Chapter 1: My bird was destroyed by the great luck

As a priest of the new century, Mr. Liang Lai, nearing thirty but still unmarried, always harbored a kind heart.
Every Sunday, he rose early.
He went to the church.
He prepared free eggs 🥚 for the elderly, first come, first served.

Of course, Liang Lai believed they scrambled for the eggs to improve their lives.
They wanted to save a little money for their children.
They were, in essence, kind-hearted people.

He got up.
He shaved.
He devoutly picked up his Bible.
As he stepped out, he saw a little girl standing frozen in the middle of the street.
He pushed her out of the way.
A truck hit him, sending him to another world.

Yes, hit by a truck with grand luck 😄.

The speed was just that fast—

So began Transmigrated to Another World and Became a Saintess!

As a seasoned otaku priest of the new century, he accepted the setup in a single second.

But!

“Damn it! My bird got obliterated by the truck!”

Liang Lai closed his eyes.
A single tear streamed down his cheek.

A life without moonlit bird-watching sounded utterly dull.

And after waiting a whole day, no system or anything appeared…
What was the point of a priest with no special skills being sent to this world?

Liang Lai slumped dejectedly in a chair.
He gazed at the mirror.
A stunning woman with silver hair and purple eyes stared back, her entire being shimmering.
He forced a stiff smile.

He had a rough grasp of this world’s situation.
How to put it?
Its intrigue matched the dullness of losing his bird.

This world’s symbol of divine authority was the current Pope, Alphonsus VII.
He wasn’t elected or voted in.
He was chosen by the Crystal Crown (a living holy relic) at the top of the Ivory White Tower, the Pope’s residence.

And Liang Lai?
He was the new Saintess.

If the Pope was Tier 0, Liang Lai was Tier 2.
Above him were the Three Holy Council, directly appointed by the Pope.
Alongside him, also at Tier 2, was the Crimson Cardinal Order.

Liang Lai found this system fascinating.
In his previous world, no Pope had ever ruled an entire nation.
Even in places where Popes held significant power, they were balanced by emperors.
Never had a Pope been the king of a country.

As a Tier 2, Liang Lai felt rather lucky.

His investigations revealed that the Tier 5 Dustfolk (the believer class) bore a branding system.
They had glowing holy seals tattooed on their foreheads.
The brightness indicated their piety.
Their daily lives revolved around collecting morning dew to make Light Honey for the White Tower.
They were always busy.

Atheist commoners, meanwhile, could only take on grueling, menial tasks.
Good opportunities?
Out of reach.

This class system seemed unfair.
Yet, in a way, it was fair.
Church members (except Dustfolk) were forbidden from marrying or having children.
“Shying away from matters of the flesh” was an understatement.

Since the upper echelons couldn’t marry or have relations, succession rights fell to the Dustfolk’s children or those of atheists who later joined the church.

Liang Lai couldn’t fully agree with this class division.
As a good youth of the new era, freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law were etched into his mind.
Even though he believed in God, he didn’t think God would approve of His followers exploiting others like this.

But as one of the Saintesses, he didn’t have much say.

Yes, he wasn’t the only Saintess.
There were thirteen in total.
He ranked third.
The ranking seemed tied to piety and the strength of their Crystallization Ability during selection.

He wasn’t the strongest, but third place was still impressive.
Liang Lai was certain his current body was powerful.
That was good news.

But there was bad news.

He had no idea how to use his Crystallization Ability.

“What should I do?”

Liang Lai twirled his silver hair in frustration.
He looked at the mirror.
The beauty with arched brows and long lashes stared back.
He couldn’t help but swallow hard.

He felt an urge to admire himself narcissistically.

Such beauty was overwhelming.
It could only exist in another world.

Moreover, Liang Lai discovered a second pair of pupils hidden in his eyelids—pure golden, gem-like, radiating divine sanctity.
He noticed them while trying to use his Crystallization Ability.

Too beautiful.

But beauty was useless.
He needed to master his Crystallization Ability quickly.

Liang Lai felt restless.

As a Saintess, his daily tasks were numerous but light.
Mostly ceremonial.

In the morning, he performed the Morning Dew Prayer.
At dawn, in the Garden of Purity, he collected the first drop of morning dew.
He dripped it into the Pope’s holy chalice.

At noon, he drank holy wine mixed with the Pope’s blood to maintain the purity of his crystallization.

In special cases, he used Tears of Compassion.
He shed tears for the suffering of believers.
The tear crystals healed severe illnesses or purified minor corruption.

At dusk, he used his blood to check the Shadow Prison holding the Darkkin, ensuring it remained secure.
That ended the day’s work.

There was also a recently assigned extra task.
The current Pope’s fingers were undergoing crystallization.
Within ten years, he would fully crystallize.
The Saintesses were tasked with adopting ten gifted children (regardless of gender) as papal candidates.

Liang Lai hadn’t thought about this task yet.
More pressing matters were driving him up the wall—

There was an attendance system, like a punch clock.
Each absence dimmed the glowing cross on his forehead.
If it turned completely black, he’d become a Penitent Saintess.

Since Liang Lai didn’t know the rules on his first day, he had already missed one shift.
The once-bright cross on his forehead was now slightly dim.
He had to work tomorrow to ensure his safety.

“Sigh.”

Liang Lai let out a heavy sigh.

Other people’s isekai adventures were filled with beautiful women—cat-eared girls, vampire princesses, or villainess nobles.
But him?
He landed in a world that “shied away from matters of the flesh.”
And he became a character forbidden from marrying or having children.
Back in his world, priests could marry and have kids.
But now…

Fine, fine, fine.
Single before transmigration, doomed to be single forever after.

Oh, and one more difference.

He could no longer pay homage to or imitate the legendary pilot.

Tragic!

In short, he hoped his isekai life would go smoothly from here on…

That’s what Liang Lai thought before he picked up the “poor little” Duoluosa.