Mystery: Lucky One

The underground of St. Samuel's Church still looked familiar to Alice. In fact, the layout here was not much different from that of the underground church in Tingen City, except that it was much larger in scale and there seemed to be more people.

Alice's entry caused the place to suddenly become quiet. She blinked at the door, then took her foot back and knocked twice on the non-existent door very politely before asking:
"Um...I'm looking for Archbishop Anthony."

She paused, and without waiting for anyone to respond, she changed her foot and stepped inside, pushing open a door as if she was familiar with the place and walked in.

Archbishop Anthony raised his head from behind the desk and watched her close the door quietly without speaking.

The quiet atmosphere brought Alice a sense of tension, but she quickly remembered what she had just experienced and became confident again.

She closed the door, walked to the table, looked down at Anthony, and shouted as fiercely as possible:
"whats the matter!"

This made her look guilty. Anthony did not take her attitude seriously. He just smiled at her gently and asked her patiently:
"Miss Destiny...can I call you that?"

you……?
Alice was stunned for a moment. She could actually feel that when Archbishop Anthony called her like that, it was not like when she called Amon like that. On the surface it was respect, but in fact it was sarcastic.

Archbishop Anthony really meant it with respect.

This was very strange—for our Archbishop Anthony was sitting on a chair, and his esteemed Miss Fortune was standing.

But it would seem strange if he got up to move a chair for me or offer me a seat... Alice came to this conclusion after staring at Archbishop Anthony and the Holy Emblem of Night behind him for a few seconds.

Alice looked around subconsciously, but there were no extra chairs in the room. She had to give up the idea of ​​being self-reliant and turn her attention back to Archbishop Anthony.

"But, is it okay?" She looked at the holy emblem and her tone subconsciously became uncertain.

Compared to her initial reckless prayers under the Holy Emblem of Night, Alice now knew that the holy emblem still contained the power of the true God, and that the gods could cast their gaze and influence on her through the holy emblem.

Therefore - if she said some nonsense here like "The night is my favorite" and "The magic wolf feels really good", she might see a real magic wolf.

Alice had no intention of trying this yet, so she just asked hesitantly:
"Um...what do you want me to do?"

It's impossible that he's apologizing for that misunderstanding...

While Alice was daydreaming, Archbishop Anthony looked at her gently and told her his original purpose:

"Ms. Fate, what do you think...if you were to be included in the canon of the Church of Evernight, how would your story be written?"

"Ah?" Alice looked at Archbishop Anthony in confusion, as if she couldn't react.

"According to the procedure, I shouldn't be the one to contact you about this matter..." Archbishop Anthony continued to talk to Alice, "But among the church members you are familiar with, I currently have the highest status, so..."

Alice tried to understand.

Hmm... Archbishop Anthony is just a saint, so does that mean he doesn't respect me enough? No, it actually depends on the attitude of the goddess towards me. If she regards me as an equal god or a being who has favored her, then she should at least send her agent on earth - the current Pope of Night.

But the goddess didn't... This is not necessarily disrespectful. Judging from what Archbishop Anthony said, it is also very likely that he took my feelings into consideration. For example, His Holiness and I have never met...

Then why doesn’t the goddess come and talk to me in person… Well, I’m not worthy.

Alice glanced at the holy emblem behind Archbishop Anthony and realized her own status again - after all, she was now a half-baked angel who could only cry for help from the goddess mother when encountering problems.

However, Alice has one question that she is very curious about:
"Is this an oracle? I mean, why didn't you do this before? Why didn't the goddess mention this before?"

"This is an oracle. As for your question... I don't know." Archbishop Anthony gave a frank answer.

Alice didn't say anything. She lowered her head and thought about how she was different from before.

If the goddess knows everything about my situation...wait, why don't I feel anything when the goddess is looking at me?

Alice suddenly realized the question.

Did the goddess never cast her eyes on him? No, it was impossible. Alice would never believe it.

But she had never felt the gaze of the goddess before, and before this, whether it was the gaze from Adam or the gaze from the "true creator", it brought her a heavy sense of oppression.

Let’s not talk about the “real creator” for now. After all, his mental state is not very good, so it’s hard to say… Adam…

If the goddess had a way to look at her without being noticed, then was there a way for Adam, the "ancient sun god" who was suspected to have almost become "God" in the past?
Alice suddenly felt a sense of panic. She looked around and only felt relieved when she saw the Holy Emblem of Night in front of her.

Unless Adam and the Goddess were sitting and pouring each other tea and discussing arrangements for her, Adam shouldn't be watching right now... Well, could this really not happen?

Alice suddenly fell silent.

She remembered what Archbishop Anthony had told her, that she should make her own decisions regarding her affairs. Combined with her previous speculations, she suddenly had an extremely frightening thought - was the decision she made really her own?

You know, it's not like she hasn't experienced this before - that's what "0-08" did.

However, arranging for me is a very troublesome matter. Adam should not have enough energy to arrange for me. His focus should still be on the general trend of the times. If he really wants to arrange for me, it would probably be... to prevent me from causing trouble?

This gave Alice some psychological comfort. She collected her thoughts and focused her attention back on the most pressing issue.

Assuming that the goddess noticed me after returning from the "God-forsaken Land", then...what is different about me from before?
The answer is obvious. Putting aside the "dice of probability", she has now truly become a demigod.

This is undoubtedly a decisive change, at least for the "destiny" path - she seems to have real capital to resist fate.

Alice suddenly remembered what she had said to "Sun" Derrick before:

"Congratulations, Mr. Sun.

"You are now qualified to be a chess piece."

Alice was in a trance for a moment, and suddenly murmured: "So... am I only now qualified to sit at the gambling table and become a gambler?"

Alice clenched her fist and looked at Archbishop Anthony who was doubtful about her words. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on his question.

“Write me into the church’s canon… uh,” Alice stroked her chin, “In that case, can you write that I’m a newly ordained saint…”

"...Okay." Archbishop Anthony did not comment on this.

"Hmm," Alice paused, and then became a little excited as if she suddenly realized something. "By the way, in this case, can I receive the salary of a saint?" "...In theory, that's the case," Archbishop Anthony agreed with her guess and added before she started to get excited, "Then, can you fulfill the duties of a saint?"

Archbishop Anthony looked at Alice with a gentle gaze. Alice became inexplicably alert and asked alertly:

"…What duties?"

Archbishop Anthony looked up at her and explained gently:

"It's nothing, actually. I just need to come to the church on time to handle some church affairs, such as reviewing various applications from the branch churches in the area under my charge, things like the transfer of seals, personnel transfers, and promotion arrangements, as well as statistics on extraordinary events and extraordinary people in the area, communication with other churches, etc...."

Alice swallowed, "No, thanks. I don't think I need a salary."

"Hmm?" Archbishop Anthony stopped talking and looked at her gently, "Is it not necessary anymore?"

"No, no need!" Alice firmly refused.

"Okay," Archbishop Anthony did not ask any more questions. He just smiled at her and brought up another topic. "In this case, I need to confirm another thing with you..."

He paused, and after Alice had completely focused on his words, he asked in a gentle voice:
"Ms. Destiny, do you plan to appear in your true form in the future?"

Alice paused, met his eyes, and vaguely realized the question she wanted to ask - her original appearance and the identity she represented should have been dead according to the Nighthawk's files.

But the lady of destiny at sea is actually her original face. If a portrait is sent back...

Alice vaguely recalled her conversation with Klein.

…What would happen if the people who cared about her found out that her death was actually faked?

She suddenly became flustered.

Archbishop Anthony saw her helpless look. He sighed gently and asked:

“Do you need to go back and take a look?

"Not long after you left, the captain of the Tingen Night Squad was promoted to Sequence 6, but he refused the transfer and applied to stay in Tingen City.

“Taking into account what happened before, the higher-ups finally agreed to his request, allowing him to stay in Tingen and be promoted to bishop.

"From now on, the highest level in Tingen City is no longer just the captain level, but a bishop level..."

Alice was in a trance for a moment, and met Archbishop Anthony's gaze. After his voice gradually stopped, she said in a hoarse voice:
"I want to go back and take a look."

"Of course," Archbishop Anthony nodded gently, "Do you need any help, such as..."

"No...wait, I need help," Alice refused subconsciously, but suddenly changed her tone as if she remembered something, "I...I haven't completed the mission to join the Nighthawks yet."

Archbishop Anthony pinched his brow and began to ponder.

There is no explicit regulation on the mission of joining the Nighthawks; it is more like a tradition or a custom.

It is an unwritten custom for night watchmen everywhere to complete a task independently to prove their ability and gain recognition from their colleagues.

Archbishop Anthony certainly knew this, or rather, he was very familiar with the group of night watchmen in Tingen City back then - after knowing Alice's identity.

He looked at Alice, pondered for a moment, shook his head, and rejected Alice's request:

"I think that doing this in my capacity may not achieve your goal."

My purpose...? What is my purpose?
Alice was stunned for a moment, looking at Archbishop Anthony blankly, and after more than ten seconds, she had a vague answer.

She was missing the time she was in Tingen City, missing the time when she was just a little girl with amnesia, but at that time, she shouldn't have known someone of the archbishop's level.

It's been different for a long time... Alice suddenly felt a little sad. She lowered her brows and sighed, and said to Archbishop Anthony:
"...In that case, let's talk about it after I come back."

She paused, and suddenly remembered something crucial. Considering that she had just dealt with Klein, she hesitated for a moment and asked Archbishop Anthony tentatively:

"By the way, I ran away without paying the rent...should I go and pay the rent?"

"...It should be." Archbishop Anthony replied.

Alice was silent for more than ten seconds before she mustered up the courage to ask:
"Can you lend me some money?
"I, I will pay it back..."

Archbishop Anthony glanced at Alice, and after a few seconds of silence, he replied:
"Okay, but I don't have that much money..."

He paused, and as if remembering something, he added:

"I don't want to see news and wanted posters about Amon or anyone else robbing the donation box of Storm Church."

Alice lowered her head.

It would be too much to stop such a thing. Archbishop Anthony just warned him and did not pursue him. Instead, he continued the previous topic in a gentle voice:

"If you don't mind, you can wait until I get off work..."

This made Alice look up in surprise, and she asked in a shocked voice:
"So you have off-duty time?"

Archbishop Anthony looked at her hesitantly.

Alice's view came from a wonderful misunderstanding. She knew that the "Sleepless" in Tingen City also had to be on duty at night, and "Sleepless" sounded like a way to not need to sleep, so...

She had always thought that "Sleepless" was 006's working hours, which meant working six days a week and twenty-four hours a day...

In the slightly confused look of Archbishop Anthony, she quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry, uh, I..."

"It doesn't matter," Archbishop Anthony shook his head gently, not getting angry about this little thing, "However, I'm not referring to my off-duty time, but the normal off-duty time for people who haven't taken the 'Insomniac' potion." (End of this chapter)