"What's the point of doing this?"
After Liu Li and Bai Shixuan returned to the Dragon City barracks area, Aya couldn't bear it anymore and thus asked the question that had puzzled her for a long time.
"You want to use Bedivere's wife and daughter as a breakthrough point. I agree with this idea, but what exactly are you doing now? Let Liuli and Little White approach them, and then what? That's right, Ms. Marina does value and love Liuli and Little White very much, but do you really think she will abandon her faith for the two of them? She is the church's Holy Woman, and her faith is so firm that even her beloved Bedivere could not shake it. You think people's heart is too simple! "
Wang Lu smiled lightly and looked at Aya with great interest.
Aya sighed and said, "I don't want to blame you, but it's just a waste of time. Moreover, if they are in contact with each other for a long time, it's easy to see through them. Marina wanted to use this opportunity to establish communication with Dragon City. Her daughter, Irene, also recommended them, so she didn't suspect Little White and the others. However, if one observed carefully, they would still be able to find some clues. The Holy Woman of Holy Light Religion is also a high order profession, so her eyesight is not that weak. "
"Aya, you're talking to yourself. When did I say that I wanted to shake Marina and her mother's faith in the Holy Light?"
"Hmm?"
Wang Lu said, "The pious belief in the Holy Light has never been the focus of the contradiction. The spiritual essence that the Holy Light advocated was the good virtues of the human world, such as tolerance, kindness, universal love, and so on. How could these qualities be the culprits that hindered Marina and Bedivere? Bedivere was not a demon from the abyss. It wasn't Marina's faith that caused the conflict between the couple, but the church she belonged to. If there were no Holy Light Religion, how could there be so many troubles! "
Aya was stunned. "You want to sow discord between her and the church?"
"Actually, there's no need to sow discord. The concept of the Saintess and the Church have an irreconcilable contradiction. The concept of a Saintess was actually a highly idealized product. It required a woman to be close to the Holy Light and to be pure and untainted. Only then would she have the power of holiness and show the beauty of the Holy Light to the world. However, how could one walk in this world without being stained by the mortal world? The so-called Saintess was just a product of excessive protection, a product of abnormal growth. She did not know the evils of the world. On the other hand, Holy Light Religion, although gathered because of the belief in Holy Light, is essentially an interest organization, and any interest organization is never clean. "
Aya sighed. "That's true."
"Therefore, sooner or later, the contradiction between the Holy Maiden and the Church will break out. When the time comes, either the Holy Maiden chooses to accept the reality, or the Church forces them to accept the reality — therefore, the career life of the Holy Maiden is generally very short. Marina's child is already so big, which is already considered as overage. Perhaps there's also Bedivere's contribution behind this."
"Bedivere?" Aya closed her eyes. "It does seem like something he would do."
Wang Lu said, "But the conflict that should erupt will erupt sooner or later. What we need to do is to give the general trend a little push."
"Specifically?"
"Sometimes, as long as two or three rumors can produce a great effect. For example, Marina used preaching to the newcomers as a cover to secretly collude with Dragon City Guards in an attempt to harm Holy Light Religion."
"… Will such a low-level rumor work? No matter what, Marina is still the Holy Maiden of the Church. "
"Of course it will work, because this is the immutable human nature!"
Wang Lu paused, and then, as if deeply touched, said, "Compared to the truth, people always prefer rumors."
—
"This is simply groundless!"
Inside the Dragon City Cathedral, it was the time for the assembly, so the atmosphere was solemn. However, Holy Maiden Marina suddenly burst out under the astonished eyes of many clergymen. Her voice slightly trembled, containing boiling anger.
"Yuria, do you dare to say out loud what you just said in secret? Let everyone hear it!? "
The woman named by Marina was a beautiful female priest. Upon hearing these words, she was slightly startled, and then revealed a malicious smile, "Nothing, I was just saying that these two days there are a lot of rumors saying that you and the two Dragon City Guards are very close, and every once in a while you would meet them. Every time you meet, it would be a whole day, and I don't know what you are secretly talking about. Some people also said that you and the two Dragon City Guards took the preaching opportunity to secretly collude with Bedivere, which may be detrimental to the church … "
"Me and the Dragon City Guards secretly colluding with each other in an attempt to harm the church? This kind of ridiculous rumor, how dare you say it! If I really wanted to collude with Dragon City's City Master, how could I have … "As she spoke up to here, Marina suddenly came to her senses and stopped speaking. She forcefully suppressed her anger, and her face flushed red." Yuria, speaking nonsense is an original sin! "
Yuria lightly smiled. "Don't misunderstand, I didn't take it seriously. Originally, I just said it as a joke to my sisters, to let everyone know how stupid the world is, that they dare to spread any kind of lies. Unexpectedly, the Holy Maiden has sharp ears and even took it seriously. You are the church's Holy Maiden, personally bestowed by the Archbishop. Who dares to doubt your faith in the Holy Light and your loyalty to the church? "
Upon hearing this, Marina's anger didn't diminish, but instead, it increased. However, she felt helpless.
The other priests reacted differently. Basically, everyone present knew that Yuria was deliberately targeting Marina. Initially, she and Marina came from the same monastery, and in all aspects, she was above Marina. When the two of them got along, they had a sense of superiority. Later on, they competed together for the position of Holy Maiden. Yuria thought that the victory was already in her grasp, but in the end, she unexpectedly lost to Marina, who was inferior to her in all aspects. Since then, she bore a grudge. There was no more peace.
It was just that, the rumor that Yuria said was also heard by many people present. There were many versions of it. Some, like what Yuria said, were undoubtedly laughable, but there were also some that very well satisfied the dark psychology of many people, which was quite marketable.
In the past few days, Marina frequently met with the two Dragon City Guards from Nine Regions in her own mansion. This was an undeniable fact, and many people had seen it with their own eyes. It would be ridiculous to say that Marina was plotting something — even if she was plotting something, she wouldn't choose to do it in the Cathedral. But what about another reason? For example … they heard that the two Nine Regions girls were extremely beautiful. And the Holy Maidens of Holy Light Religion were perhaps the group with the highest proportion of homosexuals in the entire Nine Regions …
Nowadays, all kinds of rumors were circulating, which vividly described the scene of the several people's private meeting, which was fascinating.
It was just that, as the subject of the conversation, Marina was naturally furious. She was not angry because of the damage to her reputation, but because the bridge of communication between her and Dragon City Guards was likely to be broken … Whenever she thought of this, it was difficult for her to suppress her anger.
After the meeting, she wanted to go back to her mansion to rest, but she was called by Archbishop Rowan.
For her, the Archbishop has always been like a father, majestic and loving. Now that she encountered trouble, she really wanted to get comfort from the Archbishop.
However, after meeting him, Rowan's words made her feel like she had fallen into an ice cave.
"Marina, you don't have to see those two Nine Regions girls again."
"Why?" Marina incredulously asked, "Your Excellency, do you believe those absurd rumors?"
"Of course I don't, and no one really believes it. But, in the end, the impact is not good. "
Marina anxiously said, "Your Excellency, Liu Li and Bai Shixuan are the candidates with the best affinity for Holy Light that I have ever seen. Their qualifications are far above mine. Even the Supreme Holy Woman of the Holy City may not be able to compare to them. If we can absorb them, it would be the church's biggest harvest in recent years. And the last time we met, they have already expressed that they want to join the church! "
Rowan sighed. "I know that for you to value them so much that you don't hesitate to meet them many times, there must be something special about them. But, some rumors have spread too far. "
"That's just a rumor!" Marina indignantly argued, "Why do you care about rumors?"
"Because rumors have power! Many times, a person's success or failure often depends on the influence of one or two rumors! " Rowan solemnly said, "I personally promoted you from the monastery, so I have high hopes for you!"
Seeing the Archbishop being so serious, Marina felt powerless. After a long while, she calmed down a bit. "Then, as long as the rumor is extinguished from the source, isn't it? Let me guess, who are the people who spread these rumors? Yulia? Judith? Kareda? There are not too many people who know about my relationship with Bedivere … "
"Enough!" Archbishop Rowan suddenly roared, "How can you be full of malicious suspicion towards your own brothers and sisters!?"
Marina said, "But they …"
"Yes, they believe in rumors and add fuel to the fire. They gloat and celebrate, which shows that they are not mature and still need to continue to temper themselves. But you are the church's Holy Woman, you can't have the same standard as them! "Rowan harshly criticized," Moreover, the rumor is not spread by them. "
"Then who could it be?"
"No matter who it is, you don't need to care. Marina, your heart is in chaos, this is not what a Holy Woman should be like! "
Marina was silent for a long time. "I'm sorry, my heart is indeed shaken."
"Go back and calm down. May the Holy Light be with you."
"... Yes, Your Excellency."
—
This half a month was an unprecedented torture. Marina suddenly seemed to have returned to a few years ago, when she and Bedivere completely broke off. It was also that kind of torment and pain.
In fact, she didn't have much contact with Liu Li and Bai Shixuan. In total, she only met them five times, and it was only about two days, so it was impossible for her to really accumulate deep feelings. Perhaps her anger came more from grievance and unwillingness.
What did I do wrong? Why … why must you so viciously suspect me and attack me? Why did people who have nothing to do with me, who have no grievance or enmity with me, join in the uproar? Why did even the Archbishop refuse to support me? What exactly is the problem here? Am I wrong, or … is something else wrong?
"Mom, are you unhappy?"
Her daughter came to Marina's side with a worried look, which allowed the woman to finally stretch out her brows.
"It's nothing." Marina pitifully touched her daughter's head. "I'm not unhappy."
"Oh, in two days, Sister Liu Li and the others will come."
In two days …? Marina looked up in a daze, and her heart somewhat ached. Two days later, she would have to say goodbye to them.
If there was no accident, those two clever and well-behaved girls would become an unforgettable memory in her long life.
—
At the same time, far away in the Dragon City military camp area, the manipulator behind the scenes was carefully reading a freshly published newspaper. His expression gradually became excited.
"Everything is ready, the east wind has arrived!"
In the newspaper, the news about the attack on the Eastern Church of Holy Light Religion by the heretical cultivators of Nine Regions was printed on the front page.
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