Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 69: Our Lady's Monastery

Li Nanke looked at the bloody text that appeared in the synchronous prompt, and he was not too surprised. Digging deeper into the hidden nodes would increase the difficulty of the dream, and he had already prepared for this.

"What are you standing there for? Why don't you run away?"

The two girls on the bed in the tent felt as if they had been pardoned. They quickly picked up their clothes and left the tent.

Li Nanke came to the corner of the tent and picked up a piece of glowing paper from a pile of clothes. It was a talisman with blood-red prayers painted on it.

【Evacuation Mark Spell】

[Type: Props/Consumables]

【Quality: Excellent】

[Rating: 83/100]

[Details: A talisman used by senior officers in the Punishment Army. It has a refuge mark engraved on it. After using it, the physical pain suffered can be gradually transferred to the 'Lady of Eternal Pain' at a faster speed, achieving the purpose of healing the wound and relieving the pain. The talisman can only take effect in this forbidden dream.]

[Note: The Law of Conservation of Pain - Pain does not arise out of thin air, nor does it disappear inexplicably, but is transferred from one person to another.]

The effect of this item is undoubtedly very powerful, but the problem is that Anya's brother Renault is now a comrade-in-arms, and it is really inhumane to transfer the injury to his sister.

After a moment's thought, Li Nanke handed the talisman to Renault, indicating that he should deal with it.

Renault took the talisman and looked at it carefully, his eyes were very complicated.

He was silent for a long time, then handed the amulet back to her: "Keep it for yourself. If we die on the way to the Holy Meeting, we will never be able to end Anya's suffering."

After saying that, Renault opened the tent and strode away, his back looking a little heavy.

Li Nanke moved his ears and clearly heard the sound of galloping horses coming from afar.

When I walked out of the tent and looked around, I saw smoke and dust on the ground in the distance. The several teams of punitive troops that had been transferred away earlier had returned and were approaching the camp.

"Renault, do you know the Convent of Notre Dame?"

Renault had no intention of retreating or avoiding the fight, and seemed to want to vent his emotions through killing.

"A female believer with God-given beauty, many sculptors used her face as a template to carve images for prayer. Fearing that the Holy Synod would use this to persecute her, she took the initiative to destroy her beautiful face with hot oil."

"The hot oil destroyed her face and caused her extreme pain. As a result, the grace of suffering descended upon her. The burns on her face did not heal over time, but burned day and night, becoming more and more severe... Ironically, she was recognized by the Holy Society for this and was canonized as Our Lady of Scorched Face. A monastery was built for her."

"This happened many years ago. Our Lady Jiao Rong has long passed away due to ageing, illness and death, and the monastery has been closed and abandoned..."

Li Nanke frowned. The grace of pain was extremely twisted. He seemed to be the last and only surviving person to receive this form of blessing. He wondered if it was the credit of the great other shore.

"We will pass by the Notre Dame Monastery on the way to the Holy Penitents' Congregation. Do you want to visit the monastery?"

Li Nanke's mind moved: "It's on the way anyway, and we need supplies along the way. It won't waste much time to go and have a look."

According to Renault, Our Lady Jiao Rong had already died, but the original third node showed 'Go to the Our Lady Monastery and kill Our Lady Jiao Rong', which means that Our Lady Jiao Rong must still be alive.

Now that the target of the third node has been changed, is going to the monastery to find Our Lady Jiao Rong considered a hidden event, or are there additional rewards?

As they were talking, several teams of punitive troops had arrived at the camp.

Raynor drew out his wolf-headed sword, the blade ignited with flames, and with a loud shout he rushed towards the Punishment Army. With a strong teammate in front, Li Nanke would naturally not let go of these walking energy sources, and followed them forward to kill them...

……

A day later, in a tavern in Ghent.

The tavern owner smiled and told the groom to look after the four strong war horses and feed them with high-quality fodder.

Two knights came to the tavern today, which is rare in this poor town. As long as you serve the two knights well, the money you earn can be equal to a week's income.

He ignored the townspeople who had empty and numb eyes and could get drunk for half a day on a glass of pear cider.

He personally brought two glasses of ale, and from the kitchen he brought a few loaves of white bread, a pot of stewed meat and a small plate of roast chicken.

Renault had only eaten some dry food along the way. He used a knife and fork to pick up the chicken, stuffed the sizzling roasted chicken into the soft bread, and enjoyed it with the fragrant soup.

The stew is a soup made from carrots, onions, cabbage, potatoes, and rabbit meat. The whole pot of stew is cooked until the soup is thick. The moment the lid is opened, a rich and fragrant steam hits you in the face.

Such slightly 'simple' food can be considered the top-notch luxury food here.

"How far is Notre Dame's Convent from here?"

Li Nanke threw out a few coins, picked up the malt liquor and took a sip. The light yellow liquor was slightly turbid, with a lot of suspended particles in it. It tasted slightly sour and bitter, and it was really not delicious.

The tavern owner happily took the coin and immediately introduced: "Sir Knight, the Notre Dame Monastery is located in the southwest of the town, not far away. Since the death of Notre Dame Jiao Rong, the monastery has been abandoned for more than ten years."

"Would you two like to visit the monastery?"

"It's a bit troublesome if you want to visit. Sister Colette has been guarding the monastery and won't let anyone get close. Oh, I forgot to mention that Sister Colette is an orphan adopted by Our Lady of Jiaorong. She is old now. After Our Lady passed away and the monastery was abandoned, she refused to leave and has been guarding there ever since."

As he spoke, the tavern owner came closer and reminded him seriously, "The monastery is a bit weird. Several times, people from the town passed by there from afar and said they heard terrifying screams coming from the monastery."

"Some brave people sneaked into the convent when Sister Colette was out, but they saw nothing... People said there were ghosts or something."

Li Nanke rode his horse along the way. There were many corpses scattered along the road in various villages and towns. Some died of plague, some were burned at the stake, and many died of distorted beliefs, whipping and self-mutilation...

Only the statues erected along the road were clean and bright, as if they were wiped and cleaned regularly.

At the entrance of the town street, he also saw the statue of the Charred Virgin Mary, but the statue showed the Virgin Mary's disfigured appearance. Her face looked as if it had been splashed with sulfuric acid, and it was hard to tell that she once had a beautiful face given by God.

"Edward, don't you want to eat something?"

Li Nanke shook his head. These foods had no spices or seasonings, and the cooking methods were very primitive. They had nothing to do with gourmet food. It would be better to use energy to fill your stomach.

After Renault had his fill of food and drink, the two men left their horses in the tavern to rest and eat, and then headed towards the Monastery of Our Lady outside the town.

Following the direction indicated by the tavern owner, Li Nanke soon saw the monastery.

The monastery is surrounded by high walls, and only the towering spires of the buildings can be seen inside. There is a small wooden house outside the gate of the wall.

A white-haired nun was sitting in front of the house, staring blankly at the monastery.

(End of this chapter)