Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

South of the bridge, on Rose Street, outside the Harvest Church.

After being promoted to "Teacher", Kurt immediately took the steam subway and then a horse-drawn carriage to this place, where he found the small church.

The church is golden in color, with a prominent spire and the emblem of life engraved on the outside.

The emblem is a simple drawing of a baby made up of ears of wheat, flowers, and holy water, symbolizing harvest and new life.

Utravsky would likely recognize him, even though the original owner wasn't a devout believer, he still attended church mass at least twice a month. The bishop also presided over his father's funeral.

So today, Kurt decided to let Bishop Utravsky get to know him first, and also to lay the groundwork for his future actions.

He initially planned to spend a month doing volunteer work at the church to demonstrate his piety to the bishop, and then gradually reveal his extraordinary status before requesting to become a priest.

As for the priest's inner demons, that's best left to Little K, since he doesn't have the strength for that yet. Originally, Kurt thought that with the talismans he borrowed, he should be able to defeat the suppressed Sequence Six "Dawn Knight," but after careful consideration, he realized that his fighting ability was too weak, and his margin for error was too low, making it not worth the risk.

Moreover, there are still about three months before Klein kills the bishop's inner demon. The bishop should still be able to suppress the inner demon steadily and pose no great threat to him.

With these plans in mind, Kurt, holding his £10 solid mahogany cane, walked relaxed into the Harvest Church.

Since it was afternoon, most people were still working, but Kurt had come out during working hours. After all, he was now the "boss," and Finks would handle most of the work.

So the dimly lit church was filled with only a few scattered people, mostly elderly people over fifty. Surprisingly, there was also a young man in a police uniform sitting in a corner. Kurt immediately spotted the 2.2-meter-tall Utravsky, who was standing devoutly praying before the emblem.

He brought his ten fingers together in a gesture of prayer, placing them in front of his mouth and nose – a way of praying for believers of the "Earth Mother Goddess".

The entire church was unusually quiet. Kurt tiptoed to a seat near the front, found a place to sit, and, following his memory, closed his eyes and began to pray.

They waited quietly until the end, but to Kurt's surprise, Bishop Utravsky came to him.

Although Kurt is 185 cm tall, he is still not tall enough to stand up to the "Dawn Knight" who has the blood of Fursac.

Kurt instinctively sat up, trying to lessen the perceived height difference. He bowed slightly and looked up into Utravsky's pale blue eyes.

"Bishop Utravsky, what brings you here?"

Wearing a brown bishop's robe, Utravsky replied in a gentle tone:

"I prefer to be called Father. I know you, Kurt. Your family used to come to church for Mass every month."

"Your father, Mr. Cole, always donates a large sum of money whenever he comes here."

Kurt sensed the reminiscence in Utravsky's tone, but he was unaware of it. Perhaps it was too trivial for Cole to discuss with his family.

"Yes, that's our family's way of supporting the church. Mother Goddess always protects us."

After saying this, he made a few cursory gestures in front of his chest to draw a simplified holy symbol, and "devoutly" praised it:

"Life is precious, and a bountiful harvest is joyous. Praise be to the Mother Goddess."

Father Utravsky also responded to Kurt:

"The Mother Goddess can sense your devotion; she foresaw your arrival."

Did she sense my arrival? Kurt became alert. He knew that the current Mother Goddess was Lilith in disguise, while the Utravsky before him was a "Chosen One" of the Earth Mother Goddess Church, a believer who received the Mother Goddess's favor not through the means of farming.

Rather, believers who receive favor through the means of farming are called "gifted by God." And Father Utravsky, as a genuine recipient of God's favor, is truly able to receive God's will.

While it might just be Utravsky's polite remark, he had absolutely no motive or reason for bringing this up. He couldn't possibly be after my money.

Therefore, Kurt instantly became highly tense. He was imbued with source matter and uniqueness, and being targeted by a god was not necessarily a good thing.

Kurt remained outwardly calm, but a look of disbelief crossed his face. He joked:

"Although I am a devout believer in Mother Goddess, I do not consider myself devout enough. In terms of reverence for life, I admire my sister Lori more. She is a very dedicated surgeon who has saved countless lives."

He deliberately changed the subject. If Utravsky's attention was diverted to Lori or the topic of reverence for life, it would mean that what he said earlier was indeed nice, and Kurt would confess to the priest for the "crime" of stepping on an ant.

If Utravsky continues with the previous topic, then it is most likely a true "oracle".

Father Utravsky smiled, and the bishop, in his fifties or sixties, gently touched his papal cap and said:

"I am an Indo from the coast of the Intersea, from the Fusak Empire. When I was young, I made a terrible mistake; I was a fanatic for fighting and killing."

"Later I fled to the Sea of ​​Sunia and became a vicious pirate, doing many heinous things. I kept falling into a spiritual hell until I was lucky enough to meet the missionary of the Mother Goddess."

Utravsky's expression turned to one of reminiscence as he slowly recounted his deeds.

At this moment, Kurt calmed down. He suddenly realized that being watched by a god wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it could be incredibly helpful at times. His own source essence and uniqueness were clearly useless to Lilith. She might be cultivating a god or an Old One with "humanity," like the Goddess of Night? After all, she was also a remnant of the Old Ones and had a good relationship with the Goddess of Night…

It's also possible they'll fatten him up before killing him... Kurt felt powerless after thinking it over. Even with his source essence, he was still so insignificant before the power of a god. In that case, he might as well submit for now and then see how things went before looking for an opportunity to escape.

Father Utravsky continued his narration, and Kurt adopted a posture of attentive listening.

"After that day, I understood the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest. I became a faithful believer of the Mother Goddess and made a vow before Her holy emblem to spread Her faith to other countries."

"I became a chosen one of the Mother Goddess, and I came to Backlund."

Kurt didn't speak. Although he had guessed some things, he thought it might all be just his imagination. Perhaps the priest just wanted to share his past, and the title "favored one" was just something Utravsky called himself because he felt lucky.

"I received a divine message from the Mother Goddess, who instructed me to wait here for a man named Kurt Bard to come and pray."

Kurt took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to flee, and showed a surprised expression:

"Oh? Is there anything I can do for the Mother Goddess?"

Father Utravsky glanced at the somewhat empty church and gestured for Kurt to follow him inside.

Kurt glanced at the church entrance, shook his head slightly, and obediently followed the priest into the church.

What kind of "very beneficial for going to church" is this... Kurt thought of the divination he had at noon today. Could it be that Lilith interfered with his divination when he went out?

Inside the church, Father Utravsky lit several candles, illuminating the surroundings, where there was also a symbol of life.

Kurt looked at the candles warily, fearing that some of them might be nightmare candles that would give him a psychological suggestion from the priest.

The priest stared into Kurt's eyes and said slowly:

"Are you an extraordinary person, or do you aspire to become extraordinary?"

"Are you asking such a sensitive question right off the bat?" Kurt asked tentatively.

"To become extraordinary?"

Father Utravsky seemed to understand Kurt's caution:

"If you are not yet an Extraordinary One, I can provide you with potion recipes for either 'Farmer' or 'Pharmacist'. After you become an Extraordinary One, you can then become a 'Graceful One' or 'Chosen One'."

"If you are an extraordinary being, then you can directly become one of the Mother Goddess's 'favored ones'."

Kurt was taken aback. Was it really that direct? His tone seemed to leave no room for refusal…

"Aren't there any other options?" Kurt asked tentatively.

The priest seemed to grow taller, like a mountain pressing down on Kurt, and he said gently:

"The Mother Goddess says you will definitely agree."