Chapter 877: The Suspicious Axis Cult
This child really understands the rule that "when expressing gratitude, one should bare their chest"!
Eiji looked at "those two useless lumps of flesh" with a gratified smile.
A road paved with red bricks came into view, with vendors hawking their wares along the streets. Blue-tiled houses stood uniformly arranged by the roadside.
Though still maintaining a medieval European style, unlike Axel, this hot spring capital's most distinctive feature was the numerous crisscrossing canals running through the city. Tributaries from the lake and hot spring veins flowing down from the mountains created crystal-clear waterways where even the fish were visible. The entire town was filled with moist air, evoking the atmosphere of Jiangnan water towns, and the pedestrians on the streets were full of vitality.
In this parallel world where entertainment was scarce, such a tourist city was indeed refreshing and its popularity understandable.
But for Eiji, it fell somewhat short of expectations.
Of course, his purpose wasn't tourism, but rather the two beautiful girls behind him, and the infinitely improbable encounters that might occur in mixed-gender baths.
"Welcome to Alcanretia! Are you here for sightseeing? To join our religion? For adventure? Or to receive baptism? Oh, and if you're looking for work, please definitely consider the Axis Cult! We have a great job opportunity - just go to other towns to preach about how wonderful the Axis Cult is, and you can earn money! Plus, there's an extra benefit: anyone doing this work can claim to be an Axis Cult follower! Come on, please follow me!"
Not long after entering the streets, a chubby middle-aged woman enthusiastically approached them.
"Sorry, I'm an Eris follower."
Darkness politely waved her hand, gracefully declining the woman's proposal.
"Ptooey!"
The woman's face darkened, not hiding her disgust toward Darkness as she spat before quickly disappearing, as if Eris followers were venomous beasts.
"How rude! Miss Darkness, are you okay?"
Yunyun watched the departing woman with indignation before turning concerned eyes toward Darkness.
"Mmm~!"
Darkness covered her shoulder, her face flushing.
Yunyun suddenly froze.
"You're excited?"
Eiji glanced sideways at her as if he'd expected this.
"...Just a little."
Darkness scratched her cheek somewhat embarrassedly, her face tinged with crimson shame.
"Ex-Excited? About what?"
Yunyun gulped, a trace of fear appearing in her eyes.
She had an ominous premonition - this seemingly feminine blonde big sister seemed to be some kind of extraordinary person!
"It's nothing, please don't mind it!"
Darkness quickly denied it seriously.
If she were misunderstood by the pure-hearted Yunyun, she would feel deeply ashamed.
"Welcome to Alcanretia! Followers of the Axis Cult will share their personal experiences about improved health, lottery wins, and enhanced talents! How about it? Would you like to join our religion too?"
"Passersby, I'm actually quite skilled at fortune-telling. Let me give you a free reading! Oh my, this is serious - you're going to encounter misfortune soon! But don't worry, if you join the Axis Cult, you can turn danger into safety! Wait, don't walk away unbelieving..."
"Oh! My apple! Thank you for picking it up, cute dark-haired girl! Let me properly thank you - there's an Axis Cult-run coffee shop just ahead, let's go have a proper chat there!"
The enthusiastic attitude of the passersby was hard to bear, so the three had to repeatedly decline.
Yunyun looked tempted, but Eiji coldly pulled her away.
No matter how you looked at it, this city was completely filled with the suspicious scent of the Axis Cult!
"Ptooey!"
"Ptooey!"
Suddenly, several passersby spat at Darkness in unison.
Yunyun was completely bewildered.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Her innocent little face was filled with fear of the unknown as she shrank back.
"Darkness."
Eiji's mouth twitched.
"What is it?"
Darkness looked over with charming eyes.
"What do you think it is?"
Eiji glared at her irritably.
"Well, it's said that Goddess Eris and Goddess Aqua are colleagues in the heavenly realm, with a senior-junior relationship, but they don't get along well! And they're very jealous of Goddess Eris's vast faith, so the Axis Cult that worships Goddess Aqua constantly causes trouble for us Eris followers!"
Darkness explained with complete seriousness.
"Then why are you still displaying the emblem?"
Eiji didn't let her change the subject, instead pointing at her waist.
Hanging at her slender waist was the symbol of an Eris follower - an amulet embroidered with a special pattern, swaying with her movements.
It definitely hadn't been there when they first entered the city.
"You noticed?"
Darkness instinctively covered the emblem, her eyes full of embarrassment.
She had just put it on.
Her intention was obvious.
"Oh? Oh my, long time no see! Do you remember me? It's me, me!"
Suddenly someone else targeted Yunyun from the side, enthusiastically pointing at his own nose, creating the touching scene of old friends reuniting after long separation.
"Um... who are you?"
Yunyun looked at him confused.
Since leaving Crimson Demon Village, she had met very few people, and could count her friends on one hand, but she didn't remember this person at all.
"It's me! We're old friends who haven't seen each other for ages! We met back then, at that place! Have you really forgotten me? I misjudged you!"
"That's right, we're friends!"
As the other person sighed with disappointment, Yunyun reflexively grabbed his shoulders.
"Ouch, that hurts, it really hurts! Let go!"
The man's face darkened as he fearfully looked at Yunyun's shining eyes.
"We're friends, right? I won't let go! True friends never let go, no matter what!Yunyun's eyes glowed green as she tightly held onto the man's shoulders.
Wow.
Eiji looked at Yunyun. He had been planning to help chase the man away, but it seemed unnecessary now.
"Oh, oh... um, aren't you being a bit too tense? Maybe relax a little..."
The other person forced a strained smile, trying to calm down the agitated Yuuyu.
"Well, you see, I recently joined the Axis Cult, so I've changed a lot. You must have mistaken me for someone else..."
"No! I remember you! You're that person we met back then, at that place! We're friends!"
"Ahaha, is that so... Please let go of me! I'm not your friend, it hurts!"
The other person desperately shook off Yuuyu's arm and fled with a panicked expression.
Eiji gave a thumbs-up to the dejected-looking Yuuyu.