Chapter 134. Just a little chat to adjust your perceptions, no need to be nervous.
After leaving the church office, Noah did not rush to depart.
Instead, he decided to pay a visit to the esteemed bishop of this grand cathedral.
For here, Bishop Horace was one of the yellow-haired men who lusted after the nun Clotilde in the original tale.
Horace was a quintessential villain of the church hierarchy, a man who did not believe in the goddess yet still clawed his way to the position of bishop.
He made his appearance early in the story, harboring desires to make Clotilde his personal plaything, unaware that she had already fallen victim to the lewd curse of the demon.
When he later learned that Clotilde’s virginity had long been lost to the curse, he fell into a deep despair, only to later convince himself that Clotilde had betrayed him, igniting a fervent hatred towards her.
Should one fall into his schemes and be defeated, the outcome would be nothing short of disastrous.
Though labeled a yellow-haired character, he seemed to see himself as a tragic figure.
Yet, he remained a yellow-haired villain, for the original Clotilde was only willing to offer her purity and faith to the goddess.
These ‘yellow-haired’ antagonists merely sought to snatch Clotilde away from the goddess’s grasp.
And among them were women as well; the high-ranking demoness who sparked the story certainly counted, but even the seemingly demure Sister Belinda was a yellow-haired character.
It was fortunate that she was unaware of Clotilde’s curse; if she were to discover it, her suppressed desires to defile Clotilde would erupt, and Clotilde would not fare well against her.
In the entire Water Cathedral, there were hardly any notable NPCs, yet both Bishop Horace and Sister Belinda were villains.
It is easy to imagine the struggles of Clotilde, the story’s heroine, beset by troubles from within and without.
And aside from these few, there was another who must be mentioned: a researcher named Dean.
In the later stages of the story, if the heroine were to lose to him while delving into the church to eradicate its malignant elements, she would be brainwashed into a soulless combat puppet, devoid of personal feelings.
Much like the defeated nun Noah had encountered before, who craved his divine power, the difference was that the original was a puppet without personal will, only heeding the commands of its creator.
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Noah had encountered someone who didn’t seem defeated by Dean, but rather brainwashed by someone of even higher standing.
After her original personality was erased, she was assigned a new virtual persona, a feat that clearly required more advanced technology.
If one were to consider the original narrative, the person behind this could very well be Dean’s superior, the director of the Relics Research Institute.
Yet, in the original story, she was merely a background character; Noah only knew her as a young woman, a genius researcher, without delving deeper into the plot.
Unaware of what this person truly looked like, Noah had no means to locate her through the magic array monitor.
Unless Noah was willing to venture personally to the secret research facility and take a chance.
But Noah had no intention of doing so; it simply wasn’t necessary.
As Noah made his way to the bishop’s office on the second floor, he happened to see the researcher Dean descending the stairs.
Dean was a man with green hair and a perpetually pained expression, the kind of researcher who likely toiled into the night, looking thirty but appearing forty.
Dean was quite surprised to encounter the young priest with black hair walking towards him, yet he was the first to greet.
“Father Noah, do you have business with His Excellency Bishop Horace?”
Dean’s tone bore no trace of flattery or respect; he was merely speaking to Noah in a very ordinary manner.
“Nothing of great importance, just a chat with that old fossil. But you, with that bitter melon face, have you found a suitable test subject? Or will you be using yourself as one?”
If Dean spoke in a rather mundane way, Noah’s response was utterly outrageous.
He had no intention of playing the role of a priest, openly displaying his disdain for both of them, mocking them without restraint.
“I truly apologize for troubling the already busy Father Noah. While I haven’t found a suitable subject yet, I am still collecting data. The foreign princess is my assistant; she must have already begun the experiments by now.”
Strangely enough, despite Noah’s unfriendly demeanor and tone, Dean appeared quite embarrassed, awkwardly smiling and even bringing up matters that most priests would avoid.
“Oh, the foreign princess, I imagine she must be quite the troublesome and wicked one.”
Hearing news that aligned with his expectations, Noah revealed a malicious grin, one that spoke of ill intent.
To be honest, Noah now appeared far more villainous than Dean.
“Indeed, you speak true. As expected of Father Noah. Speaking of which, you were on a business trip to that country before; you must know better than I the extent of that princess’s selfishness.”
Dean’s attitude shifted from ordinary to increasingly humble, as if he were Noah’s subordinate.
This was a result of Noah’s dark godly ability altering Dean’s perception.
Unlike Noah’s ability to change his own appearance, this power modified how others perceived him.
No matter what Noah said or did, the other party would interpret it positively, and the depth of this perception would deepen with time spent in contact.
With this ability, it wouldn’t be impossible for Noah to establish a new faction within the church, positioning himself as its leader.
Yet, Noah had no interest in ruling the church.
It was far more entertaining to watch the fallen heroine Clotilde take them down one by one.
After exchanging a few more casual words with Dean, Noah did not linger any longer and let him leave.
For Dean was entirely consistent with the character he knew from the original story; the only difference was the new plot that had emerged due to the ‘collaboration’ of two small games.
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And since it concerned the princesses of that kingdom over there, Noah could not help but care.
After he finished his meeting with that old lecher, Horace, he would go check on the situation with the princesses. After all, the nun wouldn’t trigger her lewd markings again in the short term.
With his back to the retreating Dean, Noah continued toward the bishop’s office on the second floor.
When he finally reached the door of the office, he didn’t knock or announce himself; he barged in as casually as if he were returning home.
Of course, under the influence of the evil god’s cognitive alteration, the other party believed Noah had greeted him properly.
Thus, Bishop Horace showed no signs of displeasure, instead smiling and welcoming Noah.
“You are quite the gentleman, Your Excellency. By the way, what do you think of Sister Clotilde?”
Noah, plopping down on the sofa, could have spoken in a more arrogant tone, given his ability to alter the other’s perception.
Yet he chose to maintain his own style, sarcastically inquiring about the other’s opinion.
“Ho ho ho! Of course, I adore her! I love her so much I want to hear her beautiful, haunting screams and wails!”
No surprise, the once kindly old man suddenly changed countenance, becoming sinister and terrifying. That wicked expression made one wonder if he was the bishop of the Goddess Church or the Evil God Church.
Of course, even if he were to become the bishop of the Evil God Church, Noah would never acknowledge it. Such an old, ugly creature, devoid of lofty ideals and steadfast will, was not worth a dog’s attention.
“Is that so… well, that’s just… splendid.”
Hearing an answer that matched his own thoughts, Noah grinned wickedly, just like Horace.
Noah had to thank Horace.
Otherwise, if Horace decided to redeem himself, Noah would feel quite embarrassed to let the fallen Clotilde drape herself in silk before him!
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PS. Alright, today’s four updates! A little late isn’t really late!
(These past few days, I’ve added three extra chapters, leaving 52 more to go. No worries, I’ll definitely catch up this month.)
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