Kadora’s baptism ceremony went smoothly – it couldn’t have been smooth. After all, the main process of the ceremony was that Medien first stood on the altar and asked, “Are you willing to receive the grace of the Goddess and become Her glorious believer on earth?” Then Kadora nodded and said, “Yes, I do.” Finally, Medien took her and Sister Livia to pray in front of the statue of the Goddess. At this point, Kadora officially became a member of the Holy Goddess Church.

The only uncontrollable risk during the ceremony was that Gloria tried to force her way in by saying “I am also a nun”, but was subdued in time by Saint Charlia… I mean stopped.

The whole process was so simple that the guests who came to watch the ceremony were speechless. In their imagination, this ceremony should have been sacred and solemn. After all, when the Church of the Night still ruled over tens of thousands of faiths on this land of ashes, which ceremony was not grand and extravagant? It seemed that if the statues were not decorated with gold, the foundation stones were not cast with silver, and thousands of believers were not called to kowtow and pray, it would not be enough to reflect the majesty of the gods. In comparison, the scene of the Holy Goddess Church was a little… not petty, but very friendly, right?
They were even more astonished by the seamless transition to the banquet after the baptism ceremony. When the potted plant orchestra in the corner began to play music, when the stone spirit guards set up tables and chairs on the grass outside the church, and when the rabbit gentlemen brought out the dishes that had been prepared long ago, they even thought for a moment that there was something wrong with their eyes or their brains – no normal person could confuse the words “ceremony” and “banquet”, right?
Then, crack—pop!

There was a loud explosion outside, lighting up the night.

Yes, there are also fireworks displays.

Mitch looked blank.

As the leader of the Youth Army and Kadora’s partner, he naturally appeared at the ceremony and witnessed the most important moment in his friend’s life. Although until now, he still didn’t quite understand why Kadora had to join the Holy Goddess Church. He knew it was definitely not because the game was fun or she had a good relationship with Metien. These reasons could only make her closer to the Holy Goddess Church, but they could not influence the girl’s final decision. He knew better than anyone how stubborn his partner, who looked weak on the outside, was in his heart.

However, if you can’t figure it out, don’t think about it, or leave it for later. One of the things Mitch has learned from his years of wandering and fighting is that the living only need to live in the present, and the dead need to think about the future. So he didn’t understand, but chose to support it, and decided early on that after the ceremony, he would offer blessings to Kadora, wishing the girl to finally find the destination of her faith – she was not a believer of the original God of Night before, and of course, she would not be in the future.

But the scene before him suddenly made him lose the mood to bless.

Fireworks suddenly exploded before his eyes, blooming with flowing and dreamy colors. Mitch came back to his senses and said to his companions with a wooden face: “Although it seems outrageous, when I think about the style of this church, it suddenly makes sense.”

Before the others could answer, a familiar voice came from behind: “It seems that you have a thorough understanding of the teachings of the Goddess. Do you want to join our Holy Goddess Church, Mitch?”

The boy turned around and found that it was his good partner who was looking at him with a smile. It was a rare smile on her always sad face.

Mitch curled his lips, but did not refuse. Of course, he did not agree either: “You have just joined the Holy Goddess Church. Are you so anxious to preach for the goddess, Kadora?”

The girl said seriously, “Because I believe that the goddess’s teachings are the path we need most. It will definitely change the future of the Gray Hill. Just like… Mr. Ling said, God loves the world, and we love ourselves. Only in this way can the world usher in peace and tranquility.”

After becoming a member of the Holy Goddess Church, she learned Ling’er’s true identity and that he used to be a pastor of the Tianxin Church, but not anymore. Although she didn’t quite understand whether there were some complicated struggles involved (such as Metien sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice and fighting off her brother who didn’t do his job properly), she still changed her name accordingly.

Mitch did not respond to Kadora’s statement. In fact, he did not necessarily agree with it in his heart, but he did not want to say it out loud at this time and spoil Kadora’s interest. As for the reason for not agreeing, it was very simple. The teachings of Her Majesty the Goddess were good, but at least in the East Continent, it was impossible to spread on a large scale because it was guided by faith, not power.

Religion is dominated by faith, which seems reasonable, right? But it is not the case in the East Continent. If believing in Her Majesty the Goddess cannot obtain extraordinary power, cannot change one’s current situation, and cannot achieve the career one desires, then who would be willing to do so? When Kadora offered to become a believer of Her Majesty the Goddess, Metien was very happy, but she never said what she could gain by joining the Holy Goddess Church. You know, the reason why the Original Night Church was able to develop its power in the Gray Hill Land was because they could provide believers with what they wanted: magic potions and holy relics. The former was the hope of embarking on the extraordinary road, and the latter was the most indispensable power on this land.

This church still adheres to the tradition of ancient times, separating faith from external things and maintaining its purity. The faith is pure, but this purity cannot bring any changes to believers, just like… Mitch looked around and his eyes fell on those game consoles. He thought, of course, playing games is also very happy, even happier than winning a battle. That kind of happiness is pure, but it is not what he wants.

In this world, pure people like Metien, Sister Livia or Kadora are few and far between.

“Mitch, don’t think too much.” His partner suddenly whispered, “We all know what we want. This belief will not stop me from fighting, but will only make me more determined.”

Mitch thought about it and came up with a metaphor that wasn’t quite right: “Just like… Brother Carson and the original Night God?”

Kadora said, “Maybe.”

But one is a positive example and the other is a negative example.

“Okay, let’s stop talking about this.” She suddenly grabbed Mitch’s hand, then turned to the others and said, “Sister Alice called us over and said she wants us to experience the game she made herself. Do you want to go?”

As if to echo Cardora’s words, Alice stood under the statue of the goddess in the distance, waving at them, waving a silver cube in her hand, and shouted: “Hey, why don’t you come over? You will be fined 10 million for being late!” Mitch looked at Cardora suspiciously: “Are you sure this is the same person?”

Others had the same confusion. It was not like they had never seen Coach Ai before. When Coach Ai was invited by Metien to give guidance, everyone saw how depressed and decadent he looked. Why did he seem like a different person today?

“I’m not sure either.” Kadora said, “But this should be considered a good thing?”

After a few days of contact, they had a good impression of Ai Zhidao, except that his gaming level was questionable.

“That’s true.” Mitch stopped worrying and said, “Let’s go and have a look.”

He wanted to see if the game that Coach Ai always boasted about was really that fun.

The young soldiers all left, and only the adults stayed to attend the banquet. Yes, in addition to Mitch and others, many people from the Ash Guerrillas came to participate in the baptism ceremony. Perhaps it was because the young soldiers were popular among the Ash Guerrillas, or perhaps it was because many people among the Ash Guerrillas were curious about the Holy Goddess Church and wanted to take this opportunity to get to know this strange ally, so many people came. And what they saw and heard during the ceremony, whether it was the Yunjingkong Island that opened up a piece of paradise in the dark and deep Black Forest, or the happy alien races on the island, all made them amazed.

However, perhaps influenced by some factors in human instinct, what interested them most was the game console that Alice placed in the Tianxin Church. Well, to use a more high-sounding term, it should be called “the holy object of the goddess”. These veteran soldiers have seen various holy relics with strange effects, and have also seen the magic devices in the hands of the Axis forces that can easily take the lives of others even for children, but they have never seen a machine created purely for entertainment like this.

Many people were startled when they first saw the lit screen and the scenes, buildings and even characters that suddenly appeared on the screen, mistakenly thinking that there was a world sealed inside. In a sense, this was not a misunderstanding. In the end, it was Lingge who came forward to explain to them the operating principles and specific uses of these game machines, which made them relax their vigilance and replaced them with strong curiosity and desire to explore. A large group of people forgot to participate in the banquet and gathered in front of the more than 20 game machines arranged in the church, deciding who would control these machines by guessing or drawing lots, and had the honor of experiencing the so-called “games”.

From the exclamations and laughter coming from the crowd from time to time, it can be seen that this form of entertainment from another world is indeed full of appeal that transcends time. Not only children are easily addicted to it, but even adults can feel its charm.

“I haven’t heard a laugh like that in a long time.”

In front of a game console in the corner of the church, no one else gathered. Only two people were sitting, playing a fighting game called “King of Fighters”. When one of them heard the laughter coming from behind him, he couldn’t help but be dazed for a moment, and the operation paused for a short time. Then the opponent seized the opportunity and defeated him directly with a set of combos. But he didn’t take it to heart, just sighed: “This reminds me of a long time ago, when Suare City had not yet become a colony of the Axis Powers, people were just like now, sitting in the tavern, roasting the fire, drinking beer, talking and laughing. At that time, adventurers also needed to go deep into the Black Forest and hunt ash creatures to earn commissions. This was a dangerous job, so their laughter was not only for the love of life, but also to vent their emotions and celebrate that they had survived another day. But I think, no matter what, it would not be more dangerous than us today, wandering around and not knowing what will happen tomorrow. But why is the laughter at this time, but more pure than it was then? Can you tell me the answer, Pastor Ling?”

The young man thought for a moment and said, “I have had similar doubts before. The answers are different for everyone, so I can’t give you a unified conclusion, Mr. Carson. But someone once told me that no matter how difficult the situation is, people will find happiness in their love. That is the power of the game. I think you have already experienced it. It was a very enjoyable game, right?”

He glanced at the screen. Although the character controlled by Carson Borg was defeated, the character controlled by Lingge was not much better. His health bar was almost emptied and he almost lost the game. It must be said that the level of Grayhill Eagle exceeded the young man’s expectations. This was only his first time playing the game.

Carson Borg noticed the young man’s look and couldn’t help laughing. He shook his head and said, “I just took advantage of him.”

He was a Sequence 5 Transcendent, and the biggest difference between the Transcendent Path and the Magic Path was that the latter only strengthened the spirit, and without the use of magic, the physical strength was no different from that of an ordinary person, while the former was an all-round improvement, including thinking speed, reaction ability, and limb coordination. Through the previous game, Carson Borg had already understood how important these abilities were to the game, so Pastor Linger was able to defeat himself without any bonus, which was a true talent.

“Well,” Linger said modestly, “I just get better with practice.”

But Alice must not hear this, because she is the one who cannot get perfect even if she is familiar with it.

Just as I was thinking this, Mitch’s almost collapsed voice suddenly came from the other direction: “No, I can’t stand it! Can this be considered a game? There is no design, only numbers! I don’t want to play this kind of crappy game!”

Alice yelled in frustration after her defense was broken: “Nonsense! You are the one who said you wanted to play, and you are also the one who despised it! Today you have to play whether you want to or not! And you too, all of you, play seriously, and no one is allowed to leave until one person passes the level!”

There was a sudden wailing, and everyone was stunned by the cruelty of Ai Zhidao.

Carson Borg glanced in that direction, then looked away and said to Linge calmly, “It seems that Mitch and the others are having a lot of fun, too.”

Linger’s eyes suddenly became complicated when he looked at him, perhaps with a bit of admiration, admiring that he was worthy of being the leader of the Ash Guerrillas. Faced with such a situation, he could still talk nonsense seriously. (End of this chapter)