I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

But there is one exception to this evil magic.

Almost every saintess, in the early stages when their sanity is still plentiful, is required to try to learn it.

[The Codex of Binding: It allows one to enslave weak divine followers and turn them into servants at a very low cost.]

Judging from the description, this is an evil spell that is too good to be true.

It should be noted that the practice and use of most evil spells will consume a huge amount of sanity, but this codex, if used properly, such as bringing a powerful evil god's follower to the brink of death, can almost enslave it and turn it into one's own power without any cost.

However, no saint has ever successfully completed the practice.

After countless verifications by the church, they came to a conclusion—to successfully learn this evil spell, one needs an absurdly high level of sanity.

As for exactly how high it needs to be, Anna has no idea.

In this damned world, an ordinary person who never sees a monster in their entire life will only have a sanity value of around 90 points, and people with a sanity value of over 95 points are extremely rare.

So Anna was at ease.

Give him a dark magic he can never learn in his lifetime, appease him first, and then you'll have a chance to slowly win him over and restore your precious sanity.

With that in mind, Anna took out a copy of the "Binding Code" that she had already copied from her spatial ring.

The book's cover is a dark gray, without any decoration, with only its name written in the corner.

Lynn is very excited now.

Good guy.

That's awesome.

It was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was just about to fall asleep. He was worried about how to obtain extraordinary power, and this saintess simply slapped the secret manual on his face.

This saintess truly understands me!

He almost burst out laughing on the spot, but reason told him he had to restrain himself.

He forcibly suppressed the overwhelming joy in his heart, reached out his hands, and took the thin booklet.

"Your Highness... this is far too precious."

"If you need me, I, Lynn, will go through fire and water and do everything in my power."

The moment he finished speaking, Anna's world changed.

If Lynn's previous gratitude had merely allowed a glimmer of light to penetrate the pitch-black world before them, then this time, the entire world was suddenly given a base color.

It is no longer a monotonous gray and white, but has different shades, like a skilled painter carefully applying a layer of color to this apocalyptic painting.

Although it is still dim, it has clearly taken on a basic color.

Anna subconsciously used an identification spell on herself.

A blue light curtain appeared in her field of vision, visible only to her.

Name: Anna

[Level: 57]

【Occupation: Radiant Saintess】

【HP: 100%】

[Sanity: 38-58 / The whispers of the evil god still echo in your ears, but His minions seem to be no longer a threat]

?

Anna was completely stunned.

In one go, a full twenty points were restored.

How can this be?

She simply gave him a book of evil magic.

Is it...

An idea exploded in Anna's mind.

Could his true purpose be to cultivate evil arts? And so, my actions just happen to satisfy his deepest desires?

Anna's heart sank.

Sure enough, this cursed child, despised by everyone, was not as simple-minded as he appeared.

Fortunately... fortunately, what I gave him was this special "Binding and Subjugation Code".

Anna secretly rejoiced.

As a saint of the church, she would never allow anyone to voluntarily come into contact with forbidden and evil arts that would bring destruction right under her nose.

This unlearnable legal code was the biggest concession she could make.

Her sanity level rebounded significantly, giving her long-awaited relief from her tension.

She must now make the most of every minute and second.

“This is a basic meditation manual. First, follow the methods in it to feel the flow of elements in the air. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask Lisa.” Anna handed Lynn another booklet and then left.

"I have some things to take care of. You stay in your room and don't move around without my permission."

Once her sanity level is up, she must immediately try to increase her level. If she can reach level 60, she might be able to truly take control of her destiny, break free from the church's control, and rebel against those arrogant, self-righteous pigs and dogs.

Watching Anna's hurried departure, Lynn clutched the two booklets tightly in his hands.

He certainly wasn't naive enough to think Anna was acting out of pure kindness.

But so what?

As the saying goes, there are three thousand great paths, even footsteps are a path, and so are evil methods.

Lynn had absolutely no psychological resistance to practicing evil arts.

In this world full of malice, becoming stronger is always a good thing, and he doesn't care what method he uses.

He returned to his room, closed the door, and eagerly opened the book, "The Code of Binding and Subjugation."

The text inside is obscure and difficult to understand, filled with strange symbols and distorted pictures, which can make people feel dizzy just by looking at it.

But Lynn watched with great interest.

After memorizing the contents of the code, he opened the "Basic Meditation Manual".

The manual is very simple; it teaches people how to sense and guide free elements in the air.

Lynn sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to try to enter a meditative state according to the breathing method in the manual.

Lynn took a deep breath, closed his eyes as instructed in the book, and tried to calm his mind.

At first, my mind was a complete mess.

Last night, the fear of being dominated by the birdman, the confusion about this strange world, and the expectations for the future flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

But gradually, as his breathing calmed down, his mind began to become very clear.

Just as he was about to enter a meditative state, a sudden change occurred.

That feeling of being watched resurfaced from the depths of my soul once again.

He didn't open his eyes, but in his perception, a blurry shadow began to hover above his head again.

Pure white wings, a human-shaped silhouette, and that ugly, sharp vulture head.

It seemed to sense Lynn's intention to draw power, and its circling speed increased, as if it were ready to interrupt the process at any moment.

Lynn's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"I rely on."

"Will this ever end?"

Let's move on to Chapter Six, The Thorn Nun.

Lynn's anger flared up instantly.

That bastard is like a persistent ghost. He wanted to cultivate and become stronger, but it came out to cause trouble. It's obvious it doesn't want him to have an easy time.

Continuing to meditate will only lead to its interruption, and it might even find an opportunity to kill you.

Giving up meditation is tantamount to sitting and waiting for death.

No, this can't go on.

Lisa is right next door; as a disciplinary nun, she's level 38, so dealing with this kind of monster shouldn't be a problem. The question is, can she even see this birdman?

Lynn suddenly opened his eyes and jumped out of bed.

As he ended his meditation, the phantom hovering above his head vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Although Anna told him not to wander around, Lisa lived next door, so going to talk to her about meditation wouldn't be disobeying orders, right?

Having made up her mind, Lynn didn't hesitate any longer and went straight out of the room.

He wanted to try again in front of Lisa to see if the bird-man would appear. And if he did, would Lisa notice?

"Dong dong."

He knocked on the door of the room next door.

After a long while, the door was finally opened a crack.

Lisa peeked out, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural blush, and she had changed out of her nun's habit into a simple everyday outfit.

Upon seeing Lynn outside the door, she instinctively took two steps back, creating a safe distance.

She still clearly remembers that when they first met, simply holding a sword to Lynn's neck caused her to lose a full five points of sanity.

Although Lynn's presence could restore Princess Anna's sanity, Lisa knew very well that this blessing had nothing to do with her.

She couldn't help Lynn with anything, so she wouldn't get his gratitude. Getting close to him only brought risks.

“Um… Her Highness the Saintess told me to come to you if I encounter any problems during meditation,” Lynn said, his gaze unconsciously glancing through the crack in the door.

"Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

Lisa's room was dark, and the windows seemed to be tightly closed, letting in no light at all.

“Oh…” Lisa seemed to suddenly realize something, and hurriedly closed the door a little more. “Her Highness Anna did instruct me that you go back first, and I… I’ll prepare myself and come to your room to find you later.”

After saying that, the door was closed before Lynn could respond.

The church is large, but not many clergy actually live there. Most people own property in Windbreak City, and only a few exceptions, like Lisa and Anna, treat the church as their home.

Just as Lynn was about to return to her residence, a gentle male voice came from not far away.

"Ah, you must be the cursed child who caused such a commotion in the church yesterday, right?"

Lynn looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, handsome man walking slowly towards him. The man had dazzling white hair, an incredibly handsome face, and wore a well-tailored mage's robe.

“I am Hayes, the chief mage advisor from the royal city.”

Lynn remained expressionless, simply replying, "Lynn, Saint Anna's attendant."

Hayes walked up to Lynn, stopped, and looked him over with interest.

“Saint Anna is an admirable person, but unfortunately, her time is running out.” Hayes’s words carried a hint of regret. “Have you ever considered finding someone else to follow? For example, me?”

He took a step closer and lowered his voice.

“Although there are many cursed people, I subconsciously feel that you are special. In other words, you… fascinate me.”

Good grief, they're so blatantly poaching our players?

Lynn almost laughed out of anger.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir, but Her Highness saved my life, and I should stay to repay you." He refused without even thinking.

Just kidding, Anna is his long-term meal ticket and protector, who does this guy of unknown origin think he is?

Hayes didn't seem surprised by the answer. He smiled, reached out, and patted Lynn on the shoulder lightly twice.

You'll change your mind.

Hayes ignored the momentary gloom before his eyes.

He withdrew his hand, said no more, and turned to leave.