Old-time musicians

In the early morning of the next day, cool and bright sunlight shone through the clouds. Two black cars, one large and one small, were spraying heat as they gradually drove away from the bustling city of San Porto.

The temperature in January is even colder than before the New Year. There are persistent cold winds and heavy drizzle in the suburbs, and the ground is dry and brittle from the cold - you can hear the grinding sound of the tires. bring out its texture.

The configuration of the inspection team was very streamlined. There were two drivers, two assistants from both sides, Ms. Hermosa and "Bishop Lavoisier" who accompanied Luo Yin, plus a group of priests in charge who contacted each diocese they visited. More than ten people.

The bulky box-type three-row car led the way, and the car followed behind. Luo Yin and her aunt were sitting in the back seat, and Fan Ning was in the passenger seat.

I have a lot of experience riding together, in various positions. Perhaps if you shift your sitting posture or sight line to a moderate angle, you can see a more complete figure in this or that mirror, rather than an awkward one. A glance from the corner of my eye.

Of course, Fan Ning was always closing his eyes to rest, or looking intently at the windshield. At the end of the road were white flowing clouds and mist. As for the wet grass and bushes hanging with broken ice shards on both sides of the car window, they were bloated. The snow-covered scarecrows are all very unique scenery.

Today Luo Yin is wearing a bright white and flawless woolen windbreaker, which is enough to know when meeting and greeting.

In the car at this time, she took off the silk scarf from her windbreaker. Her long untied hair was naturally and gracefully draped over her shoulders. She was holding a few stacks of newspapers in her hands, showing an interesting expression while reading. look:

"Recognize the situation clearly and give up your illusions. Well, I heard Bishop Lavoisier say it at the dinner that day, but now I see these large bold headlines with my own eyes, published in the official church media and municipal official media of your country. And in the authoritative art media, eh, it still feels a bit powerful?”

After the Baptismal Festival, for a day and a night, the name "Antoine Lavoisier" could be said to the extent that everyone in the whole church knew it, including the two countries of Janus and Theoline, and in Belgium In the wider context of the congregation, the artistic response triggered by "Mass in B Minor" is equally impressive.

This was the first night.

Starting from the second day, as he took office, Cardinal Richelieu of the Western Continent paid a visit, Bishop Lavoisier and deputy presiding judge made a talk, and Pope James XIX personally witnessed the signed interview article "Recognition of the "Clear the Situation, Give Up Illusions", and the premiere report of "Mass in B minor" were published in more than ten official Janus newspapers and radio stations.

Within the church, the Pope issued a unified statement that "Father Lavoisier devoted himself to studying scriptures and art, and after breaking through the three realms of understanding, he was born to teach."

The official media made the first report, and other media followed up with reprints and comments.

"Mainstream" does not mean all are "official." Many independent private mouthpieces and comments from unofficial positions also have considerable social influence.

At first, there were some voices who believed that the church had been dissatisfied with the long-standing abuses within the country for a long time, and now it was taking advantage of Lavoisier’s teaching opportunity to issue a stronger and wider warning to certain people. More or less At least it can have some restraining effect;

There are also some arguments that claim that the current external situation is too complicated, and that after the war started, the operating logic of the state machinery has changed, and the contradictory relationships within the church, political figures, senior military officials and their soldiers, industrial aristocrats and factory owners , it is not so "black and white". Lavoisier's strategy is completely the opposite of "long-term thinking". At normal times in previous years, it might have been possible to suppress it, but it is not a wise move now.

However, on the third day, the head of a large media company that held the latter view was directly taken away by the Inquisition at the church headquarters for "smuggling and colluding with heresy."

Moreover, some military personnel related to it were also implicated, and preliminary evidence was publicly displayed directly outside the church.

Thinking about this, and then looking at the bottom of the interview, there is even a schedule of various places visited by Bishop Lavoisier when he took office. The entire process is made public. This becomes more and more like "waiting for someone to come and explain the problem".

"Nowadays, there are many people in various cities who do not sincerely believe, so these words must be loudly announced to everyone." Fan Ning, who was sitting in the passenger seat in front, still closed his eyes and meditated. "If these people on the list will always be If you don't stay alert, everything will come true soon. Miss Luo Yin has seen so many things that she will think it's business as usual."

"Just getting used to it." Luo Yin couldn't help but blinked.

Compared with Theo Lain, Janus is indeed somewhat different.

Although it is also a country where the Holy Sun Church preaches, since the rise of the Special Patrol Office and the booming development of industrial technology two hundred years ago in Tioleon, the proportion of believers may not have dropped much, but the proportion of "pan-believers" has greatly increased. increased.

Well, but the principle is the same: first publicize and build momentum, and then plan the action. Luo Yin believed that this was the previous part of Father Lavoisier's plan.

As for the practice of "publicizing the itinerary", it is also a psychological method of deterrence.

But it didn’t take long for her to discover that, based on the usual thinking of the Northern Continent, she had completely underestimated the impact of Bishop Lavoisier’s investigation in Laibiqi and the premiere of “Mass in B Minor”, ​​as well as this “report” The Deterrence of "Guide to Surrender"

When the car re-passed through the small town of Laibiqi, drove out of the southwest gate, and completely left the jurisdiction of San Porto, she saw a group of people waiting at the front of the road, as well as two cars parked on the roadside. carriage.

Two in front and four in back, two more were tied to the ground.

"Priest Reik Jacob of Tocharan Parish in Puntua County came to see him."

The leader, a middle-aged man with a "bearded" look that is more common among priests, stepped forward.

"Welcome to His Excellency Bishop Lavoisier to accompany Miss Luo Yin and his delegation to visit our diocese." Another deacon who greeted him was also saluting.

"Thank you, but this is it?" As the car approached and the window rolled down, Luo Yin looked at the two people on the ground who were wrapped like rice dumplings in confusion.

Another man who looked like an officer wearing white gloves bowed deeply:

"I am alert."

"My father suffered from severe liver disease. After witnessing the mass ceremony, he immediately went for the long-delayed and undecided abdominal surgery. What was originally a very dangerous thing, passed completely safely. I asked Father Jacob to do it. After confessing, the priest suggested that I come together to see His Excellency the Bishop.”

Fan Ning found that he met an acquaintance. This officer was Brigadier General Boles who had dealt with him that night in Biqi!

"I fully explained the smuggling issue to the priest, and based on the bishop's warning in the interview, I added an extra quarter to the money I obtained and returned it to the dioceses where the goods originally came from."

When Brigadier General Boles was explaining the problem, his vision first darkened and then brightened. A strange lantern, emitting some kind of thin and alert light, actually floated in front of him out of thin air.

His eyes looked through the complex hollow frame, which was as black as ink, and in the smooth golden lamp cavity embedded in it, he saw piles of confusing and fragmentary reflective objects flashing quickly in his childish hole.

The sound of swallowing saliva was heard.

Boles felt something scratching on his neck - something sacred, pure, sharp and invisible.

He also felt that the eyes of Bishop Lavoisier, who was sitting in the car, seemed to be looking through the "other world" of the lamp cavity, staring at him without any emotion.

"He could sense my state when I said these words. He could directly and clearly illuminate and see the images passing through my head!"

He was glad that he had no reservations when explaining before. At this moment, he calmed down and pointed to the two people on the ground and continued:

"These two guys are informants in the secret organization. They were not caught by me, but before I provided the information that I could provide, I had been lax in my discipline of the people below, which led to collusion with heretics. Also, and , there are also some clues to the 'higher level', which have been given to the priest."

Father Jacob respectfully handed another pamphlet toward the car window:

"The Diocese of Tocharan also has some preliminary clues that have been discovered, which have been summarized and are pending further processing and sent to Bishop Lavoisier for review."

He further expressed his stance: "In the past few nights, the Pope has been dreaming in batches and summoned more than a hundred priests from Janus. The saints are also watching from high places. We must have sufficient determination to follow Bishop Lavoisier's will. ”

Fan Ning raised his hand, and the "night watch light" turned into a shuttle-like light, entered the car window, and fell back into his hand.

He motioned to Pastor Jacob to hand the booklet to the assistant in the car in front, and then said softly:

"I made it clear that day. If anyone rushes to the judgment and frankly admits the crime he has committed, and repays the full amount of what he has wronged according to the estimated price, plus one-fifth, he will also return and to those whom he has wronged, he will be forgiven.”

"Brigadier General Boles deserved credit for catching the false teacher at that time, but now he speaks sincerely and is alert and repentant early. The crime he committed is a crime that has room for forgiveness, and the amount of compensation is more than the law. You The priests of this city will make atonement for him.”

"You get back on the carriage, lead it to the church, get some food and drink for the guests, escort the idolaters into the training room, then go to the street and explain the construction of the hospital to Miss Luo Yin in detail."

"Thank you for your mercy." "Do as the bishop said." The two people standing in front immediately expressed their stance.

So, as soon as they entered the border of Puntua, there were two cars and two carriages traveling on the road.

At dusk, during a meeting with another parish that had been contacted, a similar situation occurred.

The priest took the mayor of the local town to the boundary to welcome the confession in person, and arrested an important deputy official who was suspected of harboring smugglers.

There has been an increase in the number of confessors coming to churches from various places, and people coming to the door to hand over ill-gotten money, food, and cloth.

Luo Yin knew that what she saw in front of her was just a matter of "proportion", but she was indeed surprised.

It should be noted that there are still people who are lucky and want to stop, or who are seriously bewitched by the secret organization, and there may even be more serious ones. However, in such a situation, it is still so early, and every diocese has taken the initiative to attack, and there are traces of people taking the initiative to surrender. Sorry, the loose threads are being pulled layer by layer, and those forces that are secretly colluding have become somewhat panicky.

As for the argument that "the conflicting relationship between wartime conditions is not black and white", she recalled a "tattletale" that leaked out yesterday after the person in charge of a large cultural media territory was arrested -

The Pope said meaningfully in the presence of many dignitaries and nobles:

“Don’t look at Bishop Lavoisier through a ‘political lens’, remember he is a purely ‘religious figure’.”

In addition, judging from what Priest Jacob said just now, the Pope Lianmeng interviewed more than a hundred priests, and the saint personally stood behind them. This time, the Holy Sun Church took the opportunity of Lavoisier's birth to seriously rectify the chaos.

Thinking of the current decline of the two schools in Theolian, Luo Yin expressed his sincere admiration for Bishop Lavoisier's personality charm and strength: "With the priest's coming out to teach this time, perhaps the situation in Janus will be completely renewed in a few years."

"I won't stay too long."

Fanning's answer on the co-pilot made Luo Yin stunned.

"How long is not too long?" she asked.

It stands to reason that for such a core position, the average tenure of three to five years is the most basic. Under this length of time, some concepts, ideas or means can be effectively implemented.

Even if he has a faster "promotion" expectation, he should still teach in this country.

"Maybe, it will take the same amount of time as Miss Luo Yin's trip." Fanning said.

"Ah, me?" Luo Yin subconsciously calculated the progress. "Maybe it will take me about four months. It will take two months to visit all the counties. After confirming the list of schools to be built in this round, I will not return home immediately. I will stay for another two months to follow up and guide the initial construction and operation of some points. I will leave in early summer."

"No other preparations?"

"Other things? No."

Fanning nodded after getting the confirmation, but he thought deeply in his heart.

President McAdam led a team to the Western Continent to secretly discuss the "avant-garde music" plan with the church. She really didn't seem to know?

Luo Yin did not realize the meaning behind Fanning's question. She was still sighing: "The Western Continent is just a place for me to stay, but Father Lavoisier is such a powerful figure. If he only teaches for four months, it may be too much for Janus-"

She organized words such as "regret" or "rare" in her mind, but Fanning emphasized again:

"It's just the time of 'this trip'."

"I think it will take at least ten days, at most twenty days, to complete the tour of Puntua County and Apel County. At that time, the fate of finding the 'Theme of God' will fall on me, and these days in the Kingdom of Janus will become a thing of the past."

"Ah! Just over ten days?" Luo Yin finally exclaimed.

Father Lavoisier has been in the church for less than ten days, right?

She had vaguely heard of the term "Theme of God" in the church, but had not yet associated it with anything else. She just responded with a polite look of regret.

Just now, from some of Lavoisier's discussions on art management, it can be seen that he also has deep insights in this field, and some of his ideas can be said to coincide with Mr. Fanning's.

"That's a pity. Originally, as Father Lavoisier's 'vice-chief judge', the dioceses that accompanied the inspection were within the scope of the two counties, but now that I have important matters to leave temporarily, the operation of the chain cinema can only be discussed later."

Important matters to leave temporarily

The vehicle was driving on the twilight street. Fanning looked at the sparse lights outside the window. He hesitated about what to mention and fell silent for a while.

The outdoor trip of the first day was over. The inspection team needed to work at night, and Fanning himself had many church affairs to deal with.

Everyone got off the car in front of the hotel in the small town. At first, the street lights in the courtyard were off, and the fountain had been out of use for several months. The dead leaves were sealed in a thin layer of ice like specimens. Later, perhaps the parish people went to say hello, and the street lights were partially turned on, but under the backlight, the outline of the fountain became a more vague black shadow.

However, due to the loss of characteristic details, the strengthening of abstract features, and the same night, it was more like a fountain that Fanning had seen in a manor.

When the three groups of inspectors, accompanying parties, and reception parties separated in the lobby, Fanning responded to what Luo Yin said five minutes ago.

He was sure that this was a redundant sentence that had nothing to do with his current identity, but he still wanted to say it. Of course, he would not make the transition seem so abrupt:

"For the chain of cinemas, I must thank Miss Luo Yin in advance. The place where the "Theme of God" is buried is not in the mortal world, and there may be no time to meet again in the future."