Chapter 10, The Painful Awakening

Stan turned around and looked at the viscount, who was about the same size as him: "Yes... yes, my lord, it hurts a lot..."

Perhaps these sufferings are not of concern to the goddess? What she cares about is the suffering of mortals, not that of the high-ranking priests

However, he can be certain of two points: first, the goddess has grand ambitions; even if someone is a devil, as long as they possess revolutionary consciousness, she will bring them into the revolutionary ranks, and a person of Talents' status will certainly not be excluded. Second, if Talents wishes to become the goddess's priest, he should start from the suffering priesthood embodied by Phineas.

Stan recalled the successive deaths of his parents. During that time, he was overjoyed during the day because there were finally fewer people at home to scold him, yet at night, he felt an unbearable pain in his heart, as if it were being pricked by needles, due to the cold and desolate atmosphere of the grass hut, which felt utterly unfamiliar.

True faith

Then ... ...

After a while, Stan stood up, staring blankly at his palm, seemingly unaware of who he was

A tremendous sense of crisis followed closely behind jealousy, and Li Qi bestowed upon him the title of priest, which he would hold once the temple was completed. If he remained unable to awaken, this title would never materialize.

It hurts so much

Clerics can only use the "sealed" divine arts, but unlike the Saintess, who is in fact a goddess, Phineas can freely wield divine power. Upgrading the single-target skill "Mental Thorn" to an AOE skill will result in a qualitative improvement in efficiency

Unlike the simple display of the saintly form, as tears slowly trickle down from the corner of Feini's eyes, the tips of the luminous wings extend faint, ethereal shadows that penetrate into the bodies of the people

The viscount was rolling his eyes, seemingly in deep thought

The viscount squinted and said: "That kind of illness is called... numbness. Your soul is wrapped in thick layers of filth, and you can no longer feel the real, naturally you cannot feel pain either"

Li Qi has high hopes for Talens; if the old man cannot become the priest of the goddess, there will be no way to take over the temple and manage the affairs of the church

There are indeed significant differences

Terrence nodded modestly: "Of course, with my experience, am I not better than those country bumpkins?"

The viscount asked again: "Apart from the pain, what other differences do you feel compared to before?"

Later, my younger brother died. He was personally thrown into the river, and apart from a sense of relief, there were no other feelings.

The words of the newly appointed viscount echoed from behind, initially quite ethereal, but when he spoke the word "pain," it was as if his soul, which had seemingly emerged from the top of his head, returned to his body

Yes! The master is right, I was ill before

Except for Li Qi, everyone else knelt down, clutching their hearts

He was once a high-ranking priest, and neither his life experiences nor his interactions with the deities can be compared to those of the common folk.

Ah ah ahーー

When will he no longer feel pain in his heart?

Later, he could eat the stolen sweet potatoes while enduring the whip.

Achieving such results in the first promotion is commendable. Moreover, looking at Stan's expression, there is an added determination in his quest compared to before, indicating that he is likely to become a devoted believer.

Terrence embraced the stone pillar of the castle gate, forcefully banging his head against the pillar, producing a dull thudding sound

The viscount stared directly into his eyes: "Don't you feel that you were ill before?"

Behind him, the mud-legged people finally broke the silence, crowding around to plead for the Saintess to heal them as well. Even the guards forgot their duties, prompting Sardar to unleash a torrent of scolding, driving them back to their posts

Stan feels that he is so real now, and everything around him is so real, even the feeling of emptiness in his stomach is no longer as numb as before. Compared to before, he seems to be his true self now; thinking about it this way, it is indeed true that he was not normal before

There is no such thing!

Stan furrowed his brow, yet could not think of what to say

In this regard, Li Qi has no clue. In the world of Fei En, he is bound to the goddess, and the priest profession is merely a derivative of the papal identity. He has no idea how others can become clergy of the goddess.

A transparent screen unfolded in Li Qi's eyes, displaying the number of followers. The initial figure was 1 / 100, which continuously increased, ultimately settling at 37 / 100, and he revealed a satisfied smile

Li Qi vaguely realized that Terrence's experiences were too rich, and his focus must have been on his once lofty status

Terrence pondered, having previously consumed many thorns of the mind, his mind was exceptionally clear, and every scene of life was remarkably vivid

Stan, what do you feel? Is it pain?

Those gray eyes were clear and spirited, towering above the clouds, omniscient and omnipotent like a deity, making Stan feel as if his very insides were being seen through

After the old man banged his head against the wall, slapped his face, bowed, and rolled on the ground, he suddenly jumped up, as if set ablaze, and stripped off his clothes, revealing a lean yet not visibly aged body. Li Qi quickly covered Feini's eyes with his hand

His machete is very dull; it feels cool and comfortable when it just scrapes, as if shedding a thick layer. However, when the wind blows, it becomes quite painful

Later, he stood before his peers who still had parents, always feeling delighted. The thatched hut belonged to him alone, and no one would scold or beat him anymore

The wings of light unfurl, and the faint sound of angelic hymns resonates in the air

That's right! This is it! Last night everyone said to come and see the saintess, so I had to tidy up and just shaved my beard.

Stan put his knees on the ground: "What is that? Can someone like me really believe in it?"

Stan recalled when he was about ten years old, he ran to the neighbor's field at www.hetushucom.com to steal sweet potatoes, and was caught by the neighbor who hung him up while cursing and beating him. The man's curses were more powerful than a whip, leaving him feeling as if his heart was bleeding. In anger, he retorted, "You are the cockroach! I would rather die than eat anything that comes from a cockroach!"

Li Qi opened his mouth and stared wide-eyed. Before he could voice a protest, the old man struck his own mouth again, spitting and making a "pah pah" sound, as if he had just held something disgusting in his mouth.

As Fini prepared one by one, Terrence also wanted to give it a try and suggested, "My lord the Viscount, perhaps we could try to have Fini reveal her saintly form and use the thorns of the mind on everyone."

Stan looked at the saintess, a petite and delicate girl who was gazing at him with a look of compassion, her eyes shimmering with faint tears, drawing forth the pangs of heartache that had just arisen within him.

Perhaps the goddess is unwilling to accept someone like me, after all, I have once walked down the wrong path

Crimson ... ... Awake ... ... Real ... ...

Recalling Stan's situation, Rick asked, "Do you really feel pain? I mean, on a soul level."

Her tears had long been unable to be restrained, and when Stan was in tears, she felt a deep resonance. However, at the moment of shedding tears, she felt a slight unease in her heart: "Today, a lot of milk will be used up, I wonder if it can be replenished."

Stan murmured, a glimmer of desire rising in his eyes

Seeing the glimmer of determination in Stan's eyes after their clarity, Terrence felt a tremor in his heart. Based on his decades of experience in the church, he judged that Stan had already touched upon a corner of the doctrine, qualifying him at least as a nominal believer. If he could continue to study the doctrine and enrich his faith, there was a significant possibility that he could become a clergyman

Fini's "promotion" has come to a conclusion, and she has exited the saintly form. Everyone is looking at the increasingly agitated old man with awe, anticipating something.

The viscount looked at his chin and said: "Is it the feeling after shaving with a hatchet?"

Li Qi praised, "Good idea!"

He turned to the crowd, scanning over an individual, his gaze gradually shifting from confusion to clarity, and then he was in tears

That night, my heart ached, and my backside hurt

At that moment, Talents looked into Stan's eyes, which were somewhat red, and thought, why is that!

The old man pounded his chest and let out a long howl towards the sky. Under the gaze of the crowd, a soft white light flowed from within him, transforming into a halo that spiraled from his feet to his head, dissipating into specks of radiance. The color and aura of the light were indistinguishable from the divine power exhibited by Feini.

The light screen popped up, and upon seeing the phrase "Unexpected Joy, Cleric +1," Li Qi nearly dropped his jaw

Upon hearing this from Feini, the young girl understood what to do. Initially, she was simply crying, but now she was crying with the intention of awakening everyone.

Forty years ago, while adventuring and traveling abroad, he believed that his life-and-death experiences would be enough to earn trust, but unexpectedly, he was ruthlessly betrayed. When he killed his former teammate, his heart must have shattered into several pieces

Stan recalled the encounter with the viscount a few years ago on the mountain road, when he failed to dodge in time and was kicked by a guard, causing a sharp pain in his waist, as if his heart had been doused with a pot of boiling water, burning and painful

Stan recalled how, after his sister's death, their parents had thrown her small body into the river. He secretly felt a sense of relief at having one less mouth to feed at home, yet when he saw that little head, which he occasionally liked to caress, bobbing uncertainly in the water, an inexplicable pain surged in his heart

Thirty years ago, he betrayed others due to unavoidable circumstances, and at that time, the pain in his heart was so intense that he wished he could throw himself into a fire

Looking at Terrence again, the confusion and turmoil on the old man's face surprised Li Qi. Still not awakened

Thoughts continuously delve into the layers of memory, and the life experiences buried in the past are constantly being unearthed. It is as if something has suddenly been excavated; Talon's cheeks contort, and his body trembles slightly.

Old man Terrence stood behind Phineas, observing this cow tongue grass, Stan. He wanted to see how this "specimen" differed from himself

Stan recalled when he was six or seven years old, he cried and fussed at night because he was too hungry to sleep. His father slapped him, causing stars to dance before his eyes; at that moment, his face hurt, but his heart hurt even more. Later, when his father hit him, his body hurt, but his heart no longer felt pain

He eagerly asked, "My lord, what illness is that?"

Noticing Li Qi's gaze, Talens said bitterly

This left Terrence particularly perplexed; a mere mud-stained individual could awaken so easily after rolling around on the ground, while he, a former high-ranking cleric, had been unable to bask in the radiance of the goddess. It was truly...

Just now, the guard struck his head with the hilt of a sword, and he felt nothing at all, even feeling fortunate that his head was not broken.

The viscount smiled gently: "The crimson radiance shines universally, regardless of status or background. However, you must take it step by step, starting by keeping yourselves alert at all times and recognizing the truth."

The ox tongue grass · Stan rolled on the ground

The suffering of mortals

This is also acceptable

That was... at least fifty years ago, when young Talens was merely a junior apprentice at the Branch Temple. On a dark and windy night, he was summoned by the priest, who said it was to tutor him in his studies

The guards and the mud-legged men scattered in fear like a swarm of disturbed hornets

He continued, "Only by adhering to true faith can one constantly cleanse one's soul and prevent oneself from being obscured by filth"

He suppressed the urge to kneel and asked, "Am I alright now? Was it the saintess who saved me?"

It is the saintess who allows you to touch your own soul, enabling you to feel the truth, but this is not... not permanently effective

Terrence has awakened