[Vol. 8] Chapter 89: All You Know How to Say Is "Have You Eaten Yet"
Violet raised a question on purpose, made a hand gesture to signal quiet, then smiled again and shook her head.
“There’s no need to say it out loud. I think the answer is already in your heart, right?”
“Ugh… Miss Violet…”
Seeing Miss Holy Knight look so touched she was almost in tears, the dragon girl sitting beside Violet rolled her eyes and spoke up in a half-annoyed tone to end the emotional moment for her master.
“Alright already, crying over something so small, how long have you followed my master and still don’t know her personality? Hurry up, we have real work to do.”
“Y-Yes… sorry, I lost control of my emotions.”
Rubbing her slightly red eyes, the Pope gave a small nod, quickly pulled herself together, and took out a thick file full of writing from her holy symbol. She placed it on the tea table in front of Violet but didn’t sit across from her. Instead, she stood beside Violet and began to explain.
“Following the method you left us, Miss Violet, we screened over one million qualified and willing applicants in one month. In the end, we selected about three thousand people who best matched the requirements. This is the list and their basic info.”
“In addition, about two thousand more didn’t fully meet the standards but showed special talent in certain areas. We made exceptions for them. Their data is more scattered and messy, so it’s hard to organize right now. But before the final trials begin, after the numbers go down, I’ll prepare a detailed file for you. I’m sorry… this is our shortcoming.”
“Oh, no worries. Actually, you’ve done really well. But… there’s that many?”
Violet raised her hand to calm the Pope, who was blaming herself too much, and showed a bit of surprise.
This ceremony to summon chosen heroes from the goddess was something Violet had fully planned out ahead of time with Edwina, the Pope.
Violet’s goal was simple, to find a few reliable helpers, people who could assist her and Sethlin in dealing with the many side problems that would come along when evil gods invade in the future. In extreme cases, these helpers might even have to fight alongside them in battles between gods.
As for the Goddess Church, the appearance of a goddess or chosen heroes would, of course, greatly boost its influence and faith among the people.
Violet understood clearly that the so-called goddess, the one said to have given the Holy Empire its three Holy Artifacts, was really just a symbolic idea representing the [Tree of Creation]. The goddess was not a real being but a made-up concept. That’s why the statues of the goddess have blurry faces, and why there’s no official name for her.
At least, that’s what the Pope had explained before. She had personally taken part in the ritual in the [River of Time], where she learned the true origin of the three artifacts. Her understanding was far beyond that of ordinary believers, so her words were not to be doubted.
Of course, how much of that was influenced by Violet’s presence and actions was unclear, but it definitely wasn’t all. After all, Violet had said many, many times that she was not a goddess and did not accept worship.
Still, even if the idea of a goddess was made-up and only served as a symbol for the mysterious "Primordial Light" faith, the church still needed a living person to represent that belief.
Violet might not be the Primordial Light or the true goddess of the church, but even she had to admit, in many ways, she was the closest thing to it.
Edwina was not foolish. After traveling together for so long, she understood many of the details more clearly now. So when the priestess suggested holding the goddess descent ceremony and choosing capable people to help fight future disasters, the Pope immediately agreed and helped create the plan.
Even though there were some small surprises during the process, like how Edwina’s faith was able to clearly pass through the chaotic flow of time and space, which even surprised the priestess a bit. In the end, things went quite smoothly. The public appearance of the “goddess” was already complete, and now it was time to use that attention to gather new allies.
The number three thousand had already gone far beyond what Violet had originally expected. Clearly, she had underestimated both the influence of the Goddess Church and the deep spiritual power of the Origin Realm, where the world was first born.
If the church truly followed her selection method to choose these three thousand people, it meant that each one of them, coming from many different places and races, had the potential to reach at least the legendary level in the future. Some might already be that strong.
According to the priestess’s long-term observations, most people's maximum potential is pretty much set at birth. After that, it depends on things like environment, resources, and training to see how far they can go.
Because the overall energy level of the Origin Realm has been slowly declining, only about one percent or even fewer of these three thousand people might barely reach the legendary level. But that doesn’t mean that’s all they’re capable of.
Some might even be able to reach false god level or the peak of demigod power. It’s not impossible. What they lack is just a push, an opportunity, the right conditions. Just like Miss Scarlet Flame Flora, who learned the powerful Six Red Lotus Styles after watching the priestess cast a few high-level spells, or Frederica, who broke through after her visit to the [Tree of Creation].
The reason mythical beings are born strong is simply because their potential is greater, and they have better resources and more chances to grow stronger. Regular people may not have that kind of natural advantage. But it just so happens that this priestess is one of the strongest support-type people in the world.
Hard work can make up for weakness. That might not be the right term, but the idea is similar.
Violet didn’t rush to look at the thick list of selected names. In the end, that list was just a reference to help her judge people’s potential. It didn’t mean she had to pick six from those three thousand. In fact, the reason she came to see Edwina today wasn’t only about this. She had another, more important reason.
She looked at Miss Holy Knight across from her, whose face hadn’t changed much from what she remembered. Just based on appearance, you wouldn’t guess she was now the leader of the entire Holy Empire. Feeling a bit emotional about how quickly time had passed, the priestess thought for a moment and decided to start with a classic opening line.
“So… how have you been lately?”
“…?”
As expected, Miss Edwina paused for a second. But since she had traveled all over the world with Violet for years, they were old friends. Belief and power aside, she didn’t speak in the stiff or overly careful way her sister Frederica did. She soon sat down across from the priestess as invited, gently brushed her shiny golden bangs back, and gave a small, helpless smile.
“How have I been…? Well, just as you said, now that I’m in this position, carrying the hopes and faith of millions of followers, of course I have to work hard to match that.”
“Spreading the blessings of the Primordial Light to all corners of the world… It’s definitely busy and tiring, but every day feels very full. I’m really happy to have a chance to show my value like this.”