Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1727: Chapter 1722: Bitter Fruit (16)

Truly, something that emerges after countless calls and cries.

After an effort to create a conducive environment for task issuance, the target finally appeared with difficulty, making Fu Qian sigh with emotion.

The comforting aspect is that the task statement length is still considerable compared to before, keeping the warehouse’s reputation intact.

Although, when it comes to specifics, it doesn’t seem to be good news.

Ensure the survival of the indigenous population?

This premise emphasized alone as a necessary condition undoubtedly negates one possible way of handling the task—massacre of all living things.

This time’s trouble is pretty much as anticipated, which is that something called Bitter Fruit is using this special place formerly known as Akons as its soil to grow and spread.

And although there aren’t many indigenous people left in Akons, simple and brutal slaughter obviously can’t solve the problem.

From this perspective, the restraint along the way, being kind to others, appears to be quite necessary indeed.

Indeed, the noble man is cautious when alone.

Fu Qian finally turned his attention back to the tongue still at work.

Very lively, but isn’t it too red, perhaps indicating hyperactivity inside?

Considering this mental state, it’s understandable.

”Very reasonable, the glory of a great existence cannot be embodied by a mere stone.”

Of course, the unscrupulous diagnosis did not delay Fu Qian’s social etiquette; facing Hilary, who had turned her head, he simultaneously responded to her inquiry.

Or perhaps she should be called Dark Hilary.

After all, it’s now clearly more than just a matter of whether the veil covers her face or not; her transformation is significant enough to suggest she has shifted to her second form.

”So how long have you had this symptom?”

With this in mind, Fu Qian warmly continued his inquiry, checking her condition.

...

As previously mentioned, Hilary’s current state is not difficult to understand.

Life finds its way, and so does thought.

Compared to other indigenous people, her having a stronger faith as clergy is quite a normal setup.

Ordinarily, this would undoubtedly be considered a superior trait.

However, when this excessively strong belief encounters abandonment by its object of faith, it is much harder to digest than for the indigenous people.

Outsiders can casually scrape off the images on the window frames, but her will can’t even support her leaving this place.

Speaking of which, in the healing Dream at the task’s start, the four of Miss Bride faced the threat of Darkness, rekindled their faith, and sought refuge in a church, whereas Hilary, who originally held firm, fell underground and never became one with them.

Indeed, a candidate whose neck I didn’t hastily snap, Dorian’s dream weaving aesthetic still holds some merit, fully grasping the point that art stems from life but transcends it.

Even the design of the dolls subtly aligns differently.

In admiration, Fu Qian scrutinized Hilary’s current guise without pressing her for an answer.

Though it’s just a switch of the veil’s position, covering her eyes with only her mouth and nose exposed, the rest remains conservative.

Yet, juxtaposed, the contrast is exceptionally extreme, far surpassing the allure of Dorian’s chest-revealing design.

If the latter’s design exhibited another possible side of Hilary, different from her stern exterior, presently, she unquestionably brings this potential to a Master Level.

And this isn’t so surprising.

Hilary is not merely unable to step out.

She needs an answer to why the great Lord no longer responds, to prevent herself from being driven insane by obsession.

As for such questions, a common answer is—still not pious enough.

Incorrect posture of faith, flawed conception, unintended offense... proposing these questions and seeking answers, to some extent, represents the perfection and upgrade of doctrine.

Theoretically, Hilary indeed has the potential to launch a new edition of the Gospel as a Saint.

As for why she hasn’t accomplished this feat and instead transformed into this novel purification method, the reason is easy to deduce—the upgrades in doctrine, yet it still has no effect.

No matter how devout she becomes, there’s still no sign of a response from Lord Akons.

Then Hilary’s next choice, besides purging ”remaining distractions, requiring purer faith”, is to extremly despise and desecrate previous impure actions, clearly a way to keep her mental state from completely collapsing.

Heh...

For instance, under my call, she finally withdrew her tongue from Lord Akons’ knee, proving some response to external stimuli.

”You truly are a special outsider... once satisfied you, and now still entangled in demands?”

But evidently, this does not mean she’s willing to cooperate.

Though Fu Qian believed the black veil did not block Hilary’s vision.

Yet she even appears unwilling to take it off, ”looking” over as such, with a tone too ambiguous for rejection, more akin to flirtation.

”That makes sense, it was presumptuous of me; let me change the question then.”

Fu Qian, however, was quite unwilling to force her, lightly nodded and patted the armrest of his seat.

”These things, you wouldn’t be cleaning in the same way as before, would you?”

...

”Just kidding, I simply thought it’s too clean.”

There was a moment of silence, but before Hilary could respond, Fu Qian had naturally shifted from patting to supporting himself up.

”Thank you for your explanation; it was indeed an enjoyable pilgrimage.”

”Now for a real question, have you remembered where Miss Bride resides?”

The previously thin image of a staunch believer undoubtedly wasn’t suitable for leaking former congregation members’ information, putting them in jeopardy.

But with my help, now Miss Hilary has further opened her heart, casually desecrating the revered statues, so there should be little psychological burden over those far more serious folk.

”...So you’re ready to switch to a different target?”

Indeed, this time Hilary did not directly refuse, but turned her head towards the doll nearby.

”So this one can’t be upgraded anymore?”

”Yes, that’s why I can’t leave it here to serve that indescribable Lord in your stead.”

Fu Qian’s demeanor upon bidding farewell appeared far from a pretense.

”So you were planning to take my corpse back and place it here? What’s the point?”

Understanding his intention, Hilary also seemed to find it more perplexing.

”Why not? It’s not just about the statue symbols; according to your reasoning, human stupidity makes all recognition and interpretation of the great existence a form of desecration, always unable to be perfectly pure.”

In the swindler-ish aspect, Fu Qian has never been outdone.

”At this point, using a symbol of oneself, a truly pure and perfect substitute, why wouldn’t it be a better choice?”