After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 356 - 129 The Upcoming Conflict

"Why have I still received grace?" Xi Mu looked at his own hands, then glanced at the statue of the Goddess of Life, seemingly not quite understanding the Goddess’s choice. He had prayed to the Goddess of Life to withdraw her favor, yet he was granted an even stronger grace, one that was not inferior to the attention bestowed by the Witch of Death.

"A person who receives the grace of the goddess is someone watched over by her," came a gentle female voice from behind. Sister Magritte walked gracefully toward the puzzled Ahtal. She crossed her hands in front of her lower abdomen, her demeanor dignified yet gentle, her mature figure almost giving the illusion of bursting out of her nun’s clothes.

"Ahtal, I did not expect to see you here."

"Have I been recognized?" Xi Mu smiled, looking at the smiling and gentle Sister Magritte, and said helplessly:

"But I am not someone worthy of the Goddess’s attention." He sat down on a bench to the side, elbows propped on his knees, fingers interlocked in front of his chest.

Sister Magritte naturally sat down beside Ahtal. As a nun serving the deities, it was her duty to listen to the voices of the faithful, even though the grace Ahtal had received far surpassed what she, a mere common nun, could comprehend.

"I am a member of the Church of Death. I have slain many people, and among them were many followers of the gods," said Xi Mu in a low voice, filled with a hint of weariness, "If I continue to hold the grace of the Goddess of Life, it would certainly tarnish the lustre of her glory."

Logically speaking, it was certainly so.

Sister Magritte maintained her smile, understanding Ahtal’s thoughts completely. Indeed, there were people discussing why, after joining the Church of Death, Ahtal could still retain the grace of the Goddess of Life. The current Ahtal was the man most favored by the Witch of Death; maybe he had completely abandoned his faith.

All kinds of discussions questioned why Ahtal still possessed the grace of the Goddess of Life, naturally including those who supported Ahtal.

And without a doubt, she was one of those who supported Ahtal. From her perspective, Ahtal was a hero forced to submit to the Monster Witch and was striving to influence the decisions of the Church of Death and the Monster Witch, in order to reduce unnecessary losses in war.

He did not oppose the Church of Life, the Church of Justice, or the Church of Wealth and Contract, thus, to a certain extent, protecting the operation of law and economy. Not opposing the Church of Life also indirectly ensured the functioning of healthcare, although in today’s overlapping situation of life and death, healthcare had virtually lost its significance.

However, this also indirectly proved Ahtal’s faith in the Goddess of Life.

"Lord Ahtal, you have done very well," she said as she reached out and took Ahtal’s hands in hers, pressing her palms tightly around them, "Without your efforts, the world would certainly have become much worse. The blessing you have received is the proof and also a reward for you."

Xi Mu was silent for a moment, looking at Sister Magritte, whose smile was gentle and sincere as she held his hands, and then said:

"It seems I cannot let down the expectations of the Goddess of Life either."

"Rather than not letting down the Goddess of Life’s expectations, I hope you will not let down yourself even more," Sister Magritte let go of Ahtal’s hands and reached up to lightly brush her hair at the temples, her tender smile filled with concern, "Staying in such a dangerous place with the Church of Death, you must also be suffering, aren’t you?"

"..."

Xi Mu fell silent once more, and then, under the statue of the Goddess of Life, he began to talk to Sister Magritte about his experiences with the Church of Death, casually mentioning that the Witch of Death had grown impatient and was planning to use an extremely cruel method to force open the gates of Hell.

"By launching an assault on Hell with more than half of the world’s souls," he leaned back against the chair, one hand covering his cheek, "If the number of souls making a mass exodus to Hell is sufficient, it might be possible to directly locate Hell’s existence and thus open the gates of Hell."

"Using more than half the world’s souls?" Sister Magritte covered her mouth in shock, her expression one of disbelief, "The Witch of Death is actually that cruel, intending to slaughter more than half of the world’s living beings!"

Of course, it was impossible.

Xi Mu thought to himself that such a vile idea could not possibly have come from the Witch of Death. It was merely a wicked strategy he had found on the forums, and now speaking of it was only to put pressure on All Gods, to ensure that after the Monster Witch’s resurrection plot unfolded, the Goddess of Death would descend to the mortal world to duel with the Witch of Death.

"That’s just a backup plan," he said as he got up, supporting himself with his knees, and smiled at Sister Magritte, "I’ll do my best to dissuade the Witch of Death from doing so."

"..." Sister Magritte pursed her lips, looking at Ahtal’s composed smile, and found herself unable to utter a word.

If Ahtal weren’t by the Witch of Death’s side, how much worse the world might be now was simply unimaginable.

After a moment of silence, all she could do was to whisper softly:

"Please take good care of yourself."

"The Witch of Death treats me well, you need not worry about my safety," Xi Mu waved his hand and then left the church.

Magritte watched Ahtal’s departing figure from a distance, as if she could see this famous hero walking towards a dark and despair-filled future.

She lowered her eyelids, hands clasped tightly, and began to pray to the Goddess of Life, reporting the possibility that the Witch of Death might sacrifice more than half the world’s souls.

It was too horrific, she had never imagined that the Witch of Death could conceive such a ruthless and vicious plan.