The Cathedral was as grand a place as I had imagined it would be.
People dressed in robes of different colors—which obviously determined their ranks in the church—moved in and out of the massive building.
Perhaps because l wasn’twearing any robes, I imdiately drew attention. One of the won in a gray robe, who I assud was a sister or sothing similar, imdiately walked up to .
"Hello there, traveler. You’re new here, aren’t you?" she asked with a warm smile, her hands clasped together in front of her.
I took a look at her from top to bottom. The robe she wore was so long it ended at her ankles, yet it couldn’t begin to cover her luscious figure and well-endowed chest.
Her brunette hair was tucked strictly beneath a wimple, but a few stray curls frad a face that was far too pretty for a life of silent contemplation even though it was slightly hidden behind a black veil.
"Um... yeah. First ti," I muttered, forcing my eyes back up to her face.
I’d been staring long enough for it to be a cri in most kingdoms, but l was surprised they weren’t treating us n here as playthings or useless trash.
Or maybe because we were just in a church.
"Then you have co at a fortuitous ti," she said, her smile widening as she placed a gentle hand on my forearm. "Co. You must offer your breath to the halls of prayer."
I wanted to protest and tell her I was actually here to see the higher-ups—a Bishop or a Head Priest, whatever—but I decided to follow this gentle woman inside instead.
As I entered, I saw a crowd of people kneeling on the floor, offering their prayers to various statues.
To my surprise, unlike in Eldoria where there was only a statue of Veyra, the goddess of grace, there was more than one deity represented here.
The sister must have seen the shock on my face as I looked at the line of statues.
"This is a religious nation. We respect each and every god, and people are allowed to offer prayers to the ones they believe in the most," she explained. "But it all depends on the person’s situation. For example, those couple of hunters crouched down there are praying for battle strength to the God of War."
She pointed toward a pair of rough-looking won with scarred faces and muscular bodies. They were kneeling before the statue of a similarly powerful-looking god holding a greatsword.
I nodded softly. "Makes sense."
She then began teaching about all the statues in the cathedral, the nas of the gods and goddesses, and their respective domains.
Despite the variety, it was clear that most people were still praying to the goddess of grace.
"Well then, traveler. See you around," she waved at before walking back toward the entrance.
I watched as she walked away, her ass swaying ever so slightly beneath her holy robes.
Then l saw other sisters bringing in more travelers like , explaining things just as she had. For so reason, most of the sisters in this church seed rather attractive when it ca to their body figures.
I went ahead and offered a prayer to the Goddess Veyra. As much as I hated her for the imbalance she had created in this world, I at least owed her so thanks.
She was probably the only reason Anna didn’t die back when she was attacked by Rose while Draegonoth possessed her. That light that emitted from our strings of marriage was probably Veyra’s doing.
After offering my prayer, I was confused about what to do next to apply for the fight for the Key of Ascension. Thankfully, one of the rowdy hunters who had been praying to the God of War made a scene.
"I’M DONE WHISPERING! I NEED A FIGHT FOR THE KEY, AND I NEED IT NOW!"
From afar, you could have mistaken the person for a man. She had long, thick braids flowing down her back—the kind you’d imagine as a kid when parents read the Bible story of Samson to you.
Her skin looked rough, like it hadn’t felt water in days, and she dressed in masculine gear.
But thanks to the quick Appraiser skill l activated, l learned she was female, and a lot more.
[Target: Joyce Zuckerberg]
[ Class: A-Rank Hunter (Magic Swordsman)] [Trait: High Vitality and brute strength, Too obnoxious and carefree.]
"Ma’am, please calm down. All individuals who want to participate for the Key have to register there." A sister pointed toward a small room built with glass walls and a small window for exchanging docunts.
Joyce grunted and headed there, I followed behind.
Turns out, we weren’t the only ones interested in this necklace. There was a long line.
Behind the glass sat a short old man, who l assud was a dwarf.
His gray beard reached his belt, and his eyes were half-closed in a permanent state of boredom.
"Next," the dwarf sighed, not looking up. "Na?"
Joyce slamd her fist against the glass. "Na? You’re joking. Look at this face! Look at it and tell you dont know !"
The dwarf slowly lifted his head, gave her a flat look, and blinked. "Nope. Don’t recognize the snout. Na?"
Joyce looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. "I am Joyce Zuckerberg! The woman who soloed the Earth Dragon in the Barren Mountains last month! The stories have reached every tavern from here to the coast!"
"Oh, right. The dragon girl," the dwarf muttered, scratching his ear with a quill. "I heard she was taller. Anyway, what’s the na?"
"JOYCE! IT’S JOYCE!" she scread.
A lovely na for such a walking disaster, I thought, keeping my face a mask of neutrality.
Once she was finally entered into the ledger, Joyce didn’t back down. "Now, bring out Genzai. I’m here for the Key, and I’m not leaving until I’ve taken it off his corpse."
The dwarf chuckled, a sound like dry gravel. "If Lord Genzai fought every stray hunter who walked in here, he’d never have ti to eat. The Church has rules. You want the Key? You fight the pool. Only the last one standing earns the right to be crushed by Lord Genzai."
"Lord Genzai?" I echoed internally. The guy had so serious PR if even the dwarves were using titles
"Huh?? Are you kidding ?! You’re saying I have to fight these weak punks before the real deal?" Joyce asked, her voice as loud and violent as ever.
"Please, keep it down, Ma’am. You’re disturbing the believers."
She groaned. "Ugh, honestly! Fine! When do these fights begin?!"
"Friday," the dwarf responded. "We take nas during the week and close registration on Thursday evening to create the bracket for the Friday fights. The winner gets to fight Lord Genzai over the weekend."
"Whatever," Joyce growled, spinning on her heel and nearly knocking over as she stord out
I growled internally, but thanks to her, I had gained all the info I needed without asking a single question.
Today was Wednesday. That ant I had a free day tomorrow to prepare for the Friday fights. With a free day like that, it would be a waste not to spend it having fun, and earning a few more Pleasure Points.
Genzai’s strength was unknown and the unknown is usually dangerous.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I imdiately got an idea of where to start. That brunette sister was very attractive—she wouldn’t mind being introduced to a little sin, would she?
TBC
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