Chapter 303: Chapter 160 Moon Maiden_2
The girl’s name is "Polly," and she is his sister.
Two years younger.
She has been ill for almost a year now.
Speaking of which, although their family lived in the slums, life in the past was far from as difficult as it is now.
Both parents had jobs; though the income was not much, it was more than enough to feed a family of four.
Before the incident, they even considered sending him to Uncle Rime’s woodworking shop as an apprentice.
Until last year, with the notorious "contaminated water" incident.
A Big Shot, whose name he still doesn’t know, polluted the water source of the Lower City District.
Took his mother’s life, and his sister might only be able to spend her life in a sickbed.
Unable to bear the heavy blow of family members’ deaths, the silent but always supportive father of this family also became a drunkard, numbing his brain with alcohol all day long.
He even had to rely on him for support.
Every day when selling newspapers, he would pass by the church and often hear the hymns coming from inside.
They sounded beautiful, yet he never saw hope.
"Brother, I’m full."
A thin, twig-like arm trembled as it handed over half a piece of coarse bread.
Little Nasal was stunned for a moment and wanted to refuse, but the girl’s determined eyes and emaciated, convulsing stomach made him take it with a smile instead.
His mouth opened, wanting to say something, but then the sound of unsteady footsteps mixed with curses came from outside the door.
"Bang!"
The door shook violently, dust falling in clouds.
"Open the door! Hic... Open the door for me!"
The familiar, obviously intoxicated voice made Little Nasal recognize the person.
Though his face showed some helplessness, he could only hurriedly get up and run to the door.
Struggling, just unlocked the door.
Little Nasal then felt a huge force coming from the front.
The door was kicked open violently, and he fell to the ground in response.
Overly fatigued, long enduring hunger, his body was on the brink of collapse.
Making him, after the fall, just feel dizzy, vision turning black, and utterly powerless, unable to even stand up.
Just lay there on the ground, watching the drunken figure sway into the room.
"Opening a door is so slow... Hic, what’s the point of you?"
"Coarse nut bread, struck it rich? Mad, can’t pay for my liquor, eating so well yourself."
"What’s this? A statue?"
"Damn ugly, where’d you steal it from?"
"I’ve been tight on cash these past couple of days, you..."
...
...
Soft and tranquil moonlight gently spilled from the dome of the church, making the towering altar seem cloaked in a layer of pure white frost.
Emitting a faint glow, silver-white light points resembled a gently fluttering mist, lingering above the altar.
Xia Nan leaned back on a long bench in the great hall, observing the interior environment of the church.
Unlike the Sun God Amanata Church, where the interior everywhere revealed rules and order.
[Silver Saint Mother], [Moon Maiden] Serenne’s "Moon God Church" was of an entirely different style.
The night was deep, and in his rush, he hadn’t observed the church’s exterior in detail, just roughly felt the grandeur of the building.
Now, inside the hall, under the gentle light reflecting off the smooth walls on both sides, there was finally a chance to notice the arrangement within.
The moon-reflecting white surface columns mirrored the moonlight, and the ribbed arches curved like a crescent moon, supporting the towering dome; the stained glass windows filling the entire wall refracted gentle and pure light, making the opposite side of the great church hall appear to be shrouded in a faint layer of silver glow.
The air carried a faint, clear fragrance.
It was like a Moonlight Flower that only blooms at night.
Upon inhaling, it seemed to quiet a person down.
Calming and easing the minds of Daisy and others, who were unsettled because of sudden developments.
Just sat on the long bench, silently praying, occasionally leaning in to whisper a few words.
The characters and alignments of Divine beings largely influence the conduct styles of the priests and priests who worship them.
The Sun God Amanata, stubbornly lawful, just and stringent, regarded "contracts" and "order" as the most important parts of the doctrine.
Placed in Kalanfor, with people like Xia Nan, it’s absolutely impossible to enter the church outside the stipulated open hours, let alone receive purification from a priest.
But it was different in the "Moon God Church."
[Moon Maiden] Serenne’s character, though elusive and unpredictable at times, leans towards goodness.
She is calm and mild, never stingy with her compassion; while the bright moon hangs in the sky, she also shows her motherly, almost poetic tranquility to all beings.
Making the followers of this Divine, especially the zealots, adhere closely to the Divine itself under the guidance of its doctrines.
Serenne’s offices include [Moon] and [Stars], and the Moon God Church usually has nuns on duty at night.
The arrival of Xia Nan and others was abrupt, yet the nun behaved very kindly.
Neither blaming them for disturbing her meditation, merely smiling and welcoming them, after inquiring about their purpose, she went straight to the inner hall to consult the priest.
This gentle and amiable attitude was beyond Xia Nan’s expectation.
In his view, the clergy who served the Divine on this continent, to some extent, have status almost equivalent to local nobility.
For commoners like them without titles, even if not looking down on them, a certain detachment should be inevitable.
However, whether it was the kind-looking priest in the now-ruined Sun God Church, or the nun who believed in the Moon God, both appeared extraordinarily peaceful.
It was unclear whether it was in their nature, if required by their doctrine, or if it was simply to harvest the faith of ordinary citizens?
Not that Xia Nan was being conspiratorial, it’s just seeing Daisy and others beside him, from initially anxious when they entered the church, gradually calming after the nun’s comfort, now praying devoutly at the altar, left him with many thoughts.
"Mr. Xia Nan, we won’t be in trouble, right?"
The question once asked by Jeff was now posed to Xia Nan again by his daughter Lilina.
This girl, who had just recently graduated from college, nervously twisted the corners of her clothes with her fingers, eyes fixed on the deep darkness beyond the church door, her face full of uncontrolled worry.
Not feeling impatient, yet not daring to assure.
Xia Nan just purposely showed a relaxed smile, jokingly replying:
"To be honest, only I have experienced the influence of the statue once, none of you, including your dad, have felt it significantly."
"If any problem were to occur, I should be the first."
"But... look, I’m perfectly well and can still sit here chatting with you."
Hearing Xia Nan’s comfort, the girl’s somewhat tense face slightly eased.
Nodding, just as she was about to say something, a sound of footsteps came from behind.
Turning her head to look, she faintly saw a familiar silhouette gradually approaching in the pitch-dark night.
Breathless, the coat on him appeared somewhat disheveled, a weatherbeaten face revealing profound fatigue, but the bag originally wrapped around the statue was gone.
"Dad!"
Lilina exclaimed joyfully and threw herself forward.
The wife, Daisy, who had been silently praying for her family since entering the church, also breathed a sigh of relief at once.
A brief moment of warmth.
Jeff nodded gratefully towards Xia Nan.
Although their street had decent security, it was already nighttime, and he really couldn’t feel at ease letting his family travel such a long way from home to the church alone.
Having this adventurer he trusted deeply alongside, he could attend to business with peace of mind.
Then, he turned his gaze to his son Jamie on the other bench.
"I have personally returned that wooden carving to your instructor."
"And explained the potential issues with the statue itself."
"But..."
Jeff’s expression turned somewhat peculiar.
"He probably didn’t take it seriously."
"Just asked you to complete your assignment well and submit it on time tomorrow."