Near noon, at the Church of the Goddess of Life in Deya City.
Mist suddenly felt that being a Life Saintess wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was the church’s atmosphere?
She had already been there the entire morning. Unlike the bustling streets outside, the church remained quiet even with many people.
After praying, the believers would give a slight bow to Mist before leaving.
This unprecedented respect caught Mist off guard. Back in the Mist, Truth would just kick her aside like a stray dog, but here she was being respected.
So every time a believer bowed, Mist would nod with a smile. Then it was the believers’ turn to be flattered—why was the Saintess interacting with them so much today?
Before, she would go rest after prayers, but today she stayed with them all morning! What did this mean? It meant the Saintess loved them even more!
[Received faith from Bo En, Faith +2]
[Received faith from Gilbert, Faith +1]
…
All morning, notifications kept popping up on Mist’s panel, adding several hundred to her already overflowing faith power.
‘So… that’s how Truth gathered so much faith? No wonder someone as arrogant as her would willingly serve under other gods!’
[Name: Mist]
[Level: LV25 (1221/11522)]
[Race: Unknown]
[Attributes: Life 48, Physique 52, Magic 99, Intelligence 72, Strength 22, Agility 31, Faith 2342]
[Skills: Hidden Healing Mist (Proficiency 14%), Perception Regulation (Proficiency 0%), Lens Shield: Second Order (Proficiency 1%), Aura Tracking Art (Proficiency 0%)]
[Talents: Mistveil Exalted (Fusion Progress 25%), Mist Devotee (LV17), Life Saintess (LV11), State Perspective (LV1)]
[Faith Points: 24556] [Available Attribute Points: 1] [Mist Energy: 921]
With the authority boost, Mist now had the exact same status panel as Truth.
However, she noticed she could operate mist-related functions like the [Faith Exchange Store] or [Mist Construction System], but she couldn’t use the available attribute points or add any attributes.
‘Did Truth lock the attribute points somehow to guard against me? Hmph, I knew she wouldn’t trust me! And what kind of build is that—pumping all points into Faith? That’s insane!’
Mist wondered why she was still as fragile as a First Rank even after reaching Second Rank.
It turned out Truth hadn’t upgraded any stats besides Faith! So how did Truth manage to pin her down with one hand?
Mist still couldn’t figure out how Truth did it. She thought that after synchronizing the authority, she’d be on equal footing with Truth in the Mist, but…
She decided to secretly observe Truth once she returned to the Mist. Then Mist continued to bask in the sunlight streaming through the window.
After spending so long in the Mist, occasionally enjoying the sun was nice.
Unfortunately, this peaceful moment was soon shattered.
KABOOM!
Suddenly, a violent explosion erupted on the main road not far from the church, followed by screams.
The believers inside the church also curiously looked outside.
“Huh? Demon Hunters?!”
On the main road, a convoy that had just entered Deya City was ambushed.
Several masked figures threw cylindrical explosives under the luxurious carriage in the middle of the convoy and detonated them.
The method looked exactly like the Blasphemers’ doing. Actually, there was no “looked like”—these people were Defilers.
Now, Enforcers were stationed at all key locations in Deya City, including the church, leaving the Blasphemers little room to cause trouble—until a clearly important convoy rolled into the city.
“That’s a mysterious convoy. Except for the luxury carriage in the middle, all the others are tightly sealed, like military vehicles!” said a Fifth Rank Blasphemer, hiding in the shadows, watching the convoy. He was the captain of a surviving Defiler squad.
The bomb attack on the Old Bell Tower a few days ago was also their doing.
Since then, they had been fleeing around the city. Now they had another great opportunity to create panic.
“Captain, look at the symbol on that middle carriage. It’s the Church symbol of the Kingdom of Sylvia!” a subordinate reminded the Defiler captain.
After a few glances, the captain made a quick decision.
“Whoever’s in that carriage is definitely important! Let’s go blow it up!”
“But Captain, aren’t you afraid they might be trouble?”
“Even better! We need to take down big shots to make an unprecedented impact. Besides, this is Deya City. Apart from the Ninth Saintess, what big shots would come to this godforsaken place? So don’t overthink it. Just do it!”
The surviving Defiler squad then ambushed and attacked in one smooth motion. Amid the panicked passersby, the expected panic ensued.
But just then, as the dust from the explosion cleared, the Defiler squad captain was surprised to find the luxurious carriage completely unscathed!
The ornate carriage stood in the middle of the road, its surface covered by a faintly visible magic shield.
The coachman driving the carriage stared coldly in the direction of the Blasphemers.
“We haven’t even gone looking for you, yet you come to us voluntarily…”
“Attack!”
The coachman had barely finished speaking when over a dozen heavily armed Demon Hunters, including Reg, jumped out from the surrounding sealed carriages, pointing their weapons at the Blasphemers.
“Huh? They really are military vehicles?!” The Defiler squad captain turned and ran.
“Damn, we fell for it. Those Demon Hunters deliberately didn’t raise military flags to lure us into attacking. How insidious!”
Soon, the Task Force sent from the Kingdom of Sylvia to support Deya City engaged in a fierce chase with the Demon Hunters through the city.
Explosions and fighting sounds were everywhere. Actually, the Task Force had wanted to keep a low profile.
They planned to first meet with the Ninth Saintess upon entering the city and then deal with the Defilers.
But as soon as they entered the city, they happened to be attacked by the Defilers.
“Wow… Looks like human city security is still terrible after hundreds of years…”
Standing on the windowsill of the Church of the Goddess of Life’s entrance, Mist was watching everything on tiptoe.
It was quite lively, but none of it concerned her. All she had to do now was be a decorative Saintess in the church.
But just then, a First Rank priestling rushed into the church in a panic, stopping in front of Mist.
“Something terrible, Saintess! The fight outside has injured many civilians. There are wounded everywhere. Please gather the priests and go help!”
“Huh?” Mist was startled.