Under a dim and oppressive sky, streaks resembling lightning snakes slithered across the heavens, forming jagged, menacing cracks that twisted and shifted as if threatening to shatter it at any given moment.
The air was still, utterly devoid of even the faintest breeze, which brought about an inexplicable sense of desolation.
The cries of despair and pleas for mercy that echoed through the surroundings only deepened the oppressive mood, gnawing at one’s nerves.
This scene unfolded in a small village, nestled alongside the main road leading to the city of Seigües.
On a broad dirt path right at the entrance of this village, a woman in her twenties, dressed in a peasant clothing, clung desperately to the leg of a man wearing a priest’s robe.
Whilst sobbing uncontrollably, she begged, her voice choked with anguish:
“Father Priest, please! My child doesn’t want to be a Child of Nature! He doesn’t want to! Please! Please don’t take him away! He’s only four years old this year!”
Yet the priest’s face remained expressionless, cold as stone.
Behind him stood a line of fully armed soldiers, their demeanor just as unyielding.
At the center of it all was a horse-drawn carriage with high, barred sides. Inside, each children huddled together, wrists bound in iron shackles.Their cries and wails could be heard from afar, but neither the priest nor the soldiers showed the slightest trace of compassion.
A crowd of villagers stood at a distance, watching the scene unfold.
Their gazes, laden with complex emotions and muted sympathy, flickered between the children and the weeping woman.
But when their eyes landed upon the priest and his escort, their expressions hardened into barely concealed hostility and resentment.
Yet none dared to voice out their fury.
They merely stood around in silence, helplessly observing as another young child was torn from his mother and shoved into the carriage by the soldiers.
The child’s cries joined the heart-wrenching chorus emanating from the other children.
Meanwhile, the priest kicked the weeping woman aside with a callous precision. His vacant eyes fixed forward, his voice devoid of any warmth as he intoned:
“All who are blessed by nature are regarded as descendants of the Divine Creator. It is their rightful honor to become Children of Nature and assist in the revival of His Majesty, The God of Creation.”
Without sparing the woman another glance, the priest gestured to the soldiers.
At his command, the emotionless soldiers adjusted their formation and advanced the carriage forward, escorting the priest as they departed the village, their figures disappearing down the road.
Only the woman was left kneeling on the ground, overcome by despair.
As the priest and his escorts gradually disappeared from everyone’s view, the villagers hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward. With gentle hands, they helped the woman to her feet, her sobs racking her body as she struggled to regain some semblance of composure.
Seeing this, a wave of murmured sighs rippled through the surrounding crowd.
“Another one was taken…”
“The Church is getting worse and worse every year. Why can’t they just let us live a peaceful life?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Youll be in trouble if the wrong person hears you…”
“Poor Nina. Alas, what could she do? Her child was born with an affinity for nature…”
“Let’s just hope her child becomes a priest and not… something else.”
“Who knows? So many children are taken every year, but how many ever return as priests? And look at those cold, unfeeling faces. Would you want your child to become one of them?”
“No. I’d rather just pray that I never have a child with affinity to nature at all.”
The villagers shook their heads and sighed, as each of their shoulders slumped under an unseen weight.
None of them noticed a small, inconspicuous carriage parked nearby, silently observing the entire ordeal.
Inside the carriage, Calabash retracted his gaze and frowned slightly:
“What the hell is up with this Church of Creation? Why do they keep forcefully taking away these children wherever we go?”
The others in the carriage shared grim expressions.
It had been three days since they left the town of Divine Grace and throughout their journey, every human settlement they passed through had revealed a similar, harrowing scene.
Even though the five players knew it was just a game, each of them after having immersed themselves deeply into their roles, couldn’t help but feel a growing disgust toward the clergy of this corrupted church.
Of course, their animosity was also fueled by their mission.
Hence, the players instinctively regarded these villagers and common folk as members of their own camp, and they also suspected that these people might convert to believers of the Goddess once their task was completed.
In other words, these downtrodden locals might potentially become their allies in the future.
That is why, at the beginning of their journey, the five players would conceal their appearances and secretly rescue any children taken by the church they come across.
After all, leveling up their favorability with these locals was also part of their strategy.
However, after a few successful attempts, their actions finally caught the attention of the Church of Creation, and in response, the latter began assigning soldiers to accompany its priests.
Boxlunch’s team felt worried that they might arouse the enemy’s suspicion and elevate their alertness if they intervened further, so they reluctantly stopped doing it.
Nevertheless, their disdain for the Church of Creation only deepened.
As they traveled, the carriage driver, who had been quietly observing their conversation, began to explain while steering the horses down the road:
“Ah, my lords, you may not know this, but the church uses this method to expand its clergy.”
“In the past, when the Divine Beings still walked among us and the church was seen as the beacon of hope for the masses, many viewed becoming a priest as the highest honor.”
“But ever since every member of the Divine Clan vanished from the world, the church has become more unchecked and corrupt. They now enlist all children with affinities for nature and forcefully compel them to join the church.”
“Those children with potential are trained as priests, brainwashed to devote their entire lives to the Creator, while those without potential will be directly sacrificed as mere offerings…”
“Nowadays, aside from Divine Grace Town which is secretly hidden in the forbidden land of the Elven Forest, every family that lives outside its borders must endure living in fear of their child being born with affinity to nature.”
The driver let out a weary sigh.
“….The church is nothing like it once was.”
“Then why don’t you resist?”
Optimist asked.
“How could we resist?”
The driver shook his head bitterly.
“The church controls the greatest force, with nearly all second-rank and higher experts affiliated with it. Who could possibly stand against them?”
After hearing what the driver said, the five players looked at each other and fell silent.
Indeed.
Although the local inhabitants of this demi-realm carried traces of elven blood within them and exhibited some extraordinary abilities, most were only at the apprentice rank.
Very few ever reached the rudimentary Iron-rank.
In fact, except for Elder Roergue, almost all intermediate Iron-rank experts they came across are clergymen and soldiers from the church.
“Is this the church founded by that guy who betrayed the Goddess? Honestly, it feels like just another cult to me.”
Chopin muttered, shaking his head.
The others nodded in agreement.
They weren’t inexperienced rookies anymore, and by now, it was pretty obvious to them how corrupted this church had become, even if their Big Sister Zero hadn’t directly spelled it out for them.
It was glaringly obvious that the so-called Church of Creation had deviated far from the path of the proper religious institution it once was.
Although it had once been seen as a beacon of faith, it had now imposed forced indoctrination onto its members, turning its clergymen from benevolent guides into ruthless oppressors.
Worse yet, it also exploited suitable children as living sacrifices for their corrupted god.
Combined with its harvesting of the demi-realm’s life potential, the Church had clearly stood in direct opposition to the Goddess.
The carriage rolled on for another quarter of an hour before coming to a gradual stop.
The driver’s voice called from the front:
“My lords, we have finally reached the city of Seigües. This is as far as I can go, and I will not be able to accompany you further inside.”
Unaware of the players’ true identities, the driver only knew they were acting on behalf of Elder Roergue to complete a mission in the city.
After hearing the driver’s words, the five players peered out of the window and saw a majestic city looming ahead, its architecture bearing a distinct elven influence.
After dismounting from the carriage, they bid farewell to the driver, who turned back toward the road.
“Captain, what’s our next move?”
The rest of the team looked at their leader.
Boxlunch reached into his coat and pulled out a crystal orb.
At that moment, the orb was glowing faintly, pulsating as though reacting to some unseen force.
This was the key item given to them by Elder Roergue, which is a device capable of detecting the presence of the Heart of Life.
The orb’s glow indicated they were getting closer to their target.
Clutching the orb tightly, Boxlunch closed his eyes, focusing onto the signal.
After a moment, he opened them again.
“Follow me.”
The group adjusted their gear and set off toward the city gates.
— 444 —
【 THE CORRUPTEDCHURCH 】
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