Chapter Ninety-Four: The Awakening of the Spirit Dream

In this way, Link handed over the task of feeding everyone to Antioch, and transferred all the other cooks to him as assistants. At first, the cooks were somewhat resentful, but after witnessing Antioch’s almost divine culinary skill, they immediately knelt in surrender, nearly bowing to him as a master on the spot.

Before the heir to the Ice and Fire Divine Chef, all the world’s cooking and all other chefs were nothing but trash.

Still, just to be safe, Link later summoned Antioch and Lince to the Cathedral of Holy Light and tested them. Only after confirming that neither of them harbored any ill intent toward the Church of the Father God did he truly put his mind at ease.

And so, the meal problem that had troubled everyone for some time was solved. After holding on for several days, the first batch of support from Count Losar arrived, and before long the next grain harvest season would begin. Though Cheney Town had been damaged, most of the farmland remained intact. When harvest time came, the food problem for both the Church of the Father God and Cheney Town would be resolved.

On the fourth day after Antioch became the chief cook of the Church of the Father God, Lingmeng, who had been unconscious for months, finally awoke. The news spread swiftly throughout the church, and in an instant, those who knew of Lingmeng’s deeds, as well as the followers of the former spirit faith, were overjoyed.

"Alya, who is Lingmeng?" Lince knew nothing about this and asked her.

Alya was silent for a long while before saying softly, "She is my brother’s fiancee."

"Fiancee?" Lince stared in astonishment. "What happened? Is Neil not the archbishop? How can he marry?"

Alya looked at her in suspicion. "The noble Father God does not forbid the love of men and women. Sister Lince, have you not read the doctrines of our church?"

"Well, I did read them, but I thought that as the head of the church, Neil should be different from others..."

"Brother Neil is indeed different from everyone else." Recalling what she had learned from the three cardinal archbishops, Alya said calmly, "But that does not mean Brother Neil must suppress his feelings. Rather, as the head of the church, his wife will inevitably not be limited to just one."

Lince was instantly shocked. "His wives are destined to be more than one? Wouldn’t that be bigamy?"

The Star Kingdom, like most countries on this continent, practiced monogamy. Though most nobles and wealthy men kept mistresses, few dared openly violate the law.

To Lince’s question, Alya merely gave her a faint glance and said, "Brother Neil is the spokesman of the Father God. Can worldly rules be applied to him?"

At her words, Lince fell silent. After a long while, she looked at Alya with a complicated expression and asked, "Alya, if Neil truly has more than one wife, would you be happy?"

"No." Alya said it slowly in a calm, unwavering voice. "But I am already prepared. During this time, I have learned many things from the three cardinal archbishops. I know that someone like Brother Neil is destined not to have only one wife, because the greater the power, the higher the status, and the higher the status, the less marriage can be decided by one’s own will. It is just like the emperors of those great empires. Once the Church of the Father God grows powerful and becomes entangled in many disputes of interest, Brother Neil will have to make many difficult choices for the stability of the church. Unless Brother Neil never marries, or our church adopts a vow of celibacy, Brother Neil will inevitably be forced to accept certain things in order to win over other powers."

Lince listened quietly to Alya’s words. Her gaze grew even more complicated. Though she did not understand politics, she knew that in order to expand and consolidate power, those in authority often faced difficult choices. The compromises and refusals involved were no small matter.

Lince knew that if Alya were unwilling, Link would very likely refuse other women at the risk of unrest within the church. But for Link’s sake, for the church’s sake, Alya had not chosen that path. Perhaps part of it was due to the influence of the cardinal archbishops, but Alya’s own understanding was the most important thing of all.

After a while, Lince let out a soft sigh. "Even with a true god, once a church grows strong, must it still face these complicated problems?"

Alya replied slowly, "Because this is humanity. Mortals may believe in the noble Father God, but they cannot completely erase their own desires through faith. Perhaps that is why the Father God allowed Brother Neil to include in the scriptures the teaching that celibacy is forbidden."

"A god who understands human nature... perhaps only such a god could truly be a god."

After speaking, the two girls, each tormented by her own thoughts, fell into silence. No one knew what they were thinking. After quite some time, Alya finally smiled and said, "Sister Lince, Miss Lingmeng is a very interesting person. Let me take you to meet her. Perhaps you will even become friends."

"Mm, all right." Lince smiled and nodded, and the two of them went off together to find Lingmeng.

Meanwhile, deep in the woods behind the convent, there stood a small chapel that was simple yet fully equipped. This chapel was the one Link had promised to build for Lingmeng. Though Lingmeng had fallen unconscious, construction had not stopped. It had been completed more than a month earlier, furnished with all the necessities of life.

At the chapel entrance, Lingmeng lifted her teacup and took a sip of clear tea, her lovely face blooming with a smile of enjoyment. "Drinking tea first thing in the morning really is pleasant."

"You’ve only just awakened and haven’t even eaten. Is it all right to drink tea like that?" A helpless voice sounded beside her. Looking closer, one saw that Link was seated next to Lingmeng, drinking tea with her, a wry and powerless smile on his face.

The reason the two of them were here was that not long after Lingmeng awoke, she said she wanted to live alone in this chapel, and her attitude was quite firm. Everyone could only indulge her. During her sleep, the Yin-Yang Jade had been continuously transforming her body, so even though she had just awakened, she was full of energy and healthier than ordinary people, with no trace of a severe illness having just passed.

Link had volunteered to accompany Lingmeng to the chapel, and when Lingfeng and the others saw this, they did not follow. They left both time and space to the pair, seemingly wanting them to cultivate their feelings a little.

Link understood this well. After Alya said she would support him, he had also let go of his worries. At his position, there were always some things that demanded a choice. Tormenting himself over them would only make matters more complicated; better to face them calmly.

After hearing Link’s words, Lingmeng set down her teacup and stretched lazily. Only then did she say, "It doesn’t matter. From today on, I’ll be eating very little anyway."

Link froze. "What do you mean?"

In a tone as though discussing something utterly trivial, Lingmeng said, "Nothing much. When I was fighting those dark demons last time, being suppressed by them made me very unhappy, so I want to work a little harder and get even with that dark demon when I meet it again."

"In other words, you want to use the special cultivation method of the Heavenly Spirit High Priest to increase your strength?"

Lingmeng nodded. "Yes. This cultivation method works best without eating, so I plan not to eat for the next month and see how effective it is."

Link pondered for a moment. "You’ve only just awakened. There’s no need to rush into cultivation, is there?"

"What do you mean, no need?" Lingmeng said. "I wasted so many years over the past decade or so. Now I have to work harder. Mm, I’ll just make it one or two months."

"One or two months..." Link was speechless. Cultivation was usually counted in years, yet Lingmeng made it sound as if one or two months were already a very long time.

Before he could finish being speechless, Lingmeng spoke again. "Oh right, now that I’m pretty strong, give me some work to do. Preferably beating people up. Simple and fast. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for much. Just give me one thousand Solas for each person I beat up. Once I’ve beaten a hundred people, I’ll have one hundred thousand Solas."

Hearing this, Link did not know whether to laugh or cry, and then he laughed outright. "That’s more like you. To suddenly put on a solemn face and say you want to work hard at cultivation—it’s really hard to connect that with the name Lingmeng."

Lingmeng raised an eyebrow. "I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, but it doesn’t sound like a compliment."

"You can take it as praise," Link said with a smile.

"...Fine, if it’s praise, I’ll accept it. Mm, this tea really is excellent." With that, Lingmeng lifted her cup again and took another sip, her face once more blooming with a lovely smile.

Seeing this, Link smiled without speaking. The gloom that had gathered over the past several days seemed to dissolve at that very moment. During this period, all manner of matters had left Link with no time even to breathe easily. He remained tense all day long, and by extension the entire Church of the Father God was under intense strain. It truly embodied that saying from the workplaces of the Eastern Empire: use women as men, use men as dogs, and use yourself as a machine.

Only at this moment, while staying beside the unrestrained and singular Lingmeng, did Link feel his body and mind truly relax, as if he had bid farewell to the heavy burdens of work and the tense pace of life. Drinking clear tea, enjoying the beauty of nature, and occasionally teasing Lingmeng made him feel at peace in both body and soul.

"This kind of life isn’t bad either. No wonder so many protagonists in novels choose to retreat into the mountains and forests in a place rich with natural beauty after achieving their goals and mastering their skills. It really is a fine place to enjoy tranquility," Link sighed wistfully, then shook his head. "But I don’t like living in peace like this forever. Taking a break from a busy life is one thing, but if I had to live here all the time, even with a beautiful woman by my side, I’d go mad. As expected, the kind of busy yet fulfilling life I have now suits me better."

"What are you talking about?" Because Link had muttered those words softly, Lingmeng had not heard them and asked in confusion.

Link only smiled and shook his head without speaking. Seeing this, Lingmeng curled her lip and chose not to ask further. She simply continued to savor her tea, and time slowly passed in this warm, quiet atmosphere.

Not long after, two people arrived and broke the stillness. Looking more closely, they were Alya and Lince. Seeing Link and Lingmeng drinking tea at the chapel entrance, enjoying themselves like an affectionate married couple, a shadow flickered in Alya’s eyes. But soon she recovered her composure, pulled Lince along, and approached the pair with a bright and cheerful smile to greet them.