148

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The knocking from outside the door continued, but Gu Zhan’s body was weak all over, lying on the floor and unable to rise for a moment.

“Holy Son? Are you inside? I’m coming in.”

The voice of the maid who had guided him earlier came from outside.

Her tone was very firm, as if she would push open the door in the next second.

Gu Zhan was still sprawled on the floor, absolutely not allowing her to come in! He forced himself to prop up his body and said toward the door, “Don’t come in, I’ll be out soon.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how hoarse his voice was, and even the corners of his lips ached slightly.

Gu Zhan touched his lips and guessed they must be swollen, with the corners cracked as well.

He frowned slightly and forced himself to sit up from the floor.

Outside, the maid still sensed something was wrong. She gently pushed open the door and asked, “Holy Son, did something happen? I heard strange sounds from inside.”

Gu Zhan hurriedly replied, “It’s nothing, I was just reading the Sacred Tome of Light seriously... and my voice became hoarse.”

The maid seemed convinced by this excuse. After a brief silence, she said, “Alright, as long as you’re not in trouble. The morning reading time is over. Please come out of the Confession Room.”

Gu Zhan said, “I understand. Let me finish the last paragraph.”

Seeing how devout the Holy Son was, the maid didn’t say anything more.

However, she didn’t know that the devout Holy Son was sitting under the statue of the Goddess of Light, his back to the goddess as he quietly lifted his clothes.

The markings on his abdomen darkened again, as if thick ink was spreading, almost mocking the Goddess of Light behind him—what does it matter that you handpicked this Holy Son? He was still tainted by me.

Gu Zhan tidied his clothes and turned to look at the statue of the Goddess of Light.

It had no facial features, and it was impossible to tell if it was angry or happy.

But Gu Zhan inexplicably felt that the goddess was very angry.

Very, very angry.

Gu Zhan raised his head and coldly said to the statue, “If even your Holy Son can’t remain pure in front of your own statue, don’t blame me for not being holy enough.”

After speaking, he stood up and left the Confession Room.

---

Although Gu Zhan remained calm in front of the statue of the Goddess of Light, he felt increasingly anxious about his current situation.

When he returned from the Confession Room, he spent over an hour soaking in the Holy Bath.

After coming out of the bath, however, the dark markings on his body showed no signs of fading. They were still as dark and large as before.

This could not continue.

The Goddess of Light was completely unreliable. If things continued like this, it would be discovered sooner or later.

Gu Zhan began to think of ways to solve the problem himself.

He knew a little about this world’s setting.

For example, this world had gods, magic, and various forbidden spells.

He first tried casting Light Magic on himself, but it had very little effect, so he wondered if there was a more powerful magic.

Unfortunately, the position of the Holy Son within the Holy Court was like that of a mascot. Sometimes, there were several Holy Sons at the same stage.

But only one would eventually become the Pope. Before it was decided which Holy Son would ascend to the papacy, none of them would learn powerful magic or gain much authority.

If Gu Zhan wanted more powerful magic, he had to find a way to do it himself.

He knew there was a huge library in the Holy Court, filled with many ancient books.

During his free time after lunch, Gu Zhan went to the library.

The library was located in a tall tower. When he pushed open the heavy door, the scent of paper and wood filled the air. Looking up, the bookshelves stretched all the way up the tower walls, spiraling toward the top.

The books on the shelves were densely packed, which made the sight dizzying.

Fortunately, the library was enchanted, and with a clever spell, he could summon a catalog of books. Different types of books were placed in different areas, so with a little search, Gu Zhan could find what he was looking for.

He quickly located the section on Light Purification Magic on the left wall of the second floor and headed straight there.

As he climbed the stairs, the markings on his abdomen faintly pulsed, as if protesting to Gu Zhan.

Gu Zhan ignored it and continued with his task.

For the next few days, he stayed in the library, finding and experimenting with various spells.

But the results weren’t ideal. The dark markings appeared intermittently, making Gu Zhan feel as though the magic wasn’t really working, but rather, the markings themselves seemed to have their own will, mocking him.

Realizing that magic wasn’t effective, Gu Zhan gave up on going to the library and began thinking of other ways.

While searching for a solution, he overheard some of the guards in the Holy Court talking about the upcoming Hundred Flowers Festival in the town.

Curious, Gu Zhan approached and asked, “What is the Hundred Flowers Festival?”

The guards, who were quite fond of the Holy Son, kindly explained, “The Hundred Flowers Festival is a celebration of the blooming of flowers. It is the Goddess of Light who gives us the sunlight to create this beautiful and colorful world. There will be lively celebrations in the town, with a market and lantern displays at night. The Holy Son can choose flowers to offer to the Goddess, and she will be happy.”

Normally, Gu Zhan was not allowed to leave the Holy Court.

However, he sought out the maid who took care of him and asked about the Hundred Flowers Festival, only to find out that during the festival, he was allowed to go to the town.

The maid said, “If the Holy Son wants to offer the most beautiful flowers to the Goddess, that is a devout and sincere gesture. The Holy Court will not stop you.”

Gu Zhan was amazed.

He didn’t correct the maid’s misunderstanding and instead took the opportunity to request a permit to leave the Holy Court.

Since there was no solution within the Holy Court, maybe he could find one outside.

The next day, Gu Zhan asked the maid to bring some common clothes, intending to go out and take a look.

To his surprise, the maid brought several black cloaks instead, which covered him from head to toe, leaving no part of him exposed.

Gu Zhan looked at the cloaks with difficulty and couldn’t help but say, “I asked for some common clothes. Is this how the common folk dress outside?”

The maid didn’t think much of it. Standing beside him, she said stiffly, “How could the Holy Son dress like those commoners? Your noble visage is a treasure of the Goddess, it cannot be shared with those lowly people.”

Gu Zhan: “...”

In his time at the Holy Court, Gu Zhan had walked around a lot, and many people had seen his face. If it was so precious, perhaps they should just blind everyone who looked at him.

He once again felt that in front of the Goddess of Light, he was not a person, just an object.

He couldn’t convince the maid, who seemed like a robot.

After discussing for a while, Gu Zhan finally said helplessly, “Why don’t you give me a white one instead?”

The maid hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

After all, from the perspective of covering his face, there wasn’t much difference between the black and white cloaks. White would be closer to the Goddess of Light.

She told Gu Zhan that at least the white one wouldn’t look like a bandit.

In the evening, Gu Zhan finally finished his business and was allowed to leave the Holy Court.

Before he left, the maid asked if he needed anyone to accompany him.

Gu Zhan declined, and she didn’t insist. She only saw him to the gate of the Holy Court, repeatedly reminding him to return before midnight.

Gu Zhan felt like some Cinderella with crystal shoes.

Finally, he successfully left the Holy Court.

The map of this instance wasn’t very large, and the Holy Court was located in a town. Outside the Holy Court, there was a broad street. Gu Zhan, wrapped in a cloak, walked all the way to the end of the street and finally began to hear the sounds of activity.

Beyond a few buildings, he could vaguely see bright lights.

Gu Zhan tightened his cloak and walked over.

It wasn’t because he wanted to follow the maid’s instructions, but because his appearance was likely well-known in the town. If someone recognized him, it would just cause trouble.

Soon, he arrived at the crowd. The Hundred Flowers Festival was indeed lively, with buildings around adorned with colorful lights, people coming and going along the street, and vendors lining the sides, half of whom were selling flowers.

Most of the women and children on the street wore flower crowns, and even some men had them.

People wore smiles on their faces, looking relaxed and content.

Gu Zhan’s attire was somewhat conspicuous in the crowd, but because he was filled with Light Element energy, people didn’t treat him as a strange person. They would glance at him and then lose interest.

Gu Zhan walked from the beginning of the street to the end and discovered a large square ahead. There were many women in black cloaks sitting near the square’s fountain, seemingly... doing fortune-telling.

Oh, no, it was Tarot cards.

No wonder the maid had prepared the black cloak for him.

With so many Tarot witches around, wearing a black cloak didn’t seem unusual.

Gu Zhan wandered around the square and saw many people going for fortune-telling.

Most were asking about their love lives or careers.

Gu Zhan couldn’t tell if they were truly skilled or just charlatans.

After watching for a while, a group of guards in armor suddenly appeared from the other side of the square. They were clearly from the Holy Court.

Gu Zhan tightened his cloak, not wanting to be seen by them.

But unexpectedly, the people around him suddenly scattered, and in the blink of an eye, he was the only one left.

Gu Zhan was a bit confused. Had his identity been discovered?

Just then, someone pulled his shoulder and said, “Why are you standing there? Hurry up and run!”

Not quite understanding the situation, Gu Zhan followed the person and ran.

The two of them left the lively, sparkling market square and came to a narrow, dark alley. The other person stood at the entrance of the alley, surveying the surroundings. It was then that Gu Zhan saw the person who had pulled him away was a woman dressed in a black cloak.

She was probably one of the Tarot witches from the square.

The woman observed the outside for a while, confirming no one was around, then cursed and returned to Gu Zhan. She said, “What do you want to divine? You really know how to pick your timing, coming just when the guards are around.”

It dawned on Gu Zhan that the people had fled not because of him, but because these Tarot witches were at odds with the Holy Court.

Gu Zhan became curious. Hiding under his cloak, he said, “Knowing today is the Hundred Flowers Festival, you’re still setting up shop in the square. Don’t you know the Holy Court doesn’t allow it?”

The woman glanced at Gu Zhan and said, “I thought you were a guest, but turns out you’re just a dog of the Holy Court. Get lost, get lost, I don’t welcome the dogs of the Goddess of Light here.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Gu Zhan was surprised. He had thought this world only worshipped one god.

But it seemed, no matter where you were, if there were people, there would be disputes.

He deliberately said, “But all the flowers in the world bloom because of the Goddess of Light. Without her, there would be no world. Why do you slander her?”

The woman exploded instantly.

Previous Chapter 147 Next Chapter 149