Chapter 461: Revenge and Redemption

At the entrance of the Mechanical Church, the atmosphere once again fell into silence. However, unlike the silence that had fallen earlier due to Di Nisha's majesty, this silence felt more like the stillness before a storm.

It was as if an invisible fire were spreading through the crowd. For a moment, Di Nisha and even the witches upstairs felt that they were not facing a crowd of people, but a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Dorothy had previously asked Madeline and Audrey, her two intelligence officers, to investigate the composition of the so-called "villains" who had drifted into the City of Sin.

The results of the investigation were exactly as Dorothy had expected.

Although there were indeed many villains in this era, there weren't actually that many truly heinous people. If there were that many, the world would have been in chaos long ago.

In fact, among the large number of defectors arriving every day, the proportion of true villains was quite small; more of them were actually rebels.

They simply could no longer endure the dual oppression of the Church and the imperial nobles, and life had become unbearable. Driven by desperation, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they had resisted. Yet such resistance was not permitted; even if the resistance of most people amounted to nothing more than a curse, they were still hunted by the Church and the Empire.

In the eyes of the Church and the imperial nobles, it didn't matter why you resisted. If you didn't submit, you were guilty. If you had grievances, you were to swallow them. How dare a group of lowly commoners offend them, the masters?

Under such tyrannical oppression, many cases of the people being driven to revolt occurred, and many who could no longer survive outside had to flee to the City of Sin.

It wasn't that they didn't know the City of Sin, the devil's territory, was cruel and life there was difficult, but they had no other choice. Outside, they would certainly die; entering the City of Sin was only a possibility of death. What else was there to hesitate about?

Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger.

While the logic held, people who had been forced to leave their homes and could only linger in this living hell could not possibly be without resentment in their hearts.

But what was the use of their hatred? They had no power to deal with the two behemoths of the Church and the Empire. No matter how unhappy they were, they could only hold it in.

Yet such anger would not dissipate. Even if some had become numb to their suffering, their own anger was still there. As long as the timing was right and someone threw in a tiny spark, the anger that had fermented and become increasingly violent would instantly reignite.

The collapse of an adult often happens in an instant; the anger of an honest person is the same. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a human.

And now, Di Nisha's statement was that tiny spark.

Soon, in this unsettling, stifling atmosphere, someone spoke up.

The person who spoke was none other than the girl Di Nisha had chosen.

"Then, Teacher Di Nisha, if that is the case, please allow me to join you. Although I have no power, if it is to deal with the Church and the Empire, then I am willing to do anything."

The girl, her eyes practically spitting fire, said through gritted teeth.

That's right. In the past, they had no power and could only hold it in when bullied, silently licking their wounds in corners. But now, it was different. Because of the appearance of the Mechanical Church, the magical power of machines gave them hope for resistance, or even revenge.

However, at this, Di Nisha's face revealed a look of difficulty.

"Although I would be very happy if you could truly join, we are currently lacking in manpower. But you must consider this carefully; it is very dangerous. We are not powerful enough to protect everyone. You should know very well how powerful the Church and the Empire are..."

The Shepherdess's tone became even gentler, and she spoke softly to soothe the girl's emotions, trying to persuade her.

"If you remain in the City of Sin, relying on the power of machines, you will be able to protect yourselves and live a peaceful life. But once you join the Mechanical Church, you will be heading to the battlefield with us. That means bloodshed, and even death."

"Teacher, you need not say more. I have already made my resolve."

Yet, no matter how Di Nisha tried to persuade her, the girl's face remained firm.

After all, she had nothing left. It was her parents who had brought her to the City of Sin, but now she was all alone. Her parents had passed away shortly after entering the city because the injuries they sustained while fleeing were too severe for them to pull through.

She had originally thought that she might never have hope for revenge in this lifetime, but now, that possibility—the only one—was right before her eyes, and she would grasp it tightly no matter what.

With the girl taking the lead, others in the crowd began to push forward, their eyes also burning with the fire of hatred.

"Lady Di Nisha, count me in too. I am also willing to join the Mechanical Church and fight the Church and the Empire to the death."

"Sister, as long as you give me a chance for revenge, I am willing to sacrifice everything."

"Me too, I am the same..."

Soon, the crowd surged. There was no help for it; the City of Sin lacked many things, but it certainly did not lack vengeful spirits thirsting for retribution.

And after witnessing all this, Di Nisha felt a sense of regret in her heart.

Having once nearly been burned at the stake by witch hunters, she could understand the feelings of these people.

If it were herself, she would have followed this tide of revenge without hesitation, perhaps even fanning the flames to accelerate its power, because it would bring her greater authority and higher prestige.

As long as she continued to work against the Church and the Empire, constantly instilling in these people that only she could help them take revenge and only by following her could they obtain the power to do so, these vengeful spirits would follow behind her and become her strength, just like her flock of sheep once had.

Stopping killing with killing, meeting violence with violence—this was more in line with her philosophy. She was just a village girl, after all, and didn't really understand any grand principles; she only knew that debts of blood should be repaid with blood.

It was just that, since she still had Dorothy, she had to consider her. Unlike herself, who was more eager to complete revenge in a simple and brutal manner, this childhood friend of hers hoped to redeem those who were still living under oppression.

Honestly, Di Nisha didn't really agree with Dorothy's idea. In her view, saving those weak mortals who had no power was troublesome and thankless; settling so many people was a very exhausting task.

Besides, as long as they could cleanly and efficiently overthrow the rule of the Church and the Empire, those oppressed commoners would naturally be saved.

Resist first, then save—wasn't that the same thing? Why bother saving first, then resisting?

Years of shepherding experience told Di Nisha that a flock of sheep with a common goal was often easier to manage.

Therefore, leading a legion of vengeance would definitely be more powerful than leading a mob.

After all, not everyone who is saved knows how to be grateful; there was no shortage of ingrates in this world. If such people were mixed into the ranks, no matter how many there were, they would not form combat power and might even hold them back.

However, Dorothy was her good sister. Whatever her sister hoped for, no matter what it was, she would find a way to help her complete it.

Moreover, she herself had actually been redeemed by Dorothy, so she really had no standing to oppose this good sister's idea of wanting to save more people.

After all, putting herself in their shoes, she knew how much she had looked forward to a hero coming to save her when she was tied to the stake. Now that the hero had come, how could she bear to use her own narrow-minded thinking to bind the hero's hands and feet?

So, this time, let them walk the path of redemption. Although this path was far more difficult than the path of revenge, for Dorothy's sake, she would find a way.

So...

"Silence."

The Shepherdess let out a sharp shout. Her voice was not very loud, but it miraculously drowned out the voices of the avengers in the square. An invisible pressure swept across the field, causing the people who had just been agitated to suddenly become as quiet as students seeing their homeroom teacher, falling into a deathly stillness.

"What exactly do you take the Mechanical Church for? Is it a tool for your revenge? Have you forgotten the second article of the creed?"

Di Nisha questioned the crowd with indignation. This time, she didn't wait for an answer but stated it herself.

"We shall reform the world with machines, so that all who fall into suffering may find redemption."

"I originally thought that as the redeemed, you would have a better understanding of this second article. But now it seems I was naive. You are no different from the Church and the Empire that once oppressed you; the first thing you do after gaining power is to resort to violence."

"Revenge? It's revenge now, but what about after the revenge is over? Having grown accustomed to solving problems with violence, will you also become new oppressors? Does such a version of you deserve our teachings all these days?"

This time, the Shepherdess's words were stern. She shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow and sadness.

"Furthermore, what do you take the Church and the Empire for? They are not so easily dealt with. The Mechanical Church has no god; we are just humans. We came to the City of Sin this time just to leave behind the inheritance of the Mechanical Church, so that if we fail, there will be no one left to carry on our cause. But you..."

She didn't continue; she just sighed.

Witnessing her disappointment, the people who had just been filled with righteous indignation suddenly lost their fire. They lowered their heads in shame, feeling for a moment that they had no face to see anyone.

Yes, no one understood the preciousness of this redemption better than they, who had been saved from hell by the Mechanical Church. But look at what they had just done—attempting to coerce their benefactors into helping them take revenge, attempting to use this power of redemption for violence. This was such a blasphemy.

Many people only then recalled the creed of the Mechanical Church. In the past few months, although they had followed the mechanical monks to learn the creed, compared to those boring teachings, the knowledge of the Mechanical Path was undoubtedly more interesting and practical. Moreover, the monks had never required them to study the creed excessively; it wasn't like other sects that wanted you to memorize the creed until you could recite it backward.

But now, under this sense of shame, they looked back at the creed, feeling that every line struck straight at the heart.

"There is no high or low in professions; all people should be equal."

"Workers of the world should unite; unity is strength."

"Labor is most glorious; the laborer is most great."

What simple and honest teachings. They were not as complex or obscure as the creeds promoted by those evil cults in the past. But looking at these simple truths now, they felt even more ashamed.

So the Mechanical Church had taught them everything long ago, but they had been blind and had failed the painstaking efforts of the sisters.

Especially the girl who had been singled out; she was now blushing, her hands tightly gripping her clothes, squeezing her fingers until they turned white. She was the most ashamed of all.

Just as she was thinking of repenting to Teacher Di Nisha and begging for her forgiveness, she noticed that the nun teacher in front of her suddenly changed her expression—first tightening, then relaxing.

"Alas, it seems the time has come. I forgot to ask your name, my sister."

The Shepherdess asked.

"Qiong. Teacher Di Nisha, my name is Qiong."

The girl said her name, but she was even more nervous now; being naturally sensitive, she vaguely sensed something.

"Then Qiong, you are a good child. May you go even further on the Mechanical Path."

Di Nisha reached out and patted the girl's shoulder. Then, she said nothing more and just walked forward.

The crowd that had been blocking her path, although unclear about what was happening, respectfully parted a path upon seeing the nun walking toward them.

Thus, the Shepherdess, dressed in her black and white nun's habit, parted the crowd and walked straight ahead toward the city gate.

"The great enemy has arrived, and the time has come for us to leave. I leave the factory to you. I hope you can carry on the Mechanical Church well. This is our only request of you, my brothers and sisters."

Although the nun walked slowly, by the time the people came to their senses, she had already reached the city gate. After leaving those words, everyone discovered that the majestic Mechanical Church in front of them began to roar, countless steel and gears turning, finally transforming into a massive floating warship that flew toward the outside of the city.

And speaking of the outside of the city, sharp-eyed people noticed an abnormality: was the sky not too bright?

"What is that? The legendary angels?"

Someone saw the host of angels arriving from afar with ten thousand feet of holy light and shouted in shock.

... Angels descending...