Chương 55: Religion

My hands got sticky from the cotton candy melting due to humidity, but it was worth it. Soon, I was left with just a hollow white stick with I promptly tossed in the trash. After washing my hands at a nearby sink—which surprised me to see. I thought we were in the medieval ages, why is there a sink here? Tower! Get your timeline right! Ahem, after washing my hands, Luna and I continued to explore the event town. Though, it was more like me dragging her along and enjoying the scenery.

Luna, being a 'veteran' awakener, had long since explored most towns, so, she knew the general layout of everything. But, she never expressed any displeasure or impatience, happily following along as I took pictures in awe. I mean, when does the average person get the chance to experience a town from the medieval(?) ages! Maybe if I lived in Europe, but I'm a natural-born American!

"Look! Look!" I cheerfully said to Luna, pointing at a grand cathedral. The building was magnificent—the biggest I've ever seen! With beautiful architecture and pointy roofs, it towered into the sky.

"That's the church." Luna said with a nod, "It's certainly impressive—in any state it'd be quite the tourist attraction." Outside the church were missionaries and nuns—multiple people could be seen going in and out of the building. Compared to the other buildings, this one definitely had the largest crowd.

"Wow…" I said in awe, "I don't think I've ever seen a nun in person…" Though, that might be because I'm not a church-goer. I kept that part to myself though.

"Are they like how they are in the stories? Kind, benevolent, long-haired, big hearted?" I asked.

"…" She narrowed her eyes at me when I mentioned that last part, "They're similar to how they're portrayed in stories and games. Generally, yes." She said.

"Hehe," I cleared my throat, "But, what God do they follow?" I asked. I'm not particularly informed on religious matters, I just know there's a lot of deities and Gods out there. There's even Naturia—that Goddess who's lost her hair. How would that be handled in the event town—where people from all over the world visit?

"The building has most of the major and minor God's and Goddess' inside. They're separated into rooms or sections."

"What about the one's they don't have? It certainly can't have every one out there? Right?"

"If you put in a request and the tower confirms the legitimacy, a room, section, or statue can be added easily—why don't we head inside and check it out?"

"Sure!" I said, grabbing Luna's hand. Subtly, there was a mischievous feeling building up inside me…Would this get me smited? Hehe… …

"Is there a Saintess?" I asked as we approached the building.

"There is a Saintess class, yes. Also a priestess, priest, pope…Holy Knight, paladin…Yeah, there's a bunch of religious-related classes." Luna replied.

"Wow…So official." I nodded, "What about heretics?"

"Mhm, there's also classes related to heresy. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is a warlock."

"Have you teamed with any of these classes before?"

"Yep." Luna nodded, "Having a support in the team is standard—priests and priestess' can heal, cleanse debuffs, and even buff. They're pretty much a core member of any team comp."

"Hm…" I nodded. Soon, we were close enough that I could see the nuns up close.

"Psst, Mouse…" I whispered.

"Yes?"

"Is the church corrupt like in all those novels? Are they secretly working for an evil God? Are they abandoning villages and forsaking villagers?"

"Pfft!" She spat out, yanking my arm and causing me to stop. After two quick knuckle taps to my forehead, she continued, "Don't commit blasphemy in front of the church, you blockhead. And no, the church is not corrupt on the inside. Some more of the advanced religious classes forbid sin, else your class will forcibly change. There's also classes focused on maintaining order and detecting heresy."

"Ow…" I rubbed the spot on my forehead where Luna hit, "Why do you know so much about church classes and affairs anyways?" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"My mother was a former nun and current priestess." Luna said.

"Eh?? Really?" In my head, I was picturing an amplified Luna—a taller, mature looking lady with silver hair, a big chest, and wearing a nun's uniform.

"…I'm getting a strong urge to hit you right now." A voice from the side snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Ahem!" I quickly cleared away those thoughts, "I see, I see. Your mother must be a very kind lady—I can't wait to meet her one day."

"Hm…I don't know if I want to let you meet her."

"What!? Why not!?"

"I'm concerned about the mischief and chaos you'd cause."

"EH!? I'm not that bad!" I spat back with a glare.

"You're talking about the church being corrupt right in front of a cathedral—and in close proximity to various nuns."

"Hmph—" I pouted, but before I could pout some more, we approached the entrance to the church. My previous mood immediately changed as we entered inside and the cold air hit me.

"Wow…" I let out in awe. Those were the only words I could manage to muster. Inside was even more grand than the outside. Tall, beautiful pillars held up the ceiling—each pillar was magnificently sculpted and engraved with fine details. Beautiful murals were painted on the walls and ceiling. Despite having so many people inside, it didn't feel crowded whatsoever.

"Impressive, right?" Luna asked, snapping me back to reality.

"Mhm," I nodded, "Extremely." We walked off to the side as to not block the entrance, but before we could continue to chat, I noticed a lady in white robes approaching us. She didn't look like a nun—rather, more like a priestess from fantasy games.

"Hello!" She said with a lively, bright voice, "Are you two here for the gauntlet? Do you happen to need buffs?"

"Um-" Before I could speak, Luna spoke,"No, thank you. We're just visiting."

"I see. Then, please excuse me. Have a good day." She said, promptly leaving.

"What was that?" I asked, "Do church people solicit nowadays?"

"Haha…" She awkwardly chuckled, "It's just another way people make money. During combat events, support classes offer buff services so that combat classes can do better during the event. A lot of people go to the church before the event starts for this reason."

"Oh, I get it." I nodded, "That's allowed? Then, can they also drink potions before the event? Do the buffs from potions and support classes stack?"

"They do." Luna nodded, "Are you interested in selling potions here? We could return home for a bit if you want to grab some potions to sell."

"No, no." I quickly shook my head, "It's just interesting. This type of stuff is completely out of my world—Plus, what could D grade potions even do? If you're trying to rank high in the event, A grade potions would be way better."

"Not entirely." Luna shook her head, "People buy stuff based on what they need and how far they can get. It's about cost-effectiveness when you're doing a combat event. A mid-tier awakener like me would never spend the points to buy an A grade potion for a simple event like this—I wouldn't profit. At most, I'd buy a C grade, or a D grade if I'm being stingy."

"Hm, that makes sense." I nodded, "Hehe, don't buy other potions though, if you want one, just ask me."

"Oh yeah? Can you make me an A grade combat potion then?"

"…" I narrowed my eyes at her, Luna was smiling mischievously at me, "…Can we put a pin in that for now""Hehe, sure." She smiled. Tsk…I need to clear this floor and get better at brewing potions.

"I want to see a Goddess statue though." I changed the topic and grabbed Luna's hand.

"Oh? Were you religious?" She asked.

"Hehe…" I giggled.

"Well, you can ask a nun sitting at one of the desks, they'll tell you where the section you're looking for is." I nodded and pulled Luna to a nearby nun.

"Hello, how may I be of service to you?" The nun asked, she had a pleasant, mature voice.

"Yes, hello, sister, I'm looking to see if you have a specific Goddess?" I said, stepping up.

"Of course, may I know the name of the Goddess?"

"I'm looking for the Goddess of Alchemy, Stella-" As soon as those words left my mouth, a hand forcibly covered it and Luna pulled me back,"AHEM!" Luna coughed, "I'm sorry, sister, this brat is only joking. Please think nothing of what she said." Before the nun could even reply, Luna dragged me away by the arm. …

"Repent!" Luna said, "Keep those arms up!" Outside the church, I was sitting on my knees with my arms raised in the air. My lips were jutted out in a pout and I could only stare at Luna with my most pitiful expression.

"Your puppy eyes aren't going to work this time." Luna said with narrowed eyes.

"Sniffle…"

"Don't lower your arms!"

"…This is Raccoon abuse…" …

"Hehe, sorry." I scratched the back of my head.

"Haah…You silly girl." Luna sighed, shaking her head. To be honest, it was kind of funny. Totally worth it.

"Hehe."

"Just what am I going to do with you…Haah…And you wanted to meet my mother.

'Not that bad' she says." Luna sighed again, really emphasizing it.

"It really isn't that bad though…" I mumbled.

"Haah…" She only sighed again. Then, a sudden thought occurred to me as I looked at Luna.

"What?" She asked, looking at me incredulously, "You look like you're thinking something stupid."

"Eh? No…I'm not." I replied.

"…" She stared at me in silence.

"Ahem, I was just wondering something."

"…Let's hear it." She said, exhausted.

"How are you even here?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Like, aren't nuns supposed to be celibate? How are you here?"

"…" Luna looked mentally done for today.

"Hehe," I sidled up to her and hugged her arm, "Sorry, sorry, I'm done messing with you for today." She shot me a sharp glare,"So…You've been acting like this on purpose?"

"Teehee?"

"…"

"How much longer until the event starts? How about we go and eat at a fancy restaurant, I'll pay." Her eyes finally gained a bit of shimmer when I mentioned eating.

"I'm bankrupting you today."

"Okay!" I smiled. … There was about an hour left until the gauntlet started. So, Luna and I headed to a restaurant run by a famous guild. Apparently, it's a guild specializing in food. In the real world, they have years of reservations. Personally, I've never heard of it, but, I trust Luna, the foodie.

"If it has years of reservations, shouldn't the event town restaurant be packed?" I asked.

"It's not as fancy or official as the one in the real world." Luna explained, "The restaurants in the event town are primarily manned by trainees and apprentices—you can think of it as a lite version of the official restaurant."

"Oh~interesting." I nodded, "That's a neat way to do it." Soon, we approached a building with a sign hanging off the front that read 'La Revoir'.

"Is this it?" I asked.

"Mhm," Luna nodded with stars in her eyes, she grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me into the building. … Surprisingly, it wasn't that populated. So we got a table pretty quickly. Luna said this was because there were multiple restaurants. Inside had a particularly modern feel, completely contrasting the rustic exterior. Glancing over the menu, I was a little surprised to see the variety. Seafood, steaks, chicken, pasta, they really had all the major dishes. Though, the prices were outrageous.

They ranged from 10, 000 points to the most expensive being over 30, 000 points.

"What're you going to order?" I asked, my hands slightly trembling. …Am I really gonna go broke buying food for Luna? Ah, the pain of having to pay for my sins. Maybe I should go to a confessional instead and be liberated…

"Hm…I think I'll have the sirloin." Gah! I clenched my chest. How the heck is a sirloin $130!? (13, 000 points). What kind of scam is this!? If I'm paying 13, 000 points I better get the whole cow! I forced a smile and nodded, my hands trembling under the table.

"…That's a good choice." I said with a broken voice.

"Right?" Luna smiled, blissfully unaware of my inner turmoil, "What about you? What're you thinking of getting?" I took a deep breath and read over the menu once more. Gulp…

"Say…" I started, "…Do they check IDs here?"

"…" Luna stared at me for a moment.

"…" I stared back.

"…I don't believe they do. Don't tell me…" Just then, the waitress came to the table.

"Hello! Welcome to La Revoir, could I get you two anything to drink?"

"I'll have a water and coke, please." Luna said.

"Got it." The waitress replied, jotting it in her notebook, "And you, miss?" She turned to me. I could see Luna shooting me eyes with messages imbued in them. Unfortunately, I've decided to be illiterate for today.

"Please give me a water and glass of whiskey."

"A water and…glass of whiskey." The waitress hesitantly repeated, giving me a check over.

"Yeah…I think I'm gonna need it leaving here." I replied.

"Okay…" Though hesitant, she didn't question me more. Probably because looks can be deceiving—especially when talking about awakeners. Those elves can look like children while being the same age as grandparents.

"Are you serious?" Luna asked as soon as the waitress left the table.

"Extremely," I nodded, "What? Not like it's illegal."

"Yeah, but…"

"What? Can't I drink around you?" I rested my cheek on my hand and smiled.

"…Hmph, whatever. Just know that if you black out, you're missing the event for today."