The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Xin subconsciously wanted to answer, but the words were stuck in his mouth.

"You know, this doesn't conflict, right?"

Hydra chuckled, "After all, God doesn't care."

God doesn't care. He doesn't care how the people he has given power to think of him. He doesn't care about the opinions of the gods in the world, and it should be so.

Xin was silent, but Anser did not give her time to reflect and breathe, and continued to ask: "If you think this is a conflict, does it mean that you think you must believe in God to receive God's gifts? Those without faith will never be qualified? Your God... is it so narrow-minded?"

"no!"

Xin immediately retorted loudly: "How can God be narrow-minded? The power of the extraordinary people is bestowed by God. Even those who do not believe in God have the qualification to enter heaven..."

"Have this qualification."

Her voice became smaller and smaller, more and more confused.

Yes, God doesn’t care. She has known for a long time that God doesn’t care, but why is she still so...unable to accept it?

"It seems that you don't understand the real source of the problem, Miss Xin."

In Xin's ears rang the devil's melodious whispers that made him trance-like.

"The problem is not God, not A-Luo, but... you."

Is it... me?

Is it me who has the problem?

Xin met those sea-blue eyes, those sea-blue eyes that she could never see through, as if they would be sucked into an invisible vortex at any time.

She saw herself in confusion.

"The god doesn't care whether A Luo believes in it or respects it. It still gives A Luo talents and powers because it is a god, and this is natural."

"A Luo doesn't believe in God. She has never come into contact with the so-called God. She believes in her own talents and strengths more than anyone else, which is natural."

Anser leaned forward slightly, held Xin's face with his hand, and smiled, "It is natural for these two things to be combined. There is no problem, but Miss Xin, you still think there is a problem. Doesn't that prove... you are the one with the problem?"

"But how could I...what's wrong with me?"

Xin couldn't help but ask back, a look of incomprehensible confusion emerging on her beautiful face: "I'm just protecting God..."

"What are you defending? God's dignity? Does your God ask you to defend its dignity? Does it need you to defend its dignity? Is it so self-abased and sensitive that it needs believers to defend its dignity?"

"..."

This was the first time that Xin faced Anther's direct attack on her in terms of faith. Xin had no ability to resist or parry. Her ever-effective sophistry logic completely broke down at this moment, like a small boat full of holes swaying in a storm.

"You said it, Miss Xin."

Anser withdrew his hand that was stroking Xin's cheek, crossed his legs, and looked at Xin with a scrutinizing gaze.

"You said that God does not need faith. The existence of the church and believers is spontaneous, all for the purpose of admiring and spreading the glory of God."

"That is to say, your God doesn't need you to do anything extra, except for your, um... duties. In addition to your duties, does your God require you to forcibly spread its glory to everyone?"

Xin answered subconsciously: "No..."

"Then by the same token, does it force you to maintain its dignity?"

"…No, but that's not the same thing."

Xin, who always showed her strongest state when it came to faith and God, finally adjusted back to her normal state. She said reluctantly: "Even if God doesn't care, even if God doesn't need it, it's not a reason for Miss Doll to disrespect it. She can't--"

"Does this conflict with the ability your god gave to A'Luo?" Anser interrupted Xin forcibly. "Let me ask again, does this conflict? A'Luo cannot disrespect your god. You will say that God created the world, God maintains order, and God has done many great things... So A'Luo cannot disrespect it, but does this have anything to do with your question?"

The Saint, who was being firmly suppressed, sat there blankly, and could only allow Ansher to force his arguments into her mind in an extremely rude manner.

"Aren't these things that should or shouldn't be done, that can or can't be done, ultimately based on your concepts, from human, secular concepts? So you want to say that your God is also secular? Does he also think that he has done countless amazing things, and therefore everyone must worship him? But didn't you say that he doesn't need faith? Didn't you say that he... doesn't care?"

The devil's last words cruelly chiseled open Xin's skull and poured poison into it.

"So, you care too much, Your Excellency the Saint."

Anser leaned forward slightly, and this time, he held Xin's cheeks with both hands and said gently: "You care too much about...your God."

"I care too much about... God?"

Xin, whose logic and thoughts had been shattered by Anther, could only repeat himself subconsciously.

"Yes, your god obviously doesn't need you to do so many meaningless things, but you are still worrying about not offending its dignity. If it's not because you care too much about it, what else could it be?"

For some reason, Xin felt an urge to escape.

She wanted to escape from here right now, escape from Ansher's clutches, but another voice told her that she couldn't leave, she had to stay, she had to... solve this problem.

“I care about God…I care about God, and rightly so.”

Xin tried hard to organize his shattered thoughts and words: "I am a believer in God, so I care about God's dignity and I want to protect it. Even if God doesn't care, I will still do this. Is this a problem?"

Anser stared at Xin for a long time, then shook his head and sighed: "Your condition is much more serious than I thought, Your Excellency the Saint."

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly, put away the slightly compassionate look, and asked jokingly, "That means you regard yourself as a messenger to maintain the majesty of God. You think this is your duty, right?"

Xin always felt that there was something wrong, but she nodded anyway.

"Ah, so, Saint, this is your true duty."

Anser was extremely surprised and said, "So you exist to maintain the majesty of God. So the so-called salvation and judgment are secondary matters?"

These words made Xin's body tremble.

"Not at all... How can the duty God has bestowed upon me be secondary—"

"Then what are you hesitating about, what are you doubting about?"

Anser's voice suddenly turned cold.

"If redeeming sins is your duty, then knowing the source of Luo's sins, shouldn't you be happy? Shouldn't you immediately consider how to redeem her sins from this aspect?"

"Why do you regard this as a problem? Why can't you accept it until now, and have to give one excuse after another? Isn't this putting the protection of God's majesty, which God himself doesn't care about, on the same level as God's responsibility?"

Ansher held the saint's cheeks tightly, preventing her from escaping, and pulled her towards his face little by little.

"Come to think of it... God, it doesn't care, right?"

"No matter how you defend its dignity, no matter how you demonstrate its power, it doesn't care. In other words... everything you do is meaningless to it."

The devil showed a vicious and cruel smile: "So, Your Excellency the Saint, why do you do something meaningless to your God? You are actually upholding the dignity of God."

"Or are you still... satisfying yourself?"

"In order to satisfy himself, he even temporarily put aside his duty as God..."

Looking at the beautiful face that was so close, revealing an extremely frightened expression that had never appeared before, the devil continued to speak softly:

"My Lady Saint, is God really that important to you?"

clang-

This was the sound of Xin's body hitting the coffee table, making everything messy.

The Saint's mature and beautiful body had completely collapsed, and Ansel's words had hit her hardest and weakest spot.

Faith in God.

"Devil... Devil... Sir, that's not right... I... I'm not like that."

Xin's voice gradually began to tremble: "I protect God not to satisfy myself, but I, but God..."

She could no longer use her chaotic logic that could always justify itself to engage in sophistry, because Ansel's arguments were true sophistry based on her logic.

Xin found himself speechless, found himself unable to give an answer, and then he found himself...might really be the same as what Mr. Devil said.

God doesn’t care, and doesn’t need it, so why does she want to defend God’s dignity? Because she can’t stand God being insulted, she is venting, she is… satisfying herself.

For this satisfaction, she even put aside the real good news and her own duties, and relentlessly pursued Ming Fuluo's "offense".

Am I... really such a person?

"Mr. Devil..."

Xin, who had never been so weak and so scared, looked at the face so close to him and pleaded in a voice that no one could resist, "What's wrong with me... What should I do? I can't do this, please... Please, Mr. Devil, please help me."

"Well... it's just a small matter. It's okay to help you, but..."

Anser stroked the soft and smooth face and said with a smile: "You know, I won't help you for nothing."

Xin was overjoyed to receive Anser's promise. She nodded without hesitation and agreed: "I will definitely repay Mr. Devil, for sure!"

"Very good, very good, Miss Xin."

The results achieved here have exceeded Anser's expectations.

He originally thought that Xin would be able to use her fanatical self-deceptive logic to hold on for a while, but he didn't expect that she would collapse so soon.

However, this was only a slight surprise and nothing particularly unexpected. After all, Ansel had already considered how to start with Xin.

It cannot change Xin’s understanding of faith and God.

So...wouldn't it be better to change her perception of herself?

"I will help you, Miss Xin. Since the root of the problem is that you care too much about your god..."

The devil is always so gentle at the moment of making a deal.

"Then...wouldn't it be better if you learn how to not care about it?"

Chapter 6: Blasphemy Part (K)

The largest Church of the Holy Alliance in Donggang is located in a coastal town adjacent to the Triumph Port City. The proportion of believers in this town exceeds 20% of the population, which is the highest proportion in the empire.

Although this small town has not become prosperous or wealthy, it is one of the most peaceful cities in Donggang. The strong religious atmosphere has not made the local residents xenophobic or caused internal conflicts, which is very commendable.

The cathedral in the center of the town was built more than a hundred years ago. After hundreds of years of repair and reconstruction, it became the most magnificent church in Donggang. However... its value is not just a symbol of the piety of believers and the majesty of God.

Under this church, there is a secret room that even the old priests who have lived in the church for decades may not know about. And Mu, the only bishop of the Church of the Holy Alliance in the empire, is in this secret room.

Mu stood in the center of the secret room, with eight figures flashing around him. All of them were wearing white and black robes that symbolized the status of bishops. It was obvious that they were holding some secret meeting.

"Everyone, I think we need to have another serious discussion about the Saint."

Mu's expression was very serious: "Although I have discussed this matter with Ji, and Ji has conveyed my opinion to you, the situation seems to be far more... serious than I imagined."

"After the Saint came into contact with His Royal Highness the Regent, she changed too quickly. Without my knowledge, she began to mobilize the power of the church without authorization. This is obviously beyond the permitted range."

"Even if the 'Tower' is the priority now, the Saint's duties are equally important. If the Saint's thinking and self undergo an irreversible change before the 'Tower' is built, then all efforts will be in vain."

The other eight bishops listened to Mu's words very seriously. After a short silence, a black-robed bishop said, "I believe in Mu's judgment. Since His Royal Highness the Regent may know the true nature of the Saint and has such a great passion for her... then his desire for her may be far beyond our expectations. He is famous for his manipulation of people's hearts. If we continue to let him have contact with the Saint, it will be completely out of our control."

"Besides that," a cardinal in white added, "the Saint did not resist him, which is also crucial... According to common sense, with the Saint's thinking, she would not feel close to anyone."

"That should only be a veneer of redemption for Hydra. In essence, the Saint is indifferent to Hydra's existence. She only wants to fulfill her duty as a god. There is no need to worry about this."

The bishops exchanged opinions with each other calmly and steadily. If the people in the revolutionary army could be like them, Lian De would probably be moved to tears.

"But in this case, does His Royal Highness the Regent really have the potential to overturn the world?"

"It is hard for you and me to imagine that a saint would be blinded by this."

"That's right. Even the Saint's near-perfect power cannot redeem him. Is this because of the power of the Old Deus or his own incredible power? After the Tower is built, if the Saint can redeem him, he should be able to become a perfect king of the world."

"His contracted head seems to have extremely terrifying possibilities. Why is this Hydra so special..."

Mu coughed twice and said, "Don't go off topic, everyone. We are discussing the Saint's affairs, not the Regent Prince."

"Since there is a problem, then we can just keep the Saint away from him." A bishop said, "We just need a suitable reason... Will God's will work?"

The white-robed bishop beside him immediately objected: "Try not to let the Saint receive contradictory instructions. In her view, God's will is to redeem Hydra. If you find an excuse to force her to leave Hydra, it will confuse her and she may even be used by Hydra."

"Then give her a more important mission, a mission more important than redeeming Hydra."

"That being said... the Saint's job is to judge sins. She has already regarded it as her life. How can she find a more important task than this? Let her redeem Ivora?"

"...No, that madman will try to kill the Saint. No matter how special the Saint is, she can't resist the Flame of Feasting Flame. And Ivora... that woman whose mind is full of destruction and conquest, are you sure there is any possibility in her?"

The discussion came to a stalemate again, and Mu's expression became worried. He could not find any effective way to prevent the saint from being further influenced by the devil, so he had to contact the bishops lurking in the empire at this juncture.

The Regent Prince is in Donggang. Who knows how powerful he is now and what power he controls? Mu has always been worried that his connection with other bishops will be discovered by Anser. If he had not been forced to do so, he would not have held this secret meeting anyway.

At the beginning, it was believed that Anther could not shake Xin's belief in being a saint in a short period of time, and as long as Xin's belief was not shaken, then everything would be fine, so Xin and Anther were allowed to contact each other.

But Mu suddenly realized that Xin had changed so much that he could keenly sense that in his several conversations with the other party, Xin often used words to test or induce him - it was not because of any purpose, but more like a practice.

And now, she even began to use priests and believers for her own purposes... The saints of all generations never asked the church for help. They always maintained a style of being free and even independent of the church. It was hard to imagine what the Regent Prince had done to the saint to make her become what she is now.