Nightmare Light

Chapter 229 The Public and the Truth

Ten minutes later, the priests performed an embalming ritual on Vice-Bishop Zhao's body and placed it in a body bag.

“She will receive a dignified funeral—a funeral befitting an episcopal.”

Bishop Du announced this with a serious tone and a wave of his hand.

"To appease the public..."

Lin Wang sighed softly and spoke.

"There's nothing we can do. An entire temple outside the city has vanished into thin air. Everyone in Tangsheng City is on edge. Luoyun Palace has already called the temple three times, demanding that they arrest the person."

Bishop Du lowered his voice: "The temple is a difficult place to run."

“I understand the logic,” Lin Wang waved his hand, “but, there’s this…”

“The wicked should not be honored, but the public needs a lie,” Bishop Du said in a deep voice, his long eyebrows twitching as they swept across a shadow before him. “It is not fair to do this, but it will give the public justice—that is the temple’s duty.”

Lin Wang remained silent.

He knew that the temple's actions were wrong, but for the public...

Lin Wang looked up and gazed out the window.

His gaze pierced through the fog, looking deeper and farther away.

A few seconds later, Lin Wang shook his head and said, "The public deserves the truth... Big shots shouldn't use 'taken-for-granted' methods to prevent the public from obtaining the truth."

He looked at Bishop Du: "I don't think the public will riot after hearing such news."

Bishop Du paused for a few seconds, then said seriously, "Lin Wang, the temple values ​​your opinion, but you must understand that the public..."

"Whether you priests or those big shots from Luoyun Palace and Lushan Villa, you're all the same at heart—you always think the public is ignorant and foolish, and should be deceived and coaxed..."

Lin Wang's blunt words made all the priests present look rather unpleasant, and one young priest even put his hand on his weapon.

“I once met a young priest who died in the incident at the temple outside the city—he was the son of a shoe merchant, a typical commoner.”

"From the perspective of ordinary people, he is a member of the public; from the perspective of the temple, he is a priest. So I ask you, should he be deceived, or should he be given the truth?"

Many of the priests present looked shaken and exchanged glances.

Bishop Du also gradually frowned, but not with anger, but with a thoughtful expression.

Shi Xiong took a step toward Lin Wang.

“Many of you must have come from impoverished backgrounds, right? If your parents hadn’t awakened their talents, they would still be ordinary people, right?”

"On your first day in the temple, you swore an oath to the gods to protect the people and the truth. Isn't that right?"

Lin Wang's three soul-searching questions made the priests even more shaken.

He pointed at Vice-Bishop Zhao: "She made a mistake, killed many people, almost destroyed the entire city of Tangsheng, and almost killed more than a dozen innocent children!"

"Now, in order to maintain the so-called 'public emotional stability,' you're going to give such a person a dignified funeral? Where's your shame?"

Miaomiao squatted not far away, poking ants on the ground with a candied hawthorn stick. Hearing Lin Wang's words, she looked up at him, then lowered her head again, muttering to herself, "This northerner...not bad." "Lin Wang, she's already dead..." Bishop Du was still trying to persuade Lin Wang.

"Reason has nothing to do with life or death." Lin Wang said, emphasizing each word.

A hot-tempered priest drew his longsword with a loud shout and yelled, "Northerners! This is an internal matter of our temple!"

A ball of white flame instantly ignited in Lin Wang's hand. He refused to budge an inch and even took a step forward: "No, this is everyone's business."

With a whoosh, many priests raised their weapons, but strangely, many priests in the crowd hesitated, looking around, showing no intention of attacking Lin Wang.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Several priests looked at Bishop Du and Shi Xionglue, as if waiting for their order to pounce on Lin Wang.

Shi Xiong glanced around, sighed, picked up the pot and knife, and stood next to Lin Wang.

He deliberately spoke to Lin Wang in a voice that everyone could hear, saying, "You've really screwed me over... My cult is going to put me on the wanted list, and now the entire temple is going to kill me too."

“Bishop Stone…you, you actually helped this northerner?” A high-ranking priest with his face covered in markings exclaimed in shock and anger, “You’re from the temple, how could you help him?”

"Help my ass." Shi Xiong glared at the priest, his rugged face full of indifference. "I was only going back to the temple for a day or two anyway. Do you really think I have any sense of recognition for idiots like you?"

He sneered, "If those old guys from over a hundred years ago could see the temple in this state now, they'd probably be so angry they'd come back to life and launch a religious war against you."

Miaomiao squatted down a short distance away, raising her small wooden stick: "That makes sense!"

Shi Xiong clicked his tongue slightly, then threw the kitchen knife on the ground. The sharp blade embedded itself deeply in the floor. His eyes widened, and he said in a resounding voice, "Since when has the temple become a lackey of those politicians from Luoyun Palace?!"

After saying that, he quickly squatted down, looking distressed as he pulled out his knife: "Damn, this is my most expensive knife..."

Bishop Du was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Lin Wang, you know I will absolutely not agree to your request... The temple has its own rules of conduct, and no matter how important you are, this matter will not change."

"So this isn't a request, it's a demand," Lin Wang said forcefully.

After he finished speaking, he decided not to waste any more words with the priests, but instead took a step forward and raised his hand.

On his wrist, the black, galaxy-like crystal pyramid began to spin wildly.

A few seconds later, a female figure, entirely black and resembling a constellation of stars, slowly straightened up.

His voice sounded like the echoes of a thousand mountains, vast and majestic: "Lin Wang, what do you want with me?"

Bishop Du was utterly astonished: "You...you can summon a true god? You actually subdued Him?!"

“How dare you utter such blasphemous words? I am a true god, how could I possibly be subservient to a mortal?” the new god roared. “But I am currently staying at Lin Wang’s place, and He… can be considered my landlord.”

Bishop Du's expression shifted for a few seconds, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Lord of the Mountains...you...you are in charge of the power of the Mountains. My affairs with Lin Wang have nothing to do with the Mountains! You should not interfere!"

“Hmm…you are right.” Upon hearing Bishop Du’s words, the new god actually nodded. “In my previous life, I was the Lord of the Mountains, and indeed I should not meddle in matters outside the mountains.”

"Furthermore, I have not yet assumed any authority in this world, so it seems inappropriate for me to meddle in other people's business..."

Bishop Du's face lit up with a hint of joy, but then he heard Lord Qunshan say something he never expected:

"But I am unreasonable."

(End of this chapter)