On the Ark.

The atmosphere at the last meal on the holy mountain wasn't as lively as expected. Although they were eating barbecue, everyone was listless, as if each person had something on their mind. Lin Ye was still pondering the meaning of Messiah's words earlier. Lappland, having been defeated by Messiah, was still depressed and hadn't recovered.

Chu Xue was still pondering what Lin Ye had said to Messiah in the room. She was genuinely worried that her deity might run away with Lin Ye and leave Kalan. Although the possibility was small, and Messiah had only known Lin Ye for three short days, in those three days, Messiah had made an exception by receiving Lin Ye, a non-Kalanite, telling him his name, and even gifting him a divine artifact—something absolutely unprecedented in Kalan's history.

Therefore, Chu Xue had to believe that it was not impossible for Messiah to run away with Lin Ye. She had to be wary of this, as the saintess knew all too well how important Messiah was to Kalan.

As for the others, the reason they quieted down is quite simple.

During Lin Ye's conversation with Messiah, they both learned Messiah's true identity from Chu Xue. The one with the strongest reaction was naturally Horn Peak; when he learned he was about to be served roasted meat to his faith, he was completely distraught. In his mind, how could roasted meat possibly be worthy of such a great being as Messiah!

But in a remote and impoverished place like the Holy Mountain... no, in such a pure and holy place, where would there be so many mundane things?! Besides, there wasn't enough time, so Horn Peak had no choice but to bite the bullet and invite Messiah to eat roast meat. But before that, he quickly returned to his room and put on all the clothes he could.

It would be better to let him die than to make him stand naked before the great god Kalan.

Even so, Cliffheart, sitting next to Messiah, still felt very uncomfortable, because Snowfall had reminded him that Messiah didn't seem to want them to know his identity. So Cliffheart had no choice but to pretend he didn't recognize the god, otherwise he would have knelt down and paid his respects to Messiah on the spot.

Cliffheart and Sussuro performed slightly better than Horn Peak, but only slightly.

Therefore, the only one who appeared natural was Messiah, who always wore a calm smile on her face. This smile lasted until she cut off a piece of venison with a knife and put it in her mouth.

Lin Ye was also surprised to learn that even gods couldn't handle spicy food, and that they would turn bright red and stick out their tongues from the spiciness. Horn Peak, who witnessed all of this, almost offered his life as atonement. Ultimately, the barbecue dinner ended in chaos.

After dinner, Messiah didn't hold Horn's "mistake" against her. Lin Ye knew that she had already realized everyone knew her identity, but was just pretending not to. However, she didn't expose her, but instead continued to play along, which made Lin Ye feel that her vague image seemed to have become more complete.

That night, Lin Ye lay on the floor, looking thoughtfully at the [Maple] placed beside him.

"Does even God want a warm home?" Lin Ye murmured.

Originally, according to the plan, he should have been sleeping with Mephistopheles' gloves at this time so he could continue "working" in Mephistopheles' dreams. But for some reason, he actually reached out, took [Maple], and put it in the blankets.

Finally, he fell into a deep sleep while holding [Maple].

He didn't know how long he had slept, but his hands felt itchy. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a furry figure licking his palm. As he opened his eyes, the furry little creature turned its head, and Lin Ye saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes, gold and blue.

This is a kitten.

Lin Ye felt that the kitten looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

After he woke up, the kitten darted out of his bed and walked gracefully outside. Lin Ye immediately got up and followed the kitten, and the two of them went into the courtyard one after the other. The kitten stopped in the courtyard, and Lin Ye sat down beside it.

The moonlight shone down, casting the shadows of a person and a cat on the ground.

"Meow."

The kitten meowed softly. Lin Ye reached out and stroked its head. It purred contentedly and eventually climbed onto Lin Ye's lap, curling up and falling asleep. Lin Ye, worried it might get cold, took off his coat and gently covered the kitten with it.

For some reason, Lin Ye was quite certain that he had never taken care of this kitten. None of the cats he had ever owned seemed to have such a unique eye color. Yet the kitten showed him unusual favor, and he reciprocated that favor, without even questioning the origin of this inexplicable affection.

He sat there all night, until the sun rose, at which point Horn Peak shook him awake.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly run into the yard?"

Lin Ye groggily opened his eyes and found himself sitting quite far away, covered in snow.

"Are you sleepwalking? You should see a psychologist... wait, aren't you a psychologist? Tsk, what's this? Can't a doctor heal himself?" Horn Peak complained.

Lin Ye felt a little dizzy: "What did I do last night?"

"How would I know what you did last night? Oh, I remember now, you knew that person was a god, but you didn't tell me!" Horn Peak said indignantly. "I was humiliated in front of the gods, and I'll remember this grudge."

Of course, he only said he held a grudge verbally; in reality, he still pulled Lin Ye out of the snow and tossed him a hot towel. As Lin Ye got up, he instinctively covered his abdomen, as if trying to grab something, but he didn't touch anything; it was empty. He was momentarily stunned.

"Stop standing there, get ready, we should head back to Shelag," Horn Peak said to Lin Ye.

"Are you going back already?"

"What, you don't want to go back?"

"No, what about the Messiah... God?"

"The young lady sent her home last night."

“That won’t do, her house is dilapidated.”

Horn Peak glanced at him and said with some disdain, "Who do you think she is? She is the goddess of Kalan, the faith in the hearts of the Sherag people. If the house collapses, she will have nowhere to live? You underestimate the gods too much."

Lin Ye was speechless. He looked towards the location of the temple, but he couldn't see anything clearly.

So he didn't know that the Messiah was also watching him and said something softly.

"Thank you."

……

……

Author's note: This is the third update; there are still 32 chapters to go.

The illustrations are indeed finished, and I'm very satisfied with them. However, after thinking about it, I've decided to put them on my million-word bookshelf. They won't be available to everyone for a few months.

Chapter 262 Knows How to Warm the Bed, Seeks a Sugar Daddy

"You seem a bit down, and your complexion isn't quite right." Su Suluo stood in front of Lin Ye, reached out and touched his forehead, and said with some puzzlement, "You don't seem to have a fever."

Lin Ye realized what was happening and instinctively leaned back: "What are you doing?"

“I should be asking you that,” Susuluo said. “Miss Chuxue has been talking to you since just now, but you haven’t responded.”

Lin Ye then noticed that Chu Xue was sitting next to him, looking at him with a rather worried expression: "Are you alright?"

They had been away from the holy mountain for a day, and as the sun set, they returned to the place where they had been attacked a few days earlier to rest. Logically, this wasn't an auspicious location, but the group felt reassured because it was in this very place that the Messiah, the god of Kalan, had saved them a few days earlier.

Upon arriving, Chuxue and Jiaofeng knelt in the snow, bowing and praying towards the sacred mountain. Lin Ye, not being religious, didn't need to do the same, so he sat to the side and waited. But for some reason, as soon as he sat down, a sense of loss welled up inside him. He too looked towards the sacred mountain, staring blankly at it until Susuluo woke him up. Only then did he realize that it was completely dark, Jiaofeng and Chuxue had long since finished their prayers, and even the campfire was lit.

“That’s how it is, that’s how it is.” Horn Peak said as he added firewood to the campfire, “Physician Lin Ye witnessed the Holy Face. Even if he’s gone, his heart won’t leave so easily.”

Cliffheart looked at Horn Peak with some curiosity: "Would that be?"

“Of course.” Horn Peak stopped what he was doing and sighed. “I pray to the gods every day for decades. I have finally met the gods. If I could, I would really like to stay by the gods’ side and serve them forever.”

Cliffheart said, "But Uncle Horn Peak, I don't think the God needs a rough man like you."

Where am I rough?

"Do you want to cook roast meat for God every day?"

“If God is willing, of course I can. I just need to use less chili sauce, since God doesn’t like spicy food… Oh right.” Horn Peak suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up. “So, I’ve been cooking for God all along.”

“Yeah,” Cliffheart said mischievously, “You even managed to spic up the god.”

Horn Peak: "..."

Even in Sherag, very few people get to see the Messiah. Everyone was a little nervous when they were near the Messiah, but they all relaxed after leaving the holy mountain. Even Sussuruo said she would remember yesterday, because she not only saw God, but also ate with Him—a truly unique experience.

Of those present, only Lin Ye couldn't be happy. He felt like he had forgotten something or left something behind, but he couldn't remember it no matter how hard he tried. So he asked Chu Xue, "How many days did we stay on the Holy Mountain?"

Chu Xue replied, "Including the time you were unconscious, it's been about four days."

Four days, which means it's still unknown how long it will last. Excluding the day and a half he was unconscious, he only stayed on the Holy Mountain for a total of two days and two nights. But even in those two days and two nights, Lin Ye felt as if he had left a place where he had lived for many years.

It’s weird.

Nothing happened that night, and Lin Ye chose to go to bed early, which puzzled everyone. They thought Lin Ye had caught a cold again, even though he didn't have any symptoms. But just in case, Su Su Luo still made Lin Ye take a cold medicine before he went to sleep.

Lin Ye was very moved, and in order to make his sleep more comfortable, he took out Mephisto's gloves before falling asleep.

Young Mephistopheles, tormented by a nightmare all night, woke up the next day feeling refreshed and invigorated, the discomfort from the previous day completely gone. This gave him renewed energy, and he followed Horn Peak and First Snow back to Kjerag in one go, without even letting First Snow ring the bell along the way.

"Ahhh, I'm finally back!" Being a child at heart, Cliffheart stretched and yawned happily as she walked along the familiar streets of Sherag, "I'm going to go back and take a nice bath."

Lin Ye also wanted to go back and take a bath, but when he saw the shops around the street, he suddenly realized something very important.

He hasn't sold out of his local specialties yet!

Lin Ye wondered if it was due to the change in environment, but the jars of catnip he brought with him wilted quickly after arriving in Sherag! They were all dried and sealed, so how could this happen? Lin Ye couldn't figure it out at all.

But he knew that if he didn't get rid of these goods soon, they would rot in his hands, which was not something Lin Ye wanted to see. So when everyone was preparing to return to their residence, Lin Ye stopped, scratched his head, and said to them, "Well, I'll stay here for now. I want to buy some local specialties."

This was a perfect excuse; no one would ever suspect that Lin Ye wasn't going to buy local specialties, but rather to sell catnip. Cliffheart even told Lin Ye which shops had good products, which gave him an idea: he didn't necessarily have to get rich selling catnip. He could also buy a batch of local specialties in Kjerag and then sell them to those wealthy women on Rhodes Island (like Jessica)!

However, just as Lin Ye was about to slip away, Chu Xue called him back.

"Wait, Doctor Lin Ye." Chu Xue walked to Lin Ye's side. "I'll go with you."

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised: "You're coming with me?"

"Hmm." Chu Xue nodded. "I happen to have something I want to tell you."

This put Lin Ye in a bit of a bind. He couldn't very well sell catnip in front of Chu Xue, could he? But since Chu Xue had already said so, he couldn't refuse, so he could only let Chu Xue come along. Afterwards, Horn Peak led Sussurro, Lappland, and Cliffheart back to the mansion.

"Dr. Lin." After leaving the crowd, Chu Xue led Lin Ye to a quiet street and said to him, "I forgot to tell you before, you must not reveal the origin of this knife."

The first snow refers to Lin Ye's [Maple].

Lin Ye was quite clear about this: "Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. I understand the principle that a common man is not responsible, but one who possesses jade is guilty."

First Snow nodded: "It's not just that. After all, God is the faith of us Sherag people. If the Sherag people knew that God had bestowed sacred objects upon outsiders, they might... uh?"

Seeing Chu Xue stop in her tracks, her face full of surprise, Lin Ye followed her gaze.

Then he saw a poorly dressed girl covered in injuries squatting by a shop, holding a sign that read "Can warm the bed, looking for a sugar daddy."

Lin Ye felt that the girl looked somewhat familiar.

Chapter 263 Where are the local specialty vendors we were promised?

Lin Ye stood in front of the girl, lost in thought. "Does your Sherag still engage in human trafficking?"

“How could that be?” Chu Xue said, somewhat displeased. “What do you take our Shelag for? We are a religious country with our own beliefs. How could we do such a despicable thing? I am the saint of Kharlan, and I will not allow you to slander our country, which is blessed by God.”

“Then, Your Holiness, how do you explain this phenomenon? This is clearly marked human trafficking.” Lin Ye squatted down and pointed to the price tag next to the girl’s feet. “Look, this is clearly marked, two hundred and fifty yuan.”

Chu Xue was speechless. To prove Xie Lag's innocence, she directly asked the girl, "Who are you?"

The girl didn't speak; she seemed oblivious to Chu Xue, the Saintess of Sherag, her gaze fixed entirely on Lin Ye. This struck Lin Ye as odd. He shifted slightly, only to find the girl's gaze following him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lin Ye asked, puzzled. "I've never seen you before... wait, haven't I seen you somewhere before? You look so familiar."

girl:"……"

Chuxue observed the girl's physical features and then said with some surprise, "The Felin tribe? How is that possible? How could there be Felin tribe members in Sherag?"

"The Felin tribe?" Lin Ye suddenly remembered. He carefully examined the girl's face and then exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you...that person?!"

Chu Xue looked at Lin Ye with slight confusion: "You know her?"