Your Preference (8)
“I miss you very, very much.”
Xu Jiao opened her eyes and sat up from the soft bed.
Last night’s absurdity seemed not to have happened; there were no traces of the thin, tough vines intertwined in the quilt or on her body, as if nothing had happened, and even the dizzy feeling had receded.
If forced to describe it, this feeling was like recovering from a serious illness.
Xu Jiao slowly moved her gaze to Lilith beside her. If everything in the carriage before felt like an unfathomable conspiracy, now this coincidence… instead confirmed the root cause of all the anomalies for her.
Lilith, still asleep, was unaware of what had happened. She lay on that cloud-like bed, even the quilt covering her was equally soft. Her complexion was rosy, as if she was having a very, very happy dream.
Xu Jiao silently got down from the bed, walked to Lilith’s bedside, and stared at her soundly sleeping face, even noticing the relaxed smile at the corners of her lips. She suddenly raised her hand, and in her palm appeared a pattern resembling scales, which she casually pressed onto Lilith’s forehead.
The detection magic was cast into Lilith’s body.
It was like a stone sinking into the sea.
There was no reaction.
It seemed that all was Xu Jiao’s overthinking; in reality, the person in front of her was merely a human with a thin trace of the Sun God’s power, and even that pitiful amount of power was due to the temple’s previous blessing.
Xu Jiao tirelessly used the detection magic she knew on Lilith in turn, some like instinct, naturally known, and some learned from reading data and literature in God Tower these days.
Thus, various colors of light emitted from Lilith’s body, like a shattered rainbow.
Finally.
The light woke the sleeping person; Lilith hadn’t even opened her eyes yet but felt as if something colorful was blooming in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and looked up, only to find that it was just the sunlight shining in from outside.
She didn’t know how good her complexion was at that moment, only half-supporting herself on the soft mattress to sit up, immediately seeing the snow-white figure standing by the window with her back facing her.
The Saint was wearing a white long dress, the hem slantingly drooped down, revealing half of her right calf, more beautiful than any snowfall she had seen descending in Stori town.
From her shoulder, a golden ribbon fell down, circled around her waist, like a dragon biting a pearl, accentuating her slender waist.
Lilith unconsciously stared in a daze; however, the person with her back to her seemed to have eyes on her back, as she just sat up, she half-turned and warmly said:
“Good morning, Lilith.”
Lilith hurriedly returned to her senses, not wanting to leave Xu Jiao with the impression of being lazy in bed, quickly got down from the bed, and just as she was about to raise her hand to fold the quilt neatly, the cloud bed and quilt dispersed like thin mist, leaving no trace.
Lilith raised her hand to tidy her hair, even subconsciously wiping the corner of her mouth, her tone filled with habitual joy: “Good morning, my honorable Saintess.”
Xu Jiao calmly looked over and asked her, “Did you sleep well?”
Lilith touched a curl on the top of her head that was slightly upturned from being pressed, recalling as she did so: “Very… not bad, I seem to have had a dream, but I can’t quite remember what it was—”
“A dream in the Saintess’s palace should be a very good dream.”
She said this.
Xu Jiao’s eyes showed no emotional change, as calmly as if listening to someone talk about something entirely unrelated to herself. If not for the terrifying feeling of the vine in her body flowering and fruiting, growing wildly, perhaps even she would be deceived, thinking last night was just a too realistic dream.
She lowered her eyes and moved aside a bit, allowing Lilith to see the plant on the windowsill beside her, which last night was lush and had newly sprouted two small branch forks of green vines, but today had already withered to yellow.
Not only that, the vine had completely shriveled down, no longer displaying the previous plump, vibrant appearance, now clearly as dead as can be.
Lilith initially did not notice this; her focus was entirely on Xu Jiao alone, until she followed her gaze and suddenly exclaimed:
“Oh! My heavens!”
“My honorable Saintess, this green vine… how… how can it be?”
The vitality inside this plant was already completely gone.
Even using healing or restoration magic would be of no use, unless a greater cost was spent, like transferring some vitality from other still living creatures over, then it might work.
But Xu Jiao did not have this plan.
It’s just an ordinary plant.
However, Lilith looked somewhat sad and distressed. She ran over from not far away, not even noticing whether she was wearing shoes or not, reaching Xu Jiao’s side barefoot and picking up the withered yellow green vine, her blue eyes full of sorrow.
Xu Jiao had trained acting in the last world, and although not considered a very experienced senior, she claimed to have some discernment in this aspect. Seeing Lilith’s true emotional sadness, her heart couldn’t help but feel somewhat subtle.
After all… to some extent, Lilith should be considered the culprit who killed this plant.
However, Lilith herself seemed completely unaware of this point. She couldn’t even clearly remember the dream that happened last night, so she also forgot that her consciousness or something else was attached to this vine, resulting in…
The vine grew wildly overnight, completely exhausting its vitality.
Or perhaps, this vitality was absorbed by something else.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiao’s spine couldn’t help but feel a chill, Lilith… what exactly is she?
These actions Lilith took in her subconscious and dreams, are they from some unspeakable instinct, or is there another intention? Since she can absorb the vitality of parasitic creatures, then what about herself, who was also touched by her, will something be taken away?
Also, now
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Xu Jiao, as God’s incarnation, where exactly does Lilith get the power to bind her?
Xu Jiao decided she must find out this point, intuitively feeling this matter is related to God fabricating an incarnation to come to the human world.
The documents in the God Tower recorded that every time God previously came to the Miracle Continent, the incarnation was a mass of Their breath entrusted to an ordinary human infant to be born, initially showing nothing different from others, until during the growth process, gradually comprehending different things from the environment, fighting alongside humans, and then transcending people.
But this time is different.
God took out one of Their ribs.
More solemn than every previous time, it seems God already knew that this time, coming to this human world, an extraordinary event would occur.
……
Lilith did not know how many things had passed through the mind of the Saintess standing beside her.
She was wholeheartedly holding the plant sadly, until Xu Jiao came back to her senses and casually said to her, “All things have their time to grow and perish, no need to be sad.”
Lilith nodded, as if very obedient, but her delicate brows were still tightly furrowed. She raised her hand to hold up the plant and softly said to Xu Jiao, “I am sorry.”
Xu Jiao blinked, “Hm?”
The sadness in Lilith’s eyes had not completely disappeared, and at this moment, those blue eyes still had shadows. She just focused on looking at Xu Jiao and said to her, “This kind of plant is the most common in the wild. In spring, it blooms very beautiful flowers. I originally wanted to give it to you, so you could see that scenery, but I didn’t expect…”
She didn’t expect it to inexplicably die.
Only in one night.
The more Lilith thought, the sadder she became, and in that sadness, there was also guilt, because this was the first gift she wanted to give to the Saintess, but it ended so carelessly.
Xu Jiao looked at her current expression, somehow pursed her lips, and then inexplicably said, “I think… perhaps I have already seen them, white flowers, very small, very beautiful, right?”
Surprise appeared on Lilith’s face.
Subsequently, she hurriedly nodded: “Yes, yes, exactly like that, have you also seen it?”
Speaking of this, Lilith suddenly remembered that the one in front of her is the most knowledgeable person she has ever met, seeming to understand every corner of this Miracle Continent. An unnatural blush appeared on her face, and her shyness intensified: “Sorry… you must have seen it, after all, this kind of flower can grow anywhere.”
Xu Jiao did not explain under what circumstances she knew the appearance of this flower, she simply raised her hand and touched her head.
Just a simple action made Lilith inexplicably feel a sense of being healed.
She was holding the small flower pot, just thinking of going outside to deal with this plant, when she suddenly heard Xu Jiao say: “Cheer up, girl, I have good news to tell you.”
Lilith perked up, focused on looking at her, even though Xu Jiao hadn’t said what it was yet, her eyes had already brightened again, as if no matter what it was, for Lilith, it was the best gift.
Xu Jiao looked at her, then softly said: “Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Bishop Andrew about letting you attend classes at the Sun Academy, and he has already agreed—
“Remember to go to the Sun Academy for divine power testing. Pass the test, and you can go to school.”
Lilith first froze.
Then, her expression was “!!!”
The joy and sadness of children come and go so simply. The matter of the gift for Xu Jiao withering soon dissipated in Lilith’s heart. She went out to bury the small flower pot, then happily went to find Bishop Andrew, inquiring about going to the Sun Academy for testing.
……
At this moment, in the Temple of Fate.
Black and red are the main tones of this great hall. Compared to the Sun Temple’s golden, dazzling brilliance that shocks people, the Temple of Fate’s slightly dim, hazy feeling always carries a tone of an evil cult.
Of course, it is equally shocking, especially with dozens or hundreds of differently colored beads inlaid on the ceiling of the main hall, with deep lines connecting them, refracting different lights on the ground inside the hall, creating a dizzying and mesmerizing feeling, as if stepping into an unknown universe in an instant.
Inside the hall, there is a figure entirely shrouded in a black robe.
Besides this, there are some phantom figures around, one of which is entirely golden, with a crooked crown on his head. If Xu Jiao were here, she would certainly recognize him as the Pope of the Sun Temple, Henry.
“Karina, in the past six months, our six temples have sent out a total of fifty thousand high-level knights, yet not even a shadow of that thing has been seen. What exactly is going on?”
“I listen to the voice of the wind in the hall every day, yet still have not captured the trace of that demon. Karina, you calculate here every day, yet cannot even point out a direction?”
Karina is precisely this empress of the Temple of Fate, wearing a black robe and hood.
She did not reveal her true face, only the scepter in her hand, inlaid with unknown gems, was glowing. Staring at it too long, even those with papal-level divine power felt slightly dizzy and mesmerized.
Her voice was low, completely unlike a woman’s, flat in tone, as if telling a story:
“It has already appeared—”
“Wherever God is, it will be there. Perhaps you have overlooked something.”
“Now that God’s incarnation has appeared, it must be lurking nearby.”
As Karina’s words fell, different voices emerged from the other five phantoms, filled with protest and disdain as before, even with a hint of contempt:
“Nearby… our knights’ footprints have almost covered the entire continent, yet we still have not found that thing. Karina, can you be honest with us? Don’t use the same tricks you use to fool the believers on us.”
“Be specific, Karina, can you say something more specific?”
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“What did I say? Anything that comes to the Temple of Fate always becomes worse because some people can’t even speak clearly.”
Various emphatic accusations came from all directions.
Karina seemed long accustomed to it. She only turned her hood slightly, facing the direction of Henry, who had remained silent: “Instead of questioning me, why not carefully ask our Pope Henry—”
“May I ask when you plan to hand over God’s incarnation? According to the previous agreement, since the Sun Temple cannot find that thing, it should give us a chance.”
“If I am not mistaken, it was from the Sun Temple that it escaped back then. If there is blame to be assigned, it should be asked of our great Pope Henry. Without him, everyone now wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
Hearing her words, a smile appeared on the face of the young man. He touched his chin and, feeling the gazes from the surrounding phantoms, laughed softly.
“True to your reputation, Karina, you seem always skilled at forgetting some things. For example, before that creature escaped, the Sun Temple’s detainment and guarding were always the strictest. Who suggested jointly guarding it, leading to its escape?”
“It was you, Karina.”
“Now among those sent out to search, not one of our Sun Temple’s high-level knights remains, but you, not only miscalculated the location of God’s incarnation, causing our great God to almost be sent back to heaven by foolish mortals with torches, now also hesitate to reveal that thing’s whereabouts, presumably wanting to take the credit alone.”
“As for handing over God’s incarnation… this notion is utterly absurd. That is the great God who created everything. The plan has not yet succeeded. Do I need to remind you all to be less arrogant and do more work?”
Henry’s words successfully left the rest speechless.
The laws of the Temple of Judgment are not applied in this regard. They are the weakest among all allies, and so is the Temple of War. Although they defeated the demon, confinement still requires the most restrained solar power; the Temple of Storms’ footprints span the continent, creating various teleportation arrays; the Temple of Wisdom is a smiling tiger, always responsible for smoothing things over, but best at adapting and flattering; the Sun Temple and the Temple of Fate are the strongest in power and numbers, with solar power naturally restraining demons; the Temple of Fate can calculate the existence of everything in this world.
Overall, today’s debate is a contest between the Temple of Fate and the Sun Temple, with the remaining temples taking sides, some speaking for Henry, others silently watching Karina.
Seeing the meeting about to become entangled in blame, the Empress of the Temple of Wisdom timely said warmly:
“Alright, this matter has passed.”
“I actually have a way to find that thing the fastest—”
“Do you want to hear it?”
……
“What? Adventure meeting?”
Xu Jiao, who was just walking out of the God Tower, met Henry head-on. The other party seemed to be waiting here specifically, with a crown inlaid with rubies on top of his head as dazzling as ever, just like his handsome face.
Many female officials around secretly blushed.
Xu Jiao, however, felt nothing, only confused by what he said.
Henry smiled, gracefully gestured “please” to her, leading her toward the back garden where he used to have afternoon tea, and explained unhurriedly:
“Yes, the six academies have such an event every few years. According to the calculations of the Temple of Fate, a magical forest will appear in the northern polar region this year, formed by the magical energy from the Zake Mountains gathering there. As long as the bishops of the six temples lead students inside together, it can both allow students to realize the terror of dark forces in advance and prevent them from being harmed.”
“We usually call such an event ‘Adventure Meeting.’ Are you interested in going?”
“The Sun Temple will surely guard your safety.”
To be precise, they are using the Saint as bait to lure the monster out.
Xu Jiao smiled at him. The last time they met, she had already found that she could not hear Henry’s inner voice. She has not yet met the other temples’ popes, so she does not know if this is because the divine power of people at the pope’s level is too strong, allowing them to block others from spying on them, or if there is some other reason. Henry’s words were very eloquent, making it sound as if not going would be a great regret. Xu Jiao smiled and gladly agreed:
“Sure.”
She asked: “Will you go?”
Henry, wearing a gentleman’s smile, nodded and added: “Not just me, Karina and the others will also be there—oh, Karina is the Empress of the Temple of Fate. At that time, the popes of the six temples will all meet with you, at the banquet on the night before the Adventure Meeting.”
He smiled so politely that Xu Jiao naturally gave him face, and immediately said: “I look forward to that day.”
Henry: “Seven days later, we will prepare the most suitable evening dress for you to attend the banquet. You don’t need to worry about anything. If there is anything else you need, please feel free to instruct us.”
“The Sun Temple is always your most loyal servant.”
He bent down to take Xu Jiao’s hand and kissed the back of her hand once more.
At that moment—
Xu Jiao suddenly remembered something.
She remembered when writing this article, to reflect the status of the various temples, she specifically looked up the status of various European medieval churches and heard that some monarchs of small countries, when meeting the pope, to show their devotion, would even bend down to kiss the pope’s toes.
This custom carries a certain flavor, but Xu Jiao still copied it directly into her article.
Now, when the pope mentioned the identity of “loyal servant,” it suddenly reminded her of this strange setting, but she didn’t think much of it, after all, she didn’t have the habit of letting others kiss her feet.
She had afternoon tea with Henry and, by the way, listened to him talk about some interesting events happening in the Sun Temple. Time passed in this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
……
Night.
Xu Jiao brought the books from the God Tower back to her residence. Recently, she had already finished reading the records of three or four temples. Lilith also went to the academy to learn that profound knowledge. According to the academy’s rules, even if she was close to the temple, she had to live in the academy during regular class times and could only take a break once in a while, at which time she could return to the temple once.
So the meeting time between the two was greatly reduced.
Just as Xu Jiao suspected, as long as she didn’t share a room with Lilith when sleeping, she wouldn’t be bound by that strange force, nor would she be inexplicably violated.
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And among the books she was currently browsing, none mentioned anything that posed such a threat to God.
Also.
The incarnation of God seemed always to be single.
It is unknown whether God was originally asexual or whether the classics could not record such aspects.
Anyway, Xu Jiao found no clues. The only progress was learning some divine arts, but she didn’t feel much joy about it because she is the Creator, and all the elements in this world can be used by her. Whether or not she learns these things doesn’t prevent her from creating these spells when needed.
She impatiently flipped through another book full of flattery, and while she was distracted, she suddenly heard the sound of quick footsteps approaching from afar. Xu Jiao turned her head and saw the shining gold running toward her under the moonlight.
It was Lilith.
Xu Jiao belatedly remembered that tomorrow was the day when the Sun Academy had a one-day holiday.
Her eyes showed some warmth,
She placed the book in her hand aside and waved to the person outside the door who was lifting her skirt in a salute: “Lilith.”
“My honorable Saintess, good evening.” Lilith had become much more polite and lively. It seems that after resolving the shadow brought by her two sisters, playing with girls of the same grade allowed her to slowly return to the appearance a child of this age should have.
Seeing Xu Jiao waving to her, Lilith couldn’t wait to step into the hall, ran to her side, her eyes sparkling, and she hadn’t even caught her breath.
Xu Jiao looked into her beautiful blue eyes, smiled, and asked her: “Why did you run so urgently?”
Lilith’s chest was still heaving, but she had already spoken, “Because I… I really missed you.”
She tried to catch her breath, showed Xu Jiao a sweet smile, and repeated: “Very, very much missed you.”
Couldn’t wait to see you sooner.