**Chapter Sixty-One: The Goddess’s Prophecy**
The next day at noon.
After having lunch on the first floor, Shaya left the adventurers’ inn, preparing to head to Octave’s place to ask Lady Violet some questions.
In fact, based on the information Shaya currently had, he could roughly piece the whole situation together.
From the two pieces of memory that Miss Jin provided to him last night, it seemed that the organization called “the Sun” was plotting to bring a certain deity back to life and achieve some sort of purpose.
Combining this with the stone tablet found in the underground of the Violet Manor, and the mark on Lady Violet’s chest, Shaya was certain that the deity in question was the Goddess of Abundance.
Moreover, according to the information casually mentioned by Miss Witch at the time, the current situation of that goddess was probably not very good.
She was either fallen into an Evil God or her consciousness had disintegrated into many parts.
But in any case, the altar plan that “the Sun” had to cease due to Shaya’s interference was closely related to Lady Violet.
Why not make a bold guess?
Was Lady Violet perhaps the vessel used in the ritual to carry the consciousness of the Goddess of Abundance?
This guess was likely in line with the truth of the matter.
Thus, at present, the safety of that lady was of utmost importance.
Thinking of this, Shaya quickened his pace, deciding to stay at Octave’s house without leaving her side.
Just then, a sudden flurry of a carriage driving past rang out behind him.
Accompanied by the coachman’s shouts and the noble emblem clearly visible on the carriage, pedestrians had no choice but to step aside.
Shaya didn’t look back and continued to ponder his thoughts while slightly moving to the side.
However, what happened next made him momentarily put his thoughts aside.
After a harsh screeching sound, a shadow blocked the light beside Shaya. He looked up and found a luxurious carriage had stopped next to him.
On the flag at the front side of the carriage was embroidered the pattern of a violet flower.
People from the Latossos family?
Shaya was taken aback for a moment, and then, amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding pedestrians, the door of the carriage was opened by a maid.
The maid, with a graceful and beautiful appearance, bowed and said, “Young Master Adelaide, the Miss requests your presence in the carriage.”
Selly?
Shaya suddenly understood, furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and ultimately chose to get in the carriage.
Although he had just ‘abducted’ her mother, Lady Violet must be more anxious than he was during such a time; he couldn’t show any signs of fear.
Besides, could one consider a knight’s affairs to be abduction?
That was called salvation!
The interior of the carriage seemed significantly more spacious than it appeared from the outside, enough to rival a small residence. Perhaps it involved some dimension magic that was quite remarkable, which made Shaya gasp in surprise.
After getting in, he entered a small private room, where he finally saw Selly.
Today, she appeared somewhat unwell, her long black hair draped over her face, with her little head gently resting against the single-sided window, her eyes closed in rest.
She was wearing the iconic uniform coat of the Judgment Tower, with a black female lining beneath it, and her lower half was a skirt above the knee, exposing her thin, fair, and shapely long legs somewhat boldly, shod in a pair of women’s ankle boots.
Not to say, there was indeed a touch of JK charm.
Hearing Shaya enter, Selly opened her eyes somewhat tiredly and spoke in a low voice, “Shaya, my mother is missing.”
“Is that true?”
Shaya was taken aback for a moment, then responded with pain.
For a brief instant, he thought Selly had sensed something.
“Hmm…”
Selly lightly nodded, motioning to the seat next to her for him to sit.
After Shaya took a seat, Selly kicked off her boots, resting her feet clad in black short socks on Shaya’s lap, then shifted, curling up beside the window like a little cat.
“……”
Shaya glanced at the small feet resting on his knees, then at Selly who remained silent, and said nothing.
“Help me massage my feet.”
After a while, Selly said softly.
She opened her eyes, looking at Shaya with bright and inviting eyes.
Shaya thought for a moment, considering he had somewhat ‘abducted’ her mother, feeling a bit guilty, he nodded.
He reached out, gently holding one small foot, resting against the tender sole, and began to apply gentle pressure.
“Hmm…” As she felt the pressure on her sole, Selly murmured softly, “Did you do something to be sorry for me?”
“Ah?”
Shaya gasped, considering that a woman’s sixth sense was indeed unreasonable?
“Otherwise, why would you willingly help me with this?” Selly glanced at him, “Is it because of that kiss?”
She was referring to the incident at the last ball when Shaya had forcibly kissed her in front of her fiancé.
“Oh, maybe.”
Shaya replied ambiguously, not stopping his hand’s motion, slightly increasing the pressure.
“Well, you don’t need to mind it.” Selly squinted her eyes comfortably, softly humming, “Though I’m a bit surprised, I don’t dislike a man with courage.”
“Help me take off my socks… and by the way, I should tell you, my feet never sweat, and I soak them in rose milk baths every day for care, so there’s no need to be disgusted.”
Selly’s lips curled into a slight smile, watching Shaya as he helped her remove her short socks, revealing two perfectly proportioned bare feet.
As she said, soaking them daily in rose fragrance and milk made her beautiful little feet look as fair as jade, smooth and even, without a hint of roughness or dead skin, and there was even a faint hint of floral fragrance.
Every toenail was meticulously painted a light purple, and as Selly gently wiggled her toes, it exuded a different kind of temptation.
Shaya thought for a moment, realizing that he had recently been closely engaged with women’s feet.
To clarify his personal preference, he solemnly explained, “Actually, I’m not a foot fetishist, nor did I do this because I was interested… By the way, why are you smiling so happily?”
Suddenly sensing something was off, Shaya stared blankly at Selly, who looked like a little fox full of smiles.
She covered her mouth, giving him a charming scowl: “You are the first man to help me with this; I’m quite happy. Is that not allowed?”
“But aren’t you sad about your mother?”
Shaya stopped his motion.
This sparked some discontent in Selly, and she lightly kicked Shaya’s arm with her bare foot: “What’s there to be sad about? I have no feelings for that woman. Whether she’s alive or dead has nothing to do with me.”
Ah, this.
Shaya felt a bit embarrassed.
He hadn’t expected her to still be in mourning.
Seemingly noticing the odd expression on Shaya’s face, Selly explained, “Novella is not my biological mother. My birth mother passed away the year I was born.”
“If you really think I should feel any kinship towards a stranger I’ve barely seen, who always calls me daughter with a smile…” Selly smiled, “Then just consider me as that bad woman who took away your first kiss, and that’ll suffice, right?”
“Who says that was my first kiss?”
Shaya responded somewhat unenthusiastically.
Selly chuckled softly: “I know that was your first kiss, and also that you’re a virgin. After all, such things are as apparent as the sun in the sky.”
If that’s the case, then it indeed was.
After all, he returned to his original state after every bath, and women seemed to be at a disadvantage in that regard.
Men remain boys until death!
“Like you’ve experienced countless battles.”
Shaya snickered, but still decided to continue his actions.
After all, the fatigue and drowsiness on her face didn’t look fake.
“By the way, were you bringing me in the carriage to where?”
Shaya asked.
“Sir Inspector, it has been a full five days since you officially took office. Even though you entered the Judgment Tower through backdoor means, shouldn’t you be going to work?” Selly retorted.
Only then did Shaya suddenly remember that he had indeed become a civil servant, but had never fulfilled his responsibilities.
As for the privileges exclusive to inspectors, he had used them no less than five times by now.
But speaking of the Judgment Tower, Shaya suddenly recalled that he had important matters at hand.
So he inquired, “If I can provide an image of a certain location, is there a diviner in the organization who specializes in location positioning that can help me divine the exact position?”
“Let me see it.”
Selly raised her hand, her wrist graceful and white.
Then Shaya took out the sketch drawn in proportion by Miss Jin from his dimensional ring.
Of course, when drawing, he specifically had Jin omit the face that was identical to Lady Violet on the broken tree stump.
Since this world lacked pencils and carbon pens, the drawing appeared somewhat rough, but it did not affect the specific judgment.
Because it was originally a cave-like scene, it was wholly indecipherable.
To find this location in the vast Hiren Empire was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Of course, based on Shaya’s speculation, there was a considerable probability that this cave was located not far from the Royal Capital, in the Dawn Forest.
After all, the ritual’s location was right outside the Royal Capital in the Violet Manor; it wouldn’t be too far apart.
“That ring doesn’t look like it belongs to a man.” Selly’s focus was evidently not on the drawing; she kicked her little foot in dissatisfaction, “Take it off, use mine.”
Saying this, she took off the one on her own hand and handed it to Shaya.
“As for this location… why does it seem a bit familiar?”
……
Gently stroking her flat stomach, Novella sat by the window on the second floor, gazing at the scenery below.
She wore an elegant black fringed long dress that made her look somewhat regained the air of a noblewoman. However, due to her long hair being unkempt without a maid’s help, it could only be hastily draped over her right shoulder, adding a touch of laziness.
Just now, when she had asked Octave if there was lunch, the two bags of blood offered by her were just enough to sate her curiosity. That was when she realized the seemingly young girl before her was actually a vampire with a lifespan exceeding a thousand years.
But Novella was just an ordinary human, right?
If a person didn’t eat, they would get hungry. Although she hadn’t eaten much for the past few days, she managed to get by with just a little.
However, her physical condition had improved a lot recently.
In the past, during the period when Novella was severely ill, she was so weak that she could only lie in bed, able to accomplish nothing without the maid’s service; she couldn’t even walk.
And now, even if she hadn’t eaten much for two or three days, Novella still felt quite energetic.
And moreover…
“Is this place a bit larger again?”
She cupped her heavy bosom, sighing somewhat frustratedly.
At that moment, her peripheral vision caught sight of a strange-looking man slowly passing by among the crowd in the alley below.
He was holding a piece of parchment and was inquiring about something from those around.
What caught Novella’s attention was that the style of robes he wore resembled that of the masked organization members from the manor!
The Night Shadow Association was merely a secret organization, and even if they walked on the streets in broad daylight, they would still expose their faces like ordinary people, since no one knew their true identities.
But the observant Novella recognized it.
In a hurry, she bent down to squat, and the previously relaxed and carefree feeling of having escaped from the cage instantly evaporated; her sweet dream, only a few days old, was pierced.
She covered her mouth in dismay, her eyes brimming with mist.
“Mr. Cain…”
After a moment, a timid call echoed within the cramped bedroom.
……
Outskirts, the Cathedral of Abundance.
Due to the recent poor grain harvests within the empire, many commoners and laborers from surrounding towns would come to participate in mass on Sundays, praying for a good harvest in the coming season.
Many of the faithful flocking to the cathedral noted a rather peculiar sight.
Beside Archbishop Dena, there was suddenly a little girl dressed in a nun’s attire that no one knew where she came from.
The little girl appeared dark and thin, but her eyes were incredibly lively, surveying her surroundings at all times, as if she were appreciating the world.
“Her name is Aileen Nataly. She became one of us shortly after listening to the teachings of the goddess.” Archbishop Dena was a kindly old man, his voice filled with warmth as he reached out to pat the little girl’s head. “All believers will be blessed and find peace, and in the future, they will return to the embrace of the goddess.”
“All believers will be blessed and find peace, and in the future, they will return to the embrace of the goddess.”
The faithful recited earnestly.
Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually dimmed.
Inside the Cathedral of Abundance, after the mass ceremony concluded, the believers gradually left the church, occasionally a couple of confused believers remained talking to Archbishop Dena, hoping to resolve their inner queries.
Finally, after bidding farewell to the last believer, the Cathedral of Abundance completed its mission for the day.
Only then did Archbishop Dena have time to take a short break.
Conducting the entire ceremony was quite exhausting, and at this moment, some sweat had formed on his forehead.
“Grandpa Dena, have some water?”
At that moment, Aileen’s voice rang out as she handed him a cup of water from the side.
Compared to the first time Shaya saw her, she undoubtedly appeared much more outgoing and had gained a bit more liveliness characteristic of children her age.
“Little Aileen? Have you finished your homework?”
Dena smiled gently, taking the water cup and lightly patting the girl’s little head.
“Learning to read is so hard…”
Aileen said somewhat awkwardly.
After all, she was born into a poor family in a lower district, her parents having died young, and she had received no education whatsoever. She didn’t recognize a single word.
“Would you like to hear a story?”
After resting briefly, Dena looked at the child who stayed by his side and chuckled heartily.
Aileen shyly nodded, then pulled out a book from behind: “Grandpa Dena, I found this on your desk. I only recognize the three words ‘Revelation’ on the title page.”
Seeing this, Dena smiled helplessly and said, “Aileen, you cannot take this book without permission. If you lose it, the archbishop will be very worried, understand?”
“Oh…”
Seeing that she seemed to have done something wrong, Aileen quickly dropped her head.
“I’m not blaming you.” Dena shook his head helplessly; it wasn’t easy to change a child who had grown up with a deep sense of inferiority from a poor family background, “Since Aileen wants to hear it, then Grandpa will read it for you, okay?”
“Okay!”
“But you must promise Grandpa one thing.”
“What?”
“Your eyes are very beautiful. You should learn to lift your head and look at everyone around you, look at this world, okay?”
Saying this, he picked up Aileen’s small body and placed her on a nearby bench for the faithful.
After receiving Aileen’s promise, he smiled.
Then, he opened a page of the ‘Revelation.’
The old man and the little girl, as if they were a grandparent and grandchild, began to converse quietly within the tranquil church.
“Look here… all suffering is a trial brought down by the goddess. We must treat the people and things around us with a broad heart, just like the earth’s boundless mercy…”
“What about Dad and Mom…”
“Don’t be sad, Aileen. They have gone to the Land of Abundance, returned to the embrace of the goddess. One day in the future, you will go there too, and reunite with them.”
“Does the goddess have her own trials too?”
“This question can only be discussed while with Grandpa, understand? Once you go outside, don’t mention it, or the believers will consider it blasphemy against the goddess.”
“Y-Yes, I’m sorry…”
“No need to be constrained, Aileen. I can answer your question: The goddess certainly faces her own trials. In fact, even at this moment, she is facing some hardships.”
“Perhaps there are many ill-intentioned people wanting to usurp her authority and power, causing her obstacles, but none of these will succeed.”
“Why?”
“Because the goddess has long foreseen such a scenario and has previously delivered a revelation.”
“On some future day, a divine favored one, blessed by numerous supreme existences, will walk on the earth with the grace of the deities. Where he walks, every inch of land will transform into paradise, and the suffering and injustices of people will be resolved.”
“That person is the key to ‘salvation.’”
“He will unite with the earthly agent of the goddess’s will, a woman marked by the Mother Tree, to become an intimate partner in life and death, and together save countless lives.”
“Well… when will this happen?”
“Perhaps, it’s not far off.”
Dena spoke softly.
Then, he raised his gaze towards the statue of the goddess at the center of the Cathedral of Abundance.
Her expression was kind and compassionate.
