Chapter 809: Chapter 417: Of Course We’re Here to Take a Bath

Alright, if he says I am, then I am.

Being thanked by others isn’t a bad thing.

"Since you’re so insistent, I won’t say anything more."

The Sun Pope finally relented with a sigh and nodded, "I’m leaving now, the sanctuary is in your hands."

"I trust that with you here, nothing will go wrong."

He glanced at the three figures on the other side, appearing either uneasy, calm, or hungry, and shook his head slightly.

...Wait a minute, hungry?

A big question mark popped up above the Sun Pope’s head as he instinctively looked again, noticing Miss Valentina staring greedily at the gemstones embedded in the sanctuary walls, drooling.

The scene seemed quite absurd, but upon realizing her true identity, it all made sense.

Oh, she’s a Giant Dragon.

No worries, then.

It’s in a dragon’s nature.

Even newborn dragons lack self-control, drawn to glittering gemstones, and even Epic Dragons are the same.

However, she should just be envious, right?

The Sun Pope hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t say anything.

He figured Valentina couldn’t be foolish enough to do something as stupid as "steal from the Sun Sanctuary"!

"In the presence of my Lord, before you leave, no one will enter the sanctuary without permission, and no one will disturb you."

Though the words seemed ordinary, they caused a subtle shift that made Herbert’s expression change slightly, sensing a slight change here.

After entering the legendary status, he had a deeper understanding of the law.

Especially after obtaining the Holy Mark of the Eyes of the Sun, Herbert’s perception of changes in the outside world became more acute, allowing him to sense even the smallest of changes.

Moreover, the Eyes of the Sun are usually concealed like other Holy Marks, revealing themselves only when imbued with Holy Power.

Otherwise, Herbert would have to cosplay as the True Lord of Guang River Mouth every day.

Herbert noticed the subtle changes in the laws surrounding the sanctuary after the Sun Pope spoke.

It seemed that words alone could move the rules, like an act of divine law.

This discovery calmed Herbert’s somewhat inflated heart.

After stepping into the legendary realm, especially relying on his combination with Valentina to touch upon the epic level and even face off against a divine avatar, Herbert’s confidence increased significantly, even becoming slightly unbalanced.

But now, noticing the changes brought on by just a few words from the Saint, he quickly calmed down.

Though no longer weak, he realized the significant gap between himself and true powerhouses, reminding himself to remain humble.

"Thank you for your understanding; I promise not to disappoint you."

Herbert nodded humbly in gratitude and promised, "Rest assured, nothing that angers the Sun will happen here."

He didn’t use detailed words like desecrate, defile, or filthy but instead used a broad phrase—not angering the Sun God.

"Haha, of course, I trust you won’t disappoint my Lord."

The Sun Pope didn’t see any issue with this, nodding and preparing to leave.

"Ah, please wait a moment!"

Just before the Sun Pope departed, Herbert suddenly remembered something and called out, asking a rather cryptic question.

"Your Grace, I remember you mentioned before that you had seen His face, right?"

The Sun Pope blinked in confusion, clearly perplexed, "Hmm? Why are you still hung up on this matter?"

"Our Lord, He couldn’t possibly be... ahem."

This was the Sun God’s sanctuary in the mortal realm, not the Sun Pope’s personal space, so he didn’t speak too plainly.

He glared at Herbert and added, "Not just me, back then, many people saw our Lord’s image during their prayers."

"We saw Him as a tall young man with golden hair, handsome, silent, and robust."

"By the way, many said that I resembled our Lord when I was young! Hahaha!"

With that, the Sun Pope laughed proudly, touching his now white hair.

Indeed, from the tall stature, robust physique, and facial contours of the old pope, one could tell he was once a handsome young man.

But...

Herbert looked at the Sun Pope’s current appearance, imagined what he might have looked like in his youth, and then remembered the appearance of "that woman" he had seen in the Holy City.

"..."

He remained silent for a while, then slowly and awkwardly nodded in agreement, "...You’re right."

"You must have looked a lot like Him back then."

Though not a complete likeness.

The resemblance wasn’t even close.

You looked as much like Him as a hammer does!

...

...

"So, does the image of the divine actually differ in different people’s eyes?"

After sending the Sun Pope out of the sanctuary, Herbert stood in place, rubbing his chin in thought.

This wasn’t impossible.

In many stories, the image of the divine isn’t unchanging.

The divine and mortals each hold one end of the chain of faith.

The divine harvests the faith of mortals, treating them like sheep.

But at the same time, the divine is also influenced by mortal faith, gradually losing oneself, becoming the image expected by the mortals.

Some say faith is like poison.

This poison isn’t just for mortals; it also affects the divine.

"However, the divine in this world has a fixed appearance, not an ever-changing conceptual embodiment."

Unlike others, Herbert had truly seen the Sun Goddess’s form in person—blinding like a high beam light!

"Is it that the Sun God is unique?"

Herbert pondered, considering a possibility.

"An unseeable Sun... no one has truly seen His real face, leading them to concoct an image themselves."

This hypothesis seemed likely.

According to the Sun Pope, they hadn’t truly witnessed the true form but had "seen" the Sun God in their minds during prayer.

To be precise, they saw the Sun God’s image they subconsciously desired.

The images seen differed from person to person, often extremely so.

But after sharing these, the image became more complete and refined, forming a visage entirely unrelated to the real Sun God but convincing to believers.

The fan-created image must fit their stereotype of the Sun God well.

So, has the fan image become the official one?

"Oh no! The believers are rebelling!"

"But, well, it seems like He doesn’t care much, so it probably doesn’t matter."

As Herbert pondered why it’s the "Sun God" and not the "Sun Goddess," a restless and somewhat annoyed voice came from behind.

"Hey! Why did you bring us here, what exactly are you planning?" After the Sun Pope left, the long anxious Kreti finally spoke up.

Where is this place?

The Sun God’s sanctuary.

And what is she?

A Demon.

Clearly, she shouldn’t be in this place!

Extremely out of place and uncomfortable.

Kreti felt that staying here for even an extra second might forcefully purify her.

To her confusion, Herbert gave a light-hearted answer:

"Of course, we’re here for a bath!"

"Didn’t you see that big Holy Water Pool?"

Kreti: ???

You want me to bathe in Holy Water?

Are you the Demon here or not!!?

Seeing Miss Devil about to start complaining, Herbert chuckled, raised his hand to calm her, and reassured, "Don’t get worked up, relax, it’s not as bad as it seems."

He said:

"I’ll join you in the bath, how about that? Feeling more at ease now?"

Kreti: ?

More like, what the hell!

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