I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

The priest seemed somewhat annoyed that he hadn't noticed your distress...

[...he's starting to think about attacking you directly—you can sense that.]

But none of this happened in the end, because...people from the church came.

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tick-

It was the sound of raindrops falling.

"Hmph~? Hmph~? Hmph~??~"

It was Xi Wang's clear humming voice.

Since learning to use singing to make people happy, Xi Wang has fallen in love with this form of entertainment... Music not only brings joy to others, but he can also immerse himself in it and enjoy the fun... And since then, he has been working hard to practice and explore techniques, as if he was born with a goal to become a child who studies music and art.

Fortunately, Xiwang didn't think there was anything wrong with it; on the contrary, she thought it was great... Whenever she saw other children smile because of her singing, Xiwang herself was very happy.

Unfortunately... due to some special reasons, the children no longer gather around him.

But it's okay~ Xi Wang won't complain about the children, because he knows it's all because of the priest.

"Humph~?"

Humming a slightly upbeat tune, Xi Wang reached out to touch the raindrops falling from the eaves. The rainwater gathered in her hand, bringing a cool sensation. The continuous rain outside soaked the surroundings, but Xi Wang did not feel uncomfortable; instead, she felt a sense of comfort.

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[Entry: Blessing of Flowing Water/Ocean (Blue), Now in Effect]

You've developed a greater fondness for places and weather related to water.

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Rain...it's so nice. He loves rainy days. The water is cool and refreshing. Hmm...I've heard that on the edge of the continent, there's a vast blue sea made up of countless bodies of water...I must go see it if I have the chance!

Xi Wang smiled happily, the tune she was humming still continuing, but it gradually changed from "light and cheerful" to "gentle"... just as gentle as flowing stream water.

If you look closely, you can also see that his dark pupils have changed slightly... specks of gold appear deep in his pupils, the original dark color contrasting with the tiny gold specks, like stars twinkling in the night sky, and a light scarlet tinge around the periphery of his pupils, which you might not notice if you don't look closely.

tick-

The rain was still falling, but without realizing it, the soft sound of the raindrops falling seemed to be slowly becoming rhythmic, like clapping a beat, or like making a melody, echoing Xi Wang's unknown tune. But if you listened carefully, you would find that it was all just your own illusion.

"Humph~?"

Xi Wang seemed oblivious to all of this, simply sitting alone on the steps of the church's front courtyard with her eyes slightly lowered, humming a tune she herself didn't know, her head swaying gently to the rhythm, enjoying this unique pleasure together with the falling rain and the gentle breeze around her.

After an unknown amount of time, Xi Wang seemed to get tired and slowly stopped humming. The sound of rain falling around her became noisy again, like the applause of the audience at the end of a curtain call.

Ah, no... there were indeed people clapping.

"Great sound."

A gentle voice rang out from the church entrance. Looking up, Xi Wang saw a priest she didn't recognize, but who looked somewhat familiar.

He was walking slowly towards us, holding an umbrella.

"Ah, hello, Father... May I ask who you are?"

Xi Wang stood up and asked softly in a rather polite voice... He subconsciously felt that the priest in front of him was not comparable to the priest in the church, and that the priest in front of him was someone he should respect.

"There's no need for such a respectful title, child on the road..."

He stepped forward, folded his umbrella, stood in front of Xi Wang and carefully examined him, then spoke softly as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

“You can call me Father Enrique… I’m so glad, child, this time… I’ve made it.”

Father Enrique said with a smile.

Xi Wang could sense that the priest in front of her... was genuinely happy.

Chapter Three: The Right Judgment Will Eventually Come (4471)

(This chapter is also known as—Good Death!!!)

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[Father Henry of the Church has arrived. He is a world-renowned figure. Although he should theoretically be traveling and gaining experience in other parts of the world at this time, for some reason, Father Henry quickly canceled all his subsequent plans and rushed to your location, leaving many people puzzled and confused.]

[Because Father Enrique rarely behaves so rudely, postponing agreed-upon matters or even leaving abruptly without saying goodbye... as if he had something urgent to attend to.]

When others inquired, Father Henry simply replied, "I have found the one I was meant to find; He has shown me the way. I must immediately go to the one destined for me and guide him... This time, I will certainly not let his hands be stained with the blood of sin."

[These seemingly strange words received the Church's approval and support, and Father Henry's schedule was quickly arranged... which is why he came to your side at this time.]

When he heard your light and gentle humming in the drizzle, when he saw you sitting happily on the steps singing through the misty rain, he was truly happy. The inexplicable anxiety and depression in his heart completely dissipated... because he knew he had made it.

He gently stroked your head, looking at your somewhat unusual tricolored eyes, those pupils that twinkled like stars in the night. He felt a deep tenderness for you, and then he assured you that this time, he would never let your hands be stained with the blood of sin, so that you would not have to grieve for your sins.

Then, he led you into the church to meet the priest.

The priest seemed particularly afraid of Father Henry. During their conversation, you could clearly sense that the priest's manners improved, and even his attitude became humble and cautious.

However, at times, he still shows a hint of disgust and annoyance towards you... Perhaps he blames it all on you, after all, he has encountered too many unpleasant things since you came to the church.

But soon, he lost that interest... because the bureau chief returned.

After finishing the case, the police chief visited the children at the church again and brought news about you... When he told you with pity that you might have no relatives left, or even if you did, they would be hard to find, you didn't say anything, but just smiled and thanked him for telling you all this, and then gently hummed a tune for him as a thank you.

Seeing that you showed no sadness or tears, and even smiled as you sang a cheerful tune as a thank you to the person who couldn't bring good news, the director was deeply moved... You really are a well-behaved and good child, and he felt even more sorry for you, and said he would come to visit you more often in the future.

Meanwhile, the director also noticed Father Enrique's presence and found that he seemed particularly concerned about you, so the director curiously inquired about him... Although the answers he received from Father Enrique were still cryptic, the director and Father Enrique gradually became acquainted.

The priest watched with growing trepidation as the two became increasingly familiar with each other, a strange sense of crisis making him increasingly nervous... Even though neither of them had discovered anything yet, the priest had a premonition that he was doomed.

Then... just as the priest had predicted, things quickly took a turn for the worse in the direction he didn't want to see.

As if guided by something, Father Enrique quickly found a tiny clue, and then immediately discussed it with the chief. Both of them felt that this church... might have a problem.

The two, having reached an agreement, quickly mobilized their respective networks to begin an investigation. They soon discovered that the church might be assisting someone in the "child trafficking" industry. Father Enrique even investigated with the speed of someone who had done this several times before, finding that the main person in charge of the church was himself, and that the nuns were also involved. He also produced several pieces of evidence, as well as evidence that there was a larger chain of interests behind it.

The chief acted swiftly, immediately arresting the priest and nun for interrogation, and simultaneously reporting the incident to Father Enrique.

With Father Enrique's reputation, the incident immediately garnered significant attention. When people saw the wounds on the "bad kids'" bodies and heard them sobbing as they quietly recounted their painful experiences, their voices filled with fear and trembling, as if they were still afraid of being beaten and suffering... everyone was outraged.

Public opinion surged like a tsunami, with condemnations rising wave after wave, and countless people expressing their determination to severely punish the priest and nun.

The fierce public opinion pressured many forces, starting with the church... Priests and nuns, who should be loving and helping others, had committed such heinous acts. Naturally, some of the criticism fell on the church, which immediately issued a statement saying that the priests and nuns had violated "doctrine," expelled them from the church, and strongly condemned their actions.

[Originally, the church's actions would have stopped there, since these are usually just individual actions, and given the church's good reputation and the support of faith, people would have stopped making things difficult for the church after receiving the feedback.]

But... this time seems different.

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[Entry: The Pious Person (Blue), now in effect]

You're more likely to get help from the church!

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[Father Henry briefly contacted the church and seemed to have spoken with some members. The very next day, the church issued a statement expressing its strong concern over this heinous case and its support for a just verdict, which is what the Lord expects. The existence of such a despicable person among the Lord's believers is a dereliction of duty on the part of the church, and therefore the church requests a retrial.]

To be honest, this statement stunned everyone, because the church rarely expresses such clear concern about anything, especially something so "small"... after all, it's just "a matter for a few people."

But... ordinary people don't care about all that. They only know that they've gained another supporter, and a very influential one at that, so the public outcry has become even fiercer.

In the end, the local government showed concern, and even the national government received the news and sent people to inquire about and pay attention to the case... There was no other way; at the church's urging, the case had become known worldwide, and if it wasn't handled properly, they were afraid they would get rid of many people here.

However, as everyone knows, cases like this... are really best left uninvestigated, because they'll inevitably uncover something.

[You know, this is a church run by a priest and several nuns, openly and blatantly engaging in child trafficking right under everyone's noses... The fact that no one reported or discovered such a daring act for so long is highly suspicious.]

As the case progressed, the investigators became increasingly alarmed, constantly requesting reinforcements from higher authorities... Eventually, a special task force was established to investigate the "chain of interests" behind the case. In the end, they discovered that it seemed to involve a transnational case, and unknowingly, some people uncovered things they shouldn't have.

For example... "island"

Although the word only appeared a few times, and even disappeared shortly afterward, the investigators were still alarmed and temporarily suspended their investigation... There was nothing they could do; it was no longer up to them, as too many people were involved.

More importantly, their recent investigations have been hampered, and some people have even received warnings... they have to slow down.

[However, given the overwhelming public opinion, it was unlikely that the matter could be stopped immediately. Therefore, the only option was to first convict the priest and nuns in order to appease public opinion.]

[Considering that the priest was the principal offender in the "child trafficking" case, and also had other serious circumstances such as "imprisonment and abuse of children," and possibly even "child death due to abuse," he was sentenced to death without exception.]

As for the nuns, although they were accomplices in the "child trafficking" and knowingly failed to report it, even condoning the priest's crimes and participating in them themselves, all for the sake of money... considering that there were no particularly serious circumstances such as harming children, they were sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of their political rights for life, and all their property was confiscated.

Frankly, even with this verdict, it still drew a lot of criticism... Many people felt that everyone should be sentenced to death... Are these people just a waste of food and air if they aren't killed?

However, after some public opinion control and explanation from some people, the public reluctantly accepted the verdict... At least the main culprit is dead, and now the most important thing is that the children in the church should be cared for. We don't expect them to make up for their lost childhood, but at least let them have a better life in the future.

As a result, donations from all over the world arrived in droves, and a large amount of practical supplies were delivered to the church. Father Henry spent several days in a row in the church, either moving things or signing for supplies.

However, although exhausted, Father Enrique was all smiles... because this time everything had turned out much better. He had arrived at your side ahead of time, preventing you from getting your hands stained with the blood of sin. He had even worked with the chief to arrest the priest and the nun. The matter had even received the support of the church and attracted the attention of the government.

Although the "chain of interests" behind this case has not yet been fully investigated, it has now been taken over by a special task force. Father Enrique, while unable to participate directly, no longer needs to worry, as this case must provide an explanation to the public; otherwise, the media and public opinion will overturn the investigation team and the local government.

The church gradually improved after Father Henry took over. The changes in living conditions were obvious. Supplies and donations from all over the world, as well as church grants, were enough to renovate the entire church. The children were able to get new clothes, eat better food, and receive a proper education.

Under Father Enrique's guidance, the barriers between the children gradually disappeared. They soon realized that the so-called "bad kids" were not actually bad. Coupled with the children's inherently innocent hearts, with a little guidance, the children played together again.

Ah, speaking of which, there's another question... where are you?

In fact, this matter has little to do with you. To outsiders, you are just an ordinary child, a child about to be harmed by the priest and nuns... After all, you are still a child. Even though the police chief initially used you as an excuse to keep entering the church, and Father Enrique was even more straightforward, coming directly to find you, in order to protect you, Father Enrique and the police chief deliberately downplayed your presence in this case.

So even though the priests and nuns are being judged because of you, outsiders are completely unaware of your existence.

[And in this process... you originally wanted to help, after all, seeing the director and Father Enrique working so hard, you wanted to lighten their burden, but they explicitly refused.]

"You are a good child, you are all good children, that's why we need to work hard, that's why we need to save you... to fight for a stable life for you, to give you a happy childhood, to let you spend every day in peace, this is what we adults should be responsible for, this is our duty as adults"—the priest said.

"So... live each day happily, and let your genuine smiles be the greatest and best reward you can give us," the bureau chief said with a smile, ruffling your hair.

You've come to a realization, and therefore, you always wear a smile, a relaxed and cheerful one, humming lighthearted tunes you've discovered yourself, bringing joy to those around you.

[And you've found someone who can help... Although Father Enrique took over the church, at the beginning of the case, he still had to cooperate with the investigation, so he often had to go out and didn't have time to take care of the children.]

At this point, as the only person who could talk to both the "good kids" and the "bad kids," you naturally took on the responsibility of looking after the other children.

The children had no objections and were even quite willing to listen to you... They really liked your singing, so each child had a good relationship with you, and you continued to act as a "glue" to try to bridge the gap between them and make the distance between the children less obvious.

[During this process, you didn't forget to continue exploring humming techniques, and before you knew it, you even gained some "little fans"]

For example, that boy named "Wright" really liked your singing and even asked you for singing tips. Unfortunately, he didn't have the talent for it and gave up after a few attempts. He could only sit quietly and listen to you sing.