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God-Stealing Cultist, Marvin had never thought about it before, yesterday he still firmly believed that there were no gods in this world, so how could he be a God-Stealing Cultist?
What embarrassed him was that Yuniya actually knew he was a fake believer.
Indeed, although Marvin had personally founded the Church of Truth and even fabricated a deity, his faith was not in the false idol but in the tangible truth.
"Yuniya, since you know I'm not one of your followers, why are you willing to lend me power?"
"It's because Yuniya knows how much heart and soul Daddy put into creating Yuniya.... Since the moment Yuniya came into existence with a glimmer of consciousness, I've been by Daddy's side."
"Came into existence with a glimmer of consciousness?"
Marvin raised an eyebrow: "Weren't you descended just yesterday? Could it be that you developed a consciousness before yesterday?"
"Umm..."
Yuniya appeared confused: "It seems so, a year ago Yuniya could already sense the surroundings, but was trapped in the idol, unable to birth true Divine Grace."
"Is your descent related to the earthquake yesterday?"
"I don't know...."
Seeing that Yuniya knew nothing about her own origins, Marvin didn't continue to question. He was certainly curious about where this deity had sprung from, but the priority was....
to resolve the trouble at hand.
A plague of rats carrying a curse was scurrying about the city, and if not stopped in time, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Yuniya, do you have a way to remove the curse that the rats are carrying?"
"Yes!" Yuniya giggled: "Just like Fat Orange and Little Black, all believers who receive the goddess' divine protection are immune to common curses, but...."
"But what?"
"It's too late now."
Yuniya looked up at the moon veiled by a thin layer of cloud and whispered, "Although the curse the rats carry is a common one, it acts very quickly. Once infected, it takes effect in a very short time, and the creatures that die from the curse will continue to spread more curses. The bodies become a breeding ground for the curse to spread, and many people are destined to die tonight... Daddy, Yuniya can feel the number of believers is decreasing."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As soon as the words fell, the church doors were violently knocked.
Marvin, along with Yuniya, Fat Orange and Little Black, quickly returned to the church, opened the door, and saw several middle-aged men standing outside. They were clad in brown fleece coats, carrying kerosene lamps, and looked anxious.
They were all workshop owners in New Ross City, each running their own small factories, and the big-bearded middle-aged man at the head was named Fons Browning, and the brewery where Mr. Jacob worked was owned by him.
They were also believers of the Church of Truth.
Fons Browning's eyes were bloodshot, he gasped for breath, and his beard trembled slightly as he spoke: "Priest, there's trouble!"
"Take it easy, what happened?"
"Those damned rats!"
Fons Browning shivered: "Just like mad, they must bite someone passing in front of them. Those who are bitten soon fall into a coma, develop a high fever, and die from skin necrosis within two hours! No medicine helps!"
"It's the Black Death!"
A person standing behind Fons Browning said: "I've read about this disease in books; it's also caused by rats!"
"And those officials and nobles living in the wealthy district, they are indifferent to our plight! As soon as they heard it was the Black Death, they immediately sealed off the streets! They never acted this quickly when it was time to distribute charity funds!"
The cacophony of noise was overwhelming; Marvin's head swelled with the din. He instinctively glanced at Yuniya, who remained silent by his side, and turned his head to ask, "What's the situation in the city now?"
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"Many people have been bitten, and anyone who went to the scene after they died has contracted the disease!" Fons Browning shouted, "The city is in complete chaos!"
"Now, you are the only one we can rely on, Priest!"
"That's right! Only you can save us now, Priest!"
"Me?"
Marvin's heart skipped a beat, he wondered if the divine descent had been exposed.
Had Fons Browning and the others come knocking on his door in the hopes of seeking the Goddess's blessing?
"The priests from the Church of the Three Fates said Holy Water could cure this disease, but there's not enough to go around, so we had to come here to ask for your help, Father Marvin!"
Holy Water can remove a curse?
What a joke...
Marvin, who brewed Holy Water daily, knew better than anyone that the so-called Holy Water had no power to treat disease or bring blessings!
It was just a pot of plain boiled water!
Unless...
Marvin suddenly narrowed his eyes.
By infusing Holy Water with the Divine Grace, it might indeed be possible to eliminate the curse within one's body.
But why would the priests from the Church of the Three Fates broadcast this?
If they sold the Holy Water quietly, not only could they make a fortune, but they could also heavily promote the Church, and those who took the Holy Water and survived would surely become utterly devoted to the Church!
On the other hand...
This was an absolute trap!
Only Holy Water infused with Divine Grace could remove the curse, so the priests from the Church of the Three Fates could use this fact to heavily promote their own Church. And the smaller churches, without the descent of a deity, naturally wouldn't be able to provide effective Holy Water. Soon enough, their already scant congregations would believe their original faith to be false!
How could they not flock to the Church of the Three Fates, whose Holy Water was notably effective and whose doctrine was 'truly reliable'?
Furthermore...
If another church produced Holy Water that could remove the curse, wouldn't it prove that they too had been graced by the descent of a deity?
The smaller churches, which could still hide in the shadows hoping to expand and wait for an opportunity, would suddenly find themselves in a dire predicament.
Either they provided Holy Water to keep their followers and then got targeted by The Great Church.
Or they kept the Holy Water to themselves, only to eventually see their congregations leave in droves for other major churches!
No matter which path they chose, they would be cutting off their own limb!
Such a vicious scheme!
At this thought, Marvin's face grew noticeably darker. He was about to speak when he heard a loud 'clang' from behind.
Turning around, they saw Fat Orange and Little Black squatting on the empty baptismal font, with puddles of water on the floor below, and the copper pot that had contained the Holy Water overturned on the ground.
"Ah!!!"
Fons Browning clutched his head and let out a heart-wrenching scream, "My Holy Water!!!"
Seeing this, Marvin's eyes lit up and he quickly stepped in front of the people who were ready to roll up their sleeves and teach Fat Orange and Little Black a lesson, speaking rapidly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, the Holy Water is temporarily gone. You can go and see at other churches, just give me a bit of time to prepare."