Chapter 483: One Must Pamper Their Own Cat
Early morning, Leonard opened his eyes, which had only been closed for a short while. He rubbed them and patted his cheeks before getting up to freshen up in the bathroom. Then, he took a carriage to St. Samuel's Cathedral.
The best way to seek the help of the everNight Goddess was through Archbishop Anthony at St. Samuel's Cathedral. Otherwise, how would a deity like the everNight Goddess pay attention to an insignificant believer like him?
When Leonard arrived in Archbishop Anthony's private chamber, the Archbishop seemed to have anticipated his purpose. "Are you here to seek the Goddess's help?" he asked.
"Yes..." Leonard nodded sheepishly. "I need the Goddess's assistance. Only she can help me overcome this difficult situation."
"Perhaps the one who needs the Goddess's help is not you," Anthony replied.
"?!"
Leonard couldn't understand the meaning of these words. Anthony simply smiled and said, "The Goddess always watches over Her followers. Go back and tell your friend this."
"..."
Leonard left St. Samuel's Cathedral with mixed feelings. However, seeking the everNight Goddess's secret protection was crucial, and he had no time to delay further.
"Old man, what did Archbishop Anthony mean by that?" Leonard asked internally.
"Heh, you've been rejected," came the reply from within.
"??"
"Not everyone has the value to receive help from the everNight Goddess."
"Then is the friend Archbishop Anthony referred to Hastur or Klein?"
"What do you think?" As if sensing that this question was too difficult for Leonard, another voice from within him said, "Always watches over."
"I see."
Leonard immediately understood. Soon after, he urgently contacted Klein through their pre-arranged method in dreams, informing him of the situation he had encountered.
Klein remained silent for a moment before saying he would handle the matter.
The Goddess's favored one.
Klein had always believed his faith in the Goddess wasn't particularly strong; he had merely been fortunate enough to become a Nighthawk and do some work for Her. After faking his death and escaping, his faith in the Goddess had waned. While at sea, he had worshipped various deities like the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Steam and Machinery for convenience.
Faith, to him, wasn't an indispensable object of devotion.
Moreover, this time he intended to infiltrate the depths of St. Samuel's Cathedral to access the Antigonus family notebook that had led to him joining the Nighthawks in the first place.
Such an act was practically blasphemy against the everNight Goddess.
Yet, despite his actions, the everNight Goddess was still willing to offer help, even expressing Her attitude through Leonard.
It was clear She wanted him to become a favored one of the Night.
Could it be that the everNight Goddess already knew the secret he was hiding and was willing to provide some assistance?
But why?
Furthermore, from this behavior, Klein sensed a sense of urgency from the everNight Goddess. She seemed to be worried about something.
Many thoughts ran through Klein's mind. Finally, he sighed and began preparing the altar to pray to the everNight Goddess through a ritual.
He had prayed to the everNight Goddess before under Old Neil's guidance, so setting up the altar wasn't too difficult for him.
After completing the preparations, Klein raised his hand and wiped his face, transforming into Gehrman Sparrow with stern features, his height unconsciously decreasing by a few centimeters.
After lighting two candles in front, Klein let the ordinary candle representing "me" flicker with a yellowish flame.
The two candles at the front, one symbolizing the night made from night herb and deep sleep flower, and the other symbolizing secrecy made from materials like white millet flower and wild rose.
Next, he created a wall of spirituality, sprinkled full moon essential oil, burned powdered herbs to please the deity, and then completed the required ritual steps one by one.
Finally, Klein stepped back, opened his spirit vision, and chanted in a low voice:
"I pray for the power of the Night."
"I pray for the protection of Secrecy."
"I pray for the Goddess's favor."
"...I encountered a body of the blasphemer Amon in Backlund. He is collecting the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 4 Thieves..."
"...I pray for secret protection and the ability to complete the task of eliminating Amon's body..."
"Night herb, the herb of the Red Moon, please convey my prayer to the Goddess."
"Moonflower, the herb of the Red Moon, please convey my prayer to the Goddess."
After finishing the chant, Klein waited patiently for a while, but nothing happened. There wasn't even a slight response.
Klein felt somewhat relieved. It seemed Leonard had made a mistake; he wasn't the favored one the everNight Goddess wanted to protect.
Mr. Hanged Man must be the devout believer the everNight Goddess desired.
It made sense. How could there be a follower who constantly thought about infiltrating the church and committing theft?
This was fine. He had tried, and now it was Mr. Hanged Man's turn to try.
Just as he was about to clean up the ritual setup, a figure suddenly appeared before his eyes.
The figure wore a simple linen robe with mending marks, a brown belt made of tree bark tied around the waist, long black hair cascading down freely, and bare feet covered in dust and scars.
It was a lady with very ordinary features. Her black eyes were no different from those of ordinary people, but just looking at her naturally brought a sense of peace to one's heart. It was as if turbulent waves had encountered a season of calm, and the entire sea of the heart returned to tranquility and serenity.
"Who are you?" Klein asked, his feelings complex. He hoped this person wasn't sent by the everNight Goddess, yet part of him also hoped it was the Goddess's response to him.
Among all these deities, his faith in the everNight Goddess had always been the strongest.
The lady in the simple linen robe gently nodded and said, "Arianna, Servant of Secrecy."
Servant of Secrecy... Arianna...
These were very resonant titles and names, especially within the Church of the Goddess.
Klein's gaze focused, revealing surprise and shock.
Although his faith in the Goddess wasn't particularly strong, as a former Nighthawk, he was very familiar with the name Arianna.
She was the head of the Night Monastery and the leader of the thirteen archbishops. Without a doubt, she would be the future Pope of the Church of the Goddess.
For someone with such a formidable identity to appear before him now, it seemed the Goddess truly valued this not-so-devout follower of hers.
Well, it's also possible she's here because of Amon.
After all, Amon is an Angel of Blasphemy. Even if it's just his avatar appearing in Backlund, it's still a big deal.
...Sigh, why would the everNight Goddess care so much about me?
Klein stopped deceiving himself. The other party was definitely here because of him.
If it were purely for Amon, then Leonard, a Red Glove member, should have been more likely to receive the Goddess's response than him.
With complex emotions, Klein remained silent for a moment before respectfully bowing and saying, "Good morning, Your Highness Arianna."
In the major churches, when encountering beings of angelic rank walking on earth, one should address them with the suffix "Your Highness" as a sign of respect.
Arianna made four clockwise points on her chest, responding devoutly, "May the Goddess bless you."
Klein quickly made four clockwise points on his chest as well, drawing the Crimson Moon, and said in a reverent tone, "Praise the Goddess."
Seeing this, Arianna's expression softened slightly compared to before. "I am an ascetic. You can address me directly as Madam."
"Yes, Madam Arianna."
"You want to deal with the blasphemer Amon's avatar in Backlund?"
"Yes, I hope to receive secret protection."
"I can provide the power of secrecy to ensure everything remains unseen, but I cannot guarantee complete elimination of all of Amon's avatars in Backlund."
...
In the Queen's District, as the sun approached noon, Hanged Man sat on the second-floor balcony, softly calling out to Essala, who was lying at the edge of the balcony.
But Aisalaseemed to be angry with him. No matter how he called, she didn't respond, even subtly moving her position.
Seeing this, Hanged Man could only take out the small dried fish he had prepared earlier. He placed the fragrant dried fish on the table to his right, waiting for Aisalato take the bait.
After a while, Aisalaindeed couldn't resist the temptation. She slowly moved her body towards him. Just as she jumped onto the table and was about to bite a piece of dried fish, Hanged Man, who had been waiting for this opportunity, quickly grabbed her and held her in his arms.
Aisalalet out a few protesting meows, then obediently allowed Hanged Man to stroke her little head.
Hanged Man sighed, "One must pamper their own cat. There are too many temptations outside. If she were to be lured away, that would be troublesome."
"Meow?"
Aisaladidn't quite understand these words, but the meaning seemed to be that her owner was worried she might leave him one day.
She rubbed her head against Hanged Man's palm, indicating that she would always stay by his side.
Hanged Man smiled and placed a piece of dried fish in front of Essala, watching her happily enjoy the treat. He chuckled, "Raising a cat is truly an interesting thing."