The events that had occurred over the passed few days affected almost everyone in Pomperaque and other parts of Phoride. In Gothal, the Holy City, the nuns at the Abbey of Our Holy Saint Mariot, performed a funeral service for Mercedes and most everyone from Pomperaque, and Gothal itself, turned out to pay their respects. The day before the funeral, Cassta and Ledo were married in Gothal by the Abbey Mother and Brook presided over it. The ceremony was performed in secret, in the name of the True Living God, and just a small number of friends attended. Miel was there with Aria. Empal was there with his family, and the greatest of Pomperaque's Prominants, Brook and Dearborne, were there. Everyone was happy at the wedding and somber at the funeral, as it was normal to be. There was anger in the eyes of some of the coenobites when they found out that Ledo had married Cassta. They could now do nothing to her. She was indeed above their rights of having her bare a Holy Child. Cassta saved his darling Ledo, just in time. To most, however, the saving of a life or a soul meant little when compared to the loss of one such innocence as Mercedes. All that there was to benefit from salvation was the relief that it brought to the saved, and those close to them. Relief, by itself, had no real value. Good and Evil each made their own laments. While mourners and wailers cried for the death of an innocent young woman, so did the monks at Halls, cry and mourn for the brutal death of their best and most respected Cardinal Allen. As it was; a customary show of respect to a dearly-departed coenobite, a pure woman was chosen to be entombed with the body. This chosen woman willingly accepted requests made to her to share her eternity with the dead cleric, and carried with her the love and honour of each individual member at Halls. The love and respect was given to her, through physical sex, by each monk, before she was taken to the tomb with the deceased brother. While the corpse lay in state, there was a room set aside, adjacent the big hall in the chapel. The chosen women lay unclad in soft beds and each was fornicated with by each individual at Halls; from the lowest novice to the ArchBishop himself. Prior to the monks looking upon the body of their dead brother, they entered the room and gave their all to the woman. During the copulation, the men repeatedly chanted: "Take this to our friend; a sign that we love him!"