Chapter 166: Welcome to the Church of the Water God
Before long, the group finally arrived at their destination.
Fontaine City—a city once known as Thunderclap City. Ever since its renaming and establishment as the headquarters of the Church of the Water God, it had flourished explosively in a short span of time. Now, it stood as a presence within the Star Luo Empire second to none, rivaling even the imperial capital itself. The streets were broad and immaculate, buildings rose in orderly rows, shops lined the thoroughfares, and the flow of people surged like a river.
Whether commoner or noble, all could live and work here in peace and contentment, basking in harmony and joy. There was no strife, no oppression, and certainly no bullying.
The city also boasted the liveliest Spirit Arena in the entire Star Luo Empire—and indeed the largest on the whole continent. Unlike elsewhere, the Spirit Arena of Fontaine City was open not only to soul masters but also to ordinary people wielding soul tools or firearms, as well as martial artists who cultivated internal techniques and tempered their physiques. All could step onto the stage and compete.
They fought for glory and added vivid, indelible strokes to the legend of this city.
The participation of ordinary people transformed the once-monotonous soul master competitions into something far richer, more varied, and significantly more challenging. Their presence proved that even those without martial souls were not necessarily incapable of contending against soul masters.
And those soul masters who clung stubbornly to tradition were now forced to learn new things—the use of soul tools, and even to seek instruction from ordinary people in those exquisite martial techniques.
Because everyone knew: in the Spirit Arenas of Fontaine City and the surrounding cities, if one underestimated an opponent based solely on soul power rank, status, or identity, they would absolutely suffer a bitter loss, or even become a laughingstock.
The people of the Church of the Water God might appear unremarkable on the surface, but should one disdain them for it, the consequences were often unforgettable.
Today, however, very few members of the Water God Church could be seen in the Spirit Arena. It seemed something of greater importance was taking place.
...
At the city gates of Fontaine City.
The soldiers guarding the gate and the surrounding members of the Water God Church spotted Furina's figure from afar. One after another, they bowed in salute, their voices rising in unison: "We greet Her Holiness, the Pope!"
Furina smiled faintly and waved at the crowd. "It seems Protector Long has already sent word of my return."
Xiao Xiao, following behind Furina and taking in the enthusiastic scene before her, couldn't help but exclaim, "How lively! What a grand spectacle! Furina, I feel like you're practically on the level of an empress."
Wang Dong also nodded repeatedly. "Exactly, exactly! It's way livelier than my home!"
He silently added in his heart: If I returned to the Clear Sky Sect, at most, my eldest and second uncles would bring one or two people out to greet me. There's no way there'd be this kind of display.
Tang Ya was equally amazed. "Wow, this display is truly something else! My decision to join the Water God Church was definitely the right one. You really are a deeply beloved Pope."
Bei Bei chimed in agreement. "Indeed. Almost all of these people are cheering from the heart. From the looks of it, your prestige is remarkably high."
At the same time, he inwardly marveled: the sheer scale of the Water God Church's power was already staggering, and Furina's personal standing within it had actually reached such heights.
Hearing this, a helpless smile surfaced on Furina's face. Addressing the crowd that had come to welcome her, she adopted a tone of mock distress: "Why must you go to such lengths? You have truly burdened me."
She waved a hand, raising her voice: "Alright, alright! There's no need to keep cheering, everyone. Disperse now, disperse! Such a grand commotion—I'm really not accustomed to it."
"Yes, Your Holiness!" The crowd answered in unison, then receded like the tide of their own accord, leaving only the few guards at the gate.
Furina turned to the guards, her tone gentle. "Thank you for your hard work."
"It is no hardship! This is our duty!" The guards straightened their backs and responded in crisp unison.
Furina nodded with satisfaction, only then leading the group through the city gates and toward the direction of the Water God Church's headquarters.
All along the way, countless passersby and faithful of the Water God Church called out greetings to her. The long-standing members were brimming with enthusiasm, and the newly inducted followers, though they might not recognize Furina, would follow the veterans' lead in saluting and hailing her.
Fragments of conversation from the roadside drifted into their ears from time to time:
"So this is our Pope? She really is so young..."
"Well, what else would you expect from a Water God? The affairs of deities are beyond our mortal speculation."
"Her Holiness the Pope has returned. Does this mean we're about to mobilize and wipe out the Sun Moon Empire?"
"Are you joking? If we were going to wipe anyone out first, it'd be the Heavenly Soul Empire or the Dou Ling Empire."
"I heard that Protector Long, one of the Four Protectors, went to the Heavenly Soul Empire. If we're going to war, I think we should strike the Heavenly Soul Empire first."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, don't spout nonsense. What's this about starting wars? If you ask me, rather than fighting this one or that one, we should wipe out those evil soul master bastards first."
"Hey, you've got a point there. But with Miss Ye Guyi and Her Holiness Pope Furina around, that's only a matter of time, right?"
"Word on the street says Miss Ye Guyi personally hunted and killed a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master!"
"No way? Miss Ye Guyi is only in her forties, she hasn't even reached Soul King yet. How could she take down a Titled Douluo? Are you bragging?"
"Who's bragging? My older brother is in the Intelligence Department! If he said it, it's definitely true!"
"Maybe he's just in the Intelligence Department's gossip division..."
"You—!"
"Could you two stop arguing? I just want to quietly admire Her Holiness Furina's beauty."
"I want to marry Her Holiness Furina!"
"In your dreams! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You think you're worthy?"
"I'm just daydreaming here, alright? Don't bother me, will you?"
"Uh..."
The corner of Furina's mouth twitched faintly. She pretended not to have heard a thing and kept walking forward without pausing.
At last, the group arrived at the headquarters of the Church of the Water God.
Furina turned around, spread her arms wide, and introduced the place with a beaming smile: "Welcome, everyone, to my Church of the Water God! Treat this place as your own home—feel free to make yourselves comfortable, no need to stand on ceremony."
Xiao Xiao's gaze, however, was immediately captured by the towering divine statue standing at the center of the headquarters. She tilted her head back, murmuring, "That... is that a statue of you?"
Furina followed her gaze and nodded, a hint of pride creeping into her voice: "That's right, it's my statue. What do you think? Doesn't it perfectly match my aura?"
Wang Dong stared at the statue for a moment, then couldn't resist a jab: "Yep, a perfect match—at least in the figure department, it's definitely spot on."
The corner of Furina's eye twitched, a vein nearly bulging on her forehead. But then she reconsidered—she had long since grown accustomed to being teased about this figure of hers. She took a deep breath and reined in her temper.
She gave a light huff and said, with feigned composure, "At the very least, it's brimming with majesty, isn't it?"
Bei Bei looked at the statue, then back at Furina, and offered an earnest assessment: "Majestic it certainly is... but compared to how you usually are, the difference is still pretty vast, wouldn't you say?"
Furina waved a dismissive hand, unconcerned. "So what? A god's state and a human's state are bound to be different. After all, I haven't actually become a god yet."
Huo Yuhao stood off to the side and muttered quietly under his breath, "I have a feeling... even after becoming a god, there wouldn't be much difference."
Furina pretended not to hear that either. She clapped her hands to rally the group: "Alright, alright, let's not all stand around at the door. Come on, let's go inside and talk further. I still need to introduce you to a few new friends."
"Alright!"
Everyone answered in unison, following in Furina's steps as they crossed the threshold into the main entrance of the Church of the Water God's headquarters.