Now, the light before her shook that assumption. According to Elvin's account and recent investigations, this person might have only learned about Church of Holy Light a few days ago. She did not even seem to have faith, and reading famous scriptures made her look visibly uncomfortable.
Yet she truly possessed Holy Light, needed little Prayer, and her light was so pure. It gave Raina the same feeling she had when first meeting Elvin. Had something been unlocked, or did God of Light somehow gain an illegitimate daughter?
Seeing Raina go from shock to nostalgia and then silence, lost in thought, made Alba nervous. She wondered if something had really been exposed and whether she was about to get into trouble. Without guidance from Simulator, she even imagined someone smashing a cup and summoning armed men to pin her down.
"Very good." "Huh?" "I mean very good, Ms. Alba. Would you be willing to cooperate with us and use your Holy Light?"
Faced with the sudden change in attitude, Alba felt confused and cautiously asked, "Um, what exactly would the cooperation involve if I use Holy Light? Could you explain a bit?" "That can be explained. Elvin, you brought it, right."
A box-like machine was placed on the table. Raina clapped her hands lightly, and a grayish-white screen dropped from the wall. Alba looked puzzled, because the device felt strangely familiar.
As expected, the machine projected an image onto the screen. It was not a movie, but a harsh documentary. One injured person after another appeared, all bearing wounds like the one Elvin had on her wrist, in pitiful condition.
They lay on beds wrapped thickly in bandages, moaning weakly. That alone was shocking, but worse followed, because these were the better cases with care and a chance to survive. The scenes shifted to civilian districts, then slums, and finally piles of corpses in the wilderness.
Even Alba, who thought she was used to such sights, found her limits exceeded. Her face turned pale, and Raina quickly shut it off. "As you can see, although we are doing our best, many victims of sacrifice events still suffer from injuries that carry evil power we cannot remove."
"In severe cases, even high-ranking figures from Church of Holy Light cannot eliminate it completely, and it keeps recurring. Only mild cases can be cured. No Holy Light user has ever been able to heal wounds and curses together so easily, except you, Alba."
Elvin also looked at Alba, who now understood why she had been targeted. It was like the best hospitals and experts combined failing, while a passing barefoot doctor cured it with a touch. Anyone would be stunned by that. "So you want me to use my ability to heal people? That's fine."
If it was only about saving others, Alba was more than willing. But Raina clearly had more in mind. "To be honest, this is a bit shameless. We need you not only to save the innocent with your Holy Light, but also because it is currently the period for Dawn candidate Saintess."
"If a candidate can display such power at this time, they will naturally become a dark horse and attract massive support. You and I share this status, which means we would be competitors, assuming you actually want to become Saintess."
She took out a prepared contract, this time of the highest level. "The condition is simple. During this process, we need you to act under our name and help us gain enough support. We will undoubtedly take credit for that part, but after it is done, you may ask for any material reward you want."
"This is only if you agree voluntarily. After all, we cannot force you." Now Alba understood. She provided the work and received payment, while the other side gained fame, and she did not even want the Saintess position anyway.
Without Simulator pushing her, she would never want such a role, especially since being a candidate had already killed her more than ten times. The offer was very tempting, but she did not sign immediately. Instead, she raised her head, her golden pupils glowing softly.
With a serious tone, she asked Raina, "If you really become Saintess, what will you do with that position. Will you do evil, or do you have impure motives. What does this position mean to you, when you did not even need it?"
She spoke earnestly, her eyes shining as the restrained light flared again, as if it could peer straight into one's heart. Elvin looked surprised, never expecting this question to come from Alba of all people. Raina was also stunned, feeling strangely unable to lie under that gaze.
She quickly recovered and replied just as seriously. "I swear by my own faith and by light itself. I will never do evil, never act for selfish gain, and everything I do is for my belief. I can only bind myself with my faith and conviction. Is that enough?"
Under those glowing golden eyes, Alba somehow knew and believed every word was true. "Then all right, I agree."
The light faded at once. When Elvin came back to her senses, she saw that Alba had already signed the contract. "Um, could you tell me in advance how much the reward is?"
Seeing Alba suddenly become very practical, with embarrassment written all over her face, Raina glanced at Elvin. The latter simply shrugged. It was the same feeling. This person was just as hard to see through.
To be honest, calling herself worldly was not wrong. Who does not want to be rich, when even eating costs money. Alba signed quickly, without the stern look from earlier, because this deal brought her benefits with almost no downsides, and she never needed fame or the position of Saintess anyway.
With a wealthy backer watching over her in the future, even without the Simulator to probe for danger, her safety would clearly improve. At the very least, it was far better than being alone like before. Thinking back, even Alba herself felt her earlier state was strange, as if she suddenly blurted out questions about what the other side wanted to do with that position and whether they planned anything bad.
After signing, each of them kept a copy of the contract as proof. Raina smiled warmly and shook Alba's hand. "From now on, we are partners, and besides that, I would also like to be your friend. How about it?"
"Sure."
"Then let me introduce myself. I am Raina. Oh right, about the reward we mentioned earlier, wait a moment."
As she spoke, Raina ran off to rummage through boxes and cabinets. Watching what she pulled out, Alba felt confused, because it looked like flat, brightly colored illustrations from a cartoon style. How could Otherworld even have things like this?
She noticed a small figure set aside that looked oddly like a collectible model, and there was even something resembling a comic book. No matter how she looked at it, this style did not seem like something that belonged in Otherworld. So what exactly had this truck brought her into?
"I have not decided on the proper reward yet, but until I do, you can take this as a substitute," Raina said. She handed over a golden Ring engraved with fine patterns, explaining that it provided protective Barrier and Magic, along with a small storage space of about ten cubic units. With it, Alba could spend freely at any property under her name without paying a single coin.
"Of course, you can also send me the bills from other places. As long as you are not buying several cities, I can afford most of it."
Buy what. How many.
Alba thought throwing around a few large sums was already the limit, but buying cities was far beyond her imagination. She hurriedly said, "Then thank you, but do not worry, I will not buy anything excessive. Daily expenses are enough."
She tried to return it immediately, but Raina stepped closer and firmly pressed the Ring into her hand, gripping her wrist with surprising strength. After struggling briefly, Alba realized she could not overpower her and had no choice but to accept it. Even setting aside everything else, the Ring itself was already extremely valuable to her.
Protective Barrier at all times and even storage space. If she had owned this before, she would have died far fewer times. Raina spoke sincerely, saying that aside from wealth, she had little else to offer, and in Otherworld, many things simply could not be bought with money.
She explained that the Ring was made from Ancient Steel, so it would automatically adjust its size, and it could be worn or even kept in a pocket. The attached Magic also prevented it from being lost. Then she added that before anything else, they hoped Alba could join them for a test to see how much Holy Light she could release, so they could plan the healing process for the injured.
Alba thought about it and agreed. Since gaining this Holy Light, she had never used it at full strength, and she also wanted to know how far she could go now. After all the deaths and the enhancements from System-related items, she was curious what she was capable of.