(Xyrean Province- Outskirts)
"It is a pleasure to meet someone who has also been blessed by the Lord," Sister Guan clasped her hands together as she spoke.
Qin Lan glanced at the monster on the ground that was still whimpering softly and walked over to it.
The beast glanced at her with its cold yellow eyes, but Qin Lan had no mercy left inside her heart.
She plunged her knife downwards into the wound created by the earth spike and twisted it violently.
The wolf-like monster closed its eyes and died as Qin Lan severed its throat.
During this entire time Qin Lan ignored the strange woman and her companions but kept her eye on their movements.
The nun possessed an ability capable of manipulating the earth but did her companions also have gifts as well?
No… something was wrong…
Ability users were supposed to be rare and yet she had already encountered two in a relatively rural province.
The three men surrounding the nun seemed to be angry at her apparent disrespect, but the woman simply smiled and waited patiently.
"Thank you for your assistance," Qin Lan finally spoke with a cold and distant tone.
"I assume that you are all part of Father Han's congregation?"
"Do you know Father Han?" Sister Guan replied in shock.
"No… I just met someone a few miles away who mentioned that someone was gathering those with abilities…" Qin Lan freely admitted.
Sister Guan closed her eyes and muttered a few silent words of prayer under her breath. Qin Lan maintained a cautious distance between herself and the group.
The teenagers inside the van were looking at the situation from behind the windows and Qin Lan signalled for them to stay inside.
"He… he… he is the one who gave us these gifts. The Lord spoke to him in a dream and made him a vessel to pass down his divine will to his believers…" Sister Guan slowly spoke.
"Father Han is no longer just a mortal… he is beyond that…
"He gave you abilities?" Qin Lan asked with a trace of confusion in her voice.
"Yes… those who are faithful to his cause will receive the blessings… please allow me to demonstrate…" Sister Guan calmly spoke.
She held out both her palms and a tiny hut made out of soil rose up from the earth. The hut gradually expanded until it became the size of a normal apartment.
That was at least a level two or three ability…
Qin Lan furrowed her brows in confusion and was about to ask another question when she realised something…
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ Why were wrinkles appearing on Sister Guan's face?
The nun previously looked as though she was in her late twenties but now, she seemed to be in her mid thirties.
It was impossible to see her body beneath those heavy black robes, but Qin Lan was convinced that somehow, she looked a bit skinner.
No… what the hell was going on?
Qin Lan closed her eyes in pain as a sudden memory resurfaced in her mind from the original Qin Lan.
She saw an elderly man dressed in a priest robe being held down in front of her.
The man shouted something about divine right before the original Qin Lan opened her mouth and commanded him to bite off his own tongue.
The elderly man screamed in rage and suddenly numerous gifted individuals burst through the door and tried to rescue him.
There was not a single person in the group who looked as though they were below the age of sixty and wrinkles could clearly be seen on their faces.
The memory ended at that moment, but Qin Lan felt that the original Qin Lan was calm as if she expected this result...
And was prepared to kill them all.
Qin Lan opened her eyes and saw that Sister Guan was only a few inches away with a concerned look on her face.
She hurriedly took a few steps back and avoided the nun's outstretched hand that attempted to caress her cheek.
"Are you alright my child?" Sister Guan asked softly.
"Yes… but please do not approach me… you must understand that in these times I cannot trust any strangers…" Qin Lan explained in a firm tone.
"How dare you?!" one of the men shouted with anger burning in his gaze.
Sister Guan raised up her hand and the man was instantly silenced as though his outburst had never occurred.
"Please… why don't you come with me?" Sister Guan suggested with a small smile.
"We have food… water… and warmth. Those children… they require a sense of community in these hard times."
"Father Han has decided to help the less fortunate and those in need. There are no strings attached for the Lord has commanded us to be kind and generous."
The nun glanced at the teenagers hiding in the van and a friendly expression flashed across her face.
And yet… there was an emotion in her gaze that unsettled Qin Lan.
It was like she was looking at those teenagers as if they were… a precious resource.
"I'm sorry but I will have to decline your kind offer," Qin Lan said diplomatically.
Sister Guan shook her head in disappointment and walked towards the group of three men who carefully moved into a formation around her.
"Don't worry… Father Han will always welcome the blessed ones…" Sister Guan cryptically whispered as she walked away.
Qin Lan waited until their figures had vanished into the distance before walking over to the corpse of the wolf-like monster and using her knives to split its head open.
She dug around for several minutes before finding a large purplish black crystal with a single red vein running through its middle.
The crystal was around the size of her fist and hummed with power. Qin Lan placed the crystal in her pocket and walked back to the van.
"I think we need to go to a less crowded part of the province… I don't know what those people want but they seem to be part of some kind of cult," Qin Lan gently explained.
"I… I didn't like how that nun looked at us…" Chen Xiao whispered quietly as he nervously glanced out of the window.
"Do you think they were telling the truth?" Liu Tao suddenly asked.
"The truth about what?" Gong Li responded with a puzzled look on her face.
"Abilities! Can that Father Han guy give people abilities?" Liu Tao spoke with an excited gleam in her eyes.
"I'm not sure… but every power has a price. I saw wrinkles appear on that nun's face as she used her gift…" Qin Lan quickly extinguished the young girl's hopes.
Gaining an ability was without a doubt a very attractive offer but the original Qin Lan's memory was still fresh in her mind.
Father Han did not seem to be the kind of character willing to give out those so- called 'blessings' out of the goodness of his heart.
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