380: Your Majesty, you're watching a play again.

On the other side, Lin Ran stared blankly at the Succubus with smoke rising from her head, then looked around in a daze at the bar that had instantly "returned to normal."

The colleague beside her tugged at her sleeve, advising with a trembling voice, "Ran... Sister Ran, let's go back. There are still backlogged documents to handle tomorrow."

Lin Ran was pulled up by her colleague, casting one last glance behind her before leaving.

The strange woman was propping up her chin with one hand while the other tapped lightly on the rim of her glass. She raised her glass toward Lin Ran from a distance, her lips curling into a faint, enigmatic smile.

As Lin Ran was half-dragged and half-pulled away from the bar by her colleague, the faint, numbing after-effects of the "worry-dispelling brew" still lingered in her soul. Her head felt heavy, and her footsteps were a bit unsteady.

The neon signs twisted into blurry, dazzling patches of color within the Underworld Market's unique Nether Mist. She rubbed her temples.

"Just now... was that an earthquake?"

Lin Ran asked hesitantly.

The last image in her memory was the burst of thunderous light atop the Succubus's head.

"How could that be!" The Female Ghost Officer gave two dry laughs, tightening her grip on Lin Ran's arm to quicken their pace.

"It was just aging wiring on the Succubus lady's side—a short circuit! A normal occurrence. Sister Ran, let's hurry back to the dormitory. I'll boil some soul-awakening soup for you."

Being pushed forward, Lin Ran couldn't help but look back.

The purple-black curtains of the bar swayed, and she could vaguely see those three strange figures still sitting calmly in the corner.

The woman in the windbreaker turned her head to say something to her companions. The girl with twin tails burst out laughing, while the one wearing black-rimmed glasses shook her head.

[Aging wiring?]

Lin Ran narrowed her eyes.

The intuition she had developed over years in the Special Affairs Bureau screamed within her soul.

She suddenly stopped and reached for the brand-new Bridge of Helplessness exclusive work ID at her waist.

The Female Ghost Officer was still urging her from the side: "Sister Ran?"

Lin Ran slowly lowered her hand, letting her colleague pull her into the teleportation array leading to the staff dormitory.

As the array lit up with blue light, she took one last look at the hazy gray sky above the Underworld Market.

[Your Majesty.]

She murmured in her heart.

[You are watching the show again.]

The moment the teleportation light swallowed her figure, Shang Wan Ning suddenly curled her lips into a light smile in the bar booth.

"What's wrong?" Ling Qi looked up.

"Nothing." Her Majesty the Empress stretched, a corner of her windbreaker's hem lifting up.

"I just suddenly remembered that the 'Netherworld Civil Servant Code of Conduct' You Yu left before going to Ativi probably needs to be revised."

Chen Yu spoke vaguely while biting a straw: "Adding a rule like 'Prohibited from pretending to be a pauper on live-streaming apps'?"

Shang Wan Ning flicked her forehead: "Adding a rule like 'Prohibited for superiors to abuse lightning magic for personal vendettas'."

The figures of the three gradually faded amidst the bustle, leaving only the Succubus lady with a head of charred hair standing before the mirror at the bar, looking ready to burst into tears.

The bartender silently pushed over a freshly mixed "Shock-Soothing Special Drink," with a small card stuck on the rim: "Third one this month, put it on the tab."

...Ativi Continent, Oakvia Territory, Veloria.

The morning light pierced through the clouds, casting a golden glow over this giant city dominated by white tones.

Today was the summer festival of the Goddess of Light, Astrea, and the streets were already filled with crowds.

Millions of people, from well-dressed citizens to serfs permitted to enter the city, did their best to tidy themselves up.

Their faces were full of anticipation, yet hidden with a hint of humbleness. They walked hurriedly, fearing they would arrive at the Grand Cathedral of Holy Radiance too late to receive the holy water said to dispel illness and disasters.

In the center of the city, the Grand Cathedral of Holy Radiance stood majestically.

The entire complex, built of snow-white moonstone, reflected a glow in the sunlight so bright it made people unable to open their eyes.

The towering spires pierced the sky, with the Holy Emblem of Light at the top swirling with golden divine radiance.

Most eye-catching was the white crystal dome above the main body of the cathedral.

Rumor had it that this was a divine gift the first Pope had prayed for at great cost. It could refract and converge the divine radiance of the Goddess of Light, serving as the core hub for the Church of Light to control faith and radiate its influence.

At this moment, the dome emitted a majestic halo, and a holy aura enveloped the square, causing every mortal who stepped into this place to feel awe and unconsciously lower their heads.

At the edge of the square, church knights clad in bright silver armor stood in solemn rows.

Their gazes scanned the crowd, maintaining order and manifesting the unquestionable authority of the church.

"Clang—!"

The resonant sound of the bell rang out, and the festival officially began.

The gilded gates opened inward with a "creak," and sacrificial robes of red with gold borders first emerged from the gap.

Reinhardt walked at the very front, his silver-white beard hanging down his chest, the gilded cross at the base of the staff in his hand lightly touching the ground.

Three Cardinals followed closely behind him, their gilded light patterns swaying slightly with their steps. Their expressions were solemn, their breathing light, and their footsteps steady and synchronized, not daring to be even slightly out of order.

The Archbishop, holding a staff embedded with a massive light crystal, stepped onto the central high platform.

His aged yet resonant voice, amplified by the amplification array, spread clearly to every corner: "Believers."

"Today, we gather here to bathe in the supreme radiance of our Lord, Astrea."

He spread his arms and raised his head to the sky.

"Supreme Sovereign of Light, the eternally radiant Lady Astrea."

"Your will is the first ray of dawn that pierces the eternal night;"

"Your mercy is the source of life that nourishes the growth of all things;"

"We pray that Your kingdom may come to the earth, and Your will be done in the world as it is in the Divine Kingdom."

"Please, with Your stainless holy light, cleanse the dust and sins of our souls;"

"Please, with Your eternal divine fire, burn away all darkness and evil in the world;"

"Please, with Your immortal holy shield, protect Your devout lambs, keeping them far from calamity, illness, and confusion."

"We praise You, we sing of You, and we offer up our humble faith and souls entirely to You."

"May the radiance endure forever! May Your glory guide our path forward until the eternal shore."

Just as the prayer ended, the light from the white crystal dome suddenly intensified.

Golden divine light descended from the center of the dome, enveloping the high platform and the holy water blessing pool in front of it.

A warm fragrance spread through the air; upon inhaling it into the lungs, any discomfort in the body quietly lessened.

"Divine grace is as vast as the sea."

The believers were completely electrified, kneeling down in a dense mass, desperately kowtowing toward the high platform and the cathedral. Their fanatical shouts almost lifted the sky.

After the prayer, Reinhardt announced: "In the name of our Lord Astrea, I bless this holy water. May the divine light be with you."

The priests began to guide the believers forward to receive holy water served in simple wooden cups in an orderly fashion.

The believers took it with both hands cautiously, as if holding their very lives.

Some couldn't wait and downed it in one go, a satisfied smile immediately blooming on their faces, eyes full of gratitude; others tremblingly hid it in their bosoms, treating it as a precious treasure.

"Thank the Goddess for her grace."

"My headache really is gone."

"May the light endure forever, long live the Goddess."

Sounds of gratitude and praise were heard incessantly.

In the crowd, a sallow-faced old woman fed the holy water bit by bit to the grandson in her arms who wouldn't stop coughing.

After the child drank it, his rapid breathing calmed down, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The old woman was moved to tears, kowtowing repeatedly toward the cathedral until her forehead was soon bruised and purple.