The Church

Crazy, the whole world had gone crazy.

Sixiang City was no exception.

In the dead of night, having just survived a [Tomorrowless Day], the bigwigs of the city rushed to the church without even waiting for the sun to rise.

The 100 cities each governed themselves, and their power structures varied.

Sixiang City was a human-dominated city. There was no city lord here; the highest authority was the Three-Member Council.

The three supreme power holders were the Dean of the Academy, the Chief of the Government Administration, and the President of the Association Alliance.

At this moment, these three supreme leaders gathered at the church.

President An of the Association Alliance was the last to arrive. The three people in the room nodded slightly at him.

With everyone present, they got straight to the point.

"Father Jing, is there an oracle?"

The Church was a colossal entity spanning across cities and races, but the level of religious fervor varied from city to city.

In Sixiang City, the Church wasn't particularly popular, and its everyday power and influence were not considered great.

Father Jing was a lean and wiry middle-aged man.

He wore a well-fitted, one-piece priest's robe embroidered with a moon on the chest, and he had a kind face.

At this moment, his teeth were chattering slightly, and his hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists from time to time.

Obviously, he was thrilled beyond measure.

"Three Venerables, the one opening the new era this time is the Eternal Moon."

"The Eternal Moon!" Three low gasps echoed uncontrollably within the church.

To make three individuals of such high status, great power, and deep shrewdness lose their composure simultaneously, it was clear that this matter was truly beyond all expectations.

The Academy's Dean was an old man with a long white beard. His surname was Deng, but for a long time, people had simply called him by his title, [Dean].

"Which is the new race?"

Father Jing remained silent.

President An of the Association Alliance was a bit more impatient. "Father, please speak quickly."

"The oracle reveals that the new race is..."

"It's... the Mist Aberration race."

Silence.

The four people present were dead silent for a full ten minutes.

The top official of the Government Administration was surnamed Sun, codenamed [Chief]. He looked like a shrewd and capable young man, though he just took good care of himself; to climb to the highest position, he was actually middle-aged.

In the stifling atmosphere, he habitually reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

Before the cigarette even left the box, realizing he was in a church, he put it away.

After a long while, President An sighed deeply, breaking the silence. "A storm of blood and gore is coming."

Chief Sun followed up, "This era of great strife is beyond our control. Let's strengthen our armaments and be on high alert."

The [Dean] stroked his long beard. "This year's graduation exam falls on this week's [Tomorrowless Day]. Don't hide things anymore; bring out some good stuff. No matter how precious items are, they are dead objects. Living people are the real combat power. The more students who can graduate, the better."

"You don't need to tell us that."

"Father Jing, issue a notice in the morning to announce the situation. This matter can't be kept hidden anyway."

"I will."

7:00 AM.

The golden sun's rays pierced through the eyebrow window into the room.

Chen Miemie was woken up by the sunlight.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with a flawlessly pale and handsome face, even more dazzling than the sunlight.

"Flawlessly pale" wasn't an adjective; it was an objective description of Qinghua's skin color.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We aberrations don't need to sleep. After fainting earlier, I woke up at five o'clock. I've been waiting for you to wake up too."

Chen Miemie translated this slightly in his head: Qinghua was probably caring about him.

"Your watch rang twice."

Chen Miemie clicked on his unread messages.

First message.

Time: 6:00 AM sharp

Sender: The Church (City-wide mass broadcast)

Content: Revering the oracle of the Moon God, starting today, it is the brand-new Eighth Era. The new members of the world in this era are—the Mist Aberration race.

Second message.

Time: 6:08 AM

Sender: Loli Teacher

Content: Meet at the Beyond Cafe at 14:00 this afternoon. If you dare to be late, report to the infirmary after class tomorrow.

Chen Miemie called out "Xiao Hong" twice in his heart. As expected, there was no reply.

"Qinghua, how do you feel?"

"Better than ever. My energy has fully recovered, and now I can freely control my power."

"Is this what you call free control?" Chen Miemie pointed at the bed beneath him, which had turned into porcelain.

"Porcelain bed, comfortable."

Alright, this wasn't a loss of control over power, but Qinghua's well-intentioned sharing. Chen Miemie nodded, accepting this kindness.

He got out of bed.

"Hey, hey, isn't this going a bit too far? Why are my slippers porcelain too?"

Qinghua tilted his head up slightly. "Porcelain shoes, comfortable."

"Can you change them back?"

"I couldn't before, and now... I still can't."

A tick mark popped up on the back of Chen Miemie's head. "If you can't either way, why did you separate the sentence?"

"If it's just been porcelainized, I can. If it's been porcelainized for a long time, I can't."

"How long is 'a long time'?"

"About 15 minutes."

Chen Miemie understood. Things porcelainized by Qinghua's ability could be saved within 15 minutes, but beyond that, it was irreversible.

"Qinghua, when we're outside, you are not allowed to casually porcelainize things just based on your mood, especially living beings, understand?"

"Oh."

"Do you need to eat?"

Qinghua shook his head.

Chen Miemie rejoiced inwardly. No eating, no sleeping—aberrations were really easy to keep.

In a good mood, Chen Miemie asked a question he would regret for the rest of his life:

"Then do you have anything you like? Follow your Brother Miemie, and I won't treat you poorly."

Qinghua's eyes instantly lit up. "Yes, I like porcelain."

"Huh? Can't you make porcelain yourself?"

"The ones I make are all new porcelain. I need ones with age. The older, the better. Absorbing them can enhance my power."

Chen Miemie: ...

He really just wanted to slap himself twice across the face right now.

This [White Porcelain Lady] didn't need to eat or drink regular food; what he wanted to eat were antiques!

As everyone knows, antiques have one prominent attribute: they are expensive.

"Well, there will be chances in the future. By the way, Qinghua, how much do you know about human cities? For example, this Church, have you heard of it?" Chen Miemie changed the subject incredibly stiffly.

Qinghua was a bit of an airhead and easily fell for it, having his attention diverted immediately.

"I don't know much, but I do know a little bit about the Church."

"Come on, tell me."

"There are 100 cities in this world. Each city only minds its own business and generally can't interfere with other cities."

"Mhm, I know that." Chen Miemie stuffed bread into his mouth as he listened.

"But the Three Great Churches are different. They are super-large organizations that span across cities."

"Which three?"

"The Sun Church, the Moon Church, and the Mist Church.

The Sun Church worships the twin suns of Gold and Silver, while the Moon Church worships the three moons: the Eternal Moon, the Rainbow Moon, and the Frost Moon. Every city has churches, and the churches of the Sun and Moon are together and shared."

"So it seems the Sun and Moon churches get along very well?" Chen Miemie took another sip of milk.

"In my impression, yes."

"In this message of mine, the Church says 'Revering the oracle of the Moon God'. Does that mean the Church knows there are gods on the moon?"

"No, 'god' is just an anthropomorphic honorific. The Twin Suns and Three Moons are the rules of the world. They have been fair and impartial for tens of thousands of years; how could they have individual consciousness?"

Chen Miemie stayed silent. It seemed he would have to take the secret that he could act as the master of the Eternal Moon to his grave.

"What about the Church of Mist?"

"The Church of Mist doesn't have physical churches. You generally can't find them."

"Huh? Why?"

"Humans call them a cult. Whenever they are spotted, people shout and try to kill them."

"So are they really a cult?"

"I don't think so. When I was in the mist, they were the ones who approached me and traded a lot of fun things with me. I think they are good people."

Chen Miemie chuckled dryly.

This was obviously a full-blown cult. What kind of good people would seek out anomalies to make deals with? They sounded exactly like the type of ruthless maniacs who were cruel to others and even crueler to themselves.

Wait, thinking about it that way, didn't that mean he wasn't a good person either?

No, no, no.

Chen Miemie quickly shook his head: I, Emperor Miemie, walk on behalf of the moon. I am untouched by karma and hold the final right of interpretation.

Frankly speaking, Chen Miemie preferred the Silver Sun.

This Golden Sun was just too hot; it was sweltering even when hiding indoors.

"Qinghua, aren't you hot? Hurry up and press against me. You are so nice and cool, leaning against you feels the best."

"Oh, coming. Porcelain is fired at temperatures of over a thousand degrees, so I am not very sensitive to everyday temperatures."

At 1:40 PM.

Chen Miemie arrived at the entrance of the Other Shore Cafe.

"This Loli Teacher said the cafe was close to my house. How is this close? I am completely unfamiliar with everything around here."

Upon entering the shop, the bell at the door let out a crisp, pleasant ring.

"Welcome." A waiter came forward to greet him.

Chen Miemie took one look at him.

"Holy crap!"

The approaching staff member wasn't a gentle young lady, but a massive brute over two and a half meters tall. His head was practically touching the ceiling.

The hulking man was completely shirtless, his knotted muscles rippling with every step, fully displaying his powerful physique.

Chen Miemie thought to himself: No wonder it is called the Other Shore Cafe. If you tried to dine and dash here, you would literally get punched straight to the afterlife.

"Chen Miemie, over here."

At a window seat, the Loli Teacher had already arrived.