I Like This Dream!

An Xu looked at the Bible spread out on the podium. Yes, it was turned to the page of "The Sutra of Begging the Lord for Mercy". Don't say that she has memorized the entire Bible. Even if she has not memorized it, there will be no problem if she follows the text. The only problem is the tone...

"I've never heard of this song." Anxu said, "Didn't we only sing the Penitential Scripture at mass before?"

"That was the process of mass all year round, but now we have to witness the coming of God's family," the presiding priest said.

"I haven't learned it?"

"Please listen to your heart, God will surely reflect the melody in your heart!" the officiant said grandly.

Does this mean you can sing casually? An Xu thought uncertainly. The previous thoughts had eliminated her remaining nervousness. She casually looked at the lyrics and sang to the tune of the song.

Peaceful and melodious a cappella singing sounded in the auditorium.

An Xu is a devoted player. She feels that whether it’s a game or a dream, it’s more interesting to be immersed in the characters and match the background atmosphere. For example, Avatar is not needed to kill people in fairy dreams, and flying swords cannot be used in magic dreams. Although some bad tastes - such as singing the melody "There is no savior nor a fairy emperor / It is up to us to create human happiness" - were stirring in her mind, in the end she chose the most suitable tune for the hymn. .

That's Nancy's lullaby.

Every night at Nancy's residence, Teacher Nancy would sing this tune. She didn't sing any lyrics, just hummed in a vague voice. What impressed An Xu more than the lyrics and melody was her voice. An Xu remembered that when he was a child, he lived at his grandmother's house. The old community was full of elderly people. When he opened the window in midsummer, he could hear an old man enjoying the cool air in the courtyard singing songs from his hometown.

Every time Anxu fell asleep to Nancy's singing. There were fewer cases where he tossed and turned with nosebleeds and finally fell down suddenly as if he lost consciousness. She could feel the care and love of her elders. Rather, none of the hymns in the college that repeated God's grace could compare to the ditty that Nancy hummed. Only here could she feel the selfless love.

An Xu sang the verses in this tune and found that the pauses in each line were unexpectedly appropriate. The more she sang, the more smoothly she sang, and the more she sang, the more devoted she became, devoting all her attention to keeping herself from going out of tune. Anxu, who was not distracted, naturally didn't notice that after she sang the first line, Mother Mary shook a little, and Lance, who had been confident just now, turned pale. As the officiant listened, a trace of panic flashed across his face, and his posture became more solemn.

Most of the audience did not have such a big reaction, and their sullen faces became looser with the singing. Their idea was very simple and clear: the officiant asked the God's Favorite to sing the Sutra of Begging for Mercy, and the God's Favorite Anna sang it accurately, so there was no problem with the God's Favorite, and the rumors were just rumors.

An Xu didn't know that she was singing the tune of the Sutra Begging for Mercy.

Of course it was not by chance that Nancy hummed this tune for Anxu, who was in extremely poor health. The Sutra of Mercy appears every year at the sacrament, and is also a tune sung by ascetics and criminal supernatural beings all year round. This song appears at the same time as the Locks of Divine Punishment. Whether humming the tune or reciting scriptures can temporarily relieve the pain of those locked by the Locks of Divine Punishment. It can create a slight "gap" in the containment of the Locks of Divine Punishment, allowing the tightly bound superpowers to operate within the superpower user's body. This level of relaxation will not allow the criminal to regain his powers and harm others. It can only temporarily relax the repressed feeling in the body.

But that’s no reason for those in the know to be shocked. The melody of a song may be heard elsewhere, and being able to sing it doesn't mean anything. Only the Sutra of the Lord's Mercy is different. It was the masterpiece of the Holy See's superpowers from the beginning, and its importance is far beyond the reduction of the effects of the chains of divine punishment: this song can test people's piety.

Only by singing with a heart of piety and repentance can the shackles of the chains of divine punishment be relieved. Only the devout can sing the Sutra of Begging Lord for Mercy completely. No matter how flawless the hypocrites pretend to be, once they sing the Sutra of Begging Lord for Mercy, will be exposed immediately. They will be speechless, speechless, and in despair as they accept the trial. After the "Black Catastrophe" that caused chaos in faith a hundred years ago, the Holy See used this to catch many hypocrites.

How can it be? Lance was puzzled. Like Sister Mary, he learned from Leo Porter, the ascetic who escorted Anna, that Anna was definitely a false believer. When she suffered a broken bone, she refused to recite the Prayer for Mercy to relieve the pain. If she didn't know from the beginning that she didn't even have the piety to say a word or two, or that she refused to bow to the Illuminati Cult and God, how could Anna refuse to speak?

There must be some mistake, Lance thought in confusion, how could the gods choose Anna? How could she be a devout believer? An incorrigible hypocrite like Anna Sullivan should obviously be unable to sing, and then be punished for forging the divine favor. He should be dragged down and burned at the stake. How could this be true? How could God choose her instead of me? She must...

The repetitive sentences in his mind were interrupted, and Lance suddenly realized that Anna had finished singing the Prayer of Mercy, and with a pop, Mother Mary knelt on the ground.

"My sin, my sin, my heavy crime!" Sister Mary trembled and said sadly, "Lord! I was blinded by rage and arrogance, and I dared to question your decision!"

After saying that, she hit her head heavily on the ground with a thud. Come on, the floor is made of stone! Anxu, who was very happy to see Mary walking and falling to death, was stunned by this move and didn't understand what medicine she took wrongly.

"My sins are unforgivable and unforgivable!" Mother Mary raised her head, with blood on her forehead. "Her Excellency Anna Sullivan, the favored one of God, must have been a warning sent by the Lord for me, so that I can see my serious crimes. ! I am not qualified to be the preceptor and executioner, how can a person like me be qualified to take on this important task!"

Her head came into close contact with the stone floor again. An Xu's eyelids twitched, surprised that this person hadn't knocked him unconscious yet. The officiating priest's eyelids trembled when he saw it, and he persuaded: "Almighty God has mercy on us and will forgive our sins..."

"No! Can we not atone for our sins because of the Lord's forgiveness!" Aunt Mary's eyes widened, "Let me double the mistakes I made! I will receive forty vine whips and copy the Bible a thousand times. I spent a year in solitary confinement, and then spent the rest of my life in the Temperance Courtyard to atone for my sins! God! May I still enter your kingdom after death!"

After saying that, she took a few steps on her knees and rushed to An Xu. There is no longer cold disgust or contempt on her face, only a flickering of piety - but to be honest, the middle-aged woman who always looks apologetic and always has a long face looks at you with a shining face. It is simply terrifying, and Anxu's goosebumps will rise. Aunt Mary was even more enthusiastic than when she was executing others. She said excitedly: "Your Excellency, the one favored by God, please use your body favored by God to punish my sins! Please come and hold the whip!"

Aunt Mary really didn't have a problem with Anxu, she was just a fanatical believer, that's all.

So An Xu, who was confused, shouted with all his strength: "No!!!!"

Anxu didn't understand Sister Mary's 180-degree change in attitude at all, and deeply doubted whether the monks who talked about the Lord's favor and atonement every day were overly abstinent and had some strange hobbies. You won’t be happy if you succeed just by singing a song! It would be even more unpleasant to be hugged by an aunt with the face of a dean and no good looks (emphasis added) and beg to be beaten! If she originally wanted to beat this guy up, now she just wanted to let her go.

"Ah, I understand, I am still so arrogant." Aunt Mary nodded, and An Xu didn't know what she understood. She raised her head again and asked with integrity and determination: "Your Excellency, God's Favored One, what punishment do you think is appropriate?"

"Stay away from me." An Xu said sincerely, "The further away, the better."

"Yes!" The fanatic who thought he had received the oracle said excitedly and quickly left the auditorium.

Mother Mary left the academy that day, and it is said that she was seen many years later on the southern border of Armonium.

That's all for later.

At this time, no one knew that not a single thought in An Xu's heart could be linked to piety, and the necessary condition for "singing the Sutra of Begging the Lord for Mercy" was not piety.

The human heart is extremely complex, and it is possible to create scriptures that can judge authenticity, but to judge whether piety or hypocrisy is something only the gods themselves can do. Later generations of scholars rationally analyzed and inferred that the operation method of this song is very simple: there is a sentence in the Sutra of Begging the Lord's Mercy asking whether the singer is a devout believer, and the restriction created by the author is only to judge whether the singer is lying.

Uncovering the principles and stripping away the divine aura of the song, the story becomes as boring as approaching science. Those "pseudo-believers" who were burned to death were not necessarily completely unbelieving. A large number of them were too obsessive-compulsive, disturbed by the small precepts they had broken, and felt that they were not pious enough. Therefore, when they sang the solemn Sutra of Begging for Mercy, they would feel guilty, and the lie detection ability attached to the song would activate, leaving them speechless. Anti-believers rebelled against this song, and those who were not pious enough were timid. People in Yamenan who were farthest from the influence of the Illuminati were also subtly afraid of the name of the gods. Narrative.

When An Xu sang the Sutra of Begging the Lord for Mercy, what was she thinking?

She thought: Is this the right tone? Don't make Teacher Nancy sing out of tune. It's so embarrassing. What will Chris make for dinner today? Really been waiting.

Those who resist the Illuminati → do not pass

Worried about being ungrateful believers → Fail

After years of exam-oriented education, I have become a self-confident atheist who “reads a book so fast that I don’t even know what I am reading”* → Passed

Anxu passed the dangerous test without knowing anything, complaining in his heart that he could not escape the mass while standing on the stage. Mass will take up most of the day, and lunch time will also be occupied. You can only eat some holy bread and wine with or without the same. She worked hard to get through the long mass, and as soon as it was over, she took advantage of the convenience of standing at the front desk and ran out quickly.

There was no watch, and An Xu judged from the rapid salivation in his mouth that it was almost time to make an appointment with Chris. She hurried to the ascetic courtyard and found a big iron lock on the door. The iron lock did not move at all under her tearing. Anxu was afraid that Chris would leave in a hurry, so he hesitated for a moment, turned around and ran towards Nancy's residence.

Teacher Nancy will definitely be worried after not seeing each other for such a long time. Last night, I should have gone to tell her that I was safe, but I accidentally fell asleep. I rushed to find her today just to ask how to sneak out to see Chris. Thinking about it, it really doesn’t make sense. An Xu stuck out his tongue and quickened his pace.