Clara lifted her head and looked at the man who walked in.
Contrary to the little maid’s imagination, the newcor’s attire was simple, typical of the traveler’s clothing one could find anywhere on the Bratis Continent.
He had an average build, a triangular face, and a low nose bridge, but what caught the eye most were his eyes, which differed from those of ordinary people; his pupils were rectangular.
When that pair of pupils set upon her, the little maid instinctively felt uncomfortable. Besides that, when the man took off his hood, Clara also noticed a pair of black horns on his head.
Those black horns seed to have been filed down for so reason, with only a small part remaining at the base.
"Clara," the visitor began speaking again after Ruby had left, "or would you prefer I call you by your church na, Mary? You should already know who I am."
"..."
The little maid remained silent upon hearing this.
Priest Herodotus gave a slight smile upon seeing this, "I heard from Nema that you and Ruby have gotten along quite well recently, and you’ve beco friends now, haven’t you? But don’t worry about her; I won’t punish her over such a trivial matter."
"High Priest Herodotus, I don’t understand why soone of your stature would be interested in soone as insignificant as ," Clara finally voiced the doubt in her heart.
"Even in the heroic epics that minstrels love, there are many Chapters related to minor characters."
Having said this, Herodotus glanced at Clara again and saw that she was still puzzled, so he decided not to keep her in suspense.
"Alright, I originally wanted to have a eting with Prophet rlin, but I was unsuccessful, so I had to settle for the next best thing."
"That’s quite a step down; I’m just a little maid who takes care of Prophet rlin’s daily needs," Clara replied.
"Correct, I know... and that is exactly why I had soone bring you here," Herodotus said, "In fact, I have so questions I’d like to ask you."
"You, the High Priest of the Silver Moon Church, have questions for to answer?" Clara’s eyes widened.
There’s a saying on the Bratis Continent, ’Even the most foolish farr can be wiser than a learned scholar in so ways,’ and besides, you’ve been the person who has spent the most ti with Prophet rlin; you must know so secrets that others do not."
"But what if I don’t know them?"
"Then you would be of no use to ," Herodotus said, not threatening the little maid but gently reminding her, "You are a heathen, and the Double Rest Sect is currently in a tense relationship with the Silver Moon Church."
Clara rembered the story of the Bad Temper Tavern’s owner that Golden Eyes had told her and couldn’t help but shiver.
"Even if we set aside our differences, I have been hosting you for over a month, fulfilling my obligations as a host. During this ti, I have not been negligent in providing for your food and clothing, so even just out of courtesy, you ought to give sothing in return," he continued.
The little maid took a deep breath, "I understand, may I ask what you wish to inquire, High Priest Herodotus?"
Herodotus looked at Clara with appreciation, "Let’s start with the simplest. Recently, I’ve encountered a communication problem with my goddess; I can no longer hear her voice, and I have an urgent matter that I need to consult her about.
"I’ve heard that rlin can maintain contact with Saturday at all tis, even able to return to the Divine Country. I would like to know how he does it."
"My lord, Saturday is not a god of this Continent." Although Clara tried to maintain her composure, she still heard the trembling in her teeth.
"I know, but I think there must be so commonality," Herodotus said, "In actuality, I also have a thod for communicating with Pisya. This has been recorded in the Church’s scriptures, and many oracles have used it before, so it must be correct.
"I’ve been using it myself, and the effect... was quite good. I could succeed about once in four or five attempts, but recently, this thod suddenly stopped working," he confessed like a patient talking about their troubles to a doctor.
"Could it be that Pisya has been particularly busy?" the little maid suggested hesitantly, "Or maybe there have been so many prayers lately that she temporarily can’t attend to your side."
Herodotus, instead of getting angry, nodded, "Indeed, your guess could be possible, but you should know that I wouldn’t be satisfied with such an answer.
"Let put it another way: how can I make Pisya respond to now?"
Clara thought to herself at that mont, you’re a High Priest and you don’t know how to contact your own goddess, so you co to ask , a follower of Saturday?
However, she held her tongue at the last mont because she knew that if she spoke out, she probably would never be able to return to Green Field, never see Li Yu and Xiao Wa again.
Clara took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and forced herself to calm down, quickly recalling her life with Li Yu for the better part of the past six months.
She reminisced about every word and action of Li Yu, desperately searching for a glimr of hope to survive.
Herodotus didn’t interrupt her, instead pouring himself a bowl of wine from the pitcher on the table. He sipped the wine while waiting for the little maid’s answer.
A mont later, Clara opened her eyes again.
"rlin said that establishing a stable connection with the gods is not easy, and he is the only person in the Double Rest Sect who can do it right now."
Herodotus didn’t comnt, and the little maid continued, "First of all, you must be very devout."
"There is no one in the entire Silver Moon Church more devout than I am, otherwise Pisya wouldn’t have chosen to lead the Church."
"I know, but communicating with God requires talent, a very rare talent."
"Oracle, the Church selects oracles from among the priests to receive the divine ssages from Pisya, but since I’ve done it before, that ans I also have this talent."
Herodotus was beginning to grow impatient with Clara’s words, which were all things he already knew.
"Moreover, such a thing requires practice," the little maid remarked quickly, noticing Herodotus’s impatience.
"Oh?" Herodotus raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, rlin once said that communication with God is essentially an ability, and like all abilities, it requires constant practice. Only through practice can one beco skilled and improve the success rate."
"That’s a rather novel idea," Herodotus said, looking aningfully at the little maid. "However, it also sounds like you’re making it up on the spot. Liars must pay a price, you know."
"I can prove it," Clara declared confidently.
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