Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 335 - 230: Nightfall (Part 1)

Chapter 335: Chapter 230: Nightfall (Part 1)

Matilda, The Temple district, Prayer Hall of the Church of Lord of Justice.

Kneeling on the cushion, the young girl gazed at the statue before her, a simple, small wooden carving of a human figure, entirely different from the gigantic statues adorned with gold leaf and jewels in other churches.

But Matilda knew that this modest carving was the preferred gift of the great Deity, a gift from that lady, crafted with the not-so-exquisite skills of a noble and stained with a trace of blood.

It now stood in the grand hall of the main Church, and these were replicas carved by the maidens of justice.

It was also the proudest mission for a Justice Maiden. Each girl took pride in this task.

However, Matilda had never received such a task. Before that, a devout maiden had already sculpted a figure, which the Lord of Justice himself placed in the hall of the Carterburg Church of Lord of Justice, replacing the one that had been there for a century. The latter was to be sent to the family of the girl who made it, along with blessings and baptism as a reward.

As the last living girl of her family, Matilda did not know what to do next. Her grandfather died in battle, the family fortunes waned, and she could only step forward to infuse new offspring into this vitality-depleted family.

It meant she had to forsake the one she loved because his bloodline was so powerful, his lovers so numerous; he could never abandon everything just for the sake of Matilda’s family.

My Lord, is this fate’s curse upon me, or your trial for your believers?

Matilda bowed her head, clueless about how to face each coming day.

She had lost her qualifications as a paladin; the Lord of Justice would never allow a family to die out because of faith. Until Matilda bore offspring, her armor would no longer shine, her longsword would no longer sparkle, and she was stripped of all paladin’s power, unable to even remember it.

This was not the Deity forsaking a believer, on the contrary, Matilda knew it was the Deity protecting her.

But... she really didn’t need such protection.

Without power, she couldn’t even stand beside her peers, and as a mortal, she couldn’t even carry his offspring... How could Ironblood mix with the noble Silverblood to produce a child?

The transcendents of this world hold power, but they also protect the world; bloodline is strength, yet also a different kind of curse.

Each Transcendent must stand before destruction and death time and again, as the sturdiest stone within the embankment.

Thus, the union of the strong ensures the continuation of their lineage, but their children are also the most likely to die in accidents—chaos, cultists, spirits, all crave such children.

Either as prime sacrifices or simply for their tender flesh.

My Lord, please return the strength to me.

Matilda wanted to kneel to the ground, to touch it with her forehead, but such rituals were not found in the doctrine; the Lord of Justice did not acknowledge these secular practices.

Hunger controlled the girl’s stomach, emitting mournful cries. She glanced out the window, into pitch darkness.

Go back, Matilda, it’s late.

The sound of the hall door being pushed open came from behind. This was a maiden of justice here; her voice carried worry, seemingly afraid for Matilda.

Yes, she was scared because Matilda was scared.

This companion feared her, and she feared herself, for there were too many examples of wretches like Matilda falling into decay under the seduction of chaos.

Finally, Matilda stood up, nodding her head, "Sorry for worrying you."

The elven girl shook her head: "No, I’m glad to see you’re alright, Matilda. Fate has shown you its harsh side, do not lose heart."

"I won’t. I am the last child of my family... Tomorrow I will go to the arranged meeting," said Matilda.

The Church of the Lord of Justice would recommend trustworthy peers for children like Matilda, maybe not the type she liked... but this was a necessary sacrifice she understood. Her family was at its end, and if she didn’t step forward, they would surely fall into the abyss of ruin.

Father, mother, when leaving her in this world, surely they wouldn’t wish that one day, she and her daughter become the last gravediggers of their family.

"Matilda..."

"The person I love once said, everyone must pay a price for their choices... I have made mine."

Passing by the maiden of justice, Matilda tried to keep her smile in control of her face.

"This is my Lord’s trial for me, which I will gladly accept. Order brings light, goodwill creates the future, my sister, good night."

..........

Watching Matilda leave, the elven girl thought for a while, finally closed the door of the Prayer Hall, and moved to the coat rack beside the foyer to take her coat. She walked toward the counter in the foyer and said to the startled awake pup, "I’m going to the Goddess of Harvest Church’s inn. Keep an eye on things here."

"Where are you going and for what?" the pup asked, puzzled.

"I’m going to find Malin Gaiate. I don’t want just to watch Sister Matilda wither away like this." The elf reached out to ruffle the pup’s head: "My mother experienced the same as her. She and my father are well, but sometimes, on certain days, she just sits foolishly staring out the window... I don’t want Matilda to end up like that."

"Sister, why would you think that? Will Sister Matilda really like Mr. Gaiate?" The pup looked at her curiously: "I haven’t heard anyone mention it."

"You haven’t met the parishioners from the Carterburg Church, but I’ve received them and heard what they said," said the elven girl, standing up. "Take good care of the front hall. If there’s any trouble, sound the alarm."

"If the alarm goes off and you’re not there, you’ll be punished!" The little one stood up, looking at the Justice Maiden as she walked to the door, clearly worried.

"There’s a saying among the half-humans, love and fine food should never be wasted... I think it suits today perfectly, I’m leaving."

Watching her leave through the door, the little one was unhappy as he patted both hands on the counter.

I must inform Bishop, he thought, and then he moved to the flip-down in front of the counter, ready to flip it open and step out from behind it, when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the direction of the Prayer Hall.

The tiny Toby Rabbitfolk immediately fluffed up, with his tall ears trembling, until he saw an ordinary-looking young man half emerge.

He put a finger to his lips, making a quiet gesture, stopping the little rabbit’s shriek in its tracks.

"Have your sister go find Malin," he said.

"Why, my lord?" The little rabbit felt puzzled.

"Because I don’t want to see flowers wither, nor misfortunes proliferate, and certainly not to let an attempt at salvation be in vain." He said this and then gently tapped the little one’s head: "Remember, I was here, and your Four-Leaf Sister was sent by me, got it?"

"Mhm!" Although there was a slight pain on his forehead, the little rabbit nodded vigorously, his long ears swaying with the motion.

"Good, goodnight, my child, and don’t forget our agreement," he said with a smile as he retreated into the Prayer Hall, speaking lastly with a smile before closing the door.

Then he closed the door.

The little rabbit sitting behind the counter was silent for a moment, then flopped down into the reception chair.

If he had been thinking of tattling to the Bishop just a moment ago, he was now the most devout messenger of the Lord of Justice.

.........

Malin, dressed in his robe, sat in the great hall, enjoying the pre-sleep pleasure just like the apprentices who had bathed, while Logan lay there on the planks, enjoying a massage from an elder—after all, he was an authentic Southerner from Sydney.

"You should try this, Malin," Logan said.

Malin shook his head; also a Southerner, he just couldn’t get on board with it. Besides, with his current body inheriting a giant bloodline, could any ordinary masseur really cope with the difficulty level ten task?

Logan shook his head too, but he was lamenting Malin’s lack of appreciation: "A massage is part of bathing, Malin. If you don’t accept this part, you won’t understand the true pleasure of a bath."

Malin tilted his head, gave a roll of his eyes, then turned the page of the newspaper, landing on the content of page seven — City Lord Sayer Carter of Silent Hill City arrived at The Capital today, and the council discussed the damage his lands had suffered.

So that’s how it is, looks like His Majesty Mowish really was busy.

He quickly flipped a page, and Malin saw a new headline — Carterburg’s new rich, Malin Gaiate, and his twenty-seven... Fuck (Giant’s language), when did I have twenty-seven beauties?

Sitting up straight, Malin read the entire article and realized it was just clickbait—none of the mentioned girls were real; they were all unfamiliar, and this author’s taste was horrifying. How could he dare to add Kobolds to it? I, Malin Gaiate, have PTSD about canine creatures for crying out loud!

No, this won’t do, Malin summoned a messenger and wrote a note to the president of the Dwarf Commerce Chamber, asking him to arrange for someone to acquaint the author, Mr. Batman Roland, with a stick and a sack tomorrow.

It’s not that he couldn’t go himself, but he was too recognizable, unlike a few drunken dwarves who could just hit someone and pay the fine.

After releasing the messenger, Malin turned and flipped past the page, and then, like the apprentices in the hall, he noticed the sound of someone knocking on the inn’s door.

"Who is it?" An apprentice applied a protective Spell Formation and then, covered by a comrade ready with a gun, called out—The tutors are fond of staging surprise attacks, and though Malin was there, he is considered among the tutors’ side.

"Is Malin Gaiate here?" A pleasant voice came from outside the door.

Malin stood and walked towards the door: "I am here, who is it?"

"I am the Justice Maiden of the Church of the Lord of Justice. Could you please meet Matilda?" The Elven girl looked at Malin, wearing a coat bearing the Holy Emblem of the Church of the Lord of Justice.

"What’s wrong with her?" Malin asked curiously.

"It’s not convenient to speak here, but please believe me, you must go and see her immediately, right now."

After thinking for a moment, Malin nodded: "Then please allow me to change my clothes."

"That’s great, she’s at the inn, and I’m now going to the Church. Please hurry over."

She said this and turned to leave, and watching her retreat, Malin decided to go and check it out.

On his way back to his room to change, Malin noticed all the apprentices looking at him with admiration in their eyes.

"What’s going on?" Curious, Malin asked.

"Mr. Malin is amazing, this must be the twenty-eighth one," a whelp said, holding up the newspaper.

Malin was taken aback, then laughed somewhat awkwardly: "Don’t listen to the gossip in the papers."

All the while, the rage in his heart could hardly be contained by a single Fuck (Elvish) — Mr. Batman Roland, you are so dead!

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