Mission in Progress

By the time Olivia and Vanessa arrived at Ronan's office, Raymond and Rocas were already there.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ronan said, "Let's go. Hopefully, our operation today will be a bit smoother."

As he spoke, the deacon, who had grown increasingly thin over the past few days, couldn't help but reach out and draw a pentagram over his chest, hoping the Goddess's favor would descend upon him.

'At least... at least don't let us be as unlucky as Bob.'

Thinking of the colleague Gray had mentioned, Ronan couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.

The group walked out of the office together.

Olivia looked up at the sky. Although it had been clear in the morning, in just a short time, the sunlight had been obscured by dark clouds from an unknown source, casting a somber mood over the domed buildings within her sight.

"It might rain later," Olivia murmured.

"Indeed. Prepare some umbrellas and cloaks," Ronan immediately instructed Raymond.

Raymond nodded, turning to head toward the War Preparation Room.

In addition to transcendent items, common supplies could also be requested from the War Preparation Room; the variety of items there was far beyond imagination.

"We can just wait for Raymond at the church entrance," Ronan said, walking out at a leisurely pace.

It was bustling along the way. Countless devotees came to the church every day to pray for blessings, spanning all age groups and praying for different things.

Olivia passed by the devotees one by one, seeing the same pious expressions on different faces.

Inevitably, a flicker of curiosity arose in her heart. She asked the magic mirror what the devotees were praying for and soon received the answers.

A gray-haired old man hoped he could live longer.

A young lady hoped to meet a handsome and wealthy partner.

A middle-aged couple hoped their child would grow up healthy.

A young child hoped their father, who was away on business, would return soon to spend time with them.

'I don't know if the Goddess can hear the devotees' hearts, but I certainly can.'

Olivia murmured to herself.

Before long, the group arrived outside the church.

By the time they had driven the carriage over and parked it, Raymond had also walked out of the church, holding several umbrellas and cloaks, which he placed into the carriage.

The group then boarded the carriage, with Rocas driving toward their destination.

Inside the carriage, Ronan pulled out a file and said, "These are all people who have been confirmed to have entered Paradise. Their identities vary—some are rich, some are poor. You should all take a look."

The file was opened and placed before Olivia and Vanessa.

Olivia glanced at the file and said, "Deacon Ronan, you must have been very tired these past few days."

"I am a bit tired. Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Ronan asked curiously.

"Your fallen hair is caught in the file," Olivia said.

Ronan: "..."

Sensing a trace of pain energy diffusing toward her, Olivia felt this was a truly unexpected surprise.

She grabbed the two corners of the file with both hands and gave it a shake outside the carriage, flicking the fallen hair out.

Then, she felt another wisp of pain energy diffuse toward her.

'Hmm? That works too? Did my actions make Deacon Ronan feel like he was being disdained? But that shouldn't count as a painful thing, right?'

Olivia set the file down, deep in thought.

She felt that the pain seed shouldn't be a picky eater; the nourishment it needed didn't necessarily have to be absolute pain. Any negative emotion seemed to be effective.

However, if it were true pain, it seemed the amount of pain energy provided would be slightly higher.

...

The carriage gradually arrived at Huys Street.

The street during the day was undoubtedly much busier than at night. Figures moved back and forth along the street, and people entered and exited the shops lining both sides, presenting a scene of prosperity.

This caused Olivia, who was used to traveling at night, to feel a bit of sentiment.

The carriage slowly stopped outside a small alley.

Olivia and the others got off one by one and headed into the alley.

Olivia looked deep into the alley and saw a grocery store.

The owner of this grocery store was their first target of the day. According to the previous file, the current owner of the shop was a widowed elderly woman with no children, living a fairly impoverished life.

Even with a grocery store, the old woman's life wasn't very good because grocery stores were actually a type of shop that was gradually being phased out by the changing times.

By comparison, people preferred going to malls, where the selection was broader and the probability of buying counterfeit goods was greatly reduced.

Of course, there was also the factor of the grocery store's poor location; a shop deep in an alley rarely received visits from customers.

After entering the grocery store, Olivia's impression of the place was much better. At least the environment inside was clean, clearly indicating that the old woman cleaned it frequently.

"Cough, cough... What are you buying?"

Accompanied by a cough, a gray-haired old woman walked out from behind the shelves.

Nora Turner!

The name flashed through Olivia's mind, and Ronan had already stepped forward, questioning her with a serious expression.

"We are clergy from the church. I have some questions for you..."

Nora seemed to only just realize that the people who had come were all clergy, and a flicker of unease flashed in her eyes.

But in Kaliron, or rather in the entire Holy Kelidos Empire, the Radiant Light Church was the greatest power. No one dared to offend this behemoth on the surface.

Nora Turner could only honestly answer Ronan's questions.

"You entered a place called Paradise, right? Don't try to lie. You understand the church's abilities; lies only bring misfortune."

"...Yes."

"Why did you enter Paradise?"

"Someone... someone asked if I wanted to go in, and I agreed."

"What do you do in Paradise?"

"I go to the Ferris wheel, and..."

Perhaps Ronan's pressure was truly too strong; no matter what question he asked, Nora answered honestly.

Hearing the other party mention the Ferris wheel, Olivia couldn't help but think of her own experience there. She remembered that people who went there could see those they longed for but could not have. So, was Nora there to see someone she couldn't see in reality?

After thinking for a moment, she interjected, "Is there someone you want to see but can't see in reality, so you can only see them through Paradise?"

As soon as she asked this, Olivia sensed pain energy coming her way.

Nora fell silent for a moment, then said with a hint of regret in her eyes, "Yes, my husband and my child are both dead. I can only see them in Paradise."

"But that's all fake. Comforting yourself with falsehoods will only make you feel emptier during the day when you can't enter Paradise. This isn't a good thing," Olivia said seriously.

She didn't say this just to continue gaining pain energy; she truly believed this was inappropriate. Comforting oneself in a fake way was merely a temporary numbness, and after the period of self-numbness passed, one would only fall into a deeper level of emptiness.

Originally, time could fade wounds, but Nora's behavior was no different from occasionally pulling the wound open, which would cause the wound to grow larger and eventually lead to irreversible consequences.

Nora was left somewhat silent by the words, and pain energy was continuously transmitted over.

Ronan said seriously, "You cannot enter Paradise anymore. It is not a good place. This is the church's stance. Regardless, I think you should believe the judgment from the church and not fall into the brief satisfaction provided by Paradise."

"Wh... why? I haven't noticed any harm in Paradise, and many people have entered it."

"You need to understand that there is no such thing as goodness for no reason in this world. Why would Paradise want to satisfy you? Paradise certainly has its own purpose; it's just that the mastermind hasn't exposed their goal yet."

"..."

Nora fell silent again, her eyes filled with a bit of confusion.

Ronan continued, "How many other people do you know who have become visitors to Paradise? Tell us everyone you know."