The carriage approached from afar, coming to a halt before the Temple amidst the tinkling of bronze bells.
A heroic female knight leapt down from the carriage and pulled out a step-ladder from beneath the frame.
A pale hand lifted the curtain, and her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, as if the sunlight were too blinding.
"Knight Hilda, I am sorry for the trouble."
As a Guardian Knight and a high-ranking combatant over level fifty, Hilda didn't need to do any of this. In the outside world, she was a famous noble who would have others waiting on her.
However, before the Saintess, Hilda’s posture remained incredibly humble and devout.
"To serve as your vanguard is my life's greatest wish!"
With her right hand over her heart and her head slightly bowed, she performed a standard noble knight’s salute. When this woman of heroic spirit did so, it possessed a unique kind of beauty.
"You are too modest."
Luo Li prepared to disembark, but Hilda suddenly stopped her.
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
"What is it?"
Given the female knight's personality, she wouldn't block her path for no reason, especially since the ladder was already in place. Why wasn't she being allowed to get off?
'This isn't exactly a school bus!'
"Your Highness, the red carpet hasn't been laid out yet."
Hilda looked at Luo Li with a serious expression, as if failing to lay the carpet would somehow defile the holy maiden before her.
Luo Li’s mouth twitched, her mind already filled with a string of expletives.
Did she really think she was some kind of life-sized doll? Was she not even allowed to step on the ground?
Seeing Hilda’s solemn and serious expression, Luo Li opened her mouth but ultimately chose to follow the standard procedure.
Soon, a large red carpet was rolled out between the Temple and the Saint's Carriage to the sound of nuns' hurried footsteps.
The vibrant red carpet had clearly been meticulously maintained; every thread was perfectly aligned.
Luo Li stepped onto it lightly. She had never worn shoes, not even while inside the Temple.
On the carriage, she had been in such a tense environment that she hadn't noticed this at all.
It was only upon leaving the carriage that she realized she had been walking barefoot this entire time.
What was this? Some kind of morbid, twisted faith?
Or was the Temple so poor that they couldn't even afford a pair of shoes?
From the start, Luo Li had noticed that the commoners outside the carriage were dressed very simply, with many wearing patched clothes. Aside from the towering Temple, the other buildings were either dilapidated or in a state of long-term disrepair, clearly indicating extreme poverty.
Many of the citizens appeared sallow and emaciated. It seemed this Brilliant City... wasn't very brilliant at all.
Perhaps it had been glorious in the past, but it had fallen on hard times now.
She glanced around the carriage; this was the Temple courtyard. Within the massive grounds, statues of twin-winged angels could be seen everywhere. Near the main gate of the courtyard, not far from the Temple, believers watched the Saint's Carriage, each kneeling on the ground with their fingers interlaced across their chests, eyes closed in prayer.
These people had been brainwashed by the Holy Church.
That was the first thought that popped into Luo Li’s head upon seeing this scene.
But then again, wasn't this a good thing?
Having faith was better than having none at all.
Luo Li didn't know about others, but her healing magic was absolute. No matter the injury, as long as it was within her capacity to treat, she could restore it completely.
Just like when Adam’s heart had been crushed.
With such healing magic, it was only natural for the common people to believe in the Holy Church and call it a 'miracle.'
Walking down from the carriage, Luo Li’s clean little feet stepped onto the inch-thick carpet. The soft texture felt comfortable, like walking on clouds, without the slightest hint of discomfort.
She walked all the way back into the Great Hall of the Temple. Looking up, the statue of the six-winged angel—Archangel Sariel, the Moon Angel—stood quietly in the center of the hall. The entire sculpture was nearly eight meters tall, reaching almost to the ceiling.
The nuns knelt on one knee, welcoming the Saintess of Brilliant City in the Kingdom of the Moon.
The knights guarding the Temple also followed suit, kneeling on one knee.
Such were the rules of the Holy Church: upon meeting the Saintess, everyone below the rank of Fidelity Knight had to kneel on one knee to show respect to God.
Furthermore, those guarding the Temple were Praetorian Knights. Although their rank titles were the same as regular knights, their duties were different.
It was clear from this that in this world, level thirty was a watershed moment.
Another watershed was level sixty.
In the entire Brilliant City, and even the entire Kingdom of the Moon, there was only one level sixty Heavenly Punishment Knight.
As for the highest-level seventy Sacred Knight, they only existed in the Holy City of the Holy Kingdom.
In the entire human race, there was only one such Sacred Knight.
As for the Saintess, she didn't know much about her current status yet.
A year ago, the original owner of this body had been very naive and knew nothing about the outside world, focusing only on her faith and serving God.
Even at the moment she became the Saintess, she still knew nothing. At that same time, the Pope of the Holy Kingdom had sent Martha... a nun who had been a demon spy from the very beginning.
After Martha arrived in Brilliant City, she took control of everything.
Even the nuns surrounding her basically only took orders from Martha.
Luo Li returned to the Great Hall. Beneath the divine statue was a massive bed forged entirely of pure gold.
Normally, the Saintess would stay here, and sometimes she even slept here.
Seeing this, Luo Li couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.
Did the Holy Church really use her as a decorative ornament?
Wasn't this just the treatment of a mascot?
But no matter how she thought about it, it felt a bit strange.
Approaching the bed, Luo Li turned and sat down. Two nuns held the train of her robe. As she turned, the two nuns quickly moved behind her, arranging the long train on the bed before respectfully stepping back and standing at either side.
They seemed ready to adjust the Saintess's robe at a moment's notice.
Throughout the process, Hilda didn't speak, watching with a serious gaze.
Only after she was seated on the bed did Hilda speak.
"Saintess, by my deduction, this demon invasion is closely related to Nun Martha... no, to the demonized human."
Luo Li shook her head.
"It's more than just related. You could say she is the culprit."
Hilda’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at this Saintess, who hadn't shown a shred of wisdom for an entire year. If she didn't know that the Saintess was incapable of being possessed, Hilda might have even suspected that the girl before her wasn't their Saintess!
How could the pure Saintess have thought of this?
Luo Li didn't notice Hilda’s expression. Instead, she lowered her head and pondered for a moment before voicing her thoughts.
"Her target was... me?"
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