Chapter 18: Atheist’s Hell

“Well then……”

Cherish the life you have right now.

Dolosa carefully leaned closer to Liang Lai, gently resting her forehead on the other’s shoulder.

She had finally made up her mind—she wanted to stay by Liang Lai’s side forever.

Honestly, she found it odd herself.

She’d been “brainwashed” for so many years, so why did her mind change just half a month after meeting Liang Lai? Why did she no longer insist on revenge? Right, she was actually a smart person.

She knew those people were using her, treating her as a pawn, and likewise, she had used them as pawns for her own revenge.

But all of that changed after meeting Liang Lai.

Suddenly, everything she had done felt meaningless.

She enjoyed this current sense of peace, enjoyed being cared for and cherished.

Maybe… this is what love is.

The thought startled Dolosa.

Huh?

Love?

She didn’t understand what love was.

No one had ever taught her.

She’d only ever seen the word “love” in books or heard it from others’ mouths.

So, did she love Liang Lai?

Dolosa didn’t know.

“Forget it, things like this… aren’t something you can figure out right away.” Dolosa comforted herself.

Liang Lai actually hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep.

She listened to Dolosa’s muttering, and after waiting for the other girl to fall asleep, let out a soft sigh.

Looks like kids have a lot on their minds too… Well, she was a kid once, so of course she knew that children could have plenty to worry about.

But after time wears everything down, you forget all the hardships you once faced, and might even laugh at your old self.

Liang Lai gently placed her hand on Dolosa’s head.

“Sleep well.”

She got out of bed.

In truth, this body didn’t need much rest to recover all its strength.

What she needed to do now was to quickly figure out her own Crystalization Ability.

Today, by accident, she seemed to have released a portion of her ability.

Yes, it was only a portion—Liang Lai could tell she didn’t feel any fatigue at all.

According to the books, overusing the Crystalization Ability should leave you exhausted, but she felt nothing like that.

In fact, she even felt a hint of relief, like “rain after a long drought.”

Was it because she hadn’t used her Crystalization Ability in so long, and her body felt released after finally using it again?

She still wasn’t sure.

Liang Lai tiptoed to the door, gently pushed it open, slipped out quietly, and left.

“Probably best to spend all day soaking in the study.”

She said this, then went straight downstairs and into her study.

Leaving aside her own Crystalization Ability, she already understood most of this world and had a rough grasp of the Church’s hierarchy.

Simply put:

The t0 echelon had only one person: the Pope, dressed in golden robes, residing in the Papal Hall (also known as the White Tower).

The current Pope’s name was Pope Alphonse VII, whose pupils were shattered crystals and could directly receive the Oracle.

The t1 echelon was the Triumvirate of Saints, directly appointed by the Pope, dressed in silver robes.

Among them: one Head of Discipline, who wielded the screaming Hammer of Truth.

One Head of Sacrifice, who managed the Living Bible that devoured sinners.

One Head of Watchers, whose eyes were inlaid with Saint Crystal that could see the future.

The t2 echelon had two groups.

The first was the Crimson Cardinals, thirteen members in red robes, who oversaw the Blood Code, and used Ruby Daggers to carve edicts into their palms.

The second group was their own—the Saintess System, dressed in white Saintess veils, with thirteen current members.

Besides daily duties, at the beginning of each month, they must write the Oracle atop the Thorn Throne (whose chair would grow thorns that pierce flesh).

The t3 echelon had three groups.

The first was the Blue Robe Inquisition, with rotating seats for thirty members, who held the Scales of Truth.

When weighing a sinner’s soul, real feathers would appear.

The second group was the Priesthood, thirty members in total.

Among them, White Robes were the Choir, whose singing could heal wounds but at the cost of their own memories.

Grey Robes were the Tribunal, who, during judgment, had to swallow a strand of the accused’s hair.

Black Robes were the Gravediggers, who managed the moving Cemetery of the Penitents.

The third group was the Priests, who wore crosses around their necks, fifty-six in total.

A Priest’s prayers held real binding power, able to form Chains of Repentance (solid silver-white chains) on sinners.

They also managed the Ledger of Souls, recording everyone’s sins and devotion.

If a believer’s sins reached a critical point, the Priest had to personally send them into the Well of Atonement (a bottomless ancient well that whispered in the dark).

The t4 echelon had two groups.

The first was the Green Robed Sacerdotes, one hundred and eleven members, responsible for operating the Corridor of Repentance—a living, breathing complex of “buildings.”

The second group was the Nuns, dressed in nun habits, never showing their hair, five hundred and fifty-five in total.

They took shifts chanting in the Lightless Sanctuary, ensuring the Church’s faith never ran dry.

They were also responsible for using special Blood Ink to record confessions in the Book of Sins.

And next came the information that let Liang Lai know Dolosa’s identity— the Foundling Home.

They raised abandoned baby girls there.

The most talented would become “preparatory nuns,” the rest would become ordinary believers or… Saintess Candidates (if they were pure enough).

Each year, one infant would be chosen as the Offering Infant (though in truth, it was more than one—these were the Church’s products of illicit union) and sent to the Underground Sanctuary, never to be seen again.

To be honest, if it weren’t for seeing how miserable the Dustfolk and Atheist Commoners lived, Liang Lai might have thought this hierarchy was pretty decent.

But ever since she’d seen those busy Dustfolk with sunken cheeks and vacant eyes, she couldn’t accept it anymore.

If even the god-fearing Dustfolk lived such wretched lives, then what kind of miserable existence did those who defied the Church and didn’t believe in God—the Atheist Commoners—have?

Liang Lai couldn’t see.

Because those Atheists had already been exiled to the borderlands, where the environment was harsh and there was almost no Light Honey.

The Church left them there, basically to let them die off on their own.

“Sigh~”

Liang Lai let out a soft sigh.

She had already pushed open the study door and walked to her desk, but didn’t sit down right away.

Because…

Yesterday, while cleaning the study, she’d accidentally knocked over a vase. In the spilled dirt, Liang Lai found a nameless book.

As a transmigrator, her first instinct was to pick up the book from the dirt and flip to the first page—where she found familiar handwriting.

It belonged to the original owner.

After looking around to make sure no one was there, she immediately hid it in the locked drawer she kept.

She had a feeling there was something incredible inside.