Chapter 283
Eleanor suppressed the anger boiling within her and cursed aloud.
She was already feeling disoriented due to the appearance of the An Chóng (Dark Worm), which was clearly linked to the Church. The devastation it had caused was immense, and regardless of how this situation was handled, the Church of the Savior would not escape unscathed.
Being expelled from Ansu was a minor issue; her greatest concern was the reckoning from the Goddess.
Reinforcements from all sides were pouring in, leaving her with little time to make a choice...
---
“Ugh... Is this really Ansu? It feels even more dilapidated than Bell Tower Alley.”
Outside the Eston Station, in a crowded alley, Shaer looked around at the worn and cramped worker dormitories, his brow furrowed, clearly disheartened.
Just moments ago, the train had passed through a peripheral town connected to Ansu, where factories, warehouses, and worker housing were piled together, making it feel like a slum even more suffocating than Bell Tower Alley.
Even stepping off the platform and sneaking into the city, all he saw was a dim and crowded scene, which left Shaer feeling a significant sense of disappointment.
“This is how Eston Station is, Lord Shaer,” Tara, who had visited Ansu many times, explained, looking down. “If we had gotten off at the West District or Queen’s Cross Station, the sights would have been much more prosperous.”
After answering Shaer’s question, Tara couldn’t help but glance back at the fading crimson light in the distance, a wave of discomfort washing over her heart.
Until the Holy Spirit returned, she hadn’t been able to pay her respects... But there was no time to dwell on that now. She had sensed the presence of the “Punishing Saint” before the train arrived and had hurriedly taken Shaer away.
It was mainly that instinct to hide like a rat that had momentarily made Tara forget that the Mother Goddess was right beside her. Otherwise, she would have stood her ground, waiting for the “Punishing Saint” to arrive, so she could bow before the Mother Goddess and vent her frustrations.
“Lord Shaer, it seems the Holy Spirit’s presence has vanished...” Tara reminded him.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m already surprised it made it this far,” Shaer replied, shaking his head, not particularly concerned, though a hint of disappointment lingered.
At that moment, Shaer’s face was pale, his hands covered in countless cuts, and he had no idea how much blood he had lost leading the An Chóng here.
Compared to the previous spiritual summoning, this one had lasted nearly twelve hours, which had already taken him by surprise—and the amount of blood consumed wasn’t particularly high.
Perhaps it was because the creature had found plenty of its own sustenance.
He had initially thought he could also conduct a census of Ansu’s population, but it seemed he had overestimated things... Ansu was much larger than he had imagined, and when combined with the surrounding villages and towns, it was far beyond what Bole City could compare to.
But... that only made it more challenging, didn’t it? The more fortified the fortress, the more satisfying it was to bring it down—this thrill was unmatched by anything else.
With that thought, the disappointment on Shaer’s face gradually faded, replaced by a smile as he nodded and remarked, “Ansu is quite safe and livable.”
Seeing Shaer’s expression, Tara’s spirits lifted.
The arrival and expulsion of the Holy Spirit seemed to matter little to the Mother Goddess... It appeared that, as she had suspected, the Mother Goddess wouldn’t be too concerned about a single Holy Spirit.
This trip to Ansu was likely to summon an angel above the Holy Spirit... and the previous weakened Holy Spirit was merely a small gift for the extraordinary beings of Ansu.
It was a pity that the Mother Goddess’s human vessel was somewhat frail; it would likely need some time to recover before continuing the summoning.
“Tara, do you have a place to stay in Ansu?” Shaer asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“Yes, Lord Shaer,” Tara nodded. “I’ll take you there.”
Tara didn’t seem very familiar with Ansu; she led Shaer through the streets for nearly thirty minutes before finally finding a familiar, bustling main road.
However, as they walked, Shaer learned about the structure of Ansu from Tara.
In general, Ansu could be divided into two main areas.
One was Ansu City, and the other was the Greater Ansu District.
Ansu City was the core of Ansu, covering about 1.12 square suri, or 2.9 square kilometers. It was the historical heart of the nation and the financial and commercial center of Ansu.
The Greater Ansu District was divided into several large blocks, such as the prosperous West District, the impoverished East District, and the riverside South Bank District, with many smaller areas within these larger blocks.
Each of these smaller areas was larger than the Bell Tower Alley in Bole City.
Previously, Shaer had never had a concrete idea of Ansu’s size, but now that he truly understood the vastness of this capital, his mind began to race.
“How many people live in the entire Ansu capital district?” Shaer asked Tara.
“Um...” This sudden question seemed to stump Tara. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, “About two hundred thousand to two million twenty years ago? Since the railway opened, the population has fluctuated greatly, and it’s likely increased significantly in the past twenty years. I’m sorry, Lord Shaer, but I don’t know the exact number...”
Tara lowered her head slightly, a hint of shame crossing her face for not being able to answer Shaer’s question accurately.
“Has Ansu not released any census data?” Shaer asked, puzzled.
“Ansu does have census registrars, but they only register those with fixed residences, and many people fill out the forms incorrectly due to distrust of the registrars. The final statistics can vary widely,” Tara explained.
It wasn’t that she was making excuses for Ansu’s census workers; population statistics were a complex issue that required the government to have strong credibility and coordination capabilities. Achieving perfect data was nearly impossible.
Not to mention, many workers and families had low literacy rates and couldn’t fill out forms themselves. Some registrars, to save time, even filled out forms for the slums without investigating, which was another significant factor affecting the results.
After explaining all this to Shaer, Tara added, “Do you need this data? I can try to have my subordinates... have the students from the monastery help gather it, but to be honest, conducting a census is still quite difficult...”
“It really is quite challenging,” Shaer nodded, recalling the population data from Bole City.
It would take a stroke of bad luck to achieve that.
“We’re here, Lord Shaer. This is the place.”
Tara stood in front of a two-story standalone building and said, “This is where I stay in Ansu.”
It was located near the West District, in the southwestern part of Ansu, and across the street was a river, making it look like a decent residential area.
After Tara opened the door, Shaer stepped inside. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a notebook.
This was the Keybearer’s spiritual notebook.
If she returned to reality to exchange for the notebook to investigate, it would waste some destiny points. It was better to take advantage of the time she had now and have Tara help her decipher the spiritual marks within.
How to break the spiritual marks was a knowledge blind spot for Shaer; she didn’t even know how to mark the notebook herself.
Though she had dealt with many matters, she was still somewhat of a novice in the extraordinary realm. Compared to someone like Amy, who was a complete beginner, Tara, who had immersed herself in the extraordinary for years, was still a child.
“This is the Keybearer’s notebook. Can you read it for me? I’ll take a rest,” Shaer said, handing the notebook to Tara before sitting down on the living room sofa, leaning back, and closing her eyes as if she were about to sleep.
At that moment, Tara stood beside Shaer, holding the still-warm spiritual notebook, her hands trembling slightly.
Where did the Mother Goddess get this notebook...?
It even carried the warmth of the Mother Goddess...
After swallowing hard, Tara nodded slightly and said, “...Alright.”
“The spiritual marks on it haven’t been removed yet. Please wait a moment, Lord Shaer.”
Tara held the notebook with both hands, as if it were a sacred object, and slowly raised it, pressing it against her forehead.
A pure white light emanated from the point of contact between Tara’s forehead and the Keybearer’s spiritual notebook. Several white shadows emerged from Tara’s own shadow, reaching out their hands and delving into the shadows of the notebook.
Shaer quietly glanced at Tara, nodding slightly as she memorized the key points.
Press it to the forehead, take deep breaths, use the ability... In the future, being able to decipher the spiritual notebook herself might save some destiny points.
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