Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Uncanny Trial

Renoli and the others slowly followed after seeing that. The temple steps rose for roughly thirty meters.

The woman spoke from above, yet her voice carried all the way down to them. She was clearly no ordinary person.

So even though Kyle liked beautiful women, and Sonia was indeed a beauty, he did not dare entertain any improper thoughts.

He was fond of beautiful women, yes, but he also knew when to mind the occasion.

Their purpose in coming here was to see whether they might join the Void Church under Cassadin.

Working bounty jobs brought freedom, to be sure, but if they could find a powerful backer and perhaps gain even greater strength, such a chance was plainly not to be missed.

As they ascended the steps and reached the platform at the top, they saw a towering stone stele.

Its doctrine was written there in striking terms: the great Void grants every living being the chance to believe in it; so long as one is devout enough, the Void will answer.

Those words told them that they did, in fact, have a chance.

But the other three commandments, especially the one about always remaining rational and the prohibition against cannibalism, made their hearts tighten.

From the doctrine and commandments alone, it was clear that joining the Void Church could grant power.

Yet that power did not seem benevolent, and it certainly was not easy to control. There was a real risk of losing oneself to it.

If that were not the case, there would be no need to stress the importance of keeping one’s sanity at all times.

Normally, these things could have been explained later, after people had already believed in the Void and joined the church, after there was no turning back.

But the Void God Cassadin had laid everything bare from the outset.

“Hello, Miss Sonia. What should I do?” Lacey had also seen the translated doctrine and commandments. She knew that if she seized this opportunity, she could escape the life she was living now, so she asked with respectful eagerness.

“The stele already says it plainly: so long as one is sufficiently devout, the Void will answer.” Seeing the longing in Lacey’s eyes, Sonia recognized her own reflection there. She knew Lacey also wished to escape her present circumstances, but she did not say much, merely repeating the words as written.

“My lovely lady, could you give us a hint?” Kyle asked directly. “We don’t even know what the Void is, let alone what counts as devotion. How are we supposed to do anything at all?”

“Mr. Cassadin said that if you are willing to believe, you may remain. If you are not, you may leave on your own.” Sonia smiled. “As for what the Void is, once you have made your choice and joined it, I will naturally tell you.”

“The Void God Cassadin founded the Void Church. Isn’t he trying to build a power base?” Renoli asked, still bewildered. “If that’s the case, why make the conditions for recruitment so mysterious? The three of us are all superhumans. Bringing us in would surely help him.”

“I’m still not following,” Renoli said, genuinely puzzled.

“For Mr. Cassadin, every sentient being has the chance to believe in the Void. So whether you are ordinary people or superhumans, there is no difference between you.” Sonia stood gracefully before the temple doors, looking at Renoli with a faint smile. “What matters is whether you are devout enough to be fortunate enough to receive the blessing of the great Void.”

“...”

Hearing that there was no difference at all, Renoli felt utterly frustrated.

He had been one of the first to hurry here, and had assumed that with his own strength he could pass whatever trials awaited him and join without much trouble.

He had never imagined that the test would have nothing to do with strength, and everything to do with whether one was devout enough.

And Sonia had offered no clue whatsoever. Who knew what, exactly, could even count as devotion?

“Seer, did you manage to learn anything?” Kyle was equally baffled by all this. Seeing that Renoli had gotten no real answer, he turned to the Seer.

In the past, many problems had been settled through the Seer, because in the futures he observed, he would take all sorts of actions to test other people’s intentions.

“My ability has failed on this island, so asking me is pointless.” The Seer’s voice was low. “She said the trial is written on the stele. Study it, and you will understand.”

“In any case, Cassadin is willing to let us decide for ourselves whether to stay or leave.”

“As long as our lives are not in danger, there is no need to worry too much.”

The Seer’s unease had been great ever since he arrived on this island. His most trusted talent, foresight, was unusable here, and that alone had left him deeply unsettled.

So he had spoken less than usual along the way, staying constantly on guard against his surroundings and wary of any sudden danger that he might fail to evade in time.

But now that he knew he could choose freely whether to remain or depart, it meant Cassadin had no intention of taking their lives. That realization eased much of the Seer’s anxiety.

At the very least, being able to leave this island safely, should things go poorly, was already a blessing.

“I’d like to study it, but what exactly counts as devout?” Kyle looked at the doctrine on the stele and had no idea where to begin.

As bounty hunters, they had never bowed to heaven or earth; at most, they would back down before someone stronger than themselves.

“Look into it, then look into it,” Renoli said. Since there was no way to get anything out of Sonia, and he did not dare resort to force here, he could only think of another solution.

“Devotion refers to an attitude, a reverence toward something.”

“Like believing in a deity?”

“Seems that way.”

“How many people still believe in gods these days...”

“Before we discuss that, shouldn’t we first think about what the Void actually is?”

“As for Cassadin’s origins, I know nothing beyond that.”

Renoli, Kyle, and the Seer stood directly before the stele, studying the translation and discussing it carefully.

Meanwhile, Lacey felt she must cherish this chance.

“Great Void, please grant me the strength to escape my plight.”

She whispered over and over.

Because she was weak and could only earn money with the body she had, she had endured many things ordinary people could never stomach.

In this world, the weak often have no choice at all. There is only one path for them: to submit and endure.

Only those who have truly felt the helplessness of weakness can develop an even greater hunger for power, for a chance to change their fate.

Mr. Cassadin’s trial was extremely obscure, and it was easy to be left completely at sea by it.

She did not know whether her actions were effective, but Lacey had no intention of leaving lightly.

Before she had come here, she had already prepared herself mentally.

Even if she had to face severe trials, so long as she could ultimately obtain the power to change her situation and escape her suffering, she was willing to do anything.