While getting pummeled, Cirrus kept dropping hints. After a few minutes of scouting the illusion with Bertnis, Stelle quickly located Huohuo, who was also trapped here.
Oh, and the tail next to her.
Cirrus really was nasty—even while taking a double beating from the milk tea and the masked guy, she still hijacked Stelle's vocal cords long enough to roast Huohuo a few times.
The poor girl was already terrified; now she was outright crying.
"Haaah, that hit the spot. Human emotions are like a full-course banquet. Hehe, drinking sad tears is like downing a whole barrel of fine wine~"
"You're worse than Phantylia ever was, you monster!" Stelle wrested back control of her voice and cursed.
"Don't be like that, sis. That milk tea is about to kill me any second now. I had no choice—this little trick is the only thing keeping me alive. You'll forgive me… right?"
"Is it fun?"
"If I asked you, while you were eating, 'Is shoving a pile of protein and carbs down your throat fun?', how would you feel?" Cirrus shot back.
"For a Tayzzyronth that feeds on intense human emotion, this is the most fun thing in the universe."
Stelle ignored her and turned to comfort Huohuo instead.
"I know a kind person like Stelle would never say something that mean. It was definitely that evil thing possessing her… But, but every single word still stung, and I couldn't even argue back."
"I've been timid and thin-skinned since I was little… Ever since Mr. Tail attached himself to me, my whole life has felt like a never-ending nightmare…"
Seeing Huohuo like this, Stelle felt a surge of protective affection. Mr. Tail, you'd better take good care of her!
"At school, people always asked, 'Why is your tail on fire?'… Walking through crowds felt like being under a spotlight."
"Yo, you blaming me now? If you'd just let me eat you like a good girl back then, you wouldn't have all these problems."
Huohuo's freshly calmed grievances flared right back up. "Wuu wuu… Later, when I joined the Ten-Lords Commission, everyone acted so weird around me. I thought I'd finally found a place I belonged."
"But the work there… it's way too dangerous! Every day fighting all kinds of demons, ghosts, and unforgivable criminals…"
"I'm really not cut out for this job. If I make it out alive, I'm handing in my resignation."
"Forcing someone who's terrified of Tayzzyronth to subdue Tayzzyronth with another Tayzzyronth… something's wrong with that picture. I'm sorry, I can't help you guys."
"You've already helped a ton, Huohuo."
"…R-really? I'm so glad I could be useful."
Mr. Tail chimed in to comfort her too: "Hear that? Stop crying. You're useful. Very useful."
"Sigh… I can't stand this! Once I'm free again, first thing I'm doing is swallowing that Cirrus trash whole, then gulping down this sniveling little coward in one bite—nom!"
Mr. Tail shot Cirrus a glare, only to get mocked right back.
"Too bad~ Mr. Tail isn't what he used to be."
"If we still had our old power, forget breaking this 'ghost hitting wall' illusion… we could swallow the Furyflame that made it in a single gulp."
"Our old power?" Huohuo had never heard him mention that before.
"Roar~ Mr. Tail, she doesn't even know your backstory… Little miss judge, Tayzzyronth are supposed to haunt places crawling with humans. So why are we all gathering in this deserted Sui Garden? Any guesses?"
"…Team-building retreat?"
Cirrus: ?
"Uh…" That single sentence completely derailed Cirrus. This foxian judge was too pure!
Bertnis turned his head. "Miss, does this count as natural counter to schemers?"
"No clue. I think I just met my match."
With no other choice, Cirrus patiently explained the real reason.
"Over a thousand years ago, this Sui Garden was the battlefield where the great Tayzzyronth Blazeheart clashed with a certain general from the Luofu!"
"The forge shattered, Tayzzyronth fled. All the fragments that once formed Blazeheart have returned, driven by the sole desire to fight that general again."
"That battle back then shook the heavens and made ghosts weep! Blazeheart shifted endlessly—floods of water, searing flames, collapsing mountains, splitting thunder—locked in a perfect 50-50 stalemate with the general!"
Cirrus was clearly embellishing, but when she noticed none of the three were listening, her fur (metaphorically) bristled.
"Hey! Where's the basic respect between sentient beings? You can't discriminate just because I'm a Tayzzyronth!"
"Quit stalling. Where were we?" Bertnis swatted Cirrus away with one palm. "Miss Huohuo, ever consider working at the church?"
"I hear you once thought about opening a snack stall. Coincidentally, there's an empty shop on the food street right next to the church… Interested?"
Bertnis unleashed a flawless sales combo—impossible to dodge.
"Work hours completely up to you, open the shop just one day a week! Even if you don't open, you can chat with the residents who pass by every day—perfect for building your confidence!"
The Eternal Church embraces all kinds. You can even spot Genius Society #83 Lady Herta… well, one of her puppets… right at the church gate sometimes.
Stelle was dumbfounded as she listened to Bertnis had literally just said he despised people who slacked off and only worked an hour a day—now he was flip-flopping?
"As for salary… no need to worry, because the church doesn't have any. Haha."
"Huh?"
The tiny spark of hope Bertnis had just kindled in Huohuo's heart was instantly snuffed out.
No salary… then why would anyone go?!
She finally understood—this Eternal Church was a complete black-hearted organization!
Wow… the IPC really should deal with shady outfits like this.
"Yes, zero wages," Bertnis admitted openly.
Stelle couldn't help roasting him: "So it's a losing business?"
"Correct. A losing business."
Even Stelle, known across the cosmos as the fairest Galactic Baseballer, had no comeback for that level of sincerity.
She'd almost forgotten—these church folks are sheltered by Eternity. Death literally doesn't exist for them! Even if they owed hundreds of millions of credits and couldn't afford food, they still wouldn't starve.
The key point: this immortality isn't limited to Pathstriders of Eternity or Emanators. Anyone who joins the church receives it.
Normal people can't bear the price of eternal life. Only the church members have faith so pure they eternally yearn for and believe that the Aeon of Eternity will bring rebirth to a silent universe.
As for their mental state… who knows if these guys are insane or not. Everyone Stelle had met seemed fine—Freesna was just a little chuunibyou, that's all.
The most normal one in the church… hmm, probably Deacon Screwlloyd.
Gotta admit, Screwlloyd is one of the few who can keep up with Stelle's brain circuits. No wonder—he's an intelligencer; those mechanical parts spin fast.
Oh right, Screwlloyd is still drifting through space right now. Stelle doesn't get it, but she respects it.
Maybe that's his unique way of returning to the church—ditching traditional spaceships, no vehicles at all, just pure self-discipline! Constant self-improvement!
"Ow ow ow!" Cirrus suddenly yelped in pain. "Sis, the milk tea's attacks just got way more aggressive—any idea why?"