Elf: Is the bear apprentice the weakest? I'll shatter the sky with my fists.

Cosmog suddenly spun around in her palm, the scattered starlight resonating wonderfully with the light patterns on Eileen's earlobe.

"Everyone......"

Eileen took a step forward, puzzled, the light patterns on the gold bracelet flowing with her movement.

In an instant...

The crowd retreated as if avoiding a snake or scorpion.

The gentleman in the top hat trembled as he removed it and pressed it to his chest, but dared not look directly at Eileen's glowing elf ears...

"Lord God's Chosen One..."

The blacksmith's apprentice knelt in the spilled coal dust, his forehead pressed against the ground, pleading, "Please... don't scorch us mortals with your abundant gaze..."

"Mogu?"

Upon hearing this, Cosmog spun around in confusion on Erin's shoulder, stardust settling on the baker's daughter's outstretched fingertips.

The girl was immediately pulled back by her mother and wrapped in a musty-smelling cloak.

The square, which was filled with blessings and applause just a moment ago, has now fallen into an eerie silence.

Eileen stood there blankly, her fingertips touching the newborn elf ears.

They still have the same bright blue eyes and the same lips that tremble with nervousness, so why have they suddenly become the odd ones in their eyes?

ta ta ta ......

The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed on the stone path. Six fiery steeds galloped towards them, their hooves pounding the flames.

The flames dancing between their manes transformed into fluttering butterflies of light when they touched the air around Eileen.

Before the gilded carriage had even come to a complete stop, the curtain embroidered with unknown totems was suddenly ripped open.

"Step back! All of you, step back!"

The white-robed bishop staggered out of the carriage, the crystal cross on his chest cracking with a spiderweb pattern three yards from Eileen.

His scream echoed across the square, startling the flock of dark crows atop the clock tower...

"Who gave you permission to look directly at the Chosen Ones of Abundance?!"

The bishop walked slowly through the crowd, his heavy robes rustling as they dragged on the stone pavement.

He knelt on one knee before Eileen, the silver holy emblem swaying slightly on his chest, his voice solemn:

"Your Excellency, please forgive my negligence. The temple has prepared a residence for you. From this day forward, you will reside by the side of the gods, far from the troubles of the mortal world."

"Huh? What about my mom and dad?"

Eileen's voice trembled slightly, and she subconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt, her fingers leaving a few creases on the silk fabric.

Suddenly, the crowd stirred.

A hunched figure struggled to push aside onlookers, his coat, stained with wheat grains, standing out conspicuously in the crowd.

"Excuse me... excuse me..."

The man was breathing heavily, his rough hands still carrying the smell of the barn.

When he finally squeezed to the front, the guard's spear was placed in front of him.

"Eileen".

He called softly, his voice hoarse with the distinctive raspiness of someone working in the fields.

The guard recognized the weathered face and hesitantly lowered his weapon.

The father walked quickly to his daughter's side, rubbed his calloused hands on the hem of his clothes, and then carefully placed his hand on Eileen's shoulder.

"This is a good thing."

He said he tried to force a smile, but the wrinkles around his eyes only deepened.

"Having arrived at the Sanctuary, what happens from now on..."

Eileen's father's voice choked for a moment. He reached up and wiped his eyes, which were glistening with tears. "It's much better than being exposed to the wind and sun in the fields."

Chapter 540 Eileen and the Sanctuary

"I heard that the sanctuary is full of respectable young people."

Eileen's father tried to lighten his tone, but couldn't control the tremor in his voice, "If...if you meet someone suitable, remember...bring them back for your parents to see..."

"enough."

The white-robed bishop interrupted coldly, his silver-embroidered cuffs gleaming in the sunlight.

He stepped forward, subtly separating the father and daughter. "The Holy Maiden is of noble status; how can mere mortals be allowed to speak of her so casually?"

His gaze swept over the whispering villagers around him, and his voice fell as deep as a church bell: "From this day forward, no one shall approach the saint without permission."

The bishop turned to face Eileen, his stern expression softening slightly.

His voice was deliberately soft, yet it still carried an undeniable seriousness.

"Your Holiness, the time has come. Please move to the palanquin."

"No...don't..."

Eileen's gaze shifted back and forth between the bishop's solemn face and her father's hunched figure.

She opened her mouth, wanting to escape from here.

Crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the gold-embroidered hem of her dress, spreading into tiny water droplets.

As she instinctively backed away, a cold metallic touch suddenly pressed against her back.

A long halberd had silently approached without anyone noticing, its sharp tip sending a chill down one's spine through the thin fabric.

The Templar Knights around him were expressionless, their silver armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The bishop's deep gaze lingered for a moment between Eileen and her father, as if he could see through the struggle in her heart.

He leaned slightly forward, the silver-embroidered collar gleaming softly in the sunlight.

"Your Excellency need not worry. Your parents will be supported by the Church for life and will receive a certain amount of support money every month."

He deliberately raised his voice so that the surrounding villagers could hear him, saying, "This is the Holy Land's grace to the family of the divine messenger."

Eileen's fingertips dug deeply into her palm.

She knew that this was both a blessing and a shackle.

Their parents would henceforth become hostages of the church.

But when she looked into her father's cloudy yet expectant eyes, the words of refusal ultimately failed her...

"hiss!"

The fiery horses neighed simultaneously, their hooves scattering sparks on the stone pavement.

Eileen boarded the sedan chair.

As the sedan curtain fell, Eileen saw for the last time her father's figure kneeling in the dust, and the bishop slowly raising his scepter of blessing.

With a strange spatial fluctuation, the entire procession gradually disappeared into the golden gate of the secret realm, leaving only a few petals of the sacred realm swirling in the wind.

......

......

The moment the fiery steed's iron hooves crossed the boundary of the secret realm, a bone-chilling cold swept over them.

Eileen couldn't help but shiver, her breath condensing into frost before her eyes.

The sedan curtain was lifted by a corner by the biting cold wind, revealing a vast snowfield.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but pure white snow, and in the distance, icy spires stood tall, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light under the eternal daylight.

The bishop's voice came from outside the palanquin, accompanied by the heavy breathing of the horses: "This eternal snowfield is the testing ground of the god of abundance."

He paused, his heavy robes fluttering in the cold wind.

"As a saintess, you will serve the gods here. Without divine permission..."

His voice suddenly lowered, and an aura of authority emanated from him: "You are not allowed to step out of the Holy Domain."

Eileen stroked the carved silver ornaments inside the sedan chair; the cold touch reminded her of the halberd pressed against her back.

Outside the sedan chair, the wind and snow intensified, burying the road ahead and the footprints from where they had come.

The long journey passed in silence, with only the crunching of wheels over the snow and the heavy breathing of the fiery horse.

Just as Eileen was about to drift off to sleep from the jolting, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the whole world came to a standstill.

"Welcome to the Holy Maiden's Holy Domain."

The bishop's deep voice penetrated the heavy car door.

With a soft click of the gilded bolt, a biting mountain wind swirled and whipped up fine snow.

Eileen instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes, and after her eyes adjusted to the light, the sight before her made her gasp for breath.

She was standing atop a sheer cliff, with a sea of ​​clouds surging like waves beneath her feet.

Behind them, a magnificent obsidian castle with a pointed roof stands tall.

Behind the castle stands a colossal tree, its trunk so thick that it would take a hundred people to encircle it, its emerald branches piercing through the clouds and stretching out beneath the sky.

This is the residence of the Crowned King.

Beneath the towering, icy dome, frost flowers drift in the air, never fading.

Eileen gazed at the palace before her, which seemed to float in the clouds, and realized that this would be her only place to spend the rest of her life...

dong dong dong...

The bishop, holding his holy staff, paused before the ice steps leading to the temple.

"The Crowned King has been waiting before the throne for a long time."

His voice suddenly became ethereal, as if empowered by some force, “Please remember, Holy Maiden, to keep the gods waiting is the greatest disrespect.”

Suddenly, eerie blue flames lit up on both sides of the ice steps, burning eerily still in the howling cold wind.

From the depths of the distant temple, came the ethereal sound of bells, like an urging or a summons.

Suddenly, an invisible ripple spread through the air.

Eileen felt a lightness all over her body as pale blue superpower light flowed around her limbs like water.

Her toes slowly lifted off the ground, and her skirt fluttered silently as it was lifted by a mysterious force.

"This is...!"

Before she could even cry out in surprise, she was swept away like a puppet towards the depths of the castle.

The runes on the gilded gate lit up one after another, and under Eileen's horrified gaze, the giant gate slowly closed at an irresistible speed.

May God's grace be with you.

The bishop's voice came from the narrowing crack in the door. As the last syllable fell, the heavy door slammed shut, shutting out the last ray of sunlight.

At the same time, the bishop's figure was enveloped by a sudden spatial fluctuation, and in the blink of an eye, he was teleported outside the secret realm...

In the silent sanctuary, only Eileen's rapid breathing and the faint sound of bells emanating from the depths of the distant temple could be heard.

"It's so dark...I'm so scared..."

Just as Eileen was panicking because of the sudden change, a glimmer of starlight suddenly appeared in the dim corridor.

With a crisp "Moogle~", Cosmog suddenly flashed by, lightly circled around her, and finally affectionately rubbed against her trembling fingertips.

"Little Nebula!"

Eileen's voice was choked with relief.

She crouched down and let the little one snuggle into her arms.

Cosmog radiated a soft starlight, like a warm candlelight in the dim castle.

As it nuzzled Eileen's cheek with its round head, the ice crystals that had condensed on its eyelashes finally melted into tears and rolled down its cheeks.

"I'm so scared..."