Chapter 163: What the heck is this religion?

In Ji Ming's contemplation, Buluowa finally stopped her chattering.

It wasn't because she had finished speaking or was tired, but because the carriage had finally arrived at the church square.

"Get out of the carriage, and remember to stay close to me."

She pinned a red brooch with one hand, leaned on her cane, and walked into the towering building ahead.

Unlike the warship cathedral that loved to deck itself out in decorations everywhere, the interior design of the Holy Light Church was actually quite conventional.

The walls lacked many colored stained-glass windows; instead, they featured abundant stone interior decorations.

The chairs also lacked carved armrests and cushions; they were merely simple long wooden benches.

All of this made it appear neither ostentatious nor luxurious, yet it carried the solemn beauty unique to religion.

It was afternoon, so the hall wasn't crowded.

Looking around, some sat quietly in their chairs with eyes closed, while others were sweeping and dusting.

Worth noting, those cleaning the church weren't wearing vestments but everyday clothes in various styles, with only a red cloth wrapped around their upper arms.

It was like……

Volunteers?

Apparently noticing Ji Ming's confusion, Buluowa spoke up to explain.

"They are believers of the Holy Light, coming in their spare time to help maintain the church."

……No wonder there's talk in Civilization VI of nuclear-powered holy lands—this is basically just freeloading off the believers' labor, huh?

At the far end of the hall stood a sculpture—a highly artistic sun, with a perfectly round body and an exaggerated design of rays.

To showcase the sun's light and heat, it was even gilded with a layer of gold, while its base was designed as an abstract flowing-cloud pattern.

Buluowa placed both hands over her heart and made a ceremonial Holy Light gesture.

"This is the symbol of the Holy Light God—the Blazing Sun."

So.

Does the Holy Light God have no humanoid form, only a symbol?

Could it be that the gods of this world are more "definition-liberal," too lazy to even erect humanoid idols?

Or perhaps this is the true appearance of the Holy Light God?

Then.

A gigantic fireball, its core blazing red-hot, surrounded by massive chunks of quasi-substantial light constantly dying and regrowing, while beneath it lay an vast, boundless expanse thick enough to support his enormous cloud layers.

No matter whom He sees, His first words are always spoken in a voice like a great bronze bell, soothingly.

"Don't be afraid, child; I am the Holy Light God."

This is genuinely hilarious!

Moreover.

Why are the "kami" in other worlds always cute girls—maybe they lack smarts or power, but at least they have a head and two legs.

How come in this world it's just a lump……

Ji Ming suddenly remembered he was still in someone's living room, so he quickly corrected himself in his mind—it's an artwork.

He had expected the Blazing Sun to react in some way, or for a voice to suddenly speak in his mind.

But nothing happened; he felt no discomfort, as if it were merely a big chunk of plaster smeared with gold.

However, while Ji Ming was still checking his body for any discomfort, he felt someone strike his calf.

"I told you to push hard when bringing him here, yet once we arrived you just stared fixedly at their idol!"

Buluowa's voice woke him from his reverie, and only then did he realize he had been staring at the Blazing Sun for quite a while.

Such an object, wherever placed, is utterly disrespectful; he could only shake his head.

"Sorry, Ms. Buluowa, I've never seen one before."

"You……"

With a light sigh expressing her complex feelings, Buluowa led him onward.

Like the cathedral, on the raised platform there was a pulpit, where a priest was giving a sermon to the front rows of believers.

His voice was steady, his expression gentle, like an old father telling bedtime fairy tales to a child.

The only pity was that his height neared two meters, his bulging muscles straining his black clerical garb to look like a tailored suit.

The lines on his face were also overly harsh, resembling marks left by an axe or hatchet.

Upon seeing Buluowa, he nodded in acknowledgment.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Buluowa, Bishop Te Ni Si is already waiting for you in the small drawing room."

"Thank……"

Pushing open the side door, the two headed deeper into the church.

Only after walking a considerable distance did Buluowa whisper an introduction.

"This is Priest Si Te Lin; you can surely tell he's a remarkably skilled Holy Knight."

"Thanks, I thought his name was Thompson and his profession was a mafia boss……"

Turning into the stairwell, Buluowa went up to the third floor first, then counted the door numbers and pushed open the door beside her.

Beyond the door was a small drawing room with good lighting; beneath its large glass window stood a square table.

Although the place is perpetually overcast, the timing was just right now, with bright light shining on the books of those at the table.

Uh, according to the rough theory based on the Pope's white robes, the Cardinal's red, the Bishop's purple, and the Priest's black……

You Holy Light Church folks are really weird!

Even if the priest looks like a dark force, why is the local bishop a young-looking woman?

Wait a moment.

How could I have forgotten, this is a fantasy world, with many powerful immortal races existing.

Thus Ji Ming hurriedly pulled up the opponent's panel and took a glance.

Although he certainly couldn't see all the bishop's information, under 【Name: Tennis Du Ying】 the race column clearly read—

Oh, so it's a succubus, you scared me; I thought it was a succubus.

……

Succubus!?

Ji Ming swiftly typed for the little boss.

【Little Boss, I officially organized the Holy Light Church, they must have been infiltrated by the final enemy!】

【Even a succubus can become a bishop; I dare not imagine what kind of treasure the current Pope is!】

【We must strike hard, send Paixier Wei Ya to blast them all into the sky!】

The bewildered Yang Yue first sent a string of 【???】.

【Don't panic, Savior, actually the succubus faction is also divided into sects.】

【Although the hedonist faction tends toward chaos, the ascetic faction, even if not order, is at least neutral.】

【Besides, where are there no good or bad people? Five thousand years ago I even supported a great demon savior; aren't they just sitting firmly on the side of order?】

Ah, this…

Ji Ming's inner turmoil didn't hinder the outside world's normal flow of time; Buluowa had already taken him to sit opposite Tennis.

"Haven't seen you for a few days, is the Radiant Journey going smoothly?"

"It's fine, just going to recruit a student, nothing difficult."

Putting away the book he was reading, Bishop Tennis lifted his head.

"Is this the Ji Ming you mentioned in the letter? He looks quite young."

There was no flippancy or affected charm as Ji Ming imagined; Tennis's tone and manner were both slow and weighty.

Combined with her slightly drowsy gaze and gentle smile, it was clearly the demeanor of an elderly person.

"Greetings, Bishop, I am Ji Ming, a pharmacist from the East."

Since he was a friend of Lao Nv Shi, Ji Ming didn't make further small talk, presented a gift, and completed his self‑introduction succinctly.

"I've heard of your deeds; good doctors willing to heal and save people are scarce in this city."

Tennis nodded, gave a fairly earnest compliment, then leaned on his waist and stood up.

"By the way, the Cardinal Bishop also gave me some new tea, perfect to let you all try… "

She used magic to heat a pot of water, leisurely pouring a cup for each of the three.

Watching the clear tea flow into bone‑china cups, a plate of baked biscuits was placed on the table.

Ji Ming, in a daze, suddenly felt as if attending an elderly tea party.

After finishing, Tennis didn't set down the teapot, but placed an extra fourth cup on the seat beside him.

"Leave a cup for my student as well; Ailinuo is still busy, she'll come later."

Buluowa lifted the cup, took a sip, tasting while looking at the porcelain in her hand.

"I've never seen this set of cups; this pattern doesn't seem like something your Radiant people would like?"

"It was given by a count from the Lingxi Kingdom a hundred years ago, but I only found it in a corner last month."

"Ah, when one grows old, memory always fades…"

Starting the conversation, the two elders chatted over tea,

As a young man lacking proper upbringing (literally), Ji Ming actually enjoys listening to elders chat, so he quickly perked up his ears, fearing to miss any ancient secrets.

But Tennis and Buluowa truly seemed to be holding an elderly tea party; they talked about aristocratic aesthetics from two hundred years ago, knightly literature from three hundred years ago, and even discussed culinary flavors from four hundred years ago.

In any case, they were all outdated items and antiques that belong in a museum, with not a single piece of valuable intel.

Thus Ji Ming successfully filled the painful experience missing from his childhood

— sitting at someone else's house, watching elders chat, calculating when they'll finish.

Is this the punishment of developing slavery? In less than a day, suddenly starting to be imprisoned?

Moreover, the incessant chatter sounded like top‑tier ASMR, buzzing in his ears.

Ji Ming was already dying of fatigue; now he relied on a dose of elixir to stay awake, naturally slipping back into drowsiness.

But he felt embarrassed to fall asleep, so he kept using tea to mask his yawns repeatedly.

"Seems the young lad really likes this tea; when you leave, I can bring you more."

"Ah, thank you so much…"

Just as he was drowsy, about to surrender, a knock sounded at the door.

"It must be little Ailinuo arriving."

Tennis clapped his hands.

"Please come in!"

As the words finished, the small living‑room door slowly opened.

Because Buluowa, Sitelin, and Tennis were all relatively tall, Ji Ming subconsciously lifted his head a bit, but there was nothing there.

Only after he kept lowering his head, lower and lower, did he finally see a head of reddish‑brown long hair.

A slate‑blue hairband and violet eyes, and appearing there was a little girl, only about 1.5 meters tall yet already imposing.

Thus the first thing Ji Ming thought of was…

Is this thing eight years old?

And why are you wearing a priest's robe?

"Ailinuo, come over quickly, this is your Aunt Buluowa."

Perhaps because Te Nisi had already made small talk with her, there was no surprise on Ai Linuo's face.

"Aunt Buluowa, hello!"

She performed a very standard courtesy, her tone lively.

"It looks just like a very well‑behaved little girl, huh."

Buluowa, rarely smiling, placed a very beautiful necklace on his neck herself.

Ai Linuo's eyes flickered, surprise evident in her gaze, and she exclaimed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Aunt! Thank you, Aunt!"

... Although that necklace is indeed very pretty, isn't this reaction a bit too exaggerated?

Buluowa seemed to notice this as well, the smile on her face paused briefly, and she sat down again.

The atmosphere at the table grew awkward for a moment, then was covered by Te Nisi's words.

"Hey, speaking of that, actually I also have a meeting gift."

A white light flashed, and a parchment book materialized in her hand.

The parchment book looked aged, its cover already showing damage and mildew.

Ji Ming took the book, opened the cover, and regretted not wearing gloves when he left home today.

Alas, why does the one given to her look so valuable, while mine is just a broken…

I'll copy!

"This is what I found in the Church library, a pharmacist's notebook from two hundred years ago."

Te Nisi smiled.

"Just in time, aren't you a pharmacist? Take it to study, you must continue doing good deeds."

Ji Ming, after all, is an apprentice pharmacist who has learned three kinds of elixirs and has a certain proficiency in each.

And with the help of the Iron Chain Squad and others, he has collected and read many related sources, true or false.

Therefore, although this notebook looks very shabby, the contents are anything but simple.

Every step, every bit of pharmacology is recorded very clearly, matching Ji Ming's knowledge perfectly.

So these records are very likely all true, including several elixirs listed in the catalog…

Damn!

The elders are chatting, how could anyone be drowsy?

Respecting the elderly and loving the young isn't that a traditional virtue of our Chinese nation?

You must feel ashamed!

In his heart he harshly condemned this uncouth behavior, Ji Ming cleared his throat, preparing to give an about three‑minute thank‑you speech.

As a result, before he could speak, he felt pain in the top of his foot.

From the corner of his eye he saw Buluowa with a cold face, the knuckles gripping her staff turning almost white.

He could only slump his face down.

"Thank you, Bishop, I will certainly uphold the professional ethics of a doctor!"

... Damn, I wasn't talking about a price hike!

I turned around and started reciting the Hippocrates Oath, to become a professional doctor!

The introduction and meeting gift were just an interlude; the two elders still preferred a tea party.

Perhaps they also knew their chat topics weren't liked by youngsters, so shortly after Ai Linuo used an excuse to leave, Ji Ming was also given a line by Buluowa.

"You are already an adult, so go home by yourself."

He was sent away.

With a packet of tea leaves tucked in his chest, Ji Ming stood in the corridor after saying goodbye.

The wisdom of twenty‑three points also meant his ability to review and calculate became increasingly clear.

Many things happened today; he must quickly tally gains and losses, otherwise even walking feels unstable.

But while he was still pondering, after turning into the stairwell, he found a silhouette blocking his way.

It was Ai Linuo.