Why is my anime art style so weird?

This goddess seems to have adopted a very humble attitude.

Putting aside the other party's every move, their words alone are quite intriguing.

What was clearly a 'reward' bestowed by a superior upon a subordinate was described by her as a 'gift' of equal exchange.

Xu Ming kept thinking about the other party's intentions, but his actions were not slow; he bowed slightly.

"Thank you so much."

Kanako Yasaka's smile faded, her face hardened, and her expression became somewhat serious.

She stretched out her hands, pressed her fingers together against her chest, and placed her palms facing each other.

A ball of light radiating golden light appeared in her palm.

Several fine, snake-like electric sparks flickered on the surface of the golden sphere.

Suwako Moriya, who was standing next to her, made a similar gesture.

A golden sphere of light also appeared in Suwako Moriya's hand, but unlike Suwako Moriya, the surface of the sphere was filled with wisps of grayish-brown gas.

May the power of Heaven and Earth bless you!

The two goddesses shouted in unison and pushed Xu Ming's direction with both hands at the same time.

The two orbs of light immediately flew toward Xu Ming and entered his body.

To avoid any accidents, Xu Ming quickly put the cross away.

Kanako Yasaka seemed to sense his concerns and quickly said:

"Don't worry, this is pure blessing power without our mark."

Perhaps worried that Xu Ming wouldn't understand, she added another sentence to explain.

"You can think of it as the forces of nature, such as the sky, the earth, wind, and rain."

Xu Ming nodded and tried to hold the cross in his hand.

As expected, there was no response to 'The Saintess's Prayer'.

At this moment, Xu Ming felt a cool sensation and a heavy sensation surging within his body. Two completely different forces swirled within him and then slowly merged into his body.

He soon felt his body become lighter, but at the same time, his connection with the earth became closer, as if he had endless power as long as he stood on the earth.

Chapter 343 The Goddess's Grand Gift

Xu Ming resisted the urge to open the system and check directly on the spot, and expressed his gratitude to the two goddesses.

Xu Ming could tell that after sending him their blessings, the two goddesses looked much paler, and Yasaka Kanako's voice also seemed to show a hint of fatigue.

The two goddesses were clearly exhausted.

Xu Ming is a grateful person, and he remembered the favor he received from the other party.

Just then, Kanako Yasaka suddenly said:

"Actually, we also need your help with something..."

Then, Kanako Yasaka expressed her desire to contact the Holy Church through Xu Ming.

I was just a middleman, acting as a go-between.

This was incredibly easy for Xu Ming to say, and he immediately agreed.

"Absolutely no problem."

Xu Ming then immediately contacted St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo to convey the wishes of the two goddesses from Suwa Taisha Shrine.

Unexpectedly, this matter alarmed the Florence regional bishop who was stationed at the cathedral.

The bishop seemed to take it very seriously and immediately said he would report the matter to higher authorities. He also hoped that Xu Ming would stay at Suwa Taisha for the time being as a mediator between the two parties.

Xu Ming agreed.

Xu Ming relayed the bishop's message to the two goddesses, and also expressed his intention to stay for the time being.

Judging from the attitude of this regional bishop, the Church of the Holy See clearly attaches great importance to this matter.

The two goddesses readily agreed.

While there was still time, Sanae Kochiya led Xu Ming to the front hall to observe the final night's festival.

Although the White Serpent Festival had ended, the festival being held at Suwa Taisha Shrine was just reaching its climax.

Xu Ming was even fortunate enough to witness Sanae Kochiya, dressed in Chihaya and the previous day's crown and holding a Kagura bell, personally take the stage to perform the Kagura dance, surrounded by a group of shrine maidens.

At the same time, Xu Ming also witnessed the legendary witch chewing sake.

I wonder what my older sister's kuchikami (chewed sake) will taste like~ I really want some…

Cough!

Xu Ming quickly stopped this wicked thought and focused on watching the Kagura ceremony on the stage.

The huge fire cast his shadow behind him, and his shadow seemed to sway slightly with the flickering firelight...

After visiting the ceremony, Xu Ming's slight confusion and bewilderment caused by the matter of Monk Huijing gradually dissipated.

The monk Huijing's fate is regrettable, but he is still alive, and there is someone who needs his protection.

Always look forward.

The festival ended amidst much fanfare, and Xu Ming was about to return to his hotel when he suddenly received a phone call.

It turned out to be the regional bishop who called.

The other party stated that he had already reported the matter to the Vatican.

The Vatican officials stated that a cardinal would immediately travel to Japan to make contact with him.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Ming looked somewhat surprised.

The Church not only acted swiftly, but they also seemed to take this matter very seriously, deciding to send a cardinal in a short time.

It seems that the two goddesses' decision was like a perfect opportunity for them.

'So, it seems the Shintoists are secretly colluding with the Clock Tower, and the Holy Church is quite unhappy about it. These rumors are true...'

Xu Ming thought to himself.

After he conveyed the Church's message, Kanako Yasaka seemed very pleased.

Xu Ming observed her behavior and, combined with the information he had gathered earlier, suddenly had a sudden realization.

'It seems Shintoism isn't a monolithic entity after all.'

Afterwards, Xu Ming declined Kanako Yasaka's invitation to stay overnight at the shrine.

Although Suwa Taisha Shrine is scenic, the shrine itself is very old, and due to its proximity to Lake Suwa, the humidity is high, making the accommodations inside the shrine less comfortable than those in a hotel.

Moreover, Xu Ming was eager to settle down and wanted to check on the spoils of this trip.

After a quick wash, Xu Ming returned to the hotel, washed up briefly, lay down on the bed, and opened the system panel.

Ding ding...!

As soon as the system was turned on, notification sounds started ringing incessantly, and various messages instantly filled most of the page like a screen being flooded.

Fearing he might miss some crucial information, Xu Ming had no choice but to patiently check each item one by one.

The most recent message was about two goddesses from Suwa Taisha Shrine.

—Congratulations, host, for receiving the blessing of the gods and the power of 'Qian' and 'Kun'.

Power of Qian (Permanent Effect) - A blessing from the sky.

The blessed person becomes more agile, has stronger resistance to evil spirits, and has a certain chance to trigger divine punishment lightning when attacking!

The Power of Kun (Permanent Effect) - A blessing from the earth.

Blessed with the ability to continuously receive support from the earth as long as one's feet are on the ground, which can accelerate the recovery of physical strength and injuries, and at the same time enhance the power of all metal weapons!

These are two powerful buffs, and they are permanent!

This means Xu Ming has gained two powerful passive skills!

To avoid excessive depletion of their own power, the blessings bestowed by the gods are often time-limited.

Therefore, even disregarding the effects of these two blessings, the 'permanent effect' attribute alone is extremely valuable.

Xu Ming stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The two goddesses seem to have gone to great lengths to establish a connection with the Holy Church.

However, as the ultimate beneficiary, Xu Ming would not take these things for granted.

He accepted the favor, and in return, Xu Ming had already decided to do his best to facilitate a connection between Suwa Taisha and the Seido Church.

The attribute descriptions of the blessings given by Kanako and Suwako were somewhat vague, so Xu Ming immediately got up, went out, and ran to a nearby open space to test them out.

The results were encouraging.

His running speed—no, I should say his overall agility has greatly improved—is astonishingly fast, not far from exceeding human limits.

Moreover, he ran continuously for a full thirty kilometers without breaking a sweat, and he still felt full of energy. He could run another thirty kilometers without any problem.

Indeed, people's physical constitutions are different.

With the added power of the 'Power of Heaven and Earth', he is now practically a superman.

Then Xu Ming secretly tested the effect of attacking with metal weapons.

As he swung the crowbar, Xu Ming felt that its power had increased; it was a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

After being swung about ten times, the stick suddenly shot out a bolt of lightning.

This must be the divine lightning mentioned in the description.

Its exact power is still unknown, but since it can form lightning, its power should not be weak, and lightning is very effective against evil spirits.

Xu Ming just didn't dare to experiment for too long.

After all, Japan has a very good public security situation. If a police officer saw him waving a crowbar around in an open space, he might be invited to the police station for a pork cutlet meal.

Chapter 344 After the Ceremony (Bonus Chapter)

Back at the hotel, Xu Ming opened the system again, ready to check the results of this mission.