Cycle of Destiny

Chapter 58 The Generous Marchioness

"At that time, I had only recently taken over as a priestess. This event greatly shocked me. I realized that the church must accumulate sufficient financial resources. This is not for the clergy to enjoy themselves, but so that the mercy and radiance of the goddess can shine more truly into every corner of the world."

Her eyes brightened. Despite her age and differing stances, at that moment, Harry seemed to see a young goddess, full of ideals and passion, standing before him.

"I have many ideas that I'm eager to implement." She listed them one by one, speaking a little faster. "At that time, there weren't many doctors in the empire. Nobles could still get treatment when they were sick, but ordinary people weren't so lucky. I formed the 'Holy Light Healing Corps' and sent priests who were skilled in healing magic to treat the wounded and sick for free to commoners who couldn't afford medical care—in healing their bodies, we also gained their sincere gratitude and faith."

"I founded the 'Dawn Congee Service.' Previously, the church only distributed communion to believers on major holidays. I broke this tradition, offering a simple but blessed meal to those who came every dawn in Temple Square. This initiative was later extended from the capital to other provinces. Every morning, the queues stretched long… allowing these believers to not only have a full meal each day but also feel the blessing of the goddess. It can be said that the Dawn Congee Service not only nourishes the body but also cleanses the soul!"

"There's also the 'Revelation Sermon Hall'," she continued. "The church used to have similar organizations that spread doctrine to the public, but the results were very poor because many ordinary people were illiterate. Even when the truth was presented to them, they remained unmoved. I disbanded the old ones and started from scratch. We started from the very basics—teaching ordinary children to read and recite the Book of Revelation for free. This required immense patience, and the returns weren't immediately apparent. But I believed that as long as the seed was planted, it would eventually sprout and blossom. As it turns out, my persistence was right; most of the children who grew up under the influence of the church later became devout believers in Goddess."

"In addition, there were 'water purification groups' that purified water sources for remote areas, and shelters that provided refuge for orphans... Although the orphan shelter system at that time was far less comprehensive than the current 'Witness' program, it at least gave those helpless children a roof over their heads and a place to eat."

Her narration was clear and organized, and Harry could almost see a series of images: busy healing priests, long lines of people collecting food in the morning light, the sound of reading in the simple school, and the timid yet hopeful faces of the children in the orphanage.

"However," the goddess's tone suddenly turned heavy, and she sighed softly, "all these good deeds require gold coins to support them. The food for the soup kitchens, the printing of the Book of Revelation in the preaching halls, the construction and maintenance of the shelters... each one is a huge expense. Even the healing and purification groups, which mainly rely on divine magic, need to train and maintain a large number of divine magicians to expand their scale and benefit more people. And training a qualified divine magician, from literacy and learning the doctrines to mastering divine magic, also requires a lot of time and resources."

"And Laura," she said, slowing her pace and speaking each word clearly and forcefully, "helped me to realize these ideas to a great extent, and also helped the church at that time."

She began to describe in detail, her gratitude and appreciation no longer concealed:

"Whenever there was a food shortage during porridge distribution, she was always willing to lend a helping hand. When a new orphanage was completed, she was always ready to go with me to visit it, and each time she would bring some small, practical gifts that the children would like. When she heard that the residents of a remote village were still drinking polluted river water, she would feel genuinely saddened and would not hesitate to provide funds to support the water purification team. In public social settings, you could always hear her defending the church and proclaiming the goddess's love. She also frequently hosted banquets, specifically inviting church clergy and those devout noble believers, building a bridge of communication between the two sides."

The goddess paused, seemingly recounting in her mind the touching moments of the past.

"She is usually the highest bidder and the most generous buyer at church charity auctions. She is usually present at my tea parties or charity performances, and if she is not, she can be found among the first few names on the donation list."

Finally, she provided a concise summary, drawing a clear portrait of Laura Fairchild:

"In short," the goddess gently stopped speaking, her gaze softening as if looking across time at that old friend, "Laura back then was, in the eyes of many—including me—a beautiful, warm-hearted, kind, generous, and highly respected lady. Her friendship and support were extremely important to the church, which was still very fragile and in dire need of help at the time."

She paused for a moment, seemingly admiring the portrait she had drawn, before continuing.

"And so, two years passed." Her tone was calm, yet she dropped a bombshell: "Lola and her husband, who is also your teacher—the holy mage Odel—were baptized and officially became devotees of the goddess."

After she finished speaking, the study was silent for a moment. The goddess did not continue immediately, but looked at Harry with a calm scrutiny in her gray-blue eyes. She was waiting for Harry's reaction, like waiting for the ripples to appear after a pebble is thrown into a lake.

But those ripples instantly turned into a raging storm in Harry's heart.

What was Harry's reaction?

Harry was shocked!

Harry was shocked!

Harry was so shocked he couldn't speak!

The word "shocked" is not enough to describe his feelings at that moment.

His mind seemed to have been struck by a silent bolt of lightning, leaving it completely blank.

The only holy mage on the continent, the founder of Orion Magic Academy, the spiritual leader of mages, the greatest enemy in the history of the church... was actually a follower of the Goddess of Light?

Absurd! Unbelievable!

A jumble of conflicting thoughts clashed violently in his mind, leaving him momentarily speechless. He felt as if the chair had suddenly tilted, and his hands unconsciously gripped the armrests tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if only in this way could he avoid slipping off this absurd reality.

The color drained from his face quickly, his already round cheeks twitched slightly, and his blue eyes widened in shock and confusion.

He opened his mouth, but only managed to utter a meaningless whisper.

The goddess saw his reaction clearly. She didn't show any surprise; on the contrary, it was as if she had expected it. She reached out and gently shook a small silver bell on the table, the sound clear and crisp.

The study door was silently pushed open a crack, and Veronica appeared. The goddess nodded to her and whispered an instruction. Soon, Veronica entered carrying a tray with a small glass of amber-colored cocktail on it. She gently placed the glass on the table beside Harry and quietly withdrew.

Harry barely hesitated, grabbing the glass with a slight tremor and downing most of it. The spicy liquid burned his throat, rolled into his stomach, bringing a warm current and forcibly pulling him back from his slumber.

He exhaled a long, deep breath, his breath still trembling with shock.

"Your reaction is perfectly normal," the goddess finally spoke, her voice filled with understanding. "I dare say, if this news gets out, it'll be enough to make a lot of people fall off their chairs."

She adjusted her posture slightly, her tone becoming more relaxed, even slightly nonchalant: "Actually, the tense past between the church and magicians is a long-forgotten story. Everything is in the past, and there's no reason why the present and the future can't get along. I'd like to tell you about these things later."

She deftly deflected a life-or-death historical topic, as if the previous feud between the magician and the church was just two children bickering, and would be forgotten in a few days.

Harry sensed the flippancy in her tone, and doubts began to creep into his mind, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to ask further questions. Now was not the time to delve into that; he wanted to know what happened next.

He licked his dry lips, forcing his voice to sound steady: "I'm fine. Please... continue."

The goddess nodded and returned to her memories.

"That was the second year we met, and the third year since they moved to the capital," she said clearly. "The baptism was presided over by a cardinal who served as their godfather. I was there too."

Her gaze seemed to see the flickering holy candles in that magnificent temple, and she heard the solemn chants.

"It is truly a gratifying moment that the goddess has welcomed two devout believers," the goddess said cheerfully, clearly pleased.

"After becoming a believer, Laura's zeal only increased. I knew I could trust her wherever I needed help. At that time, church honors were awarded more often to the nobles themselves as an incentive than to their wives or daughters. But Laura's contribution was truly remarkable—I knew that the goddess would approve of my decision because she was such a devout believer who served the goddess with all her heart."

"So, at a tea party, I subtly suggested that she deserved a church badge of honor to wear." The goddess's voice lowered. "Unexpectedly, she declined."

"She said she felt she still had much to improve in serving the goddess," the priestess repeated earnestly. "I still vividly remember that humble expression. Some people serve the goddess devoutly without ever asking for anything in return; such people are always very touching. On the contrary, some people use the church's recognition as a source of pride, and I don't value such people. Although she rejected my offer, I still reserved my reward for her. I promised her that if one day she needed the goddess's support, I would always be there for her."

"In fact, Laura wasn't without her worries back then either." The goddess shifted her tone, moving to a more personal level. "Odel was about to turn twenty-five, and his martial arts skills, after three years of living in the capital, had almost stagnated, remaining at the level of a fourth-grade warrior. But he had to formally confirm his inheritance of the title by challenging an eighth-grade standard warrior in two years."

She looked at Harry, as if to make sure he understood the pressure involved.

Harry understood, of course, that every nobleman who was to inherit a title faced this kind of pressure.

"Laura was very anxious during that time, but she never mentioned these things to me. Once I asked her if she needed my help. She seemed embarrassed and said she didn't want to mix her personal matters into her faith in the goddess."

The goddess shook her head, her tone firm: "The more she says that, the more I feel I should help her. She has given so much to the church, and I believe the goddess wouldn't let such a devout believer suffer. At my insistence, she agreed to let the Grand Master of the Holy Knights of the church help train Odel."