Chapter 261: Niya’s Challenge
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Master," Anfey glanced up at Slabrea with some respect, but mostly calm. He looked appropriate. If he looked completely respectful, it would have seemed too fake. Slanbrea was experienced and could tell what was fake and what was sincere. If he had looked completely calm, it would have seemed that he did not respect Slanbrea at all, which was not appropriate either.
Christian and Suzanna both turned to look at Slanbrea. They each had a headache. They were not too young anymore. They had developed their own worldviews and values with plenty of time and experiences they had had. They thought nothing was more boring than hearing a religious person preach. However, since it was Slanbrea, an archpriest, they had to listen to him even though they did not want to.
"If you want to learn about this world from these forbidden books, you are already wrong," Slanbrea said with a smile.
"I was just curious," Christian said, smiling bitterly.
Slanbrea wanted to say something but he hesitated for a second and swallowed it. He was aware of the situation. As an archpriest, preaching the principles of his religion and spreading the glory of the God of Light was his job. He knew Anfey, Christian and Suzanna did not believe in the God of Light. No matter how much and how deep he talked about his religion, they would not convert, but only dislike him. Slanbrea smiled and looked at Anfey. "Anfey, does the book of Hearts of Young Girls really tell stories of creation?"
"Huh…yes." Anfey was shocked for a second, then nodded.
"I read a similar book before, but it had a different name." Slanbrea squinted.
"What book did you read?" Anfey asked.
"Heart of A Saint Girl. After the God of Light created this world, it had neither light nor lives, only endless darkness, so…" Slanbrea said.
Christian and Suzanna felt they were going to have so much trouble. Christian even gave Anfey a dirty look to signal that it was all Anfey’s fault that they were talking even more about religion. Anfey bit his lips and stared at the tips of his shoes. Nobody could tell whether he was listening to Slanbrea. Christian was shocked that Anfey’s lips looked pale. It looked like Anfey was trying to control something.
There were footsteps from the staircase. Bruzuryano slowly walked upstairs. His steps sounded very slow and heavy. The floor even made squeaking sounds. He looked shaken and seemed nothing could make him perk up again.
Slanbrea stopped his preaching. He had been friends with Bruzuryano for a long time. They believed in different religions and sometimes they had fought for their own religion’s sake. He knew Bruzuryano very well. "What happened? Did you find those druids?"
Bruzuryano nodded. "Get ready. We need leave soon, otherwise we will not be able to get to Mambo territory tomorrow."
Slanbrea could tell Bruzuryano did not want to talk about the druids. He sighed, "Ok."
"We actually do not have anything to pack. We can leave at any time." Anfey cleared his throat.
"I need go back." Slanbrea smiled. "I am not done with today’s stories. I will continue when we have more time."
Anfey and his group stayed longer in the hotel, watching Slanbrea walking out of the back yard. Bruzuryano left the hotel as well. Christian scratched his head and frowned. "I hope he will never have any time. It was a torture to listen to him telling stories."
"You are right about that. So dry, not interesting at all. Once he started each story, I already knew the ending. At the end, it must be the God of Light and the Virgin Mary who created lives together." Anfey stressed "together."
"Together?" No matter how different their upbringings had been, Christian was a man who could easily pick up on these jokes.
"Yes, together," Anfey said.
"You! Don’t let Slanbrea hear it. He would kill you," Christian said with a bitter smile.
"Why? What did Anfey do wrong?" Hearing Anfey might be in danger, Suzanna immediately stared, with her eyes wide open. She looked like she was ready to fight.
"Nothing. I was just joking with Anfey." Christian did not know how to explain. If he explained everything to Suzanna, he might get himself into trouble and get blamed for flirting with Suzanna.
With the sound of a door swinging open, the left side door was pushed open. Niya rubbed her eyes and yawned as she walked over. Her hair was messy and her clothes had many wrinkles. She looked like she went to sleep with clothes on.
"Niya, go sleep a little more. We have to be on the road during the day," Anfey said in a low voice. Whether his plan could escape his opponents’ eyes depended on whether he could plan everything in detail. He had confiscated Nana’s collections. If he travelled too slowly, the necromancers would suspect that Anfey was setting them up. Therefore, Anfey was not opposed when Bruzuryano suggested leaving soon.
"I could not fall asleep. I had nightmares whenever I fell asleep." Niya put her hands down. Her eyes had been rubbed red.
"Hehehe…you look like a rabbit." Anfey smiled. Niya looked way too nervous. He hoped Niya could be distracted and not be so tense.
"What rabbit?" Niya did not get it.
"Anfey was talking about you." Christian smiled.
Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey. She grabbed Niya and took her to their room. After a while, Niya looked clean and tidy again. Niya walked out in anger. To a woman, there was nothing more shameful than letting others see her with messy hair and clothes.
What made her even more angry was Anfey’s comment. He even called her a rabbit. Any way you looked at it, a rabbit was not a pleasant way to describe a girl.
"Kids, time to go." As Niya was ready to yell at Anfey, Bruzuryano’s voice came from downstairs.
"Let’s go." Anfey smiled. He did not care if Niya understood that he cared about her and wanted to help her. He only cared if Niya could feel better.
Bruzuryano had obtained two wagons. One was a lot bigger than the other. He gave Slanbrea the bigger wagon considering his position and his living habits. The bigger wagon was very fancy. The wagon’s five horses were all white. The horses Anfey and his group rode were around Bruzuryano. They looked close to him. Druids had the natural ability to easily gain the affection and trust from animals.
Bruzuryano patted the horse’s muzzle and looked up. He said, "Kids, go sit with Slanbrea. My wagon is a little too small."
"Master, I have something to ask you. If it is not too much trouble, can I ride in the wagon with you?" Anfey always had the quickest response.
"Sure." Bruzuryano nodded. He also wanted to talk to Anfey. He gave the Heart of Nature to Anfey and now it had irreversible effects. The person who connected with the Heart of Nature also became the messenger of the Goddess of Nature. Whether for business or personal reasons, he had to accept that fact. Therefore, he needed to have Anfey promise to help sprites and druids in the future, otherwise he did not know how to explain what happened to the Heart of Nature.
"Master, I want to ask you about something too. I hope you could help me with it." Christian’s response was just a little slower than Anfey’s.
Suzanna did not react at all. In other words, she did not even care to react. She only wanted to be with Anfey.
"You are…" Bruzuryano did not understand at first why they acted this way. The corners of his mouth curled up immediately. This was the first time he smiled since he heard those druids had died. "Hehehe, do you guys dislike Priest Slanbrea?" Bruzuryano did not talk loud, but it was loud enough to let Slanbrea in the other wagon hear it.
"No!" Christian smiled bitterly. "We just have some questions to ask." They had to explain clearly here that they could not convert to God of Light, but they never doubted the God of Light and his religion. He could not show any dislike towards Slanbrea and his religion either, otherwise they would be causing troubles.
"Young men, you need tell the truth." Bruzuryano saw Christian being troubled and smiled. "Alright, if you do not mind being too crammed in, you can ride with me."
Niya looked around and did not get why they wanted to ride in a small wagon instead of the bigger one. The smaller wagon already looked crowded with four people in it. Even if she wanted to follow them, there would be no room for her. She hesitated for a second and walked to Slanbrea’s wagon.
The two wagons travelled towards the city gate. It was still a little dark, but there were already many people on the streets. To most regular citizens, they had to wake up early for work. There was a famous saying that early birds get the worm, meaning only people who could wake up early for work had the best chance for success. It was ok for royal family members to wake up a little late. If regular people woke up late, they would starve to death.
The news that the city master was dead had not gotten out yet. The city was still in order. There were more followers of the Goddess of Nature on the streets. They volunteered to be the patrols, which was very surprising to Anfey.
Four druids quietly walked next to the wagons. Anfey lifted up the curtain to look out. He could sense those four druids were pretty powerful. They must work for Bruzuryano. The two druids in the front noticed Anfey looking at them. They both turned around to greet Anfey by slightly bowing to him. There was no hostility or hatred in their eyes, only respect. Anfey was relieved. It seemed that there was not much aftermath from the previous night’s conflicts. In fact, it was not hard to deal with this kind of follower, as long as Anfey was protected by a God.
"Anfey, do you think Niya would be too naughty in that wagon?" Christian asked worriedly.
"No, you underestimate her." Anfey smiled. He still remembered the first time he met Niya. Ernest was not being very nice to her. She was not angry at him at all. Instead, she kissed his ass and showed how much affection she had towards him. She was stubborn, but she also knew the bottom line well. She would not be totally stubborn. It depended on the situation.