Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 447 Good Citizen Who Acts Righteously

After Ethan lifted her onto his head, the black cat's eyes became much clearer. She cleared her throat and began to introduce herself, "I am An, a member of the black cat clan. Because I haven't mastered transformation magic yet, I signed a contract with Moriko, forming a symbiotic relationship."

"A symbiotic relationship!?"

Ginny's ears twitched in surprise; to the demi-humans, this scene looked exactly like a human puppet show.

"Although it looks like a young man with a black cat on his head, the black cat is actually the real thing."

Xiao An continued to explain to everyone the setting that Ethan had come up with on the spot, "Because I couldn't stand the discipline at home, I ran away from my tribe to work. I was taken in by Sister Ginny, but I can't do many heavy jobs with my strength, so I had to find a symbiote to help me with the work."

"...It is somewhat similar to the relationship between humans and familiars."

Winter explained it using knowledge of the occult, which happened to be extremely prosperous in the far west, with things like voodoo and necromancy having similar connections.

This should convince the border control officers.

"I think it's feasible."

Ginny crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. "That way, everything will be foolproof!"

……

After a long day of running around, Ethan finally got a good night's sleep. But before dawn the next day, Ginny knocked on everyone's doors and woke them up. She had already tidied herself up and looked full of energy. "Get ready to leave, or we won't be able to get in line."

Ethan was puzzled, but when the group arrived at the border checkpoint and looked at the sea of ​​people, he understood what Ginny meant.

The crowd, which looked like a dark cloud looming over them, was surprisingly quiet. Even when they did talk, it was in hushed whispers. An atmosphere of oppression and unease permeated the crowd. Before dawn, the first group of people entering the country had already formed a long queue in front of the border inspection station.

"If it's any later, we might have to wait until tomorrow."

Ginny explained to everyone, "The review process here is much more complicated than...".

She paused deliberately, and Ethan could tell that the omitted part referred to the Empire. However, in the far west, "Empire" had almost become a taboo word, and most people would avoid mentioning it to avoid getting into trouble.

About ten minutes later, a slight commotion arose at the front of the line.

"The examiners must have arrived at work."

"Ginny said."

However, the crowd in line did not become excited by the arrival of the inspectors. On the contrary, even the occasional chatter could not be heard, and everyone's face remained silent.

A large number of them are illegal immigrants.

The end of the world is never short of people who claim to have connections and can get you entry permits to the far west for a fee.

But in reality, whether or not one can successfully cross the border is entirely up to fate for most people.

If you encounter a conscientious swindler, they won't tamper with the paperwork. At most, the censor will discover the loophole and send you back. But if you encounter a ruthless swindler, as long as they subtly hint in the paperwork that you have connections with the Empire's intelligence agencies, you'll likely be invited for a chat and never come back.

Here, take this.

Ginny handed out the prepared money bags to each person in turn, instructing them, "When you go through the checkpoint, give him this along with your ID and say it's a donation for saving the world."

As they spoke, a deep, solemn bell rang, followed by a calm and clear male voice, its echo slightly reverberating in the empty examination hall:

"Attention all those seeking entry."

"Please proceed to the designated area immediately to queue and ensure that you have all your entry application documents, identification, and supporting materials in hand. Prepare in advance."

"Please remain quiet and patient until it is your turn. Any noise, pushing, or questioning will affect your review results."

"Follow every instruction from the inspector, answer all questions truthfully, and your every move will be recorded and used as part of the review and evaluation."

"Order is the first cornerstone leading to the Pure Land. May your documents be complete, and may your soul be devout."

May the goddess of life guide your path.

After the announcement, another bell rang, and the procession began to move slowly forward.

Why did they come here?

Bazatos asked Ginny, puzzled. He could sense the emotional fluctuations of the crowd. There was no pure faith among them, nor the fervor of pilgrimage. What drove them were negative emotions such as unease and fear. For those of them, passing through the border checkpoint to the far west was a painful decision.

This was completely different from the faith He knew, because He could not comprehend it.

If it's painful, why flock to it?
"Most of these people live in the small countries surrounding the far west. Don't be fooled by their travel-worn appearance; most of them are wealthy merchants, and some are even nobles."

Ginny said, "They sold their possessions and brought their families to this unfamiliar city because of Pope Carlo's relentless propaganda about Doomsday."

Far from the empire, the far west is a region where the Papacy's rule is deeply entrenched. To most people, the Pope is the spokesperson for God, and every word he utters is a divine oracle from the goddess of life.

Carlo foretold the coming of Doomsday and the return of the goddess of life.

At the end of the Seventh Age, the Goddess of Life will awaken all the sleeping Right and Middle Gods to wage a final battle against the evil gods who have broken the seal.

In that war that swept across the entire world, almost all living beings perished, and in the end, only 144,000 people were able to witness the arrival of the Eighth Age.

The Cathedral of the Dawn in the far west will become humanity's last stronghold.

"This is the admission ticket."

Ginny shook the money pouch in her hand. Although she had always scoffed at the doomsday prophecy of the Church of Life, she could not deny that there were many supporters of this prophecy in the far west. She often reminded her fellow members of the merchant guild not to speak carelessly when they came here.

The internal struggle in the far west has long since ended. All the rebels of the Church of Life have been wiped out. Here, the Vatican doesn't even need to lift a finger. If you utter any words in the street that disrespect the Goddess or the Vatican, you will immediately be attacked by a mob of fanatical believers.

"Those who had not yet reached the far west before Doomsday were excluded from the ranks of survivors."

Ginny shrugged.

This is why people from neighboring small countries with even a little bit of influence are desperate to cross the border.

"In the far west, donating money, reporting cult followers, or joining the pious band are all contributions to the great cause of salvation."

"The Devout Chapter?"

"For those who cannot find work and make a living after entering the country, joining the Devout Warband is the only way out."

Ginny explained, "The Vatican has assembled a large legion, but as for who the target of this war is, I have no idea, and it's not something we can get involved in."

Hearing this, Ethan understood.

No wonder Ivy went to great lengths to hint at him to stage a "fireplace explosion" before they set off, and even sent the Empire's military intelligence to the far western border. It seems that Pope Carlo has not only seriously damaged the Empire's international reputation, but is also very likely to be secretly planning a war.

He has portrayed the empire as followers of an evil god, so as followers of the rightful god, they also have ample reason to wage a holy war.

These outsiders, who are constantly entering the country because they believe in the "doomsday" prophecy, will become the best "fillers" for filling in the gaps.

"Senko, Touko, Bazi, I know you're all smart people. Once you're in the country, it's best to refrain from discussing the Vatican in the streets."

"of course."

Then came another long wait, and it was several hours later when it was finally their turn. The line behind them was still so long that it seemed endless. It was lunchtime, and the people in line were taking out their dry rations and eating them.

During this time, Ethan also witnessed several minor incidents—for example, the alarms went off shortly after several entrants entered the checkpoint, and several Vatican law enforcement officers wielding maces held down the crying entrants and took them to a house next to the border checkpoint.

According to Ethan's observation, those people who entered the country never came out again after being taken inside.

"Next person."

A dry, harsh voice came from above.

Ethan was at the back of the group. As he walked into the not-so-spacious pavilion, a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes immediately fell on him.

Ethan saw a face pale from long hours of indoor work, skin taut, cheekbones slightly protruding. He sat behind thick bulletproof glass and cast iron railings, almost hidden in the shadows and the cold lines cast by the filing cabinets. He was wearing a dark blue uniform.

"The document shows that you are a demi-human."

The examiner's voice was low, yet it sounded somewhat aggressive.

This position, though not particularly prestigious in the far west, can easily determine the future of an entrant.

He looked down at the documents Ethan had submitted and emphasized, "Not a human and a cat."

"I am the one who entered the country."

Xiao An spoke up, "This one below is my symbiote. Don't yell at him. He can only work; he has no independent thought."

"Symbiosis".

The examiner repeated himself, then stared intently at Ethan for a few more moments.

Xiao An's confident and assertive statement did add some credibility, after all, there aren't many cats in the world that understand human language. As for her attitude... she's used to being confident and assertive, and she can always show no guilty conscience, whether she's right or wrong.

After saying that, Xiao An casually tossed the money bag over, saying, "This is my donation for saving the world."

The inspector weighed the money bag in his hand, and his furrowed brow immediately relaxed a little.

He glanced at the document again and stamped the official seal on the entry permit section.

"We hope you will abide by the law."

After saying that, he took out a bracelet-like device from the drawer and pushed it towards Xiao An.

"Here you go, Moriko."

Xiao An held her head high, such an opportunity was rare. She was now standing above Senzi and could remotely control Senzi's actions.

This perfectly illustrates her status in the family—it's so high it could fly.

Ethan had just picked up the documents and put them away, and before he could even put the strange bracelet on his wrist, a loud "bang" came from behind him. In an instant, the alarm blared, and a piercing scream came from outside the pavilion.

Ethan jolted awake, just as he was wondering where he had slipped up, thinking he had exposed himself. Then, a loud crash from behind made the ground beneath his feet shake.

Someone broke into the checkpoint.

He immediately understood why the alarm had sounded.

The intruder possessed immense strength; the lowered iron fence was utterly ineffective in stopping his advance. With a mere shove of his nearly two-and-a-half-meter-tall body, he smashed a human-shaped hole through the iron fence. The man's bare upper body was covered in spell symbols, and Ethan had no idea where this person had come from.

He was quite certain that there hadn't been such a conspicuous, burly man within ten meters behind him.

Hearing the commotion, the Vatican's enforcement team rushed out from the next room, but they didn't have time to stop the burly man's actions. Ethan only saw the burly man exchange a glance with the inspector before grinning maliciously, raising the bundled energy crystals high, and shouting at the top of his lungs, "For Bazatos!"

"Moriko, use the ramming attack!"

Little Dark nervously tugged at Ethan's hair with his claws, urging him to attack the burly man before the "bomb" exploded.

Even before Ethan planned the "fireplace bombing," there were already people who wanted to blow up the border checkpoint's inspection booth.

Ethan, without a second thought, immediately charged headlong into the burly man.

If this thing explodes, he'll probably have a hard time explaining to the Vatican's law enforcement officers why the inspectors and attackers were blown to bits, while he was still alive and kicking as he walked out of the ruins of the checkpoint.

With a muffled thud, the energy-storing crystal in the burly man's hand flew several meters away. Before flying backward, he stared at Ethan in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand why Ethan, with his small frame, could knock him ten meters away.

Ethan spotted the direction and made the burly man land straight in the enforcement team's midst. The enforcement officers swung their enchanted maces and began to whack the burly man's head.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. About a minute later, the head of the enforcement team entered the checkpoint to check the situation.

"You mean this... lady bravely intervened and knocked the intruder away?"

Upon hearing the inspector's explanation, the captain looked Ethan up and down in astonishment.

"Don't let his small size fool you, Moriko usually does manual labor."

Xiao An explained proudly.

But in reality, Ethan's ability to knock that burly man away was the result of her precise maneuvering.

That burly man just had a close encounter with a mini black hole.

Since reuniting with Ethan, her control over her strength has become much more refined. If it were before, that strong man would probably have lost half of his body after the impact.

"In any case, it's all thanks to you for stepping forward."

The captain said gratefully, "Please put on the bracelet."

Although he had some doubts, Ethan did as he was told.

Upon contact with the wrist, the bracelet immediately emitted a light green glow. The captain manipulated the bracelet a few times, and the number marked "0" jumped to "300".

Contribution to Salvation.

The label next to it reads like this.

"Thank you for your contribution to the great cause of salvation. The attackers are followers of the evil god Bazartos, and we will conduct a more in-depth investigation."

Ethan continued to play the role of the "symbiote doing physical labor" without expressing his opinion, but the moment the burly man shouted "For Barzatos!", Conan's background music started playing in his mind.

This attack, which appears to be an attack by followers of an evil god, contains huge loopholes and looks like the work of an outsider who has never been in contact with the followers of Bahrain.

To make people recognize his identity immediately, he shouted the name of Bazartos during the attack. However, friends who often engage in the worship of evil gods know that true followers of Bazartos call Him "Father." If any believer dares to call out the name of the Father in public, even without Bazartos himself taking action, the believers around him will jump up and slap him across the face.

With these questions in mind, Ethan left the examination booth and rejoined the others who were waiting on the other side.

Xiao An's head was practically pointing to the sky.

"Have you received the bracelets too?"

She took the initiative to ask the question, and before anyone else could answer, she casually covered her mouth with her front paws and laughed triumphantly, "Oh ho ho, how did you guys know I won 300 contribution points?"

(End of this chapter)