Whispering Verse

It was quite a long distance from Quill Avenue, where Miss Louisa lived, to Dawn Square, where Dawn Church was located. In order to prevent missing time, Shade got on a taxi at the intersection. Send Mia home first, then head to the church.

Tobesk in midsummer is also smoky, and because of the high temperature, the burning smell in the air becomes increasingly unbearable. On the way to the church, Shade stuffed the leaf into the decorative pocket watch cover (note) while looking out the car window at the scenery of the steam age.

The fast-moving street scene, the decent gentlemen and barefoot children, the low walls covered with weeds and the magnificent aristocratic mansions, the dense steam pipes and the porters carrying sacks, all of these are explaining to Shade The balance and imbalance of this era.

But outsiders know that this is a node in the development of civilization. For civilization, there is never an absolute balance, but only a dynamic relative balance.

He was thinking about these things so wildly that when he got off the bus, he almost forgot to pay the driver the fare. For this reason, I was quite embarrassed and gave him an extra two pence. The hunched-backed middle-aged coachman did not dislike it but thanked him happily. Two pence is also valuable to the poor people of the lower class.

It is now the second Thursday of the Thunder Moon, the Feast of Holy Prayer is getting closer, and the clergy of Dawn Church are getting busier and busier. But Priest August still took the time to welcome Shade at the door of the church and hugged him with exaggerated enthusiasm:

"Remember to pretend to be hurt."

This was the priest's quiet reminder when the two hugged each other, and then he asked in a natural and caring tone:

"Shade, is your injury okay?"

"Ahem."

Shade didn't know what the symptoms of internal bleeding should be, so he pretended to be weak and coughed a few times:

"The doctor said I'm lucky and a young man with strong health, so I'll probably be fine."

"Very good, very good. Mr. Li Ming will protect you."

With that said, he took Shade into the church.

Regardless of whether it is a world with God or a world without God, functional buildings like churches will always be built grandly and solemnly. Even though it was not the first time to enter Dawn Church, when both feet stepped into the building, I still couldn't help but lower my voice and slow down my steps.

Of course, this is also related to the power of the church itself. In this world where thoughts can affect reality, the church itself is blessed by the power of the righteous god, coupled with the protective measures set up by the ring magicians, and the strength contributed by the long-term thoughts of believers. The safest place in Tobesk is actually the church of the five righteous gods, not the Yodel Palace.

The two of them walked one behind the other and quickly passed through the main auditorium of Dawn Church, and then entered the rear of the church from the side corridor. Priest August kept greeting people along the way, and a few of the clergy seemed to know who Shad was, and they shook hands with him enthusiastically.

It seems that what happened at noon yesterday also had an impact on the church itself.

Soon he arrived at Bishop Owen's office. After knocking on the door, Shade entered the room with Priest August.

The old bishop was reading documents with his reading glasses just now. When he saw the two people coming in, he temporarily put away the things on the table. He took off his glasses, adjusted his expression, and then said to Shade very kindly:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hamilton, please take a seat. I invite you here today to discuss with you the topic of...faith."

Shade raised his eyebrows, as expected this was the topic.

The conversation went very pleasantly that afternoon. Bishop Owen, on behalf of Dawn Church, asked Shade if he was willing to convert to Mr. Dawn. This is not only because Bishop Owen admires Shade, but also because of the silver coin that was hit yesterday morning.

With the encouragement of the church and the acquiescence of the royal family, this matter has spread. The church wanted to use this to promote the faith of the Dawn Church, while the royal family wanted to show that they were indeed blessed by the righteous gods.

For Dawn Church, this kind of coincidental and dramatic event is definitely a good material for promoting the church during the Feast of Holy Prayer and even in the future. The key is that Shad Hamilton, as the protagonist of the story, must become a believer, so as to illustrate Mr. Dawn's love and protection for believers.

"Mr. Hamilton, last time you said that you were just a casual believer of [Ms. Creation], so what do you think of [Mr. Dawn]'s belief?"

"very nice."

To be precise, there is no conflict between the values ​​of the Church of the Five Gods and Shade. The church plays an enlightened and progressive role in this era.

"If you would like to join us, I can baptize you myself."

This was the condition put forward by Bishop Owen.

After all, it is a church, and it involves faith. You cannot use conditions such as gold pounds to lure people into the church. Clergy have this bottom line. But having a baptism performed personally by the bishop of the archdiocese means a lot in itself. To put it simply, Sha Dewei considers him "one of his own".

For example, room 2 on the second floor of No. 6 Saint Teresa Square has been waiting in line for an exorcism, but if it is "one of your own", there is no need to queue at all. For example, Mr. Liming's religious groups are widely distributed. When Shade is handling detective commissions, if he encounters something that he cannot handle, the church does not mind providing help to his own people.

Of course, the premise is that Shade really becomes a believer.

"no problem."

Bishop Owen gave Shade time to think, but Shade did not answer immediately. I had thought about this before I came, but I absolutely couldn't agree to it all at once, as this would make me look ungrateful. Pretending to be struggling, he hesitated for ten minutes before giving the answer. The bishop showed a pleased expression:

"I knew you would make the right choice."

Becoming a believer means a lot of conveniences, and all Shade needs is to spend some time, learn the religious classics that need to be memorized, and then have time to come to Dawn Church, participate in some prayers, and listen to some sermons. The price paid is totally acceptable compared to the benefits gained.

The only thing that needs to be considered is whether a "pseudo believer" like himself will attract the attention of the righteous God if he joins the church. But if you think about it carefully, in such a large church, there must be more than one so-called false believer. Since there is no problem for others, of course there will be no problem for you.

After all, compared with the true high-dimensional existence, everything that a mortal like a little ant thinks is superfluous.

Bishop Owen was probably afraid that Shade would regret it, so he arranged a baptism for him that afternoon.

The so-called baptism is the initiation ceremony. The baptism ceremony used by Dawn Church is a relatively traditional infusion ceremony, that is, under the Holy Emblem, senior clergy who are qualified to serve as officiants recite scriptures orally. , pour or sprinkle water on the forehead of the person being baptized.

The Five Gods Church often uses such rituals, but each church has its own characteristics. [Mr. Dawn] is the [God of Light and Shadow], so baptism requires that in addition to the Holy Emblem, the body of the recipient also needs to be able to be in shadow and light at the same time.

This was not difficult in the era when gas lamps existed, but being surrounded by a large group of people and being illuminated by a high-power movable gas lamp at a close distance made Shade feel that this sultry afternoon was even hotter.

Of course, those who receive baptism in the traditional sense must also pass a faith test and be recommended by three clergy who are familiar with the situation before they can receive baptism. But with the presence of veteran clergy like Priest Augustus, and what could be called a miracle at noon yesterday, Shade skipped this link directly.

"Fortunately, I don't have to write an application or report."

This was Shade's sigh when he wiped his face with a towel after the christening ceremony. In this era, writing reports has become a normal part of life.

"Xia De, how high do you think the literacy rate is now? How many people can write their own names?"

This was Priest August's helpless question.

In short, outsiders have verbal faith in this world. St. Byrons in the far north, although equally powerful, was unable to influence the lives of Tobesk's detectives. But Dawn Church is rooted in civilized society, and joining the church means that life will become more convenient.

As a thank you, after the baptism, Shade gave the commemorative coin with the warhead embedded in it to Bishop Owen. Of course, Bishop Owen was not stingy. He took out a stack of books from the bookshelf and gave them to him. They were all religious classics. Since Shade had become a believer, he couldn't do without these.

In addition, Shade also got a small bottle filled with transparent liquid. When Bishop Owen handed this thing to Shade, even Priest Augustus on the side was surprised:

"Holy water No. 3?"

Even though the entire bottle of liquid in your hand is most likely diluted, its value is definitely not less than 100 pounds.

"Yes, Mr. Hamilton. This is a specialty of the church, a magical liquid that can heal injuries. I know you were injured, but you have to attend a banquet on Sunday night, so take this back and sprinkle it on the wound. Bar."

The old bishop winked at Shade:

"Gods really exist, and the church is not as simple as you think... You will not regret today's decision."

He made a few gestures on his chest, and then silently prayed to the gods.

Shade nodded and looked at Priest August:

"Priest, I remember that Dawn Church accepts donations, right?"

"Yes, part of the donated money is used for church maintenance, and part is used directly to help the poor."

Shade has not forgotten what he said at noon yesterday:

"Well, I'll donate... ten pounds."

In any case, in an age where mystery and steam coexist, there is no harm in becoming a believer in the True God. Sometimes, Shade would also imagine that if he had not met Dr. Schneider first, but had been recruited by the church, then his life in this strange world would probably be completely different from now.

"But there is no if in this world..."

The church arranged for a carriage to take Shade back to Saint Teresa Square, and Shade looked out the window. The sun sets and the busy day is coming to an end.

"It's better to consider some more realistic issues."

He leaned lazily on the back of his seat.

[For example, what should I eat at night? 】

Xia De was amused by her, but he shook his head:

"No, for example, what will the church's exorcist who comes to confirm the situation tomorrow morning find in Room 2 on the second floor?"