Freya said, “But I can’t stay here all day.
I’ll probably need to visit the Church of the Earth occasionally.”
Hearing this, Euphemia looked Freya up and down carefully and said, “Are you sure?
If you pass by here once or twice, it could be a coincidence.
But if you come too often, with your white hair, running around barefoot with your eyes closed, and looking so beautiful, it’ll be hard not to attract attention.”
Freya paused.
“Then can’t I just wrap myself in a large, black cloak?”
Euphemia replied, “But a strange person in a black cloak during the day is just as weird, you know.”
After a moment, Euphemia sighed.
“How about this?
I’ll lend you my Invisibility Cloak.
You can wear it when you go out.”
“Huh?” While Freya was still bewildered, Euphemia had already taken out the thin cloak and handed it to her.
Freya accepted it numbly.
“You’re just lending it to me like that?”
Euphemia said nonchalantly, “Yeah.
Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.” Freya draped the cloak over herself and said, “Anyway, thank you.
I’ll return it immediately after I’m done.”
Then, Freya quickly left.
After casting a strengthening buff on herself, she started walking back to the Church of the Earth.
Along the way, she couldn’t help but think, Euphemia trusts me way too much, doesn’t she?
Lending me something so powerful just like that.
Isn’t she afraid I’ll just run off with it?
Meanwhile, back in the rented room, Euphemia was silently muttering to herself, Freya is way too unguarded, isn’t she?
Just staying at the home of a stranger she only met yesterday?
Returning to Freya’s perspective, after some time, she took off the Invisibility Cloak as she neared the Church of the Earth and walked straight toward it.
But unlike before, many followers in green robes were now standing at the Church’s entrance.
Freya approached with a curious expression.
When they saw her, they all simultaneously showed looks of awe and reverence.
“The Archbishop was right.
Such a pure aura, and so many sincere blessings…”
“It seems I’m still not working hard enough.
I need to help others more!”
“Lady Saintess!”
“Mama!”
The first few greetings were normal, but then Freya suddenly heard someone shout “Mama.” She immediately turned to look.
It was a burly man, 1.9 meters tall, gazing at her with devout reverence.
She was completely stunned.
Huh?
This can’t be right, can it?
Isn’t this a special kind of roleplay from my past life in the modern world?
How does it exist in this world too?
Freya said awkwardly, “Um…
I don’t think an underage girl can be your mother…”
However, the follower looked confused, as if he didn’t understand what Freya was saying.
After a pause, he said, “Your existence is a miracle made manifest, like the Mother Goddess descending to the mortal realm.
Since the Mother Goddess is the mother of all living beings, you, Lady Saintess, are naturally the mother of us all!”
As he spoke, the follower’s tone held no trace of desire or greed, only the purest adoration.
The way he looked at Freya was truly like looking at the mother who had raised him.
This left Freya speechless, unsure of what to say.
Just then, the Archbishop emerged from the crowd and said to Freya, “Saintess, you’ve returned.”
Freya hurried over and asked, “Shall we continue our unfinished discussion in the previous room?”
The Archbishop nodded.
“Of course.”
Along the way, he explained, “Atticus, that follower, was abandoned by his parents as a child.
The Church took him in, even giving him his name.
“Saintess, you walk the Path of Life, which symbolizes the Mother Goddess.
In his eyes, your presence is no different from the Mother Goddess descending to the mortal realm.
That’s why he calls you ‘Mama.’ And it’s not just him; most of the followers see you in a similar light.”
“So if someone suddenly calls you ‘Mama,’ please don’t be surprised.
Just offer a simple smile in return.”
Freya fell silent for a moment.
Alright, I really was judging a noble heart with my own petty mind.
In the eyes of these followers, “Mama” was the purest form of address, a symbol of gratitude and respect, completely devoid of any inappropriate meaning.
Then, a sudden thought struck Freya, and she asked, “So if I had chosen the Path of the Earth, which symbolizes the Earth God, would they have called me ‘Papa’?”
The Archbishop replied calmly, “Naturally.”
Freya: “…”
After a pause, Freya asked again, “What about the Path of the Giant, which symbolizes the Heavenly Father?”
Surely not ‘Grandpa,’ right?
But to Freya’s surprise, the Archbishop answered with complete seriousness, “The Heavenly Father, who supports the sky, does not descend to the mortal realm.
So you would simply be ‘Saintess,’ with no other titles.”
“Is that so?” Freya nodded, her mind wandering.
A two-meter-tall, muscular Saintess?
That would be quite powerful.
Soon, the two returned to the previous room.
Freya was the first to think of something and said, “Oh, right, I still don’t know your name.”
The Archbishop said, “You may call me Pantheon.”
Freya: “…”
That name has power!
Freya also shared her name before continuing, “About my original purpose for coming to the Church of the Earth…”
At this, the Archbishop finally realized he still didn’t know why Freya had come to the Church of the Earth that morning.
He had just dragged her into chugging four potions.
The Archbishop immediately said, “My apologies.”
Freya said, “Uh…
you don’t need to apologize for that.
Anyway, the gist is, I foresaw a massive calamity that will sweep through this city in twenty-nine days, killing countless people.”
“The mastermind behind this disaster is a Rank 5 General of the War Pathway.
Can the Church of the Earth help me deal with this enemy?”
The Archbishop immediately replied with a solemn expression, “Of course!”
Without asking for reasons, without asking for details, and without even considering whether Freya’s words were true or false, the Archbishop agreed immediately.
Not just him, but all the faithful would have no objections to this; the words “The Calamity Foreseen by the Saintess” were in themselves enough to convince everyone.
The Archbishop said, “What exactly should we do?”
Freya thought for a moment and said, “If possible, send some of the faithful to patrol the city.
Have them use their Heart Sense to see if they can find the Rank 5 General.
Of course, if they find him, they must not alert him.
Just memorize his appearance and report back to me!”
The Archbishop nodded.
“I understand.”
After Freya finished explaining her side, the Archbishop added, “Regarding the Rank 5 advancement ritual and potion, I’ve already sent people to prepare them.
Starting now, the Church of the Earth will use the ‘Birth of the Saintess’ as a reason to distribute food for free on a larger scale, and in fifteen days, we will hold a grand assembly that everyone can attend.”
“At that time, you will make your debut at the assembly as the Saintess, showcase a bit of your Beyonder abilities, perform a small ‘miracle’, and then I will attribute all the Church’s good deeds from this period to you.
At that moment, the most sincere blessings of five hundred people will be gathered, and you just need to drink the potion at the end of the assembly.”
Although this plan sounded somewhat unethical—Freya had done nothing, while other Church members had performed all the good deeds, yet all the credit would be given to her—she still didn’t object.
After all, this was just a simulation, and as a pragmatist with flexible morals, she naturally opted for the most efficient approach.
The Archbishop continued, “I’ve also commissioned a beautiful set of Saintess robes, but it may take some time.
After they’re made, they’ll need to be sent to the Special Operations Division for inspection before they can be delivered to you.”
As the Saintess, Freya couldn’t wear the same attire as other faithful when she appeared at the assembly.
A distinct outfit was necessary to highlight her status, wasn’t it?
However, Freya caught a key phrase.
She asked with confusion, “Wait, why does it need to be sent to the Special Operations Division for inspection?”
The relationship between the Church of the Earth and the Special Operations Division could be summed up as “minding their own business.” They usually had no contact, which was something Freya found puzzling.
Both sides were good people, so why didn’t they cooperate?
The Law Pathway’s early-stage combat abilities were quite effective, and the Earth Pathway’s early-stage support abilities were incredibly strong.
Then the Special Operations Division could handle the arrests.
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Take the recent Obsidian Incident that had been giving the Special Operations Division a headache, for example.
The city was crawling with Demon Pathway Beyonders who kept popping up to cause trouble.
If the Special Operations Division had teamed up with the Church of the Earth for patrols, their efficiency should have increased exponentially, right?
But the Special Operations Division hadn’t done that.
And now, despite this mutual non-interference, the Church of the Earth needed the Special Operations Division’s approval for a clothing design?
That was extremely strange.
The Archbishop sighed.
“It’s because the Church’s previous clothing designs might not have met their aesthetic standards.
When our faithful walked outside, the police would see them and arrest them on sight.
The Special Operations Division found out, came to me for some negotiations, and demanded we redesign the clothes with more fabric.
And without their permission, we’re not allowed to wear the new designs in public.”
“Didn’t meet their aesthetic standards?
Demanded more fabric for a redesign?” Freya’s eyes widened as she caught the key point.
“Wait, so what exactly is the Church of the Earth’s aesthetic?”
The Archbishop replied matter-of-factly, “Clothing is a restraint on life.
We should embrace freedom, so naturally, the less the better!
Saintess, you are now on the Earth Pathway, so you should understand very well that wearing clothes is not a comfortable experience, right?”
Freya was stunned.
“Uncomfortable or not, you still have to wear them!
So you’re saying you were running around naked and that’s why the police arrested you!?”
The Archbishop said with a straight face, “No, not at all.
While it’s true some of our faithful have been arrested for not wearing clothes, that particular incident was genuinely just because the robes had too little fabric.”
Freya was even more shocked.
“So there really are faithful who run around naked outside!?”
After saying this, Freya couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation.
She pressed a hand to her forehead, the helplessness in her lovely green eyes almost overflowing.
How should she put it?
No one is perfect?
The people of the Church of the Earth were all kind-hearted, good people, and it was understandable that these good people might have their own little quirks.
Or perhaps, since they were religious, “doing things that seemed abnormal to ordinary people” was, in itself, quite normal.
But immediately after, the helplessness in Freya’s eyes turned to horror.
“Wait, what kind of clothes did you prepare for me?!”
She absolutely did not want to appear at the assembly looking like a pervert in front of so many people!
Even in a simulation, that was unacceptable!
Freya quickly said, “Since they’re the clothes I’ll be wearing, can I go take a look at them beforehand and offer some design suggestions?”
The Archbishop naturally had no objection to this proposal and gave her an address.
“Saintess, you may go and offer your suggestions at any time.”
Only then did Freya breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing that they had covered most of the important matters, the Archbishop took out a small Holy Emblem and a book, handing them to Freya.
He said, “In any case, thank you very much for being willing to join the Church of the Earth, Saintess.
With you here, we will surely be able to do more good deeds in the future and help more people in need.
And it all starts with helping you advance to Rank 5 and stopping that General.”
The book, needless to say, was the doctrine of the Church of the Earth.
As for the Holy Emblem, it was something every official member of the Church of the Earth, every faithful, possessed.
The emblem depicted a cluster of plants taking root and sprouting.
However, Freya noticed that the Holy Emblem in her hand seemed different from the one the Archbishop wore on his chest.
His was just an ordinary silver artifact, while hers was colored: the emblem’s edge had golden patterns, and the design of the plant taking root and sprouting was a vibrant green.
The Archbishop said, “This afternoon, when I was praying, the statue of the Mother Goddess suddenly manifested and responded to my prayers.
She said She was aware of your deeds and then bestowed this special Holy Emblem.”
“From now on, even if you travel to other cities, anyone from the Church of the Earth who sees this Holy Emblem will instantly recognize your identity as the Saintess.”
In simple terms, the Archbishop had made a little report to the goddess, and the goddess had actually responded.
Did this special Holy Emblem mean that the Mother Goddess truly acknowledged her as the Saintess?
Freya stared at the beautiful Holy Emblem in her hand, her mouth slightly agape.
So, regardless of the previous circumstances, she was now an officially certified, genuine [True Saintess]?!