Chapter 2401 – Seeking Opinions
A single tour of Acropolis of Camelot allowed us a thorough understanding of the Republic of Genoa’s advanced civilization. This advancement was evident in all aspects, from city planning and infrastructure to people’s livelihood and entertainment, all of which were remarkably sophisticated.
Of course, we also saw a large number of statues, ranging from reliefs and full-body figures to elaborate sculptural groups. Along the way, we encountered over a dozen different religious and pantheonic styles and themes.
Merchants who believed in different churches donated to fund these buildings or facilities, carving their worshipped deities and the legendary deeds of their followers. The common people were mostly polytheists, worshipping any god they encountered.
As they passed by these divine statues, they would offer a bow. If they encountered a deity they particularly believed in, they would quietly pray. When they performed these actions, a minuscule amount of faith power would gather around the divine statues.
However, as this meager faith slowly accumulated, it would transform into a vast power, sufficient to counteract the pervasive divine corrosion in the area, slightly weakening the corrosive effects in the small regions where it was present.
Based on my experience in Cando City, if we don’t consider vascular diseases, the continuous gluttonous corrosion only makes people feel hungry, unable to be full, and crave food without satisfaction. It does not affect people’s normal lives. Even Re and the Sister Nuns could reside within the range of gluttonous corrosion.
Genoa is the same. Although it is still full of the power of Holy Light, as long as the otherworldly beings do not conflict with the Holy Light, they can live normally. On the street, I saw Insectoids, Kuyan, and Mantis-demons disguised as humans, as well as half-elves and half-orcs who did not conceal their identities. Most of them were servants hired by wealthy merchants.
As for races that conflict with light, the most obvious is vampires. Vampires fear Holy Light the most, but Via said that as long as she holds a sunshade and borrows Beelzebub’s divine power, she would be fine. Cherise also said she just felt a bit unaccustomed to it.
Now that there are methods to eliminate or resist corrosion, it’s even better. We can also carve a set of divine statues in our own courtyards, perhaps using the deities that Older Brother Jayad believes in, which would allow us to be unaffected by divine corrosion.
“So, what do you all think? Can Acropolis of Camelot be lived in?” Jayad asked the other girls. They had come out to stroll with the initial intention of inspecting the living environment.
“It’s good, I think it’s great, wonderful.” “Sister is right.” The Sister Nuns spoke first, and Re also nodded, saying, “This place is indeed not bad, a very suitable place to live.”
The three of them belonged to the Arianism sect. Although the divine corrosion here was spread by the Vatican’s church, they indeed shared the same origin and converged to the same destination. They could also enjoy the power of Holy Light, so of course, they found it to be a good place.
“It’s really good, and it’s next to the market. Living here feels very convenient, and it also seems easy to find work here,” Margaret said with a gentle smile.
Among us, she was a rather unique presence, as she had come with her daughter and happened to be traveling with us. Initially, there was some distance between us.
But everyone soon discovered that Margaret was easy to get along with. She was very maternal, kind, and enjoyed taking care of everyone. She often made small snacks for everyone and also cared about others’ psychological and physical health.
I liked her a lot. Whoever gives me something to eat, I like them. Recently, I feel like Margaret often feeds me, and I feel like I’m being taken care of by her.
If it were just like this, everyone would just think of Margaret as someone who could be a mother figure to me. But actually, after getting to know her better, we discovered that although she was mature, she was actually quite lively and enjoyed having fun.
Due to being transformed into a werewolf, Margaret maintained her maiden form, and her mental age also remained in her youth. However, she wasn’t that old, and considering her travels, she was only in her thirties, actually similar to Lorna, and perhaps even younger than Via.
Her seemingly virtuous and mature demeanor was entirely due to her long journey and immersion in human society, where she had been smoothed by society to survive. In fact, looking at her daughter Weis’s tempestuous personality, one could tell that her true nature was also fiery and spirited.
To put it bluntly, Margaret’s personality was actually quite reckless. The first time I met her, she was shot by a Demon Hunter for arguing with her daughter in the Imperial City. When we tracked her to her home, she still wanted to make a move. Later, without a word, she charged into the Hessian Grand Duke’s palace with her werewolf form.
Therefore, they are actually peers. Externally, they all appear as maidens, but their actual ages are around twenty to thirty, and their psychological ages are also similar.
So, in addition to her maternal side, Margaret can also have fun with the other girls. Although she appears reserved usually, she is actually more playful than the other girls when they are having fun, even wilder. After all, werewolves have a lot of energy.
Margaret has experienced a lot. In the countryside, she played skipping stones and hopscotch with the village girls. In the factory, she played ball and cards with her fellow workers. She even played chess with a Duke in the past.
Therefore, she knows many games, some of which the other girls have never played before. This led Margaret to fit into our circle even better than her daughter Weis.
Now, everyone completely treats her as a friend and a sister; no one sees her as an elder anymore. Therefore, Margaret’s opinion is also valued by us.
In fact, most of the girls think living in this area is quite good, given how developed the facilities are. The opinions of only two people remain significant: Via and Cherise, who are Undead creatures. Lorna is not afraid of Sacred aura, and Giselle did not come, so her opinion was not important.
“Actually, as long as we are on the Apennine Peninsula, there is divine corrosion everywhere, right? It might be better in Imperia Province, the westernmost part, but not much better. Let’s just stay here,” Via said.
Although the Republic of Genoa’s mainland territory is not large, it has four provinces. These provinces are actually the size of counties.
They are the capital Genoa Province, Savona Province, La Spezia Province, and Imperia Province, distributed in an arc along Genoa Bay.
The westernmost Imperia Province borders the French Empire and is the furthest from the central region of the Apennine Peninsula, experiencing almost no divine corrosion. We had considered moving to Imperia Province if we couldn’t tolerate the divine corrosion in Genoa, as it was also far from the Bourbon family’s sphere of influence.
However, according to Fuldamantha, it is best for us to live within the urban area of Genoa for the benefit of our business.
