Naturalism Church, Windsor District, Lundan Headquarters.
The headquarters are located in the Central District of Inner Lundan, the political, cultural center, and the economic hub of Lundan Town.
From the outside, it looks like a public library open for free to the public, preserving documents and providing citizens with services such as inquiry and borrowing.
The architectural style is classical, and the facilities are slightly outdated, not one of Lundan’s top libraries.
However, within it lies a universe; the office building used by the Church headquarters members has three teleportation gates: Hexagram, Crucifix Star, Triangle Star.
Passing through the middle Crucifix Star gate leads directly to the Naturalism Church Headquarters Cathedral.
The cathedral sits in a vast valley, with design inspiration predominantly merging with nature; the overall structure of the church primarily focuses on nature, integrating some human architectural aesthetics.
The towering spires are like lofty mountains, the green lawns surrounding the church resemble an extended mountain range, and the walls are carved with numerous life-like plant shapes, protected by the Nature Goddess, brimming with surging green vitality.
Inside the church, the design still incorporates natural elements; giant trees serve as pillars, Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience.
In other areas, elegant plants filled with vitality and vigor are seen everywhere, each with its use, serving the Naturalism Disciples within the church.
There is a distinction between believers and disciples; believers from all over the streets are not allowed to enter the cathedral and can only come to the lawns surrounding the cathedral to pray and worship under the guidance of disciples on special days.
Disciples are purified believers who, besides having a firmer faith, require the identity of a Mage and have made significant contributions to the Naturalism Church.
However, not all disciples are permitted to enter the cathedral; Lundan Headquarters is an administrative body, the nerve center of the Naturalism Church in the Windsor Kingdom, with nerves spreading from the center, regulating and controlling the entire Windsor District.
Usually, only the administrative staff of the Lundan Headquarters can freely enter and leave the cathedral; other disciples are not allowed to enter without permission.
Recently, under pressure, Hefei sent out a call for assistance to the Naturalism Church’s main stronghold, as the Death and Darkness Knights were active in Lundan, and to safeguard the interests of the Windsor District, requested strong reinforcement to be stationed in Lundan from above.
After dragging their feet for a few days, the Church dispatched a small but elite task force of fewer than ten people.
Especially, the leader of this mission, Flora Evelyn, was the previous Holy Maiden of the Naturalism Church, a priest at headquarters, and a highly esteemed Golden Mage.
Flora was from Frank, and she once shared a special bond with Hefei; they held immense respect for each other and were seen as kindred spirits. The headquarters hoped that the two would collaborate to swiftly revive the Windsor District.
Light pierced through the row of floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the long conference table with brightness.
Hefei placed a hand on her chest, bent slightly, and smiled as she welcomed her old friend, "Holy Maiden, years have passed, yet your beauty has not waned – truly enviable."
Flora, dressed in a light green gown, gracefully curtsied and replied, "High Priest, I come to Lundan on the orders of headquarters to assist you. If you continue to be so polite, I really wouldn’t know how to respond."
"It’s appropriate, considering that you are the Holy Maiden."
"I stepped down as the Holy Maiden last year, now I’m just a priest at headquarters, tending flowers and watering plants, doing some retirement work. In terms of position, you are the High Priest, and I’m now your subordinate."
The two women, one radiating a spirited dignity and the other gentle and proper, perfectly complemented each other’s personalities, an ideal pairing that demonstrated the keen eye of the Naturalism Church Headquarters in choosing their people.
Hefei held Flora’s hand, leading her intimately to her seat, her smile unchanging, "You and I once worked together in Paris, and our years of friendship mean that even if you are no longer the Holy Maiden, to me, you’re still my closest friend, and I’ve never seen you as a subordinate..."
Flora’s face lit up with a smile upon hearing this, and they reminisced about their past, sharing many fond stories of their sisterhood.
About twenty years ago, Hefei and Flora first met. At that time, they were competitors, each vying for the role of Holy Maiden, which came about every twenty years. Both being blessed by divinity, their starting point was the finishing line for others, so the competition was essentially between the two of them, with the rest simply running alongside for the spectacle.
Among them, Hefei was favored to become the next Holy Maiden due to her Dragon Blood lineage, eyed by the higher-ups of the Church headquarters as the obvious choice.
But the unexpected happened, and the unexpected took the form of a pretty-boy, a suave charmer named Austin Lando. With unrestrained flattery, he captured the fair lady’s heart and whisked Hefei away to wed.
Flora was the default Holy Maiden, and Hefei gained love – both had a bright future ahead of them.
Love blinds, and Hefei voluntarily gave up the Holy Maiden’s nomination, offending many in the top echelons who had been rooting for her. This also led to her being sent off to the Scalpel Organization, perpetually on the frontline, tasked with the dirty, hard work.