Alice in the Land of Steam

One minute later, Janor and his teammates reunited in the Tianxin Church.

A werewolf girl, completely unsuspecting, was unwittingly ambushed by an alchemist's gadget; a giant mercenary, outwardly strong but easily defeated by a female knight far weaker than himself; and a dark elf scout, a darling of the night and an experienced master of stealth, whose stealth abilities were mocked by a little girl... To be honest, Arnor could hardly bear to watch.

He knew, of course, that his teammates shouldn't be this weak; otherwise, Cheryl wouldn't have sent them on this mission. Therefore, he could only conclude that… their opponents were far more powerful and mysterious than he had imagined.

But what truly terrified him wasn't the young knight who easily defeated Gordan, nor the vampire girl who saw through Kalia's stealth at a glance, but the silver-haired young man who arrived at the church at the last minute. Although he seemed unremarkable, Arnor vaguely felt the name was familiar, and he keenly noticed that everyone else present seemed to value this young man's opinion, their positions subtly aligning with his. Perhaps he was the true master of this church, and the mastermind behind the rumors?
Out of curiosity, Arnor couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. Unexpectedly, the young man's intuition was so sharp that he noticed Arnor's probing and turned to look at him. His gaze was actually quite gentle, carrying an indescribable calm, yet for some reason, it sent a chill down Arnor's spine, and he quickly looked away. Clearly, he couldn't sense any magical aura, yet possessed power far exceeding that of others; even Arnor couldn't fathom its depth. Was he using some special method to conceal it?
What particularly surprised or unsettled Yanor was that he vaguely felt the young man's gaze was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Just like... the goddess on the altar.

He dared not delve any deeper into the thought, so he gathered his thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

Linger was oblivious to Arnor's inner turmoil; he had only glanced at the seemingly taciturn man out of curiosity. If all went as expected, these people were likely the Holy War Army's agents sent to investigate the rumors surrounding the Church of the Holy Goddess, and Arnor was their captain. Being entrusted with such an important mission meant he must be highly trusted by the Holy War Army leader; perhaps he could glean some information from him.

Even if you can't find out anything, it's still good to have a good relationship with him.

However, these were things to consider later. The young man also withdrew his gaze, and turned his head to meet his sister's probing look, as if she was asking him what he should do. Ling shook his head slightly, without saying a word, as if he had handed the initiative over to Medien. Whatever decision she made or whatever promise she made, he would support her.

Because Arnor and his group originally came for the Church of Heaven and the Church of the Holy Goddess, and at this moment, the person who best represents these two is not Linger, but rather Medien, who has always adhered to his faith and never wavered.

Therefore, although in Arnor's view, Linger was the real mastermind, the person who finally stood up to negotiate with him was the pink-haired girl he had first met in the church.

"Now, we can have an open and frank discussion, distinguished guests who have come from afar."

Medine smiled, revealing two shallow dimples that made her look adorable. Usually, this would give her a slight advantage in negotiations: "Let's start with introductions. I'm Medine, a nun and pastor of this Heavenly Heart Church, and still am. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, and I'll try my best to answer them."

After speaking, Medien introduced the others, such as who the smiling alchemist was, and who the expressionless little bat with its arms crossed was. Of course, she didn't forget to introduce Linger. However, her introduction of him was rather brief, simply stating, "He is my older brother, Linger." Therefore, apart from Arnor, who had noticed his unusual identity from the beginning, the others didn't pay much attention, all believing that the young girl before them was the real person in charge.

Well, it wasn't that they weren't paying attention. For example, the werewolf girl Selena stared at the young man for a long time with great curiosity, surprise, and hesitation, as if she were looking at something new and unfamiliar. It wasn't until Kalia quietly tugged at her tail, implying that it was impolite, that she finally looked away.

The reason she did this was simply because she discovered that the young man seemed to be the only male in the group.

She was surrounded by beautiful girls; could this be the legendary...?

Lorena noticed the werewolf girl's gaze, and after a moment's thought, she understood what she was thinking. She couldn't help but tease her, gently nudging the young man's waist with her elbow and whispering, "That werewolf girl seems to care a lot about you. Do you think she might be interested in you?"

Ling ignored her and continued to listen to Medien and Arnor's conversation.

Having expressed their sincerity, the other side naturally reciprocated, and each introduced themselves. The young man noticed that Yanor introduced himself as the captain of the Third Division of the Holy War Army's Covert Mobile Force, and seemed thoughtful. It sounded like the Holy War Army had formed a complete military system, much more rigorous than the rebels in Grayhill. This was indeed true; after all, if one counted from the moment the Holy War Army's first leader, the hero who was said to have gained the recognition of the demon spirit race of Assyria in Paradise Township, stepped onto the historical stage, this uprising that swept across the entire province of Atoliga and even affected half of the Yalas United Empire had, strictly speaking, lasted for nearly half a century, a duration rarely seen in human history.

The fact that the Holy War Army was able to hold out for so long despite the all-out attack by the Yalas United Empire shows that it has its own unique strengths, which are far superior to those of ordinary rebels.

This is a good thing, but if not handled properly, it can turn into a bad thing.

After the self-introductions, it was time to get down to business. Arnor hesitated for a moment, intending to wait for Medien to speak first, but the latter just blinked her big, bright green eyes, looking at him blankly, like a simple, innocent child, and Arnor immediately felt too embarrassed to urge her.

Ling's lips twitched slightly. He thought that if it wasn't Alice's or Rorona's idea, it could only be Ovira, especially the latter, who had been acting very strangely lately.

A period of silence ensued, a confrontation destined to be unbalanced. Medion could continue her adorable antics without restraint, while the adult Arnor could only compromise, speaking first to reveal their purpose: "To be honest, we have two purposes for this trip. One is to warn you all to be wary of Imperial Army spies, as your actions in the Atoliga province have undoubtedly attracted their attention. However, it seems you have come prepared and have not let your guard down, so naturally, this purpose need not be mentioned further."

Although it was said that there was no need to mention it again, it was actually believed that the explanation was given again, mainly to convey goodwill and gain people's trust, so that the next purpose could be revealed: "Secondly, I would like to ask you all for specific information about the Holy Goddess Church."

He spoke frankly: "Regarding your origins, your purpose, and... the doctrines you believe in."

This is a very sensitive issue.

Especially on the continent of East Tivant, a land steeped in religious atmosphere, even verbal disputes can escalate into conflicts of faith. "Regarding this," Medien smiled slightly, "why doesn't Mr. Arnor seek confirmation himself?"

After speaking, Sister Livia turned around, took a book from the altar, and handed it to Arnor. Arnor took it instinctively, but saw two simple words on its dark gold cover: "The Canon".

As the name suggests, these are scriptures used for missionary work.

The book contains the doctrines, scriptures, philosophy, or rather, the foundation of this religion's existence.

Throughout the entire Mirror Star world, across the eastern and western continents, only one religion uses such a concise name to refer to the very foundation upon which its church exists. Unlike well-known names such as "Faya's Holy Scriptures," "Time-Space Ingmar," or "Necronomicon," it is more like the oral pronouncements of saints, the commentaries of believers, or even casual remarkes of non-believers, filled with ideas that do not conform to the doctrines of the religion.

Most people believe that this is a message from the seven saints of the Goddess of Creation, who incorporated their lifelong thoughts, beliefs and ideals into the message and used the goddess's words to expound the truth. Only a few people know that it was indeed spoken by the seven saints, but not by themselves. Instead, it was a paraphrase of the philosophy spoken by the goddess herself.

Saints fell to earth and lost many memories, but for some reason, they remembered only these words. Perhaps, these were the truths that the goddess wanted them to convey to mortals.

Cheryl, the leader of the Crusaders, possessed a manuscript of the Canon, said to have been written by one of the seven saints. It was a gift from an Assyrian spirit when a hero led a rebellion against the tyranny of the empire, and after the hero's death, it passed into her possession. Influenced by the goddess's teachings, Cheryl did not consider it a precious relic, nor was she stingy in sharing it with others. Arnor had once borrowed the manuscript from her and perused its contents. It was Cheryl's generosity and selflessness that made him fully believe in the goddess's teachings and willingly become her follower.

How similar that manuscript of the Bible is to the one before us!

With a spirit of inquiry and exploration, Arnor slowly opened the scripture in his hands and began to read it, roughly but not carelessly. Everyone knew this was the most crucial part, so no one dared to disturb him; the church was quiet except for the occasional sound of him turning the pages.

After a quick glance, Arnor had a general idea of ​​what was going on. This canon was largely similar in content to the manuscript of the "Canon" preserved by the Church of the Goddess of Creation, with only slight differences in some places, such as deletions or modifications. However, it didn't seem to be a rewriting of the doctrines, but rather it seemed that due to some special reason, the more sensitive parts had to be hidden.

Is it a political factor, or something else?

But the similarities are not something that can be imitated with mere intention. Moreover, while the texts in religious scriptures may be forged, how can the images of goddesses on the altar be explained? Not all images of deities possess divinity; the key lies in the believer's piety. Offering sacrifices day and night and praying fervently are merely the most basic requirements. The crucial question is: on the continent of Eastern Empire today, besides the paradise of Assyria, are there any other souls that can be called noble believers?
Arnor closed the Canon, gave Medien a deep look, and vaguely guessed the origins of the group: "Is your religion... perhaps a branch left behind by the Church of the Goddess of Creation? If I'm not mistaken, it was lost in the war that started in the province of Atoliga, wasn't it?"

Because of the sensitive nature of that war, it has no official name; most people call it a religious war, but its essence has nothing to do with religion—it was purely persecution by malicious individuals. Therefore, when followers of the Cult of the Creator mention it, they usually, like Arnor, deliberately avoid the untrue and exaggerated parts.

The pink-haired girl slowly shook her head: "No."

She said, word by word, very seriously, "Even earlier than that."

Earlier than that war?
Not only Yanor, but even his companions were stunned. That was the closest period to date. Apart from that, the Cult of the Creator Goddess had never been active on the Eastern Continent, so how could there be any branches that had been left behind?
No, that's not right!

Indeed, besides the Assyrian support for the holy war uprising in Paradise Country, there was another period when the Goddess of Creation Church was widely active in the Eastern Continent, even openly proselytizing, and almost trying to restore the glory of the Goddess and the seven saints.

That was the time when the King of the Elves crossed the sea and the sacred faith began to take root.

Arnor suddenly realized, and in his astonishment, he even forgot to use honorifics for a moment: "You... could you possibly be from the Western Continent!?"

Then he suddenly turned to look at Linger. He finally realized why the young man's name seemed familiar. He had heard of him before, but had never connected the two: "You are Linger? The Linger mentioned by Solomon, the father of modern magic, who once fought against the witch society in the Western Continent and was regarded as a major threat by them?"

That's it again.

The young man frowned slightly. He remembered that when he first met Carson Borg, the Eagle of Grayhill, he had gained Borg's trust not only because of his honesty but also because Borg had heard of him from Solomon's Gate. At the time, he thought it was a coincidence, but if even the Jihad had heard of him…

How many people did that father of modern magic actually proclaim his deeds to? And what was his purpose? Considering his actions of leading Gandalf and the Silver Moon to their doom with just a few words while remaining uninvolved, the young man really didn't think he acted out of goodwill.

Or perhaps, quite the opposite.

He doesn't expect to get anything from himself.

Instead, does she hope to get something from him? (End of Chapter)