Lord of Prayer

Noah.

That was the name of the fallen King of the Sun.

’I have Noah’s aura on me? I must have picked it up during the Essence Resonance in Peach Blossom Spring. The influence of a being with such high Status affects one’s very Soul, and since Father Daun is one of the Seven Great Bishops of the Dawn Church, it’s perfectly normal for him to notice...’

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Chen decided to be honest. "A few days ago, I was performing a secret mission in North Carolina, during which I entered Forbidden Object B-005·Peach Blossom Spring. While inside, I experienced an Essence Resonance and saw a sun with a blurry human figure within it. I must have picked up the Sun King’s aura at that time."

"North Carolina..." Father Daun nodded thoughtfully. As one of the former Seven Great Bishops of the Dawn Church, he was well aware that Noah had once gifted Forbidden Object B-005·Peach Blossom Spring to Havier. It seemed Zhou Chen had accidentally resonated with the remnants of Noah’s past left behind in Peach Blossom Spring.

He didn’t pursue the topic. "Are you here for Lin Ya?"

"My superior wants to hire her as her new Secretary."

"Then you should go speak with her."

Father Daun had no objection. With that, he turned and left. A moment later, a school bell rang, and a group of children came laughing and shouting out of the building.

The first few children to burst out stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Zhou Chen. Then, their faces lit up with shocked excitement, and they started shouting, swarming around him as if he were some kind of exotic creature.

"I saw you on TV! You’re Santa Claus!"

"Are you here to give us presents?"

"Where are your reindeer?"

Drawn by the noise, Lin Ya, dressed simply with her hair in a braid and a plain look about her, came out of the building. A look of astonishment crossed her face when she saw Zhou Chen surrounded by the children.

"Huh? You’re..."

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zhou Chen, Secretary to the head of the Golden Bamboo Star Association’s Special Action Team," Zhou Chen said, ruffling one of the children’s hair as he introduced himself to Lin Ya with a smile.

A strange feeling welled up inside him. This was the first time the "Lamp God" had met his own Fanatic in the real world.

"I know you. You were on TV." Lin Ya offered a polite smile. "A lot of the kids here are your fans."

Zhou Chen smiled and snapped his fingers. A red light flared around him, transforming his clothes into a magnificent red Christmas robe. With a crisp jingle of bells, reindeer emerged from a dreamlike starlight, pulling a sleigh.

"Wow!" The children cried out in delight, instantly mobbing the reindeer.

"Let’s go over there to talk."

Zhou Chen gestured for Lin Ya to join him in a spacious, open area and stated his purpose directly:

"Miss Lin Ya, my superior, Ms. Jiang Che, head of the Golden Bamboo Star Association’s Special Action Team, would like to hire you as her new Secretary."

"Ah?" Lin Ya froze, her face a mask of disbelief. "Me?"

"Yes. Your performance in past missions has been outstanding. You’re a rare talent."

"I... I don’t think so," Lin Ya said softly, a little nervous. "I’m not capable enough. You should look for someone else... Besides, I-I don’t want to change jobs. I’m very happy here."

’Lin Ya’s an introvert, afraid of leaving an environment she’s already adapted to. Of course she’d refuse at first...’ Zhou Chen continued, "The work as a Secretary isn’t especially demanding. You’ll have plenty of time to come back and be with the children. Most importantly, the pay is high and the prospects are excellent. You’ll also get large bonuses for completing missions. Once you’ve earned enough, you could even renovate the entire welfare home. Besides, you have a powerful gift. It would be a terrible shame to let it go to waste."

Lin Ya fell into a thoughtful silence. It seemed she was starting to be swayed.

Zhou Chen knew he had to strike while the iron was hot, so he presented the one offer that would be endlessly attractive to Lin Ya. "To show our sincerity, we’ve decided to tell you a secret. Miss Lin Ya, please prepare yourself."

Lin Ya was confused but nodded anyway. "Go on."

"While reviewing your personal file, Ms. Jiang Che noticed some anomalies. The unknown disease that caused your parents’ deaths... there’s more to the story. There have been many similar cases..."

Lin Ya looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. She remained stunned for a long moment before she managed to ask, "W-what... what do you mean..."

"According to the leads I’ve found, at least eight families who worshiped the Goddess of Life experienced similar incidents back then."

Zhou Chen lowered his voice and told her gravely, "This wasn’t an accident. It was murder!"

’Murder...’ Lin Ya took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In truth, she had known for a long time.

A long time ago, the great "Lamp God" had discovered the abnormality affecting her and had her personally eliminate the lingering Curse that had tormented her for years.

’If a Curse existed, then there must have been someone who cast it. And that person was undoubtedly the true culprit who murdered her parents and filled her life with suffering.’

’She just never imagined that so many similar incidents had occurred, and that all the victims were families who worshiped the Goddess of Life.’

"Whether or not you agree to become Ms. Jiang Che’s Secretary, I will help you investigate this case. However, it’s been a long time, so I can only do my best," Zhou Chen said.

After a fierce internal struggle, Lin Ya finally said in a low voice, "...I need to discuss this with Father Daun."

「Ten minutes later.」

Lin Ya approached Zhou Chen, who was handing out gifts to the children from a large Christmas sack. "Father Daun has something to say to you."

Lin Ya led Zhou Chen to the door of the welfare home’s study. He knocked, then pushed the door open and went inside.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Father Daun in a golden glow. He stood like a statue before an old-fashioned bookshelf, his neck craned as he seemed to be searching for a particular book.

Seemingly having found what he was looking for, he reached out, took a blue notebook from the shelf, and gently wiped the dust from its cover before speaking.

"Lin Ya is a good girl. You must treat her well."

Zhou Chen smiled. "Don’t worry, sir. Jiang Che can be fierce at times, but she’s actually a very good person."

Father Daun hummed in acknowledgment, walked over, and handed him the blue notebook. "I had someone look into the case of Lin Ya’s family. In the end, I discovered that the Life Church destroyed all the related files. This matter must not be simple. Take this notebook. Go to the Life Church in Jinzhu and say you’re looking for ’White Bird.’ She will help you."

’The Life Church, "White Bird"...’ Zhou Chen’s interest was piqued as he accepted the blue notebook.

"Also, don’t peek at the notebook. Unless you want to be dissected, healed, dissected again, and healed again," Father Daun added calmly.

A shiver ran down Zhou Chen’s spine, and he hastily tucked the item into his Storage Waist Bag.

·

"White Bird?"

Star Association, Office.

Upon hearing the name, Jiang Che thought for a moment before saying, "’White Bird’ is a Palace Mother in the Life Church. She’s also a confidante of Father Daun’s. Getting her help would certainly solve a lot of problems."

"For Father Daun to do us such a huge favor for free... he must really care about Lin Ya," Zhou Chen said.

"Father Daun once had a daughter, but she was later targeted and killed by the Abyss Church. Perhaps Lin Ya reminds him of his deceased daughter," Jiang Che said, pausing for a moment. "In that case, we need to take this matter seriously."

Zhou Chen scratched his head. "Alright, I’ll go to the Life Church and find ’White Bird’ tomorrow, then."

"Why not today?" Jiang Che glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of her computer screen. "You have plenty of time to go to the Life Church and find her after work."

"You said it yourself—’after work.’ There’s no reason to be working then."

Zhou Chen spread his hands. "Besides, the case is already a decade old. It can wait a little longer."

Jiang Che: "..."

’Fine. He has a point.’

·

In a dim dungeon, seven bound young women huddled in a corner, trembling.

A kerosene lamp cast a weak glow over the scene. On an iron bed, stained with blood both fresh and dry, lay a man, trussed up tightly. His eyes were wide with terror as he thrashed about, making the bed frame shake and creak. But his limbs were bound fast with thick hemp ropes; though he struggled until his skin was rubbed raw and bloody, he could not break free.

Next to him was another rust-spotted iron bed, also covered in dark red bloodstains. The man’s struggles gradually roused the unconscious woman lying on it. As she took in her surroundings, the color drained from her face. She was overcome by immense Fear and tried to scream, but with her mouth gagged, only muffled sobs could escape.

The air was thick with the cloying stench of blood. In the dim, yellow light, the walls were revealed to be covered in dried blood—a gruesome collage of splatters, sprays, and splashes. The blood on the floor was so thick it had congealed into a viscous, dark red carpet. This place was a veritable slaughterhouse.

Just then, a shadowy figure approached, holding a sacrificial knife covered in strange, blood-red markings. Its footsteps made a SQUELCHING sound as it trod upon the viscous, dark red "carpet."

"Wang Meng." The figure stopped beside the man, its voice a demonic chorus of countless overlapping male and female voices.

"You were envious of your friend’s successful restaurant, so you secretly planted rats and cockroaches in his kitchen, then contacted the health department and the media to expose him. His restaurant was ruined overnight. Ultimately, unable to bear the pressure of his loans, he took his own life by jumping from a building.

You betrayed friendship."

As soon as the words were spoken, the sacrificial dagger plunged with a SHLICK into the man’s heart. A surge of crimson, bloody energy rose up and was absorbed into the blade, causing the red markings to glow even more brightly.

The shadowy figure then moved to the woman and raised its dagger.

"Chen Xue."

"You betrayed the husband who worked himself to the bone to put you through college. Eight years of love couldn’t compete with two days of sweet-nothings from another. To force a divorce, you slandered him endlessly and spun a web of lies. In the end, you got your divorce. And he, too, leaped from a high-rise.

You betrayed love."

With a SHLICK, the sacrificial knife plunged into the woman’s heart. A surge of crimson, bloody energy rose and was utterly absorbed by the blade, making its red markings brighten a fraction more.

"Sixteen betrayers. Two more to go."

The shadowy figure turned its head, its eerie gaze falling upon the young women huddled together in a terrified ball.

"Pure virgins. Also two more to go."

·