“The Cat God communicated with you, didn’t They?”
Yishabeila asked softly.
“Yes, High Priestess.”
Phyllis nodded.
“Good. No need to say more.”
Yishabeila showed a rare gentle smile.
“Everyone’s communication with the Cat God is private.”
“At the end, the Cat God told me that They now have time and can meet everyone.”
Phyllis recalled what the Cat God had said to her at the end.
“Is that so? That’s good. You can step aside and rest now, let the other candidate saintesses continue trying.”
Yishabeila nodded at Phyllis.
Phyllis quickly stood up, bowed respectfully to the Cat God statue, then retreated to the side of the line.
She felt her legs a little weak—whether from sitting too long, or from the tension of talking to the Cat God finally fading away.
Mia immediately sidled over and lowered her voice: “Phyllis, you actually did it! What does the Cat God look like? What did They say to you?”
“Well…”
Phyllis hesitated.
“The High Priestess said everyone’s communication with the Cat God is private, so it’s not really something I can talk about, meow~”
“Oh, just tell me a little bit!”
Mia’s eyes sparkled.
“I’ve never seen anyone succeed by meditating today! You’re a genius!”
“I meditated using the method we were taught, and then… then I saw Them. And it’s not like this is my first time meditating here, but the previous times just…”
Phyllis shook her head.
“I see… So what does the Cat God look like?”
Mia leaned closer to Phyllis.
“Well…”
Phyllis didn’t know how to describe an orange cat to Mia.
After all, there’s still some difference between a cat and a cat person.
‘Strange… Didn’t High Priestess Aiona say the Cat God was once a cat person too? Could Their divine form after becoming a god really look like that?’
“Actually, the Cat God looks a bit like you.”
Phyllis could only explain it that way to Mia.
“Huh??”
Mia exclaimed in surprise.
“Very big…”
Phyllis gestured with her hands.
“Too bad I didn’t get to see…”
Mia said disappointedly.
“You will later. After all, the Cat God did say They plan to meet everyone.”
Phyllis comforted Mia.
Sure enough, the subsequent candidate saintesses all seemed to have much more success during their meditation.
At least three or four of them briefly sensed the Cat God’s presence, with expressions of understanding or emotion on their faces.
After the last candidate saintess finished her attempt, Yishabeila walked to the front of the altar again:
“Today’s initial connection ceremony ends here. Those who were able to establish a connection with the Cat God should continue to maintain a devout heart; those who did not succeed need not be discouraged—this is only the beginning.”
Yishabeila’s gaze swept across the crowd: “Now, dismissed. In three days, we will hold the second group meditation.”
The candidate saintesses bowed and took their leave.
Phyllis was about to leave with the crowd when Yishabeila called her back.
“Phyllis, please stay a moment.”
“High Priestess Yishabeila, is there something else?”
Phyllis turned to look at Yishabeila and asked.
“I heard from Aiona that you are special. Now I see… you really are different. No wonder Aiona thinks so highly of you, believes you will definitely become a saintess.”
High Priestess Yishabeila walked up to Phyllis and studied her carefully.
“Thank you for your praise, High Priestess.”
Phyllis said respectfully.
“Too bad that thing happened to you before.”
Yishabeila reached out and touched the mark on Phyllis’s neck.
“It was our oversight. Don’t worry—we won’t let it happen again!”
“High Priestess Yishabeila, that wasn’t your fault. It was…”
Phyllis tried to find words to comfort Yishabeila.
“You’re a good child.”
Phyllis’s words made Yishabeila think even more highly of her.
“I asked you to stay only to tell you that no matter what happens in the end, the cat people stand by your side.”
Yishabeila stroked Phyllis’s head as she spoke.
“I understand. Thank you, High Priestess, meow.”
Phyllis nodded seriously.
“Go on.”
Yishabeila smiled and waved.
“You used up a lot of mental energy today. Go back and rest well.”
“Okay.”
Phyllis waved goodbye to High Priestess Yishabeila.
“Ah, this child…”
Yishabeila watched Phyllis leave, then knelt before the Cat God statue and prayed.
“May the Cat God protect her.”
When she returned to the small house, Phyllis felt completely drained.
Just now at dinner, Mia had kept pestering her with questions.
So much so that she’d wolfed down her meal and rushed back.
To avoid Mia chasing her to her room to ask more, she even took a detour.
Phyllis pushed open the door to her room and found Carola sitting in a chair by the window, reading a book.
For a blood tribe member, even without lamplight at night, reading was no problem.
Since Aiona wasn’t around today, Phyllis had felt safe leaving Carola in the room.
At this moment, moonlight streamed through the window onto Carola’s white hair, giving it a faint sheen.
“Back?”
Carola closed the book, her crimson eyes especially bright in the darkness.
“…You met your god?”
“Yeah,” Phyllis replied weakly and flopped directly onto the bed.
“I’m exhausted, meow…”
“That tired?”
Carola walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to rub Phyllis’s cat ears.
“Need some energy replenishment?”
“Huh? Energy replenishment? What kind of energy?”
Phyllis rolled over, her blue eyes looking at Carola with confusion.
“Well…”
Carola leaned down, her white hair cascading forward, almost enveloping Phyllis.
Before Phyllis could react, Carola lowered her head and pressed her cool lips gently against Phyllis’s lips.
A faint, subtle warmth seemed to seep in from the point of contact, spreading through her body.
“Mmm…”
Phyllis let out a short hum, her body involuntarily tensing.
A gentle yet distinct sense of power was flowing along her bloodline, quickly driving away her mental fatigue and physical weakness.
Her previously drowsy mind also became much clearer.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Carola’s lips parted slightly, her voice almost whispering against Phyllis’s ear.
“I’m just giving you a little of my soul energy. After focusing too intensely on communicating with a high-level being, your mind feels like a torn net that needs time to mend naturally. This bit of soul energy will help you ‘patch it up’ quickly.”
After the session of ‘replenishing mana,’ Phyllis’s spirit was noticeably much better.
“Soul energy? That… does it affect you?”
Phyllis blinked.
“An insignificant amount!”
Carola sat up straight, twirling a strand of her white hair around her finger.
“It’s nothing.”
The room fell silent, broken only by the occasional chirp of insects outside the window.
Phyllis lay on the bed, looking at Carola sitting on the edge.
“Um… the Cat God you met,” Carola suddenly spoke, her gaze drifting toward the window as if just making casual conversation.
“What… did They look like?”
“They… were a really big orange cat! Not at all like what I imagined…”
Phyllis tried her best to describe the Cat God’s appearance to Carola.
“An orange cat?”
Carola turned her head.
“Interesting! I thought They would appear as a majestic elder cat person.”
“I used to think so too!”
Phyllis’s tail swayed gently.
“But the feeling They gave me… was very gentle, and a little… lazy? Even though it was just a brief exchange.”
“A god’s form is never fixed,” Carola said thoughtfully.
“Perhaps that was just the appearance They chose to show you.”
Carola looked at Phyllis and finally asked the question she had wanted the answer to all day.
“So… did They agree?”
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