Lisi watched them, her pretty eyes blinking and sparkling with curiosity.
Yaxiu was also somewhat surprised that these two death row convicts possessed such high moral standards, but after a moment's thought, it made sense. Even though they had indeed committed arson, murder, and all manner of depravities, they had nonetheless received a full Blood Moon education in the rearing institutes during their childhood.
The most important principles drummed into them were "human rights above all" and "racial equality." It was precisely because of this education in human rights that the Blood Moon Trial was so wildly popular—to the audience, "death" was merely a byproduct of the trial; their greatest thrill came from "trampling upon a criminal's human rights."
No matter how cynical Igola and Harvey acted, in their hearts they still recognized the concept of human rights; they simply felt that Blood Moon Country had not yet reached the point where everyone's human rights could truly be respected.
Had they landed in an even darker, more ruthless land, they never would have questioned the mechanism of "weeding out the unconnected." Just as no one walking into a foul-smelling latrine would be surprised to find flies and cockroaches.
Yet here they were in Gospel Country, a place with a higher level of civilization than Blood Moon Country, only to discover that it harbored an elimination mechanism far more base and barbaric than anything back home. No wonder they shook their heads in dismay.
*Even Blood Moon death row inmates think this is uncalled for.jpg*
"...Though opinions differ, I'm glad to see your moral baselines are a little higher than I expected."
Though phrased as praise, Annan clearly had no patience for their sentiments, looking at them as though watching relics of the past cling to backward feudal remnants. "It's about time."
It was already fifty-eight minutes past the hour; at most, one minute remained before the first ranking was released. Everyone grew tense, and neither Banjie nor Annan was an exception. For Annan, this was her first time experiencing the Weaving Ceremony as well.
Though it was Banjie's second time, the previous one had taken place fifty years ago, and this would likely be the final Weaving Ceremony of his life.
When the clock ticked to 23:59:59, a glowing bookmark emerged from everyone's Book of Gospel.
At the same moment, the city light screen in the urban center burst with brilliant, iridescent light!
The Weaving Ceremony had begun!
***
Blood Moon Country, Kaimeng University Affiliated Hospital.
"If you could possess greater power, power so great that the weak could never ignore you..."
"If you could possess deeper wisdom, wisdom so deep that folly could never deceive you..."
"If you could possess stronger health, health so robust that old age could never harm you..."
"If you could possess enduring joy, joy so lasting that pain could never catch you..."
The puppet girl whispered softly into the Veela's ear, "Wouldn't you finally attain everlasting peace of mind?"
Freya's expression was dazed, her gaze hollow, and she murmured in a low voice, "If I possessed power, wisdom, health, and joy, I could attain everlasting peace of mind..."
"Yes, peace of mind. You will have no worries, no grief. The sun will turn for you, the world will revolve because of you, and the Four Pillars will become your pillars of support, building a world made just for you..."
"Pillars of support..."
"So..." Serena's eyes grew brighter and brighter, while her voice turned ever softer. "Embrace me, and I will take you to meet the Four Pillars..."
"But I already have a pillar of support."
"Huh?" Serena froze.
"And I don't need peace of mind." Freya's expression remained dull, but a spark of light gradually returned to her eyes. "It's precisely this unease, this fluttering anticipation in my heart, that makes me look forward to our future reunion so much... Huh? What happened to me?"
"Big Sister Freya, you must be exhausted lately," Serena said meekly, acting obedient. "You were nodding off just now. Would you like to lie down and sleep for a while?"
"No, no need." Freya rubbed her temples. "I actually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion? Once I return to the Void Realm, I'll recover soon enough... Well then, I should head back now, all right?"
"Mhm! Goodbye, Big Sister!"
Watching the Veela leave the ward, Serena's expression gradually darkened.
This was the third time she had failed to convert Freya. As the Everlasting Presence, this was genuinely the first time she had suffered such humiliation.
In the past, Serena would have simply ordered other cultists to kill Freya and moved on to another target. Here, however, the puppet girl could find no other puppets.
Her nominal guardian, Gerard, went without saying: a Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerer whom even Serena in her prime would have struggled to preach to. Beyond him was her attending physician, Xifulin, but the problem was that this female doctor also belonged to the Blood Saint clan.
Through brief contact, Serena had discovered that these Blood Saints lacked souls entirely—or rather, their souls were dispersed throughout their blood. While this soul defect hindered Blood Saints from absorbing sorcery power in the Void Realm, it also had positive side effects: in addition to granting their souls longer lifespans, Blood Saints without normal souls were exceptionally resistant to any form of mental charm.
If a normal person's body was a water tank and their soul was the water within, where a mind miracle contaminated that water directly with dye, then a Blood Saint's flesh was clay into which the water of their soul had seeped. Splashing dye onto it would only stain the topmost layer of moisture, unable to affect the whole.
Let alone the Four Pillar Gods, the Blood Saint clan likely harbored no genuine faith even in the Blood Moon Sovereign; they revered the god, but would never succumb to blind devotion. This was not because they were born traitors, but because of the nature of their souls: a flawed soul simply could not bring forth brilliant faith.
There were nurses assigned to care for her daily, but Xifulin seemed to place great importance on her case and had sent nurses who also belonged to the Blood Saint clan. It nauseated Serena to no end.
*Help, I'm surrounded by Blood Saints!*
Consequently, Serena's sole viable opening was the university student who visited her from time to time: Freya. Yet Freya was an iron wall. She specialized in the mind faction, meaning she happened to possess high resistance to mental charms herself.
More importantly, her psychological state was remarkably healthy!
It was utterly bizarre.
Among all the people Serena had come into contact with, only Freya and Xifulin maintained relatively sound mental health. The rest—the passing patients, the nurses, Freya's friends, and the Sanctuary Sorcerer Gerard—all suffered from severe psychological issues without exception.
Among this pack of budding madmen, only the Veela and the healer stood pure amidst the mire, functioning with shocking normalcy.
Serena's inability to breach Freya's mental defenses three times in a row proved that Freya had fully come to terms with her life. She neither blamed heaven nor faulted others, nor did she chase unattainable dreams; she held detailed plans and an unwavering longing for her future.
Such a person had no need for the Four Pillars. She could hold up her own world.
Every time she reached this realization, the puppet girl felt a wave of frustration.
After looking into Blood Moon Country, Serena had assumed preaching here would be a breeze. After all, the social system in this place was absurd to the extreme, an absolute incubator for psychological disorders, depression, and antisocial lunatics. She had almost begun to wonder if the Blood Moon Sovereign was an incarnation of the Monarch of Wind, Rain, and Snow.
Furthermore, this land championed human rights and personal freedom, lacking any widespread prophetic tools like the Book of Gospel. The streets were crawling with fools ripe for the taking, sprouting like chives waiting for Serena to harvest them and turn them into believers of the Four Pillar Gods.
If Blood Moon Country was an all-you-can-eat buffet, Gospel Country had been practically dining and dashing: Serena had been forced to flee the Red Hats while scrambling to cultivate followers as quickly as possible.
Because of this, Serena's opinion of the End Watcher had plummeted even further. Over the past few days, she had learned that the local Four Pillar Cult had recently been wiped out, and its cult leader, Yaxiu, had fled as a desperate fugitive after a prison break—the very man competing with her for the favor of the Four Pillar Gods.
She could not fathom how the End Watcher could have lost under such favorable social conditions. Had she been the one preaching here, the Blood Moon Sovereign would have long been framed as a mere substitute for the Four Pillar Gods, upending Blood Moon Country at its very roots.
To this day, Serena could not comprehend why the Four Pillar Gods fancied a useless incompetent like the End Watcher. Surely the Four Pillar Gods hadn't kept him around just for laughs?
Still, she would soon no longer need to dwell on the headaches caused by the End Watcher.
Serena tilted her head slightly, and a light screen materialized before her eyes.
A few days prior, she had been implanted with Blood Moon Country's specialty: a miracle chip.
Yet Serena cared little about having shackles fitted onto the back of her neck; she had endured far more wretched, agonizing trials than this.
She was destined to be entangled in everlasting calamity, yet remain present until the end.
"Ten o'clock..." Serena narrowed her eyes. "A two-hour time difference... Over there, the Weaving Ceremony has already begun."
"Which means, Yaxiu Heath..."
"Your journey of everlasting calamity has begun."
Chapter 277