Chapter 42 - 42: The Goddess's Shopping List

Damn, did they find out about me?! Wouldn't they just break in and arrest me on the spot if they did? Or were they unsure of my strength, trying to lower my guard first, then ambushing me with Nighthawks and Red Gloves to catch me off guard? "Alright, please wait a moment." Edward responded calmly while swiftly gathering materials for a ritual. "I summon in my name: the spirit wandering in the void, the friendly being that can be commanded, Edward's exclusive messenger." With a soft pop, a thin membrane in the air tore open, and a blackbird emerged, trailing phantom-like shadows. "Do you need me to deliver a message?" Edward probed cautiously. "I need you to check this house's surroundings—see if any Extraordinary beings are lying in ambush. Can you do that? I'll count it as one message delivery." The blackbird stared at him for a few seconds before vanishing. Less than half a minute later, it reappeared. "No ambushes. But the person at the door…is very dangerous. Anything else?" Edward shook his head and gestured toward the exit. "No, that's all—ah, wait." The blackbird came to an abrupt halt mid-flight, as if glitching. A faint trace of irritation flickered through its black pupils. "Speak." "If I encounter a powerful enemy, can you help me fight?" After a brief moment of thought, the bird responded, "I can. But it'll cost at least one feather per time…And I can't beat the one outside." "I understand. Goodbye." With that, the blackbird disappeared. "Only one person, extremely powerful, but knocking politely…No hostility, right?" Even so, just to be safe, Edward ignored Lilith's protests and stuffed her into his pouch. Then, he layered himself with multiple Protego spells, gripped his wand tightly, and prepared for an immediate Apparition if necessary before cautiously opening the door. "Good morning, Mr. Edward." Standing at the entrance was a man dressed in a black robe embroidered with red patterns—the formal attire of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. He had deep, penetrating eyes and a clean-shaven face. Though clearly advanced in age, he appeared more energetic than most young men. "Good morning. May I ask what brings you here?" The man smiled slightly, placed his right hand over his left chest, and nodded. "I am Anthony Stevenson, Archbishop of the Church of Evernight's Backlund Diocese. I am here today to deliver a message on behalf of a great being." Edward's heart skipped a beat. Archbishop of the Church of Evernight?! Wasn't he said to be a Saint—a Sequence 3, Horror Bishop?! Delivering a message for a 'great being'?! You might as well just say it's from the Evernight Goddess herself! Gulp. Instinctively, Edward swallowed, accidentally downing the mandrake leaf he had been holding in his mouth for over a week. As expected, there was no way someone like him could completely hide from the eyes of these high-level figures. If he were just a simple transmigrator, that might be one thing—but he could travel between worlds. To capture him… Was to capture access to another world! And capturing another world… Meant gaining billions of anchors. "Please take this." Anthony handed over a parchment scroll, then traced the Evernight Holy Emblem on his chest in a clockwise motion before turning and leaving. That's it? He's leaving? Just like that? With his mind full of questions, Edward took a deep breath and cautiously unrolled the parchment. It was densely written in English: —Perfume, handbags, women's clothing, pants, skirts... —Spicy McChicken, Crispy Chicken Burger, Texas BBQ, Southern Fried Chicken... —Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta... —PlayStation, television, computer, generator... —Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Breaking Bad... ????????? What the hell is this? A small piece of parchment contained an extensive list covering everything from daily necessities to entertainment—essentially, it was a shopping list from the Goddess herself. He reread it ten times over to confirm that there was no other content. The Evernight Goddess sent a Saint to deliver…a grocery list?! Was this a test? A decree? Or just a joke? Edward wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or dumbfounded. After a long silence, he could only think of one response—The Goddess is next-level! This explained a lot. Clearly, Amanises had been incredibly bored over the past thousands of years. It also showed that her humanity remained intact. But, my world is still in 1991! Half of this stuff hasn't even been invented yet! Oh well, I'll just buy whatever I can. On the bright side, since the Goddess needs him for this "shopping service," at least for the time being, she probably wouldn't do anything to him. That realization took a huge weight off his shoulders. Edward had originally planned to visit Emlyn today, but now he had to adjust his schedule. ——— [Empress Borough—the Hall Family's Luxurious Villa] Audrey was sleeping soundly on her large, comfortable bed after being away from home for half a month. Susie curled up beside her, creating a scene of tranquillity and warmth. Until— Edward suddenly appeared out of thin air. Susie sprang up, rushing to Edward's feet and sitting obediently, eyes full of anticipation. "Edward! Did Lilith come with you?" "Sorry, she's watching the house." "Ah?" Audrey, still wrapped in her blanket, pursed her lips and grumbled, "Mr. Edward, don't you know that barging into a lady's room this early is very impolite?" Just woken up, Audrey lacked her usual refined demeanour. Instead, she looked adorably drowsy, her long, tousled golden hair cascading down her shoulders, glowing softly in the morning light. Edward immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Something urgent came up—I won't do it again!" She wasn't truly angry. After all, during their time at Hogwarts, they had often woken each other up in the mornings. Curious, she asked, "What happened? You look anxious." "Just now, the Archbishop of the Evernight Church came looking for me. He…&...##&…#&" "??? What did you just say?" "I said, I #%#%...%...&" He repeated himself, only to realize that some words refused to leave his mouth—as if his speech was being censored. After a few tries, he finally understood—the Goddess had hidden all information about her from being spoken! "Sigh—Anyway, I need you to help me pick out the things we brought from my world on this list and give me half." "Half? Who are you giving them to?" Audrey immediately puffed out her cheeks, muttering, "I spent a long time picking those out…Do you even need the clothes I bought?" Edward scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then gritted his teeth. "I need everything!" "…" Her gaze instantly turned resentful, giving Edward the illusion that he was a cheating husband caught in the act by his rightful wife. "Next time, we'll buy more," he reassured her. ——— Half an hour later, with a sizable portion of items packed into his leather pouch, Edward rushed to Saint Samuel Cathedral. Anthony Stevenson was already waiting at the entrance as if he had anticipated his arrival. "Follow me, Mr. Edward." Anthony led him deep into the cathedral. As he moved, his footsteps made no sound, resembling the slow descent of the night—silent yet reassuring. The cathedral was empty, perhaps because it was still early, or maybe Anthony had deliberately cleared it in advance. They arrived at a library room on the side of the cathedral. Anthony opened the door for him and said, "Everything needed for the ritual is inside." "Wait, I…I haven't learned how to perform a prayer ritual for the Goddess before." A flicker of surprise crossed Anthony's face. He carefully explained each step of the ritual before quietly leaving. "Hu—" Edward let out a breath, then began taking out the various items one by one, arranging them on the ground. Next, he lit two candles at the front—one made from Night Vanilla and Slumber flowers, symbolizing 'Night', and another crafted from Moonflowers and wild roses, symbolizing 'Lady of Crimson'. Then, he created a spiritual wall, dripped full moon essential oil, and burned a mixture of herbs meant to please the deity, carefully completing each step of the ritual. At last, he stepped back, opened his spiritual vision, and solemnly chanted: "I pray for the power of the Night; I pray for the power of Secrecy; I pray for the favour of the Goddess; May the Goddess accept my offering. Night-vanilla, flower of the Crimson Moon, Please carry my prayer to the Goddess! Moonflowers, blossoms of the Crimson Moon, Please carry my prayer to the Goddess!" A fierce wind howled through the room. The ashes of the burning herbs and the dust on the floor lifted into the air, swirling together as the bags and bundles before him vanished. Edward remained in a respectful posture for quite some time, waiting for any further response. When none came, he let out a breath of relief before grumbling, "So you're really just taking my stuff without giving me anything in return?" The moment his words fell, the swirling ashes and dust on the floor connected, forming one word after another: "Payment given. Continue next time." Edward's heart skipped a beat. He quickly drew the crimson moon symbol across his chest. "Praise the lady. Praise the Goddess." After waiting a few more minutes without further response, he stepped out of the library room, where Anthony greeted him with a knowing smile. "Mr. Edward, from now on, you are one of us in the Church of the Evernight." Edward raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean I'm officially a Blessed of the Goddess?" Anthony shook his head. "Apologies, I have not received such an order. However, I can arrange for you to join the Nighthawks or the Red Gloves at any time. Of course, you could also choose to become a priest." Edward hesitated before cautiously asking, "Can I…not join any of them?" "Of course." "Then I'll think about it." Anthony tapped four times on his chest in a clockwise motion and smiled. "That is acceptable." After a pause, he suddenly added, "By the way, do you have any plans next?" Edward blinked in confusion. "Plans?" "My suggestion is that you visit Tingen. It's a nice little city." Tingen? Why would he suggest I go to Tingen? Was this the Goddess's will? What for? To guard Klein? There's no need for that, right? "Can I not go?" Anthony simply smiled without answering. "I understand." Alright, fine! You took my stuff, didn't give me anything, and now you're telling me where to go? Amanises, you're a bit too much! Once he left the cathedral, Edward finally allowed his tense nerves to relax. Although the Goddess stood on Klein's side in the original story, placing her in the 'favourable' camp, anyone who truly believed she was a kind deity would be sorely mistaken. Back when the ancient sun god was betrayed by the idiot trio, the biggest beneficiary wasn't any of them—it was this cunning she-wolf. And if one considered her origins among the Demonic Wolves, she had slaughtered her entire kin, leaving only Antigonus alive…and even he had been driven to madness. To take down the God of Combat, she had collaborated with Lilith for thousands of years, orchestrating events so that the Badheil would ultimately be betrayed and slain by his own 'mother'. Cunning, ruthless, deceptive, manipulative, willing to do anything to achieve her goals…Every single one of these descriptions fits her perfectly. In any other novel, she would be the ultimate villain! As the saying goes: Believe in the power of the gods, but never in their mercy. "Still, what does 'Payment given' even mean?" Edward muttered. "She wouldn't even grant me the title of Blessed, let alone an artefact or potion formula. "But she's a god—she has no reason to mess with me for no reason. Could it be that she already gave me something, and I just haven't realized it yet?" Edward frowned deeply. "What could it be? Something I need, yet cannot see or touch? A potion formula? Materials? An artifact? Strength? "Or…something else, something even more important?" His steps came to a halt as a sudden realization dawned upon him. "I understand now!" "My uniqueness…More precisely, the fact that no one must discover my uniqueness!" That explains it! That explains why, despite travelling between two worlds twice, I've remained completely unnoticed. That explains why none of the true gods or even the outer gods have reacted to me, a trespasser from another world. That explains why, even face-to-face with the Fallen Creator, he only assumed my peculiarity stemmed from the gateway that momentarily awakened his consciousness. I always thought I had some kind of cheat ability, but… "It turns out, the Evernight Goddess has been hiding my existence this whole time!" "Aside from herself, no one in this world—not even the gods—knows that I can traverse between two realities!" Everything finally made sense. But why go through all this today? Was it a reminder? A warning? An investment? Although Edward knew that the Goddess had helped him for reasons that were far from altruistic, he still traced the sacred black moon symbol across his chest. "Praise the Goddess." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.