Chapter 25: The Missing Piece

They were, of course, not kneeling to Mo Tan. As Templars qualified to stand guard at the chapel, even the City Lord of Pator would have to treat them with courtesy; they were kneeling to the gods they each served.

As a coalition of sects leaning toward Lawful Good, the United Holy Church had absolutely no rules of the kind Mo Tan had just mentioned. Not to mention that ordinary people could come to the chapel to worship and pray, even what most considered "Evil Gods" would not reject any potential believer.

Therefore, although their behavior just now might have seemed like an overreaction, in their hearts, they knew it could be considered a violation of doctrine.

Naturally, Mo Tan did not care, nor did he have the slightest interest in which specific tenets of their respective deities they had violated, or whether they had broken one or two. He had simply used this small incident to prove something.

That was just how much of an impact the "Unbeliever" talent could have on others.

After all, the description of this talent was far too vague...

【Unbeliever: You cannot choose a faith because you harbor no awe for any higher existence. No missionary will ever waste their time on you! None!】

Since the system had forcibly installed this talent on Mo Tan, it had yet to show any practical effect. From the description, he guessed that religious figures wouldn't come knocking on his door to proselytize, but he didn't know the specifics.

This talent might not have much impact on him now, but it was enough to be a potential hazard, one that might trigger a series of unexpected developments at any moment.

And while Mo Tan liked and enjoyed seeing such developments, he loathed any situation that was truly unforeseen.

Rational people are not scary, because their thought patterns are too easy to deduce.
Smart people are not scary, because with a little effort, one can see the thoughts behind every step they take.
Madmen are even less scary—they’re already mad, after all.
But a person who is both rational and smart, and whose thought patterns are unfathomable, is a bit terrifying.

【Pious believers will feel a slight aversion and vigilance toward me, but they will not harbor strong hostility unless I commit some extreme act. However, they probably won't believe a word I say either.】

Mo Tan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking down at the two guards who were whispering prayers, asking for their gods' forgiveness, while he contemplated.

【Experience, wisdom, and reason can all correct their actions. The older fellow clearly thought more than the other blockhead, but he still couldn't completely block the influence of the talent.】

"I apologize, I spoke a bit too harshly." Mo Tan walked over to them, knelt halfway, and said with a tone of slight contrition, "Because of some troubling matters at home, I wanted to come to our city's chapel to pray. I didn't mean to make things difficult for you two; perhaps it's because my mother is seriously ill that I've been feeling restless. I was just overly emotional..."

【If I take the initiative to show goodwill and appear sincere when their defenses are vulnerable...】

"No, it was I who was offensive." The young Templar lowered his head, saying shamefacedly, "I didn't expect that your..."

"Xiao Luo!" the older warrior interrupted in a deep voice. "Do not get it wrong. We violated the code... You should first feel ashamed for having betrayed the will and admonitions of your god!"

【It works, but it has little effect on those with firm faith. This might be related to my Charisma and Oratory attributes, but it's hard to verify for now. What is certain is that whether the influence is positive or negative, it is less effective against stronger believers, but their subconscious suspicion is even more troublesome... Heh... Interesting. Let's leave it at that for now...】

"Then, may I ask, am I allowed to enter?" Mo Tan stood up and asked politely. "I would like to pray for my family."

The older one, having finished his prayer and seemingly receiving some kind of response, let out a sigh of relief. "Please, but do try to observe the rules here."

"About that..." Mo Tan immediately put on an awkwardly rustic expression, fidgeting with his clothes and hair as if a shy country bumpkin were entering the city for the first time. He turned his face away and muttered, "Rules and such... I might not be particularly..."

This "clumsy" way of easing the tension was too easy to see through. The warrior sighed helplessly and said to the young man beside him, "Xiao Luo, take him inside to pray. I'll keep watch here."

"Understood, Senior." The Templar called Xiao Luo quickly responded, then nodded to Mo Tan, "Please follow me."

In fact, there weren't many taboos in the United Holy Church's chapel. After all, it wasn't an independent sect dedicated to a single deity, but a relatively loose alliance. Unless someone committed an act of blasphemy in public, there were basically no rules to break.

However, the Templar didn't know why, but he felt that this clean-looking guy was a bit unsettling. Blasphemy or something... what if he actually did it?!

So, it was better to have someone keep an eye on him.

And this was exactly what Mo Tan hoped to see.

"Master Knight, I'm really sorry about earlier." As soon as he stepped into the chapel, Mo Tan smiled at Xiao Luo. "I meant no offense, please don't take it to heart."

"Not at all!" Xiao Luo waved his hand immediately. "It was clearly my fault just now, and I am still far from qualified to be titled a knight in the Holy Church..."

As they spoke, they reached the center of the chapel. Although it looked modest, its scale and footprint were many times larger than the City Lord's mansion nearby. The surrounding walls were covered in exquisite reliefs, interspersed with numerous prayers and the doctrines of various deities. Every dozen steps or so, there was a depiction of a miracle, generally telling the stories of how the gods worshipped by the United Holy Church saved people from famines, suffering, droughts, floods, landslides, and other such messy events.

"Is it that hard to become a knight?" Mo Tan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the surrounding reliefs and asked Xiao Luo in surprise, "Our town has had a few knights, and they don't seem to have your level of refinement."

No one dislikes hearing praise. If someone really doesn't like it, it's because the words are laced with thorns or the flattery is too clumsy. Everyone understands this principle.

Mo Tan's simple, sincere praise undoubtedly made the young man quite happy. Given his seniority, he didn't have many opportunities to be complimented. Although he shook his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. "It is very difficult to earn the title of knight within the United Holy Church. Being named a 'Paladin' is my dream, but it's certainly impossible within these next few years..."

As they spoke, they arrived at the center of the chapel, where a massive statue of the pantheon stood. The light filtering through the skylights cast a layer of holy radiance upon it, making it look solemn and sacred.

It is said that every statue of the pantheon in the United Holy Church has been personally blessed by high-level figures at or above the rank of Archpriest from each sect, and all possess multiple divine properties. Whether this is true or not, no one knows.

"Most people pray here." Xiao Luo bowed in a way that he probably didn't even know which sect it belonged to, then smiled at Mo Tan. "As for the method, it varies. The gods are merciful and do not demand much, especially since you are not a believer..."

Mo Tan nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, then I will first... er..." Xiao Luo hesitated, as if wavering over something, but finally said, "I will wait for you a little further away and accompany you out later."

Actually, he wanted to say he would leave, but looking at this half-elf who seemed generous and easy to talk to, he couldn't shake off a lingering sense of resistance in his heart.

Here, we must defend the "Unbeliever" talent. This wasn't a problem caused by the talent itself; the point was that whenever Mo Tan logged in as Tan Mo, he always radiated an indescribable quality. If one had to describe it, it would be...

Chaos. Extreme chaos.

This innate barrier with the Lawful faction, combined with the "Unbeliever" quality that NPCs perceived, made it impossible for anyone to completely trust him.

In short, Xiao Luo the Templar left the center of the chapel and stood further away, chatting casually with others.

Although it was morning and there weren't many people praying, many of the United Holy Church's clergy were already in the chapel, performing daily prayers, guarding, or cleaning.

Mo Tan closed his eyes, pretending to pray for the "family" he had invented, while in his mind, he was rapidly calculating the information he had collected so far.

Dave Sager was a baptized, active believer whose deity was the Guardian of Knights, Warriors, and Judges: Hemer, the God of Justice and Courage.

But Dave had betrayed and plotted to kill his classmate at the Knight Academy for some plan, which was absolutely something his god would not permit.

Yet, Dave had not been struck by divine punishment...

The end of the files recorded that he had been striving toward the goal of becoming a Paladin. Although he hadn't met the requirements yet, his martial arts talent in recent years was far higher than that of his peers.

But he was supposed to be a young man without any extraordinary gifts.

The conditions for becoming a Paladin were currently unknown, but they shouldn't be a secret; they could be inquired about in a short time.

However, even if he knew them...

"I still feel like a couple of pieces are missing from the puzzle..." Mo Tan muttered softly, rubbing his forehead. "It would be simple to ruin Dave, but since I've discovered such a huge inconsistency, it would be too boring to ignore it. This unique quest really has some depth to it."

Destroying "Hero" Dave—the reward for this quest was three question marks. Mo Tan felt the system wasn't just being mysterious; the reward would likely depend on the degree of completion. Although he didn't care about the quest itself, with his current personality, he would naturally strive for the maximum amount of fun. And usually, fun and difficulty were directly proportional.

Never mind, the harder the better. After all, it's only interesting if it's challenging.

"I just know that guy doesn't look like anything good!"

Just as Mo Tan was about to end his feigned prayer, a muffled, low-voiced grumble reached his ears.

It wasn't that Mo Tan had special talents or training, nor was it thanks to the relatively sharp hearing of a half-elf; it was simply that the "grumble" from that mammoth beast-kin priestess was a bit too loud.

Almost everyone in the chapel had their attention drawn to her.

"Sculpted Tooth!" Xiao Luo, standing next to the large mammoth woman, was almost in tears, his face flushed red as he looked up and whispered, "Keep your voice down! Keep your voice down!!"

"My voice is low enough!" the woman didn't notice at all, and she even sniffed toward the center of the chapel where Mo Tan was. "Look at him, doesn't he look like one of those cultists full of twisted, evil ways?"

Cultist?! Twisted, evil ways?!

Something seemed to flash through Mo Tan's mind...

Two minutes later, in front of the chapel gate.

"I'm really sorry..." Xiao Luo said to Mo Tan with a flushed face. "That little priestess is a new apprentice; she doesn't think before she speaks."

Mo Tan blinked. "That 'little' priestess is almost taller than both of us stacked together."

Xiao Luo shrugged at him.

"Don't worry, I don't mind." Mo Tan smiled slightly. "I don't even know what a cultist is, anyway..."

Xiao Luo's expression turned stern. "They are terrible heretics. They are deranged, commit every evil, and admire all sorts of vile, evil things, even labeling them as 'gods.' Some cultists don't even have an object of faith; they act solely for their own mad, evil impulses. Murder and blood sacrifice are daily routines for them. Driven by evil thoughts, those heretics will do anything. Even the most evil god is a thousand times better than the phantoms they worship... Ugh, I don't want to talk about them anymore; even discussing them is a disrespect to the gods."

"Oh?" Mo Tan stopped just a second before leaving the chapel, turned around, and asked curiously, "What do they gain from it? For example..."

Skill activated—【Beguile】

"...Can they command monsters? Or gain a significant increase in talent and abilities in various areas?"

In Xiao Luo's ears, Mo Tan's voice suddenly became very intimate, as if he were an old friend he had known for years. Before his brain could react, his mouth subconsciously answered: "Well, the abilities of various cultists are all bizarre. They can force themselves to gain multiple powers by paying various prices or performing cruel rituals, but those are evil paths... Er?!"

Xiao Luo's eyes cleared instantly, and he looked stunned.

By then, Mo Tan had already walked out of the chapel without looking back. He said, "Thanks, buddy~" and disappeared into the dense crowd outside the chapel.

Chapter 25: End