Only God
Chapter 395 - 350 Bone Church

Chapter 395: Chapter 350 Bone Church

March 4th, Lee Storo finally paid his final installment. God, I can never again take on business from such pretentious families.

March 5th, nothing significant. The accounts show a deficit of 1,620 Leon silver coins, which equates to 1,316 Chrysostom silver old coins. Damn these new coins, their devaluation has been far too severe lately.

The Princess browsed through a few entries and discovered that the president of the Stone Mason Guild not only detailed the guild’s finances in the ledger but also recorded his daily thoughts in an exceedingly small font on a few pages.

"What luck," Anos muttered to herself as she continued to peruse the contents.

After quickly flipping through several pages, Anos finally found content related to the Bone Church.

[June 7th, Once again, I met with the esteemed Great Shepherd today and no matter how many times I see him, I always have to marvel at just how kind a person he is.

The Great Shepherd enthusiastically pointed out the problems they discovered in the Grand Cathedral. It seems there are some cracks in a few of the pillars, and it’s not yet possible to determine whether they are decorative or structural until we find the old plans of the Grand Cathedral. God above, those plans must be centuries old.]

[June 9th, What did I hear from the mason’s mouth? A Bone Church? Below the Grand Cathedral, there’s a Bone Church? Is this some kind of joke?

The mason responsible for the excavation didn’t tell the monks but told me first, which I must say was wise of him; otherwise, we would have been in big trouble.]

[June 10th, No receipts today, only expenditures, the guild’s deficit is growing. Damn these new coins, damn the Emperor, if it weren’t for that Emperor of the Delos Family imposing these new coins... damn it all!]

[June 12th, I have heard some disturbing rumors.

A mason who sneaked in told me it’s a heretic’s tomb, which is simply unimaginable.]

Upon reading this record, Anos involuntarily bit her finger.

The Bone Church is very likely related to the Primordial Church.

But... why would the Danschel Grand Cathedral be built over the tomb of heretics? Is it merely a coincidence?

Or could it be...

"The Imperial Church... once had contact with the Primordial Church?"

This conjecture shocked Anos herself.

Nowadays, the True Religion had different churches all over the world.

In the churches of the Danschel Empire, known as the Orthodox Imperial Church or the Reborn Danschel Church, and in the distant Elves’ Nus Kingdom, they were often called the Order Church, or the Millennial Truth Church...

The churches maintained connections with each other, united under the same faith, and every fifty years, they would convene a Great Council that would include all churches. Because of this, though interpretations of certain doctrines varied from place to place, the four Scriptures had never changed.

Without a doubt, the Imperial Church was the ultimate authority of faith in the whole Danschel.

And yet, such an authority had connections with heretical cults...

Anos felt increasingly that an invisible web lay behind it all, enshrouding the entire Empire beneath her feet.

[June 14th, It seems the matter of the Bone Church might not stay hidden for long; it will eventually come to light!

This issue is so troublesome, I don’t know whether I should tell the Great Shepherd...

God, I beg you for some guidance.]

[June 15th, The new coins have devalued again! No, I must exchange all my silver coins back to the old currency!

But it’s impossible... people in the black market won’t exchange so much for me, and it’s easy to get caught...

Damn, damn the Emperor!

How am I to cover these deficits now...

The Bone Church, yes, the Bone Church! There must be some funerary treasures of gold and jewels!

Those heretics’ tombs, just plunder them!]

It seemed that, driven by the deficits on his books, the president of the Stone Mason Guild was forced to contemplate tomb raiding.

Anos continued reading eagerly.

Subsequent entries were terribly scrawled, with the president recounting his encounter with a shadowy figure in the Bone Church, who, like a malevolent ghost, claimed to be very honest and to honor contracts.

Bewitched by the shadow’s words, the president made a dark pact.

The terms of the trade were to take this copper mirror and face it alone, without blinking, for an entire half-day.

And the final outcome...

Anos glanced at the gradually cooling body of the President.

His soul had been extracted, sacrificed to the Primordial Church.

"Mira, let’s go."

Anos closed the ledger in his hand,

"Something seems to have happened at the Bone Church."

Mira nodded,

"That place... is it really a church of the Primordial Church?"

Anos nodded slightly,

"It is very likely."

Mira took a deep breath. Then she looked at the copper mirror standing there.

She harbored lingering concerns about the black fog within the mirror.

Anos noticed Mira’s gaze and expressed surprise,

"Mira, what are you planning to do?"

Mira slowly walked up to the mirror without replying.

The Princess felt a pang of panic, and she hurried forward, attempting to grasp Mira’s hand.

"Don’t be afraid, Anos."

Mira spoke softly,

"I want to take this mirror with us."

"This..."

After hesitating for a while, Anos let go of Mira,

"Be careful, after all..."

Mira smiled brightly,

"Don’t worry about me, Anos."

The Princess felt an unexplainable sense of security at these sincere words.

Security, a rare word for people of the Delos Family.

Mira slowly approached the copper mirror and then placed her hands on either side.

The copper mirror suddenly changed.

Anos cautiously stepped forward, ready to protect Mira at a moment’s notice.

The copper mirror began to emit waves of black fog, while Mira quietly pulled a dark round bead from her pocket.

The bead, attached to the mirror’s surface, covered the black fog, preventing Mira’s soul from being reflected.

Then, Mira took a deep breath, abruptly lifted the copper mirror from the ground above her head, and said to Anos,

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

Anos stared at Mira in astonishment.

Her first reaction was not that the copper mirror hadn’t harmed Mira, but that Mira, a mere child, could lift a life-sized copper mirror with both hands like a Warrior.

Only after did Anos realize that the copper mirror, which had captured the President’s soul, had no effect on Mira, as if a beast that devoured men was bowing its head.

"Mira, you really are mysterious..."

Anos mused to herself, and then she masked her surprise, maintaining a necessary calm.

Soon, the two left the Stone Mason Guild President’s mansion under the cover of night, his body lying cold on the ground, unknown how long it would be before someone noticed something was amiss.

Perhaps, by the time people found the President’s corpse, they would discover it had long since been rotting.