Like all the statues of the God of Light on the continent, this one emitted a blinding holy light that made it impossible to look directly at.

Apart from that, the hall seemed to be empty.

Archbishop Anthony, dressed in a gray robe and holding a pure white magic staff, was looking up at the statue of the God of Light that continuously emitted holy light.

Du Fan followed his gaze and was struck by the blinding light, forcing him to close his eyes immediately.

At the same time, Du Fan seemed to sense an extremely intense pressure sweeping over him. There was no murderous intent in this pressure, no oppression, not even any temperature, yet it filled him with utter fear—a fear that stemmed from a deep reverence for the gods. In just a short while, Du Fan found his back completely drenched in cold sweat. Was this… the power of a god? Seeming to notice Du Fan’s fear, Anthony slowly withdrew his gaze. For a moment, Du Fan had the illusion that something had surged directly from Anthony’s eyes. Anthony’s face remained aged, as if he might die at any moment. He placed his magic wand on the ground and stepped down the stairs one by one, stopping briefly halfway before continuing down until he stood in front of Du Fan. He looked up at Du Fan and said calmly, “Child, are you afraid? If you still feel fear in the face of the holy light, it’s only because your faith isn’t pure enough!” Du Fan stood silent, staring at the archbishop in red. His vision was no longer that of a novice, but after looking at Anthony for a while, his mind grew even more confused. This Archbishop Anthony could gaze directly at the holy light, yet there was not a trace of combat energy or magic about him. He appeared to be an utterly ordinary old man—so ordinary that Du Fan thought he could simply kill him with a flick of his little finger! But his usual caution made him realize that if Anthony could hold such a high position as archbishop, he surely wasn’t an ordinary person. Though puzzled, Du Fan didn’t dare show it and quickly said respectfully, “I greet Archbishop Anthony.” He bowed deeply, lowering himself swiftly. But before he could fully bow, he felt a gentle force pushing him back up. Anthony coughed twice heavily, patted his chest, and said, “No need! No need! In the presence of the God of Light, everyone is equal. Besides, you’re a priest in white—aside from the God of Light, you need to bow to no one else… Haven’t you gone to the Northlands and gone mad, forgetting even this rule?” Du Fan hurriedly replied, “Your servant would never dare!”

Anthony waved his hand and coughed a few times before smiling and saying, “Priest Du Fan, I’ve been thinking these days when exactly you would come back to see me! I never expected we would meet so soon!”