Chapter 205: Selection
Chapter 205: Selection
Several days later, a grand celebration took place in the Golden City.
It was said to be in honor of a Candidate Holy Maiden's arrival in Tulip County and the upcoming selection process for the Holy Maiden.
"The quality of the Holy Maidens here is quite impressive..."
At the same time, Fang Xing stood on the balcony of an inn, overlooking a flower-car parade on the main street.
Numerous elegantly dressed Candidate Holy Maidens sat atop the flower-adorned carriages, their expressions both devout and noble.
This spectacle attracted the attention of countless citizens and vagrants, who whistled in appreciation.
Sophia, in a simple white robe, stood out among the other candidates, her beauty undiminished.
Fang Xing watched this scene, then turned to Vol beside him.
"What are you thinking? Holy Maidens are meant to serve the Holy Spirit and the Holy Son, and they must remain chaste..."
Vol looked at Fang Xing with a hint of fear.
"Do you think I'm so desperate?"
Fang Xing was speechless. He pulled Vol along as they followed the flower-car procession, eventually arriving at Saint Mary Square.
Here, the Divine Servants and Divine Shepherds of the Radiant Cathedral had already prepared an altar.
Upon the altar lay a fish and a pig, both gutted, their blood flowing down the altar.
The citizens and servants seemed accustomed to this sight, respectfully watching a red-robed bishop approach.
"That's Bermeath, the Bishop of the Tulip Diocese... I knew him when he had just graduated from the Divine Seminary..."
Vol lowered his voice, "What do you think? Do you regret it?"
Fang Xing rolled his eyes, not in the mood for conversation. He continued to watch Bermeath.
The middle-aged bishop had a rugged appearance with a full beard, but his expression was gentle.
At that moment, he held up the fish and began to bless the Candidate Holy Maidens:
"On the first day, when the heavens and earth were created, the seas boiled, and Leviathan, the giant sea creature, caused a tsunami... bringing disaster upon the land. Only God... God saved everything."
"On the second day, God slew Leviathan..."
"On the third day, Leviathan's brother, Behemoth, caused an earthquake in the desert, seeking revenge for its kin. God forged the Holy Sword and split Behemoth's belly, extracting its heart... Thus, the desert's anger was quelled, and the earth ceased its trembling..."
...
"Leviathan?" Fang Xing recognized the familiar term.
In the main universe, this word represented a colossal creature, similar to the transliteration used here.
This similarity led him to think of more.
"In the scriptures, Leviathan and Behemoth are both true behemoths, their bodies comparable in size to an entire continent..."
Vol explained, "The fish represents Leviathan, symbolizing the ocean, and the pig represents Behemoth, symbolizing the earth. These are the most suitable sacrifices to offer to the Holy Ones... It seems Bermeath is taking this Holy Maiden selection very seriously."
As the two spoke, the red-robed bishop on the stage finished blessing the Candidate Holy Maidens.
The Duke of Tulip, dressed in lavish robes, made his grand entrance.
"For this Holy Maiden selection, after consulting with Bishop Bermeath, we have decided on the theme of 'pacification'..."
The Duke of Tulip, his face filled with a smile, announced to Sophia and the other Candidate Holy Maidens, "The dragon beneath the Gorlon Mountains has become restless and is about to awaken from its slumber... Whichever Holy Maiden can pacify or seal that dragon spirit will be the true Holy Maiden of this selection!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of all the Candidate Holy Maidens changed.
If it weren't for the fact that the Duke of Tulip was a duke with a team of guards by his side, they might have cursed out loud.
Dragon!
In the Duke of Tulip's territory, it was a byword for terror and dread.
Ordinary people avoided it, and who could possibly calm it?
Moreover, in various dark fairy tales, dragons were known for abducting princesses and pure maidens, devouring one princess every day!
The Duke of Tulip's smile remained unchanged, "Bishop Bermeath and I will oversee this pacification... Additionally, you are free to seek external aid without any restrictions... After all, it is the will of God!"
To the truly extraordinary beings, they were well aware that there were no dragons in the world, only evil spirits! But the spirit beneath the Gorlon Mountains had attained the rank of a 'Great Spirit', capable of devastating entire cities!
The more extraordinary the power one possessed, the more they would avoid provoking it!
In the true mystical realm, a wizard capable of controlling an ordinary 'Spirit' was already a formidable figure.
Even such beings would only be seeking death if they confronted a Great Spirit.
Sophia's hands trembled, and she instinctively looked towards Fang Xing and Vol.
At that moment, Bishop Bermeath also looked over, his eyes filled with encouragement and a hint of amusement.
"These are the ones the dragon should take!" Vol cursed under his breath, "It seems the dragon spirit beneath the Gorlon Mountains can no longer be contained..."
"This is a conspiracy, but breaking free is simple. Just turn around and leave, far away from the Golden City, or even the Duke of Tulip's territory..."
Fang Xing shrugged, "The problem is... would you leave?"
"I won't!"
Vol tightly gripped the cross sword in his hand.
'So, the most unfathomable is still a grand scheme...'
Fang Xing shook his head in disappointment, "Since it's come to this... it's better to join forces with Sophia, at least we can get the latest information and some support."
His main reason for staying was to watch the drama unfold.
He wanted to see if this fairy tale adventure duo could take down the dragon without his intervention.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, he suddenly looked towards the city gate.
...
At the city gate, a caravan was entering the city.
The caravan belonged to the 'Iron Cup Trading Company', which had been doing business in Tulip County for many years. The leader of the caravan was on friendly terms with the gate guards.
After handing over a few copper coins, he asked with a smile, "Is there a celebration today?"
"Yes, the selection of the Holy Daughter is finally beginning... It's such a pity, I heard that the Holy Daughter is as beautiful as an angel."
The captain of the guards licked his lips, revealing a smile filled with rotten teeth.
The leader nodded and returned to the caravan, climbing into the carriage of a horse-drawn cart.
The interior of the carriage was surprisingly lined with a soft carpet.
An emaciated old man, covered in tattoos, sat cross-legged on a black velvet cushion. In front of him was a crystal ball on a dark velvet cushion.
Within the crystal ball, one could vaguely see a square filled with many figures, but they appeared blurry and indistinct.
These figures had blurred facial features, and the only similarity among them was that they all had tears of blood flowing down their faces!
Among these figures, a young man stood out.
"Foreigners... the foreigners who killed the Great Sorcerer of Menbasa, no matter where they flee... the Grand Sovereign will rain down his wrath and annihilate them!"
The wizened sorcerer's voice was raspy.
"Venerable Elder Priscilla, everything will be as you wish..."
The leader of the trading company respectfully knelt down.
The Satu Sect's inheritance was primitive and bloody, with few internal ranks.
Elder Priscilla was equivalent to a regional bishop, but in the Radiant Cathedral, she held the position of a Black Cardinal!
She was second only to the Pope! And due to the scarcity of elders in the Satu Sect, Priscilla was undoubtedly one of the most influential figures within the sect.
"The Grand Sovereign commands... that we bring disease, plague, and death to this city!"
Priscilla revealed a pure smile, "Only death and the loss of countless lives can please the Grand Sovereign... When the entire city is shrouded in the shadow of death, we will bring the savior and the gospel, and even the Duke of Tulip will have to submit and kneel to kiss the ground I've walked upon!"
The leader of the trading company felt a chill run down his spine.
Because Elder Priscilla was capable of such actions!
As an elder of the Satu Sect, she had bound a powerful spirit, a 'Great Spirit', to her.
This Great Spirit had once brought plagues and countless deaths... It was even worshipped by some as the 'Cat-Eating God'!
However, after the Radiant Light faded, the followers of the Cat-Eating God spread their faith, leading to a clash with the Satu Sect.
The outcome was clear; the followers of the Cat-Eating God were all sacrificed to the Grand Sovereign, and even the Cat-Eating God itself was bound by Elder Priscilla with the help of the Grand Sovereign, becoming her source of power!
"No... Hurry! Give me..."
Priscilla was smiling, but her expression suddenly changed, "Give it to me!"
Her face contorted, her facial muscles twitched, and her already small eyes narrowed further, with a greenish light flashing in them.
Not only that, her face became elongated, resembling a large rat, or rather—a human with a rat's face: "Give me the sacrifice!"
"Yes, yes!"
The leader of the trading company immediately fetched a tray from the nearby cabinet, which held numerous meatballs.
These meatballs were made primarily from cat meat, mixed with human blood and various other supernatural ingredients, serving as an offering to suppress the rebellion of the Cat-Eating God.
Priscilla quickly grabbed a meatball and stuffed it into her mouth, juices dripping as she ate.
One, two, three...
When all the meatballs on the tray were gone, she spoke in a distorted, raspy voice, "Why? Why not? Grand Sovereign... are you punishing me?"
The next moment, a chilling voice echoed from within the carriage.
Everyone in the caravan scattered in panic.
The Golden City was now enveloped in a layer of dark cobalt mist, gradually thickening until it engulfed the entire city.
Within the mist, countless dark shadows scurried across the ground, emitting continuous 'squeaking' sounds.
At the top of a mountain in the Golon Mountains.
"It's begun!"
A sorcerer dressed in Satu Sect attire muttered, "If Elder Priscilla can suppress the Cat-Eating Spirit, then we'll follow her plan... But unfortunately, she struggles to control that bloodthirsty and cruel Great Spirit, and can only turn herself into a vessel for its transportation..."
"Using an entire city as a funeral offering for that foreigner, he should feel honored..."
(End of Chapter)
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