Hero? Are You Worthy?
Chapter 483 - 329: The Secret Only Saint Monica Knows (1)

Chapter 483: Chapter 329: The Secret Only Saint Monica Knows (1)

Imperial City, a light drizzle fell from the sky.

Augustus’s figure hurried along the muddy road, splashing little droplets of water.

From the moment Qin Chu arrived on the Sky Dome Continent... no, even before that, Augustus had been scheming, intending to use the Hero’s strength to confront those terrifying enemies.

Since that night serving the god, only pain and hatred remained in his life, as if thick bloodwater soaked his very being.

He couldn’t forget that he didn’t even have the courage to save his lover, and could only kneel on the ground, his face stained with blood and tears, as he plunged into the Abyss amidst his lover’s desperate and agonizing screams.

He longed for redemption but couldn’t see that faint glimmer of hope.

Humans have their limits.

Even if he could reach the limits of humanity, reach Level 100, he would still be a mere ant, slightly stronger in the face of those beings... no, more likely, to those beings, he was no different from any other ant, all just things that could be destroyed with a breath.

They are so powerful that it’s crushing.

The Hero had become the only hope for Augustus.

The Hero from beyond the Sky Dome Continent could break the limits of this world; perhaps they could possess the power to eradicate those weird beings.

Augustus wanted to rely on the Hero’s power, the stronger the Hero, the greater the hope.

But after experiencing that most brutal night, Augustus’s personality had also become incredibly twisted; he trusted no one. He could only feel at ease if he kept this power in his own hands.

He wanted to manipulate Qin Chu, but Qin Chu’s rate of progress was simply too exaggerated. His strength grew stronger and stronger, and the forces gathered around him became increasingly formidable, posing a significant threat to Augustus.

In another year, two years, ten years, twenty years, perhaps the Hero could possess the strength to confront those beings, but he would have long since lost the ability to control the Hero.

Just at that time, inspired by Karsas’s transformation into a monster, Augustus’s secret research had a breakthrough. Although it carried some risks, he had no better options.

For the present Augustus, a dead Hero was more useful than a living one. The Hero’s corpse was the most precious treasure.

But the current Qin Chu was no longer the weak individual who had just entered the Sky Dome Continent and could be easily killed with a slap from Augustus. To destroy the Hero by himself was almost impossible.

Just like the multitude of spies from the Earth Mother Goddess Sect and the Royal Family within the Holy Court, Augustus also had some moles inserted in the Earth Mother Goddess Sect. He was somewhat aware of Saint Monica’s situation; he knew the content of the oracle of the Earth Mother Goddess Sect.

Saint Monica was plotting to murder the Hero!

She was a candidate for collaboration.

Augustus had once subtly hinted at cooperation to Saint Monica, but she had rejected it. Unexpectedly, she took the initiative to reach out to him today, which overjoyed Augustus.

Perhaps this time, the two could form an alliance.

With this thought, Augustus’s steps quickened once more.

Unfortunately, that spy in their ranks hadn’t reported information today as usual; who knew what they were doing.

...

Within the Holy Hall of the Earth Mother Goddess Sect, Church Venerate Saint Monica knelt devoutly before the luxurious throne that signified status and position.

What should have been her place was now occupied by a man, sprawled carelessly upon it.

"Hmm!" Saint Monica’s muffled voice came out unclear, as she had a few questions to ask, "O Lord of Joy, supreme above all..."

Although a bit unaccustomed, she had been very thorough in her follow-up work, which was commendable.

Qin Chu knew Saint Monica’s question, and without waiting for her to finish, interrupted, "His soul has already been devoured by my true self, and I have taken over this body. In private, I am the Lord of Joy."

"But in the presence of others, let everything remain as usual, do you understand?"

Qin Chu continued to coax.

It was as if to verify his statement, that supreme authority, nobility, elegance, and charm upon him began to fade away, and in a matter of seconds, the man before her seemed to have turned back into the real Qin Chu.

In Saint Monica’s eyes, there was a hint of regret; compared to the sovereign glory she had expected, she was more eager to witness the ultimate, supreme luster.

But alongside the regret, her gaze was filled with admiration. Truly worthy of being the supreme Lord of Joy, able to perfectly switch between god and mortal.

Looking at him now, his appearance, demeanor, and aura showed no trace of difference from the original Qin Chu.

None would suspect this man to be Qin Chu; the disguise was incredibly accurate.

Hmph, only fools would be deceived. Only she understood that within this body identical to Qin Chu’s, a noble soul was hidden.

Thinking that this secret was known only to her, Saint Monica’s heart couldn’t help but bask in happiness.

Saint Monica completed her tasks and gently lifted her head, looking with some anticipation at the Lord of Joy who had taken Qin Chu’s form. Although he lacked the original supreme nobility, she could now at least look directly at this great being, and she awaited eagerly.

In fact, it was merely because the traces of Divinity within her had been exploited to the limit by Qin Chu like a ruthless boss, and she could no longer cope.

Seeing Saint Monica’s appearance, Qin Chu let out a slight smile, gently tapped the forehead of this woman who was older than himself, and praised her, "Hmm, Saint Monica, you’ve done well."

A smile immediately blossomed on Saint Monica’s face, nothing could satisfy her more than receiving praise from the great existence she worshiped.

Just at this moment, Qin Chu and Saint Monica almost simultaneously sensed someone approaching the Holy Hall.

As expected, before long, the voice of a nun came from outside the Holy Hall, "Lord Sect Master, Holy Court Pope Augustus has come for a visit."

Augustus?

In an instant, Saint Monica’s face was full of weirdness.

She remembered that before Lord of Joy had arrived at the Holy Hall, she had used Message Magic to contact Augustus and discussed plotting against the Hero together.

Who could have thought the so-called Hero was actually Lord of Joy?

Saint Monica quickly explained, feeling increasingly panicked in her heart and worried that Lord of Joy might get angry because of this.

However, to Saint Monica’s surprise, there wasn’t a trace of anger on Qin Chu’s face; there was even a hint of a smile.

It seemed that because he had adopted a completely different style of conduct in the second week compared to the first week, many things had changed.

Not only had Saint Monica struck against him off guard, but it seemed Augustus was also prepared to make a move against him in advance.

"Saint Monica, you should welcome Augustus later and discuss in detail with him how to plot against... cough cough, how to plot against the Hero. Understand? I want to know all of Augustus’s plans," Qin Chu calmly said.

Indeed, having more of one’s own people made things much more convenient.

Although Saint Monica was somewhat skeptical, she still nodded her head.

"Is there a place in this Holy Hall where I can hide?" asked Qin Chu, raising an eyebrow.

"There is a Confession Room in the back."

...

The somewhat gloomy Confession Room housed a statue of the Earth Mother Goddess; one of the statue’s hands caressed the ground beneath her while the other clutched a sheaf of wheat, symbolizing a bountiful harvest.

Looking at the statue of the Earth Mother Goddess, Qin Chu felt somewhat taken aback.

Thinking about the acts he had committed in the Holy Hall and having desecrated the hall, he felt quite embarrassed.

With hands crossed over his chest, he briefly confessed for a while, though this didn’t seem to be part of the Earth Mother Goddess Sect’s rituals... Well, it doesn’t matter, the great Goddess probably wouldn’t care about such a trivial matter.

After confessing for a few seconds, Qin Chu immediately perked up his ears, listening to the movements in the Holy Hall outside.

Inside the Holy Hall, Saint Monica quickly put on a new set of robes over her body, waved her hand to neatly collect all the torn fabric from the floor, and after ensuring that nothing appeared out of place, she dispelled the soundproof Barrier and proceeded to walk actively towards the entrance of the Holy Hall.

As she stepped through the main entrance of the Holy Hall, she saw Augustus standing at the door, his hair somewhat damp from the rain, still wearing a gentle smile on his face.

Saint Monica seemed to have completely regained her gentle and elegant demeanor, and with her graceful figure, she bowed deeply to Augustus: ’Lord Augustus, how have you arrived so swiftly amid the rain... Did you not take a carriage?’

Augustus laughed heartily, "How could I delay when called upon by the honorable Saint Monica?"

"The rain is not heavy, so I simply walked here," he said.

As he spoke, a surge of Magic Power rose from Augustus, causing thick vapor to swirl around his head, and within a few seconds, the moisture on his clothes and hair had completely evaporated.

Welcomed by Saint Monica, Augustus stepped into the Holy Hall.

His consciousness instantly spread out, and aside from himself and Saint Monica, there was no third person in the vast Holy Hall.

Augustus was confident that in the world of humans, no one could escape his perception.

But what was this smell?

After the nun served up fragrant tea and left at Saint Monica’s command, Augustus slowly began to speak, carefully choosing his words, "Lady Saint Monica, are you willing to cooperate now?"

Saint Monica did not directly answer, she seemed to still have some reservations, "Lord Augustus, if the Hero is killed, who will confront the Demons?"

"You and I both know, we are no match for the Demon King."

Augustus, as if he had anticipated such a response, was not the least bit flustered, "Lady Saint Monica, please do not worry at all."

"Just hand over the corpse of the Hero to me and I can create a powerful, true war machine."

"It will be even mightier than the living Hero and will make short work of the Demons."