Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 5 Will life return to its peaceful track?
When you stand on any street in Linville, there will be revelations from the past, making you hear the low sobs of the dead.

The sad fields outside the city are still lingering with cries. Here, fate is uncertain. People have seen the pinnacles of floating ruins trembling in the "sea of ​​fog". In essence, people are pushed by the waves of fate, sinking into the mud and dirt, and losing their own appearance.

In the past, when there was a heavy fog, people thought the city was a hidden monster, the birthplace of original sin.

Now, Saint Shallia saw the monster's appearance again.

The road leading to the suburban green space was crowded with people, and she was in the center of the crowd, but she was as thin as if she had never existed. There was a silent clamor that was about to swallow up all living things. Only her lamb, facing this scene, turned a blind eye, standing under the mud and giant ferns, digging the stone slabs of the street with its hooves, trying to gnaw the roots buried tens of thousands of years ago.

"Don't play around, little lamb." She gently called out to her companion who had accompanied her across half the continent, and told it, "We have more important things to do."

The thread of fate is entangled and extends in corners that mortals cannot see.

"We have to find her soon."

The lamb seemed to understand her words, turned around and called twice, then followed the direction of the line. Saint Xia Liya followed behind it, against the tide of people, like a small fish swimming upstream, blending into the splashing waves, inconspicuous.

For some reason, the moment she turned and left, what emerged in her mind was a calm face, short silver-gray hair, and light golden eyes, as clear and empty as a mirror, reflecting the appearance of everyone else.

Honestly, his proposal was very attractive.

Because everything that humans cannot resist is fate.

At this point, Mr. Langning chuckled and said, "If you agree, I would suggest naming the relief home 'Yanke's Relief Home', which will ensure that the kindness of you and Mr. Yanke will always be passed on."

"It's okay." Ling'er's expression did not change.

Where is the son of man who ate the golden apple by mistake now?
I don't know if he still remembers my advice.

"I hope to become a history teacher at St. Lowood National School." After careful consideration, Ling made his choice. Obviously, this choice was not what Mr. Ronning expected.

It was indeed a sincere move to announce the closure of the church to all believers during the church's weekly prayer. Mr. Langning nodded slightly: "It is indeed important to have a beginning and an end. During this period, I will wait for your reply. By the way, I noticed one thing: you and your father, Mr. Yanke, were very focused on the cause of helping the poor when you served as resident pastors. So, have you considered converting the church into an orphanage? The cost will be borne by our church group and we will also manage it, but you are also eligible to participate in decision-making, and we are willing to pay you 5 pounds a week in rent."

"Will you consider it again?" Lang Ning put down the ceramic teacup in his hand and said, "Perhaps what I said just now has misunderstood you. In fact, this job does not force you to become a believer of the Seven Great Gods, and our religious association never forces others to change their beliefs. I just hope that while you retain your original beliefs, you can have a deeper understanding of our doctrines. I think this will not do any harm to your future work and life."

"The day after tomorrow." Lingge was as calm as if he was talking about someone else's church: "After the last seven-day ceremony, I will announce the news to everyone."

The job of a clerical staff member in the City Parish Council was an area that Ling was familiar with, and the pay was better and more respectable, and most importantly, there was room for advancement, which was just right for a young man in his early twenties like Ling.

***
No. 24, St. Anton Street, in the office on the third floor.

I hope he can be alert and act with caution.

As for the job of a history teacher, although it is not bad, it is far inferior in comparison.

"Accident?" Lang Ning's expression changed slightly, as if he remembered something: "Are you referring to Mr. Yang Ke's case... Sorry, I said something wrong, please don't take it to heart."

After this incident, Lang Ning had no reason to persuade Ling Ge to change his decision, so he returned to the main topic and said, "In this case, I respect your choice. Of course, you are always welcome to change your mind. I will contact St. Lowood National School for you, but you need to tell me how many days it will take to complete the closure of the church. This involves the handover of some procedures, which is quite cumbersome."

"Thank you very much for your kindness." Linger bowed his head slightly to express his apology: "But I was originally more interested in history, so I chose it as my major in college. But later an accident happened, and I had to take over the position of resident pastor of Tianxin Church. Regretfully, I gave up it. Now, life is just returning to its original track, which is also my expectation."

For others.

Lingge did not hesitate this time: "Please forgive me for declining."

Mr. Langning's attitude was more resolute than when he refused another job. His expression remained unchanged. He did not ask the reason, but nodded slightly: "It seems that we can only choose another address." Linger asked: "Does the church union intend to establish a new relief center in the Holy Cross District or the White Citizen District?"

Before this, there were several different relief agencies in this neighborhood, which were owned by the Kingdom's Ministry of Public Affairs.

"Yes, we have invested in the past, but it was not large. Only today did we realize that compared to the tens of thousands of people living in these two streets, the existing public services are really insignificant. Therefore, it is time to make a change. The Grass and Wood Garden plans to build 15 church hospitals, eight public hospitals and three cheap medicine markets here to do our part."

As he spoke, Mr. Langning put his index and middle fingers together and gently pressed them on his heart, and said with a rather pious expression: "This is also to spread the gospel of the hermit and make His wishes spread among the world."

From this gesture, it turns out that he is a follower of the Emerald Hermit.

Lingge thought.

The Church Union is an alliance of seven righteous gods, including the [Crimson Church] who believes in the Crimson Dragon God, [Night's Dwelling] who believes in the Queen of Tranquility, [Death Prayer Society] who believes in the Embrace of Return, [Inquisition Church] who believes in the Aura of Purification, [Initial Sect] who believes in the Mentor of the End, [Scourge Mission] who believes in the Girl of Apocalypse, and [Garden of Grass and Trees] who believes in the Emerald Hermit. Their followers usually do not wear any emblems, so they can only be distinguished by the gestures of their prayers.

Most of the believers of the [Herbal Garden] are doctors, pharmacists and gardeners. They grow and sell medicinal herbs to civilians at low prices, establish church hospitals and public hospitals, and provide free medical services to patients who cannot afford the medical fees. Like the Prayer Meeting for the Dead, they enjoy a very high reputation among the lower-class people.

More importantly, the certificate for the pharmacist qualification exam that Metien had been longing to pass was issued by the [Herbal Garden]. They jointly formulated this standard with the Western Continent Medical and Nursing Association.

"That's a good thing," he said. "I can't speak for the residents of these two streets, but I'd like to thank you in advance, Mr. Ronning."

Lang Ning nodded calmly.

Afterwards, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then, having achieved his goal, Lingge said goodbye and left. He still had one final seven-day ceremony to preside over, and he had an angry sister waiting to comfort him.

Before leaving, Mr. Ronning seemed to be worried and once again reminded him seriously of the restrictions in the "Religious Decree": no churches may be opened, no large-scale prayer ceremonies may be held, and no group, public preaching may be carried out in any public place.

However, it does not restrict individuals from maintaining their original beliefs, and there are no requirements for small-scale, private missionary work.

It is such an ambiguous decree, just like the emotional drama between the male and female protagonists in a play.

Linger sighed in his heart and then left Mr. Langning's office. After he left, the room suddenly fell into silence. At this time, the sky was getting darker, and the bloody setting sun was swallowed up by the edge of the city buildings. Most of its shadow was diluted in the gloomy mist, and only a little residual light was left when it fell on the desk in front of the window.

The dignified and steady man stood silently in the middle of the room for a while, then slowly walked to the desk, opened a locked drawer with the key in his jacket pocket, and took out a black notebook. He rubbed the edge of the paper and gently opened it. There was a name written on each page, and finally, he turned to the page with Lingge written on it.

He picked up the fountain pen with a golden cap on the table, filled it with ink, and wrote at his desk in the fading light of dusk, adding content to the blank paper:
"The target does not reject the restrictions of the Religious Decree and takes the initiative to close the church; he is not like other believers of the old religion who always mention the name of God, and even pays more attention to his own practical interests than God; but on the other hand, he alone supports a declining church, insists on weekly prayer ceremonies and relief work, and is unwilling to rent out the idle church in exchange for money."

“This proves that the target may not be impious, but that his piety is manifested in other aspects, more essential aspects, which are similar to the philosophy we adhere to internally.”

"The target did not show any extraordinary abilities, and the same was true when he mentioned his father. This may mean that the Holy Goddess Church does not have any extraordinary means, and they are just an innocent church affected by the decree? It sounds incredible."

"The target's personal history shows that he has no contact with animists such as the Spirit Prayer Society, nor with other illegal churches in Linville City. This basically rules out the possibility of him possessing refined magic."

"The target has a rational way of thinking and clear logical thinking ability. Combined with his attitude towards faith, he may be a person worth winning over. The only thing to note is that he doesn't seem to be keen on religious affairs - but from our perspective, this is exactly the most suitable attitude. We can even think that he was born for our cause."

"In summary, it is recommended that the target be observed, verified and assessed for a period of one to three years. If the Human Resources Management Bureau has no objection, I will continue to contact him and gradually test his attitude."

"Reported by: Apostle Lonning Laville, Linville City."

It was completely dark.

Suddenly, there was a mechanical clicking sound in the room.

　Thank you for your support meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)