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Chapter 441. The Story of the Third Cycle [3 Reincarnations] (18)

Generally, each temple has its own publishing house dedicated to printing scriptures and texts to spread the faith.

Edric knew that the Church of Light had more than ten printing houses under its umbrella.

But whether the God of Death and Silence also had such an organization... he really didn't know.

Based on his observations and understanding over this period of time, this supreme god seems to have only one temple, and he is the only priest, let alone any subordinate institutions or peripheral organizations.

The entire temple was as quiet as a forgotten tomb, with only him and the god who was forever hidden in the shadows.

However, when the boy in the floral hat looked at him with such bright and expectant eyes, Edric ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He paused for a moment, then finally gave a vague response:

"This matter needs to be reported to the divine will; I need to consult him first."

"Yes, I await your good news, Your Excellency."

The boy in the floral hat bowed deeply and stood quietly in the sunlight outside the temple, like a sapling waiting to bloom.

Edric turned and walked back into the depths of the hall.

The long corridor swallowed the sound of his footsteps; only the pale candlelight in the niches on either side illuminated his long shadow.

He arrived at the altar, but before he could even begin to draw the magic circle to communicate with the gods, a familiar, chilling aura silently enveloped him.

It is God.

"Give him permission to publish, in my name. Leave the process to the God of Wealth."

The voice of the god of death seeped in from behind, cold and brief.

Edric immediately bowed and accepted the order without asking any further questions.

He quickly turned back, and when his figure reappeared in the light of the palace gate, the young man almost held his breath as he looked over.

"The gods have granted permission."

"Really?!"

The boy almost jumped up. Suppressing his excitement, he handed over the thick stack of manuscripts with both hands, then solemnly turned to face the statue of the god who was forever shrouded in shadow deep in the hall, removed his hat, and bowed deeply.

"Great Lord of End and Annihilation, thank you for your grace. From this day forward, I am your faithful follower."

He turned back to Edric, a frank and warm smile spreading across his face:

"I came in a hurry today and didn't have time to prepare incense. I will definitely come back another day to burn incense and worship my god to show my piety."

Edric nodded slightly, watching the boy disappear briskly around the street corner.

He then turned his gaze back to the stack of manuscripts in his hands, which were still warm from his body.

His gaze swept over the few lines of text at the bottom of the cover, and he suddenly stopped flipping through it.

The contents of this manuscript...

The entire piece is a scathing critique and satire of the god of wealth and the existing papal system.

—Did God tell him to give it to the God of Wealth for publication?
……

"So that's how it is. It's truly an honor for us to be valued by the God of Death and Silence."

The newly appointed head of the intelligence department at the Rose Group is a sweet-looking girl. She glanced at the contents of the manuscript but paused slightly.

As is widely known, the God of Death and Silence is a god of law enforcement, and it will mercilessly slaughter all gods who violate the fundamental law.

Handing this article criticizing the God of Wealth to the forces behind the God of Wealth is clearly a warning to the God of Wealth.

—But why the sudden warning?

This trade was a normal monopolistic practice. The God of Death and Silence had no interest in wealth and markets, so the only possible reason was the case the manuscript involved.

Holy water of life.

Unlike other gods who belong to the papacy, the god of wealth does not have a temple; instead, he owns a large corporation.

God regularly holds year-end summary meetings with several core departments, and the intelligence department also has the authority to communicate with God. During these communications, she learned that the order of death had changed, and a new divine position had been established under the Seat of Miracles, with the divine title "True God of Salvation," in charge of health, disaster relief, and resolving difficulties.

Because the emblem of the deity is a green leaf, it is also known in folk tradition as the "Green Leaf God".

Could this sudden warning be related to Aoba-shin?

The head of the intelligence department keenly sensed something was amiss.

Edric felt awkward seeing her silence and was about to explain when the girl seemed to understand something, suddenly looked up and smiled, saying:

"I understand. We will reward you handsomely, sir."

Edric had no idea what she was thinking. All he knew was that the Rose Group had treated him to a meal that day and then sent a car to take him back to the temple.

The higher-ups there said that the manuscript would be printed urgently and released as soon as possible.

While waiting for the manuscript to be published, Andorra kept his promise and offered incense to the god of death in the temple.

It was originally just a normal act of gratitude, but Andor was lively and active, and couldn't help but want to chat with someone, so he started talking to the Deathly Silence Priest after offering incense one time.

Edric was different from the other priests. He was all alone in the temple and felt lonely. But as they talked more and more, they eventually became friends.

They were both teenagers at the time, one a priest of the supreme god, the other a noble young master from a gambling king's family. Boys of the same age, their status and perspectives were only compatible with each other, and their friendship developed and deepened imperceptibly.

One day, Andor told him that a celebration was being held in the realm of the God of Light.

Recalling his past before becoming the Death Priest, Edric hesitated for a moment, but still decided to go and take a look.

Before setting off, he first took care of the affairs of the Temple of Deathly Silence, and then rode the flying chariot to the domain of the God of Light.

This domain remains vast and magnificent. The pure white buildings stretch out in undulating waves, adorned with flowing gold patterns, and are breathtakingly solemn under the sunlight.

The air was filled with the lingering echoes of hymns and the jubilant atmosphere unique to celebrations; everything was completely different from that eternally silent temple.

Returning to this familiar place, and recalling the priests he had seen at the banquet, as well as the ever-present, white-robed Pope of Light, a strange feeling welled up in Edric's heart.

He wandered aimlessly and unknowingly turned into a narrow alley.

As dusk fell and twilight descended, the orange glow of the setting sun slanted into the alleyway, but failed to illuminate the grime accumulated in the cracks of the stone slabs.

Just as the black-haired priest was about to turn and leave, a commotion arose from the depths of the alley.

Several soldiers surrounded a little girl huddled in a corner, shoving and shouting at her.

As the girl struggled, she raised her face, her gaze inadvertently meeting his for a fleeting moment through the gap in the crowd.

Edric's breath hitched.

--younger sister?
A violent sense of disorientation overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Countless fragments of memories and afterimages of dreams overlapped and surged at that moment, almost making him lose his balance.

The body moved before the mind could.

"Om..."

A shadow blade, as black as night, silently emerged from his fingertips, skimming along the ground and slicing through the shadows beneath the soldiers' feet.

Before they could even cry out, the men collapsed to the ground one after another.

The alley suddenly fell silent, with only the evening breeze passing through.

The girl stuffed the pearl earring into her burlap sack to prevent it from falling out, then got up without hesitation and ran as fast as she could in the direction where Edric was standing.

The setting sun cast a long shadow behind her, and her tender yet resonant call pierced the twilight:
"elder brother!"

Foresight: Even though we are separated by life and death, regret will eventually bring us together again.

Jiang Jianxin: What if there are no regrets in another world?
Vera: And Old Ji too!

God of Deathly Silence: ... (Silence, working silently)

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.

Tomorrow, we'll be going over the events of the three cycles from Vera's perspective.