Chapter 373

Chapter 159: The Second Truth

The Goddess of Sin… The gods exist… They have names… Diana…

Wait, why does this name sound familiar?

It seems I’ve heard it somewhere before…

My mind was spinning as Angel continued to speak: “However, several hundred years ago, the Goddess of Sin seemed to have developed some kind of disagreement with the other gods… something we cannot know and dare not speculate about. As the Pope, I am the closest human being to the gods, but all I know is that the Goddess Diana apparently broke some established rule. They call her the ‘dirty traitor’…”

“…Traitor?”

Can there be betrayal among the gods too?

“If I heard correctly, that’s what they said.”

When Angel said this, his face also showed a hint of uncertainty. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his expression was confused. Then he shook his head gently.

“Let’s leave that aside for now. In short, there was a disagreement between them. And the divine titles of the gods, which should not be mentioned casually, would be considered blasphemy by the great beings, and humans would suffer the consequences… But Xiaohetan, you are special. I once prayed to a god, asking for forgiveness for my sins and permission to mention the name of the ‘traitor.’ I think this might help you…”

How could it help…

Before this, I didn’t even know… Wait a moment.

Diana…

“You said, the goddess is called, Diana!”

I was so shocked that I almost jumped up.

Diana!

Ever since then, I had been wondering where I had heard this name before.

And then I remembered.

That night in the royal city, when I fought the monster that was Teresa’s incarnation. I recalled that when it ‘awoke,’ it had said something.

[I am the angel of Diana.]

“It was Teresa! Teresa turned into a—”

“Hush! Be quiet!”

Angel placed his index finger on his lips, his gaze suddenly stern. At this moment, as the Pope, he inadvertently revealed an air of authority, his imposing presence startling me. I shrank back, shoulders hunching, and sat down obediently.

“Teresa… turned into a monster, saying it was… Diana’s… angel…”

My voice softened involuntarily.

“Angel…”

Over there, Angel seemed unaware of the authority he had just displayed. Now, he leaned lazily against the seat, his body appearing limp, muttering, “It seems they have made significant progress…”

“What progress…” I asked him.

“The power of the gods.”

Angel’s answer was brief and clear.

“Margaret may have told you some things, or perhaps not… I believe you also know something about the relationship between gods and humans, their history, and common knowledge from your time at the academy. I won’t go into those details. Now, I will simply tell you what I know.”

“Mm-hm.”

I nodded, sitting upright, looking at him with a serious expression.

Angel took another sip of wine.

“As everyone knows, the ‘power of faith’ that the Holy Church can wield comes from devout belief, praying to the great gods for blessings, to receive miracles, and then use them. To put it simply, you can understand that we don’t have ‘power’ ourselves; all miracles come from borrowing from the great gods, merely released through the bodies of clerics… Of course, this sounds simple, but the actual process is much more complex.”

“Most clerics in the church spend their entire lives in asceticism, yet they never receive the blessing of the gods. On the contrary, a few favored individuals only need a short period of cultivation to receive the grace of different gods, allowed to perform sacred miracles like judgment, healing, and nature. But there are rare cases, like Teresa, whose reception of grace caused quite a stir in the church… After all, receiving the grace of nature, judgment, and healing simultaneously in over a hundred years is unprecedented…”

Teresa…

I

Resting my chin on my hand, I couldn’t help but recall that gentle and radiant face again, thinking about some of the things she had said to me. I couldn’t help but interrupt Angel: “Why… would she do something like that?”

Originally, I wanted to ask him straightforwardly what exactly Teresa had seen or known before she became the Holy Maiden… but as the words formed in my mouth, I hesitated and didn’t ask directly.

I didn’t want to tell him that I actually knew more than he did…

Seeing Angel think for a moment, he then told me, “Perhaps she had her own thoughts. I can’t give you an answer for this, because the Church is also trying to find the reasons behind it.”

As expected…

I pursed my lips.

I would have to understand Teresa’s situation myself. I probably wouldn’t get any answers from Angel or the Church…

Holding my small thought in my heart, I continued listening to Angel.

“…Where was I?”

“Miracle blessings.”

“Yes, miracle blessings… For most people, this is a difficult thing, but there are always those who can easily obtain them. Of course, this isn’t a fair matter, but just like the power of order, some people are born with extraordinary talents, while most others, no matter how hard they try, are only mediocre.”

“We cannot know the preferences of the gods, nor can we change the rules they set. But no matter what, the gods always favor humans who are full of wisdom, willing to bestow favors upon us, which is why we can defeat all alien races, including dragons, and establish so many prosperous cities in such a cruel world.”

“But humans are ultimately humble. Our bodies are too weak to serve as good ‘mediums’ to carry the grander miracles. So, a thousand years ago, ancient saints once met and communicated with the gods, eventually making another agreement. An agreement that allows the use of other ‘media’ to perform great powers—a new blessing. That is—”

“Goddess relics.” I immediately picked up where he left off.

“Clever~”

Angel snapped his fingers.

“Goddess relics… The miracles performed using dragon bones as a medium are the closest to divine power. In the subsequent millennium, humans—or rather, the Holy Church—would receive such blessings at irregular intervals every few decades. The gods bestowed upon us new Goddess relics, and in return, our faith became even more steadfast and sincere.”

“As for those Goddess relics, the Church grants relatively safe portions to various countries, making the lives of their citizens more stable, such as the ‘Boswell’ in the capital city… And some dangerous, highly destructive ones, we seal them away or entrust them to high-ranking clergy like Cardinals. In dire situations, the Church will use them to defend against external enemies… such as the abyss, powerful enough to rival a gluttonous one.”

At this point, Angel sneakily glanced at me.

I frowned somewhat unhappily. “What?”

“It’s nothing, nothing…”

“Nothing, why did you stop?… Keep going, I’m listening.”

Thinking about Nero, who used two Goddess relics at once and beat me to the point where I couldn’t retaliate, made me very angry. Once I got angry, I didn’t want to give Angel a good look.

If I hadn’t eaten Teresa’s monster and already possessed the power of the Netherfire, I might have really died in the sea of flames…

Deep down, I was actually scared.

But I didn’t want Angel to see that. Seeing him still looking at me cautiously, I slammed the table. “Quick! You’ve been talking for so long and haven’t gotten to the point…”

Angel shrank back in shock. “Alright, alright! I’ll get to the point… That is, through the gods’ blessings, we make ourselves stronger, which is a method based on rules. This way is rational, and it’s also beneficial for the long-term prosperity of humans and the world… But the Gate of Truth is different.”

“I believe you already understand the sinfire well enough. Their way of obtaining power is through burning and sacrifice… It’s the same life-robbing method as the abyss… Little Black Charcoal, they are killing people.”