Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 192 - 112: "Freedom

Chapter 192: Chapter 112: "Freedom

Where there are people, there will be rivers and lakes, and there will also be divisions of power, even on the flagship of the Ashen Consortium.

With Hei Misa’s reputation as it was, believers identified as "The Impure" by her naturally would not attend the seminars and study sessions she hosted to avoid making fools of themselves.

Within the believers, reports against Hei Misa never ceased, but for some unknown reason, her position as a Priest remained unshaken. Therefore, rumors circulated among the believers that Hei Misa was favored by some high-ranking official within the Consortium and that her radical ideas had a market in the current cosmic environment.

It was foreseeable that as long as she did not make a major mistake like Director Qing Hua next door had, her future positions would only rise higher and higher.

Once a Priest had served their full term, they would be transferred back to the Consortium’s headquarters. After two to three years of making accomplishments, the next step would be to become an Inspector, with a ship of their own.

For this reason, Hei Misa’s followers regarded her as the next Inspector—following her now, they would all be core members in a few years, and perhaps even get the chance to serve as a Priest.

To "The Impure," Hei Misa and her followers were undoubtedly a malignant tumor on the path of faith.

Many had converted to the Ashen Church and become "Professional Believers" powered by love, weary of the incessant power struggles, only to discover upon boarding the ship that the struggle for power had merely changed its skin, reappearing before them in a fresh guise.

Hei Misa and her followers would not deal direct harm to "The Impure," but they would find various ways to make them uncomfortable.

Today, Hei Misa found that "The Impure" had shown up at the seminar she hosted, and what was more interesting was that the theme of the seminar was directed towards "The Impure."

"Do you know why everyone hates you?"

Although she was a head shorter than Duan Mingyuan, this did not prevent Hei Misa from looking down on him with superiority.

With just one question, Duan Mingyuan understood the mix of good and bad reviews surrounding Hei Misa. If a schoolteacher asked such a question openly in class, they would be subject to an internal investigation.

If it happened in a workplace environment, it was a classic technique of psychological manipulation.

Your boss might tell you that it’s your fault everyone dislikes you, suggesting you should self-reflect more, and then they would show you a so-called "right path" in their experienced way: if you just achieved xxx, you could change everyone’s perception of you.

Essentially, this was just turning the newcomer into cheap labor or a scapegoat.

"Theoretically, I’ve only been here a day, and this is my first time meeting everyone."

Duan Mingyuan said he hadn’t had the opportunity to forcefully check others’ Abilities or memories, which would make others feel annoyed and frightened.

"This is ’The Impure’ for you, not even understanding why they are hated."

Hei Misa seemed to have anticipated Duan Mingyuan’s response. "The answer is that in a church pursuing purity, your very existence is like a pollutant, and you—you stand out far more than all of the other Impure I have encountered."

So conspicuous that merely passing by could cause passersby to feel a stinging sensation; this was why she had noticed Duan Mingyuan immediately upon entering the conference hall.

"Don’t blame everything on others. According to our longstanding research, ’The Impure,’ whether in the average amount of Scorching Sun Energy provided, or in their contribution to the church’s development, always fall short. You are those naturally dull people who only hold others back, becoming a burden to everyone."

Hei Misa finally found the opportunity to express her beliefs. It was difficult for her to find an Impure in her own territory. Perhaps, this was because Duan Mingyuan had become so "detestable" that even other Impure did not want to approach him, resulting in no one warning him to stay away from the seminars hosted by Priest Hei Misa.

How pitiful.

Foolish and shunned by his own kind, such a life must be extremely hard.

She continued, "Although the Sun King is merciful and willing to accept every believer equally, he has also given people like you an opportunity. You could only come here after betraying your original civilization and faith, and your status as The Impure is the proof of your betrayal."

Hei Misa spoke passionately, causing her followers to nod along. Duan Mingyuan, however, remained unperturbed, feeling rather pity for her.

It was clear that there was a serious problem with the internal communication of the Ashen Church, so much so that Hei Misa, a Priest, was instilling "betrayal" and "burden" rhetoric in someone who was not even a follower of the Sun King.

It was like a headteacher delivering an impassioned speech, using him as an example of someone dragging down the class average, potentially contributing to a recent negative trend at the school, only to find out that this person was not even a student in their class, but rather a passerby who happened to be there to listen.

Even Duan Mingyuan felt regret and embarrassment for Hei Misa, but he always saw the bright side in every situation.

On the bright side, at least Hei Misa’s speech proved the extent of free speech within the Ashen Consortium, where even discriminatory remarks in public settings were tolerated.

"However," Hei Misa changed her tone and said, "even for stains like you that hold everyone back, we are willing to save you. After all, the essence of this seminar is to excise the unclean parts within you."

Hearing this, Duan Mingyuan finally understood.

All the remarks made by Hei Misa during the Mass about The Impure could be summed up as a discriminatory version of, "Another person dislikes you, huh? You should know that only I care about your situation..."

Fortunately, the seminar had finally moved away from personal opinions and entered the realm of academic discussion.

Although missing the discussion on "Scorching Sun Energy for automobiles" next door was a great regret for Duan Mingyuan, at least this seminar wasn’t entirely fruitless.

"What exactly should we do?"

"I’m glad you asked."

Hei Misa quickly stepped in front of Duan Mingyuan, "Scorching Sun Power is the most widely used energy source in this universe, it can do everything including purification."

Compared to dry theoretical discussions, Hei Misa found practice to be much more interesting.

Especially purifying The Impure in front of the participants, such a case would greatly enhance her reputation within the Consortium.

"This is a reward for you, open your eyes wide, what you will see is a power that only a Priest can wield."

At those words, Duan Mingyuan also perked up.

He felt the scorching energy flow towards him, and immediately the scene before his eyes changed.

It was that familiar Star River, but this time there was another person behind him.

Hei Misa’s expression did not look relaxed, seemingly just maintaining the existence of this world had exhausted all her strength.

"Magnificent, isn’t it? At this moment, you stand before the Sun King."

In the distance was the eternal Sun.

She made Duan Mingyuan the happiest person aboard this ship, countless believers could not witness this wonder in their lifetimes.

Having seen such a sight, even The Impure’s filthy and despicable soul should rightfully be purified.

However, what she saw was a different picture.

The face of The Impure showed no awe, nor was there any joy from this hard-won blessing.

"I see."

He just stood there, suddenly enlightened, "So you were just talking about energy transmutation."

"What do you mean?"

"Roughly speaking, that’s what I mean."

To help Hei Misa better understand academic issues, Duan Mingyuan, adhering to the principle that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, converted a portion of his Life Energy into Scorching Sun Power before her gradually dissipating gaze.

In Hei Misa’s eyes, however, there was a completely different scene.

The Duan Mingyuan in her view had changed, his body becoming brighter and brighter, until it was too dazzling to behold, transforming into another Sun.

Time ticked away, and the council hall fell silent.

The Professional Believers rubbed their eyes in disbelief, thinking they must have seen wrong.

Why...

Would Hei Misa, a Priest, suddenly kneel before The Impure?