A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 183 The Night of the Pizza Girl's Arcane Festival (Theatrical Version)

After hearing Amamiya Yu say these words in such a serious tone, Quinn couldn't hold back anymore.

"Lord Cavendish."

"Hmm? No need to be so formal, you can call me 'older sister'!" Yu Gongxi said cheerfully. "By the way, 'Your Excellency' is not appropriate for a king. In the nobility system of the Southern Continent, a king is slightly higher than a prince, so 'Your Highness' should be used."

Quinn wondered why the mother and daughter both had this strange quirk—that liking to be the older sister was hereditary?
He didn't bother with formalities and simply said:

"It is said that you are one of the twelve cardinals of the White Church."

"Yes, although the old men in the Divine Court are trying to impeach me, I can still receive my salary for now."

Amamiya Yu casually recounted the bombshell news of the White Church infighting that garnered a full front page coverage in The Times.

"So, you are a priest?"

Upon hearing this question, Amamiya Yu smiled again, her eyes crinkling into a squinty expression.

"Guess~"

Quinn took a deep breath. "Is it really okay for you to promote the slogans of the Holy See?"

Amamiya Yu struck a super cute "hehe" pose, pretending to be clueless:

"The goddess can't hear what's being said in the academy anymore."

“You… uh, never mind, it’s nothing.” Quinn’s tone shifted several times, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

"Are you trying to ask how someone with such wavering faith like me became a clergyman of the Kagyu sect?"

Quinn remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

"Well, this involves some extraordinary secrets. You can study it yourself when you become a superhuman of Sequence Five or above."

Amamiya Yu leaned against the large wooden desk with her arms crossed. "In short, it's not like you think, that only priests can use divine magic. Even if you're an ordinary person, you can do it too."

"After arriving in Temuran, everything here has greatly impacted my worldview," Quinn replied helplessly. "But even so, the education I received from childhood makes it difficult for me to develop a devout faith in a religion."

"You don't need to have any faith."

"What?" Quinn looked up sharply, his voice rising.

Whether in the secular or mystical world, there is a common understanding of 'faith'—believers who wish to receive divine protection or become clergy members of a religion need to cultivate faith over time.

The more devout one's faith, the more one's behavior conforms to doctrine, the more one participates in church activities, and the more one places God above one's life, the more likely one is to receive the divine grace that is both mysterious and supremely good.

It's merely a 'possibility'. Regardless of the religion, the vast majority of believers, even those who dedicate their lives to pilgrimage, can only sit beneath the church altar in prayer, gazing up at those draped in divine robes, unable to transcend the boundary between the mundane and the transcendent.

In Quinn's view, faith is like currency, a currency that depreciates infinitely. You never know what you can buy from the church with it, but if you can't, you don't even have the chance to step into the church.

Although Boss Servi had said something similar, even in the mouth of the old drunkard who was so disrespectful to the gods, becoming a priest required a firm belief, and whether one could advance to the next level depended on whether that belief was useful to the gods.

If the outside world knew that a cardinal had said something like "faith is not necessary," the religious world would probably be in an uproar.

Amamiya Yuu spoke indifferently, using the most languid tone to utter the most blasphemous words.

"If the gods so desire, even heretics can invoke divine magic, or even miracles."

"However, compared to the clergy, they are certainly inferior. But divine magic and miracles are the power of the gods, and this difference can be completely erased by the gods' mood."

It took Quinn a while to process the meaning of those words.

"So...you want me to go to the Holy See to learn divine magic?"

"No need to learn it, divine magic just falls from the sky with a few prayers."

Is it easy?

Wangcai, who was carrying the gifts, glanced at Quinn with the look of someone looking at an idiot.

"Of course it's not easy. Even if the seven major religions were combined, there would be very few people who could receive divine gifts without being clergy—I mean very few in the more than a thousand years of the Divine Calendar. Most of them later became saints, prophets, and anointed ones who are famous in the history of their religions."

"."

Quinn pointed to his bewildered face, as if asking, 'Me?'

You mean, you want me, a demon infiltrator, to go to the cult to beg for a favor?
Quinn could practically see the stake beckoning him.

“Heh,” Yu Gongyu seemed to see through Quinn’s thoughts. “Don’t worry, ordinary people can’t do it, but you can. You are a transmigrator from Earth. As long as you reveal your identity to the gods, you can be granted the divine arts of the seven major religions.”

Quinn laughed angrily.

"Where am I supposed to find a deity to prove my identity? Besides, do I look like someone who's tired of living?"

"All you need to do is pray."

"Of course, it's not just any casual prayer. You have to go to a church and stand before the statue or offerings, or find a clergyman, and then, during the ceremony, silently say in your heart, 'I am a transmigrator from Earth, and I hope the great God xx will give me some help.' If you are lucky enough, you will suddenly receive divine revelation at some point on a certain day."

"Is this dangerous? Why would the gods help me?"

"Humans cannot understand God."

Amamiya Yu said with a slightly serious tone, "In the eyes of the gods, whether it is humans or believers, they are all insignificant beings—even demons and natural disasters are no exception. Even if you slaughter all the people of the Southern Continent, as long as there is something that interests the gods, you can still receive blessings."

“You mean,” Quinn asked incredulously, “that the existence of Earth interests them?”

No wonder all religions are looking for heroes; isn't it all for the power to influence the future world?

Or is it God's task?

Amamiya Yu remained silent for a moment.

"Yes, this can even make the gods temporarily set aside their hostility towards the Demon King. Divine gifts come at a price, and this is the fastest way to make you stronger."

"How strong?"

“Very strong. Very strong. The sequence is actually not that important to clergy. How much power they can unleash depends on what the gods bestow upon them.”

Quinn listened silently.

"The price you might have to pay is insignificant. No one can say for sure what the gods are interested in. As for whether it's dangerous or not, it depends on whether the god you choose has a complete will. The more complete the god, the more he may demand."

"Cults like the Returning Tree Cult and the Full Moon Cult believe that their gods are driven only by instinct. The gods of the Deep Sea Church and the Death and Birth Cult don't seem to care much about humanity and might even be involved in deals. The White Cult and the Eternal Cult are the most dangerous; the Dragon Lord and Goddess have appeared to them more often than you can imagine."

Is the more complete the part, the more dangerous?
whole?

Quinn noticed that Amamiya Yu didn't mention the Vatican.

"And what about the sun?"

The creator god who surveys the world, the supreme being in the Tamulan mythology, possessing the most perfect divine status and having presided over the war against demons to protect humanity.
“Ah, the sun is the safest.” Amamiya Yu said with a sigh, “If you choose the Church, you can obtain divine magic with almost no cost.”

"why?"

Because of his near-arrest by the priests of the Holy See when he entered the city, Quinn harbors a vague sense of apprehension towards the world's largest religion and the god most hated by the demon race.

But the Church of Light was also the religion he knew best. Thanks to Pepe, Quinn read the Gospel of Genesis and a large number of church texts. The more he learned, the more curious he became.

The Vatican's doctrines are extremely peaceful. Apart from the most basic human values ​​of good and evil and the worship of the sun, there are almost no strange rules. This makes the Vatican the easiest religion to attract believers. People of all ages, genders, social classes, and political stances can be accepted by the Vatican.

Their primary focus is charity work. Two-thirds of the refugees from the Western Continent that Aishwell has are rescued by the Holy See. Without the intervention of the Sun Knights, the number of deaths from the war would likely have been many times higher. Behind the scenes, unseen by the public, the Holy See doesn't engage in open or covert struggles like other religious sects. Besides cracking down on cultists, they focus on capturing Abyss superhumans, resolving disasters caused by various supernatural events, and sealing containment objects.
This doesn't resemble the largest religion in a feudal world at all; it's more like a charitable and law enforcement organization led by superheroes.

If the gods on Earth were to achieve this status, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear "Little Boy" would probably no longer be Hiroshima.

"Do you want to ask why there's no price to pay, or why I recommended the Papacy?" "Both." Quinn said cautiously, "Gods are too unimaginable, but if there's no price to pay and the risk is low, then I can consider giving it a try."

“I don’t know why there’s no price to pay. This is what my husband said; he has a very good relationship with the Vatican.” Amamiya Yu said this with a strange hint of gritted teeth.

"However, there is one thing I can tell you: apart from Merlin, all the other heroes eventually chose the Holy See as their final resting place."

"."

Quinn thought of the system on his body. How did the Demon King get the four fellow countrymen's corpses from the Church?
"As for why I recommend you to choose the Vatican, the reason is simple. My dead husband's mistress works at the Vatican, and she should have some information about you. In short, she will take care of you."

For some reason, Amamiya Yu emphasized the word "concubine" heavily, especially the word "concubine," as if to show that she was the legitimate wife.

"Going to work?" Quinn thought to himself that this was the same as Mi Yutong writing in her essay that she had an uncle who worked at the Education Bureau. A priest goes to work, and a security guard goes to work, but can they be the same?

So the Vatican also practices the idea that contributions are not ranked, right?

"May I ask what she does at the Vatican?"

"A dead-end job, an office space that was vacated after the old man passed away."

Quinn wondered if there weren't any officially employed security guards.

Are you sure she can help me?

"Who knows? If my husband didn't tell her anything, it's not impossible that she might just arrest you."

"."

Seeing that Amamiya Yu didn't seem inclined to say anything more, Quinn stepped aside to express his gratitude.

“I will carefully consider your suggestion, but I’m afraid I have little chance of finding divine magic.”

"Are you being watched?"

"."

"Actually, it doesn't have to be a religion. You can think about whose divine arts are easiest to obtain."

Quinn was taken aback; it was obvious what Amamiya Yu was referring to.

The Demon King is also a god.

Although he planned to eliminate Him before leaving, if he could use divine magic before then, he would have another trump card to turn the tide if he encountered a powerful enemy like Ike, whose sequence was a whole level higher than his own.
But Ankuya had never told him that there was still divine magic he could use.

Is it because the power of the demon race is easily detected?

Compared to the power of arcane and supernatural abilities, divine magic is far more terrifying and unpredictable. Father Mord's ability to discern lies is child's play. In many true accounts, divine magic possesses an extremely high status that surpasses almost all mysterious existences, not to mention those 'miracles' of opening the heavens and splitting the seas, or bringing the dead back to life.

Amamiya Yu gave a brief introduction:
"Divine magic also varies. The Holy See's divine magic excels in punishment; the Returning Tree Cult's divine magic is mostly amplification; the Full Moon Cult's magic is based on moon magic; the Eternal Cult's divine magic is similar to the Secret Envoy's Word of Power; the Death and Birth Cult's divine magic is not suitable for combat; the White Cult's is also more focused on healing. As for the Deep Sea Church, I'm not too sure; they generally don't operate."

Upon hearing this, Quinn realized that the Papacy was indeed the most suitable option for him.

This perfectly fills the gap in the thief's lack of attack methods.

The Guishu Cult is also good; a boost would turn Sekiro into a numerical monster.

"Besides the academy, there are many other places in the world that are extremely difficult to explore. For example, the spirit world, some dungeons mutated by high-sequence characteristics, the secret realms of mythical species, or the secret chambers of various religious cathedrals."

Amamiya Yu's suggestion was good, but Quinn couldn't adopt it.

Without a proper reason, entering the secret chamber of the church would be tantamount to telling the Demon King that he was going to betray the Church.

The reason he always stayed at the academy was because the academy could isolate him from the Demon King's surveillance without arousing suspicion.

"Actually, there is a clergyman in Aishwell, and his rank isn't low," Amamiya Yu asked with a smile. "Do you have any leads?"

“No,” Quinn replied immediately.

"Then you can ask her. Bring her to the academy for a chat, have her convey your intentions outwards, and then pass them on to the Sun God through prayer. By the way, divine magic should alleviate the situation of you being monitored. If you do it discreetly, the person behind you should only suspect that you are being interfered with by the sun, and will not suspect you."

Quinn's eyes lit up immediately.

Amamiya Yu means that divine magic can break the Command Seals' surveillance?

He suddenly thought of a question: "Wouldn't that be the same as having a different god watching over me?"

"Clever," Yuu Amamiya chuckled. "But you don't need to worry too much. The gods are connected to every believer, so they can't watch what you're doing every single moment. Especially the Sun; the Holy See has over a billion believers."

"As a bishop, I have a theoretical experience to share with you. The more gods pay attention to you, the more they will conflict with each other. Under their influence, in the end, none of them may be able to look at you anymore, and you may have to choose a god to pray to."

Quinn was shocked.

Holy crap, is that even possible?
If betraying the Demon King and siding with the Church is treason, then what about siding with all seven other religions?

Eight deities serve me alone; the palms and backs of my hands are covered in this prickly spot, it feels good.

Amamiya Yu sniffed, finally unable to resist looking at the source of the office stench—the bag Quinn had brought.

"Is this a durian?"

Quinn simply took out the item: "Durian pizza, food from my hometown."

Looking at the meticulously prepared pancakes, Amamiya Yu asked in surprise, "You can cook too?"

"I have some knowledge of cooking."

"My husband can cook too. His family runs a restaurant, it's called 'dapaidang'."

"A street food stall?"

Quinn was taken aback, and a strange sense of familiarity suddenly flashed through his mind.

I seem to have eaten quite a few takeout meals from street food stalls.

"If you ever get expelled from college, you can come work as my chef. I really love Earth's food."

She held up her five beautiful fingers. "I can offer five hundred gold pounds a month's salary."

"Thank you, I'll consider it when I become unemployed."

Quinn thought for a moment, "This pizza is something I promised to give to my student. If you like, I can make some more for your daughter to bring to you. The recipe is fine too."

In Taymuri, "she" and "he" are different, so Amamiya Yu asked curiously, "Delivering pizza to female students?"

Quinn nodded. "A special holiday."

"Special holidays?"

Amamiya Yuu suddenly looked at the gift Wangcai was carrying, stared blankly for a long time, and then asked speechlessly, "...A sixth-grade student?"

"Correct."

"1.4 meters tall?"

"Amazing, how did you calculate that?"

Amamiya Yu let out a cold laugh.

"You Earthlings are all lolicon."

(End of this chapter)