Chapter 192: The Day of Divine Birth
As dawn was just breaking, I rubbed my eyes and excitedly got out of Bed. Opening the Door, the room was already empty. Only a half-cold Breakfast remained on the table, with a smiling face drawn carefully on it using Jam, about ninety percent resembling Velas.
Sigh, it's really bothering me. What are those two Little lasses, Velas and Sarah, up to lately?
Amidst the Little Ghost's triumphant sounds of getting up, I fiercely pressed her onto the Bed and messed with her for a while, until her Robe was messy and she was flushed and breathless, unable to get up. If it weren't for the rare Divine Birth Day, I would have even considered devouring this plump and delicious Little Ghost.
There was nothing I could do. Velas lived next door, and she washed the sheets and blankets every day, so I hadn't found a Chance to eat the Little Ghost these past few days. What a pity.
Old Man God also seemed very Happy. Stepping Outside, the Sunlight was very Radiant, the weather was clear, and even the Wind felt a bit more comfortable than usual.
I originally thought I had gotten up early, but Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I was startled by the lively scene of a sea of people. Could these people have been camping out on the Street since last night? Even knowing it happens only once every three years, I hadn't estimated that the residents of the Rogue Encampment would attach such Significance to the Divine Birth Day.
Of course, the more people, the livelier it is, which only benefits me. Ailisi, that Little Ghost who never grows up, was already cheering in the Necklace. If it weren't for her unwillingness to appear in front of others, she would have long since jumped out of the cold Necklace and rushed into the crowd.
What made the Atmosphere of the entire Rogue Encampment boisterous and lively were undoubtedly the lively Children running on the Street, even more excited than the Little Ghost. They were wearing brand new clothes. On Divine Birth Day, regardless of whether a Family was rich or poor, they would prepare a new set of clothes for their Children. For those so poor they couldn't even afford the roughest Fabric, they would grit their teeth, cut up their original few pieces of clothes, and piece them back together to signify "new clothes". The Mothers in these poor Families were all skilled at tailoring. Although the clothes they remade carried a hint of old color, they were still very presentable.
Therefore, the Street had completely changed from its usual impoverished Appearance. Running and playing were Children all dressed in new clothes, which truly added a lot to the Festival scene.
As for the Adventurers' donations, aside from keeping a portion as financial reserves for the next three years, most of it would be taken out. A portion would be used as Rewards for the tens of thousands of Rogue Soldiers guarding the Rogue Encampment. Each of these Soldiers could receive 3 to 5 Gold Coins. Another portion would be used to subsidize those particularly poor Families. Many Families could barely make ends meet relying on the Divine Birth Day subsidies every three years combined with their own Labor. Thus, Divine Birth Day held extraordinary Significance for them.
And the final portion, one part of it would be used for the Ritual expenses. The remaining Gold Coins would be exchanged for Food and other Things. After all, for the not-so-wealthy Rogue residents, Food was far more important than other entertainment.
This Food would be distributed for free at specific Places and specific times. Of course, each Person was limited to one portion. No one would repeatedly claim or lie to take more. Engaging in petty tricks on the sacred Divine Birth Day was a Great Sin of blasphemy. In the eyes of the Civilians, Old Man God still held immense Prestige.
Walking on the crowded Rogue Street, I excitedly looked left and right. The fences surrounding the entire Rogue Encampment were hung with many Colored Cloth Flags and Ribbons. After Divine Birth Day, these Things could still be used, either sold or given to poor Families and those who had made contributions as Rewards.
In addition, wealthier residents would also tie a few Colored Satin Cloths onto the roofs of their Wooden Houses or Tents and Take out some surplus Food and Wine from Home to entertain passing residents, especially the naughty Children.
Poor Families would gather some Flowers in the Wilderness to decorate their small Homes. Whether bright or simple, these Flowers, after being decorated by skillful Girls, also had a unique charm.
These Things, which wouldn't even be considered decorations in my Original World, now made me feel a Festival Atmosphere more solemn than New Year's Eve. I truly didn't know whether to be Happy or feel Sorrow.
Merchants had set up their stalls early and were shouting loudly. The livelier stalls were already surrounded three layers deep. This was the best Business Opportunity they had waited three years for. Residents had also put down all their Work. Children and Adults from nearby Villages had rushed over even before dawn. The Rogue Encampment, which could originally accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, suddenly became crowded.
Squads of Patrol Teams passed by. The more festive the day, the busier their Work became. On Divine Birth Day, all tens of thousands of Soldiers in the entire Rogue Encampment would be dispatched. Besides being responsible for Vigilance in the outer Zone, they were also coordinating Order within the Rogue Encampment. However, they didn't feel Disappointment because they couldn't participate in the Festival. Instead, they were exceptionally Serious, with joyful smiles on their faces, because today was a rare "pay raise day"! In the evening, they could buy something nice, give their Families a delicious meal, and perhaps even get some better Fabric to add a few pieces of clothes for their Wife and Children.
"It's starting, it's starting..."
As I was walking, the crowd suddenly surged. The Temperature of the Surroundings abruptly rose by several degrees. The already crowded Space (within Library) moved rapidly, feeling like the tide of people was surging towards the same Place.
"The Ritual is about to begin, hurry!"
A Child who squeezed past me made me suddenly understand. So that was it.
I had heard a lot about the Rituals in Sanctuary from Ailisi (don't Forget she's a genuine Candidate Saintess), so I wanted to see it for myself. But now there was a big Trouble. With so many people on the Street, if I were to force my way through with my Classed Adventurer's Body, I would be fine, but those Civilians would very likely end up with broken bones.
Soon, other Adventurers gave me the Answer. They were like ninjas from a manga, agilely leaping from Tree to Tree, avoiding the crowded Street, and easily heading towards the Church. However...
"Ouch..."
Two Adventurers who collided In the air showed us with Fact that Shortcuts are Dangerous, and Choices require Prudence.
"Ooh ooh..."
The one who made the sound was a female Assassin. To avoid colliding, she swung the Rope in her hand, hooked onto another Large Tree, and swung across like Tarzan.
"Sizzle..."
Unfortunately, this wasn't a primeval forest. Where would she find such tall Large Trees? This petite Miss Tarzan's Behind scraped against the Earth in a spectacular display of Sparks.
"Roar!"
Next was a Barbarian. He was quite straightforward. He aimed at a Large Tree and leaped towards it, using his Tier 2 Skill - Leap. Any Adventurer who wasn't paying attention and collided with him In the air would only be sent flying.
"Boom!"
Successful landing—
That's right, it was a successful "landing," because that Large Tree had been snapped in half by his foot...
Then Rogue Soldiers rushed over and surrounded the Barbarian, who looked depressed. Damaging trees, uh... a fine of 2 Gold Coins!
The Rogue residents who had lived here for a long time seemed accustomed to these phenomena. They skillfully avoided these Dangerous Zones and slowly moved forward at a snail's pace.
I wasn't in a hurry. I slowly shuffled forward with the other Ordinary People. In my Original World, such crowded situations were often encountered, and I was already used to them. I even found a hint of long-lost familiarity in it.
Fortunately, the Place I was in was relatively close to the Church. After about half an hour, I could already see the huge Cross standing on top of the white European-style Church. Relying on my strong Body, I carefully shuffled forward a bit more, then spotted a Large Tree ahead and leaped onto it. Leaning leisurely on a branch, the Plaza in front of the Church was clearly visible.
After waiting another half an hour, others gathered here in twos and threes. Taking a closer look, OMG, tens of thousands of people were gathered together, a continuous stream of bobbing heads extending for several miles, almost stretching out of sight. My God, when did the Rogue Encampment get so many people?
"Such a small Church, and only so few people."
Ailisi's voice came from the Necklace, almost scaring me into falling off. This is called "only so few"? However, considering the Rituals she attended back then likely had at least a million spectators, it's not surprising she would say that.
"Wow!"
Complaints aside, Ailisi still stared at the Ritual Plaza with longing, continuously letting out soft exclamations.
"Our Saintess used to participate in Rituals too?"
"Mm-hmm. Of course. Don't you see who I am?" The Little Ghost hummed with a clear and proud upward lilt, her arrogance mixed with nine parts cuteness.
"It's just..." She paused, then continued, suddenly becoming dejected.
"It was just standing next to the Saintess. After all, besides me, there were two other Candidate Saintesses at the time..."
"The Saintess? Meaning the Saintess back then. What kind of Person was she?" I asked curiously.
"She was a kind Old Woman nearly 0 years old..."
Ailisi, clearly seeing through my impure Thought, looked at me with a seductive gaze and smiled.
"..."
Consider it a stupid question I asked. Thinking about it, if the Saintess wasn't about to retire, why would they choose Candidate Saintesses...
"But the songs the Saintess sang were really beautiful. All my songs, she taught me..."
The Little Ghost's voice sounded faintly, a little sad.
"What about now? Do you think you sing better, or she sang better?"
Unable to bear seeing the Little Ghost so listless, I quickly changed the Topic and asked.
"Hmm... I can't quite remember the Saintess's voice anymore, but now, I think I probably sing just a little bit better than her..."
The Little Ghost tilted her Head and thought for a moment, likely seriously comparing, before saying excitedly in a sweet voice.
"My Little Saintly Maiden Highness, why don't you come out and watch together?"
For this Little Ghost, who was both cute and incredibly pitiful, I didn't know how to express my Emotions anymore.
"Wuwu..." The Little Ghost's troubled Wail came from inside.
"Don't worry, no one here can see you."
I knew her concerns, so I chose a Place with dense Tree Leaves. From here, I could clearly see the Church Plaza, but the people below couldn't see through.
The Little Ghost cautiously poked out half her Body and looked around. After confirming it was indeed very hidden, she stretched out her entire pure white, translucent delicate Body.
"You Little Fellow." I wrapped my arms around Ailisi's fragrant Body and dotingly gave her Cherry Lips a hard peck.
"Wuwu... I knew you big Pervert would do something bad—"
The Little Ghost sighed Helplessly in my arms, but obediently curled her soft, warm, fragrant delicate Body into my embrace, shifting to a more comfortable position.
Soon, the Ritual began under the people's Anticipation. The Ritual in Sanctuary is somewhat similar to the Western Christian Mass in my Original World. It is divided into four Ceremonies: Opening Ritual, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Rite of Completion. Each Ceremony is further divided into several steps.
For someone like me, who believes the Earth is vast and I am the greatest, such a Ceremony was a bit too tedious. The Little Ghost seemed to find it interesting at first, but after watching for a while, she also lost interest.
She didn't feel it when she was standing next to the Saintess before, but now it seemed this Ritual was really quite bothersome. She took a cute little nap, rubbed her eyes, and then, like a Little Kitten basking in the Sun, curled up halfway in my arms and dozed off.
I was also yawning repeatedly. No wonder many Adventurers looked indifferent; it turned out to be so boring.
It wasn't until close to noon that the final Rite of Completion was finished. As long as the Saintess finished chanting, the entire Ritual would be complete.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I forced myself to stay awake. The chosen fake Saintess, since the Ritual began, had been wearing a pure white Robe much more ornate than the White Robe Ailisi wore, kneeling before the Cross. Aside from knowing she was petite and seemed to be just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old Girl, I couldn't make out what she looked like at all. Now, I could finally get a good look at her true Appearance.
"You're really 'Persistent' about the word Saintess."
Ailisi's large silver Eyes had opened at some point. She looked at me, troubled, and said. The thin mist gathered in her Eyes seemed to protest, "Aren't you satisfied even with me?"
*Cough cough*, just like Girls always yearn for Prince Charming, how could this Little Ghost understand a Man's Romance for the Saintess Complex?
"Wow—" I almost fell Headfirst.
"Wow!! W-What are you doing??"
The Little Ghost, curled up in my arms, was startled. She tightly hugged my neck, her watery, tender Cherry Lips almost touching the corner of my lips as she complained.
I, however, was unable to enjoy this unintentional moment of sensuality. Pointing at the white-robed Saintess who had turned around, I trembled and stammered.
(end of chapter)