Chapter 144: Lai La, Shendezhu Sect (25)

At the edge of the slums, Herbert saw a temple whose decor was far from opulent—a three-story structure entirely forged from ice.

Compared to deities of other pantheons who favored gilded marble temples, the Ice Goddess's temple embodied the naturalist style, appearing remarkably plain.

But if one looked closely, the truth became clear—it was simple, yet not simplistic.

The Church of the Ice Goddess was not poor.

Their followers, as explorers in winter's icy wastes, could discover rare ingredients and materials easily sold at high prices in many places.

Moreover, their believers were few, so there was no need to spend vast sums on alms.

The main walls of the temple were built from thick, opaque azure ice blocks, each cut from the purest lake waters and transported hundreds of miles.

The ice blocks fitted perfectly, seamless and unified, their surfaces bearing natural patterns—like wind-carved traces, or mysterious runes left by the Ice Goddess.

The dome was covered with a thin layer of snow, smooth as a sliding white silk ribbon, its pointed edges crowned with a few ice spires.

The church's holy symbol was a tiny female figure entirely forged from ice, standing behind a snow pine.

Herbert shifted his gaze from the woman in the symbol, focusing instead on the snow pine—it was one of the Winter God's incarnations.

The meaning of this symbol was simple: it revealed Her form, Her affiliated faction, and Her nominal protector.

Herbert bowed slightly to the symbol, then followed another young female priest into the temple—the previous one, after realizing she'd spoken wrongly, had flushed crimson and fled, impossible to call back.

The young priestess halted inside the temple, turned to Herbert, lifted her skirt slightly, and bowed: "My Lord White Pigeon, please wait here. I shall inform the Shendezhu Sect of your purpose."

"Very well, thank you for your help."

Herbert nodded with a smile, then turned his gaze to warn Valentina against touching anything—shaking his head slightly at her.

Don't touch things you're not buying!

"Hmph!"

Caught red-handed, the Hungry Dragon Young Lady shot him a glare, pouted, and pulled her hand away from the miniature ice dragon sculpture—if she'd waited another second, she'd have snapped it off and sucked it like an ice pop.

"..."

Sister Caplan watched their silent exchange and felt a strange sensation.

Though there was no concrete evidence, she sensed that between these two... their bond had grown much closer over the past half-month.

No proof at all—but just a subtle feeling—a woman's intuition!

And Sister Caplan did not know that Valentina's back appeared perfectly still, yet at that moment she was giving Herbert a sultry smile, licking her red lips with her tongue.

She was full now.

But she was also hungry.

During the ten days Herbert was absent from Frost Crystal Wang Cheng, everyone assumed he was secretly strategizing, watching like a venomous snake from the shadows.

But only he knew how much effort, how much sweat, how much energy he had poured into that time!

Day after day, exhausting his mind, analyzing scriptures and doctrines—all to ensure the final plan left not a single flaw.

One benefit was that his physical body, under intense pressure, improved significantly, and his mastery of techniques grew sharper.

But one drawback was that the Hungry Dragon Young Lady, already fond of clinging to him, became utterly addicted after tasting it.

At every opportunity, she glued herself to him, leaving saliva everywhere... literally.

It's normal for humans to adore cats; it's normal for dragons to adore humans; and it's normal for them to leave saliva behind while doing so.

Perfectly reasonable!

Herbert watched Valentina grow increasingly bold, his brow twitching; he forced his face into a poker expression, barely keeping his unease hidden from Sister Caplan.

I'll properly suppress this creature later!

The agonizing wait didn't last long—the young priestess returned to the main hall moments later and nodded to Herbert.

"My Lord White Pigeon, please follow me with your two companions."

Passing through the main hall with its gushing holy water fountain, the three followed the priestess to the rear prayer chamber of the Ice Temple.

Beneath the towering statue of the Ice Goddess, a figure knelt reverently; a shaft of sunlight streamed through the ceiling window, bathing her in radiance, making her graceful form appear especially holy.

She had long, ice-blue hair like frost and snow; even kneeling, her posture was elegant, her thin robes clinging tightly to her slender frame, outlining perfect curves.

The robe's fabric was extremely sheer, as if woven from threads of ice, revealing a large expanse of her fair back.

If the young priestess was like a spirit maiden stepped from ice, then this Shendezhu Sect was a true spirit.

Yes, truly.

Herbert's gaze swept over her pointed ears, confirming her identity—she was a Snow Elf.

"My lord."

The Ice Shendezhu Sect rose slowly upon hearing the call behind her, turning to face the three; her gaze lingered a moment on Herbert's face, then quickly settled on Valentina.

"This one must be the 【Crimson Wings】?"

Valentina:?

She blinked, puzzled why the woman suddenly spoke to her.

What?

Correctly, 【Crimson Wings】 was not a title for Herbert—the young priestess had merely thought of it on the spot.

It was the name given to Valentina—or more precisely, to the terrifying dragon that appeared in Frost Crystal Wang Cheng that day.

After nearly a month of rumor-spreading, Valentina's legend among commoners had spiraled into something bizarre, growing increasingly exaggerated.

Some even claimed the crimson dragon wings could wrap the entire kingdom!

Compared to the arrival of the White Pigeon, the Ice Goddess's Shendezhu Sect was far more intrigued by this 【Crimson Wings】.

Seeing Valentina ignore her, the Shendezhu Sect did not grow discouraged; she smiled and turned back to Herbert, nodding: "Church of the Ice Goddess, Shendezhu Sect, Lai La."

"My Lord White Pigeon, I have long wished to meet you."

Hmph, women.

Saying you wanted to meet me—you were just staring at my Hungry Dragon!

"Lady Leila, heh heh, I've been wanting to meet you as well."

Herbert smiled and nodded, and on the surface very properly gave the three of them a brief introduction.

After the brief pleasantries, Bishop Leila didn't waste any words and asked directly:

"May I ask what brings the three of you to see me today? Is there something you need my help with?"

"We've come to help you."

Herbert smiled confidently and said softly:

"We've come this time hoping to reach a cooperation with you."

(End of chapter)