The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist: The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist, #8

By Wesley Wang

He accidentally traveled to a brand new world, where he discovered some pathogens that had long disappeared in human history, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. With his profound knowledge and technology in modern biochemistry, he began to exert influence in this world. He made up his mind to help those who were ostracized by society, possessed special abilities but were called "Mutants." These people were isolated and discriminated against because of their unique abilities. Through his efforts, he established a powerful group composed of marginalized individuals—the Mutant Knights. They not only bravely confronted the old feudal system and hostile forces but also fought for equality and respect for the mutants. The establishment and efforts of this team gradually changed society's view of people with special abilities and led a profound social transformation.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wesley Wang
• Release date: May 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223737179

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Catacombs, directly below the Sacred Court Square.

Father Pedro holds a torch in one hand and rubs the wall with the other, As far as I remember, this is where it should be.

Peeling away the debris from the wall, Pedro looked at the dilapidated building tucked behind it and sighed in relief, Yep, this is it.

Going up the steps in front of us, we can reach the backyard of the Holy Court Square, and walking up a few hundred meters, we can find the First Inquisition’s prison.

Alden perked up his wolf ears as he walked, Listen guys, there seems to be the sound of explosions and hissing in the distance.

Karen wipes her dagger before placing it back on her belt, Lord Cumberland is leading an attack on the city, this is actually to draw the enemy’s attention for our operation.

Kellogg the lizardman spits out a letter, Hopefully we can get to our prisoners before the city falls.

Karen turned back and said, Take it easy, Lord Cumberland will master the rhythm of the attack, if the attack is too strong, the enemy will lose hope of survival and go crazy enough to kill all the prisoners; but if the attack is too weak, it won’t be able to have the effect of attracting attention.

Kellogg was a bit surprised, These are all pre-established plans?

It was the Holy King who explained so.

Kellogg clenched his claws into fists and placed them on his chest, bowing his head respectfully, All is as the vision of the Supreme Dragon God.

Pedro walked to the end of the stairs, extinguished the torch in his hand, and said, Here we are, climb up to the backyard of the plaza.

The group followed a long staircase at the end and climbed to the ground to find that the exit was actually an ancient well that

Pedro patted the dust on his body and said to the crowd, Put on your robes and keep your heads down so the guards don’t see your faces.

Bourville the Minotaur slipped the robe, which was the size of a ship’s sail, over his body, and looking at his hooves exposed and unable to cover them, he said to Carol the Orc, I’ll follow you later.

Alden the werewolf chuckles and says to Bourville, Maybe you could try getting down on all fours.

The minotaur raised his fists and ignored the other’s teasing.

The crowd made their way down the passage called the Sacred Gallery.

On the way, thousands of worshippers knelt down in the square with their heads facing the direction of the Holy Church, chanting loudly about the Heavenly Father’s gracious might.

This city is under the protection of the Heavenly Father, and no enemy will be able to get their hands on this holy place!

Do you hear the hymns coming from the sky? Do you feel the shaking that rises and falls beneath your feet? That is our God, our Heavenly Father! His wrath will soon descend on the outskirts of the city and burn all evil sycophants to ashes!

Group after group of men, women, and children twisted their bodies like madmen, the frenzied expressions on their faces ch

Barbara closed her eyes, not daring to look again.

Randall, who was walking, suddenly stopped in his tracks, Someone is coming.

A patrol formed by a group of Clerical Duchesses walked up to Pedro and looked suspiciously at the ‘strange’ group behind him.

Pedro unhurriedly pulled out a scroll from his pocket and showed the patrol’s leader the fire seal on it.

By order of Bishop Abler, we are traveling to the Holy Court of Rongwei.

After examining the fire seal, the patrol gave way and watched the men disappear into the night.

I almost couldn’t resist just now. Alden retracted his wolf claws and let out a long breath.

Carol looked at the patrols roaming around the plaza and asked, Was there this much of a guard force here in the past? I thought the Heavenly Father Order drew most of their troops to the city’s defense.

Pedro wiped the sweat from his head and quickened his pace, Tonight is a bit special, Cardinal Jacob says there is to be a pilgrimage salute in the Basilica.

Puzzled, Randall asked, A pilgrimage salute?

In honor of the saints laying down their lives to spread the Gospel, the Holy See holds a Pilgrimage Salute every three years, and all the faithful of the Heavenly Father are asked to assemble and participate.

Pedro felt a bit odd himself as he said this, But this time, it’s clearly not time yet, and Bishop Jacob had to pick the time during the war to hold the Pilgrimage Salute.

Alden bristled, Could it be that the church is worried that the people in the city have been scared out of their wits and is using this gathering to brainwash all the believers again?

Pedro smiled dryly.

Randall gave the priest an apologetic smile.

The group advanced for another fifteen minutes.

The buildings around them were thinning out and the crowd was fading out of sight.

We’re almost at the Ecclesiastical Prison. Seemingly sensing the coolness in the air, Pedro shivered, This place is categorized as a religious restricted area, and even church personnel will rarely come close to it.

After walking forward for nearly another hundred meters, Pedro led the others to hide in a small forest and pointed at a brightly lit camp not far away, See there? That’s the entrance to the prison.

Lizardman Kellogg used his powers to check it out and turned to Randall, Two squads of clerical knights, an entire battalion of war soldiers.

Randall looked up at the entrance of the camp, and after a long time, spoke, The biggest trouble is the alarm bells on the two guard posts at the entrance, as soon as we get close, the sentries will ring the alarm bells, and the enemies in the square, as well as the guards in the prison, will rush in to reinforce them at the same time.

Karen Furman looked at the camp and spoke up, If I take care of all the soldiers on the two sentry towers, can you take this camp?

Alden grinned, Not that I’m bragging, it wouldn’t take even a piss to take care of those defenders inside ……

That’s fine.

Karen tied her hair behind her head, and on her delicate face, a pair of bright eyes shone under the firelight.

She only saw that she first visually measured the distance, and then pulled out a strange dart in the shape of an 『S』 from her bosom

Karen’s right heel kicked out, her body completed a graceful spin, and the dart in her hand came out and headed straight for the sentry towers in a weird curved track.

The dart first came to the high platform of the first sentry tower, Karen’s figure suddenly appeared in the air, the dagger was swung with a positive hand and pulled with a negative hand, accurately cutting the throats of two sentries.

The dart’s remaining momentum did not decrease, almost drawing a half circle, flying directly into the second sentry tower, rooted into the wooden pillars above.

Karen’s figure appeared in the air once more, his left hand formed into a sword and slashed at the neck of one sentry, his right hand held a dagger and stabbed into the chest of another enemy.

All of these actions happened in a flash of lightning, and it took but a second before

By the time the crowd reacted, Karen had already finished taking care of the enemies on the two sentry towers and started wiping the blood stains from her dagger.

Alden closed his open mouth with a claw and whispered to Carol beside him, Remember to remind me in the future not to mess with this woman if nothing else.

Bourville pulls out his giant axe behind him and steps away from his hooves, charging toward the enemy camp after Randall, who has his shield up and sword in hand

Kellogg, on the other hand, used his mimicry ability to stealthily enter the flanks of the battlefield and began to intercept the fleeing and reporting enemies.

A massive fireball, hurtling from Barbara’s fingers, blasts the camp’s gates to smithereens

A rescue operation to save the stranded prisoners in the heavily fought city of Tairo has officially begun.

Chapter 2

The underground floor of the prison.

In the narrow passageway, Carol grabbed the legs of an ecclesiastical knight and, like swinging a sledgehammer, smashed the shield wall in front of her, sending blood and flesh flying.

Alden shortened his body, got on all fours, and leapt up from Carol’s head, taking advantage of the opening where the shield wall was disrupted to pounce directly into the enemy’s back row of crossbowmen.

The wolf’s claws lunged forward, and a crossbowman’s throat was ripped out so hard that blood spurted onto the ceiling like a fountain.

Demons! Demons! A crossbowman, scared out of his wits, pulled out a cross from his chest, held it up to the werewolf and shouted, In the name of the Heavenly Father! Command you to go back to the lair!

Alden licked the blood from his claws, grinned and pounced on the crossbowman, opening his mouth wide and biting right off his opponent’s head.

The commander of the prison guard looked at the hell-like battlefield in front of him, and his entire body trembled like sifting chaff.

He shook off the guards and turned around to run to the end of the underground floor passageway, shouting to the two colorless jailers, Close the gate!

But …… but, my lord, there are still our friendly troops there.

The commander drew his sword and without hesitation cut down the jailer who dared to talk back, yelling towards the remaining fellow, Close the damn gate!

Randall sidesteps a shield strike, knocking the last standing enemy to the ground, and says behind him, Passage cleared.

Pedro, crouched behind the gatepost, shuddered and stuck his head out, the body count in front of him causing him to cross his chest

Pedro carefully walks up behind Randall and speaks, From there it’s a short walk down the stairs to the second floor of the prison, where Warden Morton Kris and his guards reside. Through there, the people we’re trying to save are on the third level.

Pedro paused for a moment, then looked worriedly toward the locked door at the end of the passage, But first, we must find a way to open that door.

Bourville the Minotaur kicked away the bodies on the floor that were in the way, leaned his giant axe against the wall, and muffled to Pedro, That won’t be a problem.

Spitting twice on his hand first, Bourville shortened his body, aimed his bullhorn forward, stomped the ground with both hooves, and the whole thing slammed into the gate with the force of a million pounds, like a train running at full speed.

There was a deafening crash, accompanied by a shaking of the ground.

The huge wooden door shattered into a pile of wooden pieces, and along with the surrounding wall, it also collapsed beyond recognition.

Bourville patted the debris from his body, returned to pick up the giant axe, and said to the dumbfounded Pedro, Like I said, it’s not a problem.

The group followed the curving staircase to the second basement level of the prison.

The environment here was colder and more humid.

Humanoid things were vaguely visible in the cells on both sides of the passageway, but compared to the previous level, these creatures had long since lost their human instincts of speech and behavior.

They either laughed madly or whimpered, and some even gnawed on their own flesh and blood, letting out beast-like cries.

I don’t like it here. Barbara wrapped her robes around her body, This place is more desperate than hell.

Pedro forced himself not to look at the cells on either side of him, I came to the second basement level once when I was first inducted as a deacon, and for over twenty years after that, I was reluctant to set foot here again for any reason.

Karen looked at the crucifix idol hanging on the wall and sneered, Funny how the Church’s way of salvation is to make people abandon their sanity and welcome madness.

Alden covers his wolf’s nose with his paw and says in agony, Can we hurry? The stench in here is making me almost lose my sense of smell.

Pedro points to the fire at the end of the line, Out that way we’ll get to the center of the second basement level, where the torture chambers are as well as the warden’s mansion.

The group quickened their pace and walked quickly through the lengthy passageway into a brightly lit hall.

Iron virgins, guillotines, cranial openers, and amputation beds …… of different styles and a wide array of torture instruments were neatly arranged in the hall like furniture.

Human heads, limbs, organs, and skin were displayed like trophies amidst the glass windows, and under the illumination of the firelight, they looked particularly horrifying and biz

This warden’s hobbies are really vulgar. Alden looked at the dark red blood stains inside the Iron Virgin and shrugged his shoulders, It looks like these torture devices are more than just for display.

Guest! Finally! A guest!

A sharp voice like a male duck’s attracted everyone’s attention.

A middle-aged man with a figure that was a little different from a leather ball, dressed in a gorgeous outfit, stood on a high platform in the hall, looking down on the intruders.

I once heard rumors that many non-human races live in the distant western kingdoms. The man stared at the members of the Holy Teaching Army with greedy eyes and said excitedly, I originally thought that it was nothing more than a rumor, but I didn’t expect it to be true!

The man rattled his fingers as if he was looking at a delicious meal, Minotaurs, lizardmen, werewolves …… and that tall green-skinned monster. Don’t worry, I’ll put your specimens in the most prominent place here!

Carol crunches her foot on the floor, The green-skinned monster?

Alden glanced at the orc, Are you focusing on the wrong thing, this guy is going to make us into specimens.

Randall raised his longsword and pointed it forward, You are powerless to stop us from advancing, surrender is your best bet!

Surrender? You’re asking me to surrender?! The man seemed to hear the funniest joke in the world, Open your eyes! Look around you!

Squad after squad of soldiers in lockjaw armor, muskets in hand, lined up from the end of the hall, and there were even two shotguns following close behind, propelled by artillerymen.

The obese man waved his hands, Have you ever seen the muskets and artillery from the Southern Empire! I have an entire coalition under my command, and the Cardinals must all bow down to my power whenever I wish!

You may not know who I, Morton Kris, am, but my family is a prominent and meritorious family in the capital city of Tairo!My ancestors were …… back in the first millennium

Alden’s eyes glazed over and he opened his mouth to ask, Don’t you guys think this guy is a little ……?

Bourville shakes a cow’s ear, He reminds me of one of those buzzing flies on carrion.

Randall shook his head helplessly and shouted towards Morton Kris, We didn’t come here to listen to your long-winded ……

Don’t interrupt me! Morton Kris yelled in displeasure, Asshole! I say again, don’t interrupt me! By the way, where was I?

A small stone flew through the air and fell behind Morton Kris.

In the next second, Karen pressed her dagger against the warden’s neck.

Wait a minute! Don’t kill me! Let me finish first!

Karen jerked her arm and the dagger slit Morton Kris’ throat, burying the latter’s words in the grave forever

Alden scratched his ear, Clear the air.

Chapter 3

Looking at the enemies that had scattered before him, Karen wiped the blood off her dagger on the warden’s body and frowned, Waste of time.

Alden walks over Morton Kris’ body and spits towards the latter, I thought it was a tough one.

Pedro glances sideways at his surroundings and whispers, The warden was a feared figure in the Capitol, but died so ……

Randall puts away his sword and shield: Let’s make haste.

The group finally reached the third underground level of the prison.

Compared to the last two floors, this floor was eerily quiet.

There was no human wailing in pain or shackles clattering, and the only thing that echoed in their ears was the sound of water drops hitting the stone floor.

Pedro lit a torch and walked at the front of the group, This place holds the ‘political prisoners’ of the Church, including the most evil apostates, those who worship heresy and those who have violated the teachings of the Church. No one will set foot here, not even the jailers.

Alden wrapped a cloth around his nose and muffled, It smells rotten in here.

Pedro said softly, As I said, no one wants to set foot here, and naturally that includes those who collect corpses.

Randall spoke up and asked, Where is Professor Yevgeny of Alchemy’s cell?

Down the corridor, first intersection left, second right, and the room at the end is his.

Randall quickened his pace, I hope it’s not too late.

As the group threaded their way through the long passages and finally arrived at their final destination, what lay in the dimly lit cell made everyone gasp.

It could no longer be considered a human.

His bloody limbs had been broken long ago, the skin from his neck down had been flayed off alive, and his entire body was littered with marks from being gnawed on by rats

Barbara took one look at him and forced herself to look back, This is the man we’re looking for?

Pedro grimaced, God, what the hell did they do to you?!

Alden went limp and sat on his butt in frustration, All that work and in the end we find a dead guy?

Carol turned toward Pedro and asked, Can you confirm that this guy on the ground is the Yevgeny we’re looking for?

Forcing himself to endure the discomfort of nausea, Pedro came a little closer and said after some careful identification, Yes, I can confirm that this guy is Yevgeny.

Bourville plunged his giant axe heavily into the floor and growled lowly in annoyance, We have failed! We failed the Dragon God! I was supposed to deliver a most perfect victory for my gods and goddesses!But I screwed up ……

The lizardman stared at the ‘man’ on the floor, with his heat sensing powers he suddenly said, I can feel a faint heat still inside him, he’s still alive.

Randall shuddered and hastily dropped to the floor, waving away the rats on the floor and attaching his ear to the other man’s chest.

Kellogg was right, Yevgeny still has a heartbeat, but it’s very faint.

Seeing the look Randall cast, Kellogg shook his head, I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not going to happen. This man is not far from death and any attempt to save him is futile.

Randall asked in a heavy tone, That means there’s nothing we can do to save him?

Kellogg nods.

Randall removes from his chest the dragon emblem Ethan gave him before the trip and quietly places it on Yevgeny’s chest and says, If we can’t save his life, at least we can redeem his soul.

The moment the dragon badge touched Yevgeny, Randall’s soul was instantly pulled into the heavens.

A giant dragon coiled between the magnificent and majestic mountains.

A middle-aged man with an eight-pointed beard and wearing the academy’s professor’s robe looked at the huge dragon and was so shocked that he couldn’t close

Are you Yevgeny, the Alchemy Professor of the Royal Academy of Tairo?

A deafening voice emanated from the dragon’s mouth, sending Yevgeny sprawling on the ground in fright

Ethan extends the dragon’s head out from between the clouds and looks at the mortal at his feet, There is no need to panic, no need to fear. The candle of your life has been extinguished, but the light of your soul has entered the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven? Yevgeny is obviously still a bit confused, I’ve heard that word spoken.

Ethan looked to Randall, Are there any other survivors besides him?

Randall shakes his head helplessly.

No! NO! There are others alive! Yevgeny suddenly exclaims when he hears Ethan’s question, Great gods and goddesses! There is a group of people besides me who need help!

Who?

Yevgeny fell to both knees and buried his head deep towards the dragon, Children! The children of us all!

Puzzled, Randall asked, Children?

In the Church’s heresy capture operation, besides the scholars and nobles who were guilty of apostasy, there were numerous underage children who were taken into custody. Yevgeny said excitedly, Most of them came from the families of those captured, and although they weren’t the main culprits, they still received implications!

Randall hurriedly asked, Where are these children?

They are all being held in the penitentiary behind the Great Sanctuary! Yevgeny’s voice trembled, I am willing to give my knowledge, my soul, my everything for the great god before me, if only you can save them!

Randall turns his face to Ethan and gets down on one knee, Holy King, please order us to save those children!

Ethan looked at Randall, and after a moment of silence, spoke, It won’t be long before the city of Tairo will be breached, and those children will be rescued by themselves.

Randall raised his head and said eagerly, When the city is overrun, those crazy church thugs will do anything, and no one can guarantee the safety of those children!

Ethan was silent for a while longer, and finally said, Go ahead, I agree to your request to save those children. But remember, always keep that soul badge I gave you safe.

Randall nodded vigorously and his soul was instantly sent out of space.

When Randall opened his eyes, he realized that everyone around him was looking at him.

Kellogg said, Yevgeny is dead.

Looking to the long dead body on the floor, Randall stood up, His soul has been accepted into the heavens.

Hearing this, the Minotaur and Lizardman slowly closed their eyes and bowed their heads in reverence towards the dragon

Randall puts the badge back around his neck and says to everyone, Gentlemen, let’s get out of here, the Holy King has given us a new mission.

Chapter 4

You mean for us to rush to the Grand Sanctuary and rescue a bunch of kids who can’t even hold a short sword in front of tens of thousands of lunatic worshippers?! Alden can’t believe his ears and yells towards Randall, That’s suicide!

Bourville snorts a mouthful of white air out of his bullnose and snarls at Alden, How dare you question the Dragon God’s decision?!

Alden waved his wolf claws and asked in a loud voice, So tell me, how exactly should I accomplish this suicide-like mission?!

Shut up! Carol said as she crouched down beside Randall and pointed to a simple map Pedro had drawn on the ground with a tree branch, Come here and listen, all of you!

Pedro pointed to an entrance on the ‘map’ and said, This is the prison we’re in, and since it’s in the middle of nowhere and sparsely populated, very few people will come here. And we didn’t let a single person go on our way to attacking this place. So, for a while, I don’t think anyone should notice us.

Randall said, But the prison robbery will be exposed sooner or later.

True. Pedro nodded, The next change of guard at the prison is at dawn, so if all goes well, we should have less than two hours.

Carol frowned and asked, Two hours? How are you going to move that many kids in such a short period of time?

Pedro moved the branch towards a building on the ‘map’, This is the Great Sanctuary, this is the Sacred Promenade, and less than two hundred meters to the south is the Penitentiary, where the priesthood confesses to God. If we just take the child away in this manner, we are sure to be discovered by the guards.

Stopping Alden’s questioning with his hand, Pedro suddenly asked, I’m not sure if you are familiar with the history of the Church?

Father, this is not a good time for a history lesson. Randall said bitterly, It’s almost dawn.

Pedro smiled and waved his hand, Patience, patience. There is a famous scandal in the history of the Church - the reign of the harlot, from the Pope down to the bishops, all of them kept mistresses in the city of Tairo. Think about it, how did those prostitutes come in and seclude themselves with the priesthood in such a heavily guarded religious place?

Randall’s eyes lit up, You mean?

That’s right, the penitentiary, where there are plenty of rooms, soundproofed so no one will come and disturb them, the best place to make peace. Pedro nodded, Lord Bishop Abler told me once that there is a passageway to the city from there.

Karen spoke up, If that’s the case, then what are we waiting for, let’s get going now.

Kellogg asked, One more question, how should we approach that confessional?

Pedro says, Like I said before, today is the Pilgrimage Rite of Passage, everyone will be concentrated in the Great Sanctuary, there shouldn’t be too many guards at the confessional.

Randall straightens his gear and nods, As long as we rescue those children, we can hide them in a safe house in the city and wait for Lord Cumberland to break through and everyone will be safe.

Watching everyone leave one by one, Alden suddenly pulled Carol by the hand and asked in a small voice, Brothers, have you ever wondered why the church is holding that group of underage children in the penitentiary?

Carol first froze, then he opened his eyes round, veins appeared on his forehead, and he pushed Alden away and shouted angrily, Shut up!

Alden shrugged and stopped talking.

Tairo’s Grand Sanctuary, between ritual preparations.

Larynx sat in a chair and crossed her feet over the Holy Baptism table, watching with amusement what was happening in front of her.

Seven or eight assistant deacons were surrounding Bishop Jacob, dressing him in the Pope’s sash of Holy Orders and cassock of supremacy.

Larynx cocked her head and said to Miles beside her, This scene reminds me of monkeys in a circus.

The old man lowered his eyelids, Monkeys?

The first time a monkey performs on stage, the monkey’s eyes are filled with nothing but excitement and giddiness as he watches the people put the most magnificent dresses on his body.

With more and more performances on stage, the monkey’s eyes have long since lost the pleasure in the face of that gorgeous costume, only endless fear and disgust remain.

Larynx gently tapped the armrests of his chair with his fingers, Only, unlike the monkey, our new pontiff will never get a second chance to take the stage.

Miles cast his eyes across the room to the Holy Cross and said nothing.

Larynx turned her head toward Miles and asked, I remember the old you as a devout religious man.

Miles did not speak.

It’s no wonder that after reading so many of the Church’s secret stories, even the most devout of believers would question their faith. Larynx wiggled her fingers, counting as she said, The Heretic Inquisition, the Torture Chamber, the Coupons of Salvation …… and that Penitentiary, God saw his servants committing such evil deeds, but always remained indifferent, either God Himself is an evil being, or He simply hasn’t existed since the beginning. does not exist.

Miles opened his mouth and his voice was hoarse, Just because I deny the Church doesn’t mean I deny God.

Larynx smiled, The end of the mystic is endless nothingness.

Miles froze, I think it was Saladin who said that, if I remember correctly.

Larynx slowly tightened her smile, He is one of the few people wise enough to see through this world.

Miles looked at Larynx’s expression and asked curiously, You want to save him?

Yes. Larynx nodded softly, But first, he must meet death.

Mr. Katali, look at me in this, how does it look? Bishop Jacob twirled around in place excitedly in his Pope’s holy robes, asking Larynx for his appraisal.

Fantastic! Whether it’s the appearance, or the temperament. your fit with this outfit, Lord Jacob, is irrefutably perfect!

Larynx laughed while clapping her hands, The position of the Pope itself was prepared by God for you.

Jacob’s face was flushed red, and his entire body was swaying left and right as if he was drunk.

Just then, a dull explosion came from the distance, waking him up from his merriment.

Larynx glanced out the window, It looks like the enemy is attacking very hard.

Larynx turned his head to look at Jacob again, I wonder, will the defenders be able to hold out?

Jacob shook his head with a pale face, Even that old man Brom, who brought tens of thousands of troops with him, couldn’t stop the enemy, so what can the little garrison on the walls do?

Larynx lowered his head in a feigned manner, Your Holiness, what you say is very true.

Jacob hesitates as he paces in place, But, do we really need to use that?

Larynx smiled slightly, Is there any other way than that?

Jacob frowned.

Larynx said softly, My lord, are you trying to become the shortest reigning Pope in history?

Jacob pursed his lips, his hands grasping the Pope’s Holy Orders with a death grip.

Chapter 5

The Great Sanctuary in the capital city of Tairo was built in 326 A.D., with additions and renovations over the course of nearly a thousand years.

In the end, this religious sanctuary, which is the result of the efforts of countless people, became one of the architectural wonders of the continent.

The tens of thousands of square meters of indoor plaza can accommodate half of the city’s inhabitants at the same time; the arched structure of the acoustic design allows the sound from the pulpit to be clearly transmitted to thousands of meters away; and the 100-meter-high pure copper crucifix idol is so tall that even the top craftsmen of the southern empire would sigh with admiration at the sight of it.

To this day, the nobles, craftsmen, clergymen, and peasants of the city of Tairo gather under the cross, and despite the smoke of the war outside the city, this sanctuary gives them a strong faith.

Now is the time to prove loyalty to the Father! Several young men with swords approached the deacon of the church, We want to join the garrison! We can give our lives to guard the Holy Land!

A noblewoman listened to the explosions coming from the distance and said uneasily to her companion, I’ve heard people say that those enemies from the west are monsters! They look like wild beasts and demons, unusual swords cannot harm them, only holy water and blessed weapons can kill them!

An anxious looking merchant tugged at his hair, Half of my family’s fortune has been dedicated to the church, I hope that Heavenly Father’s army can hold this city, I don’t want to become food for those monsters outside the city!

The priests with bibles in hand stepped into the crowd, leading them to begin the usual prayers before the salute.

Almighty Creator, destroy the flames of evil, eradicate the strife on earth, and grant me well-being in form and mind to enjoy true peace.

At the end of the prayer, Bishop Jacob, dressed in the Holy Orders of the Pope, slowly walked through the main entrance under the arch of the congregation.

The snow-white ecclesiastical robes were so blinding that they drew low murmurs from the crowd

Silence! The acolytes standing around the sermon platform warned the crowd while maintaining order at the scene.

Jacob stepped up to the pulpit, flipped open the Bible, and began his own inaugural pope’s speech.

The city of Tairo, this sacred city favored by the Father, is facing an attack by pagan demons, perhaps the greatest crisis the Church has experienced in thousands of years!

This is a test and a trial! Anyone who harbors cowardice and fear in his heart will have his soul spurned and will never be able to gain God’s favor!

And I, as the Heavenly Father’s most trusted servant and the bravest warrior under his command, have received a revelation from his own mouth!I will lead you all ……

In the face of Jacob’s speech from the pulpit, Larynx, dressed in a black cloak, looked at the huge statue of the cross in the center of the sanctuary, with an expression on his face as if this world had nothing to do with him.

Miles. When I was a kid, I always thought God was right above my head.

Larynx placed her palm twenty centimeters above her head and smiled, Probably right here.

I always felt that no matter what I did, said or thought, God was the first to know.

My favorite thing to do at that time was to sit quietly in the corner by myself and talk to the ‘God’ above my head.

Miles raised his head, and on his furrowed face, a pair of cloudy eyes revealed a hint of compassion, What changed you?

As a Fae, when my family was taken into the prisons of the Heretic Inquisition, my father told me that God would prove our innocence and clear conscience.

Larynx smiled, When my father was flayed and boned, my older brother told me that God does not persecute the faithful.

After my older brother was impaled alive on a sharp stake and died, my mother told me that God would forgive our sins.

After my mother was reduced to charcoal in the fire, everything finally fell silent and no one came to tell me about God anymore.

Larynx turned over the silver nail clippers and slowly rubbed the pattern on them, I was lying in the mud of the prison, listening to the sound of my legs being gnawed by rats, and looking up at the top of my head, when I finally realized something.

Larynx looks to the crucified idol on the cross and says softly, "God has never paid attention to us, in his eyes we are no different than dust or an ant. If you want