Chapter 129: A Saintess? That’s an extremely high-risk profession

Description

Ten years.

To a city, it was but a blink of an eye, but for Aililan, it was more than enough.

Without the need to pay taxes, Aililan had total control over Atester’s finances. Once preferential tax policies were introduced, Atester would become like a “Special Zone,” attracting countless merchants to invest and build.

By then, merchants would flood in — not just from the Fifth Wing Region, but from other wing regions and even from other countries.

Becoming a city the world longed for was no longer a dream.

The group discussed for a while longer before dispersing.

The Saint of Temperance and the Saint of Gentleness remained behind.

Liweiya, the Saint of Gentleness, said with a smile, “Although it is enough to have the Holy Land Pilgrimage Official teach you the etiquette for meeting the Seven Regents, we are still a bit worried, so we decided to do it ourselves.”

Aililan could not help but take a closer look at her.

Liweiya had long, fiery red hair and wore an elegant, dignified Saintess gown that accentuated her graceful figure. Her beautiful face carried a gentle smile like a warm breeze, making her look like a kind older sister.

Liweiya reached out to tuck Aililan’s long golden hair behind her ear, looking puzzled. “Sister Chastity, why are you looking at me like that?”

Aililan almost blurted it out. “Nothing, I just heard that Sister Gentleness used to have a bit of a short temper. I… er, well… haha.”

Liweiya’s hand paused. She took a deep breath and said, “Don’t listen to their nonsense. Your sister here is the gentlest girl in the whole wide world.”

The Saint of Temperance spat out a mouthful of black tea.

Her eyes seemed to say — ‘Do you even believe that yourself?’

Aililan laughed awkwardly and quickly chimed in, “Yes, Sister Gentleness is definitely the best sister in the world. I swear.”

Temperance narrowed her eyes and coughed. “Does that mean I am not good enough?”

‘This is bad,’ Aililan thought.

She hurried to fix it. “Sisters, you are both equally wonderful.”

Temperance huffed and asked again, “Then do you like me, Temperance, a little more, or do you like Gentleness a little more?”

Aililan wiped her cold sweat and said loudly, “Of course I like… Diligence the most! Sister Diligence is lively, cheerful, and cute. Who wouldn’t like her?”

Temperance gasped. “What? Diligence?”

Gentleness added, “That cursed Diligence, since when did this happen between you two?”

In a situation like this, it was better for Diligence to suffer than for Chastity to die.

As for the fact that her heart actually favored Temperance, it was better to express that privately.

After the joking was over, the two Saintesses began to teach her seriously.

The highest existence in the Church was the Pope, but that position had been vacant for many years.

Beneath the Pope were the Seven Regents.

The Saint of Temperance sighed and said, “Most of the Seven Regents are Saintesses who grew up in the previous generation.”

Aililan’s heart tightened as she listened.

This meant that not many Saintesses from the previous generation truly remained.

It also proved one thing — although a Saintess held high status and was admired by thousands, it was also an extremely dangerous profession.

Aililan asked hesitantly, “They…”

The Saint of Gentleness also sighed softly. “Most of the Saintesses in our Church die in battle; very few live to see a peaceful end. That is why the bond between each generation of Saintesses is so strong.”

Aililan shook her head hard and stole a glance at the Saint of Temperance. She said with a firm tone, “That won’t happen. I will definitely protect all of you in this generation of Saintesses.”

The Saint of Temperance chuckled behind her hand. “Silly girl, we older sisters are the ones who should be protecting you.”

***

After a day of intense etiquette training, the Saintesses gathered again the next day.

This time, they headed deeper into the Holy Land.

There were no magnificent palaces there, no guards at every three steps, and no groups of clergy singing a Saint Song.

In the depths, there was only a white Estate.

Outside the fence was a sea of flowers and a small, azure lake.

There was a grave by the lake.

There was another grave beneath a tree.

There were tombstones in the flower beds, in the bushes, and even right in the middle of the path.

The place was covered in graves, yet it did not feel eerie at all.

The Saint of Generosity picked a flower and placed it on a tombstone in the middle of the road. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Don’t just stand there staring. This is a previous Saint of Generosity, my predecessor. When she chose this place for her burial, she said she would be very happy here.”

Aililan had never been here before because she had not been qualified at the time.

She said in surprise, “Is it really this casual?”

The Saint of Diligence bumped Aililan’s hip with her elbow and teased, “Of course. This is the final home for us Saintesses. If you’re free, Chastity, you can pick a spot for yourself. I plan to be buried on that slope over there. Why don’t you pick a spot near me?”

Aililan asked, confused, “Why?”

The Saint of Diligence, Yegeerlinai, rolled her eyes. “To be neighbors, obviously. I already made a pact with Gentleness. We’re going to have a three-sister grave streak. That way, we can still visit each other at night after we’re dead.”

“Then why not pick a spot by the lake?”

“Are you stupid? Wouldn’t it get flooded when it rains?”

The Saintesses could not hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

Diligence waved her small fist and said indignantly, “I’m serious! What are you all laughing at?”

Everyone laughed even harder.

The seven Saintesses each had their own charm, and the Saint of Diligence was likely the most cheerful, optimistic, and open-minded of them all.

Her words lightened the originally somber atmosphere.

Aililan also began to look at the area seriously.

There was nothing particularly special about this place, yet it was the most unique location in the Church.

Buried here were the remains of many Saintesses — it was their final destination.

In the northwest corner of the flower field, a woman was holding a bamboo basket and a hoe, carefully tending to the plants in front of a lonely grave.

The group walked toward her.

Only then did Aililan realize that this was the person they were meant to meet today.

As they drew closer, a sudden, inexplicable sense of sadness welled up in Aililan’s heart.

The woman wore a plain dress without any extra decorations.

Her right arm was empty, seemingly severed many years ago.

On her exquisite, beautiful face was a scar that stretched from her left eyebrow down to her jaw.

That eye was a prosthetic gemstone eye that had been carved and inlaid — a mismatched eye.

“You’ve come.”

“Good. Help me pull some weeds,” the woman said softly.

There was a loneliness in her voice that was hard to hide.

The Saintesses bowed in unison.

Then, they began to work together to clear the weeds around the grave.

Aililan’s mind was in a mess.

Who would have thought that out of all the Saintesses from the previous generation, only two truly remained?

And one was like the living dead, while the other had a half-crippled body.

Then their generation of Saintesses…

What would their final fate be?