They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 37 I’m guilty

It will not look directly at anyone, but if people look directly at it when it is shining brightly, their eyes will be stinging and they will experience what is known as double vision.

Perhaps this is God.

Now some people are spontaneously representing God, issuing commands in His name to consolidate their own rule.

To solidify their rule, they would periodically bestow small favors, in contrast to ever-increasing taxes…

Ria stopped thinking about it.

He didn't care what these people would do; he had come here simply to seek solace from the radiant sun.

When there's no one to confide in, these lofty figures become the best source of comfort.

In any case, the radiant sun wouldn't care what complaints he made; in that respect, this deity was already impeccable in Ria's eyes.

“Your Excellency, you don’t need to hide with everyone else. The shoulder pads make you look more than twice as wide, and there’s no room behind the pillars for you.”

Ria walked to the pillar where the cardinal was hiding and poked his robe with her cane. The old man shuddered instantly and muttered something like "The rising sun dispels impurities."

"Contamination diseases are not easily transmitted. Besides, even if people do get infected, they can gain extraordinary powers from them. Isn't that a double-edged sword?"

Ria patiently explained to the other party that she posed no threat, but the bishop insisted on going around to the other side of the pillar to hide from him: "Spreading rumors and filth, stay away from this place, this is not a place for filth like you to run rampant!"

Seeing his constant dodging, Ria couldn't help but wonder, "You guys didn't grow up relying on the Order Association all these years, did you?"

Impoverished areas don't even have a few mysterious items; they can only pretend to be nouveau riche by paying taxes.

If it weren't for the protection of the rising sun, it wouldn't be surprising if this place were robbed one day.

He had no desire to waste any more time with these people, so he bowed to the statue of the radiant sun and drew the sun symbol on his chest with one hand.

"Praise the sun."

His actions shocked everyone, and soon, Ria did something even more unbelievable.

He asked the cardinal to take him to the confessional.

At that moment, the bishop thought there was something wrong with his ears, but after Ria repeated the request, he began to wonder if Ria was addicted to confession.

The bishop does not believe in the piety of the contaminated patients; the contaminated must have an evil purpose in doing these things.

"If you don't believe me, you can go to the confessional room and hear me confess in person."

After saying that, Ria walked toward the confessional on her own. The bishop didn't know whether to follow or not.

After much deliberation, he followed after her to prevent her from doing anything irreversible.

Fifteen burning candles still stand in front of the confessional, their orange flames flickering endlessly as if they would never run out of wax.

"Does the number fifteen have any significance? Why are there fifteen candles here?"

"Fifteen is a balanced number, and it's rumored to be a favorite integer of the gods... Why are you asking these questions?"

"It's nothing, please go first, Bishop."

Ria gestured "please" to the bishop, who paused for a few seconds, his face turning visibly red, veins bulging on his forehead, seemingly quite angry.

After all, according to the rules, the penitent should be first, followed by the person who listens to the penitent and is responsible for conveying divine will. He was clearly the latter, but Ria insisted that he be first.

But given Lia's attitude, if he didn't do as he was told, he might die.

He had no choice but to do as he was told.

And so, with the first step the bishop took, the candles went out with a few whooshing sounds. A few wisps of white smoke still rose from the extinguished candles.

Seeing this, the cardinal's face turned pale, and Ria finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Pfft, that's really too devout, Your Excellency. I never thought that you, who listen to others' confessions all day long, would be judged by the sun as extreme evil."

"This is impossible!"

impossible! ! !
The bishop shook his head frantically, staring at the candles on the ground with a look of terror on his face. Then, he suddenly turned around and looked at Ria behind him.

It's you—

These candles will all go out the moment they become associated with you! You are the real evil!

"Hmm, you should have said earlier that you questioned the sun's judgment, then we would have something to confess."

Your Excellency, this is not a shameful thing. As long as you sincerely appeal to Him, He will surely forgive you.

It was rare for Ria to be so happy. He took a few steps forward and patted the bishop on the shoulder. The seemingly harmless but irresistible force pulled the bishop directly into the confessional.

As before, the door disappeared immediately after they entered, and an ancient, yellowed portrait appeared on the wall. However, unlike before, this time the portrait was a deep crimson, and some distorted lines of light appeared near the central sphere.

The bishop seemed to be seeing such a portrait for the first time; after all, according to precedent, such a scene could not be seen unless the number of candles burning was 0 or 15.

Moreover, the person in charge of leading people in confession is usually a pastor, who has more important things to do. At this moment, he was also stunned and did not understand how the situation had turned out this way.

"Alright, Your Excellency, making mistakes is not a terrible thing. As long as you devoutly follow the guidance of the Rising Sun, He will purify all your faults. Now tell me about your mistakes."

Don't be nervous, just think of it as chatting with an old friend, relax.

“I…” The bishop opened his mouth, but at this moment he was in such a closed and oppressive room, next to him was a distorted portrait of the rising sun, and even closer was a plague god who could cause the spread of pathogens at any time.

The bishop felt increasingly desperate.

But the confessional is a place for repentance. The more he remained silent, the more intense the bloodstains on the portrait of the rising sun became, and the twisted lines slowly extended, almost crawling out of the paper.

But upon closer inspection, the so-called moving lines in the portrait were nothing but an illusion.

"..."

"I'm guilty."

He finally spoke.

The bishop's heart pounded, blood rushed to his brain, and after saying those words, the old man seemed relieved, his eyes losing their luster.

Ria: "Go on, Your Excellency, I am listening, and He is listening too."

“I am guilty. I accepted too much money that I shouldn’t have accepted, and I also accepted undeserved flattery.”

“I deeply regret that I helped His Holiness the Pope escape, which prevented him from attending the confession.”

Ria: "Talk about yourself, don't drag others into it."

"The Holy Communion was supposed to be given twice a month, but I thought it was wasteful and changed it to once a month, and I swore to the sun that this was thrift."

"go on."

“The factory cannot start construction without the church’s consent. We agreed to build the factory near Winstown, but we did not expect it to cause a sharp increase in the number of supernatural beings in Winstown. I am guilty.”

"I am...guilty."

(End of this chapter)