The church of Moonfall Village is located at the end of the central axis, backed by a dense forest. At night, when the thick fog dissipates, the gaps between the trees are filled with the pitch-black darkness, as if something is lurking there, exuding an aura that both entices and terrifies.

Shen Lin and Brian stop at the entrance of the cathedral. They first circle around the area, then meet up to exchange information.

Brian: “The main door isn’t locked. You can push it open gently and enter. I took a glance inside; it’s very similar to what we imagine a church to be. There are pews on both sides, a pulpit in the center, and a statue of a deity at the back.” He pauses, then adds, “I didn’t dare to look directly at the statue.”

Shen Lin nods and says, “There’s a side door at the back left, leading to the church’s backyard. It’s a spacious courtyard with two branching paths—one likely leads to the clergy’s resting area, and the other’s destination is unclear, but it’s heavily guarded.”

“What should we do now?” Brian’s heart pounds.

“Let me think,” Shen Lin ponders for a moment, then says, “First, let’s memorize the church’s layout for future exploration. Tonight, we’ll check out the less guarded path. Be careful not to alert anyone.”

The two attempt to sneak in. Unfortunately, Shen Lin fails, but Brian succeeds and follows Shen Lin’s instructions to enter through the side door.

Shen Lin pushes open the main door and enters the cathedral.

A sign at the entrance reads: “ShoreShell¹ Cathedral, Open for Worship: All Day.”

Below it is a line of smaller text: “The deity is with me.”

Shen Lin walks into the cathedral. Despite his efforts to tread lightly, the slight clatter of his heels on the marble floor echoes softly.

The church is vast and silent.

Above him are stained glass windows. Unlike the typical depictions of the Holy Family, these bizarre panes display totems that Shen Lin cannot comprehend.

KP: “Roll a Spot Hidden check.”

Shen Lin rolls the dice and succeeds.

He gradually deciphers the meaning conveyed by the stained glass.

Eons ago, a meteor fell from the sky, transforming into a giant egg. From this egg hatched a “deity” resembling a spider but with eight tentacle-like legs and six massive, crocodile-like compound eyes. It took root in this land, bestowing blessings upon the humans who lived here.

This deity lived among humans for a long time, even interbreeding with them, giving birth to divine offspring. These divine children lived among humans, interbreeding again, resulting in more and more people in the town possessing extraordinary physiques and abilities.

Later, the deity fell into a deep slumber and has not awakened since. Yet, Moonfall Village continues to enjoy its protection.

“Young man.” A sudden voice makes Shen Lin’s pupils contract. He stiffly turns around and sees an elderly woman sitting quietly in a corner.

She is very old, well over a hundred, with skin hanging like the bark of an ancient tree. Yet, her demeanor is serene as she silently leans on her cane, gazing at the statue in the center of the church.

“He is beautiful,” the old woman says hoarsely. “I come to see him every day.”

Shen Lin: “…”

The old woman slowly turns her head, her eyes landing on Shen Lin’s face: “You’ve come to see him too, haven’t you?”

Shen Lin remains silent. After a moment, he walks over and sits beside her, saying, “I don’t understand.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t understand why we would betray the deity.”

The old woman’s eyes widen in disbelief: “We haven’t betrayed the deity.”

“We trade his blessings with outsiders.”

The old woman falls silent.

Shen Lin: “This makes our faith impure. Faith has become a commodity in our hands.”

The old woman remains silent.

Shen Lin continues, “What if one day we can no longer receive the deity’s blessings? Will our bodies rapidly age?”

The old woman smiles and says, “The deity’s blessings are eternal. They won’t suddenly disappear; they are in our blood.”

“Nothing is eternal,” Shen Lin replies. “I’ve never believed in eternity. What exactly have the outsiders taken from us?”

The old woman’s gaze becomes murky and profound. She looks deeply at Shen Lin: “It is the deity who truly trades with the outsiders, not us. And it’s not a trade; it’s a blessing, a gift from the deity. What they desire is obtained by offering sacrifices to please the deity. For example—” Her eyes become pure and clear as she smiles at Shen Lin, “their golden hair and blue eyes.”

Shen Lin: “…”

“Mother,” footsteps sound from behind. Shen Lin doesn’t dare to turn around. Someone approaches, standing beside Shen Lin, and extends a hand to the old woman. “It’s late. You should rest.”

The man is tall, and when he stands in the backlight, his shadow envelops Shen Lin almost entirely.

His cold, indifferent gaze lightly falls on Shen Lin, and his pale lips part slightly: “I haven’t seen you before.”

Shen Lin nervously replies, “I rarely go out.”

“Good excuse,” the man chuckles. He is handsome, with single eyelids and upward-slanting eyes that exude a sense of nonchalance and indifference. His appearance doesn’t suggest he’s a good person. Considering he calls the elderly woman “mother,” Shen Lin suspects he might be in his forties, fifties, or even older.

Is this the blessing the deity has bestowed upon the people of Moonfall Village?

He recalls what Luther said.

A slower aging process and healthier bodies compared to ordinary people.

“Where do you live?” the man asks.

Shen Lin casually replies, “George Street.”

The man looks surprised: “That’s where the lower class lives. You’re too pretty to live there.”

Shen Lin says, “I grew up there.”

“Then it seems they gave you the best education they could,” the man continues to look at Shen Lin. “Moonfall Village has always done well in basic education. Even the lowliest who inherit the deity’s bloodline have the chance to learn. In recent years, they’ve started to gain knowledge from the outside world, but they’ll never have the chance to leave.”

Shen Lin remains silent, glaring at the man.

The man smiles: “You look like a kitten ready to scratch. Many people look at me like that, wishing I were dead. Now I believe you’re from Moonfall Village. But…” He gently lifts Shen Lin’s golden hair. “You look so much like those despicable outsiders. It’s disgusting.”

Shen Lin slaps his hand away.

Benson says, “I hate your hair and eye color.”

Shen Lin: “I hate that you breathe.”

The man laughs again.

At that moment, a commotion erupts outside the church, and a firelight appears. Benson frowns and mutters, “It seems some rats have sneaked in.”

The church doors burst open, and someone outside shouts at Shen Lin, “Run! I’ve been discovered!”

Shen Lin’s expression changes, and he rushes out. Before leaving, he grabs a silver candlestick from a table and shouts back at the man, “Since I’ve been chatting with you for so long, I’ll take this as payment!”

The old woman screams, “He dares to steal from the church! That’s stealing from the deity’s offerings!”

Benson sneers, “Dirty rat! Lowlife from George Street! I was fooled by his looks!”

Brian, panting heavily, meets up with Shen Lin, and the two sprint into the night.

Shen Lin asks, “What happened?!”

Brian says, “I rolled a critical failure!”

Shen Lin: “…”

Brian: “I didn’t mean to, ahhh!!”

“I need to roll for luck!” Shen Lin shouts.

A dice appears before him. Shen Lin rolls and succeeds.

He lets out a long breath.

A figure emerges from a low wall nearby, waving at Shen Lin: “Hey! Mike!”

Shen Lin pauses and turns to look.

Under the moonlight, a girl with bright eyes gazes at him. Her golden hair is tied back with a rough plaid scarf, and her fair skin resembles milk.

Brian: “Wow.”

The girl whispers, “Come here! I’ll help you escape!”

Brian nudges Shen Lin: “Do you know this beauty?”

Shen Lin quickly remembers—she’s the girl who was selling flowers outside the tavern last night, named Layla.

“Can we trust her?” Brian asks.

“I don’t know.”

Brian: “…” This “I don’t know” is quite telling.

Behind them, more pursuers gather. The commotion from the church has alerted the local guards, who shout, “Rats from George Street!” as they gradually surround them.

Layla anxiously says, “Hurry! I’ll pull you up!”

Shen Lin grits his teeth. Since he passed the luck roll, it should be safe—at least for now.

KP: “Roll for Climb.”

“Roll my ass!” Brian shouts nervously. “I’ve been an athletic star since elementary school! I can run 800 meters without breaking a sweat! I can climb 100 meters of rock walls in a flash!”

KP sneers: “Too bad you’ve got a beer belly now.”

Brian: “………………”

Shen Lin: “Can I report personal attacks?”

KP: “All you do is report!”

Shen Lin: “I also tattle.”

KP: “…”

KP relents: “Fine, Brian doesn’t need to roll. You roll.”

Shen Lin: “?”

KP: “On second thought, I can’t always give in.”

Shen Lin smirks: “Getting bold, huh?”

KP: “…”

KP sighs: “Just roll already, don’t waste time.”

Brian glances at Shen Lin, grinning: “Maybe I should go first…”

“You go up,” Shen Lin says. “I’ll roll.”

Brian: “Hey!”

Shen Lin doesn’t have Climb skill, only the base 20 points.

20/56.

He fails.

Shen Lin: “Tch.”

The two finish their checks, and the sound of pursuit grows louder.

Brian grabs Layla’s hand. Layla exclaims, “You’re so heavy!”

Brian: “…” Thankfully, he passed his Climb check. With Laysha’s help, he climbs onto the low wall and immediately reaches back to pull Shen Lin up. However, being short and having stubby arms, he has to lie flat like Layla to reach Shen Lin’s hand. Shen Lin steps on the wall, slips, and suddenly drops.

“Snap!” A hand grabs Shen Lin’s wrist and pulls him up.

He looks up and sees a pair of gray eyes, like a gloomy rainy night with a faint glimmer of light.

Yan Xiuyi steadies Shen Lin with a skilled hand on his waist.

Shen Lin looks at Yan Xiuyi in surprise: “Thank you.”

Yan Xiuyi calmly replies, “No need.”

Layla gets up, ignoring the dust on her skirt, and dashes into an alley: “Follow me.”

Her golden hair sways like a shining star.

1. 謝思爾頓 Xiè Sī’ěr Dùn: was maybe “Shethelton” but searching on google it gave me Young Sheldon just cuz it has similar spelling LMAO so i came up with something including Shell ehe ↩︎