My front door leads to a comic strip

Four days later.

Mundo.

The fog had not yet dissipated, and the rising sun gilded everything in front of us with a golden edge.

The city walls in the distance were faintly visible through the misty fog.

This is a relatively small human city-state on the southern continent, with a population of about three thousand.

Surrounded by a moat, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, the city is beginning to take shape.

Gu Yuan and Millie Alde approached slowly on horseback.

"We've finally arrived."

A gentle breeze caressed my face, carrying the sweet scent of wheat fields from afar.

Gu Yuan raised his hand to shield his brow, squinted at the soldiers in light armor not far away, and smiled slightly.

While there's nothing wrong with an adventure for two people, it ultimately lacks popularity.

Furthermore, the forty-odd gold coins of the unified empire that were obtained earlier were completely useless.

The more people there are, the more frequent the transactions, and perhaps the more likely you are to see other supernatural items.

As they approached the city, they crossed a creaking wooden bridge and dismounted.

After paying the entrance fee of two copper coins, the city scene from a thousand years ago came into view, laid out before us in its entirety.

Gu Yuan stood at the city gate, looked around, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Unlike the embellished scenes in animation, the land was covered in yellow earth and mud.

The air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of animal dung and the aroma of food.

The stone houses can only be seen from very far away.

This reminded him of the countryside of his past.

Indeed, anime and reality are two completely different things.

Gu Yuan shook his head slightly, as if some beautiful fantasy had been shattered.

As Millie Alde led her horse through the city gate, she noticed the disappointment in Gu Yuan's eyes.

She tilted her head. "What, you don't like it here?"

She didn't really like it either. She loved cleanliness and quiet, but she couldn't resist Gu Yuan's insistence on coming here.

"Hmm." Gu Yuan nodded, his voice muffled.

As I responded, a gust of wind blew in, stirring up dust from the ground and sending it straight into my nostrils.

He covered his nose, coughed twice, and his tone carried a hint of resigned helplessness:

"Whether I like it or not doesn't matter, let's go to church first."

The forest is still the most comfortable place; although there are monsters, the air is fresh.

I've made up my mind. I'll leave immediately after I've finished everything and won't stay any longer.

The two then quickened their pace and hurried toward the church.

……

The Church of Goddess branch, a solemn and majestic white building stands before us.

The building's top is adorned with a winged emblem, which appears particularly sacred against the backdrop of the blue sky.

Inside the building, a neatly dressed middle-aged priest looked at the letter handed to him by Gu Yuan and pondered for a moment.

He stroked the paper, his deep gaze fixed on Gu Yuan as if confirming his identity.

Although it's puzzling why someone who seems to be a resident of the Central Continent would appear here, and why they would join the church.

But the goddess is always tolerant, treating all people equally, except for monsters and even bad guys.

Thinking of this, he carefully folded the letter, put it into his breast pocket, and nodded slightly.

"Since it was Deacon Hal who introduced him, then there's no problem. Thank you very much for helping him in this mission."

"Deacon Hal is a senior monk here. If he were to sacrifice himself, and if there were any more monsters causing trouble in this area, I can't even imagine how bad things would get."

Although he was more senior than Hal, his talent was not so great.

That's why he stayed here, working in logistics.

He turned around, waved, and gestured for the two to follow:

"Now, please follow me. Mastering the goddess's magic is very simple; all you need to do is believe in the goddess."

"If the goddess responds to you, you will receive her blessing, and then, with the help of the sacred texts, you will be able to use the goddess's magic."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly; it was almost exactly what he had heard.

He quickly caught up, a slight doubt in his mind, and asked, "What if the goddess doesn't respond to me?"

Upon hearing this question, the priest turned his head, but did not stop walking.

His gaze first swept over Miliald, lingering for a moment on her pointed ears. Then it settled on Gu Yuan, and he explained gently:

"No response means you're not talented enough."

"The talent mentioned here does not refer to innate ability, but rather to a person's fine character traits, such as kindness, justice, and courage."

"The goddess will only choose these people to be her followers."

"Of course, people are not static, and these virtues can be acquired through nurturing."

"If it's you, Lord Gu Yuan, there shouldn't be any problem."

Is that so? Although the priest said that, Gu Yuan was still a little flustered.

He had always wanted to harass the island nation; is that righteous and kind?

Well, we'll see how things go. In any case, I'll stay true to my original aspirations.

As I ventured deeper into the church, a breathtaking view opened up before me, as if I had stepped into a brand new world. A spacious and tidy courtyard came into view.

The fragrance of flowers wafted through the air, washing away the stale air of the city.

In the center of the courtyard stands a stone statue, about two meters tall, depicting a winged elven woman.

Although the surface is somewhat weathered, the exquisite outline can still be seen.

She clasped her hands tightly to her chest in a prayerful gesture, her wings spread, and she had a compassionate expression.

This is the image of the Goddess of Creation circulating within the church.

Milie Alder frowned slightly, thinking to herself:

"An elf? This is the first time I've ever seen one... I wonder if the goddess even exists."

The priest walked ahead, leading them through the corridor and into a building, where he suddenly stopped.

Gu Yuan also stopped, glancing at Millie Alde, but didn't explain anything to her.

Although he knew a lot of information, he couldn't explain how he knew it.

The less trouble, the better.

"Go," the priest said, raising his hand and pointing to a holy book floating in the air ahead.

"I can only take you this far. The rest is up to you."

"That was one of the sacred objects left behind by the goddess when she descended to earth two hundred years ago, used to select believers."

"Just by touching it, you can find out if you have the talent to master the goddess's magic."

"It's worth noting that the touch involves a process of 'asking your heart,' which, while not dangerous, can contain some very private information."

"If you don't want someone to overhear you unintentionally..."

Before he finished speaking, his gaze had already turned to Milield.

"May I ask, young lady elf, what is your relationship with him?"

"..."

Miliald remained silent, her emerald eyes fixed on the suspended holy book, a complex expression on her face.

The priest nodded knowingly, then stepped back a few paces and tactfully closed the building's door.

Seeing this, Gu Yuan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Asking the heart? That does fit the stereotype of gods selecting believers.

We've come this far; it's too late to turn back now.

Fortunately, it was just a book, not the goddess herself.

With that thought in mind, he steadied himself and approached the sacred text step by step.