Holy Water

Inside the spacious, domed room, an octagonal fountain was continuously spouting water.

In the center of this fountain stands a pure white sculpture, or more precisely, a sculpture of an angel.

The statue was exquisitely sculpted, with layers of wings covering its body, its eyes covered by a ribbon, and its hands clasped in front of its chest.

Although it was an inanimate object, the moment Lu Yuan stepped into the hall, he felt as if its covered eyes had opened.

hum!

My mind went completely blank for a moment.

The next moment, an indescribable sense of "sacredness" surged into Lu Yuan's mind.

[Warning! You are being corrupted by a high-level spiritual entity!]

[Determining the situation rationally...]

Instantly, an invisible pressure descended upon the area where Lu Yuan was located, causing Lu Yuan's knees to buckle and him to kneel down uncontrollably.

The nun who was not far away saw this, put her hands together, lowered her head slightly, and parted her lips slightly.

He stood there in the shadows, watching Lu Yuan's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

This is a test used by the church to discriminate.

As long as this Dr. Lu loses control here, mutates, or reveals any inhuman characteristics.

It can be dealt with directly on the spot in the next second.

"Move...move for me!"

Lu Yuan roared inwardly, biting his lip until it bled.

Just as Lu Yuan's will was about to collapse.

The line of gray and white text in my field of vision suddenly exploded, turning into a cool sensation that instantly dispelled the pressure covering my body.

[You are being watched by something indescribable... You have received its attention, the angel's gaze has already turned away.]

[You noticed the secrets of the sky, taboo studies—the Voyeur: +2, 6.2/10]

[You have gazed directly upon the indescribable "holiness," Sanity II: +5...11/50 (Experience)]

That majestic and sacred aura vanished abruptly.

Lu Yuan felt lighter and finally stopped kneeling.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Lu Yuan understood what was going on as he observed the nun's behavior.

The church definitely knows something, otherwise they wouldn't have done this.

The nun in the shadows looked at Lu Yuan, who was now alright, and her expectation turned into astonishment.

"Are you... alright?" she asked instinctively.

"Is there something I should do?" Lu Yuan asked in return, his gaze calm as he looked directly at the nun.

The nun gave him a deep look, and that scrutinizing gaze finally faded: "No, Dr. Lu, you actually refused the angel's favor."

"How steadfast your will is! Join us, and you at least have the potential to become a priest—no, you might even become a bishop!"

Lu Yuan looked into the nun's burning gaze.

"I still prefer being a doctor."

"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider, Dr. Lu?" The nun's tone rose slightly.

"Not considering it for now."

The nun looked at Lu Yuan's eyes, which had regained their composure, and finally shook her head.

Without mentioning church matters again, he pointed to the pool and said, "You are qualified to take water now, Dr. Lu. The angels have approved of you."

Lu Yuan turned around, his shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

"That was close."

"If it weren't for the system's appearance, my 'strange dream' would definitely have been exposed. Not only that, I might have even become the angel's most devout follower."

"But who is that 'it'? Why is the angel avoiding its gaze?"

Lu Yuan suppressed his unease and glanced at the statue one last time.

Once he was sure he was still rational, he shifted his gaze to other parts of the church.

The church was no good either; knowing full well that the statue would have a "deceptive" effect, they still placed it blatantly in the main hall.

If no preparations are made beforehand, the church will gain another "powerful" believer.

After all, only those who enter through the side door are led to this lobby.

The nun, seeing Lu Yuan's silence, knew exactly what he was thinking and spoke without any hesitation:

"Dr. Lu, do you know what the most basic requirements are for becoming a doctor in Grimport?"

The nun, unconcerned that Lu Yuan remained silent, continued:

"That means passing the church's test."

"After all, the church needs to ensure that he is qualified to practice medicine. Otherwise, if something goes wrong with the people of Grimport, it won't be the church that has to step in."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan understood everything.

As the doctor who took over the clinic, the church did not care whether he had the ability or the skill.

The church only knew that there was now a worm stealing its food on its territory.

As for the assessment, whether the church passes or fails, it will not suffer any loss.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan sighed deeply, knowing he could only remain silent for now, but he would remember this matter.

"So I've passed the church's test?" Lu Yuan asked calmly, looking directly at the nun.

"I suppose so, Dr. Lu. Alright, Dr. Lu, didn't you need holy water?" The nun in the white robe still smiled, appearing somewhat sacred and solemn in the sunlight filtering through the glass ceiling of the hall.

"so what?"

The nun handed Lu Yuan two fist-sized glass bottles from the next room.

"Remember to remain devout...otherwise..."

The nun deliberately only told half of the story.

Lu Yuan took the bottle; it was surprisingly heavy. The black bottle was decorated with overlapping wing patterns, making it impossible to discern the material.

Opening the bottle, Lu Yuan focused his gaze on the surface of the fountain.

The spring water rippled, clear and transparent, indistinguishable from ordinary water.

Even the process of Lu Yuan fetching water was uneventful.

On the contrary, the nun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing Lu Yuan fill two bottles with holy water.

"Alright, Dr. Lu Yuan, the church will arrange for someone to deliver the remaining medicinal herbs to the clinic. If you have nothing else to do, you can wander around the church; the angels will protect you."

The nun maintained her smile, then left with the book in her hand.

They seemed completely unconcerned about what Lu Yuan might do to the Holy Spring.

Watching the nun leave, Lu Yuan didn't intend to linger any longer. He only glanced one last time at the angel statue standing in the spring before turning and leaving.

"Unless there are special circumstances, I will try to reduce the number of times I come to church."

Lu Yuan was thinking when he walked out of the small door of the church.

The number of people queuing outside the church has increased rather than decreased, and there are several clergy members dressed in black robes with purple shawls maintaining order at the scene.

With smiles on their faces and scriptures in hand, they maintained order while imparting doctrines to the patients in line.

Looking at the patient who occasionally showed a humble expression, Lu Yuan knew that someone else had become a believer of the 'angel'.

Ignoring these people, Lu Yuan returned along the same path, and at that moment, an experience bar quietly appeared.

[Grimport Status: +5, 20/50]

For this level of exploration, the church has given so many experience points?

Lu Yuan lowered his gaze and walked forward silently.

Only after he boarded the rickshaw for his return journey did the purple-robed figure standing behind the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor withdraw his gaze.

"Your Excellency." Sister Avril, who had been there before, stood respectfully behind him.

"That Lu Yuan... passed the test. Under the angel's gaze, he showed no abnormalities, and even... his mental fluctuations were more stable than those of an ordinary person."

The purple-robed bishop turned around, revealing an old and weary face. "Since it's approved, let's remove him from the 'cleanup list' for now."

He rubbed his temples, his voice hoarse: "The Night Watch is under a lot of pressure. Lately, the things in the deep sea have been getting increasingly restless. Since he's fine, we don't need to worry about him for now."

……