40: Chapter 40 Worship

The woods were damp, and dew soaked the hem of their robes.

The fallen leaves on the ground were thick and slippery, so one had to be careful when walking.

Irene walked at the very front, holding a staff. The gemstone at the top of the staff emitted a faint blue light, illuminating the path ahead.

The middle-aged man and the young woman walked in the middle, while the young man walked at the very back.

Zhen Lu walked between the middle-aged man and the young woman; having nothing to do, he just looked at the trees on both sides.

After walking for about two hours, a rustling sound came from ahead.

Irene stopped, raised her staff, and the light from the gemstone grew brighter.

Two grayish-black wolves darted out from behind the bushes. They were a size larger than ordinary wolves, their eyes glowing with a green light, and drool dripping from the corners of their mouths.

The middle-aged man drew his blade, and the young man also drew his sword.

Irene waved her staff, and a beam of blue light shot out, striking one of the wolves. The wolf let out a miserable yelp and fell to the ground, convulsing.

The other wolf charged at them. The middle-aged man slashed at the wolf's neck, but his blade got stuck in the bone and he couldn't pull it out.

The wolf wasn't dead yet; it turned its head to bite at him.

Zhen Lu stepped forward, clamped his left hand onto the wolf's jaw, clenched his right fist, and delivered an Eight Extremities Fist collapsing punch, smashing it onto the top of the wolf's head.

The wolf's head tilted to the side, its body went limp, and it fell to the ground, motionless.

Irene glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his fist for half a second.

"You know close-quarters combat too?"

"A little bit."

There were no further dangers on the rest of the journey.

Occasionally, a few small animals would run through the grass, or the calls of unknown beasts would come from afar, but none came close.

At noon, they stopped to rest beside a stream.

The stream water was very clear, and one could see the stones and small swimming fish at the bottom.

Zhen Lu drank a few mouthfuls of water, washed his face, and sat on a rock to eat his dry rations.

The road in the afternoon was easier to walk than in the morning; the trees became sparse, and the light grew brighter.

As they walked, the canopy above suddenly disappeared, revealing the grayish-blue sky.

"We're out," Irene said, her voice filled with a sense of relief and lightness.

Everyone stopped and looked back at the dense forest.

Zhen Lu also looked back; the edge of the dense forest looked like a neat wall, with dense trees and intertwined branches, dark and hollow inside.

Irene walked up to Zhen Lu. "Thank you so, so much. Without you, we really wouldn't have made it out."

Irene's teammates nodded at him in acknowledgement.

The middle-aged man said, "Thank you," the young woman's eyes turned red again, and the young man bowed.

Zhen Lu also nodded, said nothing, and then proceeded in another direction.

After getting far away from them, a white light flashed.

He returned to the Main Star Plaza.

Xiao Guang floated out.

"Welcome back. The summoning mission is complete, and the reward has been issued: 1500 credits have been deposited into your account."

Zhen Lu opened his personal panel.

In the skill bar, Basic Holy Light was still there, and Basic Driving was also there, but Basic Swordsmanship had disappeared.

"It seems that only temporary skills that last the full duration of a single world are recognized."

He closed the panel.

"Gotta get out and get some sleep; I have things to do tomorrow."

"Exit."

A white light flashed.

The next morning, the alarm on his communicator woke him up. Seven o'clock sharp.

Zhen Lu picked up the communicator and glanced at the date.

Today was his Sunday for this month.

It was assigned by the Empire system, and it was immovable.

On this day every month, no matter what you are doing or how busy work is, you must go to the church to attend worship.

The company cannot obstruct it; obstruction is illegal.

He had known this rule since he was a child and was long used to it.

He got up to use the bathroom, washed his face, and changed his clothes.

Today, he wore a dark gray jacket; nothing special, but clean.

Before leaving, he stood by the bed and thought for a moment, then raised his right hand, palm facing his left hand, and silently recited "Holy Light" in his heart.

A faint white light lit up in his palm, and warmth seeped out from the palm, feeling cozy and warm.

He wasn't injured, so the effect of Holy Light couldn't be exerted, but the warmth itself was very comfortable.

He clenched his fist, and the light vanished.

There was a church near where he lived, not far away, a fifteen-minute walk.

Saint Grace Cathedral.

There was a plaza at the entrance, with a fountain and sculptures.

When he arrived, there were already people queuing at the entrance. Not many, seven or eight people.

The line moved quickly. Everyone walked to the entrance, scanned their face on the electronic screen next to the door frame, the system registered them automatically, and then they went in.

Zhen Lu joined the back of the line, waited for two minutes, and stood in front of the electronic screen.

The screen lit up, emitted a "beep," his face appeared on the screen, and a line of text popped up below: "Registration Successful."

The door opened automatically.

He walked in.

The inside of the cathedral was larger than he had imagined.

The dome was very high, with a mural of the holy light cross painted on it, the colors vivid.

Stained glass windows hung on the walls on both sides, depicting historical scenes of the Holy Light Empire.

Sunlight shone in through the stained glass, casting patches of colorful light on the ground.

The pews were arranged in rows.

A huge holy light cross stood on the altar, made of metal and plated with gold, glistening under the lights.

A priest stood below the cross, wearing a white robe, holding a book in his hand, and flipping through it.

There were already a dozen or so people sitting on the pews.

Some were praying with their eyes closed, others were looking down at their communicators.

Zhen Lu chose a seat near the back and sat down, leaning against the back of the pew.

After waiting for about ten minutes, most of the people had arrived, about four or five hundred people.

The priest closed the book, walked out from behind the altar, stood in front of the cross, and cleared his throat.

"Brothers and sisters, welcome to Saint Grace Cathedral. Today is the Sunday of the month; thank you all for taking the time to attend. Let us pray together and thank the Holy Light for granting us peace, prosperity, and hope."

Everyone stood up.

Zhen Lu followed suit and stood up.

The priest led a prayer, and Zhen Lu recited along.

He had been reciting it since he was a child, and every sentence was deeply ingrained in his heart; his voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

The prayer wasn't long and was finished in about five minutes.

Then the priest began to preach, speaking about the history of the Holy Light Empire, the meaning of the holy light cross, and the responsibilities and obligations of citizens.

The content was nothing new; Zhen Lu had heard it many times before, but he had to listen every time.

The sermon lasted for nearly an hour.

In the middle, everyone recited a scripture in unison twice; Zhen Lu recited it too, his voice steady, blending in with the people around him.

Then, it was time for free prayer.

The priest said that everyone could pray silently by themselves, or go to the front of the altar to offer their hearts.

Zhen Lu didn't go.

He sat in his chair, watching those in front walk to the altar one by one.

Some knelt in front of the holy light cross, heads bowed, lips moving.

Some just stood in front of the cross for a while, then turned and returned to their seats.

An old lady walked over shakily, took an envelope out of her pocket, and stuffed it into a box under the cross.