The clergy who had followed Gray were also being revived one after another. Fortunately, no one had lost their life in this incident.
Afterward, everyone left the statue gallery and began their return journey by carriage.
During this time, because of Olivia's warning, everyone's nerves were extremely taut, guarding against the possibility of the mastermind behind the scenes striking again.
Fortunately, no further accidents occurred until they returned to the cathedral.
Once inside the Sunlight Cathedral, seeing the familiar statue of the Goddess, everyone finally let out a true sigh of relief.
Praise the Goddess!
...
Next came treatment and reporting.
The cathedral dispatched more powerful Priests to quickly heal all the injured. Olivia's minor injuries were swiftly recovered, and her mental state was restored to normal.
Olivia was naturally indispensable to the reporting process.
Just as she had explained to Ronan, Gray, and the others, she repeated her story once more, leaving no room for doubt.
After all, aside from learning Julia's research theories through the magic mirror and understanding the poetry written in Sylvan Runes, the rest of what she said was true. Even before she had transmigrated, the original owner of the body had indeed visited the monastery's library many times.
As the report was submitted, the events at the statue gallery were quickly sorted out and clarified.
Olivia also learned why the two tallest statues in the gallery had started fighting in the first place, which had drawn everyone's attention.
This was indeed something she had been puzzled about. Since the Seed of Awakening possessed living characteristics and knew how to keep a low profile and hide, why would it let two statues fight and cause such a commotion?
The answer was actually not complicated.
The prototypes of these two statues were actually two generals from the Holy Kelidos Empire thirty years ago. These two generals held high positions and great power, possessed considerable strength, and enjoyed no small amount of prestige, yet they both fell in love with the same woman.
For a long time, the two generals were jealous of each other, and their conflict grew larger and larger, even causing certain political shifts within the Holy Kelidos Empire.
In the end, the two generals chose to settle all their grievances with a duel, which was conducted in secret from everyone else. The result of the duel was quite tragic.
When people discovered the two generals were missing and began a search, they eventually found only the two of them in the dueling grounds, having killed each other.
The statues in the gallery, modeled after the two generals, naturally carried some of their characteristics. As a result, when they 'came to life,' the two generals became hostile toward each other again, leading to the situation where they fought every night.
Even the Seed of Awakening could not fully suppress the two generals; it could only force them back into statue form when it sensed someone approaching.
'So that's the truth. Statues can actually maintain a connection with their prototypes after being carved... I have to say, that's incredibly transcendent. But the people at the statue gallery are really hard to describe. Carving two rivals in love and putting them together, making them entangled in life and unable to separate even after death... It feels like some kind of cruel joke.'
Olivia, having understood the situation, felt a bit speechless.
The incident at the statue gallery still received significant attention within the church. After analysis, the church also believed this matter was very unusual and that someone might have intentionally placed the Seed of Awakening in the gallery.
As for the purpose, it was likely to cause a bloody incident and bring trouble to the church. Of course, all of this still required investigation.
The church would naturally arrange for personnel to conduct the investigation, so Olivia did not need to participate further.
After the matters regarding the statue gallery and the Paradise were fully explained, Olivia and her group departed.
The night was already very deep. What came next was, of course... sleep!
...
The next day.
A gentle morning breeze swept through the Sunlight Cathedral. Many believers had arrived early, praying devoutly and then either donating money or requesting aid.
After Olivia woke up, she washed, changed into her nun's habit, and then took the dress Melanie had given her to be laundered. There were female workers in the cathedral specifically responsible for laundry, so she didn't have to do it herself.
On her way back, a strange nun found Olivia.
She smiled and said, "Sister Olivia, a certain lady wishes to see you. Please come with me."
"A lady? Who is it?" Olivia asked subconsciously.
"Lady Julia Elliott."
"...I understand."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat, and her gaze couldn't help but turn subtle. She felt surprised, yet it also felt reasonable.
She naturally knew why Julia was looking for her. Just last night, she had used the other woman's research theory to resolve the crisis brought about by the uncontrolled-grade forbidden artifact, the Seed of Awakening. After years of research being effectively put into practice, it was inevitable that Julia would take notice.
She just hadn't expected the woman to come looking for her as early as today.
'Is this lady looking for me to understand the practical process? My story shouldn't have any issues.'
Olivia thought for a moment, her mood remaining relatively relaxed.
She followed the nun to the cathedral's back garden, and the guide then withdrew on her own.
In the back garden, fragrant flowers of various colors dotted the landscape, bringing a sense of fragrance and freshness.
Besides Olivia, there was only one other person there.
That person was also dressed as a nun, with silver-gray hair that was slightly curled. Even her eyes were gray, and her complexion was exceptionally pale, her entire being exuding a sense of fragility.
Is this Julia Elliott?
Olivia looked at the person sitting on the bench with some surprise because the woman's appearance did not look old at all; she looked to be only in her twenties. However, even her research on the Seed of Awakening dated back twenty years.
Is it because transcendents can effectively resist aging as their class rank increases?
While Olivia was looking at Julia, Julia's gaze also fell upon Olivia.
She smiled slightly. "You must be Olivia."
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Julia."
Olivia spoke politely and stepped forward, but she did not sit down beside her. Regardless of anything else, the woman was a high-ranking official of the church; she didn't dare be too casual.
"I have heard about the incident you encountered yesterday. You applied one of my previous research theories to resolve the crisis?" Julia asked with a smile.
"Yes. Fortunately, I had your research results, Lady Julia. Otherwise, my companions and I would have perished in that statue gallery." Olivia's gratitude was sincere.
"I should also thank you. It is because of you that one of my theories was put into practice. In my research, this is a very significant step forward. Well then, can you describe the specific behavior of the Seed of Awakening after you chanted the poem?"
"No problem."
Olivia began to describe it in a soft voice.
She expressed herself very clearly, and Julia listened very intently, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression as if she had gained some new insight.
Olivia truly admired Julia. To be able to research an alternative method of suppression for a forbidden artifact without sealing methods was something that could no longer be described simply as 'genius.'
After Olivia finished speaking, Julia said with a smile, "Everything matches my original research results, which gives me a lot to think about. Perhaps I can start some new research. Olivia, you completed the validation for me, so I must express my gratitude."
"It was your research results that saved us, Lady Julia. How could I have the heart to ask for any gratitude?" Olivia waved her hands hurriedly.
"Do not decline; this is worthy of my thanks. Let me think... Hmm, how about this? I will give you a forbidden artifact."
Julia quickly decided on what to give as a reward.
Upon hearing this, Olivia's face inevitably showed a look of shock.
What?
A forbidden artifact?
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