Huangjin Shaken

Pope?

Dazai Zhi's pupils contracted slightly, instinctively glancing at Li Nai beside him, but he immediately dismissed the thought. No, this could not have been orchestrated by Li Nai. After a long period of contact, he had somewhat understood the style of this beautiful shop owner wearing a human skin—though he enjoyed chaos and despair, he would not actively intervene.

Using humans as chess pieces to clash and employing schemes to achieve goals was a privilege of humanity. Perhaps he was too lazy to spend his thoughts on mere ants, or perhaps he simply lacked what was called "thoughts." Li Nai merely spread his hand, letting everyone dance within his palm, then occasionally closed his fingers, smiling as he enjoyed the sound of their struggling cries. That was all.

But even so, Huangjin was currently sliding down a path of collapse. Those believers were numerous but merely a disorganized mob, capable only of causing disturbance rather than creating collective power without a leader. But when a "Pope" appeared, the situation would be entirely different.

A moment's thought was enough to know what a cult dedicated to Li Nai could do. Huangjin would quickly fall into utter chaos. And when that moment arrived... what would happen to a toy that had been fully exploited for joy? It would be crushed by the one who had lost interest, tossed away casually after hearing its final tragic cry.

Dazai's kite-colored eyes darkened. He needed to act quickly. But currently, information was too scarce; besides accumulating strength, he needed to gather more intelligence.

Outside, Zhongyuan Zhongye continued to knock on the door, the sound growing more urgent, echoing deep into the shop. The sound of the lock moving rang out, and Oda the cat jumped out from the darkness, leaping onto the counter and looking toward the door with suspicion.

"Hey Dazai, are you in there? Damn it, the door is locked at a time like this." Zhongye's voice sounded as if he had made up his mind, "Then don't blame me for using force!"

Dazai Zhi's eyes rolled, silently landing on Oda the cat. If one were to speak of the one who traveled between two worlds and stayed by Li Nai's side the longest, it was undoubtedly this "official employee."

"Li Nai," Dazai Zhi suddenly spoke, "What happens if an employee leaves their post during working hours?"

"You actually remember that the daytime is your working hours?" Li Nai thought for a moment, "Actually, it's nothing major, at most a salary deduction, or perhaps collecting some interest, like luck for example."

This price was acceptable. Let's do it!

Dazai's eyes brightened, and he suddenly grabbed Oda the cat. With surprising strength, he tightly hugged the giant Maine Coon cat to his chest.

Oda the cat: ???
Li Nai: ?

At this moment, the door was kicked open, and light pierced the darkness. Zhongyuan Zhongye rushed into the shop: "Dazai! If you were here, why... wait, you..."

Before Zhongye could realize Dazai Zhi's abnormality, a large cat was thrown straight at his face.

"Hurry!" Dazai Zhi quickly ran toward the door, shouting in haste: "Take the cat and run!"

Zhongye instinctively caught the cat, stunned by Dazai's clearly feminine voice, but still acted according to his words. With one arm tightly holding the cat and the other grabbing Dazai's collar, the two disappeared from the shop in an instant.

Leaving the shop empty, Li Nai stood alone behind the counter, blinking as he watched the door slam shut automatically. Only then did he react.

"Someone! Dazai Zhi has stolen the cat!!!"

***

Initially, no one mentioned that chaos. There were only murmurs, whispers leaking from the shadows, spreading through every foggy corner.

Sigma followed Marguerite deep into the darkness. He did not remember how many alleys he had passed or how many stairs he had descended, but those delirious voices had turned from terrifying to familiar. Initially, no one spoke directly of the chaos; they only mentioned the "aftereffects." Sigma had no related memories, but he sensed it was a pathological madness breeding in every corner of the city.

"We're here." Marguerite stopped.

Sigma regained his composure and looked at the scene before him. He had expected to see a dark, bloody gathering with evil formations and people screaming about divine grace. But the reality was quite the opposite. The room was filled with soft light, and people gathered in small groups, dressed in everything from formal wear to coats, but no one cared about that.

An aura of purity and persistence emanated from them, a steadfast will connecting them. Sigma was dazed, feeling a strange, warm harmony. Everyone was smiling. Marguerite quickly blended into the crowd, while he still felt separated.

"Everyone!" Marguerite clapped her hands, smiling proudly: "Look who I found?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look. Sigma only then realized that within those groups were unfinished works of art. Facing the eyes focused on him, he intended to retreat but was caught by enthusiastic hands.

"This is... our Priest!"
"We finally found you!"
"I knew you would eventually come here!"

The sincere faces surrounding him made Sigma bewildered, almost believing he had once been the Priest of this cult in his lost memories. Later, he understood; perhaps they said so because of the special "aura" on him.

Blurred, empty, chaotic... is it me? Is there really a place that needs someone like me?

While his mind was in turmoil, Sigma unconsciously activated his ability. He was shocked to realize these people were all sincere. When they touched his hand, the information they most wanted to know was: "Where were you before?", "Was it because we operated too secretly that you found this place so late?".

After receiving the answer from Sigma's ability, the information he wanted to know also appeared in his heart. Is there really a place that needs someone like me? Many people, but only one single and steadfast answer.

"That's right, you were born to belong here!" Marguerite smiled and pulled his hand, "From now on, this place is your home."

Sigma's heart shook, and his empty eyes suddenly brightened. He felt that faith, and at this moment, standing among them, his empty heart echoed with warm sounds.

"Look, this is the poem they just wrote today."

Sigma glanced over and was shocked by the unrestrained imagination and the words full of vitality.

"And here are the paintings."

Wild strokes, bold colors—even without understanding art, one could feel the madness and dampness the painter wanted to convey.