As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Um……"

Under the boy's excited words, Annie followed beside Lius with a flushed face, letting the boy manipulate her. Every now and then, she would feel a gentle touch from the peach behind her, which made Annie's face blush even more and the smile on her lips become more and more shy.

"Xiao Li...ah..."

Feeling the caresses from behind again, Annie's eyes softened, and she turned her head to Leus with a coquettish reproach:

"Honestly... Xiaoli, you always like to play pranks on Auntie like this. You're usually such a good kid, but every time you're alone with Auntie, you always get handsy with her. It's making Auntie a little strange, influenced by you..."

"Really? Hehe, I only become a naughty boy in front of you, Auntie! After all, you're so beautiful, it's really hard not to feel desire for you, especially since you always look so shy in front of me. I really want to tease you a little..."

As Lius said this with a smile, he deliberately touched Annie's fingertips. Annie couldn't help but let out a cute sound, her body trembled, and her two long, beautiful legs were pressed together, as if she had been touched very obviously for a moment.

"Hehe, Auntie's voice is so beautiful again! I never get tired of listening to it. I really want to keep teasing Auntie like this, and live happily every day, forever."

Feeling the effects of the aphrodisiac on the dark-haired beauty, Leus grinned wickedly and spoke to her. Annie, her eyes still gleaming with excitement, leaned against Leus, panting, letting him do whatever he wanted to her. Her delicate lips parted slightly during this pause and she said:

“Xiaoli…Auntie also wants to be with you forever, but…sometimes, we may have to be apart for a while, and there’s no way to stop it…”

“I know, Auntie, after all, you still need to take care of the children in the orphanage. You've been gone for so many days, it's time for you to go back. If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but…”

Lius looked up and gazed at Anne with a serious expression.

"However, Auntie, if you leave, please remember to come back. Don't just leave and never return. I'll be very worried if anything happens to you. Please take good care of yourself and don't let anything hurt you!"

"Ha... Of course I'll keep an eye on these aunties, but Xiaoli, why are you suddenly thinking like this? Are you worried about something related to them?"

"No...it's just that things have been a bit complicated lately, and I'm worried that you might get hurt, so I hope you'll be careful and not do anything that could harm yourself."

Lius shook his head and reminded the dark-haired woman beside him again. He then removed his hand from Anne's waist and gripped her hand tightly. With a restless heart and seeing the growing desire on Anne's face, he led her to the dining table and they sat down facing each other.

"Auntie, you know a lot of people at church, right?"

Seated in his chair, Lius looked at Anne and, with a calm expression, gently asked her the question.

"Oh? Church matters... Xiao Li, are you interested in this, or is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ah...it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that you mentioned before, Auntie, that one of your seniors is currently at the headquarters church, becoming a 'saint' in the church. According to our previous investigation, the kingdom is currently facing a huge crisis. If possible, could we ask Auntie's senior to help us resolve this crisis through the power of the church?"

"..."

Hearing Lius's words, Anne blinked blankly, seemingly surprised by his sudden statement.

"My...senpai..."

"Yes, although she and you, Auntie, rarely contact each other now, she should still be willing to help, right? Besides, she is Bishop Helen's mother. With you, Auntie, and Bishop Helen to introduce her, a meeting shouldn't be a problem. With the help of the saintess, we can definitely resolve the current predicament more quickly."

"This……"

Hearing Lius's words, Anne seemed stunned, unsure how to respond, and her words became hesitant and stammering.

"This... Xiaoli, your idea... sigh..."

"Auntie, are you unwilling? You look so troubled. Is it because you feel you don't have enough time in the capital? Don't you have a suitable time to contact that senior auntie? Or are you worried about something?"

Levi asked the dark-haired woman in front of him, looking at her with a serious expression. Annie, after blinking blankly for a moment, came back to her senses and showed a thoughtful expression, shaking her head slightly at Levi.

"No... it's too late. For you, senior, the time to leave has passed, and you can no longer have much contact with me."

"Hmm? Missed the opportunity to leave? Unable to maintain close contact?"

Hearing Anne's words, Leus was taken aback, quite surprised by her answer...

Chapter 142 Annie's Thoughts (Part Two)

"Because the church has very strict control over the saintess, it's not possible to contact her freely under the current circumstances. Aunt Anne, is that what you mean?"

Sensing the worry on Anne's face, Leus gradually realized what was going on and thoughtfully asked her further questions.

Anne nodded slightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, and continued speaking to Lius:

"Yes, now I have no way to contact you through my channels. Even if I had left the church, not just anyone can enter the capital church. And the opportunity to directly face the saintess is extremely rare. Except for church anniversaries, the saintess basically never goes out. She lives in the deepest part of the capital cathedral and I can't see her at all."

"Even if a major crisis is about to occur, is that not allowed?" Lius continued to ask.

"No... I haven't been able to contact her for a long time, there's just no way to get in touch with her."

Anne continued to shake her head, seemingly without any hope, while Leus persisted in probing her relentlessly:

"If you can't, Aunt Anne, how about Bishop Helen? She's the daughter of that senior aunt and the current bishop of this area. She should be able to, right? Even the church wouldn't stop a mother and daughter from meeting, would it?"

“That won’t work either. Not only me, but even Helen, as a bishop, can’t contact her mother right now.”

"Why? Does the church have to be so strict? Can't even family members meet? It's inhumane."

"Lius frowned and said this," Anne sighed helplessly, put her arm around Lius's shoulder, and gently shook her head at the boy in front of her in a comforting tone.

“I know you’re very dissatisfied, Xiaoli, but it’s all true. Senior… has become a saint in the church. The day she was chosen as a saint, her life no longer belonged solely to herself, but also to the entire church and the millions of believers under it. She’s too far removed from us now. Even if you need it, Xiaoli, I can’t fulfill your wishes right now. I’m sorry…”

“Auntie, there’s no need to apologize. I just wanted to try out the plan to see if it was feasible. After all, I’m quite interested in that saintess, especially since I talked about her with High Priestess Irina before. Now I’m even more curious about Bishop Helen’s saintess mother. Maybe one day I can go to the capital church and see her. It’s always good to have hope, haha.”

Having made that joke, Leus straightened his expression and addressed the dark-haired woman before him:

"There's another thing. I'm also quite curious about the 'Saintess.' Aunt Anne, could you tell me how the identity of the 'Saintess' is chosen, and what responsibilities she has? I'd like to know more about the inside story."

"The inside story of the saintess..."

Hearing Leus's question, Anne pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment. Feeling Leus's inquisitive gaze again, she finally let go of some of her prejudices and nodded slightly under his gaze, beginning to tell the boy before her:

"Simply put, a saint is a pure and holy person chosen by the church."

"A pure and innocent saint... that sounds a bit like the sacrificial offering for the array I heard about before, which also requires some kind of 'pure thing'. Could the two be related?"

Thinking this to himself, Levi continued to look at Anne, and heard what she said:

"According to what is said within the church, a so-called saint is someone personally blessed by the goddess. Every twenty years, a chosen saint will appear in the church, bathed in holy light, and descend upon the church. She enjoys high power and status and is one of the most honored people in the church."

"A noble person blessed by the Goddess... has descended upon the church?"

Leus exchanged a glance with the system girl on his shoulder, pondering this suspiciously unexpected entrance, before turning back to Annie to ask her further questions:

"Is that really all there is to it? How can we be sure that the chosen saintess was truly blessed by the 'Goddess'? Is there some special reaction or miracle involved?"

"This one……"

Hearing Levi's question, Anne blinked, seemingly unsure how to answer for a moment. Levi, however, persisted, trying to elicit Anne's answer:

"And if we're really talking about being blessed by the goddess, Aunt Annie, haven't you heard the voice of the gods? Isn't that a blessing for you? Didn't the church members who selected the saintess notice anything unusual about you?"

"Forehead……"

"In other words, it's impossible to be completely certain whether the saintess of the headquarters church is truly a 'saintess,' right, Aunt Anne?"

Faced with Lius's statement, Anne paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, seemingly unwilling to elaborate. After nodding, she sighed softly and continued to Lius in a helpless tone:

"I don't know much about this. The only thing I know is that the selection of the saintess is conducted within the church. With my status, I can't go too deep into the inner workings. I only know that after the saintess is selected, the church will announce the candidate and invite her to the headquarters church to preach to the people of the town, thereby proclaiming her majesty and reputation as a saintess."

"So, regarding the saintess, is it impossible to determine whether she was truly blessed by the goddess? Rather, it was entirely constructed within the church itself. Hmm... that's interesting."

Levi nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Anne, who was looking hesitant, and changed the subject, continuing to speak to her:

“Aunt Annie, you actually have many doubts about the identity of the Saintess, right? That’s why you have so many prejudices in your heart, and you are also very dissatisfied with the fact that your senior has become the Saintess and can no longer be as easy to get along with as before, right?”

"This one……"

Anne was taken aback by Lius's statement, seemingly surprised by the blond boy's reaction...

Chapter 143 Annie's Thoughts (Part 3)

"So, according to what you just said, Aunt Annie, you actually have doubts about the church, right?"

"I……"

Hearing Levi's words, Anne blinked slightly in surprise, as if he had seen through her thoughts. She then showed an embarrassed and helpless expression, and nodded slightly to Levi.

"Well... let me put it this way. Although I have complete trust in the church, I still have many questions about some of the decisions made by the higher-ups, including those concerning my senior..."

“From the beginning, I felt that you, Aunt Anne, were very dissatisfied with this matter. What is it that makes you so resistant? If becoming a saint would bring you the admiration of thousands, that would be a good thing. Helen became a bishop because of it. Why are you so opposed?” Lius continued to ask.

"Sigh, things are complicated. Even you, Xiaoli, can't know everything. I just know that, given her personality, she would never want to be in such a high position. Rather than fighting for power, she would prefer to be with her family and friends. That's her wish."

With a nostalgic look in her eyes, Annie shook her head slightly, seemingly keeping some things to herself.

When speaking to Lius, she merely gave him these excuses in a perfunctory manner, in order to appease him.

"That's just her personality. If it weren't for the church's interference, she might still be with me at the church, teaching and nurturing students like an ordinary teacher, without being affected by so many inexplicable things. That would be a good outcome for her. It's just a pity that now, no matter what, we can never go back to the way things were."

“According to what you’re saying, Aunt Anne, does this senior aunt also have a lot of knowledge?” Lius asked, tilting his head.

"Yes, she's even more skilled than me. Not only is she very knowledgeable about the church's scriptures, but she's also quite accomplished in magic. She has extensive experience with both combat spells and array formations, and she doesn't have many rivals in the entire church."

"Oh? That's amazing! You're practically an all-rounder."

Lius blinked in surprise, while Anne continued to nod, a smile finally appearing on her lips.

"Ha...yes, I tried to spar with her many times back then, but I always ended up losing. I've never been able to surpass her in these areas. She has such extraordinary talent, and perhaps that's why she was chosen by the church and became a saint. Sigh..."

With a soft sigh, Annie placed her hand on her chest, seemingly trying to suppress the turmoil within her.

"..."

Nearly five minutes passed before things finally calmed down.

During this time, Lius stayed with Anne, remaining silent and deep in thought, accompanying the dark-haired beauty through this somewhat difficult period.

"Young Master, the meal is ready. Shall we bring it up?"

Just then, the voices of the maids came from the kitchen, which brought Lius back to his senses. He nodded slightly in the direction from which the voices came and beckoned the maids to come over.

"Okay, let's serve the food. I'm a little hungry, so let's eat early and get some rest."

After giving instructions to the maids in the kitchen, Leus looked at Anne again, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke to her:

“Aunt Annie, since you don’t want that senior aunt to become a saint, then… why not find a way to secretly bring her out of the church and let her live in secrecy? Would that be alright?”

"Huh? You...sneaked her out of church?"

Hearing Lius's words, Annie blinked in surprise, seemingly astonished by the boy's idea, while Lius nodded again, casting an approving look at the dark-haired woman in front of him.

"Yes, we can secretly rescue your senior from the church and make sure she doesn't become a saint anymore. We can hide her identity in the countryside so the church can't find her anymore. Wouldn't that be great? As long as you have this idea, Aunt Annie, I can do it right away!"

Adopting a serious and sincere attitude, Levi leaned closer to Annie and spoke. After a brief moment of surprise, Annie regained her previous calm expression and shook her head slightly at Levi.

"No, it's impossible. The Church has a lot of influence. If we really take the Holy Maiden away, the Church will definitely not let it go. There's no way to implement this plan. Xiaoli, you don't need to worry about this too much. This is not something you should be troubled by. Don't worry, Auntie is fine. Don't worry about Auntie."

"So Auntie, do you really think this plan is not feasible? Even if the church has a lot of influence, my strength is not bad either. With the power of the Furen family, it is not necessarily true that our whereabouts will be exposed."

"Really, it's not necessary... There's no way to fight against the church unless we can find a force that's roughly equal to it. Otherwise, no matter how much effort we put in, it will all be in vain."

"Is it all in vain...?"

Watching Annie's dejected appearance, Levi frowned thoughtfully. At the same time, he noticed a faint, dark red light appear on Annie's shoulder for a moment, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. Levi was momentarily drawn to it, but then it disappeared into thin air without a trace.

"..."

Noticing the unusual appearance on Annie's shoulder, Leus paused for a moment, then quickly recovered, without reacting much, simply nodding slightly to Annie and continuing to speak:

"If this is what you think, Aunt Annie, then I understand. I won't do anything too risky in the future, don't worry, Aunt."

"Really, Xiaoli? Promise Auntie you won't actually do those dangerous things."

Anne looked at the boy in front of her again to confirm, and received a nod of approval from Lius.

"Don't worry, I won't delve too deeply into this matter. Here, the dishes are all served. Aunt Annie, let's eat. I'll feed you. We can talk about other things after we finish eating."

"Um……"

Faced with the boy's words, Annie glanced at him, observing the expression on Lius's face. Realizing that what he had just said was true, the black-haired young woman felt a little relieved. She nodded to Lius and picked up her utensils to begin enjoying the dishes on the table.

"By the way, Xiaoli, do you still have the cross I gave you before?"

Just before putting the first piece of bread into her mouth, Anne seemed to remember something and raised her head slightly to ask Lius this question.

"The cross? It's right here in my arms. Is there something you need, Aunt Anne?" Lius asked, tilting his head as he pulled out the cross Anne had given him earlier.

"It's nothing, I just wanted you to keep it safe, Xiaoli, it'll be useful later..."

Having said that, Anne didn't explain anything further. She simply exhaled and began to quietly enjoy the food in front of her.

Meanwhile, Leus, after hearing Annie's words, thoughtfully stroked the cross in his arms, then stopped thinking about it and simply put the cross back into his arms. Together with the black-haired woman opposite him, they silently shared this tranquil atmosphere, waiting for the others to arrive...