After hearing those words, Dolosa finally snapped out of the shock and surprise from the kiss. She immediately grabbed Liang Lai’s clothes.
“Liang Lai, I want to go with you!”
She meant to protect Liang Lai.
Asterys and Delucia, upon hearing this, also grabbed Liang Lai’s clothes.
“The two of us want to go with Mom too~ After all, Mom isn’t familiar with that place. What if she goes to the wrong place?”
A troubled expression appeared on Liang Lai’s face.
If it were going out to play with the kids, she would be very willing, but going to such a place to do something forbidden by the Church was somewhat dangerous.
“Nope~ You three stay at home.”
Liang Lai gently ruffled the heads of the three children.
Dolosa frowned, grabbing Liang Lai’s hand tightly, her tone very firm. “No, how can I feel at ease if you go alone?”
This time, Asterys and Delucia joined Dolosa’s side.
Asterys said, “We’re not at ease either. Sometimes Mom looks a bit clumsy. What if she goes to the wrong place?”
Delucia chimed in from the side.
“Ha—”
Liang Lai pinched Asterys’s cheek.
“Do I look clumsy to you? Shouldn’t I be the reliable adult in your eyes?!”
After saying this, she put her hands on her hips in a proud, tsundere manner. However, Dolosa, Asterys, and Delucia all looked at her with a trace of sympathy, as if… looking at a fool.
Liang Lai: “……”
Six hundred sixty-six, not even salty anymore.
Liang Lai’s temper flared. She poked the three little ones on the head.
“I said no, so no. You all stay at home. Dolosa and Asterys should practice their Crystallization Ability properly, Delucia must supervise, and I’ll be back soon. The reason I don’t want to bring you is that there will be so many people there. Going together will definitely attract attention. It’s much better if I go alone!”
That was a reasonable argument, leaving no room for rebuttal. But Dolosa still clung tightly to Liang Lai’s clothes, seemingly unwilling to give in.
“Sigh.”
Liang Lai finally sighed.
“Besides, your abilities aren’t stable yet. If danger really comes, I have to protect you. If it’s just me, I can just run away without fighting. But if you’re there… I’ll be distracted.”
Indeed, this was the main reason.
Ever since the last time they found Dolosa outside, when she was surrounded by a group of Darklings and Liang Lai was forced to use her Crystallization Ability, she developed a psychological shadow and was very afraid of those guys showing up again.
Hearing this reason, Dolosa lowered her head and slowly loosened her grip on Liang Lai’s clothes.
“Alright then…”
She silently clenched her fists.
“Then… please be careful on the way, Liang Lai, I…”
She was about to say more but was pulled into the Saintess’s embrace.
“I know what you want to say. You’ll definitely become strong, and then it’ll be your turn to protect me~” Liang Lai smiled. “After all, I’ll grow old one day too. By then, I won’t be as good as you. You can’t just abandon me~”
Dolosa’s eyes brightened, instantly soothed.
“Of course I won’t abandon you! I’ll definitely protect you in the future!”
Kids are just kids—easy to coax.
Asterys and Delucia exchanged a glance and didn’t continue begging Liang Lai to take them along. They simply came closer and leaned against Liang Lai.
Truly a “loving mother and dutiful daughters” picture. If only the three adopted daughters didn’t all wear scheming expressions on their faces, one might have believed it.
That night, Liang Lai stayed up late, working overtime to paint a portrait resembling the current Dolosa but stripped of all features associated with Pope Alphonse VII.
“Hmm, this will do.”
Many in the Church had seen Dolosa before. Suddenly changing her appearance completely would definitely raise suspicion. But just removing a few facial features wouldn’t attract too much attention or suspicion.
It must be said, Liang Lai’s skills in painting were impressive. She looked at the portrait in front of her with great satisfaction, giving a thumbs-up to her own work.
“Awesome!”
Proudly selling her own melon.
The next day, while it was still dawn, Liang Lai rolled up the small portrait and slipped it into her pocket.
The three little ones were still asleep, and Liang Lai didn’t wake them. She stepped quietly through the morning mist and hurried out of the Court of Purity.
Although it was still early, many Dustfolk had already started working. Besides earning money through their own work, they also had to collect Light Honey every day. They were, to put it simply, overworked and exploited labor with no pay.
“What do you call this? This is clearly forced labor rent under hyper-economic conditions.”
Her fingertips unconsciously clenched.
“According to Marxist Political Economy, these Dustfolk are forced into surplus labor. The Light Honey they collect far exceeds the value needed to sustain their own survival. The surplus value is then occupied by the Church under the name of religion, completing the most primitive capital accumulation.”
She looked at the glowing Sacred Brands on the foreheads of the Dustfolk—these were the concrete manifestations of Alienated Labor.
“The Church uses Holy Locks to alienate the laborers from the products of their labor, turning them into tools that uphold the Clerical Dominion. These Dustfolk are deprived not only of their labor achievements but also of their essential human attributes.”
Though she spoke with indignation, Liang Lai still couldn’t change anything or do anything about it. She could only vent her frustration like an angry youth.
“Sigh.”
Only a sigh remained.
Now was not the time for melancholy. Liang Lai quickened her pace, passing through the crowds and counting alleyways. She stopped at the third alley and turned right.
The third alley was much darker than the Main Street. The sunlight filtered through like a sieve, sparsely scattering on the uneven stone slabs.
Liang Lai’s boots crunched over a few withered wisteria leaves.
At the end of the alley was a narrow shopfront, pitiably small.
The faded indigo curtain was embroidered with crooked golden thread. What was originally a sun pattern now looked like a clump of mold swollen by rain.
A half-rusted brass scissors hung over the lintel. The blades had a chipped notch and swayed gently in the draft, making a sound like a rat gnawing.
When Liang Lai lifted the curtain, the stench of rancid whale oil mixed with mildew assaulted her nose.