Chapter 13
One person caught sight of Xia'er standing not far behind Li Qi and quietly reminded her. Only then did Li Qi turn her head, surprised to see Xia'er.
"Xia'er?" Li Qi exclaimed, quickly stepping forward and pulling Xia'er away from the match factory. "It stinks here! What are you doing?"
The environment around the match factory was harsh. Just getting a little closer, Xia'er could smell the pungent, acrid scent of phosphorus fumes, a smell that easily conjured images of decay and corrosion.
"Didn't I tell you to wear a mask?" Xia'er looked into Li Qi's eyes.
She had made a few cotton masks for Li Qi, knowing they wouldn’t do much, but it was a comfort nonetheless.
Long-term exposure to phosphorus vapor could lead to a condition known as phosphorus jaw, a common occupational disease among match factory workers that could ultimately result in severe necrosis of the jawbone, even death.
In this era, it was almost an unsolvable problem, which was why Xia'er was eager to find work instead of going to university—she wanted to get Li Qi out of this toxic environment first.
"But it hasn't even started yet," Li Qi shrugged nonchalantly, smiling at Xia'er as if she didn’t take the situation seriously.
Li Qi's lack of education and understanding of occupational diseases left her feeling no urgency about working there; she simply thought if others could do it, so could she.
"I'm heading to the Bell Tower Salvation Church later," Xia'er said.
She had come to greet Li Qi to avoid any worries if Li Qi returned home early and couldn’t find her, and to keep the stalker from getting suspicious.
Suddenly going to church when she had never been before? That would definitely raise questions.
But if she talked to Li Qi, who was already a believer, before going, the stalker would fill in the gaps and lower the risk of alarming anyone.
"Oh... really? You're going to church?" Li Qi nodded, pinching Xia'er’s cheek playfully. "That’s great! Say hi to Pastor Mei'er for me."
In the Bell Tower District, the Goddess of Salvation Church was the dominant faith, followed by most workers.
They distributed free food daily, and on prayer days, attendees could earn a few pennies. But the biggest reason was that the church had fought for the workers' right to a one-and-a-half-hour break at 6:30 PM every day.
The massive bell tower standing in the center of Bell Tower Lane was built by the Goddess of Salvation Church, and it was part of the church itself. It rang every evening at 6:30, reminding factory owners it was time to let their workers rest.
Li Qi was naturally a believer and had taken Xia'er to pray several times. However, after a few visits without encountering a priest who could perform the Holy Light spell, Xia'er lost interest in the church.
After all, she was an atheist.
After bidding farewell to Li Qi, Xia'er walked along the main road toward the church.
The journey was uneventful, and she soon arrived at the church entrance.
Today was Thursday, not a Sunday, and the food distribution had long since passed. There weren’t many people around, just a plain black-robed old nun sweeping dust at the entrance.
"May the Goddess relieve your suffering."
As Xia'er walked up the steps past the nun, the nun placed her right hand on her chest and greeted her.
Xia'er nodded slightly but didn’t respond; she wasn’t a believer and didn’t need to say those prayers.
Once inside the church, Xia'er glanced around and noticed it was unusually empty today. Even the "Good Luck Box," which usually had people around it, was deserted.
The Good Luck Box was similar to a donation box, but the difference was that wealthy individuals could drop coins in and press a button below to catch a few pennies that fell out. Whether putting in money or taking it out, it symbolized a plea for good fortune.
Xia'er approached the Good Luck Box, pressed the button, and caught three coins that fell out, silently muttering, "Goddess bless me."
"Seriously, girl, you’re asking for favors while taking someone else's money?"
A silver screen flashed before Xia'er, displaying the system's text.
"Taking money counts as a prayer," Xia'er silently retorted, then after a moment's thought, she dropped a penny into the box and repeated, "Goddess bless me."
Double the prayers—if there really was a Goddess, she should be touched.
The main hall of the church was empty, and the priest who usually preached was nowhere to be found. Xia'er had come specifically to find that priest.
Had they stepped out? Or were they having a meal?
Perhaps her prayers to the Goddess were answered, as the door leading to the side aisle opened, and two figures emerged.
Leading the way was Pastor Mei'er, a kindly old woman in a black robe, wearing the oval emblem of the Goddess of Salvation Church on her chest. She walked while whispering something to the person beside her.
That person was shrouded in a black robe, but unlike Pastor Mei'er’s simple attire, this robe had intricate white patterns along the edges. They wore a white mask with simple geometric designs representing eyes and a nose, but the area below the nose was blank.
Pastor Mei'er seemed to notice Xia'er by the Good Luck Box, smiled, and nodded before continuing to escort the person behind her away.
Xia'er slightly stepped aside, politely making room for them to pass. But just as the masked figure was about to walk by, Xia'er overheard their quiet conversation.
"High Priest Yulisi... if there’s any news here... we will inform you immediately..."
High Priest Yulisi?
The high priest who had been promoted to a senior priest in the notes? The extraordinary figure of the Goddess of Salvation Church?
Xia'er instinctively looked up at the retreating figure, hesitating whether to approach when the church's forecourt was left with only Pastor Mei'er and the nun sweeping the steps.
A hint of confusion crept into Xia'er’s eyes.
What was I supposed to do... right... I was looking for Pastor Mei'er...
No, wait!
「【Calm Thought Lv.1】」
A cool sensation flowed through Xia'er’s mind, and in an instant, she remembered what she wanted to do.
"Yul..." The name barely escaped Xia'er’s lips when she suddenly felt a pair of warm hands gently wrap around her neck from behind.
"You’re in pain..."
A haunting voice whispered in her ear.
"But it’s okay, the Goddess will make everything better..."
---
**Chapter Twelve: The "Perverse" High Priest**
Xia'er jumped in surprise, quickly taking a few steps forward, her hand instinctively reaching for the canvas bag slung over her left shoulder.
The gun... it’s gone?!
She turned around to see the masked figure, now seated casually on a prayer chair, curiously examining an old revolver in her hand.
"Little girl, why bring something so dangerous to church?" the masked figure tilted her head, looking in Xia'er’s direction. "Here to rob the church?"
Xia'er froze in place, now certain that this masked figure was an extraordinary being, most likely the high priest Yulisi from the research notes.
"High Priest, you scared her. I know this child; she’s Li Qi’s adopted sister, Xia'er. She came by a couple of years ago," Pastor Mei'er approached Xia'er, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her. "It’s alright, dear, don’t be nervous."
"Just a joke..." the masked Yulisi set the revolver aside and extended her hands toward Xia'er. "Come here, little girl, let me take a good look at you."
This strange behavior left Xia'er unsure whether to step forward. Just then, Pastor Mei'er gently patted her back, softly saying, "Go on, it’s fine."
At this point, there was no escaping. Fortunately, this was a simulation, and nothing that happened here would cause her any real harm.
Xia'er cautiously moved toward the masked figure until she was close enough, all the while calculating how to maximize her fate points if she were to die in the simulation using the 【Death Reversal】 ability.
Only then did Xia'er clearly see the masked figure's hands—long, slender fingers with delicate tips, clearly not the hands of someone who had ever done hard labor, but rather those of a merchant or noble.
She watched as those hands moved closer, gently touching her forehead, slowly trailing down to her chin, where they lingered for a moment.
Table of Contents
