Chapter 4, High Priest Talens

The old man said: "This is a divine symbol used by high-ranking priests, engraved with the emblem of the Lady of Suffering. Unfortunately, I have already severed ties with the church and can no longer activate it. Uh... it is made from the skull of a martyr of the church"

It seems that the old man, or perhaps a high-ranking priest of this level, is still unaware that the witch is actually referred to as a "fallen deity"

Her followers are known for their asceticism and have devised various extremely cool methods of suicide, which are prohibited from public activity in most places. However, due to the low cost and fearlessness of the practitioners, they are highly favored in the mercenary and adventure industries

The old man revealed his origins, Li Qi shrank his neck, and Sadar unsheathed his sword with a clang, then made a clicking sound with his teeth.

Li Qi curiously asked: "How did the church deal with witches? Were they hanged or burned?"

Li Qi gritted his teeth in anger and said, "You don't understand anything!"

Feini was discovered by him while searching for the relic of the Goddess of Suffering, but what confounded him was that this little girl, who was connected to the Goddess of Suffering, was actually a witch

The story of Talren is not complicated. The original High Priestess of the Lady of Pain witnessed the entire church indulging in the art of self-destruction, unable to extricate itself. The disciples she had painstakingly nurtured died one after another in a manner that was utterly meaningless, and one could even say it was laughable. Gradually, she began to doubt the teachings of the Lady of Pain.

The Goddess of Suffering, Anma, is a benevolent deity who appeared in the Third Era. Her doctrine is to savor suffering, gaining the strength to save oneself and others through hardship

The old man's momentum suddenly deflated: "She is not a witch, why is this happening? Perhaps, it could be the scheme of Lady Pain."

"That is nothing but the church's deceptive rhetoric," Terrence said bitterly. "The only effect is the corruption of extraordinary powers, which has no impact on ordinary people at all. I have been wandering with Fini for two or three years; if there were truly an evil curse, could we still be alive now?"

Regardless of which deity's church it is, upon capturing a witch, they will use petrification magic to seal her body, extracting all her internal organs and leaving only the heart. They will also employ divine magic to sustain her life and consciousness, while allowing high concentrations of holy water to circulate both inside and outside her body

Goddess of Suffering? Who is that?

The old man's back suddenly straightened, and his speech became much more forceful: "The divine artifact of the Goddess of Suffering still retains its divinity, resonating with Phineas; this is undeniable evidence even the highest gods cannot refute"

Then he said to Terrence: "I also face significant risks; not to mention the church, I have heard that witches bring evil curses"

Sardar exclaimed: "Young master! She is a witch!"

Fein's extraordinary powers are divided into ten levels. Li Qi, as a novice knight, has not yet entered the realm and can only be considered level zero. Levels one to three are commonly referred to as strong; levels four to six are heroes; levels seven to nine are legends; and level ten is the realm of demigods. Powers above level ten are not accommodated by the primary material plane and belong to the domain of deities.

However, what truly startled Li Qi and Sadar was not Lady Pain, but rather the title that the old man proclaimed for himself

Li Qi was taken aback, what did he just say wrong? Every word seemed perfectly normal and pure

In the secret texts of the church, he discovered that the original faith of the Lady of Suffering stemmed from the Goddess of Suffering from a thousand years ago. Thus, he departed from the church to seek the traces of the Goddess of Suffering, aiming to understand the true essence of "suffering"

Terrence began to tremble

My name is Campbell Talents, and I was originally a high priest of Lady Suffering

The old man closed his eyes: "A statue that can be brought to life will undergo purification"

The bones that resemble animals, when aligned at a certain angle according to the old man's suggestion, reveal a special pattern composed of intricate lines.

Her divine name once spread throughout the entirety of Fain, extending all the way to the Fourth Era. However, nearly one thousand years ago, Her Majesty Anma unfortunately fell in the Divine War, and her divine office was divided among many deities

He bowed his head and said: "Your Excellency, please spare her. Whatever you desire, I will bear it all!"

Li Qi's hand trembled, nearly throwing this thing into the old man's face

The title of Lady Pain is quite significant, not because of her strength, but due to her peculiar doctrine: that pain is the essence of life. Therefore, one should devote their limited life to infinite self-torment, ultimately concluding it in a worthy battle or event, ending life in an extremely intense and unforgettable pain for the witnesses, which is considered the attainment of a fulfilled life.

He calmly placed the skull on the table, coughed twice, and nodded, saying: "Then you may continue, but be brief."

Sadar kept giving Li Qi hints, but Li Qi ignored him

The old man sighed, "I have already lost the favor of Lady Pain, and the Goddess of Suffering has not awakened; now I am just a useless person"

Terrence, with tears streaming down his face: "Your Excellency! She is still a child!"

The statement aligns with that of the goddess, which outlines the steps through which a deity absorbs divinity from a witch

A sudden cold wave swept through the hall, and Sadar looked at Li Qi with wide eyes, his mouth agape.

What is the use of the ruins? He is now a miserable bankrupt viscount, a weakling who is not even at level one, where would he find the resources and strength to explore the ruins

He held his head and groaned: "I don't know..."

"Merely denying the fact that Feini is a witch with words is not sufficient," Li Qi prepared to conclude the meeting, intending to confine the old man elsewhere to facilitate his solitary "strategy against the witch".

The strongest being in the viscount's territory, Sadal, is only at level 2, and his profession is a knight, which is only slightly less common than that of a warrior. Based on Li Qi's rudimentary understanding of the classification of extraordinary power levels, an old man could defeat a hundred Sadals.

Li Qi felt that perhaps the old man knew, but just did not believe it, or was afraid to reveal it. By exposing the true nature of the witch, the true faces of the gods of Fei En would also be revealed, including the suffering goddess he was searching for, all of which would be denied

I thought about it again, and it would indeed be a pity to hand it over to the church; perhaps she really is a saint after all

However, from another perspective, the old man still holds some value.

The old man's forehead trembled with every wrinkle, yet his words were calm: "Your Excellency, you should know that mortals cannot withstand excessive divine power. High concentrations of holy water are like concentrated acid; they do not harm the body, but can scorch the soul, even melting it away little by little"

Li Qi shuddered

Li Qi raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness: "Then why is she also a witch? Once Feini reveals her true witch form, she will corrupt the extraordinary powers around her. You are well aware of this, which is why you reminded her not to cry"

Li Qi put on what he considered to be his most amiable expression: "The first time I saw Feini, I liked her immediately. If you can persuade her to listen to me properly and not hand her over to the church, I am in need of a maid."

The high priest holds a very esteemed position within the church; no church would bestow this title upon someone who has not even reached the level of a hero. This implies that the strength of this old man is at least above level 4

living statue

He took out a small object, about half the size of his palm, and handed it to Sadar, who then passed it to Li Qi

Shut up

Li Qi only remembers the Lady of Suffering, the Goddess of Abuse, and the God of Affliction, but has never heard of the Goddess of Misery

Seeing their reaction, the old man sighed: "I said, it turns out that ... ... "

Li Qi was astonished. Is there also a fat man named Roger in this Fei En world?

The old man spoke intermittently, causing Li Qi to gasp in surprise. Who is this person, and how does he know so much about the changes of the deities?

Li Qi asked: "You say Feini is the saint of the goddess of suffering, what is the evidence?"

In the world of Fei'en, there exists a rather troublesome situation. From the initial establishment of civilization by the elves, which gave rise to the first batch of deities, to the present day, there has been a history of at least one million years. Within the mere thousand years of the Quaternary period, the changes among the deities have already become a tangled mess. It is quite difficult to ascertain the details of those fallen, hidden, or obscure deities.

This misunderstanding cannot be resolved all at once, he casually remarked: "Is being a maid really more terrifying than being sent to the church?"

Li Qi asked in a hoarse voice: "How long will it last? A few hours? A few days?"

Oh? The threat of "sending to the church" is surprisingly powerful

The old man misunderstood Li Qi's words: "Your Excellency the Viscount! I know of many ruins of fallen deities! Excavating them is worth a great deal of gold! As long as you do not send Feini to the church, I will tell you everything I know!"

Then he suddenly realized: "I understand now, in the future when the young master sees other young masters, he will be able to proudly say, even the witch..."

A chilling sensation rose from Li Qi's tailbone to the top of his head, making him feel as if not only his hair but every single hair on his face stood on end

Li Qizheng was astonished, the old man raised his head and said with tear-stained cheeks: "I understand now, I will advise Feini to serve you well, please be as kind to her as possible"

The old man shook his head slightly: "The shortest is two to three years, the longest... I have heard that in the Loyal Sanctuary of the Guardian God Kaim, there are still witches that have not been purified for over a hundred years."