Chapter 980: I Am Not a Saint

Lu Quan had experienced countless such stares, unblinking and fixed.

Whether on a show or attending some gala, people would either subtly or openly stare at her.

But others’ gazes merely wanted to strip off her clothes; Devassol’s gaze seemed intent on stripping away her flesh and blood, directly inspecting her soul.

The sensation of her soul being probed made Lu Quan deeply uncomfortable; she instinctively frowned and pulled back, only to be blocked by the sofa.

“Father Devassol, is it polite to stare at my friend like that?” Bai Xingwei could no longer watch in silence and spoke up sharply.

Devassol blinked, his expression slightly excited as he addressed the two women: “Miss Lu, Miss Bai, please forgive my impoliteness—I came here bearing a mission entrusted by the Church.”

“What mission requires you to stare at me without blinking?” Lu Quan chuckled. “Though I’ve been stared at plenty of times, someone like you is truly rare.”

“I apologize once again for my behavior,” Devassol’s expression was earnest. “As for my mission: to confirm whether you possess the Holy Heart.”

“The good news is, you do possess the Holy Heart. From now on, you will be a honored guest of our Dawn Church!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire living room fell silent.

Bai Xingwei crossed her arms, her expression cold.

Lu Quan, however, looked utterly bewildered; though she had read many histories of the Cosmic Civilization, her focus had mainly been on the Sheng Tang Heavenly Dynasty—she hadn’t yet read much from the Divine Protection Federation.

She knew a little about the Dawn Church—it was the largest religious organization in the Cosmic Star, worshipping the Lord of Light, with immense influence within the Divine Protection Federation’s territory.

But based on her experience reading online novels, any church tied to words like “light,” “sacred,” or “justice” invariably turned out to be neither light, nor just, nor sacred.

In fact, many of the most heinous criminals were the masterminds behind such churches. Of course, judging an unfamiliar organization or person solely by online novel tropes was undeniably biased.

Yet unfortunately, Devassol’s behavior during their first meeting had firmly rooted Lu Quan’s stereotype in place; the fact that she still gave him a decent face was already a sign of exceptional composure.

Devassol likely realized his eagerness to verify her identity had been too reckless, so he immediately began making amends—such as offering to resolve her Cosmic Star household registration issue outright.

After naturalization, a flood of generous policies would follow, ensuring she lived more comfortably than even the average Cosmic elite.

But Lu Quan knew full well that heaven doesn’t drop pancakes; she directly asked him: “Then what’s the price?”

Devassol stroked his ring and, as if performing magic, pulled out a sheet glowing with white light, its surface covered in text no larger than ants; Lu Quan glanced quickly and recognized it as Ancient Divine Protection script.

Modern Divine Protection script had undergone extensive simplification and revision from its ancient form, now serving merely as an ordinary language.

Ancient Divine Protection script, however, possessed potent elemental power and could summon magic.

“This is a covenant specially crafted by the Church for holders of the Holy Heart. If you wish to join the Church, sign this covenant.”

“But don’t worry—it contains favorable terms. If you don’t believe me, you may have the best cosmic law firm review it.”

Devassol smiled warmly, like a radiant, righteous hero.

But Lu Quan was no naive little girl; she wouldn’t sign a covenant so difficult to read just because a stranger she’d just met offered it—her brain wasn’t that broken.

Devassol sensed her intention to refuse and immediately continued:

“I know you don’t trust me, and you’ve suspected me since we met. But it doesn’t matter—no matter how you view the Dawn Church, you will eventually contact me. It’s only a matter of time.”

Hearing this, Lu Quan laughed: “Then tell me why. Let me point out—I’ve always been an atheist.”

“The fact you say that proves your home planet had divine beliefs—you simply don’t believe them. And the reason you don’t believe is because cosmic physical laws explain nearly all so-called miracles.”

Devassol smiled faintly, glancing at Bai Xingwei: “But in the Cosmic Civilization, some of your common sense may be wrong.”

“Miss Bai, tell her the truth—your words, Miss Lu, won’t be doubted.”

Bai Xingwei paused, surprised Devassol would use her as leverage. After meeting Lu Quan’s gaze, she hesitated, then stiffly nodded:

“Somewhere beyond, there truly is a will guiding the Dawn Church’s progress, development, and growth. This will occasionally manifests miracles before mortals.”

“Yet even the greatest scientists of the Cosmic Civilization agree: there is indeed a Creator who governs all laws—but it is absolutely not any person or god.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Quan immediately understood.

It was the same old trick as on Earth.

Even the greatest scientists still encounter things they can’t explain, so they collectively shove them under the label of “Creator.”

But this Creator is highly abstract—not concretely existing—merely a conceptual necessity, since matter in the universe cannot arise from nothing.

Yet churches built on faith, originally founded on abstract spiritual aspirations, firmly believe in a concrete, tangible god.

Such contradictions exist both on Earth and on the Cosmic Star.

But compared to Earth, the Cosmic Star’s Lord of Light is far more generous.

Perhaps it is immensely powerful, capable of feats even cultivators cannot achieve—but it is certainly not the omniscient, omnipotent god believers imagine.

Yet since Bai Xingwei acknowledged such a formidable existence, it clearly belongs to an entirely different category from ordinary cultivators; labeling it as the Creator isn’t unreasonable.

“So even if such an existence truly exists, what does it have to do with me?” Lu Quan had no intention of debating whether the Creator existed—she returned to the core issue.

“Your Holy Heart is one of the Creator’s miracles. Whoever possesses the Holy Heart will inevitably become one of the Saint Son, Saint Mother, or Saint Daughter.”

“The Saint Daughter already exists. Therefore, the next to appear must be the Saint Mother.”

As Devassol spoke, his tone grew fervent, revealing the depth of his faith.

But communicating with such fanatics was most troublesome—they couldn’t be reasoned with; no logic outweighed their inner faith, and even a few denials would make them furious.

“Then why must it be the Saint Mother and not the Saint Son?” Lu Quan pressed.

Devassol immediately explained: “Because the Saint Son is born of the Saint Mother. The first Saint Son was born to a shepherdess in a sheepfold—he brought the original Dawn faith, making the entire Divine Protection Federation strong and united.”

“Thus, the Saint Mother comes first, then the Saint Son—that is an unbreakable rule, true for millennia.”

“Whether you believe it or not, one day you will conceive without sin, and after three hundred and thirty-three days, you will give birth to the Dawn Church’s one hundred and twenty-seventh Saint Son.”

“My Eyes of Sacred Light never err—unless you’re not a woman, incapable of natural conception.”

Such an outrageous claim truly stunned Lu Quan for a full year.

But she wasn’t unfamiliar with similar cases—even on Earth, a quick Baidu search turned up plenty.

The most classic example: during a robbery, the gunman shot both a male hostage and a female hostage simultaneously.

Later, the gunman was killed, and both injured hostages were taken to the hospital.

But miraculously, the female hostage soon discovered she was pregnant—and the father was the male hostage.

How? It turned out the gunman’s bullet pierced the male hostage’s heirloom first, then passed through the female hostage’s uterus.

Thus, by sheer coincidence, a situation arose where conception occurred without fertilization.

Yet such events in modern times were merely classified as oddities—not recorded as Church miracles.

Clearly, even they knew that when every step was logically clear, a single miracle couldn’t fool anyone.

“But what if I immediately find a boyfriend, get married, and have a child? Wouldn’t that break your so-called iron rule?” Lu Quan thought of the simplest solution.

“You won’t do that.”

Devassol’s expression turned utterly certain; he leaned back comfortably. “You will conceive—but not in this way.”

“Enough!”

Lu Quan was about to retort further when Bai Xingwei suddenly waved her hand sharply: “You’re only taking advantage of Lu Quan’s inexperience and ignorance.”

“There are countless hospitals on the Cosmic Star capable of parthenogenesis—even allowing men to become pregnant. Is achieving your so-called miracle really that hard? Are you saying every obstetrician at those hospitals is a divine hand?!”

Her sharp questions left Devassol silent, yet he didn’t appear distressed—only smiled at Bai Xingwei, as if she were the one flustered, not him.

“My mission here is complete. Miss Lu, your possession of the Holy Heart is confirmed beyond doubt—but please don’t reveal it.

Your noble status and pure, radiant soul will attract many interested parties. But if you say nothing, no one will know.”

“Of course, the Dawn Church will do its utmost to protect you and offer generous benefits—even if you refuse to believe in the Dawn Church.”

Devassol placed a necklace on the coffee table before them and continued: “Inside is a gift specially prepared for you by the Dawn Church: the Dawnfall Necklace and several cultivation resources.”

“You can ask Miss Bai to open it and see what’s inside—she won’t be disappointed.”

After speaking, he bowed again, pressing his hand to his chest, then left the living room with even greater reverence than when he arrived.

Lu Quan glanced at the exquisitely crafted necklace on the table, then at Bai Xingwei: “Should we throw it away?”

“Throw what?” Bai Xingwei snatched the necklace up. “He doesn’t have the guts to trick us. A free gift handed to us? Don’t be a fool—take it.”

If it were merely ordinary cultivation resources, Bai Xingwei would have tossed the uncertain ring away immediately.

But since it contained Dawnfall, the situation was entirely different.

Devassol likely feared Bai Xingwei or Lu Quan might act rashly, so he deliberately mentioned “Dawnfall” to make Bai Xingwei understand the ring’s true weight.

To be blunt: even if she knew it might be a trap, she’d still open it to see if the bait was real.

Of course, with her own strength and the protective treasures given by her elders, she could handle any emergency—even if it were a trap, there was no need to worry.

Lu Quan, however, lacked such strength; it was better for her to watch while Bai Xingwei handled it.

Upon touching the ring, its contents instantly flooded through Bai Xingwei’s mind.

After a few seconds, Bai Xingwei lifted her head, smiling with delight: “It really is Dawnfall! Lu Quan, you’ve hit the jackpot!”

“Can you explain what this treasure is?” Lu Quan couldn’t help but smile too; though she owned nothing, the look on Bai Xingwei’s face told her she’d gotten lucky again.

With Bai Xingwei’s standards, ordinary treasures wouldn’t impress her—so if this made her so happy, it must be extraordinary.

It was one of the most famous artifacts of the Dawn Church. Besides continuously absorbing and concentrating vast amounts of spiritual energy, it possessed the terrifying Dawnshield effect.

Whenever an attack would kill you, the Dawnshield instantly appears to block the fatal blow.

Most crucially, during its duration, it generates an absolute defense shield—any attack targeting you is completely blocked!

Then, when the shield ends, you return to full health!”

After hearing the description, Lu Quan was left speechless.

The explanation sounded like a long-winded tale, but boiled down to two words: intelligent invincibility and believe in Spring Brother!

No wonder Bai Xingwei was so excited—it was undeniably a divine artifact!

Lu Quan took out the Dawnfall Necklace and admired it under the light.

Its appearance was dazzling—hundreds of polished gems shimmered brilliantly, brighter than stars in the night sky, as if wherever it appeared, all eyes would be drawn to it.

For Lu Quan, who always loved glittering objects, this necklace—more splendid than the Ocean’s Heart—immediately captured her heart.

But such a magnificent treasure, if unwearable, was truly a pity.

This famous necklace, if worn and caught on camera, would instantly be recognized, leading to deductions about her connection to the Dawn Church.

The prophecy of becoming the Holy Mother might be exposed together.

But she was no Holy Mother, and had no desire to be one.