The defeated saint is also on the way to tame the evil god today

Chapter 331 Believers (Part 3) -4k- (Double Update in One)

　"call--"

　The flying carriage took off from Windwhisper Town and flew straight towards the Kingdom of Messina.

　In the carriage, Xing Mo watched the scenery passing by quickly outside the window, then turned to look at Merlin, who was sitting with his legs crossed:

　"Why take a carriage? Isn't it slow?"

　"This is etiquette," Merlin explained with a smile. "Agostino is a respectable man. As a priest, he will certainly give us a grand welcome. As guests, we should enter his territory in a more polite manner."

　Is...is that so?

　Xingmo felt like something was wrong.

　If you think about it carefully...isn't this guy a cultist?

　"Is it really useful to be polite to cult members?" Xing Mo asked.

　"Agostino considers himself a civilized gentleman. To him, the ancient power of the forest is nothing more than an asset," Merlin explained. "Of course, he also considers the cloak of civilization to be his own asset. He is an extremely self-centered person. As a priest, he does not truly believe in the gods, and as a member of the Kingdom of Messina, he has never been truly loyal to the Emerald King."

　"A fence-sitter." Xing Mo commented.

　"Yes, he considers everything his own asset, and he's extremely concerned with prestige... I don't know why, but we should still give him some respect—at least that way he won't stop us when we enter the forest."

　"We are his competitors," Xingmo reminded Merlin, "He will really let us in."

　"Just watch, you'll soon know what kind of person he is."

　Merlin had an expression that showed he had "got it figured out", with a smile in his eyes, and Xingmo didn't know what to say.

　Aurora hardly spoke after getting in the car. She kept her eyes closed, as if she was resting.

　Just as Xingmo was about to try to see if Aurora was awake, Aurora's voice suddenly came from her mind:

　"I can sense...a familiar presence..."

　"What kind of aura?" Xing Mo asked.

　"...my sister's aura."

　My sister's aura...? Miss Perlis? Xingmo frowned and quickly asked in her mind:

　"Is Miss Perlis around?"

　"She was here before, but she's gone..." Aurora said in a low voice, "That Akashina town..."

　Xingmo looked out of the car window and saw a dilapidated town. Looking down from the sky, the outline of the town was divided by a huge canyon and scattered in a radiating pattern.

　It looked like... a knife mark.

　There was a great battle here...

　"Miss Perlis will definitely be fine," Xingmo comforted Aurora in her heart, "She's so amazing."

　"Of course my sister is fine, but... I'm starting to feel uneasy about this trip."

　Aurora did sound a little nervous, not as confident as usual.

　After a little thought, Xing Mo found the reason——

　——This time, the enemy, the Invisible Mist, is a genuine god.

　Just by looking at the Citadel with one eye, he could produce changes on the same level as the October Rain, and that was only a fraction of his power.

　For Aurora, this was a battle of the same level.

　"Don't worry, I'm here." Xing Mo comforted.

　Aurora didn't respond, still keeping her eyes closed, as if deep in thought.

　So, Xingmo decided to give her some time.

　Soon, the flying carriage began to gradually lower its altitude, and the emerald green plain gradually approached.

　Below, Xingmo saw a church, a pure white church. Around the church were scattered some buildings, forming a small settlement.

　The flying carriage slowly stopped in front of the church. Xing Mo got off the carriage and saw rows of men in black suits standing in front of the church with silver rapiers on their waists.

　In front of them, a man in a black windbreaker narrowed his eyes and looked at Xing Mo and his group. He was holding a sheathed sword in his hand.

　Tachi, sharp eyes.

　"Hello, we're here to see the priest," Merlin said casually as he stepped forward. "Excuse me..."

　Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, the leading man drew his knife and slashed at Merlin.

　Merlin waved his wand as if he had expected it, and the man flew out and fell to the ground.

　"That's strange," Merlin said, watching his lieutenants draw their silver rapiers one by one. "Don't they say that as long as you follow the etiquette, you'll be treated with courtesy?"

　"Are you sure you have followed the etiquette?" Xing Mo had already discovered the problem.

　She didn't pay attention when she got on the car, but now she got off and turned around, she found that the person driving the flying carriage was not a human at all.

　It’s Xiaohuozi.

　The mysterious fire parrot was sitting in the driver's seat, holding the reins with its two claws.

　Seeing Xingmo looking at him, he flapped his wings twice:

　"Awesome brunette! Awesome brunette!"

　"Xing Mo saw that Merlin's smile froze. He scratched his head and spread his hands:

　"If I had known, I would have come here directly."

　"Preparing for a fight?" Aurora rubbed her wrist. "Do you need us?"

　"No, let's do it," Xingmo clutched the magic wand, "If we really have to fight, let's solve it here..."

　The two of them stood there calmly, one was a gentleman with a smile on his face, and the other was a girl with an indifferent expression.

　But it was these two people who made the fully armed attendants in formal attire dare not approach easily.

　"You! Merlin, you evil pagan..." The black-clad deputy finally got up and threw away the scabbard. "My sword will drink your blood."

　"Please, I'm not religious," Merlin waved his hand, the tip of his staff swaying slightly. "Or would you like to create a religion based on me? Then let's call it the Coffee Pudding Church. The church behind you is quite suitable. How about we discuss changing the name?"

　"you!"

　A red light flashed in the black-clad deputy's eyes, and he grabbed the sword, as if ready to swing at Merlin again at any time.

　At this moment, a lazy voice came from behind them:

　"Okay, back off."

　The crowd dispersed, and a priest in a white suit walked out of the church door, lighting a cigarette for himself as he walked.

　As he passed by the deputy, he gently patted the deputy's shoulder, then walked past him and directly in front of Merlin.

　"Would you like a cigar?" The priest handed over a cigar.

　"Quit," Merlin replied with a smile, "Agostino Esposito."

　"Merlin," Agostino replied simply, "You come with courtesy, even if it's imperfect. I appreciate you treating me with the utmost respect."

　"That's very stylish," Merlin sighed. "Then I'll get straight to the point. We're going into the primeval forest. Would you mind letting us pass?"

　"Entering the forest? Are you here to be a spectator?" Agostino frowned. "I must reiterate one thing: the coming of the Mist God is a matter of destiny. This truth is written on the Slate of Truth, determined by the currents of fate."

　"I know, I won't go against fate's choice," Merlin spread his hands, "but I'm not here to be a spectator, I'm... here to participate."

　Just as he finished speaking, Agostino suddenly felt a disturbance coming from the side.

　He turned around and saw that the girl who followed Merlin was holding a small golden branch with a faint halo spreading out.

　"A fragment of the puppeteer's golden bough..." Agostino's lips curled slightly. "Do you think that after killing him, you will become a priest?"

　"That's not up to you," Xingmo replied calmly, "It's glowing."

　Agostino's face darkened slightly - indeed, being able to make the fragments of the golden branch glow meant that the fragments recognized the existence of their owner.

　Perhaps the puppeteer channeled his will into the golden branch before his death, giving the girl the power to resonate with it.

　Since it was given to her by the puppeteer...

　"So, you are the star..." Agostino smiled.

　In fact, Xingmo didn't know what this meant. When the puppeteer first met her, he said she was "stars, moon, and sun", but Xingmo didn't know what these were either.

　It sounds like he is very capable, but Xingmo doesn't know if he is.

　Recalling the shipwreck on the first day of her memory, there was only an endless void in her mind.

　But since this identity seems to be really powerful, just pretend it.

　So Xingmo smiled faintly at Agostino and said nothing.

　With this smile, Agostino's expression became even gloomier. He nodded and said:

　"In that case, it seems that it will be difficult for us to become... friends."

　"However, everything is determined by God's will. Since you intend to participate in the sacrificial duel, let God decide... who has the honor to open His gate."

　"As expected of a priest, you're quite generous," Merlin said with a faint smile. "Then, can you please allow us to pass safely through the edge of the forest?"

　"Unfortunately, this is not up to me now," Agostino said with a twist of his lips. "The will of the forest rejects all outsiders. Perhaps the forest tribe decided to interfere with the presence of other priests... Anyway, we will return to the forest tomorrow. Until then."

　He walked up to Xingmo, lowered his head, and looked at Xingmo:

　"Outsiders, it's better not to get involved." He said softly.

　Rare, Xingmo from

　A strong aura of threat could be sensed from this person—Agostino was clearly speaking in a low voice, but his tone carried a strong sense of solemnity.

　This priest was no ordinary person. Xing Mo could tell from his aura that his power was between that of a saint and a demigod.

　But as a cultist, there are many ways to increase strength, so the power he can mobilize may be able to reach above demigod.

　Got to pay attention to this person...Xingmo still looked directly at Agostino without saying anything.

　Agostino smiled lightly, turned around and waved:

　"Well, please make yourselves at ease. For Merlin's sake, I will accept you as my guests... After the Mist God descends, I will need wise men to shape the new world."

　"Thank you very much for your recognition." Merlin smiled and waved.

　Then he turned around and said to Xing Mo:

　"Let's go back to Windwhisper Town."

　Although Xingmo didn't know why, she didn't say anything and just followed Merlin towards the carriage.

　After boarding the carriage, Aurora, who had been hiding her presence and remaining silent, spoke:

　"Scared?"

　"No, it's because there's coffee pudding in Fengyu Town," Merlin smiled. "Just kidding. Actually, Agostino ordered us to leave."

　"Why?" Xingmo asked.

　Merlin sat firmly in his seat and waited until the carriage took off. He then explained:

　"He mentioned the dense forest tribe, which is another branch of the Red Moon Cult. They live deep in the forest all year round, isolated from the civilized world."

　"In normal times, the priest's faction and the dense forest tribe have equal strength. One faction is responsible for maintaining the operation of the cult within the forest, while the other is responsible for guarding the border outside the forest. Together, they form the structure of the Red Moon Cult."

　"He just mentioned that the forest is now inaccessible. If the dense forest tribe suddenly blocked the forest border at this time, it only means one possibility."

　"The civil war in the Red Moon Cult?" Xing Mo noticed.

　"Yes, and it will be a bloody battle," Merlin nodded. "The battle will break out between tonight and tomorrow. The priest will try to break through the forest's boundaries, and the forest will fight back. Obviously, the battle between the priests of God will be decided in a true duel. After all, during the formal ceremony, it is a duel. Outside of the ceremony, it becomes a battle of who can use their power to eliminate their opponent in advance."

　"Even the evil cults play it this way... a battle of wits..." Xing Mo was embarrassed.

　"It can't be called a battle of wits. In fact, following the rules is the hallmark of civilized people. Everything they do conforms to the logic of beasts, which is to swallow whatever they desire, no matter the means. The Golden Bough Duel is actually just a symbolic scene..."

　Merlin said, looking out the window at the endless primeval forest.

　At the edge of the forest, he saw a faint mist. He knew that if anyone approached the mist, it would immediately become unfathomable and swallow them up.

　"Then let the beasts fight each other. The more tragic their deaths, the better for us," Merlin turned back and smiled at Xingmo. "We don't want to waste precious energy prematurely, and Agostino doesn't want other demigods on the scene as a destabilizing factor during a major battle. Naturally, our best option is to leave."

　Well...it does make sense. You can just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and then you can reap the benefits afterwards.

　Xingmo nodded and suddenly felt that it was a good idea to bring Merlin out.