Transmigration itself wasn't an ordinary occurrence, so when a system voice sounded, Syl didn't find it particularly strange.
This must be the legendary system, right?
Syl didn't say a word until being escorted into the confinement room. It was only after the escorting knights had left, and Syl sat alone on a stool in the dim room, that Syl whispered a single word in Chinese.
"System?"
Instantly, a screen materialized in front of Syl.
"Scanning world data—"
"Scan complete. Danger level: Insane."
"Scanning Host data—"
"Name: Syl"
"Class: Candidate Nun (White · Tier 0)"
"Strength: 9"
"Constitution: 8"
"Inspiration: 0"
"Agility: 11"
"Charisma: 21"
"Skills: None"
"Card Pool: None"
"Draws Available: 1"
"Overall Evaluation: No evaluation given ^^"
Syl stared blankly at the data popping up on the pale gold screen, feeling a bit conflicted.
Such low stats. Looking at it this way, a normal person's stats should all be between 9 and 12.
Syl's eyelid twitched upon seeing the emoji after the evaluation.
For some reason, seeing that made Syl really want to give the system a couple of punches.
Temporarily setting aside that impulse, Syl continued to ask, "System, what does 'Draws Available' mean?"
Syl had been very interested from the moment the draw option appeared.
Could it be one of those common system draws? Drawing all sorts of skills and talents, and then going around showing off and slapping faces?
The system answered Syl's question directly; its AI didn't seem too low.
"You only need to think it in your mind; there's no need to say it out loud ^^_"
Looking at the increasingly ridiculous emojis, Syl suppressed a growing irritation and asked mentally, "System, what is a draw?"
"Draw: Pinyin 'chōujiǎng'; to select and reward; to determine a winner through lots ^^D"
"This smirking is getting more and more ridiculous, damn it!"
"And! I'm asking what your draw is and how to do it, not for you to copy-paste a Baidu Encyclopedia answer!"
Syl finally snapped, lashing out at the system in thought.
Eventually, after spending some time in 'intimate communication' with the system, Syl finally understood the function of the system and its draws.
Simply put, it was like a typical mobile game gacha.
It was divided into five tiers: White, Blue, Purple, Gold, and flash card.
What you drew were characters—characters that could be switched at any time.
After confirming with the system multiple times, Syl understood how character cards were used.
To put it even more simply, it was just like a game; it was the equivalent of switching characters on the spot in a mobile game.
If a character card died, there wouldn't be any loss to Syl; another character card could be used to take its place.
But if the main body died, then it was a real death.
The more character cards one had, the more extra lives one effectively possessed.
Moreover, drawing a White character didn't mean it was trash; White characters could also be upgraded to Blue quality.
Two steps.
Roleplay—and complete advancement missions.
Every card had a progress bar. As long as you acted more like the character's class traits and personality, once it reached 100%, it would trigger a system advancement mission.
The more Syl looked at it, the more interesting it seemed. If Syl got lucky and drew a flash card right away, wouldn't that mean an immediate Ascension?
"Card quality represents growth potential and skill strength, not current power ^^<"
"I... forget it." Syl unclenched the fist that had just tightened and let out a deep breath. "Then let's do a draw."
Even though Syl was in a dim confinement room lit only by a single candle, the moment the draw was initiated, the surroundings suddenly transformed into a cerulean sky.
And before Syl's eyes, a shooting star abruptly appeared, trailing a long streak of light... This... wasn't this that one Gen—? Just as Syl was about to complain about the sense of déjà vu, Syl's perspective plummeted toward the ground along with the shooting star.
Only then did Syl see clearly what the shooting star actually was.
A black handbag... Suppressing the urge to complain, Syl slowly reached out and unzipped the handbag. A dazzling light obscured Syl's vision.
When the light faded, a palm-sized, cute little person with green hair, wearing a tiny maid outfit, flew in front of Syl.
"Excellent companions have increased!" After saying this in a childish voice, the little person slapped a card onto Syl's face.
Pia—
...Inside the solemn and majestic Cathedral, there were no visitors at this time, only the youths gathered from the Monastery.
Sunlight shone through the stained glass of the church, adding a touch of dreamlike color to the entire Cathedral.
Standing on the pulpit was a young woman whose face was obscured. She wore a magnificent crown and a white robe embroidered with gold thread, holding a luxurious scepter in her hand.
She looked like a Pope-like figure, though she appeared far too young.
Grand music echoed within the church, lending a holy atmosphere. The youths below the pulpit drew a horizontal line across their chests in unison.
At the same time, the Pope on the pulpit raised her scepter, and the row of Cardinals standing nearby also raised their left hands.
"goddess of hope, who holds dominion over light and healing,"
"Praise the Lord, the God of healing,"
"Let all sorrow and sighing flee,"
"We pray the Lord to pour out Your Holy Spirit upon Your children,"
"Lord, we pray that You grant us a heart of accurate prayer,"
"Let us know who is Your agent..."
The prayers were recited over and over, filled with endless words of praise.
But, just as it had been for the past few hundred years, the goddess gave no response.
The orchestral music gradually ceased, and the unison chanting of the youths also faded. All of them looked up at the transparent glass dome as one.
Half an hour, then an hour passed. The atmosphere inside the church was heavy and suffocating. Only the Pope remained, stubbornly reciting the goddess's name, praying for Her descent.
For the Church of the Goddess of Hope had gone far too long without a God-chosen. Without a God-chosen, it meant there was no link of communication between the believers and the goddess of hope.
Over time, faith would gradually erode because it received no response.
And the lower the faith, the less likely the goddess was to respond... Despair began to spread in the Pope's heart.
Goddess, Lord, if You truly hold dominion over hope, could You bring even a tiny bit of hope to Your most faithful follower?
Just as the female Pope was about to stop her recitation, a beam of holy light, more brilliant than the blazing sun, shot down from the sky, illuminating the entire Cathedral.
"Goddess! It's the Goddess!"
Everyone watched in excitement as this substantial holy light, which was two hundred years late, slowly descended. Tears of joy streamed down the female Pope's face.
It truly was the goddess's aura; the goddess had responded!
Praise the Goddess!
The female Pope looked with maternal love at the children before her—the goddess's people who symbolized the future of the church—wondering who had broken this nearly two-hundred-year "curse."
It must be a child full of faith and loveliness.
Under the Pope's gaze, the slowly descending holy light suddenly stopped after passing through the glass dome.
Yes, a beam of light simply stopped in mid-air, with no intention of shining downward. It appeared exceptionally abrupt and... sentient?
Then, to the female Pope's shock, the holy light made a ninety-degree turn, headed straight for the church entrance, and dashed toward a certain direction at the speed of light.
That direction was... the confinement room???