Chapter 1631 The Bud <TOC> Chapter 1633 Unspeakable
Translator: SumTLMan
Perhaps it’s because this young man named Angel is so polite, or maybe it’s because it’s rare for anyone to visit the Church of the Bud. The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment before nodding approvingly, “Alright.”
“Before I inquire further, may I know how I should address you?” Angel continued to maintain his courtesy.
“You can call me Cardrona.” Facing a handsome and well-mannered individual who appeared to be of noble bearing, Cardrona also endeavored to exhibit her own politeness. However, after years spent in society’s lower echelons, her formality and tone lacked refinement and bore a tinge of comicality.
Cardrona herself felt a bit awkward, but the young man opposite her displayed no change in expression, maintaining his gentle smile. This slightly eased Cardrona’s apprehension.
“Madam Cardrona, I’ve noticed that other churches in this parish are rather dilapidated. Why has this church been so immaculately maintained?”
Cardrona furrowed her brows. Due to a so-called ‘disappearance incident,’ the Church of the Bud had become quite infamous in Paradova. She initially suspected that Angel’s question was probing for trouble. However, his accent didn’t resemble that of the people from Gloriosa Kingdom, and his attire lacked the ‘trendiness’ common there, instead exuding a traditional, vintage vibe.
Could he be a traveler? Perhaps he genuinely isn’t aware of the Church of the Bud’s past.
With this thought in mind, Cardrona deliberated before divulging some information to Angel. It was a rarity that someone wasn’t accusing the Church of the Bud of being a malevolent religion outright but rather seemed interested in its history. As a devout follower of the deity Bud, Cardrona hoped more people would revere the God of the Bud.
Angel feigned a sudden realization, “Ah, so this is a recently established church? The one that was the focal point of that sensational disappearance case that shook the capital?”
Cardrona shook her head, “Don’t believe the rumors; it wasn’t a disappearance case!”
“Oh?”
“They weren’t missing; they were guided to the divine realm by the God of the Bud,” Cardrona said, her emotions fluctuating somewhat.
Angel wore an expression of surprise. “The divine realm? Has the God of the Bud actually performed miracles?”
Cardrona responded with palpable pride, “Yes, and I personally witnessed them being taken to the divine realm by the God of the Bud. So, they’re definitely not missing…”
Cardrona proceeded to recount everything she had seen and her own circumstances.
After finishing her account, she felt a vague sense of discomfort. She had always kept these matters close to her chest, not even divulging them when the royal guards came to inquire. However, facing this young man, her urge to share was stronger than ever before.
Upon reflection, was everything actually normal? Perhaps it was because she was the sole worshiper of the God of the Bud in the world. She felt unbearably lonely and needed more believers to share in her faith.
Thinking this way made her feel much more rational.
“Is that so? Is this the place where they transitioned to the divine realm?” Angel slowly approached the altar where the Rain Patterned Stone was displayed. “Did they leave for the divine realm in front of this stone?”
“Correct,” Cardrona nodded.
“They must have left when this Rain Patterned Stone was incredibly beautiful, correct?”
Cardrona nodded again, her eyes shimmering in a dreamlike state. “Naturally. I personally cleaned the Rain Patterned Stone. At that moment, it seemed to be reborn, appearing too beautiful to belong to this earthly realm.”
Upon hearing this, a look of realization flashed in Angel’s eyes. He didn’t further dwell on whether they were ‘missing’ or ‘transported to the divine realm.’ Instead, he shifted the topic. “Madam Cardrona, this Rain Patterned Stone is indeed beautiful, especially when it’s wet. The patterns almost look like they contain mysterious texts. With such a stunning piece of art, has no one else come to see it?”
Cardrona was puzzled by Angel’s abrupt change of topic to the Rain Pattern Stone, but her primary focus at the moment was to convert Angel into a devotee of The Bud — the faith she belonged to. Without a shred of doubt, she responded earnestly, “This Rain Pattern Stone was placed here by the bishop when he left for the divine realm. After their departure, rumors began circulating about mass disappearances occurring in this area, making it a place people dare not visit. As a result, no one else has laid eyes on this invaluable artifact.”
In the Gloriosa Kingdom, the Rain Pattern Stone held no intrinsic value. However, seeing Angel’s admiration, Cardrona readily indulged him, elevating the stone — which bears the carving of the Bud — to the status of a priceless treasure.
“Really?” Angel’s face lit up with elation. “So, besides the group of devout believers who went to the divine realm, only Madam Cardrona and I have been fortunate enough to witness this Rain Pattern Stone?”
Cardrona nodded affirmatively, “That’s correct.”
“Are you certain? No one else has seen the Rain Pattern Stone, particularly after it has been submerged in water and its patterns become more vivid?” Angel’s eyes locked onto Cardrona’s with a mesmeric quality, his azure gaze seemingly imbued with a spell that gradually ensnared her thoughts.
After a moment of hesitation, Cardrona reluctantly disclosed, “Well, there was a woman who came here once.”
Almost involuntarily, she recalled an incident during the Month of Gentle Rain. At that time, she had been in the Church of the Bud, dutifully cleaning the Rain Pattern Stone as per the bishop’s instructions. After finishing and reciting a prayer, she had left the Church.
As she exited, she brushed past a woman dressed in opulent attire. The church district was seldom visited, and the lavish woman seemed to be heading in the direction of the Church of the Bud. Cardrona had considered inquiring about the woman’s intentions, but an air of unapproachable aura surrounded the mysterious visitor, causing her to refrain from asking any further questions.
“After the Rain Pattern Stone is submerged in water, its pattern will be visible for at least half an hour. When that woman enters the Church of the Bud, she should see the Rain Pattern Stone, shouldn’t she?” said Angel.
Angel narrowed his eyes, a barely discernible shadow flitting across the depths of his gaze.
With a gentle rap of his knuckles against the church’s stone pillar, an illusory figure of a woman materialized before Cardrona. This spectral vision was none other than Alana, Alan’s sister.
“Is she the woman you’re talking about?”
Upon entering the Church of the Bud, Angel had already cast a Nightmare Illusion on Cardrona. Under its influence, her eyes now clouded over in a state of befuddlement. No matter how strange the situation, her mind would formulate a self-consistent rationale, leaving her devoid of any suspicion.
Even now, facing this illusion, she sensed nothing amiss.
Cardrona scrutinized the woman within the illusion carefully. As she did, the illusory woman’s eyes seemed to move in sync, appearing remarkably lifelike.
“Yes, I remember her,” Cardrona nodded. “The woman I saw when I left that day is her.”
“Indeed, there’s no mistake,” Angel softly sighed to himself. He then looked at Cardrona and asked once more, “To reconfirm, aside from me, her, and you, has anyone else seen the pattern on the Rain Pattern Stone?”
Cardrona shook her head, “No, because I’m the only one who ever wipes the Rain Pattern Stone. Even if others come to the Church of the Bud when I’m not here, they wouldn’t clean it.”
Angel nodded in acceptance of Cardrona’s words. “That’s good to know.”
As soon as he said that, Cardrona heard a loud rumbling sound.
When she looked up, she saw the Rain Pattern Stone, which had been perched on a high platform, shattered into dust by Angel’s powerful fist.
But that was not the end; Angel further banished a portion of the dust into the void. Even if anyone were to discover the remaining dust within the chapel, reconstructing it back to its original form would be an impossibility forever etched in time.
“Why… why did you destroy it?” The Rain Pattern Stone was the sole reason Cardrona had stayed in the mortal plane. Perhaps witnessing its destruction had emotionally jolted her so deeply that, despite being enmeshed in illusions, she couldn’t instantly rationalize her actions.
Angel did not answer Cardrona but turned to look at her: “You said earlier that you wanted to go to the divine realm with the bishop, but he gave you a task — to frequently clean the Rain Pattern Stone.”
“Now that the Rain Pattern Stone is gone, shouldn’t you be relieved? Without the task the bishop assigned you, what reason do you have for not going to the divine realm?”
“Thank you for your answers today; as a token of gratitude, I’ll send you on your final journey.”
Angel maintained his decorum throughout.
Before Cardrona could respond, she felt a sharp pain in her mind. The next second, the luster vanished from her eyes.
She entered an eternal slumber, forever immersed in the beautiful vision of traveling to the divine realm.