Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The two brats rubbed their eyes and wiped away the tears from the corners. They looked at Xi Wei with some trepidation, unwilling to speak. Xi Wei didn’t rush them, he just silently watched the two brats, his gaze exceptionally gentle. Perhaps affected by this gaze, the older boy finally took a deep breath and spoke slightly, “Sister.”
“Sister?” Xi Wei was confused. “Bishop Onions said that Sister had the qualifications to become a priestess of the Goddess of Abundance, so Sister went to the shrine. But she never returned. Later, we went to the shrine to look for Sister, but Bishop Onions drove us out, claiming we were disrupting. ”
Xi Wei gazed into the eyes of the child before him. Although the child’s eyes held fear, they were also very candid. Furthermore, he didn’t have the ‘deceived by a follower of the God of Deception’ debuff in his status bar. This meant that if no one had deliberately taught this child, then everything the child was saying now were his honest thoughts.
“And it’s not just Sister,” the other boy chimed in. “I heard that Bishop Onions has enticed girls to the shrine to become priestesses before, but they never returned. On the south side of the city, Uncle Paul’s sister is also like that. Uncle Paul always thought his sister was advancing her studies in the shrine, but only we know that Paul’s sister, that young lady, has been gone for a long time.”
The boys’ words made Xi Wei ponder. The shrine wasn’t that big; could it make a young girl vanish within it? He stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then called the old priest over to inquire about the situation.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know much about what you’re asking. I am old, and almost all matters within the shrine have been handed over to Onions to manage,” the old priest said, pushing his glasses up and tucking the Gospel book under his arm. He had just used this Gospel book to smash Onions on the head. The metal cover was incredibly heavy, making loud “bang bang” sounds. However, in front of Xi Wei, he had once again regained his gentle and refined appearance as an old gentleman. He shrugged and stated frankly, “I only come to the shrine to organize worship every Sunday. Other than that, I stay at my home near the shrine… I never imagined that I trusted him so much, yet he would commit acts of deceiving the faithful!” The old priest seemed indignantly upset, picking up the Gospel book again. It seemed that after asking his questions, he would definitely go to Bishop Onions for a friendly chat.
“Are there any hidden basements or secret doors in the shrine?” Xi Wei asked again.
“There is a basement that isn’t used much,” the old priest replied. “That basement is used to store food for the winter. I haven’t been there for two or three months. The City Lord provides us with enough supplies, so we hardly need to use that basement.”
“Take me there.”
“Ah?” The old priest pushed his glasses up again.
“I said, take me there!”
…
A moment later, led by the old priest, everyone arrived at the entrance of the basement. It was a circular rotating door installed on the floor tiles, usually hidden beneath a rug. It was right next to the chapel, and countless followers would pass by this basement door every day. Lifting the rug, a thick layer of dust could be seen on the circular rotating door, indicating it hadn’t been used for a long time.
“Your Majesty, this basement is almost abandoned. Please step back; a lot of dust will be stirred up,” the priest warned. The followers and priests, all wearing moon-white robes, retreated. Xi Wei, however, remained in place. He looked up at the two involved parties. The girl still had her head lowered, the wound on her shoulder blade had been stopped from bleeding, and her eyes were fixed on the basement door, as if trying to see everything inside through it. As for Onians, he was bruised and battered, his consciousness somewhat scattered, mumbling incoherently. His eyes darted around, his hands clenched in nervousness, even trembling slightly.
“Open it,” Xi Wei withdrew his gaze and ordered the priest. Although the priest was old, he still possessed strength, blessed by the gods. Not only could he handle the Gospel book weighing over ten pounds with ease, but he could also lift the heavy circular rotating door without issue. With a grunt, his muscles tensed, and the sealed circular door began to creak. Then the old priest pushed the stone door to the right, and soon a black opening large enough for one person to pass through appeared before everyone. The basement looked dark, like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast. A moldy smell wafted out. Xi Wei twitched his nose but detected no rotten or bloody odor.
“Your Majesty, do you want to go down and look? Shall I get you a lamp?” the old priest asked, dusting off his hands and adjusting his reading glasses. He really couldn’t understand what was so interesting about a dusty basement. Did the King of Winter have a fondness for exploring the unknown?
“No need for a lamp,” Xi Wei waved his hand and led Bai Yao into the basement. Bai Yao’s single tuft of fur glowed with electricity, illuminating the surrounding walls like daylight with its purple light. The basement was not as cramped as Xi Wei had imagined. Apart from the descent down the spiral staircase, which was a bit uncomfortable for a knight of his stature, it became surprisingly spacious once he reached the bottom. Just as the old priest had said, there was nothing in the basement. In a distant corner, there were only three marble angel statues, and some dried vegetable leaves lying around, already moldy and black. The moldy smell in the air came from these. Apart from that, the entire basement was covered in thick dust; not even a single rat could be seen.
Xi Wei walked to the vicinity of the marble statues. Under the glow of Bai Yao’s light, the textures on the marble statues were clearly visible. The sculptor’s skill was clearly average. It was evident that the sculptor intended to carve the most beautiful Virtue Angels, but unfortunately, the faces of the three angel statues were all carved to look hideous. However, the figures of these angel statues were proportioned like humans.
“Huh? When were these statues placed here?” the old priest said, walking closer to examine them, but he had no recollection. Onians, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
“I carved these statues,” he said, his lips trembling. He explained sincerely, “Before I became a bishop, I was an Earth Mage. My favorite thing to do was to carve statues of Virtue Angels. However, my skills were limited, and the stone carvings didn’t look good. Instead of being ridiculed outside, I decided to throw them into the basement. I consider them as souvenirs.”
ps: I’ve been in very poor condition since having a fever, my mind has been blank every day. Although I followed the outline, I feel like what I’m writing is nonsense… I will re-polish these later content once my mind is clear.
