The feeling of being watched disappeared.
Without a doubt, the sanctuary of the Goddess of Dawn was a place that even the one watching him did not dare to easily step into.
Ron let out a slight breath, his expression as usual, not showing any joy or fear.
To be precise, the place where he and Aurelia were now could be considered the entrance to the sanctuary.
Only after passing through a long corridor would they truly enter the sanctuary.
This path was also called the Pilgrimage Road.
It was used to cleanse the souls of believers, allowing them to worship the goddess in the purest state.
Not every clergy member had the qualification to enter the sanctuary… Normally, someone like Ron, who had not even truly joined the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, would absolutely have no qualification to step in, but… he was a Prophet.
This identity was more important than Gerald, the Archbishop.
Along the way, the corridor was dim.
The walls on both sides were inlaid with milky-white and soft golden gems, whose glow was like the rising sun.
Solemn and dignified, pure and sacred.
Even with Ron’s personality, he couldn’t help but lower his head, repenting in his heart for cursing the Goddess of Dawn more than a hundred times before.
Of course, once he obtained higher-tier and better equipment, he would definitely dare to do it again next time.
After passing several hundred meters, the sanctuary finally appeared before Ron.
Compared to the buildings outside, the sanctuary instead seemed plain and unremarkable.
It was just a small room, not luxurious, not tall.
Virgil’s low prayer voice came from inside the sanctuary.
Aurelia gently knocked on the door three times.
The prayer paused briefly, then resumed.
Only after a hymn was finished did the door open.
When he saw Ron outside, Virgil’s eyes lit up, and an exaggerated smile immediately appeared on his face.
He even opened his arms and gave Ron a warm hug.
Oh, Goddess of Dawn above.
Can you stay a bit farther away from me?
This guy probably hasn’t showered for at least two days, his whole body reeks of sweat.
“Mr.
Ron, my good brother, you’ve finally come.” His relationship with Ron had already been upgraded to good brothers.
When did I become brothers with you?
Ron felt a bit disgusted.
Fortunately, Virgil’s hug didn’t last long: “Ron, if you hadn’t come, I might have had to go find you myself.” He vaguely felt something was off between Ron and Aurelia.
But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
Perhaps because of the special holy suppression of the sanctuary, the charm on Aurelia wasn’t as intense as outside.
After a brief pause, Virgil spoke again.
The smile on his face grew even wider, like a cunning fox: “Ron, what do you think of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn?” “Very good, worthy of being the most ancient church among the Seven Orthodox Churches.” Ron sincerely praised.
Among the Seven Orthodox Churches, as the game plot progressed, some churches were even completely destroyed.
Yet the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, though it had its lows, had stood firm on this continent from beginning to end.
That alone made it impossible to underestimate.
Virgil grinned: “Then, brother, are you interested in joining the Church of the Goddess of Dawn?” “Don’t worry, your old brother here may only be a small bishop, but I still have some authority in the church.
As long as you join, I guarantee you’ll thrive here, no one will be able to touch you.” Virgil patted his chest, looking very loyal.
As if I’d believe you.
If you said that twenty years later, maybe.
Now?
At the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, you could pull out anyone at random who could slam you into a wall so hard you couldn’t even be peeled off.
While complaining inwardly, Ron didn’t show it: “If I join the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, what are the benefits?
How many hours a day?
Are there weekends off…” “And how is overtime pay calculated?
What’s the monthly salary?” “Oh, my brother, rest assured, the benefits of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn is definitely the best among the Seven Orthodox Churches.
With your status and ability, you’ll earn at least sixty gold coins a month.
Believe me, that’s not a small number, even archbishops only get that much.” “Translating ancient texts will surely also bring rewards from headquarters, you definitely won’t be shortchanged.” Aurelia stared at the two in shock, her lips trembling.
One was a clergy member, a bishop, the other a quasi-clergy, and here in the sanctuary, in front of the Goddess of Dawn, they were discussing gold coins—is that really appropriate?
Aurelia felt she couldn’t stay here any longer, otherwise her spirit might be polluted.
Shaking her head, Aurelia took the initiative to leave.
Virgil’s smile suddenly turned lewd: “As for dual cultivation… little brother, what do you think of Aurelia?
I think you two match well.
Having her accompany you in dual cultivation should be quite good, right?” Ron was speechless, and after a while said: “I meant rest as in resting…” Virgil spread his hands: “That’s what I meant too—rest.
Let Aurelia accompany you to rest…” “After all, you’re new here and unfamiliar with the Church of the Goddess of Dawn and Lanaka City.
Having someone by your side will help you get to know the city faster.” His expression suddenly became exaggerated: “Oh, my good little brother, what were you thinking?
You didn’t think I meant you and Aurelia… Goddess above, your soul is so filthy.
You must join the Church of the Goddess of Dawn and purify yourself.” Ron was rendered speechless by Virgil.
Back in the game, how had he not noticed this guy was so shameless?
Had this guy been influenced by someone?
Without giving Ron a chance to explain, Virgil pulled him in front of the goddess statue.
The statue was carved vividly.
Just by looking at it, one could feel it was a very beautiful woman.
She was beautiful, elegant, gentle, yet full of majesty.
Her eyelids were slightly lowered, as if unwilling to look upon the suffering of the world.
“Come, show your faith before the goddess statue.
If you can obtain the goddess’s recognition, you can become a believer of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn.” “Then, according to the goddess’s guidance, we will arrange your role within the church.” As if worried Ron didn’t understand, Virgil explained again: “The role here refers to your job in the church.
Of course, you will also learn some corresponding skills, but overall it won’t differ much from your original class.
For example, if you were originally a Mage, then in the church you would most likely be arranged as a priest.” Ron nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
This was what the game called the main class and sub-class.
Only by joining the church could one obtain a sub-class.
This was normal.
For example, main class Knight, sub-class Dawn Knight.
Main class Healer, sub-class Dawn Priest!
It was more like opening a small branch within one’s main class… Of course, sub-classes also had exclusive skills, but their quantity couldn’t compare with the main class.
He glanced at the statue of the Goddess of Dawn, feeling a bit uneasy: “What if I fail to obtain the goddess’s recognition?” After all, he had cursed the Goddess of Dawn more than a hundred times before.
Virgil shrugged casually: “Whether you obtain the goddess’s recognition isn’t actually important.
What’s important is obtaining the recognition of the one in charge here.” “At the moment, I’m the one in charge here.
This is just going through the motions.
As long as I say you’ve obtained the goddess’s recognition, then it’s fine.” “After all, the goddess’s recognition…” Virgil’s expression suddenly became a bit strange, somewhat mocking: “Heh… According to the church’s records, it’s been at least a thousand years since any believer obtained the goddess’s recognition, including generations of popes.” “Our goddess may no longer exist.” His low voice filled the sanctuary with oppression.
Ron’s eyes narrowed.
He suddenly recalled that in the game, the influence of the gods always existed, but from beginning to end, not a single god had ever truly appeared before players.
What was hidden behind this?
He exhaled, temporarily not thinking about this complicated issue.
Lowering his head, he assumed a posture of prayer.
Buzz… Soon, Ron’s body trembled slightly.
His eyelids, which had just closed, suddenly opened.
He felt it again—the sensation of being watched.
In an instant, Ron’s scalp went numb.
Could it be that the gaze watching him earlier came from the Goddess of Dawn?
Because he had cursed the Goddess of Dawn before, was she now settling accounts with him?
Isn’t that too petty?
Ron was horrified, his body tensing instinctively.
The invisible pressure made his body tremble, his throat moving as he desperately swallowed saliva.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, slipping into his eyes, burning painfully.
He forced his eyeballs to roll upward.
Finally, he saw it.
The beautiful and elegant goddess statue before him, whose eyelids had been lowered, had somehow opened its eyes.
Those were eyes as brilliant as stars.
Within the depths of those eyes were black holes, as if connected to an endless starry sky.
Countless delicate, cylindrical tentacles emerged from the eye sockets.
The tentacles were a soft white, like semi-transparent jelly, writhing and twisting in the void, slowly wrapping around Ron’s body.