Inside the church, Yunia slipped her small hand into her Papa's palm. Maiev immediately felt a scorching warm current enter his body through his palm, like a surging river, instantly permeating his limbs.
He closed his eyes and opened them again. Deep blue ghostly light surged in the depths of his pupils. Invisible black wings unfurled behind his back. He could clearly hear the sound from every bone in his body. Everything changed. The originally somewhat apprehensive mood slowly settled into silence. The noise on the street sounded so distant. The moonlight was so bright. He twisted his neck, as if he could feel the stretching of muscles and the powerful beating of his heart.
"Save me... Oh God... Please send down your grace to your most devout believer..."
"It hurts... it hurts so much..."
"This human is so strange, he just stood there motionless... I really want to eat dried fish."
The calm lasted only a few seconds before countless different voices swept in. The agonizing screams before death, the humble and earnest prayers, hundreds and thousands of emotions mixed together, almost driving one mad.
Maiev clutched his head, cold sweat pouring down. He knew these were the voices of the believers, but he couldn't block them out. Even holding the authority of a God, he still felt a sense of insignificance.
He...
Could not fulfill everyone's wishes.
Not even a God could.
He dared not imagine how a God lived, being in this state day and night.
Is this what being a God is like?
It didn't look that wonderful...
If only he could make them shut up.
"Papa, it hurts..."
The chaotic thoughts retreated like a tide. Maiev woke with a start and looked at Yunia, finding her scrunching her nose and pouting, looking aggrieved. Only then did he realize he was gripping her small hand tightly, using all his strength, as if he wanted to crush everything he could touch.
"I'm sorry..."
He quickly let go and took a few steps back, his expression complex. "Yunia, do you spend every day in this kind of environment?"
"Environment?"
Yunia blinked, looking blank. "What is 'this kind of environment'?"
She couldn't understand because she simply didn't know what the world looked like in other people's eyes. To her, the world had always been like this.
"You... don't you find it noisy?"
Yunia shook her head and said, "Yunia wants to grant the believers' wishes but doesn't know how. They always ask Yunia for very troubling things..."
"It's not your fault. Gods are not omnipotent."
Taking a deep breath, Maiev shook his slightly dizzy head. "I can't adapt to your power yet. Let's have you bless the holy water."
"Mhm."
Yunia walked to the copper pot filled with holy water, extended her palm, and whispered, "In the name of the Goddess of Truth, Yunia, I send down grace."
A red light flashed and vanished, merging into the clear holy water. The process was brief and simple, with no special phenomena appearing at all.
Using a funnel, Maiev successfully poured the holy water into the washed glass bottles, then tied a small string around the neck of the bottle and attached it to the necks of the cats, one by one.
Every cat raised its head, quietly waiting for the Father to work. After finishing each one, Maiev would stroke their heads as encouragement.
By the end, Maiev felt he wouldn't be petting cats anytime soon.
"Move out!"
At Fat Orange's command, the cats darted out like sharp arrows. They came fast and dispersed even faster, looking like a well-trained legion in the darkness, rushing to every corner of the city.
At the same time, Maiev opened the church's main doors. The people wandering the streets saw the church open and immediately swarmed over.
"Father! Father! Grant me a little holy water!!!"
"Please, my son was bitten by a rat. As long as you save him, I'll do anything!"
"Don't push! Don't push! Don't you understand first come, first served?!"
Fear, anticipation, tension... all sorts of complex expressions condensed together. The immense pressure crashed down like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
But these...
Compared to the despair Maiev had just felt, paled into insignificance.
He straightened his priest's cassock, walked out of the church, and stood on the stone steps at the entrance. His gaze swept over the faces below, and he shouted loudly: "Everyone, go home and look! The Divine Envoy has descended!"
"The benevolent Goddess of Truth will not abandon her believers. The disaster will eventually pass, and the sun will rise as usual!"
"We just want to beg for a little holy water!" someone shouted.
"There will be some, there will be everything! Those who keep Truth in their hearts, Goddess Yunia will surely bless them! Those who defy the Truth will surely be punished!"
The noise gradually subsided. People looked at Maiev skeptically. After a long while, someone shouted something, and the crowd surged toward the next church in unison.
In the shadows of a street corner, a man dressed in a monk's robe watched this scene, then quietly retreated into the darkness and disappeared.
The same situation occurred in several other alleys.
Closing the church doors, Maiev didn't have time to rest. He rushed into the kitchen, filled a pot with cold water, and placed it on the stove.
Holy water still needed to be boiled. He had to do his best to save more commoners. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
"Papa, is this okay?"
Yunia followed behind him, asking curiously, "Didn't Fat Orange say that if we don't give the holy water to the believers, they won't believe in Truth anymore?"
"Truth needs to be pursued, Yunia..."
Sitting at the table, Maiev picked up his daughter and said, "It is right beside us. As long as one looks with their heart, one can always find traces of it. As for Fat Orange's worry... it's already solved."
"Solved?"
"Yes." Maiev sighed with emotion. "The Church of the Three Fates judges the appearance of a God in other churches based on whether the holy water is effective. That is to say, they will closely track the whereabouts of every church's holy water. But in this process, they made a very serious mistake."
"What mistake?"
"Themselves."
Maiev explained with a smile, "In the entire New Ross City, there are four major churches: the Church of the Three Fates of the Windsor Kingdom, the Church of Wisdom of the Bourbon Kingdom, the Church of Judgment of the Frederick Kingdom, and the Church of Abundance of the Sardinia Kingdom."
"Within the territory of the Windsor Kingdom, the Church of the Three Fates is undoubtedly the most powerful. But the other three major churches have the support of their respective believers and kingdoms. Although their influence is inferior to the Church of the Three Fates, they are equally powerful."
"The trap of the Church of the Three Fates can only affect small churches. The other three major churches will never be of one heart and mind with them. After I issued tonight's statement, they will definitely distribute holy water in large quantities, taking the opportunity to cause trouble..."
Yunia tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion. "Why would they want to cause trouble?"
"It's simple."
Maiev's gaze was calm. "Because this is the Windsor Kingdom, and power must be unified. Previously, various churches were just accessories to rule, and having multiple churches was harmless. But after the descent of the Gods, the era has changed, and believers have become the foundation. So, to prevent other major churches from fighting for believers, the Church of the Three Fates will definitely try every means to drive other major churches out of their territory."
"That day won't be far off. The other three major churches surely know this, so... they will create some trouble for the Church of the Three Fates before they are forced to leave."
"Nothing makes them happier than a conflict between two churches. So they will try every means to disrupt the plan of the Church of the Three Fates. Once holy water is distributed in large quantities, overflowing the people's needs, who will know if there are other Gods?"
"And the statement I just made stole the fruits of their victory. When those people return home and find that the patients in their families have recovered, ask yourself..."
"Will they be grateful to you, the Goddess of Truth, or the other major churches that distributed holy water infinitely?"
"Hmm..."
Yunia thought for a moment, feeling a headache coming on. "They probably won't be grateful to anyone. It's too hard to judge..."
"Under normal circumstances, they indeed wouldn't be grateful to anyone. But..."
Maiev lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "Don't ignore the other small churches without Gods. You must know, the holy water they distribute has no effect. Therefore, there will definitely be many people refuting the 'holy water efficacy theory' of the priest of the Church of the Three Fates. At that time..."
"The Church of Truth will become the biggest beneficiary!"