Let Us Sail to the Sea of Desire!

On the cruise ship, Mary gave the nun a warm reception.

Like a devout missionary, she tirelessly instilled in the nun the concept of Wu Wang's free will.

"The Venerable has sent down a divine oracle. He will bestow upon you the power of 【Desire】."

When Wu Wang heard Mary's words, he couldn't help but laugh.

It's in the bag! It's all in the bag!

He was well aware that this was not the real Aiguyi Town, but merely a cage designed to imprison the nun.

Yet, before today, the nun had always appeared to be the most devout Believer of Suffering.

Suffering wouldn't have any reason to make things difficult for its own believer, right?

So why was the nun being held captive?

Wu Wang made a bold guess. It had to do with the nun herself, or rather, with her 【Miracle of Suffering】.

From the Instance's description, Wu Wang knew that a remnant of 【The Twisted】's power lingered in this place.

If I were 【Suffering】, I definitely wouldn't tolerate that, he thought. I would have to destroy it or seal it away.

And who would maintain this seal?

There was only one survivor. The High Priest of Suffering. The nun.

Her 【Miracle of Suffering】 had been turned by the Lord of Suffering into a prison, a seal on the power of 【The Twisted】.

Therefore, that remnant power had to be here, within this fake town.

The power 【Suffering】 used for the seal had also become a lingering fragment, cut off from its main body.

Now, neither side could personally intervene. The powers were now just that, powers.

And since the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 didn't reject other forces, the townsfolk here could possess the power of two different faiths.

"Let's go welcome the others aboard."

Wu Wang explained his thoughts to the nun. He convinced her that 【Desire】 was a magnanimous faith, one that could tolerate the existence of other beliefs.

The plan was to trick the other townsfolk into believing in 【Desire】.

"As you wish."

The nun's tall figure knelt on one knee.

She didn't care if she was submitting to 【Desire】 or to the Outlander before her. She just wanted to save the town.

Even if it was a fake town.

For that, she was willing to pay any price, including her own faith.

Whoosh!

The next second, Wu Wang and the nun appeared in Dedication Square.

The nun stood in the center of the empty square. She slowly raised her arm, transforming it into a sharp blade.

Pfft!

Her hand pierced through her own chest. A large amount of blood flowed down her black-and-white habit.

The nun's expression didn't change as she spoke.

"My Lord! Please bring all the surviving residents of the town to my side!"

As her 【Miracle of Suffering】 manifested, the once vast square instantly became crowded.

Hundreds of townsfolk looked over with dazed eyes.

Some of them had been fighting Twisted Creatures just a second before, on the verge of self-harming to activate their own miracles. A sharp knife was still pressed against one man's abdomen.

But the moment they saw the nun, they all calmed down and lowered their weapons.

"High Priest, was it you who summoned us?"

"Have you found a way to deal with the mysterious power?"

"What do you need us to do?"

A dense wave of voices echoed across the square as everyone looked at the nun with expectant eyes.

Not a single person questioned why she had suddenly gathered them there.

It was then that Wu Wang realized just how important it had been to win this nun over first.

Her prestige in the town was terrifyingly high.

From the looks of it, she hadn't become the High Priest of Suffering after the town was destroyed. She had always been the High Priest acknowledged by the townsfolk.

"My kinsfolk, when the mysterious power descended, I was ashamed for not being able to protect everyone. I am deeply sorry for the torment your friends and family have suffered."

She continued, "I promised you all that I would find a way to deal with the mysterious power."

"But I wasted countless cycles in despair."

"Lilith is ashamed to be the High Priest…"

The nun's voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear her clearly.

As she apologized, the people below shook their heads and cried out, insisting it wasn't her fault.

Although they couldn't understand what she meant by "wasted countless cycles," they knew that every single person there wanted to save the town.

And among them all, the nun had the deepest feelings for Aiguyi Town.

Everyone knew she had been raised by the entire town.

They all knew her real name was Emma Lilith. In their culture, the name meant "happiness," a symbol of new life and hope.

Before Lilith was born, her father was lost at sea during a rare storm. Her mother died from complications during childbirth.

An orphan from birth, Lilith was taken in by the nuns at the local church.

Both her parents had been known for their warm hearts. They would lend a hand to any family in need.

So, the whole town looked after their child. During her infancy, Lilith's milk was provided in rotation by all the new mothers near the church.

Her toys were all donated by families with children. Townsfolk often came to the church to gift her clothing. Everyone pitied the poor child.

As a young girl, Lilith spent her days all over town.

Even though she was small, she did everything she could to help. She kept the lonely elderly company, tutored schoolchildren with poor grades, carried water buckets for her neighbors, and helped vintners pick grapes.

Sometimes, she was out so late that she couldn't make it back to the church. On those nights, she would sleep in the nearest townsfolk's home.

No one ever minded. They even said that whichever house she rested in would be blessed with a whole year of happiness.

The townsfolk cared for Lilith deeply.

After she came of age, the old nun who had adopted her passed away from illness. Lilith took over the church she left behind.

The other elder nuns supported her, and she became the youngest High Priest in the town's history.

She was the daughter of the entire town.

Her presence had graced every street and alley. She could call every resident by name. She had rested in the shade of every tree.

No one loved Aiguyi Town more than her.

Because of this, none of the residents in Dedication Square could possibly imagine how utterly devastated their High Priest had been the moment their town went extinct.

"To change our situation, to stop the invasion of this mysterious power, are you all willing to believe in me?"

The nun's voice trembled slightly.

Even though she could now casually trigger a 【Miracle of Suffering】, her power far surpassing anyone present, she was terrified. She was afraid of hearing a single voice of distrust from these familiar faces.

That might be enough to completely shatter her fragile psychological defenses.

"Of course! You're our High Priest!"

"Hahaha, you saved my whole family! How could we not believe you?"

"Just tell us what to do!"

Thankfully, not a single voice of dissent was heard among the hundreds of people. Their trust in her was unwavering.

Aiguyi was a beautiful and happy town.

Hearing their words, a glimmer of tears flashed in the nun's eyes.

She pointed a hand at Wu Wang.

"Everyone, I have found an Outlander, one with a different faith."

"His faith is magnanimous and benevolent. It is called 【Desire】."

"You don't need to abandon the 【Suffering】 you have believed in for so many years. You only need to follow him and establish a connection to 【Desire】, allowing both to coexist!"

"Then we can use two different powers to fight against The Twisted!"

"Those who are willing to continue believing in me, please remain in the square. I will send you all to a cruise ship to receive the baptism of 【Desire】!"

With that, the nun's gaze turned to Wu Wang.

It was just as the townsfolk all knew her name was Lilith but would only ever address her as High Priest.

Now, Wu Wang needed to state his own title.

Wu Wang took a step forward and smiled.

"I am a believer in 【Desire】. My desire is to save everything within my power!"

He paused, his voice ringing across the square.

"You may call me Wang."

"The 'Wang' that means death."

"Together, we will find a glimmer of life in death and sail to the Sea of Desire!"