Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

Moments later, ripples stirred the air behind the middle-aged woman, as if water was gently being disturbed.

From within those ripples, an elderly man slowly emerged, his presence calm and composed, but his eyes sharp and piercing.

The moment the middle-aged woman saw him, she quickly took two steps back and bowed respectfully.

"Elder Daniel, thank you for taking the trouble."

Daniel gave a slight nod and turned his gaze toward Alan, who was standing across from him.

Raising his hand in greeting, he smiled warmly.

"Young man, how have you been lately?"

"!!!"

At that moment, the middle-aged woman was petrified on the spot. Even the third princess standing nearby instinctively covered her mouth in surprise.

Even those who rarely interacted with the Church had certainly heard of Elder Daniel—the man known for his ruthless efficiency and cold-hearted methods.

So how could such a fearsome figure greet Alan as if he were the kind old man from next door? So… friendly?

Alan was caught off guard by the warmth and quickly nodded, responding respectfully,

"Thanks to your care, I've been doing fairly well."

Seeing Alan being so polite, Daniel stroked his beard with a smile.

"Good, good. And how is she doing?"

Alan thought back to the words of the black-robed woman before she fell into slumber. Without showing any emotion, he replied,

"I'm afraid I can't say much about her, Elder. I hope you'll understand."

"Is that so…"

Daniel hummed softly in thought but chose not to press further. Not because he couldn't—but because he dared not.

At that moment, Alan suddenly raised his head and met Daniel's eyes, his expression serious.

"Elder, I asked you to come today because there's something that's been weighing heavily on my heart."

Daniel stiffened slightly, and the middle-aged woman nearby shuddered visibly in fear.

After a brief pause, Daniel finally spoke.

"Oh? Is it something to do with the Church?"

Alan nodded firmly.

"Elder, you may not know, but not long ago, the third princess and I entered a minor realm left behind by the Forbidden Magus Nicolas. There, we were fortunate enough to obtain a scroll that recorded a tier-diamond level spell."

"We didn't think ourselves capable of understanding the Forbidden Magus's techniques, so we entrusted the Church with the scroll, hoping to exchange it for actual money."

"But who would've thought—during the transaction, a robber appeared and snatched the scroll away!"

"We thought we'd at least receive proper compensation. But unexpectedly, the one in charge—Bishop Isaac…"

For the next stretch of time, Alan recounted everything that had happened to Daniel, leaving nothing out, favoring neither side.

And as Alan spoke, Daniel's expression grew darker and darker.

Especially when Alan repeated what Bishop Isaac had said to his face:

'Who the hell do you think you are? This is a matter between the Church and the third princess—what right does an outsider like you have to interfere?!'

At that moment, Daniel's expression turned so dark, it looked like ink might drip from his face.

Because, not long ago on the magic train, someone had said something similar to him—and that person's fate had been... well, predictable.

After finishing his story, Alan took a deep bow toward Daniel.

"Elder Daniel, the reason I'm telling you all this is not because I want to extort the Church, nor do I hold any malice toward it."

"We just want to retrieve what's rightfully ours. That scroll was something the third princess and I nearly died to acquire."

"Put yourself in my shoes—if the fruits of your blood, sweat, and tears were crushed underfoot like trash, how would you feel?"

Daniel was rendered speechless.

What Alan said struck a chord in him. But a tier-diamond spell scroll valued at nearly sixty million gold coins was no small matter—even for the Church.

And Daniel himself was part of the Church. In such a situation, helping either party—whether out of principle or loyalty—put him in a difficult position.

While Daniel was still torn, Alan suddenly let out a bitter smile, as though deeply disheartened.

"So even you won't help me, Elder?"

"I…"

Daniel had just opened his mouth to speak when Alan suddenly turned to the third princess.

"Your Highness, forgive me for leaving without notice, but I must give you an explanation for this incident."

With that, he turned and started walking away.

The third princess blinked, clearly confused by everything that had just unfolded. Still, her instincts kicked in, and she called after him,

"Wait—where are you going?"

Alan paused mid-step but didn't look back.

"I'm going to call on her to uphold justice for me."

Having said that, Alan began recalling every grievance he'd ever suffered in his life. His eyes reddened, his body trembling, like a child who had been bullied and was now running home to fetch their guardian.

At the same time, he cast glances toward Elder Daniel from the corners of his eyes.

In his heart, he screamed with desperation,

"I'm really leaving now! I swear I'm walking away! You'd better stop me!!"

…

Alan was equal parts angry and anxious.

The black-robed woman was now in a deep slumber. Everything he was doing right now—was just for show.

If Daniel actually let him walk out that door, then the whole plan would fall apart.

"Ahem… Hold it right there!"

Daniel's cough cut through the tense air like a bonfire roaring to life in the cold wind—filling Alan's chest with warmth.

He had won his gamble.

He had wagered that Daniel wouldn't dare risk the black-robed woman's wrath if she were to awaken and intervene personally.

Daniel quickly stepped forward and clamped a firm hand down on Alan's shoulder, forcing out a strained smile.

"Young man, this is just a minor issue. No need to trouble her over it."

Then he turned sharply toward the middle-aged woman and barked,

"Give him whatever he wants. Head to the Church's vault and retrieve the funds!"

The middle-aged woman stood frozen, dumbfounded—not just her, everyone present was stunned into silence.

After a long moment, the woman timidly responded,

"E-Elder, the vault might not have that much on hand…"

"Then exchange it! Borrow it! Collect redemption tithes from the faithful! If that's not enough—melt down the pure gold candlesticks in the main hall! I don't care how—just make sure I see no less than sixty million by today. Is that clear?!"

"Y-Yes, sir…"

She dared not argue further and scurried off in a panic.

The third princess walked over to Alan, taking careful steps, and gave him a once-over from head to toe.

Though they'd known each other for a while now, once again, Alan had shattered her expectations of him.

Daniel, too, turned toward Alan. After a moment of silence, he chuckled.

"Truly the descendant of that one... Ahem—I mean, that great one."

"Not only is your mana growth astonishing, but even your physical body has been tempered to an impressive level. I daresay even within the Church, few could rival your strength."

Alan scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.

Daniel's relentless stream of praise was making him feel like he'd floated up to the clouds.

"You flatter me, Elder. I'm honestly just average."

Daniel leaned back a little, looking surprised.

"Average? If you're average, then I suppose there are no true experts left in the world!"

Tone it down, you old coot…

Alan grumbled to himself in silence.