NOVPUBThe wind that carried the essence of summer brushed past the shoulders of the two.
After bidding farewell to Sergeant Nigel, they followed their plan and checked in at the attractions near the Church of the Goddess in Pariel. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
"The surroundings of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in Floral City Pariel seem a bit different than in Ichrite, let’s bring some back to Hyperion,"
Talia said to Lanci.
Hyperion particularly liked to collect various tokens from the Church of the Goddess of Destiny.
Of course,
those of other deities were also fine,
as long as they were from a good and orderly alignment.
"Indeed, that’s possible. There are probably gift boxes of tribute pastries with local features, postcards, music albums, and Poseen translations of the ’Genesis Record’ for sale,"
Lanci thought out loud, agreeing.
Local people generally wouldn’t buy such things, but they might be quite popular with tourists from other places.
Places like Ichrite Academy also sold various items with the school emblem and name, which the students inside hardly fell for, but visiting tourists occasionally purchased.
Cat Boss listened from Lanci’s arm.
It was unclear why the two referred to temple souvenirs as merchandise.
In any case, both of them weren’t the type to sincerely revere deities from the bottom of their hearts.
The two and the cat walked into the vast square in front of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in Pariel, where the grand building completely filled their view.
Its spires and flying buttresses seemed like a bridge connecting the past with the present.
Occasionally, a flock of doves would take off from the adjacent plaza, skimming over the high towers of the church, leaving behind a series of melodious shadows.
Here was district 1 in the central city area of Pariel, situated on the middle west bank of the Selina River, facing the City Hall of Pariel and the Platinum Sen Palace across the river.
"The tribute pastry gift boxes sold at the temple eventually end up being eaten by people, right?"
After listening to Lanci, Talia had been pondering with her head down and finally asked with doubt.
She felt that since they were special tribute pastries as souvenirs, they shouldn’t be like the old-fashioned offerings presented to deities.
Members of the Demon Race could also believe in the Goddess of Destiny, but good and orderly deities often weren’t so popular in the Demon World, and demons would subconsciously feel unwanted by such deities.
Sometimes Hyperion dared not enter the temples of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in Ichrite, worried about defiling the pure land of the Goddess of Destiny. It wasn’t until later that the Bingxue Witch Almis gave Hyperion the courage to formally become a priest.
For Hyperion’s sake, Talia also maintained the most basic respect for Hyperion’s beloved Goddess of Destiny.
"That’s right. You give the money to the church, the Goddess understands your intentions, and then you can enjoy the pastries,"
Lanci explained to her.
According to the introduction, the gift box mainly contained sweets – the soft cake was light as a cloud, said to melt upon the slightest touch on the tongue.
The filling, coupled with fruit and cream based on the cake’s appearance, was enriched with coconut, pudding, and other ingredients.
In Talia’s era, this way of enjoying confections probably wasn’t popular.
"Then these pastries won’t preserve well or be easy to take back. If we buy this pastry gift box, let’s just eat it on the way,"
Talia suggested.
"No problem,"
Lanci replied. This time in the Poseen Kingdom, aside from buying materials for the ’Calila’s Shadow Weave Record’ card making, the remaining funds were money his father had told him to use for buying treats for Tata; whatever she wanted, he would buy.
"How many boxes?"
He added.
"...One box!"
Talia bit her lip, feeling that Lanci’s level of ’should be smacked’ was so high that she was too lazy to hit him.
Lanci, holding the cat, and Talia walked forward in the bright square.
Today, their destination, the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in Pariel, and its architectural silhouette emerged before them.
They passed the towering arches and slender colonnades and stepped into the church within a few strides.
The Church of the Goddess of Destiny in Pariel was generally shaped like a long horseshoe cross, with a total built-up area of six thousand square meters, a west facade with two seventy-meter bell towers, and its five internal aisles included one central nave flanked by two sets of side aisles, ultimately forming a cross shape; the top served as the altar, and the long wing of the cross was the main hall of the rectangular Church of the Goddess.
"The priests of the Temple of Love that this church belongs to are also the biggest Temple of Love on the South Continent,"
Lanci explained to Talia like a tour guide.
Each city’s principal temple of worship varied; for Floral City Pariel, the largest temple was actually the Temple of Love, corresponding to the chapter of will and affection in the ’Genesis Record’, which documented the Divine Arts of the Mental Series.
The Temple of Will and Affection was often popular with couples or young people seeking marital connections, with residents and tourists frequently praying there for love and relationship fortunes.
"Not bad."
Talia felt that Lanci sometimes provided services that were very much to her liking.
She hardly needed to worry about anything – just following him around was enough.
The arc-shaped arch structure formed three broad doorways inside the hall, with lifelike depictions of the Genesis Record carved above the door lintels.
On both sides, the walls were adorned with hundreds of stained glass windows. The craftsmanship of these windows made them shine brilliantly under the sunlight, like a colorful, vivid, natural kaleidoscope.
"Speaking of the chapter of will and affection, it’s a pity that the related ’Original Tablet - Spirit’ has completely disappeared,"
Lanci and Talia walked through the Church of the Goddess, looking up at the divine era murals on the dome and lamenting.
Back in Ichrite Academy during the Magic Family Tree class, when Teacher Teresa mentioned the Original Slabs, he had asked about the whereabouts of the Original Slabs in the current world, yet the slab of Spirit had been missing for many years.
