Chapter 132: Lance Begins to Relentlessly Mess With Other People

At the sanctuary on the ground floor, profound silence enveloped the group. Light filtered through the ancient stained-glass dome, casting a kaleidoscope of mysterious, colorful hues. Clad in white robes and a silver circlet, the priest stood alone before the altar, his expression solemn and his eyes tightly closed.

Faint afternoon light pierced the clouds, casting a golden glow over everyone in the sanctuary and bathing the entire space in radiance. A solemn hush surrounded the priest. Only a gentle breeze stirred, carrying the faint, low tolling of the sanctuary bells.

The sanctuary had been tidied up, and the remains of the castle's former master, High Priest Caligula, had been laid to rest outside. The clergy from the Northern Continent had offered prayers on his behalf.

The priest slowly raised his hands. "Merciful Goddess, I beseech You. Cleanse the departed of sorrow, pain, and confusion. Grant him peace, unshackle his bonds, and guide him into the serene, radiant Kingdom of Heaven, so that he may find happiness in the afterlife."

His voice, deep and resonant, echoed off the sanctuary walls like a warm, comforting force. His words were imbued with reverence and mourning for the dead, yet also carried solace and blessings for the living. As the prayer concluded, the clamor and turmoil of the mundane world seemed to fade away.

After a long silence, the young master from the Kingdom of Cambella looked up, marveling at the faint, glowing feathers of light drifting above High Priest Caligula's grave outside the window. "Is this the power of divine magic?"

Performing such a prayer to liberate the spirit not only prevented a soul of great power from transforming into a vengeful wraith, but also thwarted evil necromancers from enslaving the soul or prying into its memories.

With the investigation progressing rapidly, and the Detective having altered the mechanics of the Shadow Realm before vanishing from the scenario, the group suddenly found themselves without a clear objective for the afternoon.

The pressure had now shifted to the Traitors. The Traitors originally had a full five days to hunt down the Witch and the Werewolf, but that window had now been drastically shortened to just two days.

At the suggestion of the clergy, the group proceeded to bury the remains of High Priest Caligula. Although this was not the real world, the Shadow Realm served as a projection of history. This implied that a High Priest who had sacrificed himself for human independence truly existed in the past, and it was only fitting to lay him to rest.

There was also the need to prevent any Traitors possessing information-gathering necromancy from extracting crucial intelligence, dating back to the time before the Shadow Realm began, from the high priest's remains.

So, the group found themselves gathered once more in the sanctuary, scattered about just as they had been at dawn. Yet, a heavy silence hung over them all.

No one knew what else they could do besides wait for the Traitors' turn to arrive. At least the atmosphere wasn't as oppressive as it had been that morning. There were still a few hours left before nightfall. When that time came, the two Traitors' vampire lords would awaken, granting them access to their vampiric powers and posing a grave threat to all the challengers.

Lance, who had been standing in the corner, suddenly spoke up, "What do you all think are the odds that the two Traitors are members of the Church of Resurrection?"

He immediately drew everyone's attention. Judging by his focused expression, he had clearly been eager to hear others' opinions on the matter all along.

The Geographer was the first to answer, speaking with great confidence, "It's highly probable. We can safely assume that anyone motivated to trigger a natural disaster in the real world is a member of the Church of Resurrection, and a particularly heinous type at that."

He added, "According to statistics from the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association, in all Shadow Realm dimensions featuring a confrontation between challengers, 98.2% of the challengers seeking to trigger a disaster in the real world were members of the Church of Resurrection."

His response took everyone by surprise. It turned out the heir to a major trading company actually knew a thing or two.

"I see." Lance nodded slowly, then turned his head to glance at Hyperion, briefly locking eyes with her. They were already aware that the Church of Resurrection was deliberately targeting them.

It stood to reason that, when they were being matched into the instance, quite a few cultists had been entering the Shadow Realm at the same time. Coupled with the dual foreshadowing provided by Hyperion's initial role as the Actress, that statistical probability of 98.2% cited by the Geographer could effectively be raised to 99.9%.

Lance turned his gaze toward the three members of the clergy from the Northern Continent and posed the question, "Do you believe that the Goddess of Fate truly exists?"

This sudden, apparently random shift in topic left the other challengers feeling a bit bewildered.

The priest offered a gentle explanation, "Although it is impossible to know just how long ago the gods vanished, seemingly merging into the very laws of the world, and no one has ever laid eyes on them, they still exist in a different form, even if they can no longer intervene in the mortal realm through the plane of ordinary matter. That is precisely why we members of the clergy can wield divine magic. Our very existence serves as proof of theirs."

They would patiently answer anyone who came to them with questions about the gods. After all, that was their duty and their calling.

"I see." Lance nodded.

He had already familiarized himself with the divine arts and enchanted cards of the cleric class back in South Vantina. The insights he gained there were largely similar to those held by the clergy of the Northern Continent.

After all, judging by Lance's attributes, becoming a cleric would have originally been the optimal choice. Divine arts were a variation of spellcasting. They relied on and mobilized the divine power that deities left behind in the world to shape its very fabric.

Even without using one's own mana as an ignition source, divine arts could achieve spell effects that resembled miracles. Consequently, the potency of most pure divine arts depended on the caster's Spirit and the depth of their faith.

However, as an atheist, Lance did not believe in deities. Even if he were to become a member of the clergy, his level of faith would not be high. Thus, the path of a cleric was not suited to him. So, he decisively chose another profession renowned for its healing capabilities: the white mage.

One of the clergy explained, "Although a person can utilize our cleric-style divine arts or enchanted cards regardless of which benevolent deity they worship, different deities confer different bonus effects. This aligns perfectly with the ancient legendary murals pieced together from the thirty-two primal tablets. Perhaps, in an age of gods so distant that it lies beyond our ability to investigate, deities had once walked this mortal realm."

The enthusiastic executioner added, "In the temples across the Northern and Southern Continents today, the Goddess of Fate boasts the largest number of clerics and followers. This isn't because her bonus effects are the most powerful, but simply because the greatest number of people are genuinely willing to place their faith in this benevolent deity."

The paladin said, "There are more myths and stories about her than any other. Sayings such as 'The Goddess of Fate loves all living beings equally' and 'She is the only deity who can still intervene in the mortal world' continue to circulate to this day."

Finally, the priest said, "There is even a legend stating that the essence of the Goddess of Fate's divinity lies in this: the moment you pray to her is when she gains the authority to subtly influence your destiny, and the more devout and persistent your prayers, the more clearly your heartfelt wishes reach her."

The three members of the Church of the Goddess of Fate took turns explaining this to Lance. In this world, swearing an oath to a deity was a solemn act. People believed that the gods were listening.

Therefore, one must never speak oaths to any deity lightly. Regardless of whether those gods still existed or could intervene in the mortal realm, such words could forge karmic ties.

The Church of Resurrection had seen instances where high-ranking members defected after seeking salvation from the Goddess of Fate, or perhaps they had been her clerics all along, merely infiltrating their ranks. Each time, these individuals were seemingly favored by Fate and had dealt unimaginable, devastating blows to the Church of Resurrection.

It was hard to say whether the Goddess of Fate herself was manipulating their destinies. This was precisely why the Church of the Goddess of Fate and the Church of Resurrection were sworn enemies.

"I understand. Thank you, the three of you." After hearing this, Lance simply offered his polite gratitude. He showed no intention of joining their faith, turning his gaze back to the crowd in the sanctuary instead. The others wondered what he was thinking now.

Then, with everyone's eyes fixed upon him, Lance raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and proclaimed in a clear, resonant voice, "Please repeat after me. Praise be to the Goddess of Fate. If I am a cultist or a malicious Traitor, may my destiny be guided toward the destruction of the Church of Resurrection!'"

The challengers gawped at Lance in confusion. Before long, some began to grasp his intent. While such an oath might not necessarily come true—after all, the nature of Fate was incredibly elusive and mysterious—the Church of Resurrection had an unwritten rule. Anyone with a clear karmic link to the Goddess of Fate found it nearly impossible to rise to the upper echelons.

The Church of Resurrection's greatest fear was the invisible interference of the Goddess of Fate. In effect, Lance was cutting off the future prospects of any Church of Resurrection member who took this oath!