Volume 1 Chapter 163
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 163: The Dragon God Sect
At this moment, Chancelianne was bearing immense pressure from all sides. There were not only the internal conflicts and coercion from the Imperial family, but also the subtle yet undeniable pressure from the church… Of course, the heaviest burden came from her own pain and struggle.
When all is said and done, the passing of the Imperial Emperor was a tremendous upheaval for everyone. But among all people, those who likely found it hardest to accept were Chancelianne and Alice.
After all, he was their dearest family. Not long ago, they had just met, even spoken with him. Yet in the span of a few short days, they were now separated by life and death.
This change was too sudden, as if everything from yesterday had become a distant dream, making it impossible to accept the cruelty of reality.
For anyone else, they might have already succumbed, crushed by the sudden tragic news.
But Chancelianne did not. She maintained her composure, did not break down, did not show excessive emotion, and was even still handling the affairs at hand.
This alone was enough to demonstrate her resilience. To be able to hold herself together under such circumstances was already a remarkable feat.
“It’s alright, there will always be a solution.”
Eve softly comforted, her voice gentle, carrying a calming power.
Her gaze swept lightly over the person before her, a reassuring smile playing at the corners of her mouth. It was as if, no matter what difficulty she faced, she could confront it with calmness, making one instinctively trust her words.
Just as her words fell, the carriage door was abruptly pushed open from the outside, letting in a gust of cold wind.
Anna, fuming with anger, strode in, pulling Andai by the hand. Her face was etched with rage and indignation, her brows tightly furrowed, clearly thoroughly provoked by what had happened outside.
In stark contrast was Andai following behind. She kept her head down, shrinking behind Anna like a child who had done something wrong, not uttering a word, not even daring to breathe heavily.
“It’s just too infuriating! Those church guys are simply bullying people too far!”
Anna began angrily as soon as she sat down, her eyes burning with barely suppressed fury, her whole person seeming as if she were about to explode.
Eve’s gaze fell on her hand and noticed that the originally bulging money pouch was gone. It was easy to guess that those copper coins had probably all been given out.
This had been Eve’s initial intention, but judging from Anna’s expression, things clearly hadn’t gone that smoothly, she had likely encountered quite a bit of trouble.
“What happened?”
Eve inquired softly, her voice gentle and steady, as if offering a sliver of calm support to the furious Anna before her.
She didn’t show much surprise, as if she had already anticipated something like this might happen. She simply watched Anna quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Anna gritted her teeth fiercely, the anger on her face almost uncontrollable, a glint of resentful fire faintly visible in her eyes.
She took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the fury in her chest, but the words she spoke still carried undisguised anger: “Those missionaries… they actually demanded that children barely past infancy must join the church, must believe in their so-called gods! But those kids were just hungry, just wanting to fill their bellies!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, her hand even unconsciously clenching into a fist, her knuckles turning slightly white.
“They used threats and enticements, using a few dry, hard-as-rock pieces of black bread to lure those children, making them sign agreements they couldn’t understand at all, completely unaware…”
Anna’s voice trembled slightly, clearly deeply angered. In her view, those children had only accepted the missionaries’ food because they were hungry. Yet these missionaries took advantage of the children’s vulnerability, forcibly absorbing them into the church, pressuring them to become its followers.
What was more terrifying was that the children probably didn’t even know what those agreements contained. Once signed, they might have to be bound for a lifetime, their freedom perhaps completely stripped away.
Thinking of those missionaries in opulent robes, preaching benevolence and faith, yet using such methods to deceive and exploit the most helpless children, Anna’s fury became even harder to contain.
Her voice turned cold, a hint of chill seeping into her tone: “Those guys are just like beasts in human skin!”
“Calm down a bit.”
Eve spoke softly, her voice even and rational, like a breeze brushing over the blazing anger within Anna. “You are the Dragon Clan, they are humans. Logically speaking, their life or death has nothing to do with you. So why are you so angry?”
Her words were calm, yet they struck like a sharp blade, piercing directly into Anna’s heart and making her freeze for a moment.
Her body stiffened slightly, the burning fury as if doused by a bucket of cold water, forcing her to reconsider her current emotions.
“But…”
Anna subconsciously opened her mouth, her voice lowering a few degrees, carrying a hint of hesitation. “But I just can’t stand it… Those people simply shouldn’t be doing this!” Her brows remained tightly knit, her emotions still difficult to settle, but a thoughtful tone crept into her voice.
She gritted her teeth, lowered her eyelids, as if organizing her words, then spoke in a low, resentful tone: “After all, it was because of my departure that other Dragon Clan members came and destroyed this place… Those people shouldn’t have suffered this disaster.”
Her fist clenched even tighter, her knuckles turning pale, as if she still couldn’t let it go. She paused, then continued: “And those missionaries, taking advantage of people’s misfortune, deceiving children with such methods—that is even more unacceptable!”
As she spoke, her emotions surged once more, her tone filled with unconcealed anger, her breathing even growing slightly rapid.
Eve watched her quietly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile unconsciously appearing at the corners of her mouth, a meaningful glint flickering in her eyes.
Then, she slowly turned her head to look at Chancelianne beside her, her gaze seemingly asking a silent question—See? Wasn’t I right?
“Hmm.”
Chancelianne nodded slightly, her expression calm, yet a hint of deep thought and affirmation gleamed in the depths of her eyes.
She let out a soft sigh, then said in a firm tone: “In that case, I can be completely at ease.”
Her gaze swept slowly over Anna and Andai, a touch of solemnity in her demeanor. “Anna, Andai, from now on, the Empire’s sole faith will be the Dragon God Sect. And you two, as the true Dragon Gods, will receive the most honored treatment from the Imperial family.”
Her words were neither hurried nor slow, yet carried an undeniable authority. Each word fell like solid stone, steady and firm.
“Actually…”
Chancelianne paused briefly, her eyes flickering slightly, as if recalling something. “I have always been pondering a question—whether having the Empire’s subjects believe in the Dragon Clan is truly feasible. After all, faith is never something easily established.”
Her fingertips lightly tapped the chair’s armrest. After a moment, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. “But now it seems—it is feasible.”
Her gaze rested on Anna, a rare look of approval in her eyes, her tone also softening slightly: “It is not because of the Dragon Clan’s strength that I am willing to help you establish the Dragon God Sect. It is because of the admirable qualities you have shown, qualities worthy of being believed in by the entire Empire’s people.”
Her voice was low and gentle, yet carried an intangible power. It was as if, in this moment, her words had transformed into a kind of promise, quietly imprinted upon this land.
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