Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 948 - 65: Image Shaping

Chapter 948: Chapter 65: Image Shaping

"Fourteen years of rigorous devotion made Betty even more devout in her faith towards our Lord. The child’s love and admiration for the Goddess increased with each day of her asceticism, and the worldly splendor and wealth could no longer tempt her spirit. Only by basking in the Goddess’s glory could she find peace of mind. Therefore, today I have decided to formally reintroduce her to everyone as my chosen successor. After I ultimately return to the embrace of the earth, she will take my place as the new Archbishop and continue to spread the glory of our Lord," the corpulent Cain concluded his lengthy introduction, pausing to catch his breath, as age had taken its toll on his body, making even speaking tiresome. However, faced with the current circumstances, the joyful elder ignored his physical fatigue and, having regained his breath, continued, "And here is Helena, Betty’s sister. In the process of learning from me, she felt that her understanding of our Lord’s will and doctrines was insufficient. Thus, she moved into the old library, where she devoted herself to studying the church’s scriptures every day, channeling her entire being into experiencing the Goddess’s merciful light. After ten years of such study, believing she could no longer advance from the books, she left the library four years ago, and even left the Holy Sanctuary, wandering the Yarran Continent as a traveling priest, helping all those in need with her abilities, spreading the name of our Lord to every corner of the earth. It was during these travels that she finally comprehended the true essence of the Goddess’s will, becoming a Sage, a rank our Earth Church hasn’t seen in over a hundred years. The Sinner’s Mark on her forehead was intentionally left during her studies as she experienced the Goddess’s merciful heart and compassionate care for humanity, feeling guilty for not being able to share more of our Lord’s burden, considering herself a sinner of our Lord, a constant reminder of his mercy and compassion,"

"Look at that, just look at that; that’s the prowess of the clergy." The other members of the adventure team, along with three foreign Demigods who were guests, should have had their own seats in the center of the venue, but at the unanimous request of the eight, they were eventually tucked away in a discreet corner of the dining room, distancing themselves from all of the Earth Church believers, having a space all to themselves. Thus, everyone could finally overlook formalities and appearances, watching Lina become the focus of everyone’s attention while joyfully enjoying a sumptuous dinner. Pannis, holding a bone from a roasted grass eagle wing he had just finished, joked, "Whatever they say changes the meaning completely. Tch, who is this person filled with love and mercy he described, haha, really that coward who always disguises himself as someone else? Haha, Lina is so changed by his description that she seems like a total stranger to me."

"Keep it down, and put that bone down; don’t swing it intentionally in front of Master Dillie. His look is becoming more dangerous by the minute. Do you want to incite a serious disturbance," Catherine sternly stopped Pannis from continuing to tease Dillie like teasing a dog, but she couldn’t help agreeing with his assessment, laughing helplessly, "You’re right, Lina is completely unrecognizable from his description. However, I think he said it as a regrettable choice since, as an Archbishop, he has his considerations to make."

"It’s indeed a regrettable choice, having to sculpt Betty’s image to establish a successor, not perfect but at least noble enough," Pannis nodded, "The same requirement applies to make Lina a representative of the church among the worldly folks. So, their pasts must be temporarily hidden, maybe when their positions are more secure, they can disregard these image issues, but for now, it’s necessary, including Cain’s instruction for Betty to grow her hair out again. Tch, it seems he really has put a lot of thought into both Lina and Betty, perhaps not just out of guilt and unease, but maybe."

"Guilt?" Freya, who had to control her food intake under Catherine’s strong order and had reluctantly put down her knife and fork early on, rested her chin on her hands, boredly looking around for opportunities Catherine might miss to grab some food. Hearing Pannis’ remark, she sharply caught the essential point and asked skeptically, "It seems he did something special, otherwise you wouldn’t talk about guilt like that."

"You don’t need to be so sensitive," Pannis said with a headache, pressing his temples, "This is a topic I can’t discuss, understand?"

"Now that you mention it, I understand; it seems everything is under his control." Freya and Catherine exchanged glances, both being astute women, Pannis’ evasive words combined with previous suspicions about Lina’s situation instantly formed an answer in their minds. Catherine spoke with dissatisfaction, "It’s understandable but unacceptable. Huff, we must keep this from Lina, or it would be too overwhelming for her."

"Ha, my reaction back then was exactly the same, even the words I used were the same," Pannis said. "But there’s no need to worry too much, don’t think of Lina as a fool. After all these years, she must have guessed something, and even if she were a fool, her friends aren’t stupid. They would have reminded her. So, since she doesn’t want to bring it up, we might as well not dwell on it any longer."

"Hmm, what do you think about me telling her this comment?" Catherine said, her face thoughtful yet her words filled with danger, "I think she will be very grateful for your evaluation of her, yes, definitely."

"Hey, hey, such tattling behavior is just too malicious," Pannis said, sweating profusely and shaking his head vigorously, "It doesn’t fit your knightly status at all."

"Hmph, it’s your fault for calling her a fool," Catherine sniffed and instructed, "But everyone must be careful. Whether she knows or not, do not bring this matter up again in front of her, alright? Especially you, Vivian, you must remember this."

"Huh? Remember what?" The mage girl, who had been keeping her head down, lifted her head and asked blankly, "Why me?"

"It’s nothing," Catherine said expressionlessly as she pushed Vivian’s head back down, "I didn’t say anything." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)