Strength 99999 but the Holy Sister

Elsa gazed up at the magnificent city, her heart filled with wonder. Even if this world possessed something as convenient as magic, building it would still be incredibly difficult. In other words, only something like this could hold off the Demon King's army. Just imagine how powerful the Demon King's army must be.

However, all this has nothing to do with Elsa now. The existence of the Demon King has long become a legend. Although there have always been rumors that the Demon King will be resurrected, those statements are unfounded and unreliable.

perhaps?

In fact, Elsa didn't know whether she should believe it or not, because that's how it was drawn in the novels and comics of her previous life. If there are saints and heroes, then there must be a demon king as well.

"See those runes?" Marvin stopped holding his book and looked longingly toward the city wall. He explained to Elsa, "Fifty years ago, the 'Grand Mage,' 'Sage of Mystic Magic,' Lady Patriculosia en Serilihilda, personally wove that magic circle. Once activated, it instantly creates an anti-demon barrier that encircles the entire city. It's a solid shield against the Demon King's attacks. Most incredible of all, it can also draw upon the power of the earth's veins, summoning powerful white angels to fight."

"Unfortunately, the sage was severely injured in the final battle and was forced to step down from her position as mage. Since then, she has stopped interfering in government affairs and instead remains here to devote herself to the study of magic. Even though she is over a hundred years old, she looks very young."

"Huh? You look young even though you're over a hundred years old?"

Elsa was surprised.

Seeing Aisha's expression, Marvin smiled and said, "Yes, she is very young. If you can be selected as a Saint Sister, you will have the opportunity to meet her. You will know when you meet her. The Sage Lady is a legend in the magical world. Her magic is unfathomable. For someone like her, life itself no longer has any secrets."

At this time, there were already many people queuing in front of the city gate. Elsa and her companions' carriage stopped at the back and slowly moved forward with the team.

Elsa noticed that many of the people in front of the team were dressed as adventurers or mercenaries, and there were also travelers or merchants who came from far away in carriages like them. There were checkpoints at the city gates to inspect everyone entering and leaving the city, and everyone had to pay a certain amount of detention fee when entering and leaving the city. Of course, Marvin and his companions had a pass from the church. When the guards saw the pass, they simply checked their carriages and checked cargo, and then confirmed with Marvin about the wanted criminal Aru before letting them pass.

"You are not allowed to ride horses in the city unless you are a licensed driver or a member of the Knights."

Marvin and the others got off their horses, and Elsa also got off the carriage. As soon as she stepped into the city, she felt the prosperous atmosphere. Only then did she feel how majestic the city was. People were coming and going on the streets, and the avenues pointed straight to higher places. At a glance, she could see the inner city walls and the city square. From time to time, people dressed as adventurers passed by, merchants directed porters to carry goods, hawkers hawked their wares on the street, and gorgeously dressed women walked side by side with elegant men.

Not far away, the security patrol passed by in orderly steps.

"As expected of a big city, Weilin Town is incomparable."

Elsa sighed.

"Sister Faris, would you like to take a stroll here?"

"No, we can talk about it later when we have time. Let's get down to business first."

The so-called serious business is naturally the selection of holy nuns.

"Then let's go directly to the church. There are people from the Holy See there to pick us up."

"Um……"

Elsa suddenly stopped and looked back at a place on the side of the road. A figure flashed by and disappeared into the crowd - but Elsa saw the man's profile. It was a thin man.

"See anything interesting?" Marvin stopped and waited for her.

"nothing."

Elsa looked away and ignored it.

……

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19. Dammar Cardinal Church

Dammars is indeed prosperous, even more so than the town of Weilin.

The overall architectural style leaned towards a heavy and simple style. It was clear that Dammas, as a fortress, had a construction level far exceeding the productivity of the current era. Clearly, the fortress's architecture incorporated many magical elements—but even so, compared to the modern metropolis of her previous life, it lacked much character. In other words, it gave Elsa the feeling of walking through a game. Furthermore, Dammas wasn't entirely as beautiful as it appeared. Elsa could see far into the distance, perceiving the disorder and squalor deep within the alleys. The city's backward production and lifestyle had bloated it, its population large but diverse. People of all backgrounds crisscrossed the streets, the throngs thick with people who seemed to make the air murky.

The vastness and heaviness of Dammas City reflected its stunning side, but also its unsatisfactory side, which Aisha could see clearly.

Having lived her life over again, Elsa felt a little bit of novelty, but not too much. After all, she had lived in a society with highly developed industry and technology. Elsa appreciated Dammas more like a sightseeing tourist.

To say that the fortress is prosperous, beautiful, and spectacular... is indeed true. The fortress has surpassed Elsa's understanding of ancient times. However, when a building of this scale can be jumped over by Elsa with a light leap, the shock it brings is infinitely reduced. Elsa's attitude towards it is more like observing an exquisite handicraft than appreciating a magnificent masterpiece.

Moreover, for people who have lived in modern society, they are accustomed to seeing skyscrapers that are often hundreds of meters high, steel bridges across rivers, and magnificent water conservancy dams. They have also experienced or understood the convenient life brought by aerospace, integrated circuits, mechanical engineering, etc. All of this will dilute this beauty.

So Elsa acted rather calmly. She was thinking about what Marvin had said before, and she didn't have much thought about going shopping or sightseeing.

But in the eyes of Ma Wen and others, this is precisely a manifestation of piety - as a monk, they cultivate their nature and body, practice cultivation, vow to abide by the rules, and do not care about worldly things. Men and private property are naturally excluded.

They admired Elsa's unwavering integrity.

But little did she know that Elsa just saw the world differently.

"Then we'll go first, see you later."

"Goodbye."

Buck and Fred were responsible for escorting Aru to the court respectively to the Merchants Union Guild to inquire about the ownership and registration of the goods. They had different destinations, so Marvin was responsible for guiding Elsa.

"Dammar City was one of the sturdy fortresses that resisted the Western Demon King's army fifty years ago. Its urban design is multi-layered, like a giant staircase." Marvin led Elsa into the city, explaining the overall structure of Dammar City. "We are now in the outermost area, which is the part at the foot of the mountain that directly connects to the moat and the riverside plain. It's called the Outer City, and it's also the lowest part of the city, the first staircase. Continuing up the road above this, we will encounter another towering city wall. From here, we continue up to the Inner City, which is the second staircase."

Elsa saw the city wall at the end of the high road.

"Just like the outer city, entering the inner city also requires passing through a checkpoint. Going up further is the castle. That's where the lord lives and works, and it's also the headquarters and supply center during wartime. That's the highest staircase."

Elsa looked at the gray castle at the highest point. The castle was magnificent and huge. From here, the hazy fog and towering walls could not hide its full view. The castle was surrounded by towers and spires, and its height was even more exaggerated than the clock tower.

"Those are magic turrets. Down there is the military headquarters. The headquarters of the Knights and the Magicians are both here. We call this the 'Central City'—the Dammas Cardinal Church we're heading to is right there."

The Cardinal Church is a branch of the Vatican directly under the Holy See. It is located in various regions and is responsible for church affairs in that region.

Going up all the way, Elsa came to the inner city. What surprised Elsa was that there seemed to be much fewer people in the inner city than in the outer city. Perhaps because of this reason, the inner city looked tidier and cleaner as a whole.

"You see, due to the terrain, this road runs from bottom to top, which is consistent with the overall layout of the city and is very conducive to defense. In wartime, even if the Demon King's army breaks through the outer city, they will still have the inner city and the central city standing in their way. Due to the terrain, the attacking Demon King's army will always be in a disadvantageous low position, while we can always occupy the high ground."

Marvin explained to himself while Aisha observed the streets and buildings in the inner city.

"Unfortunately, while this design made Dammas impregnable, it was very detrimental to communication between districts during peacetime. Clearly a single city, it became divided into classes, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, over time."

Marvin sighed regretfully.

"That wasn't the original intention of the sage, but there's nothing we can do about it..."

Along the way, Marvin kept talking about the Demon King's army as his imaginary enemy. Elsa just listened quietly most of the time. Soon, they arrived at the church monastery, which was a building complex surrounded by white square stone walls. It was several times larger than the monastery in Weilin Town. A solemn and holy statue of the goddess stood on the top of the church. From the side, you can see the monastery's courtyard, flower garden and long corridor. Next to the entrance is a towering bell tower, and behind it stands an iron gate.

There was a person waiting there who was specifically responsible for guiding them. The guide was a young nun who looked to be in her twenties. Her name was Mary, but Mary was different from the other nuns Elsa had met. She had an elegant temperament, and her cold face carried a stern majesty.

As soon as Marvin went up, he reported to Mary the attack that had occurred two days ago.

"You mean... someone is hiring someone to attack the candidates for the Saint Sister position?"

"Yes, we encountered a wanted criminal named 'Aru'."

"Aru?"

"Yes, as far as I know, he's a Level 1 wanted criminal," Marvin said. "He and his men disguised themselves as mercenaries and attacked us at night. We learned about this from Sister Faris after she captured him. I believe this matter is related to the selection of the Holy Sisters and is extremely important. We must report it immediately."

Marvin recounted in detail how they were attacked and what Aru had revealed. Mary listened carefully, and soon her eyes became serious, and she glanced at Aisha unexpectedly.

Being able to defeat a top-wanted criminal alone, his strength should not be underestimated.

"This is indeed an incredible crisis. In this case, I need to report this matter to Bishop Pittman immediately, the sooner the better. As the parties involved, please come with me."

"Sister Mary," Marvin added, "and Brother Buck and Brother Fred, they are also involved."

"I will arrange for someone to bring them here as soon as possible. Please follow me to meet the bishop first."

After saying that, Mary led Aisha and Marvin straight to the depths of the monastery.

The matter concerned the safety of the future saint and the current selection of holy nuns. Mary took it very seriously and soon brought Elsa and Marvin to a quiet reception room.

"Please wait here for a moment. I have sent someone to contact Bishop Pittman, and he will be here soon."

……

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20. Bishop Pittman

The reception room is about 30 square meters, very bright, and full of the unique simplicity of the church, yet it is majestic and holy.

Elsa's eyes swept across the wall as she entered the door. It was a mural of the goddess Sabrina spreading the fire of wisdom. There were humans, elves, dragons and other intelligent races that had existed on this continent since ancient times. Looking out from the side windows of the mural, you could see the atrium of the monastery. Rows of Roman columns supported the corridors and ceiling.

The statue of the goddess stands between two flower beds and an artificial fountain, and the figures of monks and nuns walk through the corridor.

"Over there is the altar and chapel," Marvin introduced to Elsa. "Across from them are the workshop, kitchen, and brewery. On the other side is the accommodation area. Mary will arrange a rest room for you there later. You can go out for a walk in the city and relax, or you can choose to get familiar with the monastery. I estimate that the official assessment will be in less than two days, and those of us who are away will be back soon, so you can prepare in advance."

"What is the content of the assessment?"

Marvin was surprised: "You don't know?"

Elsa just shook her head. The old priest hadn't told her that—was it because he had forgotten, or was it because he had too much faith in her? Elsa didn't know.

"Is that so? Well... then I'll keep it simple." Marvin was always attentive to anything involving the Saint. He cleared his throat and said, "The duty of a Saint Sister is to accompany the Saint and help her grow more safely and quickly on her journey of training. The appointment of a Saint Sister has always been considered a very solemn matter. The Holy See values ​​them more than almost any archbishop. This is because a Saint Sister is not only the Saint's personal guard, but also her mentor and companion on her journey of growth. Saints and Saint Sisters of all generations have developed a strong friendship, especially the Chief Saint Sister."

Elsa nodded in understanding.

In this way, the position of Holy Sister is really an extremely important one. To put it more seriously, it can even affect the direction of the world.

"Generally speaking, the selection of Holy Sisters is divided into two parts," Marvin continued. "Each primary church, such as the monastery in Weilin Town where you are, nominates its own candidates. The number of vacancies varies in each region based on the size of the jurisdiction and the existence of the monastery. The monastery in Weilin Town was only established in the past ten years, so there is only one vacancies.

Candidates will be gathered in their respective cardinal churches for preliminary screening. The preliminary screening is only the first step in the selection and assessment. According to tradition, the assessment of the cardinal church will not be too difficult. It mainly examines two aspects of the candidate's ability, one is combat strength, and the other is the wisdom of independent thinking. More than a hundred years ago, the preliminary screening assessment was carried out through arena competition and adventurer challenges. In simple terms, it was a direct combat competition and joining the adventurer's guild to complete the commission to accumulate points and finally determine the score. Fifty years ago, the preliminary screening assessment of the Holy Sister was to go to the underground palace of Heron for trial. Whoever reached the deeper level in a shorter time would get a higher score.

Of course, the assessment scoring criteria aren't the only ones; the final decision rests with the Bishop. The initial screening will select candidates who are sufficiently qualified to become Holy Sisters. This is also the simplest, most direct, and most brutal part of the assessment. Afterwards, the candidates will be gathered at the Holy Court for a second round of screening. I'm not quite sure about this... because there's no detailed record of this part in the files..."

This means multiple screenings are required.

"The bishop will be here soon, let's wait."

Not long after, Buck and Fred arrived here one after another. One of them was in the Court of Justice and the other was in the Merchants' Union Guild, both of which were not too far away.

Sister Mary personally served snacks and tea, and after waiting for a while, Elsa met the cardinal of the Dammas Church Monastery - Bishop Pittman. Unlike the elderly Father Angus, Bishop Pittman looked only forty or fifty years old. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and held a gold-bound book that looked very expensive. His straight and gorgeous white robe made him look full of divinity and majesty.

But the mud stains on his cuffs and leather boots broke the neatness.

When he came to the reception room, he looked solemn and worried.

"Brother Marvin, Brother Buck, and Brother Fred," he glanced at Marvin and the others one by one, and finally his gaze stopped on Aisha. When he saw Aisha's shortened nun's uniform, he frowned slightly, but said nothing. "Sister Faris, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I'm Austin Sha Pittman. I'm the abbot of this monastery. You were attacked two days ago, right? Sister Mary has already explained the situation to me, but I'd rather hear your personal explanation. Please explain it in as much detail as possible. I don't want any ambiguous answers."

Marvin, Fred, and Buck looked at each other and began to describe in detail how they were attacked that night, fought against the mercenary group disguised as Aru, and finally how Faris took down the enemy.

After listening to their story, Pittman's mouth trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with deep surprise and anger.

"How... disappointing," he said, slowly standing up, anger in his eyes. "Fifty years ago, our Church made immense sacrifices to protect humanity, yet we've always been confronted by such clueless fools. It's truly disappointing. Humph, fools must pay the price, and the Holy Church will not tolerate provocation. Sister Mary, please gather our knights and holy mages for me. I'll be there shortly."

He paused, looking at Marvin and the others, his gaze softening slightly. "You did a great job this time, capturing that daring wanted criminal. Our Holy Inquisition will take over his trial and judgment, and he will receive the punishment he deserves. You've worked hard on the journey, but you also know that the inauguration of the Saint is imminent, and we still have a lot of work to do—many candidates for the Saint Sisters have not yet arrived. Originally, we only needed to wait, but now it seems that we have been targeted by the evil lurking in the dark. To avoid unnecessary danger, we should contact them as soon as possible and send more people to support them. Since you have experience in this matter, I will assign you to handle it, okay?"

Marvin and the others responded one by one, and Bishop Pittman turned his gaze to Aisha: "And Sister Faris——"

He looked into Elsa's eyes, examining her. "As the key to resolving this crisis, I can see you're very capable. I'm glad you're here. This means you'll have the opportunity to offer your strength to Her Highness the Saint, which is the highest honor for anyone. From today on, I hope you'll attach great importance to this glorious and great mission. Mary, please arrange a place for Sister Faris to rest."

Pittman left immediately after he finished speaking, looking very hurried.

"Then Sister Faris, let me take you to your room to rest."

Elsa said goodbye to Marvin and others, and followed Mary to her temporary residence, a fairly spacious room. The room was bright and clean, and looked like it had been cleaned carefully. Elsa noticed that there were two beds in the room, and there were no signs of anyone living there. Obviously, this was a temporary dormitory specially arranged by the monastery for the nuns participating in the selection of the Holy Sisters.

And this room will probably welcome another roommate.

……

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21. Eyes in the Dark

The monastery of the Cardinal Church is very large, and not all people living here are church members. There are also leather craftsmen, tailors, carpenters and the like hired by the church to work here.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the rules of Dammas Monastery are numerous and very detailed. There are special "stewards" in the monastery to manage and organize the craftsmen. Craftsmen are not allowed to enter the living areas of nuns and monks without permission, and the activities of outsiders like Aisha are also subject to certain restrictions.

Elsa didn't understand all the rules and regulations here, but she already knew the general location of the places she would visit frequently in the future.

In the evening, Elsa was invited by Mary to have dinner with the nuns here.

I have to say that the feeling of living in the Cardinal Monastery is completely different from the monastery in Weilin Town. There are more serious rules and a silent atmosphere here. Meals are just meals, and talking too much is not allowed during meals. Elsa wanted to get to know the nuns here but did not get the chance.

At night, Elsa took a comfortable hot bath after a long time. When she returned to her room, she saw Mary standing in front of her door.

"Good evening, Sister Faris," Sister Mary said, giving off a very friendly vibe. She smiled gently and asked, "I came to see if you needed anything. I can help you. Are you feeling comfortable with this?"

"Oh, it's nice here. The hot water is nice and the food is delicious."

Except for "the food is delicious", everything else is true.

"That's great," Sister Mary chuckled and pulled out a document folded into an envelope from her bosom. "I forgot to give you this before. This is a letter of introduction and pass issued by our monastery. I think you should need it. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to travel around this city. It would be bad if it caused any misunderstandings."

There are checkpoints between the central urban area, inner urban area and outer urban area of ​​Dammas City. If these are not there, you may not be allowed to pass through, and your activities will be greatly restricted.

This is exactly what Elsa needs.

"Thank you for bringing it to me. I'll take good care of it." Elsa took the document and expressed her gratitude to Mary. Then she asked, "Excuse me, Sister Mary, I'd like to know if there are any restrictions on activities here. For example, if I want to go out, do I need to report it?"