Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 106 Isn’t he an ordinary person?
The Holy Spring Friars is also a branch of animism. As the name suggests, they believe in the "spirit of springs" and believe that "water gives birth to natural life and human civilization." They call "the source of all springs, rivers, and seas" the ancient spring. The owner of the ancient spring is the spring spirit Tifo mentioned by Rochelle, a loving and tolerant god.

"In the Middle Ages, a holy well was dug here, and people at that time named it Sadler's Holy Spring. Therefore, fellow members of the Holy Spring Order built a church here to pass on the gospel of the Lord of the Spring. But later, the religious orders used the reason of 'urban expansion needs' to forcibly demolish the church, fill in the holy spring, and build the current Central Theater on its old site."

"Then came the promulgation of the Religious Decree. The Supreme Being wanted to eradicate false beliefs and expel all heretics. But who can determine the true and false, and what is right and what is wrong? It is actually a lie, and there is no definitive answer. But the saints said that the time of heaven is unpredictable, and it is difficult for people to predict; fate is like a weave, and it is bound to be repetitive. Therefore, just because of one person's selfishness, millions of believers were displaced. Carrying their devout beliefs, they embarked on a journey of wandering. How sad it is."

His voice was as deep as a rock, and his words were full of ancient charm and were not without obscurity. If Ling Ge had not been a college student majoring in history, he might not have been able to understand what he was saying.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked at the Central Theater standing silently on the street, but there was no trace of religion on the bricks and tiles that were mottled by wind and rain. The faint and melodious music also made it difficult to associate it with the majestic and sacred church.

Lingge originally thought that the "Religious Decree" only restricted the missionary rights of other churches. He did not expect that such a fierce confrontation had occurred in the past. The sacred spring where they were worshipped was filled in, the church where they lived was demolished, and the devout believers were forced to leave their homeland and embark on a road of wandering... After knowing these things, a thought suddenly emerged in the young man's mind: If his attitude at the time was not obedience but resistance, would Tianxin Church suffer the same fate?

What was the final outcome for those churches that joined religious mutual aid associations and attempted joint negotiations with religious groups?

This was a question that could easily make people silent. He didn't want to think about it more deeply, so he quickly withdrew his mind and asked the man in front of the theater: "So you were not just praying to Mother Earth just now?"

"kindness."

Rochelle nodded slightly: "I passed by this place and thought of the past, so I offered sacrifices to the spring on behalf of my fellow monks of the Holy Spring Monastic Order. I hope that the spirit of the spring water can rest in peace under the soil and rocks."

"Because I have a devout believer like you."

Rochelle stared for a long time before finally speaking. Her tone was more like a judgment than a statement. She used some intuition beyond reason to determine what this young man should look like: "They are all true believers."

"But don't worry. Believers wandering on this earth will meet again one day."

"But have you figured out how to awaken yourself?"

But this traveler from the fertile soil sect knew that this was definitely not the true appearance of the young man in front of him.

"Because this is our destiny."

After saying this, he put on the hood of his grey robe and walked towards Lingge and Saint Shallia like a traveler about to go on a long journey. His steady steps quickly covered the short distance and passed by the two of them.

"You, like me."

But why would he tell me this?
As if she had guessed what Lingge was thinking, Rochelle looked away again and fixed her gaze on his face. She saw that he had a young and overly calm face, staring at her unwaveringly. His golden eyes were clear and transparent, like a mirror, reflecting only other people's faces.

"I see genuine faith in your eyes."

"Although I don't know which church you come from or which god you believe in, I think He should be happy."

“Maybe now, you haven’t shown your true strength; but at some point, when you make up your mind, the whole world will make way for you.”

It turned out to be the case.

Ling Ge didn't understand what Rochelle was saying, but at least he knew that he thought highly of him. The young man was a little dazed, and before he could figure out how to answer, he saw the man in front of him slowly raise his head, his eyes moved from his face upwards, and fell on the sky outside the crowded high-rise buildings, and said in a deep voice: "Although I still want to chat with you for a while, unfortunately, those people are about to find me... So, let's say goodbye here."

He looked at Ling Ge deeply and said: "In addition to the existing rules in this world, faith is also a powerful force. It just needs to unite everyone's faith. Young man, remember this sentence: Only when everyone is united can we achieve success."

When the two parties passed each other, his gaze, hidden in the shadow of his hood, slightly tilted to the side and glanced at Lingge again, but that gaze was deeper, as if he was looking through his body at someone else.

Lingge quickly realized that Rochelle was not looking at him, but Saint Shalia.

"Ordinary people can't see me." The words the girl had said a few minutes ago flashed in her ears again: "Because they can't look directly at their fate." And from the time they met until now, Rochelle has always addressed them as "you guys."

The young man realized this belatedly, and he turned his head abruptly, only to find that the street was empty, as if the man had disappeared into an unknown corner without leaving any trace. To the naked eye, there were only a few slanting, white-golden light beams flickering at the end, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, accompanied by the long-lost hustle and bustle of pedestrians and the bright sunny sky above.

Only at this moment did the street return to its original world.

Saint Shalia's gentle voice came from the side: "He's gone."

Ling Ge silently withdrew his gaze, turned his head and asked the girl: "He can see you all the time?"

"kindness."

"You said that ordinary people can't see you."

The girl blinked her innocent eyes: "So, he is not an ordinary person."

"..."

Lingge fell silent. For some reason, he felt as if he was facing Alice even though he was facing Saint Shallia. If he asked the girl "Why didn't you tell me?", would she answer "Because you didn't ask"?

In order to avoid such an awkward situation, Ling Ge could only change the subject abruptly: "So, he is also a magician?"

"maybe."

"Maybe?" Linger frowned: "What do you mean?"

Saint Shallia explained softly, "In addition to the magical aura on him, there is another strange power, which is extracted from the earth beneath our feet with the help of the shrine. If we use the animist term, it should be called... the spirituality of the earth."

The shepherdess seemed to know a lot about animism.

"The spirit of the earth?" Ling Ge subconsciously cast his eyes towards the shrine in front of the theater because of her words, but no matter how he looked at it, it was just a simple temporary structure made of bricks and mud, and there was nothing special about it. So, the problem should be with Rochelle?

Thinking of his prayer posture with one hand on his forehead and the other on the ground, Ling'er had a guess in his mind.

"Also," Saint Shalia added, "Rochelle did not lie. There is indeed an ancient spring buried under this theater. However, its spirituality has long been extracted, and now it is just an ordinary dry spring."

The spirituality of the underground ancient spring Sadler has also been extracted. Was it done by the believers of the Holy Spring Monastic Order?
Are believers in animism secretly collecting spirituality all along?
The followers of the Fertile Earth Sect, who believe in the "spirits of the earth", collect the spirituality of the earth; the followers of the Holy Springs, who believe in the "spirits of springs", collect the spirituality of springs. Then, what about the Druids, who believe in the "spirits of nature"? What about the Zuling Cult, who believe in the "spirits of ancestors"? And... what about the Spiritual Prayer Society, which believes in the "spirits of all things" and is the origin of animism?
When the Religious Decree was first issued, it was aimed at believers in animism. Is there any connection with this incident?
But why were other churches involved later?

From this sentence, Lingge had countless associations.

Unfortunately, these were questions to which he could not get answers for the time being.

Although sometimes, knowing the answer may not be a good thing.

Ling Ge, who gradually calmed down, exhaled slowly and said to the girl beside him: "This has nothing to do with us."

"Let's go."

　I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and coughing non-stop. I'm a little scared. Although I'm not sure if I'm a yang person, I'll update it in advance to prevent forgetting. Give me some meow

　　
　
(End of this chapter)