The angel statue had no face. Where the exquisitely beautiful countenance of a deity should have been was a smooth, empty space.
He suddenly understood. How could mortal humans presumptuously imagine the true appearance of a god? They were clearly so weak that they believed if they looked upon the face of a god, they would be incinerated or turned into fools.
Alex withdrew his gaze, unable to help feeling a bit of disappointment mixed with amusement at humanity's ignorance.
Simon stopped walking, cutting off his train of thought. Directly in front of the Hall of Divine Selection, beneath a brilliant halo shining down from the dome, a middle-aged man wearing a crimson cleric's robe trimmed with gold was standing with his back turned, hands clasped in prayer.
"Sir." Simon bowed deeply, his voice full of respect: "The person has been brought here."
"Mm." The middle-aged man responded with a low hum, the sound echoing in the large hall, and then slowly turned around.
Alex held his breath and looked up at him.
He looked about the same age as Simon, but his physique was several degrees more burly and massive, with rippling muscles faintly visible beneath the loose robes. If one ignored the aura of holy light surrounding him, he did not look like an intellectual Bishop of the Church of Light at all; on the contrary, he resembled a crude pig butcher in the city trying to stuff his gigantic body into a tight cleric's robe.
Simon bowed his head and retreated outside, closing the hall doors, leaving a private and pressure-filled space for Alex and the Chief Judge.
The burly middle-aged man turned completely around, revealing a resolute square face. His expression was very relaxed, carrying friendliness and a very large, radiant smile, creating a stark and strange contrast with his rough, fierce appearance.
"Lara should have been the one to meet you, but she has already departed for the Sanctuary." the Chief said in an extremely casual tone: "Come, young man, sit over here." Saying this, he walked straight to a long bench on one side, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the vast space, creating a kind of invisible pressure.
He bore no malice, at least Alex did not sense any malice, but he still did not dare to relax. Elias was his biggest secret, and he could not lie. The eyes of this Chief seemed capable of seeing through the heart of the person opposite him, sharp as a blade hidden in a gentle sheath.
How can I keep this secret... Alex's heart pounded in his chest; he tried to adjust his breathing to appear as calm as possible.
Alex followed the Chief and sat down on the long bench. The surface of the wooden seat was hard and cold, making him shiver.
"That night, something very terrible happened, correct?" the Chief asked, his gaze drifting towards the divine statue in the distance.
"Yes." Alex answered honestly, his hands resting on his knees, unconsciously clenching tight.
"But not the entire event was terrible." the Chief Judge said, his voice deep and warm but carrying an undeniable authority: "You only told James the beginning, because he only asked you if something terrible had happened."
Alex remained silent; he knew his words were being dissected.
"You understand the characteristics of a Judge very well." the Chief said, his eyes shifting from the statue to Alex's immature face: "Because of Arthur." He suddenly laughed, the smile carrying a hint of nostalgia: "Speaking of which, Arthur and I passed the Divine Selection together in the same year. Back then, she attracted a full five beams of holy light and was considered a child with extremely high talent. Her light at that time was so brilliant that it made all of us jealous."
Hearing the old pastor's name, Alex looked up, surprise evident in the depths of his eyes: "You and the pastor participated in the Divine Selection together? How is that possible? That was at least fifty years ago."
"It has been fifty-five years." the Chief answered, his voice tinged with the color of time: "I am seventy years old this year." But this Chief Judge looked forty at most; his skin was still taut and shiny, his eyes sharp, looking even younger than the supervisor named Simon. The energy of light seemed to have frozen time on his body.
"It truly is a distant past." the Chief said: "When I heard you mention Arthur's name, I was actually very surprised. I thought she had left this path long ago."
"During the years I went to the Sanctuary for study, she always stayed in Dune. When I was transferred back, she was no longer here."
Alex fell silent, a feeling of guilt creeping into his heart. The old pastor had died because of him, sacrificing both her life and soul because of the strange mark on his neck.
"In the Judge's records, it is written that Arthur turned into a monster due to a backlash from extraordinary energy."
"I know you are hiding a secret, Alex." the Chief said, his tone becoming more serious: "Fifty-five years. As a Judge traveling this land, I have encountered too many extraordinary events and met too many people with secrets of their own. Among them, there is no shortage of ordinary people who were completely unaware, who walked down the wrong path after listening to the seduction of evil gods, and ultimately met tragic ends."
Alex understood the Chief's meaning. He opened his mouth firmly, his gaze not dodging in the slightest: "I am not a believer of an evil god, nor have I been seduced by an evil god. Being watched by those strange things is only because of the mark on my body."
"Can you show it to me?" The Chief turned to Alex, his tone mild but carrying the weight of a command: "The mark that attracts evil things."
Alex hesitated for a moment, his fingers lightly touching the woolen scarf wrapped around his neck: "Pastor Arthur turned into a monster precisely because of it. Everyone says it is an unlucky curse." After saying this sentence, Alex looked up, carefully observing the Chief.
He was using a bit of petty cleverness. Elias had clearly told him the mark on his neck was not a curse. If he deliberately said it was a curse, he would definitely be detected by the Chief Judge. Therefore, he borrowed the words of others to conceal the truth.
Those who did not know the truth about the mark assumed it was a curse; this was an obvious fact in this town.
"I am not afraid." the Chief said, the corners of his lips curling up with a bit of confidence: "Reaching my level, I have witnessed too many things that could drive an ordinary person mad. Ordinary pollution cannot shake my faith."