Absolutely not to be burned at the stake

Before my eyes, the familiar light blue screen reappeared quietly, with the light flowing smoothly like a data stream at its edges.

[Option C has been selected. Please go to the sanctuary of the church and pray to Catherine, the goddess of alchemy, to receive divine grace.]

The text is concise and clear.

Li Wei's smile froze on his face as he stared wide-eyed at the screen.

Wasn't this just given to me directly? Do I really have to go to the sanctuary myself and pray to the Alchemist God? Are you kidding me? With my injuries, even the slightest movement makes me gasp for breath. To get to the sanctuary from this cellar, I have to climb stairs and walk through a corridor. The sanctuary is inside the main church building, at least tens of meters away from here!

Isn't this just playing with people?

The light screen floated silently, and after a few seconds, it slowly dimmed and disappeared.

Li Wei lay on the stone slab, staring at the dim dome, on the verge of tears.

But soon, he gritted his teeth. Dawn was approaching, and if he were discovered to have killed Father Hansen, he would also face certain death.

Fight!

Li Wei took a deep breath, braced himself with his left hand on the ground, and endured the tearing pain to prop himself up before sliding back down onto the cold stone floor. Holding onto the moss-covered wall, he moved towards the exit like a baby learning to walk.

The cellar wasn't large, only thirty or forty square meters, filled with miscellaneous items and bottles, with a few wooden barrels in the corner. The exit was a stone staircase leading upwards.

It took Li Wei five minutes to walk just seven or eight meters.

Facing the dozen or so bluestone steps, he used both his hands and feet, each step causing excruciating pain. He bit his lip hard, his mouth filled with the taste of blood, and finally pushed open the wooden door at the top.

Outside the door was a dimly lit corridor. Several brass wall lamps hung on the stone walls. He vaguely remembered this place; it was the back porch of the church, the side door leading to the sanctuary.

Li Wei collapsed in the dimly lit corridor. After resting for half a minute, he propped himself up again, leaning against the cold stone wall, and moved towards the direction of the sanctuary in his memory.

Using the dim light of the wall lamp, Li Wei continued to move forward, supporting himself against the wall. The corridor was silent, save for his heavy breathing and footsteps. After resting four or five times, and half a prayer's time later, he finally reached the side door of the sanctuary.

It was a heavy oak door with rusted iron bars along its edges. He pushed open the slightly ajar door and went inside.

The sanctuary is very large, extremely large.

Li Wei plopped down on the cold stone floor at the entrance of the Holy Hall, leaning against the door frame, too tired to even move a finger.

He looked up and, even though he was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but marvel at how huge the church was. How could such a large church exist in such a remote town?

The enormous dome soars at least a dozen meters above the ground, and is covered with faded murals depicting angels, saints, and the symbols of alchemy—cauldrons, flames, and the Philosopher's Stone.

However, due to its age, the paint has peeled off, revealing the dark stone underneath in many places, making the sacred images appear somewhat eerie. Several tall stained-glass windows are located high up, but it is still dark outside, with only a very faint light filtering in, making the patterns unclear.

The sanctuary was filled with dozens of rows of long wooden benches, the paint long since peeled off, and the air was filled with a complex smell: the smoky smell of old candles, the dampness of decaying wood, dust, and a faint, lingering scent similar to incense.

At the very front of the sanctuary, behind the pulpit, hangs a huge circular holy emblem on the wall. The emblem is cast in metal, with intricate vine patterns around the edges, an equilateral triangle at the center, and inside the triangle is a rising flame pattern.

All the lines are inlaid with gold leaf, but in the dim light, only faint outlines can be seen.

Before the pulpit, a large white candle sat quietly on a silver candlestick, emitting a dim, steady light that barely illuminated the lower half of the emblem. It was the only source of light in the entire sanctuary.

That is the sacred emblem representing Catherine, the goddess of alchemy. It is said that this emblem is enshrined in every church dedicated to the goddess of alchemy throughout the world.

Of course, the original owner of this body, Li Wei, didn't know if it was true or not, because he had never left Shadowtown, let alone seen any other churches. He only knew about these things from Father Hansen's occasional ramblings and from the idle chatter of the town's old people.

Li Wei caught his breath, feeling a little strength returning. He struggled to his feet and staggered toward the pulpit, toward the holy emblem.

Standing before the emblem, he examined it closely by candlelight. The emblem was about a meter in diameter, exquisitely crafted, and even covered in dust, its former splendor was still evident. The gold leaf reflected a faint glow in the candlelight.

What should we do next?

Following the original owner's memories, Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then stood up straight, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his trembling body.

He bowed slightly, raised his right hand, and extended his index, middle, and ring fingers, bending them slightly to form the shape of leaping flames. This is the standard gesture of the followers of the Alchemist God, symbolizing the "Origin Fire".

Then, lightly draw the shape of a triangular holy symbol on your chest, and then gently press your fingers on your forehead.

He hesitated for a moment, because in the original owner's memories there were no specific prayers for bestowing divine grace. Therefore, he could only try using conventional prayers.

He cleared his hoarse throat and spoke in a low voice, which sounded exceptionally clear in the empty sanctuary, even carrying a slight echo:

"The divine, supreme, enlightening, and mysterious ruler,"

"Your devout follower, Livy,"

"I pray for you..."

"May you...bestow divine grace and protect me."

The prayer was simple. After Li Wei finished speaking, he waited quietly, his heart pounding faster than usual.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just when Li Wei was wondering if something had gone wrong, or if he hadn't been devout enough...

The enormous holy emblem suddenly trembled slightly.

Then, the flame pattern in the center gradually lit up.

At first, it was just a faint golden light, like a spark falling into the darkness. Then, the golden light spread rapidly, flowing along the golden lines inside the triangle, illuminating the edge of the triangle, and then spreading along the vine pattern until it reached the edge of the entire circle.

Within just two or three seconds, the entire emblem was enveloped in a faint, yet incredibly pure, golden glow.

The light wasn't harsh; rather, it was soft and warm, like the winter sun or a mother's embrace. It illuminated the pulpit, Livy's pale face, and even dispelled some of the darkness deep within the sanctuary.

A sacred, majestic, and indescribably inclusive aura permeated the air.

Li Wei stared in disbelief. Although he had seen even more unscientific things like system screens, this scene was still incredibly impactful, both visually and emotionally. Was this... a miracle?

Just as he was in shock, the golden light on the emblem rippled slightly, and then a more solid golden beam of light shot out from the center of the emblem, precisely enveloping Li Wei.

warmth.

Unparalleled warmth.

The moment the light shone on him, Li Wei felt incredibly comfortable, as if he were soaking in a perfectly warm hot spring, or being enveloped by the softest feathers. The burning pain that had been radiating throughout his body melted away quickly under the golden light, like ice and snow under the sun.

He could clearly feel the itching in his chest wound, which was the flesh growing and healing rapidly; the cracks in his ribs were closing up; the bruises were dissolving; even the weakness from excessive blood loss disappeared like the receding tide, replaced by a full and vigorous sense of strength.

At the same time, he felt a slight warmth in the center of his forehead, as if he had been gently burned by something. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch it, but his skin was smooth and there was nothing there.

But in the golden light, he vaguely "saw" a thumb-sized golden emblem, identical to the one on the wall, flashing past his brow and disappearing beneath his skin.

As the holy emblem appeared, the golden pillar of light enveloping him began to slowly fade and shrink, eventually returning completely to the holy emblem on the wall. The golden light on the holy emblem also gradually dimmed, and after a few seconds, it returned to its original dusty, dim appearance.

Only the candles on the pulpit were still burning quietly, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

The sanctuary returned to darkness and silence.