Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1412 Smog and Reporting
After walking through a corridor lined with huge stained-glass windows on both sides, Christina and Dorothy arrived at the prayer hall of the Church of Saint Sherman.

She noticed that the interior layout of the "End Times Church" was not much different from that of the "Fool's Church," or rather, all mainstream churches followed the basic layout of bell towers, buttresses, vaulted ceilings, and huge hollow prayer halls, as if they shared a common origin.

Of course, there are still many differences in the details. The interior walls, pillars and bell tower of the prayer hall of St. Sherman Church are covered with obsidian textures that resemble dripping lava but have a smooth and cold surface. The stained glass windows that shine through the sunlight form near-circular star shapes with radiating lines. The dome illuminated by candlesticks is painted with images of meteorites, lightning, tsunamis and other disasters. Only the floor is in a warm color, surrounding rows of benches, the central aisle and the altar at the front, symbolizing the protection of the "Goddess of Misfortune" for believers.

On the wall behind the altar, embedded in the black wall is a huge holy emblem of "Calamity". The thick circular outer layer surrounds three symbols of calamity that are outlined in just a few strokes: the man-made calamity of the blade, the natural calamity of the flames, and the vortex-like "chaos".

Because she had met classmates of various faiths at school, Christina had some understanding of the doctrines of the End Times Church. She knew that the goddess called "Calamity" could actually protect believers from calamities, just as the Church of the Fools did not turn people into fools.

Besides these, other churches that became the mainstream faith in the Northern Continent included the Church of the Goddess of Night, which developed from the merger of the Church of the God of War and the Church of the God of Death; the Church of Steam, which was based in the Republic of Intis but developed in various countries because of the faith of many scientists and workers; and the secondary churches of the Church of Storm, the Church of Knowledge, and the Church of Mother Earth.

As for the gradually reviving belief in the "Sun God" in the Eastern Continent, the mixed bag of ideas in the Southern Continent that generally allow all churches to freely preach but not to involve secular political power, and the many sects recently discovered in the Western Continent, Tina was not very clear about them.

Besides the goddess of night worshipped by her parents, the people she was most familiar with were the followers of "Fool" and "Goddess of Calamity" who often visited her home, such as Mr. Azik, who frequently came to visit.

This is the reality for most families: members believe in different deities and do not interfere with each other. Most churches do not restrict communication between believers; faith is merely a form of relaxation outside of daily life.

Of course, Tina had learned about the "Eternal Sun" church in the book, which took faith issues seriously and had taken extreme measures against heretics. However, they suddenly encountered internal problems more than ten years ago and now only maintain their existence in some areas of Intis, no longer being the mainstream.

After clarifying the current situation of the various churches in her mind, Tina looked around the prayer hall, her gaze passing over the few believers and settling on the altar carved from black stone at the front of the row of benches.

It is said that when the "Endless Church" first started its missionary work, the church was built with a statue of the goddess on the altar, but it was changed to its current form because it would easily affect the concentration of believers when they prayed... A thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly collected her thoughts and began to think about how to satisfy the "genie's" request.

Just like in Tingen, she had to place the golden lamp on the altar so that the sealed artifact could regain its power.

It's fine when it's late at night, but in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of believers and priests, it's impossible to do this. Let alone placing strange kettle-shaped lamps, even if you try to place a candle, you'll be immediately stopped and suspected of blasphemy.

This is an unforgivable act in any church.

I wonder if the "genie" himself can do it, like when we buy steam train tickets, to make some kind of unreasonable deal... Tina took out the golden seal from her bag and touched the smooth surface covered with runes, only to find that the majestic and awe-inspiring voice inside did not respond.

He was always quite quiet in the church... With a sigh, Tina looked at Dorothy beside her, who was looking up at the huge mural high above. She wanted to ask her sister for help, but she felt too embarrassed to ask since she had relied on her too much along the way.

Not to mention that the money for the train tickets came from the other party's saved pocket money, and that she used Arodes's divination several times to confirm the safety of the journey and the identity of the man who approached her, even when the magic lamp was stolen just now, it was thanks to Dorothy's quick thinking that the problem was solved. Otherwise, facing a robber with a knife, Christina was not sure if she could handle it perfectly. Perhaps she could only resolve the crisis by shouting for help and being taken to the police station by passersby, but that would inevitably cause even greater trouble.

This time, let's try relying on ourselves... Pretend to chat with the priests by the altar, and secretly place the genie up there, how about that? I'm still a little confident in my appearance... Several plans flashed through her mind, and as she hesitated, she suddenly noticed that the light had become a little dim. Turning her head, she found that a young lady had appeared beside her at some point.

The other person looked to be only about 20 years old, with a slender build. Her long brown hair was simply tied back, but a few strands were left to fall naturally beside her cheeks, creating a sense of liveliness.

Her eyes were bright, her nose was high and straight, her eyebrows were thin, and her lips were wide. She seemed to be smiling all the time. When she saw Tina looking at her, she tilted her head and showed an even more obvious smile.

This pure beauty, untainted by any other emotion, caught Tina's eye, leaving her momentarily stunned, unsure whether to describe the other person as cute, mature, or something else entirely.

She was only slightly less beautiful than her mother... If we don't count the "family bond" bonus, she might even be prettier than her mother... She let her mind wander for almost ten seconds before realizing that this behavior was impolite. She quickly looked away, then secretly glanced back.

To her slight relief, Dorothy, standing beside her, was also staring blankly at the strange woman, not behaving much better than herself.

“Good morning. Are you here to listen to a sermon, or do you have something to confess?” the brown-haired woman said softly, her voice gentle and delicate, like a feather brushing against Tina’s ear. “Did not your parents or elders come with you?”

They still treated us like children, which wasn't wrong... Tina didn't dare to say that they had come all the way from Tingen, nor did she want to deceive the beautiful lady in front of her, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer.

Suddenly, she noticed that the other person was wearing a conservative black robe, with a stand-up collar that covered the neck and a skirt that reached the ankles, just like the priests standing by the altar.

She's also a church staff member, so young, could she be a trainee pastor? Perhaps I could use that… The thought flashed through Tina's mind, and she hesitated:
"My sister and I came here to pray to the goddess, asking for her blessing so that our parents could be protected from misfortune..."

“I brought a lamp from home, intending to place it on the altar to receive the blessing, and then bring this gift home to them… but there are too many people here.”

As she spoke, she took out the golden lamp containing the "genie" from her handbag, as if to hand it to the brown-haired female priest, but at the last moment she withdrew it, bowed her head and said:

"Let's skip this troublesome matter; it might upset other believers."

From an angle unseen by the female pastor, Tina's face flushed red, feeling both ashamed and slightly excited about her impromptu performance.

“No, it’s not troublesome at all,” the beautiful brown-haired woman shook her head and continued in a melodious tone, “It does not violate the teachings of the goddess, and it is precisely what He encourages to ward off calamities and protect believers.”

"In fact, this church was built in the East District, on this street, to commemorate a devout believer who sacrificed her life 19 years ago in the smog. She gave her young life to alleviate the damage caused by the smog."

"After that, with the help of the gods, the young lady was given a second life and became an angel under the goddess, bringing disaster to the fallen in the world and warding off calamities for the devout believers."

So there's such a story behind it. Could it be something from some sacred text...? And how come it's the same place in the city's northern district that experienced a major disaster? Why did the "genie" specifically choose such a location? As Tina's thoughts raced, she heard the genie's whisper in her ear:
"Ha, smog? That's just a 'plague' amplified by the environment, probably a product of some 'despairing' witch digesting magic potions and seeking advancement."

Despair...a witch?
When Tina first heard the term, she was a little confused, but she quickly realized that it was the "Witch" path among the 25 divine paths taught by the Genie, which belonged to the sequence of changing the form of life and stepping into the "demigod" status.

Could such an extraordinary being easily cause the deaths of 10 people? Could the calamity goddess followers who sacrificed themselves to stop the enemy also be such powerful extraordinary beings?
Tina guessed, and seeing that the brown-haired woman was still waiting, she handed over the sealed item in her hand.

The latter took it, and looking at the exquisitely crafted, ancient-style golden lamp, a strange light flashed in his eyes, and his expression changed slightly, but he quickly recovered and walked towards the altar with the lamp in his hand.

I almost thought the "genie" was speaking in her mind... But this guy seemed to have become very quiet once he entered the church, probably worried about revealing his presence... But he had just explained the cause of the "great smog"... Tina, who already had a basic understanding of the relationship between the church and the sealed artifacts, had some guesses. She watched as the female priest and the priests by the altar exchanged a few words, placed the lamp on the black stone platform, and bowed her head to pray to the "Calamity" emblem.

In that instant, she seemed to see the wick of the lamp at the spout of the teapot ignite, and a golden figure burst forth, letting out unrestrained laughter.

But nothing happened. The lamp simply sat quietly on the altar, and a moment later, the priest, having finished his prayers, picked it up again and brought it back to Tina's side.

"It has been blessed by the goddess."

"The brown-haired woman said. Only after receiving the sealed artifact and feeling its smooth, warm surface against her palm did Tina secretly breathe a sigh of relief and reveal a grateful smile:
"Thank you, Madam Pastor."

“Praise the Goddess, it’s just a small favor,” the other person said, raising both hands to their chest, their fingers forming two triangles in different positions, vaguely corresponding to the holy emblem on the wall. “May misfortune befall you, but may you not be harmed.”

This is a blessing that followers of the "Goddess of Calamity" often utter.

After praising the gods, the pastor's gaze lingered on Tina's face before she asked:
"Can you tell me your name?"

If it were before helping to elevate the "genie" to the altar, Tina might have made up a fake name, or perhaps refused to answer, but now she was too embarrassed to do so, and answered without hesitation:

Christina Moretti.

Anyway, I live in Tingen, she couldn't possibly have heard of me... Tina reassured herself.

As expected, the female pastor did not react to the name; she simply smiled and said:

"I hope this lamp will bring blessings to your mother and father."

"Once I can make a wish to the genie, I can do it..." Tina muttered to herself, noticing Dorothy starting to wink at her, and then bid farewell to the kind woman.

Goodbye, kind pastor.

"You're welcome, Christina. You can also call me Sherman."

The brown-haired woman, dressed in an archbishop's robe that differed from those of other priests and pastors, with many uneven flame patterns on the hem and chest, answered softly.

Sherman…St. Sherman Church…Tina was stunned.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“A saint who can patronize a church must be at least Sequence 4, and possibly Sequence 3, which means that the lady is a powerful high-sequence extraordinary being.”

As soon as they stepped out of the church, Tina couldn't wait to speak to Dorothy.

"Did that 'genie' teach you this?" The latter frowned, looking at the sealed item that had been put back into the bag. "But why would such an archbishop help you place the lamp on the altar and pray to that goddess of misfortune?"

“That’s because my piety moved her, and of course, a little bit of communication skills too,” Tina pouted, feeling proud that she had solved the problem on her own without relying on her sister. “I feel like I should worship this kind ‘goddess of calamity’ from now on.”

She mimicked the gesture Sherman had made earlier in front of her chest, but her expression immediately fell, and she touched her stomach, saying:

"I'm a little hungry, is it lunchtime?"

"It should be around 11 o'clock now, and we've been away from home for two hours."

Dorothy looked at the sky and tried to guess based on the approximate position of the sun.

This assessment made Tina feel as if all her strength had been drained away. Her excitement at completing another location quickly cooled, and she muttered to herself:

“I feel like a whole day has passed… Should we go to Aunt Melissa’s house? We can have lunch there, rest for a bit, and then see where the 'genie' has designated the next spot.”

Dorothy glanced at her and said irritably:

“Then how do we explain coming to Backlund alone? Your excuses might fool the archbishop, but they won’t convince Aunt Melissa.”

“I can cry in front of her, and she will definitely agree not to tell her parents.”

Tina retorted.

The two stood on the street, staring at each other, hesitating between revealing their whereabouts but getting a hearty lunch, and heading straight to their next destination.

But before they could make a decision, a black carriage with a single horse and police symbols—two swords and a crown—stopped at the roadside. Two uniformed policemen with short batons jumped out of the carriage, followed by a slightly overweight middle-aged woman.

“It was them, I just saw them,” the woman said to the two police officers, pointing at Tina and Dorothy. “They were the only ones who went into that alley with that man. They did it!”

The two police officers, who were wearing soft caps, had been looking serious, but when they saw that the "suspects" identified as the murderers were just two teenage girls, they were both amused and exasperated.

But they still dutifully blocked Tina and Dorothy from the roadside, one in front and one behind. The older one lowered his voice and said:

"A witness has reported that you are suspected of assaulting a man. Please come with us to the police station."

Since the other party didn't seem like someone who could harm anyone, the police officer didn't immediately make an arrest or loudly announce the matter, thus embarrassing the two girls.

Immediately, he looked at the middle-aged woman who had actively reported the incident and nodded, saying:
"Thank you for providing the clue. We'll handle the rest from now on."

"Praising the goddess is just a small thing."

The woman made the gesture of the "calamity" symbol on her chest and spoke devoutly, in the same posture that Sherman had used when praying to the goddess earlier.

Tina suddenly realized that she no longer liked the "Goddess of Calamity".

P.S.: To participate in the event, reply to the event topic in the book club, not in the paragraph comments.

(End of this chapter)