"Thank you to them for letting me find you, Cole Fallon." The golden-skinned child said in perfect Colchis.

He leaned back in his chair, his violet eyes falling on Cole Fallon's face. "You can call her in."

Cole Fallon's shoulders tensed, and his pretended natural expression cracked like a mask, revealing the frail nature beneath it. "What?"

Luo Jia looked curiously. For the first time in his short life, he saw such a shallow human being. "Kossad of Theolik, she has a good hand and can help me change my dress for tonight's banquet. The magnates of Casas are interested in you, but they pay attention to appearance and etiquette, which makes me have to make my dress fit a little better. ”

"I mean...... Do you know her? I never knew about it......" Cole Fallon's head seemed to have been hit with a hammer. The child's words were coherent, but he shouldn't have been so clear about what he was talking about.

Ever since the golden-skinned child was found from the ruins of the ancient city of Bethlehem half a month ago, he had been in a peaceful sleep—or rather coma. He did not eat or drink, but his breathing was steady and his complexion was ruddy. Even if he had woken up a long time ago, and had only been pretending to be ignorant, he should not have known that he was favored by the Lord of Casas.

In fact, the gilded invitation had just been delivered to him, and it even carried the residual warmth of the waiter's palm. The white-gloved manservant bowed to him slightly, his face tinged with just the right amount of humility, and a small emblem appeared in the corner of the handkerchief tucked into his pocket. It was that family crest that made him unable to refuse.

Luo Jia smiled slightly. He seemed tolerant and gentle, reminding Cole Fallon of his teacher. It's a strange feeling, especially with a boy who looks like he's only eight or nine years old. Although he called out the former pastor by name before he introduced himself.

"She told me herself."

Cole Fallon froze for a moment, a rage filling his mind. Kosard, this lowly slave, dared to touch his boy without permission? What poisonous knowledge did she pour into this child? Will this affect his plans?

But as a slightly grounded dissident, Cole Fallon is anything but stupid. He quickly calmed down, pondering the irrationality of it. Koshad was just the most ordinary of slaves, and she didn't even know how to spell her own name. I'm afraid that Tezen himself will be able to teach this stupid woman clever words.

"What did she say?" He asked cautiously.

"She didn't say anything, I heard it myself." Roga said, his eyes looking ahead, as if he were staring at some human figure in the air. I heard her sewing her clothes in the dark corners underneath, needles poking into her fingers and sucking carefully. I heard the woman next to me known as Ashara taunting, her throat hoarseled by tobacco and drugs. Although she always blamed Kosard, the latter's sewing gesture always reminded her of her own mother. ”

A subtle smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "And you, Cole Fallon. I heard from your heart the capital known as the City of Grey Flowers, from which the Covenant Church expelled you. I saw the great city surrounded by fertile fields, and the thousands of temple spires behind the walls rose and fell one after another, like frozen waves. I saw moon lilies blooming in countless baskets, gray flowers blooming outside the windows and on the platforms. ”

Luo Jia closed his eyes slightly, as if he had seen the beautiful scenery with his own eyes. "I see the last glimpse of the mountain of the prophets cast with resentment, and you see the dazzling sign of the flames of Walladesh, a burning book. You have reproduced this symbol on your own shrine cart because you believe that it is the Covenant Religion of Valadesh that betrays the faith, not yourself. ”

"Yes." Cole Fallon no longer thinks about what to use and weigh. He lowered his head in a cold sweat, avoiding the bright purple eyes. The light of power burned in this child. How could he be so stupid as to think he could manipulate such an being? He trembled and prayed only that his thoughts would not offend the messenger of the gods.

"Look up." He heard the child's soft voice, which sounded to him like an executioner's proclamation. "Don't you think you carry the truth of the mighty ones and dare to challenge the Covenant Church? Don't you think that the ruler of the City of Grey Flowers is deeply poisoned by worldly desires? Why, then, don't you want to look at my face? Or are you not as religious as you claim to be, Cole Fallon, who claims to be the One of Truths? ”

"No!" Cole Fallon screamed, almost throwing himself on the floor, kneeling at the feet of the milky little creature. The pride that had been forcibly supported had vanished, and the old scars on his body ached. "I'm a lump of soft mud rubbed in the hands of a great man, and I have no delusions!"

He pleaded fervently, never before was he so on the verge of despair. Even the punishment of the Covenant Cult and the black storm in the desert could only consume his flesh. But power could rule on his soul, and the former priest shuddered at the thought of the hell he had preached.

The fire will scorch his heart and liver, and molten gold will pour into his guts. However, compared to the fate of the unbelievers at the hands of the demons on the other side, these encounters are as comfortable as a rest......

"Then why don't you look up?" Luo Jia said. Cole Fallon felt that gaze scorch his back like the sun of the long noon, evaporating what little coolness he had left. He looked up tremblingly, staring directly at the pure and flawless face, his body trembling like chaff.

The boy scrutinized his face. "Let's take a look." Slender fingers landed on the furrow of Cole Fallon's forehead. Despite being in his early twenties, Colchis has always aged very quickly, let alone the exiled ones. "That's exactly what you've done to stick to the truth." He stroked the sun marks and tiny abrasions on the priest's face, the marks of a trek in the desert. Cole Fallon shuddered as he pressed a slight pressure on a fresh wound.

"Don't resist." Roga said that his expression was gentle and compassionate, like that of an angel in an iconostasis. "The deeper the wound, the clearer the faith." His fingers slid into a deeper wound behind his ear, the result of a struggle with a gang of bandits. "Do you feel the favor of the mighty?"

Cole Fallon wanted to say he didn't feel anything, only the stinging pain of his fingertips that went deeper and deeper. But he also knew that he would only say that if he was crazy. He forcibly maintained his expression, and in the midst of the sharp pain, he would not be rude.

"I feel the labor of the flesh, the most insignificant of our sacrifices to power, and the reward will be unusually great." He said meekly, curbing the cold air that instinctively gasped. The child had inserted his entire fingertip into the wound, tearing open the newly healed scar. He felt warm blood gurgling down his neck

"You are proud, but this pride is not out of your own honor, but out of your own truth." Luo Jia withdrew his hand, causing another nervous tremor. He licked the fresh blood from his fingertips and smiled contentedly. "This pride is forgivable, it's different from the philistines of the City of Gray Flowers. The robed priests were so obsessed with their own interests that they forgot the will of power that hung high above their heads. They let the fire of zeal wither in their hearts, but the mighty rejoiced to find that the fire was rekindled in the heart of a pastor. ”

"It's me...... The Mighty have seen me......" Cole Fallon was almost dizzy from the violent fluctuation of emotion, and he shuddered and squeezed out a few words.

"It's you, the ascetic banished by the corrupt Church." Luo Jia whispered, reaching out and pulling the man with the truth up. His hands are immature, but their strength is incredible.

Cole Fallon felt tears welling up in his eyes, his nose aching, and his whole body fluttering. "There will be a man who will be the vanguard of all...... Led all beings into the eyes of the gods, I understood my mission from reading these words......"

"Exactly, exactly." Luo Jia whispered like a child, "Therefore I have come, and I have come with light and truth to relieve you of your burden. Sleep in peace, pastor, for the Mighty have seen your efforts and have been rewarded. ”

A hint of fear suddenly appeared in Cole Fallon's mind. He has carried the truth for far too long, although his ambition is alive and well, believing that one day he can replace his expulsors. But he couldn't imagine what he would be able to do when he was relieved of his duties. Is he no longer a vessel for the glory of truth? Can he no longer have the crowd of believers?

Soon, he began to laugh at himself at this boring worry. The Mighty have seen him, and have sent messengers with their own hands, and his journey has come to an end. Could it be that he has been polished by the wind and sand in the desert for so long that he is now accustomed to suffering, and instead is suspicious of luck?

Perhaps it is the mortal womb of one's own flesh that cannot bear the radiance of power. Cole Fallon explained himself. Until now, he felt his head dizzy when he looked at Luo Jia, as if an imminent sun was shining and radiating. He bowed his head respectfully, and would have almost fallen to his knees again had it not been for the strong hand of the child.

"Praise ...... the Gods"

Roga interrupted his lengthy compliments. "The prom is going to start soon, please help me call Koshad in." He added, "Be polite." ”

Cole Fallon saluted him deeply again, and walked backwards to the door before turning to leave.

"The ball is about to begin......" he repeated, his usually sharp eyes strangely dilated, as if he were concentrating on reciting some sacred text.

The last trace of doubt faded like water into the sand. Also took away the questions that Cole Fallon didn't ask.

Why did the envoy attend a banquet of the worldly nobles?