41: Chapter 41 Unexpected

The free prayer time ended, and the priest recited another blessing. The voice was drawn out, echoing under the dome.

"May the Holy Light be with you all."

"And also with you." The crowd answered in unison.

The service ended. The crowd began to file out.

As Zhen Lu followed the crowd out, he was stopped at the door by two people.

The two were wearing church guard uniforms, dark blue, with the holy light cross emblem embroidered on their left sleeves, and batons and communicators tucked at their waists.

Their expressions were not fierce, but very serious.

"Sir, please stay a moment." One of the guards stepped sideways to block Zhen Lu's path.

Zhen Lu was stunned for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Please wait a moment; the Bishop would like to see you."

Zhen Lu stood in place, looking at the guards' uniforms, his mind racing.

He hadn't committed any crimes, his facial scan was normal, so why would someone stop him? He looked back into the church; near the altar, a figure in white robes was walking toward the door.

That person was not old, around forty, with no wrinkles on his face and his hair combed neatly.

He walked up to Zhen Lu, looked him up and down, and then smiled slightly. His smile was very gentle, as if looking at an old friend.

"Hello, I am the Bishop of this church. You can call me Bishop Lin."

"Hello." Zhen Lu didn't know what to say.

Bishop Lin didn't talk much in the hallway; instead, he stepped aside to lead the way, bringing Zhen Lu into a reception room on the side of the porch.

The reception room wasn't big, with one long table and two chairs. On the table sat a pot of tea and two cups.

Bishop Lin poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Zhen Lu, then sat down opposite him with his own cup.

"You don't need to be nervous," Bishop Lin said. "I didn't keep you here for any other reason. Just listen to what I have to say first; after you hear it, you can decide whether to leave or not."

Zhen Lu picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was hot and a bit bitter.

"The Holy Light Empire was founded on religion; you know this."

Bishop Lin said, "The Holy Light is the foundation of everything for us. But the Holy Light is not just that glowing cross hanging on the dome; it is a real, existing power. Our Church calls it 'Holy Light Gift'—a very small number of people, at certain specific moments, will naturally awaken the power of the Holy Light. The ratio is very low, about one in several million."

He paused and looked at Zhen Lu.

"You are one of them."

Zhen Lu's hand holding the teacup paused. He did not speak.

"During the service, our church's energy detection equipment detected a special energy reaction on you. A very pure light attribute, carrying fluctuations of Healing. You have the radiance of the Holy Light on you; you used Holy Light yesterday or this morning, right?"

Zhen Lu was silent for a moment, not denying it.

Bishop Lin nodded. "Holy Light is one of the divine arts of the Church, and not just anyone can learn it. The fact that you can use it shows that you have a deep affinity with the Holy Light. Furthermore, your specialization is Healing, which is even scarcer than combat-oriented Awakeners. In the entire Radiance City, there are no more than ten registered Healing-type Awakeners in the Church."

"So, you want me to join the Church?" Zhen Lu asked.

"Of course, that would be for the best." Bishop Lin smiled. "You could be a peripheral member of the Church, registered on the books. You don't need to be a priest, and you don't need to live in the church; just occasionally participate in some church activities. The benefit is that the Church will give you certain resource preferences, such as advanced guidance for Holy Light, and some basic equipment and supplies."

"But you have another choice." Bishop Lin put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. "The Church can vouch for you and recommend you join the Guardians organization."

Zhen Lu looked up at Bishop Lin.

"Guardians? The Guardians in the news?"

"Yes." Bishop Lin said. "The Guardians are the official Esper organization of the Holy Light Empire, responsible for handling major security incidents, maintaining order, and capturing resistance organizations. You have the power of the Holy Light, which in itself proves that you are already an Esper, just not yet ranked—in the Guardians' system, this is called 'Unranked.' The Guardians have more systematic training methods and clear paths for advancement; from entering the ranks to high levels, every step has corresponding training, assessments, and resource support."

"Of course, joining the Guardians is no small matter." Bishop Lin added. "You need to consider it carefully. The Guardians' missions carry risks; it's not something you can handle just by sitting in the church for an hour every month. The threshold for being a peripheral member of the Church is much lower. If you don't want to take risks, choosing the Church is the best option."

"However—" Bishop Lin changed the subject. "You can also compromise. You could be a peripheral member of the Church, and with the Church's guarantee, be listed with the Guardians as support and Healing personnel. You wouldn't participate in frontline missions during normal times, only providing rear-line Healing when needed. This way, you can have the identity and information channels of the Guardians without taking too great a risk. Moreover, your Healing specialization in Holy Light is exactly the kind of support ability the Guardians urgently need."

Zhen Lu was silent for a moment and was about to speak when Bishop Lin's gaze suddenly fell on the ring finger of his left hand. That silver-gray ring shimmered with a faint, cold light under the lights of the reception room.

"This is..." Bishop Lin frowned slightly, examining it. "Are you playing that game, what's it called? Realm of Holy Light?"

Zhen Lu was stunned. "...Yes. I am playing it."

"Log in every day?" Bishop Lin's tone was very casual, like everyday conversation.

"Yes, I log in every day." Zhen Lu answered honestly. There was nothing to hide; Realm of Holy Light had a very high penetration rate in the Empire, and almost everyone around him knew about it.

"Oh." Bishop Lin acknowledged, a strange look flashing in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his gentle smile. He waved his hand. "It's nothing, just asking. Go on."

Zhen Lu felt it was a bit inexplicable, but he didn't think deeply about it.

"Do I have to choose one of the two paths?" he asked.

"Not necessarily." Bishop Lin said. "You can also choose neither and continue living your life. But your Holy Light energy has already awakened; this is not something you can turn off. The energy will slowly grow over time; if you don't control it, it will seep out on its own. When that happens, if the Guardians' Patrol Team detects it on the street, they will take you away directly—without passing through the Church, without any buffer. At that point, it won't be an 'invitation,' but 'mandatory registration.'"

The reception room was quiet for a few seconds.

"So," Bishop Lin put the teacup on the table and crossed his hands on his knees, "my advice is—go back and think it over carefully. Don't rush to answer me. If you are willing, contact me anytime; let's add each other on the communicator. This is a Bishop's contact information, you know; you definitely won't lose out."

Bishop Lin had a playful smile on his face.

He stood up and extended his hand.

Zhen Lu also stood up and shook his hand. Bishop Lin's palm was dry and warm, and the strength of his handshake was neither too light nor too heavy, just right.

"May the Holy Light guide you."

"And may the Holy Light guide you too," Zhen Lu said.

He walked out of the reception room, passed through the church corridor, and exited through the side door.

The sunlight shone on his face, feeling warm. He walked down the steps, crossed the square, and headed toward his apartment.

The communicator felt heavy in his pocket.

After Zhen Lu's figure disappeared at the end of the square, the door of the reception room was pushed open.

A middle-aged man wearing a dark Vice Bishop robe walked out and stood beside Bishop Lin. His hair was graying, his face was gaunt, but his eyes were sharp.

"Does this person need to be controlled by any means?" the Vice Bishop asked in a low voice, his tone flat, as if asking about a routine matter.

Bishop Lin did not answer immediately. He stood in the shadow of the side door, looking at the open space on the square illuminated by the sun, and was silent for a few seconds.

"He cannot be controlled," he said, his voice very low.

The Vice Bishop frowned.

"Why?"

"Didn't you see the ring on his hand?" Bishop Lin turned around and looked at the Vice Bishop. "He is playing Realm of Holy Light. Playing every day, continuous online status. That kind of thing—" He raised his finger and pointed in the direction Zhen Lu had left. "If you touch him, the game system will detect it."

The Vice Bishop was silent.

"Ever since that game was promoted, the Church's previous methods of control have all become useless."

Bishop Lin's voice carried a hint of indescribable emotion—not anger, not helplessness, but more like the calmness of an observer.

"I really don't understand what the Archbishop is thinking, allowing this game to operate throughout the Empire."

He walked back into the reception room and closed the door.