Chapter 137
Aivina nodded and said, "But that's just a guess. After all, the number of existing 'Saintesses' and 'Saints' is quite limited, and each one is closely guarded by their respective organizations. The chances of someone snatching them away are virtually nonexistent, unless that sect is wiped out."
"Two or three hundred years ago, there were still holy wars, but in the past two centuries, such events have been almost nonexistent. Records of holy wars are also exceedingly rare."
At this moment, Nia spoke up again, adding, "The main purpose of a 'Saintess,' aside from communicating with the deities of those churches or attempting to reach out to other ancient gods, is to obtain the rituals for recreating those lost pathways."
"If they can acquire the original potions or the rituals from beings of the Otherworld, they could reverse-engineer or experiment to deduce the rituals and potion formulas for that pathway."
Nia seemed particularly well-versed in this information, even more so than Aivina.
Upon hearing this, Shaer nodded slightly, her heart already leaning toward believing this explanation.
They had not experienced it themselves, so they could only speculate.
But Shaer had lived through it.
She had been mistaken for a Saintess multiple times by the Goddess of Salvation Church and the Holy Ascendancy because of her suspected ability to communicate with the Otherworld.
Especially High Priestess Yulis, who, in nearly every simulation, found ways to bring Shaer back to the Ansu Church.
The three of them fell into a contemplative silence, and at that moment, Adele, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
Adele glanced at Shaer and Aivina, asking, "Amy's uniqueness will definitely make her a coveted treasure among different sects and factions..."
This was a question Shaer had also considered. Keeping Amy close would undoubtedly bring endless trouble.
If left unattended, Amy would surely be found by the Holy Ascendancy.
Just like the "most loyal believer" described by the divine servant.
What if they took her to a more peaceful and secure organization or church, where people could protect her? For Shaer, that seemed like the best solution.
"How about... sending her to the Redemption Society?"
Adele suggested quietly. "It's full of doctors who heal and save people—except for Xie Lun. If the Redemption Society has a Saintess, it should be better for ordinary people than getting a Saintess from other churches, right?"
Though she had left the Redemption Society, Adele didn’t seem to think poorly of her former employer and spoke a few good words about it.
Aivina replied, "No."
Nia added, "No."
Aivina and Nia spoke almost in unison, dismissing Adele's proposal.
"We can't send her away."
Nia shook her head. After a moment of silence, she continued, "I was once the candidate Saintess of the Order of the God of Order."
"I know very well what happens once you're chosen."
The iron armor covering Nia emitted a faint hum, and the deep-seated fear and pain seemed to resurface in her mind.
Chapter Ninety-Seven: [The Coming Days] Approaches You.
Shaer didn’t know much about Nia.
At first glance, she thought Nia was just a dutiful, serious, and loyal guard.
It was during the "Instigator" simulation that Shaer had more than two exchanges with Nia, but that encounter only reinforced Shaer's rigid impression of her.
However, later on, when Nia dealt with the spiritual and ethereal harm from the Otherworld, her extremely low resistance left a deep impression on Shaer.
Now it seemed that Nia's background was indeed complex.
Perhaps it was the experience of being a "candidate Saintess" so many years ago that had left her spirit and essence so fragile.
That would explain a lot.
At the same time, Shaer felt a twinge of curiosity about the experience of being a "candidate Saintess."
She had once thought that if the crisis became severe enough, she might as well run to the Goddess of Salvation Church and become a Saintess to resolve the crisis.
Perhaps because she touched on painful memories, Nia didn’t continue and found an excuse to leave the study, disappearing without a word.
After Nia left, Aivina slowly spoke up, revealing what she knew about Nia's current state.
"I’ve temporarily used my ability to 'forget' part of Nia's past memories,"
Aivina explained Nia's departure, "But after all these years, if she encounters the aura of the Otherworld or discusses related matters, it will gradually bring back her previous pain."
"What exactly happened back then?" Shaer asked, voicing her inner confusion. "What is a candidate Saintess? What are the duties of a Saintess?"
Aivina shook her head helplessly and replied, "I’m not sure either. I can’t delve into such deep memories; I can only seal away most of the past for her to 'forget.'"
"I’ve only heard from the elders in my family that Nia was once a genius monk in the Order of the God of Order. I don’t know what she encountered in the Otherworld, but the backlash from the potion nearly drove her insane."
"After more than a decade, her mind gradually stabilized, but she lost all faith in the Eye of Order, becoming like a walking corpse."
"Later, she was taken in by the Russell family, briefly trained, and became my guard. I’ve been protected by her since I was little."
Shaer nodded slightly after hearing this.
The Order of the God of Order... the Eye of Order...
It sounded like the Russell family had a very deep connection with the Order of the God of Order.
No wonder Aivina could skillfully use the Eye of Order contract and had mastered countermeasures against it.
Adele, who had been listening quietly, asked with concern, "Is there any way to treat her condition?"
It was clear that Adele wanted to help her.
But if it could truly be cured, it wouldn’t have dragged on this long. The Order of the God of Order and the Russell family must have been at a loss.
"At this point, she’s been so eroded by the potion that there’s no way for her to recover, and she’s lost the possibility of consuming the next tier of potion."
Aivina shook her head.
"Just maintaining her sanity until now is already a miracle."
Being sent to interact with the Otherworld, to touch its objects or even bring them back...
Shaer thought of the church's main purpose—using the Saintess as a bridge to communicate with the deities or divine servants of their church in the Otherworld...
Though Shaer had never truly been to the Otherworld, she had obtained several fragments of memories about it through deep simulations.
Just watching a few fragments nearly overwhelmed her mind, and it was only after the arrival of the "Glorious Bishop" Xiu that her mental state stabilized.
If she felt this way, it was hard to imagine how those Saintesses or candidate Saintesses managed to interact with the Otherworld...
Could it be that they were truly treated as expendable?
Why didn’t those at the top explore the Otherworld themselves?
Was it because they couldn’t? Or were they afraid of dying?
What methods did they use to access the Otherworld?
More questions flooded Shaer’s mind, but she quickly pushed them aside.
For her, these were questions that wouldn’t yield answers. Even if she did come up with a "result," it would only be a "possibility."
Right now, she was more accustomed to exploring "reality" through her simulations.
The only thing she could be certain of was that becoming a Saintess didn’t seem like a good idea.
"Those churches are terrible..."
Adele pouted, but suddenly remembered that her sister was also part of the church, and she sulkily closed her mouth.
"If the situation is real, from our perspective, it might be very cruel,"
Aivina said calmly, "But for the followers of those churches, being chosen is actually an honor."
"Aivina, there’s something I’m curious about."
Shaer looked at Aivina, whose voice had grown a bit somber, and asked, "What is the relationship between the Russell family and the Order of the God of Order?"
This question didn’t seem to be something Aivina wanted to hide. She replied directly, "It’s a cooperative relationship, much like that between the Goddess of Salvation Church and the Redemption Society—though the ties are a bit closer."
"Currently, almost half of the family members are followers of the God of Order, while most of the non-believers hold important positions in various local governments or serve as members of the Ansu Senate, representing the interests of the Order of the God of Order."
"It’s like being caught between the government and the church."
Although Aivina didn’t explicitly express her dissatisfaction, her description of the relationship between the church and her family suggested she wasn’t fond of the current situation.
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