Chapter 135

“The sense of crisis in the simulation is something completely absent.”

The Mother Goddess… Where are you?

In the dark alleyway, a slender figure stood before a wall blocking her path, slowly closing her eyes and silently praying within her heart.

This prayer had been repeated countless times. She wished so much for even one response.

Not long ago, as she prepared to set sail to develop a new parish on another continent, she finally heard a response in her prayers.

In that hazy reply, He mentioned a place called “Borough City” and two illusory girls, only one of whom she could remember had hair that resembled red.

This is top secret. If you reveal it, you will lose your life—this was the final warning from that voice.

The slender figure slowly opened her eyes, and her emerald-green pupils carried a hint of confusion.

Borough City has at least 180,000 residents—this was data from a year ago. With the ongoing industrial expansion, the population would only increase.

To find two girls whose faces were unclear among so many people?

And in a region where local cultists had just been completely annihilated?

The difficulty was akin to finding a uniquely colored shell in a lake without being noticed by other fish.

No matter how she prayed, the mysterious voice and the illusory projection never appeared again in her mind.

But Tara did not sigh. This was merely a test from the Mother Goddess. If she couldn’t pass such a small test, she didn’t deserve to receive the oracle from a divine servant and should seek forgiveness in the afterlife.

“Hmm?”

Tara suddenly looked up, focusing on a distant direction.

The sound coming from there… Initially, Tara thought it was just a delusion or some environmental noise, too faint to be noticed.

But after calming down and praying, she noticed that sound.

It was Him, calling her over.

Tara’s figure gradually distorted and dissipated, leaving behind a white trail. Soon, the trail merged with the ground, flying horizontally towards Tara’s location.

Ten minutes later, Tara stood in front of a villa.

This area was dangerous… High-end neighborhoods like this could potentially contain Extraordinary Persons or those holding Sealed Objects, nobles aware of the secrets of the extraordinary.

But as she approached the exquisite villa, Tara felt even more certain.

This was not a trap. Although the voice was faint and muddled, it grew increasingly familiar as she approached.

This was a feeling only someone with the Mother Goddess’ mark could perceive.

Surviving believers? And a noble?

Even from afar, she could sense it. At least a believer with a bishop’s emblem… They must have survived the great cleansing, indicating they are a very experienced Extraordinary Person.

Now, even Tara did not know the situation at Derton Manor. She could only wait for other believers to infiltrate and report back the news.

If she could successfully make contact, she might obtain useful information.

A white shadow emerged from behind Tara, leaping onto the house and stopping on a terrace. Then, Tara’s figure distorted and dissipated, swapping positions with the white shadow.

The door to the terrace led to a room… the only room in the entire house with light.

However, the curtains blocked Tara’s view, preventing her from seeing inside clearly.

Finding the Mother Goddess was crucial.

Tara walked directly to the glass door, reaching out to gently pull it open.

Then, she slowly pulled back the curtain, peering into the room.

Two gas lamps lit up the room, casting slightly dim light, enough for Tara to discern the objects inside.

As soon as she looked inside, her body stiffened slightly.

On a beautiful white wooden stool sat a girl throwing a dagger. She continued to throw the dagger, watching Tara as if she had been waiting here all along.

A trap?

No… Not a trap. Red hair?!

The girl’s red hair gradually overlapped with the suspected red-haired figure from the illusion… Tara’s eyes widened slightly.

Seeing Tara, the red-haired beauty stopped throwing the dagger, raising her hand and tossing it toward the bed.

Zing—!

In that instant, a terrifying buzzing sounded in Tara’s mind. On the large bed, a terrifying white figure almost instantly formed, catching the dagger with its hand.

Seeing that white figure, Tara first froze for a second, then became instantly excited, almost screaming.

Familiar delusions… a familiar aura…

The God… the Divine Servant?!!

Even though the terrifying delusions caused double vision and hallucinations, she couldn’t look away.

In Tara’s peripheral vision, the red-haired girl merely curled her finger, and the white-fluorescent insect wings behind the Divine Servant retracted. Holding the dagger, the servant obediently walked to the red-haired girl’s side and knelt down.

“Mother Goddess…”

The Divine Servant respectfully extended his hand, handing the dagger to the girl, then his figure distorted and dissipated, as if he had never been there.

And Tara, who had been following the Divine Servant, finally fixed her gaze on the red-haired girl.

Mother… Goddess?

Meeting the girl’s gaze, Tara’s body trembled with excitement.

At this moment, she could no longer contain her excitement, crawling in and kneeling before the red-haired girl, touching her forehead to the ground.

“Great Mother Goddess… I’m sorry, your foolish servant arrived late. I am willing to accept any reproach, punishment… even my life.”

Tara spoke incoherently, losing her usual composure. The prayers she used to recite effortlessly and engrave in her mind were now forgotten.

This was partly due to the disturbance caused by seeing the Divine Servant.

Seeing the Divine Servant described in the scriptures had already overwhelmed Tara, and his actions left her shocked beyond words.

It was real… It was really the Mother Goddess…

This girl was the incarnation of the Mother Goddess.

“Is… Is this the vessel He uses to walk among the living, carrying Her will?”

After waiting for so long, finally, above Tara’s head came the calm, chilly voice of a young girl.

“Let’s move somewhere else to talk.”

“Yes! My Lady!”

…

Borough City, Gemstone District, 71 Gemstone Avenue.

“Y-Yes… Lord Xia’er.”

Xia’er sat by the desk, looking at Tara, who knelt half on the floor, staring intently at her. She sighed inwardly.

She had just managed to get Tara to change her way of addressing her from “Mother Goddess” to “Xia’er,” but Tara stubbornly refused to drop the “Lord” part, as if calling her Xia’er without it would be a great disrespect. Even if she were to kill herself right then and there, she would still need to add “Lord” after Xia’er’s name.

This level of fanaticism was truly something else…

But it made sense, considering Tara was chosen by the divine servant as one of the most loyal believers; her loyalty was unquestionable.

Xia’er originally thought that the simulation overexaggerated how easily Tara would call out “Mother Goddess” when grabbing her leg in public, but now she realized that such a scenario was indeed quite possible.

Luckily, she had anticipated this and waited for her, rather than letting Tara find her through clues bit by bit.

At least from what she could see, Tara completely ignored Amy and focused all her attention on her, which aligned with Xia’er’s expectations.

The next step was simple enough.

As a missionary, Tara already possessed the ability to discern lies, but Xia’er didn’t need to lie. She just needed to speak the truth to gain Tara’s complete trust.

“Do you know why I’ve been waiting for you?” Xia’er asked, looking at the woman in front of her.

“Your servant is ignorant and foolish. Please enlighten me, Lord Xia’er.”

Tara lifted her head, gazing excitedly at Xia’er’s face.

Her intense gaze made Xia’er slightly uncomfortable. She looked at Tara and said, “My strength is incomplete. I need your help to find my ‘uniqueness.’”

Uniqueness?

Hearing this, Tara instantly perked up like someone had injected her with adrenaline, straightening her chest. She said, “What do you need me to do to assist you? Do I need to sacrifice myself to restore your power?”

Xia’er: “…”

Do I really look like someone who enjoys sacrificing members of the Arrival Sect?

Although she did sacrifice about a hundred of them.

“No, just bring your confidant Gema over. Remember, you can’t use your own identity,” Xia’er shook her head and said, “I’ll give you further instructions later.”

“Yes, Lord Xia’er. I’ll go do it immediately.”

Tara nodded repeatedly.

She didn’t doubt how Xia’er knew about her confidant named Gema at all. In her mind, the Mother Goddess’s omniscience was a natural thing.

Recovering part of her “uniqueness”… This was undoubtedly a huge boost to the Mother Goddess’s power and another significant historical milestone for the Arrival Sect.

Not only did it prove that the doctrines of the Salvation Goddess Religion were wrong, but also affirmed the legitimacy of the Arrival Sect.

If this information were released… it would likely cause most followers of the Salvation Goddess Religion to defect to the Arrival Sect. Unfortunately, this information couldn’t be released.

Moreover, Tara didn’t really want to release this information.

Only she knew about the Mother Goddess’s information… This alone proved her importance in the Mother Goddess’s heart and was a crucial distinction from other believers.

Even centuries later, when mentioning this period, she would be referred to as the Mother Goddess’s first servant, leaving a profound mark in the religious texts.

Helping the Mother Goddess obtain “uniqueness” was also participating in the epic process, something many believers dreamt of.

With this opportunity in front of her, she would definitely cherish it and spare no effort to assist the Mother Goddess.

Under Xia’er’s guidance, Tara quickly drafted a letter to send to Gema, which Tara would personally supervise to ensure it reached its destination — avoiding any mishaps.

Stepping out of Xia’er’s house, a gentle breeze blew across Tara’s face, calming her excited spirit slightly.

Soon, she carefully took out a piece of paper from her waist pouch.

This was the original handwritten draft by Lord Xia’er… even the paper was Xia’er’s own.

She unfolded the paper, slowly bringing it close to her face, taking a deep breath. After a while, feeling somewhat oxygen-deprived, she slowly moved the paper away from her face, exhaling.

Although the scent was almost solely of paper and ink, there was a faint trace of the young girl’s fragrance… She must treasure this piece of paper until she took it to her grave.

After carefully placing the original back into her waist pouch, Tara walked briskly down the street under the cover of night.

This couldn’t continue; she needed to hurry and complete Lord Xia’er’s orders… copy this letter and send it out…

Standing by the window, Xia’er watched Tara’s hurried departure, feeling a slight relief.

In this way, she had established a connection with Tara in reality, albeit secretly. Even if she were to die, Tara wouldn’t reveal any information about her.

The next steps were to prepare for the sewing of the body, and wait.

Xia’er glanced at the current time.

June 26, 2:13 AM.

Everything needed to be in place by July 1st.

With the information from the simulation, Xia’er handled these matters swiftly and precisely, knowing exactly what to do at each moment.

But the more prepared she became, the more anxious she felt about unforeseen complications.

After all, this was reality, not a simulation. Any mistakes couldn’t be undone from the start.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Xia’er felt a mild headache and a buzzing sensation in her ears.

She rubbed her temples, pulled the curtains shut, and returned to her desk.

The candlelight dispelled some darkness, but couldn’t ease Xia’er’s faint anxiety.

This sense of urgency and crisis was something she couldn’t experience in the simulation.

Contacting Tara early meant that misfortune would come sooner.

Variability had already appeared.

So… she couldn’t rest yet…