Brain bloom

He had always been perfect and was hailed as "the object of roses most desired by girls across the country," but at this moment, his face was shocked and ugly, and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

This strange cry naturally angered the two giants who were talking.

"Knight Commander! What are you doing? How dare you defile this sacred place!"

"Buck, you brat, what do you think this place is! You're dismissed from your post and will start over as a knight's squire!"

B was scolding her subordinates and was about to draw her divine sword to remove this disgraceful fellow from his post, but as she turned around, her eyes inadvertently glanced out the window.

"—Oh, oh dear! Here I come, here I come!!!"

"...Guardian of the Blade of Chaos! How could you also—" The Pope's eyebrows twitched like a kangaroo's as he looked in the direction of the barrier, his face paling in shock. "Huh? That...that's actually...this is incredible!!"

They all witnessed it firsthand, and they will never forget it.

That thundercloud insect is the mobile temple of the true god.

Since it has appeared in the holy land, it means the manifestation of the true God, and... the most cruel divine punishment is coming! Not only will these sinners who disobeyed the coffin bearers suffer calamity, but countless lives throughout the country will also be tested together.

The meeting ended abruptly.

B, beaming with excitement, beckoned to the Knight Commander, and the two of them opened the window and leaped from the tenth floor. She whistled, and the Knight Commander instantly transformed into a powerful azure dragon, flapping his wings and appearing beneath her boots.

For no other reason than to see Mori Toki as soon as possible.

The open window let in a blast of cold wind. Yet the Pope, as if in the middle of summer, ran to the window, sweating profusely, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“You fools… how dare you… how dare you presume to share the same sky with those carrying coffins! Get back to the ground…”

"Your Holiness, she has already flown away... She may not be able to hear you, please do not be too agitated."

"Go after them quickly..."

“It’s too late,” the archbishop said pessimistically. “She has blocked God’s journey, and that is a fact. Our sins will only deepen.”

Yes, the Pope understood perfectly well. What good did his roar do? He could only sigh, as if he had aged ten years.

A minute later, he remembered his duty and slowly gave the order: "After confirming the true God, gather the believers in the Holy Land. It is time to be honest about this matter. We have harmed the coffin bearers... We hope the true God will be merciful, but we will atone for our sins."

"As you wish..."

……

The capital of the Holy Coffin Kingdom is exactly as depicted on the map, with straight, wide streets.

As for the architecture, it seems these people really like using white and silver as the color scheme for their buildings; from a distance, the generally beautiful three-story houses look like a sea of ​​silver. If it weren't for the letters SB painted everywhere, she would probably have given a genuine thumbs up and praised the city for being so beautiful.

But she was already mentally prepared and used to it.

"Dandelion, we've arrived."

"Go by yourself, I want to sleep until night..."

Since shaking the princess wouldn't wake her, Mori simply plucked a small piece of cloud from the Thundercloud Insect and, using the remaining electricity, gently touched the dandelion's seed. Instantly, the sensitive spot of the seasonal creature was stimulated, and the dandelion immediately awoke.

Her face flushed red, filled with shame and anger: "Remember what I said, when I impregnate you, I will repay you tenfold."

Mori retorted, hands on his hips, "Why would I wake you up if it weren't to help you talk about the Kingdom of Flowers?"

"These are two different things."

"In short, it wouldn't be appropriate for you, the princess of a fallen kingdom, not to show up when we talk to them later."

"...Okay, then we'll talk about this when we get back." She touched the dandelion on her head, took a long breath, and gradually calmed down.

One minute later—

"There's someone on the other side!" the Thundercloud Worm warned. "He's carrying a very powerful sword and riding a very strong dragon. This guy seems to have reached the level of a demigod. He's a formidable enemy."

“They’re one of our own. I’ve seen them in Silver Ring City before.”

"Oh... I don't really remember your unchanging faces." It probably thought that only the ever-changing clouds could be considered changeable.

The dragon that flew from the holy land grew larger and larger. Although it was insignificant compared to the size of the Thundercloud Worm, Mori could still clearly see B's appearance, which made her feel a sense of familiarity. This powerful girl consistently displayed sufficient piety.

"This time, shall she lead the way?" Mori thought.

She raised her hand in greeting.

Strangely, the dragon's flight speed did not decrease, while B slowly drew his newly acquired beloved sword, Sunset Glow. He looked like a warrior facing certain death, attempting to stop the overwhelming advance of the Thundercloud Worms with a small dragon and a sword.

Sen Shi squinted, sensing something was amiss.

B's loud announcement resounded through the clouds—

“My God—I will sacrifice myself to appease your anger! Forgive your people, for they are all innocent believers!”

Book 1, Chapter 376: God's Worries

After hearing her words, Mori saw his little follower raise the sword high, his face hardening into a resolute expression. The distance between the cloud and the dragon drew ever closer, and Mori could see who that sword would ultimately point at.

She pointed to her own neck.

"...Are you sick?!" she exclaimed in shock.

"What's wrong?" Dandelion came over too.

"Look, that silly girl is about to slit her own throat..."

Dandelion glanced at it and nodded, because this was quite normal. It was not uncommon in history for one person to pay for their sins with their own death.

At this moment, the intoxicating feeling of being consumed by faith was intoxicating B's resolute soul, and being watched by Mori was something to be very proud of. A hint of warmth spread across B's face, but his gaze was unfocused and dreamy.

"The one who carried the coffin is real... Yes, even in embracing death, my soul will never perish and will always be by your side."

"Go away, stop fooling around. I don't want your soul with me," the coffin bearer said disdainfully.

B was stunned for a moment, then was overwhelmed by despair, and the thought of slitting his throat intensified.

Helpless, Mori didn't want to needlessly kill a decent person he felt was alright, so he focused his spiritual energy at his fingertips, forming an ice arrow that shimmered like the blazing sun overhead, and shot it out, inevitably piercing her hand. There was no other way; Mori didn't possess many magical abilities, and this was the only way to stop her from doing something foolish.

"What are you doing..." She couldn't grip the sword tightly, but more importantly, the will of God stopped her.

“Listen up, you fools—it is not a good thing that you have blasted your power onto my head. If you want to talk about sins, even if it was the evil god who lured you, you should still be punished.”

As Mori's voice grew increasingly serious, the thundercloud worms surged forth like a catastrophe, engulfing the dragon and the girl who were far too small in comparison. A moment later, the two were brought before Mori.

Mori looked down at her, pointing at the wound on her hand—

"But if this sin were spread across all of you, it would only be such a small wound. If you continue to chatter on, you are insulting me and mistaking me for a tyrannical evil god."

Since even the true god said so, B could only nod silently, not daring to take on such a heavy responsibility. Her previously firm belief was shattered by Mori Toki.

She genuinely wanted to sacrifice her life to save the nation from divine wrath. At that time in Silver Ring, everyone was so engrossed in the awe-inspiring appearance of the Coffin Bearers that excitement and the impact of religion completely overwhelmed reason, to the point that few people considered their mistakes.

It wasn't until they returned to the holy land and sat down to discuss the matter that they gradually began to feel the reality of impending doom.

Mori Shi casually cast a healing spell, healing B's bleeding hand. The hand wasn't very aesthetically pleasing from years of wielding a sword, but it was still the hand of a believer, and a sense of responsibility arose within Mori Shi, leading him to choose to care for it.

“Thank you for your kindness.” B knelt before Morishi, like a hedgehog with its sharp quills softened. “In that case, I will go back and gather all the believers, and have them prepare to receive God’s will, to cut themselves and leave wounds…”

Mori was utterly helpless against her stubbornness and seemingly mindless thinking. If this were actually done, it would probably become a celebrated story, something like "the one who sends off the coffin receives holy marks," and eventually it would even become a legal holiday, with people self-mutilating to cleanse their sins every year at this time, and everyone would be proud of it.

Anyway, religion is nothing more than this.

"I'll let it go if I stab myself, but I have other ideas on how to punish you."

"Oh? Who do you want to die?" Her eyes lit up, and she gripped her sword, intending to be the executioner herself.

"No, I don't want my life, that would be so boring. But well... I want something."

She was somewhat hesitant, momentarily losing her divine majesty, but in B's fanatical gaze, she was beautiful and ethereal in every way. And so, this coffin bearer tried to speak—

"Actually, I want to take back some of the gold coins I once gave you..."

"In short, you want money?"

Sen Shi's face immediately darkened: "How come you call it so vulgar? No, that money was originally given by me. Now that you've made a mistake, I'm angry and want it back. I've already been merciful enough."

"Ta-da! Of course! You can empty the treasure vault if you want!"

"...So I'm really going to move everything out?"

"……Well……"

"See, you lied to me."

“Absolutely not! It’s just…” B was sweating profusely, but still risked his life to offer his opinion, “If you empty it out, the faith will probably collapse. After all, that wealth has forcibly constructed the skeleton and soul of the country, and can be considered a permanent guardian of the country’s destiny.”

"Is that even possible?" Sen Shi and Dandelion exchanged glances, clearly unaware of this.

Since that was the case, Mori could only nod and abandon her idea of ​​emptying the treasure trove. She'd open the treasury, take back ten thousand gold coins, and that would be the end of it. As for the other compensation, that would have to be left to the Land of Flowers. And so—guided by B, Mori descended upon this sacred land born from her.

In the capital, there are two central hubs of the country.

One is the office of the secular king, not a palace, and it is devoid of the stench of money and decadent luxury. Instead, it is a square building made of white brick walls and glazed tiles, where all the secular affairs of the state operate.

What Mori arrived at was the heart of religion.

Located at the highest point of the entire holy site, it is a circular area surrounding a glazed tower. The level of construction here is outrageously high, with extravagant buildings where art and wealth coexist, and the gardens interspersed among them are just right, receiving the highest level of maintenance every day.

Some have said that everything about faith, except for the image of the true God, can be found here.

But today, that saying is outdated.

From gardeners to the current Pope himself, a total of a thousand people knelt in turn before the lush green grass that Sen had trodden upon. Ignoring the dust that stained her holy robes and the holy scriptures that had fallen to the ground, the trembling believers before her were nothing more than ordinary people.

Mori, barely suppressing his embarrassment, glanced at B.

She understood the meaning and immediately stepped forward, conveying the divine message in a clear voice: "The supreme true god who delivers the coffin warns the world that sins need to be washed away with money. She has come to the treasury to collect money. We must pay as much as we have sinned!"

The veins on Mori's scalp throbbed with fury. While that was indeed the meaning, it sounded really awkward.

She had no choice but to speak up herself—"No, I'm here to collect a debt."

The believers wavered.

The Pope mustered his courage and slowly raised his aged eyes, his voice even weaker: "You want... to take back the gold coins you once bestowed?"

"Yes." Mori smiled with satisfaction; that sounded more like it.

But she didn't forget that that wealth was suppressing the nation's prosperity, and before the Pope could weep in distress, she spoke to soothe the people's hearts—

“I will only take 10,000 gold coins; it will not damage the foundation of my faith.”

"So little?"