LRAB Chapter 10, First Follower
Chapter 10, First Follower
Sunday, St. East Coast Church.
In the early morning, after the clergy of the Holy Spirit Church finished their solemn Mass ceremony, they opened the church doors and saw believers who were already waiting outside.
"Praise be to the gods."
"Praise be to the gods."
Without any further interaction, everyone simply placed their hands on their chests in a prayer gesture before orderly entering the church for worship.
Donghai City is located on the coast of the East China Sea, far from the center of the continent, and Shrek Academy and Tang Sect have negligible influence here.
Therefore, almost all the Soul Master families in Donghai City are followers of the Holy Spirit Cult, including the local bigwigs of Donghai—the Xu and Xie families.
For these prominent Soul Master families, they may not attend the weekly church service every time, but they will definitely go to church once a month.
Today's service was well attended by all the major Soul Master families in the East China Sea, as it was the first Sunday after Awakening Day, and they wanted to see the commoner genius who appeared on Awakening Day with their own eyes.
In the church sanctuary, believers lined up in long queues, taking turns to pray before the altar.
After devoutly completing their prayers, some believers left the church directly, while others went to the sides of the main hall and found an empty chair to sit down.
A wooden box was placed in front of the altar, and every now and then, after worshippers finished their prayers, they would take out some federal coins and put them into the box.
Some people donate more, some donate less, but no matter how much or how little, it all reflects the devout hearts of believers.
The long line of believers moved slowly forward, and soon it was the head of the Xu family's turn. After finishing his prayers, he took out a check and put it into the wooden box.
The cardinal presiding over the service had excellent eyesight and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the long string of numbers on the check: one one and seven zeros.
"Praise be to the gods."
The cardinal's face showed a warm smile, and Xu Xiaoyan, who was standing next to Xu's father, felt that the air she breathed was filled with a holy and radiant aura.
After doing all this, the Xu family patriarch, like other soul master families in Donghai City, did not choose to leave the church, but instead found an empty chair in the front row on the left side of the church and sat down.
The long line of believers continued forward, and after an unknown amount of time, it was the turn of a little boy who had come alone.
Today's main character has arrived, and countless eyes are now focused on him.
The boy was so handsome, like an exquisite sculpture. His skin was as white and smooth as marble, and there was a calmness and composure between his brows that was beyond his years. His long, golden hair, as lustrous as amber, curled down and fell down. Beneath his finely shaped eyebrows, a pair of deep blue eyes, as blue as the sky, were the finishing touch on his flawless face.
His clothes were not luxurious, just simple, well-fitting everyday clothes, clean and tidy.
Meng Xinghe is a commoner genius who awakened innate full soul power and whose martial soul is his original martial soul during the Awakening Day. It is said that he has unparalleled talent and was taken in as a disciple by the master of the East Sea Spirit Pagoda, Lord Demon Soul.
"Praise be to the gods."
To maintain his orphan status, after attending church, Meng Xinghe only took a portion of the pocket money his teacher gave him and put it into the wooden box—not much, just 10,000 Federal Credits.
Upon seeing this, the cardinal returned the greeting as usual, but his expression and demeanor seemed to show an unprecedented level of piety and respect compared to when facing other believers.
The ceremony continued until nearly noon, when the last believer in the long line finished his prayers, leaving only the Cardinal, Meng Xinghe, and representatives of prominent Soul Master families from Donghai City in the main hall.
Just as they were pondering how to cultivate a respectable yet dignified relationship with this genius of the Spirit Pagoda, they saw Meng Xinghe and the Xu family father and daughter walking towards a quiet room in the church.
"It's really a 'first come, first served' situation, but what can you do when Old Xu has such a wonderful daughter?"
"Old Xie, your son is quite talented, isn't he? Why didn't you bring him along? Young people have common topics to discuss, wouldn't that be a great opportunity?"
Seeing that all the family heads were looking at him, the middle-aged Xie family head feigned regret and replied:
"If my son were a girl, I would definitely have brought him along, but unfortunately he isn't!"
In fact, even if Xie Xie were a woman, he wouldn't have brought her along.
No one knows a son better than his father. How could a father not understand his own son?
With her son's tendency to speak without thinking, he easily offends people, and children who are orphans are often very sensitive.
If you accidentally say the wrong thing, you might end up getting into trouble instead of trying to curry favor.
"Let's go. Since the Xu family has seized the initiative, there's no point in us staying here."
"Dean Yu, shall we go together?"
The head of the Xie family looked at a refined old man with a scholarly air and wearing glasses.
His son is very talented and is the future pillar of the Xie family. As a father, he wants to pave the way for his son's growth, such as by building a good relationship with Dean Yu Zhen, who is in charge of Donghai Academy.
"No, thank you," Yu Zhen politely declined. "I have some other matters to attend to and will need to stay at the church a little longer."
Having lived to a ripe old age, he knew what the Xie family patriarch was thinking.
Normally, I would have agreed.
The son of the Xie family patriarch is unlikely to be lacking in talent, and Donghai Academy also needs talented students to maintain its prestige.
Having a prestigious academy allows one to build a reputation, which in turn attracts geniuses from all over the East China Sea and even other regions. More genius academies mean more prestigious academies, creating a virtuous cycle.
However, with a top-tier genius who has awakened innate full soul power and whose martial soul is his physical body right at his doorstep, how could he easily leave?
Besides, Donghai Academy is the best Soul Master Academy in Donghai City. As a prominent local family, if the son of the Xie family patriarch doesn't attend Donghai Academy, would he go to another place?
In the church's quiet room, Meng Xinghe stood face to face with the Xu family father and daughter.
"..."
Just as the head of the Xu family was hesitating about how to start the conversation, the door to the quiet room was pushed open, and a tall, muscular middle-aged man walked in, his strong muscles stretching his wide priest's robes taut.
The person who arrived was the cardinal who had just presided over the service.
"Your Majesty the Tortoiseshell."
Upon seeing who it was, the head of the Xu family and Xu Xiaoyan bowed and greeted him.
Douluo Daimao, whose real name is Daimao, possesses the martial soul Golden Daimao. He is one of the twenty-four cardinal bishops of the Holy Spirit Church and also the highest-ranking official of the Holy East Sea Church.
Dai Mao nodded in response, then walked behind Meng Xinghe and stood respectfully without moving, just like a loyal servant.
In this situation, the head of the Xu family no longer hesitated in the slightest.
The prophecy left by our ancestors a thousand years ago is true; the gods have indeed descended!
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Gods!"
The Xu family patriarch's face was filled with fanatical faith as he worshipped the six-year-old Meng Xinghe before him.
The Star Staff reappears, and the gods descend.
Just as prophesied, his daughter awakened the legendary Star Staff Martial Soul on the night of her sixth birthday, and will be the first follower of the reborn god!
Beside Xu's father, Xu Xiaoyan raised her hand to cover Meng Xinghe's face, leaving only a slit to see his eyes, which were as deep and blue as the sky, exactly as she remembered them.
"Xu Xiaoyan of the Xu family pays respects to the Heavenly God!"