Miss White Wolf's Terra Travel Journal

Miss White Wolf noticed that Chuxue's expression was strange, as if she was in a daze, so she carefully called out her name.

Hatsuyuki then realized her own mistake, her cheeks slightly reddened, and then she asked curiously, "Ms. Olicia, you seem to know a lot about our ceremony. Do you know any friends from Kjerag?"

"No, I don't have any friends from Kjerag. Actually, on the way here, I found a lot of tourists, and then the guide from Kalan Trade told me that the Holy Mountain Ceremony was about to begin. I think I remembered it wrong. Is it the National Religious Day Ceremony?"

"You can call it whatever you want." Chuxue explained enthusiastically, "The Holy Mountain Ceremony is a more traditional name. At the Holy Mountain Ceremony two years ago, the three major families of the Kjerag people decided to abandon their prejudices and unite together. In order to commemorate that special moment, the name "National Religious Day" came into being. The Holy Mountain Ceremony is actually the National Religious Day Ceremony."

In Chuxue's explanation, Miss Bailang discovered some problems. Since it was to commemorate the joining of the three major families, why was the name of the anniversary day given a religious name like "National Religion Day"?

Could it be that the resolution of the Kjerag Snow Mountain Incident two years ago did not rely purely on human power, but religious factors prevailed?

Miss White Wolf guessed that what she was thinking about might be a taboo topic that Kjerag kept strictly confidential, so even though she was very curious, she had no intention of asking about it.

She chose to be an interested 'tourist' and said happily: "Oh, so that's how it is. I was wondering why I heard two names."

"Yes, Miss Olicia, you happened to come at a perfect time. Do you want to go and see the ceremony?"

"I heard that outsiders can't go. You have to be invited by your Saint Lady."

Miss Chuxue covered her mouth and smiled, "You are an important guest of Shelagh. The Saint will definitely be willing to invite you. How about going to take a look?"

Miss White Wolf was obviously tempted. She had always been a very curious Rupert, and Kjerag's Holy Mountain Ceremony had an absolute attraction to her.

However, a second before she made the decision, she suddenly remembered the rumors about Shelagh that Miss Franka had told her, and she hesitated again.

She was not the kind of person who believed in rumors easily, but the problem was that the legend of Kjerag's god was no joke, and there was a high probability that there was some truth to it.

Franka had described a lot of creepy legends in vivid detail. Even if ninety-nine percent of them were false, as long as one of them was true, it would be enough for her to take risk-avoiding actions.

She was very curious, but she also knew that curiosity kills the cat, so it would be better for her not to get involved in Kjerag's mess.

So she made up a half-true and half-false excuse to shirk her responsibility: "I don't want to go. It must be very cold on the snowy mountain. I am afraid of the cold. I like warm places."

"So you're the same as me. I'm afraid of the cold, too." Miss Hatsuyuki said pleasantly, as if she had discovered a common hobby. "That's why I always like to wear thick clothes. If you go to the snowy mountains, I can bring you my warm clothes."

The problem is not whether it is cold or not, but that I don’t dare to go, Miss White Wolf thought, what if I really encounter something weird?

What’s even more terrifying is that you have to get permission from the saint before going!

In the legend of Miss Franka, the saint has always played the role of the high priestess of primitive rituals. Not only does she dress up in a weird and scary appearance, but she also recites mysterious spells.

When Miss White Wolf was in Victoria, she also read the documentary documents of primitive tribal sacrifices and realized that what Franka said was not an exaggeration at all. Things like cannibalism, nail pulling, possession by spirits, and fire dancing might all appear in the high priest's operation list.

She wanted to refuse directly, but was afraid of hurting Miss Chuxue's feelings. She knew that the sacrificial ceremony must have a very high status in her heart. If she refused repeatedly, it might be interpreted as something else.

what can we do about it?

Alas, there are always many concerns when talking to religious people. It would be better if I could know more about Kjerag's religion in advance.

She knew that what she wanted was impossible. Information about Kjerag was scarce to begin with, and the Holy Mountain was closed to the outside world. The information the Marquis gave her was the limit of what could be collected, and it was unrealistic to ask for more.

Miss White Wolf really couldn't think of a suitable plan. In desperation, she simply accepted her fate and used what she thought was the stupidest method - telling the truth.

Before she opened her mouth, her face began to turn red, because she had a premonition that she would soon embarrass the Ursus nobles. The shame made her look away: "I... I dare not go, I'm afraid."

Miss Chuxue was suddenly stunned. She doubted her ears at first, then her eyes widened in surprise. After a long time, she tentatively asked, "Are you scared?"

Seeing the other party's shocked expression, Miss White Wolf blushed and tried to defend herself: "I am a foreigner, and I am really not familiar with your gods of Kjerag. If I am regarded as a pagan by your Saint Lady, no one will come to help me."

At this point, Miss White Wolf suddenly remembered the religious conflicts that were once recorded in the old history of Lateran. Her brain, which was good at imagining random things, cast a spell on the spot, conjuring up a strange scene:

On the Holy Mountain of Kjerag, snowflakes were flying, and a group of people formed a huge circle. In the center of the circle stood a cross, and she herself was tied to the cross. The Saint of Kjerag stood a few steps in front of her with a solemn expression, holding a burning silver cross, and said compassionately: "God, please use fire to purify this sinful heresy."

After imagining it, Miss Bailang's fear became more justified, and she even felt righteous, and she didn't even care when Miss Chuxue made fun of her.

Chu Xue originally didn't intend to laugh. She was a saint and had the ability to remain serious no matter how funny the things were. She would never be able to hold back. However, Miss Olicia was someone who was extremely good at breaking down other people's defenses.

She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. After she caught her breath for a while, she found that Miss Rupert was looking at her with a resentful look. She was not angry, and probably would not be angry over such a small matter, but the resentment in her eyes was real.

“Sorry, pfft.” Miss Hatsuyuki quickly covered her mouth, a smile overflowing from her big eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s really, ahem, this is the first time I’ve seen someone say they’re scared.”

Excitement, enthusiasm, confusion, disdain, calmness or even contempt, any reaction was predictable, except fear, which Miss Hatsuyuki could not think of no matter how hard she tried.

Chapter 2023 Ritual and Religion 03-27-12 00:02:

Miss White Wolf was not convinced. She thought Chuxue did not put herself in her shoes. If she were to go to the Grand Inquisition in Lateran, she would probably be scared and nervous.

She continued to explain her behavior, while hiding her horrible fantasy about the Saint: "Also, I don't know anything. If I go to the Holy Mountain and accidentally make your Saint Lady angry, it will be terrible."

Chu Xue quickly comforted the other party: "It's okay, the Saint will definitely not be angry."

Miss White Wolf was unmoved, and instead reasoned rigorously, "I think the probability is very high. You see, I am a foreigner, and I certainly can't be as pious as you Kjerag people. The Saint Lady is a professional in sacrifice, and she can see it at a glance."

"Really not. The festival is essentially a celebration. Even the gods want everyone to be relaxed and happy. It's not as serious as you think."

"Ms. Hatsuyuki, I think your idea is good, but have you ever thought about one thing?"

"what?"

"The Saint Lady may not think so. She is the leader of a religion and has many things to consider, so her views on things must be different from those of ordinary people."

Miss Hatsuyuki felt a little confused for a moment. She found that what Miss Olisia said made so much sense that she didn't know how to prove that her ideas were her own.

She then became very curious and wanted to know what a saint looked like in the eyes of outsiders, so she asked, "Then what does Miss Olicia think a saint should be like?"

"Well..." White Wolf lowered his head and thought, "Actually, I'm not sure, but I think we can infer it from the public Lateran documents. Do you mind if I tell you? I don't know if you will be offended by making random inferences about these things."

"It's okay, just go ahead and tell me. I've been learning about the outside world for the past two years, so I'm mentally prepared. It doesn't matter what you say."

Hearing what the other party said, Bailang guessed that Miss Hatsuyuki was definitely an open-minded Kjerag person. No wonder Mr. Enchiodis asked her to receive her.

She let go of her thoughts and said lightly, "Then I'll just say whatever I want. Your Saint Lady doesn't know anyway."

Miss Hatsuyuki narrowed her eyes and smiled gently, "Yeah, it doesn't matter if she knows. You say."

"First of all, Saint Kjerag is a religious leader. I compared it with the Lateran, which is also a state religion. Some of the Lateran's public documents record the daily life of the Pope and the Cardinal. It's roughly like this:"

"I get up at a fixed time every day, usually before dawn, and then go to church to pray, sing hymns, and then have breakfast. Before the meal, I have to perform a complex and solemn Eucharist ceremony. After the meal, I study the scriptures. When I study until about nine o'clock in the morning, I go to church to preach to the believers, and then have lunch. After the meal, I have a confession ceremony in the church, and then prepare..."

"That's roughly it. The details I mentioned are not important. What's important is the attitude and style they embody."

The more Miss Hatsuyuki listened, the more shocked she became. At the same time, she felt guilty, wondering if her job as a saint was too easy, because except when necessary, she seldom got up before dawn, and she lived a loose life every day. According to Miss Olisia's description, she had fallen to the level of an ordinary priest in the Lateran church.

While Miss White Wolf was telling the story, she was also thinking about something. The more she thought about it, the deeper she thought about it. After she finished, she couldn't help but ask, "Are religious activities in Kjerag frequent?"

Chu Xue shook her head. “Very rarely. There is only one official religious ceremony each year, which is the Holy Mountain Ceremony. But people may spontaneously hold some sacrificial ceremonies.”

"Hosted spontaneously, without the consent of Manzhuyuan?"

Miss Chuxue was confused: "Why do we need Manzhuyuan's consent? Manzhuyuan doesn't care about these things. It's normal for people to celebrate spontaneously when they harvest grain or hunt for a good harvest. Oh, and if a place wants to hold a larger religious ceremony, it may apply to Manzhuyuan and hope that the saint will help preside over it."

Is it actually a "decentralized" model of religious activities? Miss White Wolf thought silently, and combined with what she had talked about with Miss Chuxue before, she roughly confirmed a few things in her mind.

First, the most formal religious ceremony in Kjerag is the Holy Mountain Ceremony, and religious activities are basically uncontrolled. In contrast, the ceremonies in Larante are thousands of times more complicated and are all organized by the Larante Church.

Secondly, Kjerag's religious institutions are loose. Except for the Monastery of Manjushri, the others are basically spontaneous organizations. In contrast, the Lateran has clear religious levels, from the Pope to the cardinals, to the regional archbishops, bishops, and priests. Each level has a corresponding church organization.

It goes without saying that religious rituals and religious means are very important. In order to consolidate the faith of believers, the Lateran Basilica is often built to be towering, so that when people look up, they can realize their own insignificance, thus inspiring awe of the gods.

In addition, religious ceremonies emphasize cumbersome and strict procedures, and strive to bring participants feelings such as "rebirth" and "baptism of the soul" through specific symbolic rituals. A Lateran once wrote a similar biography: I stood in the center of the church, and because of the faith in my heart, I knelt down willingly before the Heavenly Father. I found that my soul became more noble and my faith became stronger.

But the actual situation may be that they did not kneel down because of faith, but they had faith because of kneeling down. In other words, they did not kneel down because they believed in God the Father, but they believed in God the Father because they kneeled down.

The Kjerag religion is not a small tribal tradition, but the religion of an entire country. Such a large-scale religion has been preserved to this day with only minimal, almost laissez-faire means of maintenance, and has been devoutly believed by the people from beginning to end.

This situation could no longer be described as weird. Miss White Wolf thought of a possibility that was expected, yet she was unwilling to believe it.

Her fear of the Holy Mountain was completely deepened.

"I've heard people say that," she asked cautiously, even using a respectful title, "The God Yelagund is watching over everything. Is that true?"

Miss Hatsuyuki certainly didn't know the White Wolf's complicated psychological activities. She answered confidently based on her own understanding: "You can say that, but it is said that Lord Yelagund often sleeps, so he probably doesn't have the energy to look at anything."

Seeing Bailang's uncertain expression, Chuxue realized her mistake. She thought that the other party must be tired after coming all the way here, and she shouldn't keep talking to him.

So she suggested, "Miss Olicia, let me take you to the guest room first. It's quite close, just behind the board of directors' building. You can take a look at the room and take a rest."

"Oh, okay, thank you."

Miss White Wolf also felt that she needed to calm down and think seriously about what to do next.

Chapter 2023: The Fate of the Chess Piece03-28-12 00:02:

Kalan Trade has put a lot of thought into the business rooms it has prepared.

Passing through the board of directors' building, the first thing you see is a small garden covered in snow. The overall area of ​​the garden is not large, but the winding paths always give people the illusion of a large space.

When you reach the end of the garden, you will see wooden buildings in the traditional Kjerag style. Most of the buildings are two-story lofts. Combined with the background of snow-capped mountains in the distance, it feels like living in seclusion.

According to Miss Chuxue, the guest rooms not only provide short-term accommodation, but also long-term accommodation programs, which is related to the specific situation of Kalan's trade partners.

When partners need to stay in Kalan City for a long time, they can stay in the guest rooms. Then, according to their needs, a certain floor or several offices in the directorate building can be set aside as temporary office areas. Last year, a team of architectural engineers from Columbia stayed in Kalan City for three months, during which time they used the third floor of the directorate building as an office.

The office building was at its busiest when it was the busiest, with many companies moving in at the same time and a large flow of people. But now it has just come to the time when various cooperation stages are completed, so the office building that Bailang saw seemed deserted, and accordingly, there were not many people in the guest room area.

At this point, Miss Hatsuyuki happily assured that having fewer people has its advantages. At least in the exclusive restaurant, one can order directly from the chef, and if one is bored, one can go out for a visit, and she will come over anytime.

After helping to choose a room, Miss Hatsuyuki said goodbye for the time being, leaving White Wolf alone to look at his temporary residence.

She found that although the exterior of this place looked like a traditional Kjerag building, the interior was actually no different from a high-end guest room in a modern city.

Because she had enough rest on the aircraft, Bai Lang did not feel as tired as Chu Xue had imagined. After settling her luggage, she took out her laptop and began to adjust the company's cooperation plan based on her observations of Kjerag's actual situation.

……

……

Twenty kilometers south of Kalan City, there is a small town at the foot of the mountain.

Due to the popularity of railways and the development of tourism in Kjerag, the originally ordinary town has become a transit station for travelers. There are endless streams of pedestrians passing through here every day, and the town’s hotels are packed with guests.

In a plain little hotel.

Miss Bai Jin put away the letter and nodded to the short and fat Feilin in front of her: "Please rest assured, I will do my best to complete this task."

Director Feilin pinched his short beard and nodded with a smile, "Go ahead. This time it all depends on you. Remember my promise before? The Business Federation never treats people who have made contributions unfairly."

Bai Jin left with the letter, and his figure soon blended into the crowd on the street. The director turned around and noticed that the plain-clothed guard knight had a strange look on his face, so he chuckled and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

The guard knight asked unwillingly: "Sir, do you really want to trust that Platinum? For such an important matter..."

Director Feilin interrupted with a smile: "Then tell me why she is not trustworthy."

"There are at least two reasons. First, she has only been with us for a few months. I find it hard to believe in her loyalty. Second, I always feel that her mission in Longmen is a bit suspicious. When you sent me to infiltrate Bingshi's press conference, I paid extra attention to the actions of the Wuzhou League and found that she seemed to have given up many opportunities. I suspected that she either had too many concerns or was bribed by Bingshi in advance."

Director Feilin said slowly: "The assassin's way of action is different from your guard knights. It is normal that you don't understand. As for what you said about being bribed by Bingshi, it is absolutely impossible."

"Through Ursus' surveillance lines, we have already found out the details of Olicia's resume. Her parents were military nobles who were killed by our assassins during the Cold War fifteen years ago. This kind of military nobles hate the Casimir assassin the most in their lives. How could they be bribed?"

"As for whether I trust Shirogane or not, there is no such thing as unfounded trust. At least she is not trustworthy enough at the moment."

"But you have already given such an important task..."

"Is the mission really that important?" Director Feilin narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "It would be best if she can do what I ask. If not, that's fine. In my plan, her way of doing things won't affect the outcome."

"You...I don't understand."

"A Helmetless Alliance assassin from Casimir suddenly appeared in Kalan City. This is already worthy of consideration. Moreover, we have added the qualifier of 'during the Holy Mountain Ceremony'. Therefore, she doesn't need to do anything. Her appearance itself has been given special significance."

"Your Excellency, I seem to understand what you mean, but I still have one thing that is puzzling to me. After all, she is the Platinum Master of the No Heroes Alliance. It is easy for her to hide herself in the crowd and she will most likely not be discovered. So do you still hope that she can complete the mission normally?"

Director Feilin did not answer directly, but said softly:

"There's this guy who's been a three-time defending champion."

"You mean, the Black Knight? I remember she went missing after the last game."

"We have sufficient evidence. After she left Casimir, she was recruited by Enthiotis and then arranged in Kalan City. Her duty was to secretly protect the Saint of Shelagh."

The guard knight suddenly figured out the key and his eyes suddenly widened.

Director Filin gradually revealed a cruel smile like a cat playing with a mouse on his face, and said with trembling lips: "Do you think the assassins of the No Helmet Alliance can hide in the territory of the Black Knight?"

"She, she doesn't know anything?"

"The existence of the Black Knight is a secret that has not yet been made public. Since it is a secret, we naturally cannot act as if we already know it."

"She will die in Kalan City."

"No, no, no. I hope that her talent is good enough to hide from the Black Knight. I desperately want her to come back alive and complete her mission. Only in this way can she truly prove her worth and prove that she is trustworthy enough, isn't it?"

The guard knight swallowed fearfully, "Yes, that's right, but, but don't you still need her to help guard against the assassins of the No Helmet Alliance?"

"Yes." Director Feilin seemed to have suddenly realized something and sighed sadly, "Alas, this is something I have always valued. What a pity."