Chapter 231: Chapter 203-1: The Players Arrive (Part 1)
Green City, Temple of Life.
As the only deity in Glory who was worshiped by all three alignments, evil, neutral, and good, the Goddess of Life was revered above all others. Her temples were the most widespread and common across the world.
Even in the Bottomless Abyss, a place of unspeakable evil, temples to the Goddess of Life could be found. She was a divine being that transcended good and evil.
Among the people of Glory, the most common phrase on their lips, 'Praise the Goddess' was directed to this being whom all life respected: the Goddess of Life.
At this moment, inside Green City's Temple of Life, a seldom-used altar was beginning to stir.
Shwoosh~
A faint light shimmered into existence.
A young figure dressed in plain linen appeared in the temple.
The surrounding priestesses and clerics, upon seeing the figure, immediately lit up with smiles.
An adventurer from another world had arrived.
Glory's Light slowly opened his eyes, still slightly hazy. What greeted his sight was a snow-white ceiling adorned with relief sculptures praising the Goddess of Life imbued with strong religious overtones.
His eyes gradually focused, a flicker of surprise surfacing on his face.
"What a realistic environment… It's almost exactly like the trailers for Glory."
He stirred slightly, propping himself up with one hand on the stone altar. The cool touch of the surface made him even more thrilled.
This sensation, it was perfect.
'Glory's Light' was the in-game ID he had used for years. Getting selected for the beta test had been a complete surprise. He hadn't even tried the offline demo of this legendary virtual online game known for its ultra-realistic immersion.
Yet after just a few moments in Glory, he already felt shaken by the level of realism. This wasn't something the average garbage game could even dream of replicating.
A virtual game this detailed, this had to be some kind of next-level black tech.
With curiosity sparkling in his eyes, he turned to look around.
It was a mid-sized chapel, outfitted with over a hundred wooden pews fixed into the stone floor. Snowy white walls lined the sanctuary, engraved with holy reliefs extolling divine virtues.
Everything about the interior felt like it had been lifted straight out of a medieval European church.
Around him stood a dozen or so clerics dressed in priestly robes, both male and female, all regarding him with curiosity.
One of them—a white-haired elder with a kind, benevolent face—stepped forward, seemingly ready to speak.
In Glory's Light's eyes, all of these clerics radiated a faint glow, particularly the old man in front of him, who looked like he was wearing a robe made of softly glowing light.
There was a holiness about him that was hard to put into words.
"Young man, are you an adventurer from another world?"
Priest Mitt's gaze was filled with curiosity as he observed the seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth. Last night, he had received a divine revelation from the Goddess of Life that an otherworldly adventurer would be born in the temple today. All temple staff were to prepare for the arrival.
While Green City's Temple of Life was massive, this smaller chapel was under his direct care, so he had been waiting here since early morning.
Glory's Light didn't seem to hear Priest Mitt's question. He sniffed gently, catching the faint fragrance of jasmine in the air.
He looked at the curious elderly figure before him, noticing every wrinkle on his face, every trace of age in his eyes, all visible in full detail.
He could even sense how the old man's breaths subtly disturbed the dust in the air with every exhale. There was no way any game could replicate this.
"This game is insane… wait, did I actually transmigrate?!"
Priest Mitt frowned deeply, new lines creasing his already wrinkled forehead.
He realized he couldn't understand a word the adventurer had said.
"Young man, are you an adventurer from another world?" the old priest repeated, forced to try again.
This time Glory's Light heard the question clearly, but it didn't help. He realized he couldn't understand a single word of it.
"Old man… what are you saying?"
"&%%¥¥##&?"
"Can you speak Chinese?"
"*%…##@!&HOYUG?"
"What the hell? Even the language is different?!"
Glory's Light twitched hard at the corner of his mouth, on the verge of swearing out loud. Did it really need to be this realistic?
Seriously? The language was completely different. What was he supposed to do now?
He and the old priest stared at each other in mutual incomprehension, exchanging sentences neither could understand.
"Young man, do you not know the Common Script of Glory?"
"*......%¥#%?"
"Young man, where are you from?"
"*¥%###¥%#..."
Finally, the old priest sighed in frustration and covered his forehead with his hand.
Then he reached out, placing a hand directly on Glory's Light's head.
Glory's Light froze, a chill running down his back as the old man's hand landed.
Was this NPC trying to silence him permanently?!
Right after, Glory's Light saw a faint glow emerge from the old priest's hand. A chill ran through his scalp as he suddenly realized what was happening.
"Young man from another world, can you understand me now?" The old priest asked once more.
Glory's Light was practically in tears at that point.
Are you serious? This game is that hardcore? I had to go through all of that just to understand the language?
"Yes, Elder, I can understand you now. Thank you for your help."
The old priest smiled kindly. "Young man, no need to be polite. Helping you is a commandment granted to us by the Goddess."
Then he added with some regret, "But I used a Tier 2 Spell just now, Universal Comprehension. The effect lasts only three Sun-hours. Once that time passes, you still won't be able to understand me."
"If you intend to live in the Glory Main Plane, you'll need to learn our language."
Glory's Light's face twisted. Damn it, he didn't even know all 22 letters of the English alphabet, and now he had to learn a new fantasy language too?
"Elder, I…"
"Young man, you may call me Priest Mitt. I'm a mid-level priest of the Temple of Life," the elder interrupted with unmistakable pride on his face.
Mid-level priest of the Temple of Life?
Glory's Light instantly recalled what he had read on the official site: the Goddess of Life was one of the most powerful deities in Glory, on the same tier as the God of Death.
She was worshipped by all living beings. Even the Undead were expected to show her respect.
"Priest Mitt, you may call me Glory's Light."
"Glory's Light? What a peculiar name. Only someone from another world would use something like that as a name," Mitt chuckled. "Young man, could you tell me about your world?"
Mitt was especially curious. Because of his limited power, he knew he would likely never step into another plane of existence in his lifetime. That didn't mean he didn't long to know more about them.
"My world is called Earth," Glory's Light replied without hesitation, not thinking much of it.
But what he didn't realize was that as soon as he opened his mouth, the air around him went completely silent. No one else could hear what he was saying.
Yet in Mitt's ears, he heard something entirely different.
"My world is one of the Lost Planes, severed long ago from the Main Plane."
Of course, Glory's Light had no idea what he'd actually said. He continued rambling, how hard it was to get selected for beta testing, how lucky he was, and eventually concluded, "Then I arrived in Glory."
Mitt looked utterly moved. "Young man, I never imagined you'd be from a Lost Plane. I understand now.
The ancient war severed many planes from Glory. Perhaps the great Goddess of Life sensed your people's need for aid and allowed you to descend upon the Main Plane once more."
Glory's Light was stunned. Lost Plane? I said Earth, didn't I??
"Priest Mitt, I said I'm from Earth."
"I know, you're from a Lost Plane."
"I said Earth! EARTH!!"
"Why are you so worked up? There's no shame in coming from a Lost Plane."
"I…"
Glory's Light suddenly realized. Damn it, this was definitely the game system messing with him.
Even the name Earth was censored. Unbelievable.
Fine. Lost Plane it is. Doesn't make much difference.