Embers of Embers

Chapter 416-Light
"Sir, are you religious?"
"Sir, are you interested in finding out?"
"This is our teaching. Do you have time to listen to it?"
"Sir, wait a minute!"
There was a chirping sound in my ears, and it felt like hundreds of Poirots were grinding their teeth in my ears.
Hercule finally couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to get angry, but when he saw the girl's gentle face, he couldn't bring himself to get angry.
The girl seemed to be working, and she seemed to be a believer. She followed her all the way, talking about those strange beliefs.
After all kinds of entanglement, Hercule reluctantly obeyed.
"Okay, I'll just take a look."
Hercule said as he took the girl's flyer. He was not a bastard like Lorenzo. Although the girl was a little annoying, he was not angry at her.
"Oh oh oh, that's great. My name is Liya, an Orthodox believer. Here are some introductions to us. There will be a gathering soon. Do you want to participate?"
Liya introduced herself, and she seemed to have inexhaustible energy.
Hercule glanced at her. The girl looked about the same age as Eve.
"Orthodoxy..."
Hercule whispered this word, his eyes becoming slightly serious.
He had just been wandering around the Yega Theater, and under the guidance of the staff, he barely understood the history of this theater.Quite boring.
After that, Hercule entrusted Poirot to the staff and asked him to pass it to Lorenzo. Then Hercule left the theater and wandered on the streets. In this foreign country, he had no subordinates to speak of. , gathering intelligence is entirely up to you.
Everything went smoothly at first. Hercule collected everything from the conversations on the street, the flying newspapers, and the sounds on the radio, and built a living world in his mind.
Hercule is the master of this world, and he travels through it, looking for the evil hidden beneath the surface and deeper.
Orthodoxy, the Pope, the Rhine League, the choir...
He saw those ferocious shadows in a trance, and just when Hercule was about to reach out and touch them all, Liya appeared.
Perhaps it was his carefree appearance that attracted her. The girl finally found her target and killed her.
"So, you're going to have a meeting later?"
Hercule asked lazily. He looked at Liya who looked excited. It could be seen from her eyes that she was really preaching seriously, but what she just said was ignored by Hercule. passed.
"Yes, are you coming?"
Upon hearing Hercule's question, the girl's eyes lit up.
To be honest, this gaze made Hercule very uncomfortable. Sometimes he really couldn't tell the difference between these believers and the MLM gang.
"Let's go."
Hercule answered.
He really wanted to know what this so-called orthodox religion was about. After all, their pope would be killed by Lorenzo in a few days. At least before taking action, Hercule wanted to have a general understanding of them. learn.
"Aren't you a Gallo Naro?" the girl asked excitedly as she walked.
"Yes, from Inverg."
"Inervig!"
Liya's voice was a little louder, and then she realized her gaffe and covered her mouth with an apologetic look on her face.
"Inrvig!"
"What's the matter with Inrwig?" Hercule asked, not understanding why the girl was so excited.
"I've always wanted to visit Yin Erweg. He said that there are steel snakes everywhere and giant whales flying through the sky. Is this true?"
Liya asked. Looking at her longing expression, Hercule remembered that this girl was still in her youth, and it was normal for her to be full of energy.
"Absolutely. I've probably stayed there for a long time and got used to it."
Hercule said that if you think about it, this is indeed the case. These "abnormalities" in the eyes of others have long been "accustomed to it" by the citizens of Old Dunling.
"That's great..." the girl said softly.
"What about you? How did you believe in the orthodox religion? I remember that this sect just appeared not long ago. Why, your parents are believers?"
Hercule turned to ask about Liya. If it weren't for family factors, Hercule couldn't figure out how this girl could believe in Orthodoxy in a land full of evangelical churches.
"I...it's more complicated to explain." Liya thought for a while, then replied with a smile.
"My parents were shipwrecked at sea when I was very young, and then I was raised in an orphanage. Everyone in the orphanage was a believer in the Orthodox Church, including me."
"Is that so... do you really believe in it? Or are you talking about the tasks assigned to you by others?" Hercule continued to ask.
"Of course I believe in it devoutly."
Liya replied, her words seemed hesitant, but she continued.
"I really didn't believe this at first. Everyone said that those pastors were not good people. When the teacher died, we hoped that a pastor would have a mass for him, but the pastor of the evangelical church asked for a large sum of money, so we scraped together It’s been a long time.”
"But Orthodoxy is different from them."
The girl's eyes touched Hercule, and he could see that Liya truly believed in all of this.
"How is it different?"
Hercule was a little curious about what methods Orthodoxy used to make people so pious.
"The Orthodox Church funded our welfare home, helped us repair the dilapidated buildings, and also provided food. The priests would come to teach us, not only theology, but also some other cultural courses."
Hercule was stunned.
"Every child has the opportunity to become an Orthodox priest. He only needs to pass the theology exam. No proof of origin is required, and no amount of donations to the church is required..."
It sounds like this Orthodox is really a kind person. Under Liya's words, Hercule actually felt a slight sense of guilt for a moment. If Liya knew that her pope would be there in a few days. Being killed, I don't know what kind of mood this girl will feel.
Fortunately, such a complicated mood did not last long, and Hercule would not be affected by such things.
There is no absolute good or evil in this world, but different interests are mixed together and turned into chaotic ashes.
"Is that so? If that's the case, I'm interested in you. How long will it take to arrive?" Hercule asked.
"It's not far. Everyone here still believes in the Evangelical Church. Orthodoxy is not accepted, so we can only find an inconspicuous place. It's a little out of the way. Please forgive me."
Hearing what Hercule said, Liya thought her missionary success was successful, and she looked even happier, jumping around like a deer.
……
After passing through the somewhat dark corridor, the cold air became a little warmer, and I could vaguely hear whispers in my ears, as if someone was having a conversation not far from here.
Hu Ao swallowed. He lowered his head and checked the location of the rally from the flyer. When he raised his head, the dim road made him feel a little nervous.
No one knew why the Orthodox gathering was held here. It was dark, remote, and uncomfortable. When he stopped, he could still see the iron plate nailed to the wall, with writings corroded by time on it. Hu Ao pressed hard I wiped the dust off and reluctantly read the words on it.
This is a refuge, Huao suddenly remembered. The captain had said this before. At the end of the Glorious War, after Gaul Naluo was retreating steadily, in order to prevent Yin Erweg from counterattacking to the land of Gaul Naluo, They dug a lot of shelters here in Maluri Harbor to continue the war, and this was one of them.
Warm breezes came from the tunnel in front of him, but this could not warm Hu Ao's heart. He didn't know what was ahead, but he still took a deep breath and stepped forward. There was a glimmer of light at the end of the darkness.
The door slowly opened, and the noise of the crowd suddenly reached the top. Hu Ao felt as if he was in a square, with faces everywhere he could see.
This is an open underground hall. The middle of the hall has been filled with several long tables. People have found their seats and sat down. Some people are still talking, while others are praying on the chairs with their eyes closed.
No one noticed Huo coming, he walked slowly into the light, when a waiter stopped him suddenly.
"I'm sorry, I'm leaving now..." Hu Ao was startled, but was interrupted before he could finish his words.
"There's still room, please come over here."
The waiter took Hu Ao's hand and said with a smile.
Hu Ao looked at the waiter's face. It was a guy similar to him. He was also dirty and his face was covered with dust. But it was different from him. He was like a rat nesting in the sewer, while he was like a A real human being with a powerful smile on his face.
He said nothing and let the waiter pull him to an empty seat and sit down.
"Hello."
Hu Ao looked at the girl next to his seat. She was staring at him.
"Hello! Liya."
Liya replied with a smile and extended her hand in a friendly manner.
Hu Ao hesitated for a moment. The damn fishy smell had already penetrated deeply into his skin. He didn't want the girl in front of him to show disgust.
Ke Liya didn't notice this at all. She directly took Hu Ao's hand and shook it vigorously.
Hu Ao was startled, then answered with difficulty.
"Huao, you can call me Huao."
"May the Orthodox Church help you, Huao."
Liya smiled at him, then turned her head and started chatting with the man next to her.
In the commotion, Hercule obviously didn't notice this. He sat next to Liya and answered some of her random questions perfunctorily, such as whether the iron whale above Old Dunling would fall, and if not, , where will they sleep and so on...
I have to say that sitting here makes Hercule feel as if he has stepped into a story. I remember that such scenes are always recorded in those books. Before a major event that changes the era occurs, there will always be a group of guys. A secret meeting is held in the dark.
Hercule felt that this place was very similar. From his observation, except for some new members, the rest seemed to be basically orthodox believers. They prayed softly, and each one was more pious than the other.
It's so weird, these people are so religious.
The crisp bell rang, and all the sounds disappeared for a while.
The new members still didn't know what was happening, but the believers who were praying in low voices opened their eyes one after another.
Directly in front of the hall, a priest walked up. He opened a heavy book and cleared his throat.
"Whoever eats my blood and drinks my blood will have eternal life, and I will resurrect him on the last day."
He said.
Accordingly, the believers began to pray in low voices again, and the voices gathered together like a sea tide.
The priest said nothing more and motioned to the darkness around him. The aroma of food hit his face.
The waiters walked out of the darkness and delivered the prepared food and cutlery to the long table one after another. After they were all served, the priest once again read the doctrine, and this was like a signal to start. The believers grabbed the cutlery and started eating. The priest's voice was ravenous.
Facing the food, Hu Ao didn't take action for a long time. It wasn't that he thought the food was unpalatable. The things in front of him were already very exquisite. Normally, he would only eat so well when his little brother indulges in luxury.
He's just... just a little uneasy.
Huao still remembered the scene when he first went to sea. He was beaten and kicked on the ship, ate the most vile food, and lived in the most filthy place. He also remembered what those people did to him when the storm came. , in order to punish themselves for stealing food, they tied themselves to the mast and left their life and death to God.
He sometimes felt that he was so unlucky that he encountered this. Hu Ao tried to do good. He picked up a man's lost wallet, but was called a thief and was beaten up.
It was then that Hu Ao realized that this bad world would not give him goodwill. It gave all its goodwill to those luxurious people, leaving only endless malice for guys like himself who were hiding in the shadows.
He didn't dare to eat, he didn't dare to accept this inexplicable kindness. Hu Ao was afraid that he would be blackmailed after finishing the meal, and that he would be beaten for using dirty tableware, but at this moment, a voice beside him sounded.
"are you not hungry?"
Liya looked at him, with jam on the corner of her mouth.
"No... I just..."
"Try it."
Liya said and stuck the spoon into Huao's mouth.
For a moment, Hu Ao was extremely frightened. He was afraid that his expectation would come true, but nothing happened.
No one came out to beat themselves up. Although I didn't know what I ate, it tasted pretty good.
The girl smiled happily.
"This is God's flesh and blood, it tastes very good."
Hu Ao paused for a long time, then nodded.
"Then bring some more flesh and blood of God."
Liya said and handed over her portion. Then the girl looked back and forth on the long table like a small animal looking for food. She stood up and took another portion of mashed potatoes, and then looked at her side. Hercule asked where the Iron Snake slept.
Weird feeling.
Hu Ao has lived for so long and experienced so many bad things. He has become cautious and timid, and lives cautiously. But at that moment, he realized that he didn't seem to have to be like this.
With the doctrine preached by the priest still echoing in his ears, Huao looked around, relaxed, and relieved his heavy heart.
Hu Ao was a little dazed, then he slowly raised his head and looked at the top of the hall, where it was dark and the light could not reach it.
This was a very strange feeling, a novel feeling, something he had never experienced in all his years.
Maybe... this kind of thing can be called kindness.
Although he was underground, Hu Ao felt that there was light shining on him, a light that had been delayed for who knows how many years.
(End of this chapter)