Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 924 - 41 The Church of the Earth Goddess

Chapter 924: 41 The Church of the Earth Goddess

The Temple of the Earth Goddess, the earthly palace of Goddess Denia, also serves as the continuation of the goddess’s will on the Earth’s surface. The goddess’s gaze gathered upon the temple, turning the area around the main hall into her holy sanctuary. Anyone entering the area would be bathed in the goddess’s glory, their body and soul cleansed in the divine light, shedding hidden sins under her merciful will. In simpler terms, anyone entering the temple district would be influenced by divine power. If hostility arose towards the goddess’s followers, it would be suppressed by divine power, severely affecting personal strength, even for demigods.

However, the existence of such a sanctuary actually held little significance and rarely had a chance to demonstrate its effects. Any sane and strong individual would not foolishly disturb the main hall of a deity whose power had not waned. Even during the War of Gods at the end of the Third Epoch thousands of years ago, to breach the main hall of a rival church required weakening the deity to a certain extent so that the divine power could no longer protect the hall; otherwise, it was no different from courting death. In this relatively peaceful era among the gods, there was even less opportunity to utilize the effects of the sanctuary.

Today, Pannis and Lina walked shoulder to shoulder into this domain of the deity. As soon as they entered the main gate of the temple, Pannis furrowed his brow and looked up at the sky. With his keen perception, he sensed a gaze descending from the heavens, enveloping them both. Undoubtedly, it was the loving gaze of Goddess Denia, welcoming her most beloved child back to her homeland. At the same moment they stepped into the temple’s range, Lina’s body, which had been slightly trembling, suddenly stopped. It seemed that at the final moment of facing everything, the girl no longer felt nervous; whether she had completely resolved her thoughts or it was truly the encouragement from Denia’s loving gaze, Lina’s expression completely relaxed, her eyes shining with resoluteness and confidence.

"I’m back," Lina whispered softly, as if speaking to herself and to the familiar sanctuary around her. Pannis, understanding the complexity of Lina’s feelings at the moment, gently patted the slender shoulder of the silver-haired girl. She looked up, a radiant smile on her face, and again looped her arm through Pannis’s, pointing at a cluster of buildings ahead and saying, "Let’s go that’s where I’ve lived since I was a child. I thought I could never come back in my lifetime, but now, I have returned."

The area around the main temple of the Earth Goddess was a cluster of rather unassuming buildings. Although the entire district covered a large area, apart from the grand cathedral representing the deity’s majesty, the other buildings were simple and rustic, quite fitting for the financial status of the Church of the Earth Goddess. Inside the large gate of the main temple district was a vast courtyard, where six statues stood. These were the six forms the Goddess Denia had used during her time on earth, recorded in the history books. In fact, the goddess had used a total of seven forms, but the most frequently used one was not here; it stood inside the grand cathedral. Although these six holy images of the statues were infrequently used, they represented the deity’s form and were protected by divine power solely because of what they represented. As long as Goddess Denia endured, the statues would not be destroyed.

The end of the courtyard led to the holy site in every follower’s heart—the Earth Sanctuary, the main cathedral of the Earth Church. Every follower of the goddess took pride in having prayed in the Earth Sanctuary, and the holy water blessed there was considered the highest gift to them. The Earth Church was open to all visitors and believers, except during defined times when the clergy conducted prayer sessions and taught the goddess’s doctrines. Apart from those hours, anyone could enter the cathedral to tour and experience up-close the goddess’s mercy and majesty.

But, everything had its limit. The area beyond the sanctuary, only accessible to the church’s clergy and apprentices, marked the end of where tourists and ordinary believers could roam freely. Of course, there wasn’t anything secretive inside that needed guarding, so the internal area was not heavily guarded. Over the years, only a few bored individuals sneaked inside—since to believers, sneaking into the inner sanctuary was akin to peeping into the Goddess’s privacy, a desecration of the great deity. Most believers wouldn’t allow themselves to engage in such violations. It was only the visitors driven by curiosity who quietly ventured into the internal areas. They would not encounter any danger within the sanctuary, and even if discovered, the clergy would politely escort them out. However, whether they would be despised by the devout believers upon being expelled was another matter.

Actually, the internal area had nothing worth being curious about; it was merely like a self-contained small village, with large residential areas, small educational areas, some rooms exclusively for the clergy, some functional buildings, and facilities like training fields and libraries. All the clergy from the main temple would live, study, and train in this area until they grew up. There were also some outstanding young people unearthed by various local temples who were sent here for education, as the educational resources of the main temple were far superior to those of the local temples.

"Over there is the Archbishop’s Holy See’s prayer room," Lina said, pointing at a building with a distinct temple style. "It contains all the living facilities. Most of the time, the Holy See does not leave that building, just engages in deep communication with the Deity inside. Only during some very solemn occasions will he appear outside."

"So, are we heading there now?" Pannis asked, "Are you planning to visit the head of the church first, or the Archbishop?"

Lina tilted her chin towards the prayer room, "At least we should report to the Holy See before visiting anyone else, otherwise it would be rude."

"That’s fine, but I see not many people recognize you," Pannis pointed out as he observed the people walking by. Those young people were eyeing them curiously, and although Lina’s attire and emblem prevented them from mistaking the two as intruders, unfamiliar faces still attracted the attention of those around. Pannis spoke in a low voice, "The exclusive building of your Archbishop, they wouldn’t allow just anyone to enter, right?"

"Yes, but I can because I’m different from you," Lina teased with a playful smile. "I’m not at all casual."

"Hey, I’m not casual either," Pannis could only voice his helpless protest. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for it on qidian.com with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)