Compared to the lively hustle of Academy Street, Siria Temple Square was an entirely different world.

  A Church Prince was staying here, and naturally, no outsiders were allowed to disturb the solemn atmosphere.

  The temple entrance was heavily guarded. Non-clergy were strictly forbidden from approaching, lest they disrupt His Eminence's meditation.

  Yves steered the carriage into the square, pulling to a slow stop before the temple steps. The guards on either side immediately raised their spears in a defensive stance. "Who goes there!"

  "My master has been invited to dine with His Eminence."

  Yves jumped down from the carriage and presented the invitation Luo Wei had given him in advance.

  "Ah, so you're His Eminence's honored guest." The guard quickly lowered his spear and bowed deeply. "My apologies! Please forgive our offense!"

  Luo Wei pulled back the curtain of the carriage window, her gentle gaze falling on the guard’s bowed head. "No harm done. You’re only doing your duty. Rise."

  "Thank you for your forgiveness, honored guest." The guard looked up, his breath catching at the sight of her snow-white skin and flower-like beauty. He hastily lowered his head again. "Noble miss, please wait a moment. I’ll inform the knights inside."

  Luo Wei nodded slightly. "Thank you."

  The guard bowed once more before handing his spear to a colleague and jogging up the steps into the temple.

  Luo Wei watched his retreating figure, her eyes cooling slightly.

  He’d invited her as a guest, yet deliberately had the guards stop her. Was this meant to intimidate her—or test her limits?

  Before long, Knight Bruce strode out from the temple doors, descending the steps to greet her. His left hand pressed to his chest as he bowed. "Miss Luo Wei, my apologies for keeping you waiting. His Eminence is in the banquet hall behind the courtyard. Please allow me to guide you there."

  Yves quickly fetched the step stool and placed it below the carriage door, gently pulling it open. "Master, watch your step."

  Luo Wei lifted her skirt and stepped down from the carriage, nodding to Bruce in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Sir Knight."

  Bruce’s eyes flicked briefly to the carriage behind her before he lowered his gaze again, stepping aside and gesturing. "Miss, please."

  Luo Wei’s expression remained calm as she ascended the long staircase.

  Siria Temple sprawled across three thousand square meters—about the size of seven basketball courts. It was completed eighteen years ago, shortly after Siria Magic Academy announced public enrollment.

  One could say that without Siria Magic Academy, this temple wouldn’t exist. The Church had built it specifically to control the faith of the academy’s teachers and students.

  This was Luo Wei’s first time setting foot in a temple in this world. The interior layout was somewhat different from what she’d imagined.

  Siria Temple consisted of four main sections: the worship hall, the sanctuary, the central courtyard garden, and the rear hall. Ordinary believers could only kneel and pray in the worship hall. Only clergy were permitted to enter the sanctuary to serve the divine statues.

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  Without worshippers to fill it, the worship hall felt cold and desolate. Flickering candlelight cast shadows from the gold-leaf relief walls onto the floor. Footsteps echoed through the vast stone chamber.

  At the far end of the worship hall stood two rows of tall circular columns. Between them stretched a wide corridor. Beyond the corridor lay a sunlit open courtyard, and in the center of the courtyard stood the magnificent sanctuary.

  Bruce led the way, his footsteps steady. Luo Wei followed him through the first row of columns and stepped into the corridor.

  The instant she entered, she felt it.

  Two blazing gazes, like torches, shot down from above—impossible to ignore, as if they were piercing straight through her body.

  She froze mid-step, her eyes lifting toward the sanctuary ahead.

  The towering sanctuary, deliberately elevated several meters on a stone foundation, revealed no human figures—only imposing, lofty divine statues.

  The statue of the Sun and Moon Gods stood tall in the center of the hall, flanked by statues of the other Gods of Light.

  The divine figures were so massive that their upper bodies were shrouded in shadow, their carved faces hidden from view.

  The oppressive gazes vanished. Luo Wei stared up at the cold stone statues, wondering if the sensation had been her imagination.

  But as her gaze swept across the statues, two in particular caught her attention.

  One was Hephaestus, God of Fire and Craftsmanship, holding a flame. The other was Augustnaya, God of Wisdom, cradling a scroll.

  These two statues stood slightly farther from the center, flanking the supreme deity.

  To Hephaestus’s left stood Justitia, Goddess of Justice. To Augustnaya’s right was an empty pedestal.

  That pedestal had once held the statue of Isis, Goddess of Life. After her fall, the Church had removed and destroyed her statue. The pedestal and other statues were difficult to move, so they’d simply left the space vacant.

  Could the Fire God and Wisdom God have been the ones watching her through their statues?

  Or perhaps…

  Luo Wei’s gaze shifted to the center. The Sun and Moon Gods statue displayed the Sun God’s face to the world, while the Moon God’s face remained hidden behind it, sharing the same body.

  "Miss Luo Wei," Bruce’s voice interrupted her thoughts. "His Eminence is waiting."

  Luo Wei snapped out of her reverie, turning to see Bruce waiting patiently. She resumed walking, following him past the sanctuary.

  The corridor led through the central courtyard garden and into the rear hall, where clergy studied and lived. The rear hall housed scripture rooms, transcription rooms, prayer rooms, dining halls, sleeping quarters, and other functional spaces.

  Bruce guided Luo Wei through the rear hall entrance to the banquet hall.

  Inside the vast banquet hall sat only two people: Alfried, seated in the place of honor with his eyes closed in meditation, and Knight Antoine standing behind him.

  Hearing footsteps, Alfried opened his ink-blue eyes.

  The black-haired, black-eyed girl with a serene demeanor walked gracefully to a spot near the dining table and curtsied elegantly. "Your Eminence, good day."

  "No need for formality." A faint smile appeared on Alfried’s face. "Sit, child."

  Bruce pulled out the chair to Alfried’s right and invited Luo Wei to be seated.

  Luo Wei sat down calmly.

  The atmosphere in the banquet hall was strange. Only two people sat at a dining table that could accommodate twenty. In broad daylight, it was so quiet you could hear the rise and fall of breathing.

  Heavy, light-blocking dark red curtains hung by the windows. The floor was covered with reddish-brown wool carpet. Several silver five-branched candelabras stood on the long table. Expensive frankincense and myrrh burned by the fireplace, smoke drifting through the spacious room, the rich fragrance filling the air.

  A row of monks entered the banquet hall carrying trays, their feet making no sound on the carpet.

  They held their breath as they approached the table, carefully placing food and wine before the two diners and lifting the covers from the dishes.

  Followers of the Gods of Light observed numerous fasting days, large and small. Clergy were especially strict about adhering to these fasts. To avoid breaking their vows, they rarely ate meat even on ordinary days.

  This "meat" referred to the flesh of warm-blooded animals—beef, mutton, pork, and such. They also couldn’t consume animal blood or eyeballs, as this was considered disrespectful to the divine.

  As a result, the dishes placed before Luo Wei consisted of fish and the meat of newborn rabbits—considered "fish meat" by the Church. There were also soft bread and fresh vegetables.

  Interestingly, the fragrant soft bread came from Escore Dessert Shop. The white porcelain plates holding the food and the silver cutlery placed beside them—their origins were unmistakable.

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