Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 451 You've done very well
It's a lie, definitely a lie.

This was Solaris's first reaction. As the most devout believer of the Goddess of Life and the overseer of the Church in the border city, he could not allow such blasphemous behavior to spread under his nose!
That's how it should be...

But when he came to his senses from the room, night had already fallen outside the window.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave. The entire church had quieted down, and perhaps going out now wouldn't attract too much attention.

His mind was like a Pandora's box that had been opened, with evil and blasphemous thoughts springing up like mushrooms after rain.

His decades of ascetic practice could not earn him even a single glance from the goddess, but this potion, priced at 201 gold lions, could fulfill the lifelong wish of him and many other ascetics of the Church.

If this were true, Solaris wouldn't hesitate for a second, let alone 201 Lions, or even 2000 Lions, or even if it meant spending his entire life savings.

This must be a scam, but...

What if, what if it's true?

Although the 201 Golden Lion was expensive, it was still well within his means. Even if it turned out to be a scam, it wouldn't have any economic impact on him. On the contrary, if such a potion did exist, it would not only overturn the theory of the fall of the rightful god proposed by the Imperial Truth, but also make his life as a believer complete.

Even if he dies in his room the next morning, it will be a death without regrets.

"Sasha, Sasha."

A gust of wind blew through the half-open window into Solaris's room, stirring a book that had been placed on the table at some point, freezing it on one of its pages.

Solaris was somewhat dazed. He didn't know where the book came from, but that page seemed to be an allegory about the Church of Life, depicting an ascetic just like himself.

During an attack launched by followers of an evil god, the goddess saved him three times—by the city's guards, by a caravan leaving the city, and by the residents who brought him home when he was on the verge of death. However, these methods of rescue were rejected by the ascetic because they were too "ordinary".

He firmly believed that the goddess would surely bestow divine power upon her followers in a greater and more unique way.

Solaris skimmed through the stories in the parchment book and could naturally discern their essence.

Is it...

Is their long-held belief in asceticism wrong?

The reason they haven't been able to get the goddess's attention is actually because they've been using the wrong methods.
He developed a strong sense of self-doubt.

Once you start heading in the wrong direction, the harder you try, the further you stray from the right path.

As Solaris continued along this line of thought, he immediately recalled that none of the saints who had claimed to have received the goddess's gaze had necessarily undergone ascetic practices.

Archbishop Tourzan during the reign of Henry III was an iron-fisted politician and military leader who launched several holy wars in the name of the Church of Life. Saint Mary, on the other hand, was born in the darkest and most chaotic Scarlet Age. She traveled between countries, actively seeking ways to expel the plague.

These great figures recorded in the Holy Scriptures never emphasized descriptions of their ascetic practices; in fact, many of their experiences in their youth contradicted the idea of ​​asceticism.

Solaris stood before the table, reflecting on why he had embarked on the path of asceticism.

That's probably because the priests in the church say that it's the most difficult path for believers, and only those who dedicate their lives to the goddess can persevere on this path.

At that time, he firmly believed that the more difficult the path, the more likely he was to win the favor of the goddess.

The idea of ​​"blasphemy" was vaguely gaining the upper hand.

However, Solaris had a new interpretation of "blasphemy." He suddenly realized the common thread in these things—the young priest and the mysterious parchment book on his desk had both appeared out of nowhere, and both were leading him toward the same thing.

Perhaps this is not a coincidence at all, but an arrangement of fate!
Solaris was thrilled and almost impatiently left the cathedral, heading toward the address the young priest had given him.

This scene was witnessed by Ethan and the blue-haired girl beside him, who were hiding outside the church.

The breeze blowing into Solaris's room was the work of the literary girl, but he discovered that the power of the wind element was far more than that. The fables in the parchment were also written by the literary girl, and as the breeze blew, the words appeared on the blank parchment like movable type.

The young literary student demonstrated exceptional writing skills, completing her first collection of fables in less than two hours.

"I always felt... he was a little pitiful."

The literary girl stared at Solaris's retreating figure for a long time, until he disappeared at the end of the street.

He was completely fooled without realizing it. Even though he was over sixty and had seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships, he still got excited like a hot-blooded young man over a fable.

"Remember this silhouette? Never imitate him."

Ethan also had mixed feelings.

The literary-minded girl nodded hesitantly. When there were no motorcycles around and no fights to be fought, she remained introverted and quiet.

There's a saying in my hometown: "A simp who licks boots will end up with nothing."

When the young literary girl finished her first allegorical work, Ethan clarified the relationship between the ascetics and the goddess of life. Stripping away the religious and theological elements, he gave a concise summary of their behavior: there exists such a group of people in the Papacy who dedicate their entire lives, their youth, wealth, and even their lives, just to convey a message to the goddess of life—Goddess, please look at me!

They don't even dare to dream of holding the goddess's hand, let alone fantasize about becoming her partner, because the very existence of such a thought is blasphemous.

Bishop Solaris is a representative figure among them. He has been yearning for God since he joined the church as a child, and has remained so for decades. Even though the goddess never looked at him, Solaris has no regrets.

"Moreover, we are doing good now."

Solaris's eagerness eased Ethan's guilt considerably. He felt a subtle shift in his identity—he was now the owner of an LV bag store, giving this aging simp who had been licking the goddess's boots for decades without ever meeting her a chance to realize his dream.

If you buy this bag for 201 gold lions, your goddess will take a second look at you.

how about it?
Doesn't that sound like a great deal?
But the best part is yet to come, because the service at their luxury store is absolutely not something to be taken lightly. During the potion-making process, Winter specially invited Barzatos, an ancient god who had actually seen the goddess of life, to show her the goddess's image in detail.

To achieve a 100% accurate recreation, Lao Ba even used his own flesh and blood to create a life-size puppet of the Goddess of Life for them as a reference.

Ethan can now confidently guarantee that what Solaris is about to see is the complete, flawless image of the Goddess of Life. He has already surpassed all the goddess's followers since the First Age, because since the fall of the gods, no one has ever seen the goddess's true face. The followers' understanding of the goddess's image is limited to a few words in the holy scriptures.

However, the descriptions before the First Age are vague and unclear, and it is impossible to restore the true goddess of life based on those few words.

As for the form of the transaction, they also made some ingenious arrangements.

With the help of many natural elements, Ethan used the description of the Garden of Life in the Holy Scriptures to create a "vending machine" for Solaris.

When he places the 201 Golden Lions into the altar, the gates of the Garden of Life will open for him, and he will find the prepared potion deep within the lush plants.

Damn!

Their service was absolutely impeccable!

Half an hour later, Ethan and the literary girl watched as Solaris returned to their residence with light steps.

He seemed quite satisfied with the "vending machine" that Ethan had prepared.

Designer Winter has also arrived.

She brought a glass of chilled watermelon juice and some snacks, and used elemental magic to set up an ice table in the bushes outside the church. "What are you doing? This is watermelon juice, not a potion."

Seeing that Ethan was hesitating to take a bite, Winter said.

"How about... you take a sip first?"

"hiss."

Winter gasped, then angrily leaned over and took a big gulp right in front of Ethan.

What about the most basic trust between people?

Why has Ethan become increasingly wary of her lately? This is clearly not a good sign!

Meanwhile, Solaris was still trembling uncontrollably as he sat back down on the mattress. Just moments before, he had entered the Garden of Life as recorded in the holy scriptures and obtained this potion, which emitted a faint green glow, from a blooming flower bud. It was full of vitality and exuded the moisture of rain and the scent of plants.

At this moment, he had a deeper understanding of the 201 Golden Lion.

Such value must have been the result of the goddess's painstaking efforts. Combined with the parables in the parables on the parchment, all of this was to tell him that faith does not come from nothing, but is built upon the material world.

Solaris began to tidy himself up. Even though he was no longer young, he wanted to be in the best possible condition to meet the goddess at this moment. From his hair and eyebrows to his beard, and then his priest's robes, which symbolized his bishop status, he cast several spells to ensure that the robes were spotless.

After ensuring everything was perfect, Solaris finally unscrewed the cap, drank the bright green potion in one gulp, and almost the next moment, he closed his eyes and lay down on the bed.

When he came to his senses, the world before him was obscured by lush vegetation.

He then walked into the courtyard.

He held his breath, immersing himself in the trajectory laid out for him by the vigorous life energy, following its guidance step by step.

Solaris finally met him.

I saw the woman deep in the courtyard, surrounded by flowers.

He had imagined countless times what it would be like to be gazed upon by the goddess, and he had prepared countless questions to ask that great being. However, when the moment finally arrived, Solaris found himself so excited that he lost the ability to speak. He could only stare blankly at the beautiful figure surrounded by flowers in the distance.

His heart was about to stop beating.

The figure turned its face to the side, the perfect angle Solaris could imagine.

"No need for further explanation, Solaris, I know everything."

The voice was everywhere, saying, "You've done very well."

Solaris felt as if his soul had been purified at that moment, and all the darkness that had grown with the passage of time had vanished. He felt as if he had returned to the beginning.

Of course, to onlookers, it was a completely different story.

"Alas."

The literary girl was the first to offer her opinion.

When she saw Solaris clutching his pillow tightly in his sleep, his whole body twisted in a ball, she stared in shock. And when those two streams of hot tears flowed down his face like a burst dam, she could no longer hold back.

She made no attempt to hide the disgust in her eyes.

She made a significant contribution to the setting of the Garden of Life, and Solaris's current appearance made her very uncomfortable.

want to……

He couldn't help but unleash a spatial slash at the figure that was twisted into a ball in the room.

"Don't say that. No matter what, he patronized Moriko's business and is a customer of our store."

The senior student from the Electric Element class, who rushed over to join the fun, advised, "Humans are all like this. The more emotions they suppress, the harder it is to control them when they erupt. Ascetics are just like that. They not only have to follow all the doctrines of the Church, but also have to eliminate most of human emotions, and they will be all alone until they die of old age."

Solaris, in his sixties, was already in the final stage of his life, so one can imagine how intense it must have been when his suppressed emotions erupted!
However, the senior student's well-intentioned advice seemed to have the opposite effect, and the literature girl's eyes widened even more, "You mean all humans are like this?"

She stared at the slicked-back-haired senior for a long time before turning her gaze back to Solaris.

"Decided."

The literary-minded girl took a deep breath. "From now on, single elderly people are prohibited from using wind elemental magic."

"is not what it means!"

Ethan observed Winter with surprise. As the potion maker, Winter had orchestrated their meeting and conversation, allowing Ethan to witness another side of Winter—how she had managed to turn this sixty-something-year-old bachelor into a twisted shrimp with just two sentences.

"You seem to understand their mindset very well..."

"What's this?"

Winter said nonchalantly that compared to the wealthy young masters in the academy who had considerable dating experience, this kind of person who was still single in his sixties was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

“Back when I was studying at the academy, those people would bother me every now and then.”

The drawer should contain roses and love letters, as well as all sorts of ingenious surprises.

Her student days were so colorful and vibrant.

"So, you had many suitors before?"

"Ok?"

Winter suddenly narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly. "Jealous?"

"No, I'm not a primary school student."

Back when Winter was studying at the academy, he was an outstanding figure on par with the Dark Lord, so it would be illogical if he didn't have any suitors.

"I sent them all to solitary confinement."

Winter lowered her voice and winked mischievously at Ethan, "Of course I know all about their little schemes. Otherwise, how could I have let them put potions in Professor Wapol's lunchbox or bring the Stinking Crystal into the Headmaster's office?"

"Imagine."

"But speaking of actively pursuing..."

Winter changed the subject abruptly, staring intently at Ethan, "It only happened once."

(End of this chapter)