God's Gift

The Pope took Yu Youyou to see the murals inside the church and told her the origin of the church.

The very first totem was a small island in the midst of strong winds and huge waves, and the little people on the island all looked panicked.

"The city we originally lived in was on an isolated island by the sea. The terrain there was steep and it was often swept by wind and waves, making life miserable for the people."

The next totem showed a fish as huge as a whale. Its body was as deep blue as the ocean, and it had a pair of glowing eyes on its head, staring straight at the island. In the sky was a silvery-white light spot like moonlight.

The Pope looked at the big fish on the totem with a pious expression.

"This is our god. It comes from the deep sea tens of thousands of meters deep and possesses the most powerful and unparalleled divine power in the world. It can make all things grow and die. Its left eye looks back to the past, and its right eye predicts the future. It blesses all things and also brings disasters. Its name is... Oshi."

"The gods are merciful and know that we are going through a disaster. They came from the deep sea to help us and bless us."

Lu Keming was standing behind the two of them. When he heard the Pope's description of their so-called gods, his expression showed a subtle contempt.

He did not believe in God and scoffed at the Pope's devout faith.

Yu Youyou stared at Ou Xi intently, not knowing what she was thinking.

The Pope did not notice the different expressions of the two people and pointed at the light spot on the mural.

"This is blessing, a generous and powerful gift that brings luck, protects us from harm, and heals all diseases. We carry it with us to protect others in the same way."

Yu Youyou nodded, and the Pope led her to the next mural, pointing to the emblem on the wall that was the same as the religious emblem Yu Youyou saw outside the church.

"This is a sign from our gods."

"This is also the evidence that we know that you were sent by God." The Pope turned his head and looked at Lu Keming. "You have the same mark on your arm."

"Yesterday, the master personally presided over the sacrifice and extinguished the fire of hell, which made us more certain of the master's identity."

Yu Youyou paused, then turned and looked at Lu Keming suspiciously.

Lu Keming stood there without any reaction, ignoring Youyou's suspicion.

"Since we came here, we have been trapped here and unable to escape. Your Excellency is a blessing to us."

The Pope expressed his gratitude to Lu Keming again.

Lu Keming smiled faintly and accepted the Pope's thanks without any guilt.

"Then grandpa, do you know about the fire?" Yu Youyou remained true to her original intention and continued to complete the task.

Speaking of hellfire, the Pope's expression became much more serious.

"For so many years, the villagers have been jealous of us because of this, but we have a clear conscience and have never done anything bad."

"If it was really because of us, the gods would punish us. Why would they let us use their power to protect this village for so many years?"

"An ignorant person only blames others for his own mistakes."

After saying this, the Pope shook his head silently.

Yu Youyou frowned and held her chin in her hand as she thought.

If this is the case, then the Pope's statement is the same as Lu Keming's. They both believe that it was the villagers' mistakes that ignited the fire of hell.

So what did the villagers do?

"Those monsters have been trying to break into the village, but now with the protection of the blessing, at least the village is safe." The Pope sighed and changed the subject.

"Grandpa, I just met your daughter.".

When the Pope heard Yu Youyou mention Emma, ​​he fell silent, and the kindness on his face turned a little cold.

He doesn't seem to like Emma.

Yu Youyou was a little confused, but continued to ask her question, "Emma said that you have killed those monsters."

The Pope relaxed his expression and said, "When we first came to the village, the monsters liked to disguise themselves as the villagers' dead relatives, return to the village to lure the villagers, and then kill them. We cleared the monsters for them, but found that the monsters would not die at all."

"Since then, they no longer disguised themselves and completely transformed into their ugly and weird appearances. They have resurrected from the dead time and time again, and have been attacking villages non-stop."

Even decades later, the Pope can still recall the situation at that time, and still has lingering fears.

"But fortunately, we have the protection of the gods and are able to keep the monsters out."

"But the monsters made us afraid to leave the village easily, and I was worried for many years."

The Pope looked at Lu Keming and said, "But I believe you can help us."

Lu Keming was staring at the mural, but when he heard the Pope's words, he turned around and nodded to him.

Yu Youyou glanced at Lu Keming from the side, and Lu Keming narrowed his eyes and met Yu Youyou's gaze.

Yu Youyou put her hands in her pockets and looked away as if nothing had happened.

The Pope told Yu Youyou some other stories, and they left the church only when the sun went down and the sky darkened.

Yu Youyou followed behind Lu Keming with brisk steps, looking around from time to time.

On the roadside of the church, there were clusters of flowers that Yu Youyou didn't recognize. The flowers were large and bright, completely attracting Yu Youyou's attention.

Yu Youyou trotted over to Lu Keming and asked him curiously, "Lu Keming, do you know what kind of flower this is?"

Lu Keming glanced at Yu Youyou and didn't answer.

Seeing that Lu Keming didn't answer, Yu Youyou picked at the flowers on the roadside and muttered to herself:

"Lu Keming doesn't know you either."

Lu Keming walked a few meters without stopping.

Yu Youyou quickly followed and walked to Lu Keming's side.

"Lu Keming, do you have any guesses about the fire?"

She followed Lu Keming closely, staring at his profile with her head tilted.

"Hellfire." Lu Keming's voice was cold, and he didn't even look at Yu Youyou.

"Ah?" Yu Youyou asked in confusion.

"That's called Hellfire." Lu Keming repeated.

Yu Youyou had never called the Hellfire by its correct name. She had always called it the flame or the flame in the forest. Lu Keming's words were a reminder to her.

"Oh." Yu Youyou nodded, then looked at Lu Keming again, "Then what do you think about that fire?"

Lu Keming stopped and glanced at Yu Youyou.

Yu Youyou also looked at Lu Keming.

A few seconds later, Lu Keming turned his head and looked at the sun gradually setting at the end of the path. His voice was like the fading temperature of dusk.

"How do you think those monsters appeared?"

Lu Keming looked at Yu Youyou and continued, "Or, who created them?"

"The fire of hell has torn off their disguises and turned them into monsters, but are the monsters' appearances really their true selves?"

Lu Keming asked questions one by one, seemingly asking Yu Youyou questions, but in fact he was constantly leading her.

Yu Youyou quieted down and looked at Lu Keming in silence for a long time.

Her eyes were different from her usual expression of joy, and were as calm as a deep and quiet ocean.

Lu Keming stared into Yu Youyou's eyes and frowned.

"Young Master." Anthony's voice came from behind, and Lu Keming looked over.

Anthony stood under the eaves nearby and signaled Lu Keming with his eyes, as if he had something to say to him.

Lu Keming nodded and looked at Yu Youyou again.

"Hey, are you going back?" Yu Youyou became her original lively and cute self again, as if everything Lu Keming had just seen was an illusion.

"Then I'll go back! See you tomorrow, Lu Keming."

Yu Youyou waved to Lu Keming and walked towards the other side of the village with a happy pace.

Anthony glanced at Yu Youyou in the sunset, and then looked at Lu Keming, who was staring at the direction where Yu Youyou left with an unclear expression.

"Master, can Yu Youyou do it?" Anthony couldn't believe that Lu Keming told Yu Youyou the information and asked Yu Youyou to investigate the villagers.