Chapter 161: Moon Maiden

Just like the shadow cast by the church statue, even in the ancient era when the "Guardian of the Eternal Sun," Amanata, was at its most powerful, He never cast the scorching brilliance of the sun into every corner of the world.

Night will eventually come.

Shadows have never truly dissolved under the reflection of light.

When nobles in gorgeous clothes clink glasses at extravagant banquets, there are always people worrying about how to fill their stomachs.

Even in a big city like Niumu, behind those magnificent churches and mansions, there are countless filth filled with mud and garbage hidden.

To a certain extent, it is precisely because of the city's own massive scale and highly prosperous commerce.

That this foul place, which makes people hold their breath and frown upon hearing it, becomes more rotten, deeply trapped in darkness, and difficult to break free from.

The sycamore leaves drifting and falling, the comfortable light sound of the fountain gurgling, the harp strings coming from the roadside restaurant...

The autumn night wind,

For the rich people on Eagle Emblem Avenue who walk their pets after dinner, it has always been gentle, cool, and pleasant.

But when people under the night sky lose the protection of thick autumn clothes and warm houses, and expose their fragile bodies to the cold wind, it will show its true colors of hating the poor and loving the rich.

Niumu, Lower City District.

Xiao Biti hugged his chest tightly with both hands, wrapping the thin linen clothes covered in patches on his body tighter.

It was of no use.

The biting cold wind was like that stingy fat boss in the newspaper office; even if he exhausted his tongue and begged bitterly, in the end, he could only use all the copper coins on his body to exchange for a stack of newspapers that couldn't be sold at all.

The collar, the sleeves, the cold chill followed the holes between the fibers of the linen clothes, lightly touching the skin and seeping into the flesh.

Making Xiao Biti tremble uncontrollably.

And every time this happened, he could only try his best to drive his sore and tired legs, speeding up his pace, in order to bring a little warmth to his body.

The road home was long.

But as a child born in this neighborhood since he was young, he naturally wouldn't walk around the main road rigidly.

Just like a little mouse that can't see the light in the sewer, he avoided a few dangerous places and shuttled through the complex and cramped alleys.

"Cough... cough..."

The small house was simple, as if it had merged with the darkness, and the lights were not on.

Due to lack of maintenance for a long time, the wall cracks were covered with moss, and a few clusters of unknown green vines were climbing in the corners.

It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

Only the coughing sounds coming from it from time to time indicated that someone was indeed living inside.

Struggling to find the key from a pile of stones hidden very deep that only he knew about.

Xiao Biti clamped the newspaper and gently opened the door of the house.

"Brother?"

A weak female voice came from the inner room.

"It's me!" Afraid that the other party would worry, Xiao Biti replied quickly.

Carefully locking the door, he placed the thick stack of newspapers carefully on the table that had already been cleaned up.

There were still two days until the next issue was printed, but more than half of the newspapers in his hand remained.

This couldn't help but make him feel a little anxious.

At least half of them must be sold.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to afford the cheapest black bread next month.

He planned to go out before dawn tomorrow; if he was lucky, maybe he could sell a few copies by the station.

Then find an opportunity in the morning to free up an hour or two to go to "Shijiu Department Store"...

In the pitch-black night, Xiao Biti lit the oil lamp.

Reflecting the weak firelight swaying and shaking, not caring about the blood smell gradually permeating the air, he took out a blood-stained package from his arms.

Even how to survive had become a problem; the teenager who grew up in the slums had long since buried his so-called "conscience" in the deepest part of his heart, and would never be afraid of a corpse lying on the street.

Not to mention, that was still an adventurer.

If it weren't for the fact that gang members from nearby streets happened to pass by, he would have even wanted to strip the armor and weapons off that corpse and bring them back.

Of course, even so, Xiao Biti's harvest was not small.

He loosened the tied bag mouth easily, revealing the palm-sized statue of a human body that looked like a deer and a sheep inside.

It was ugly, and he didn't know how much money it could be sold for.

But after all, it was something from an adventurer, so it definitely wouldn't be too cheap.

Xiao Biti had already made a decision in his heart.

When talking about the price with the boss of "Shijiu Department Store" tomorrow, he would absolutely not sell it for less than seven... five silver coins!

Besides the statue, there were some scattered coins on the dead adventurer's body; at this time, a part of them had been exchanged for food by him, and the other part was feeling his body temperature in front of his chest.

Wrapping the statue in a bag as well, listening to the coughing sounds coming from the inner room, a touch of urgency appeared on Xiao Biti's face; he temporarily placed the package on the table and walked in carrying the oil lamp.

What came into view was a girl with an extremely thin figure and a pale face without a trace of blood.

"Brother..."

"Eat." Taking out the nut coarse cake bought with the adventurer's coins on the way back, a smile appeared on Xiao Biti's face.

Without waiting for the girl to reply, he pretended to be relaxed and said:

"I met a wealthy old man in a carriage today and he gave me a lot of tips!"

"Eat quickly, if you are full, your illness will get better faster."

"Eat, don't worry about me, I already ate before I came back."

Hearing him say so, the girl could only put away her worried gaze, holding the coarse cake with both hands, and gnawing it bite by bite.

Forcibly suppressing the hunger in his stomach, Xiao Biti looked at the girl on the bed in front, vaguely distracted.

The girl's name is "Polly," and she is his sister.

Two years younger.

She has been sick for almost a year.

Speaking of which, although their family lived in the slums, the past days were far less difficult than they are now.

Both parents had jobs, and although the income was not much, it was more than enough to support a family of four.

Before the incident, they even considered sending him to Uncle Rimu's carpentry shop as an apprentice.

Until last year, that infamous "sewage" incident.

A big shot whose name he still doesn't know to this day polluted the water source of the Lower City District.

It took away his mother's life, and his sister will probably only be able to spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed.

Unable to bear the heavy blow of his family's death, his father, who was taciturn but had always supported the family, also became a drunkard who numbed his brain with alcohol all day long.

He even had to rely on him for support.

He passed by the church every day when selling newspapers, and he could often hear the chanting sounds coming from inside.

It sounded nice, but he never saw any hope.

"Brother, I'm full."

The thin-as-a-stick arm trembled and handed over half a piece of coarse cake.

Xiao Biti was stunned for a moment and wanted to refuse, but the girl's firm gaze and her shriveled, cramping stomach made him just smile and take it.

Opening his mouth, wanting to say something, but suddenly a floating sound of footsteps mixed with cursing came from outside the door.

"Bang!"

The door shook violently, and dust fell down.

"Open the door! Hiccup... open the door for me!"

The familiar voice with obvious drunkenness made Xiao Biti recognize the other party's identity.

Although there was some helplessness on his face, he could only get up in a hurry and trot toward the door.

Struggling, he just loosened the door lock.

Xiao Biti felt a huge force coming from in front of him.

The door was kicked open violently, and he fell to the ground in response.

Too tired, enduring hunger for a long time, his body was already on the verge of collapse.

After falling, he only felt stars in his eyes, his vision went black, his whole body was weak, and he couldn't even stand up.

Just lying on the ground, watching the figure full of alcohol smell walking into the house swaying.

"Opening the door so slowly... hiccup, what's the use of having you?"

"Nut coarse cake, got rich? Damn, I can't even get my wine money, and you eat so well yourself."

"What is this? A statue?"

"So damn ugly, where did you steal it from?"

"I happen to be short of money these two days, you..."

The soft and quiet moonlight spilled down from the church dome, and the towering altar seemed to be covered with a layer of white frost.

The silver-white light spots emitting a faint glow were like a gauze mist gently brushing in the air, lingering above the altar.

Xia Nan leaned on the bench in the main hall, looking at the environment inside the church.

Unlike the interior decoration of the "Sun God" Amanata church, which revealed rules and order everywhere.

The "Moon God Church" of 【Silver Mother】, 【Moon Maiden】 Selene, is a completely different style.

The night was deep, and he didn't observe the appearance of the church in detail when he came in a hurry, only roughly feeling the magnificence of the building.

Now entering the hall, under the gentle light on the clean walls on both sides, he had the opportunity to notice the layout inside.

The white corridors reflected the moonlight, the curved arcs of the ribs were like half-moons, supporting the towering dome; the stained glass windows embedded in the entire wall refracted soft and clear light, making the opposite church hall seem to be shrouded in a layer of faint silver brilliance.

In the air, a faint fragrance permeated.

Just like the moonflower that only blooms at night.

As it surged into the nasal cavity with breathing, the whole person seemed to quiet down accordingly.

Making Doris and the others beside him, who were uneasy because of the sudden turn of events, feel their emotions soothe and calm down.

Just sitting on the bench, praying silently, occasionally leaning over to whisper a few words.

The personality and alignment of the gods also largely influence the style of conduct of the priests and priestesses who believe in them.

The Sun God Amanata is stubborn, orderly, fair, and strict, regarding "contract" and "order" as the most important parts of the doctrine.

In Kalanfur, with the identities of Xia Nan and others, it would be absolutely impossible to enter the church at a time other than the specified opening hours, let alone accept purification by a priest.

But it is different in the "Moon God Church."

Although the personality of 【Moon Maiden】 Selene is changeable, sometimes making people feel unpredictable and very casual.

But in terms of alignment, it leans toward the side of kindness.

She is calm and gentle, never stingy with her compassion; while the bright moon hangs high in the sky, she shows her motherhood and poetic tranquility to all living beings.

Making the believers of this god, especially the fanatics among them, also move closer to the god herself under the guidance of her doctrine.

Selene's priesthood includes 【Moon】 and 【Stars】, and the Moon God Church often has nuns on duty at night.

Xia Nan and the others arrived in a hurry, but the nun was very kind.

She didn't blame them for disturbing her meditation, just smiled and received them, and after asking about their intentions, she went directly to the inner hall to ask the priest for instructions.

Such a gentle and friendly attitude was beyond Xia Nan's expectations.

In his view, the clergy who worshiped gods on this continent were, to a certain extent, almost equivalent in status to the local nobles.

For commoners like them without titles, it should be inevitable to be alienated, not to mention being arrogant.

But whether it was the presiding priest with a kind face in the Sun God Church that had now become ruins, or the nun who believed in the Moon God just now, they all seemed exceptionally peaceful.

I don't know if their personalities were just like that, or if the doctrine required it, or simply to harvest the faith of ordinary commoners?

It's not that Xia Nan is a conspiracy theorist, but just watching Doris and the others beside him, from the uneasiness when they first entered the church, to gradually calming down after the nun's comfort, to the pious appearance of praying to the altar now, made him feel emotional.

"Mr. Xia Nan, we will be fine, right?"

The question once asked by Jeff was asked again to Xia Nan by his daughter, Lilina.

This girl who had just graduated from the academy not long ago was kneading the corner of her clothes with her fingertips, her eyes staring at the deep night behind the church door, her face full of uncontrollable worry.

He didn't feel impatient, but he didn't dare to guarantee it either.

Xia Nan just deliberately showed a relaxed smile and answered jokingly:

"Speaking of which, I am actually the only one who has experienced the influence of the statue, and none of you, including your father, have had any obvious feelings."

"If something really goes wrong, then I should be the first one."

"But... look, I'm living well now, and I can still sit here and chat with you."

Hearing Xia Nan's comfort, the girl's somewhat tense face also eased slightly.

She nodded, just wanted to say something to him, when she heard a sound of footsteps coming from behind.

Turning her head and looking over, she could vaguely see a familiar silhouette approaching in the pitch-black night.

Panting, the coat on his body looked a bit messy, and thick fatigue could be seen on his weathered face, but the cloth bag that originally wrapped the statue had disappeared.

"Dad!"

Lilina called out in surprise, and the whole person rushed over directly.

His wife Doris, who had been praying for her family since entering the church, also breathed a sigh of relief.

A little intimacy.

Jeff nodded gratefully toward Xia Nan.

Although the neighborhood where they lived had good public security, it was already night after all, and he really didn't feel at ease letting his family travel alone for such a long distance from their residence to the church.

With this adventurer he deeply trusted accompanying them, he could feel at ease when going out to handle things.

Then, his gaze looked at his son Jamie on the bench on the side.

"I have already personally returned that wood carving to your mentor."

"I also explained the possible problems with the statue itself."

"But..."

The expression on Jeff's face became a bit strange.

"He shouldn't have taken it seriously."

"He just told you to finish your assignment well and hand it in on time tomorrow."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 162 =====