Global Evolution: I Transplanted the Supreme Divine Heart-Chapter 281 - 278: The Legend of Our Lady of Thorns

[You have entered the Original Sin World.]

[Do you wish to spend 360 Spiritual Points to temporarily acquire the universal language translation function for this plane?]

Bai Pu squinted his eyes. From just these two prompts, he sensed something different.

Both he and Blood Spider chose "Yes."

Blood Spider said, "I remember in previous entry prompts, it always said, 'Welcome to the Plane World of xx,' and every time we entered a world, we could spend Spiritual Points to acquire the language of that plane, and our appearance and attire would be adjusted so as not to arouse the suspicion of the natives. This time, it seems different."

"Perhaps this is the peculiarity of the Substrate Plane... Do you feel that this plane doesn't seem to be under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Realm Will? That's why the Spirit Realm Will didn't say something like 'Welcome to.'

Blood Spider nodded, a bit excited yet nervous.

[Original Sin World]

[Time: Late Third Epoch]

[Region: Original Sin Continent]

[Intensity: 3.6]

[Background: Everyone is born with original sin. The first to embrace suffering bled dry among the thorns and received godly favor, becoming Our Lady of Thorns. Some fortunate imitators found strength in pain. The Thorn Church was established, and a crusade to unify the continent's faith began, but the Thorn Cutters would never surrender...]

Bai Pu glanced over the prompts from the Spirit Realm Will, focusing on the background, and then looked around to observe the environment of the Original Sin World.

This place is somewhat like the Heart Demon World, but the oppressive and stuffy feeling is magnified tenfold! The gray clouds in the sky render the sun a sickly pale, like the sun in winter, frail and powerless.

[Main Quest Step 1: Cutting Through Thorns]

[Quest Objective: Kill 10 Thorn Fanatics, 3 Thorn Saint Warriors, 1 Thorn Priest.]

[Quest Duration: 7 days.]

[Quest Difficulty: A]

[Completion Reward: Spiritual Points +10,000]

[Failure Penalty: Spiritual Points -30,000]

Blood Spider exclaimed with a bit of surprise, "The main quest came automatically; we didn't even need to trigger it ourselves."

"This is prematurely restricting our faction choices..."

Bai Pu said with a frown, "According to the background information, the main factions in the Original Sin World should be two: the Thorn Church, which believes in the doctrine of suffering, and the 'Thorn Cutters,' who oppose the Thorn Church...

"Normally, we would have a few days to explore and freely choose to join one of these two factions for the main quest, but the Spirit Realm Will is showing such a clear bias, which is very unusual."

"Does that mean the power gap between the two factions is significant?" Blood Spider, a seasoned quest enthusiast, pondered.

Bai Pu slightly nodded, "I'm afraid there's more to it than just a power gap."

"The penalty for this main quest isn't that high, only deducting 30,000 Spiritual Points. We could first observe which faction is worth joining," Blood Spider suggested.

Bai Pu sensed that Blood Spider seemed somewhat different from usual, speaking more as if trying to prove himself.

He said nothing, just nodded slightly, and moved forward with Blood Spider.

Along the way, the scenery became increasingly bizarre.

There was a rabbit with blood-red eyes repeatedly ramming into a tree, breaking its head open, and dying by the roadside.

Nearby lay a starving, emaciated wolf, its belly nearly touching the ground. The wolf lazily lay there with no intention of eating the rabbit's body right next to it.

Among the forests were some outrageously shaped plants, like a beech tree whose trunk split into a three-pronged fork, its branches drooping in three directions, revealing an uncovered white heart.

Fortunately, these peculiar flora and fauna were in the minority. Most plants and animals were fairly normal.

Bai Pu and his companion encountered a woodcutter carrying a bundle of firewood.

Oddly enough, the woodcutter was walking while whipping his leg with barbed thorny branches, shouting, "Our Lady of Thorns above! Please forgive this sinner!"

The woodcutter's legs were bleeding profusely, yet he seemed utterly unfazed, even when he saw Bai Pu and Blood Spider, two outsiders whose clothing clashed with the world around them. He ignored them, his face consumed by fervor.

"Follow him. It should lead us to a settlement of natives," Bai Pu whispered.

Without a word, the two followed the woodcutter, who showed no fear or curiosity about them.

Thus, the three of them oddly reached a village.

A crowd filled an open space in the village.

An individual wearing priest robes and a thorn iron crown stood on a high platform, shouting:

"We are born with original sin, and only suffering can redeem us!

"Suffering is the whetstone of the soul. Suffering is the source of strength!

"Let me tell you the legend of Our Lady of Thorns.

"In the beginning, the Holy Mother, under divine revelation, recognized the original sin she bore. She stripped off her garments and lay naked among the thorns, allowing the thorns to pierce her skin and bleed.

"Whenever the blood stopped flowing, the Holy Mother would pray on the ground. The thorns, moved by her devotion, continued to grow, etching holy marks on her body. After seven days and nights, the Holy Mother bled dry, washed away her sin, received divine favor, and entered the godly realm with immortal divine power.

"The Holy Mother could have remained in the godly realm, but she chose to return to the Original Sin Continent to save the lost lambs, walking this land in place of God. Praise the Holy Mother, praise the suffering!"

The crowd below raised their voices in a chorus, "Praise the Holy Mother, praise the suffering!"

The priest, with a thorn iron crown, spoke fervently, loudly proclaiming, "There are many examples of divine favor!

"Within the Divine Church, there was a devoted follower who poured molten gold over himself. This novel torment also received God's favor, and he became a golden statue, earning the great title of 'Gilder,' revered by countless followers!

"Another devoted follower in the Divine Church bound himself to a log. He neither slept nor ate nor drank. After forty-nine days, he, too, received divine favor, earning the great title of 'Bound,' and was equally revered by countless followers."

"So, believe in the thorns, embrace suffering! This is God's guidance; this is your wealth!"

Under the priest's influence, the people below fully demonstrated human diversity, some beating their chests with their fists, others kneeling to pray for divine grace, bloodying their foreheads, and still others even prostrating themselves to eat dirt...

Bai Pu exchanged a glance with Blood Spider.

"There's no need to consider the Thorn Church's faction anymore... they're just a bunch of lunatics!"