Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

This time, Taoyuan County did something that was truly out of anyone's control. They dug underground for three days, and for some reason, those damned rebellious missionaries kept running over to preach about how wonderful it was to live a life of luxury, and how great the 996 work schedule was, which lured away more than fifty people again....

Even a fool would understand that with these repeated blows, Fang Zheng Yi was simply toying with him!

But he couldn't go anywhere else besides Taoyuan County, as only here was there a chance to preach.

So, Father Solger led the remaining twenty-odd steadfast priests to work and dig, and although people's hearts wavered, they still didn't give up their sacred missionary activities.

But on the very day the rough structure of the underground church was completed, news spread, God knows from where.

The people of Taoyuan County were saying that the foreign monks were digging a charnel house, planning to steal corpses from the burial grounds to gather yin energy and worship the yin gods!

After the rumors spread, countless angry people, armed with torches and kitchen knives, collectively went to the church, claiming they would destroy the evil place and confront the yin gods!

Fortunately, they were stopped by the county government. After all, the county valued civilization and the law, and couldn't allow people to act recklessly.

They originally thought the matter was over, but who knew that in the following seven days, countless monks and Taoists flocked to the church, jumping and dancing and performing rituals in front of the entire town to dissolve the evil spirits.

After performing rituals for seven days, a group of monks and Taoists publicly declared that they were powerless to solve the evil and hoped that the people would stay away from this place.

The uncivilized people of Taoyuan County spontaneously built fences around the church, covered with Bagua mirrors, Taoist talismans, Buddhist beads, and portraits of Fang Zheng Yi... Some, unwilling to fail in their exorcism, even spontaneously built miniature temples and Taoist temples outside the fence, attempting to use the balance of three powers to restrain the evil energy of the 'charnel house'....

After this incident, an exceptionally bizarre scene appeared outside the church.

The people of Taoyuan County, who were originally not very enthusiastic about Buddhism and Taoism, often rushed to the Taoist temples and temples near the church to burn incense, just to help the righteous path! For a time, the incense was flourishing. Meanwhile, the deserted church next door seemed even more gloomy.... The people, seeing this, were terrified and contributed even more diligently to the incense...

After this inhuman torment, five of the remaining missionaries fell seriously ill and were sent to the hospital for treatment. Two went insane, and three couldn't bear the pointing fingers and strange looks any longer. To rejoin the masses, they actively ran to the Taoist temples to offer incense and converted to heresy.

As for the others... they completely abandoned their faith and happily welcomed the 996 new life.

Now, only he remained, still maintaining his faith, though not so firmly.

And today was another great humiliation for him. A devout priest, leading a group of apostate missionaries to participate in an event of Da Jing....

Looking at Fang Zheng Yi's nonchalant smile, Father Solger's eyes welled up with tears, and he stammered, "Stop talking, stop talking...."

"Eh!? Father, if you encounter any problems, you must take the initiative to tell me. We are friends, and as friends, I must help you solve your problems," Fang Zheng Yi said with concern.

Hearing this tone, the tears in the priest's eyes silently rolled down, and he choked up, "I want to go home."

Go home! He had to go home!

Da Jing was definitely not a place for the Taifu Church to come to, and this place was definitely not where the glory of the Holy Father should shine. He had to inform others of this news!

"Oh! You're crying?"

"I'm not crying," Father Solger wiped away his tears. "Lord Fang, please don't pretend to be kind. I heard that Da Jing's fleet will soon be preparing to set sail again. I want to return to Fica, and I hope you can let me go."

"I guarantee to you that no one from the Taifu Church will come to Da Jing to preach in the future. I will personally meet with the Pope to explain this matter."

Fang Zheng Yi thought to himself that it was boring, and said, "Tsk, Father, I truly consider you a friend. Isn't life in Taoyuan County good? If you go back, will others be willing to go back?"

Father Solger, with red eyes, looked back at his former companions and gritted his teeth, "They probably won't go back."

Objectively speaking, life in Taoyuan County was indeed very good, full of temptations.

Dazzling goods, countless delicacies, and even diverse architectural styles.

As for the people... they were quite united, and if it weren't for the conflicts with the church, they could be considered civilized and friendly.

The officials of the Taoyuan County government were even more honest and just than the officials of Fica, and the relationship between the people and the government was extremely close.

Moreover, Taoyuan County also had night markets and various activities in the evening.

During his alms-seeking, he had visited the night activities, and he had heard even more wonderful things from the apostate missionaries.

He had to admit that this was a perfect life he had never seen or even imagined in Fica. He had indeed wavered in his heart, and he had once yearned for the 996, hoping to take one day off every seven days to enjoy the wonderful world, and it would be even better if he could buy a house in Taoyuan County...

But when he thought that the Holy Father was overlooking him in the boundless universe, he felt terrified again.

Seeing him in a dilemma, Fang Zheng Yi asked, "I don't understand. Since your friends are unwilling to leave, why are you different from others?"

"They are apostates! Because I have a firm faith!" Father Solger said with difficulty.

Heh heh, indeed a firm faith. Although he could see wavering, he hadn't completely succumbed yet. It seemed he had to change direction.

He had the highest status among the missionaries, and he would be the most valuable when going abroad to handle affairs in the future.

Fang Zheng Yi smiled slightly, "Apostasy? That is to say, they have joined Taoyuan County? Then I should congratulate them on making the right choice. My Taoyuan County has many benefits, and working can earn more silver and live a better life."

"They didn't realize that this was a test from the Holy Father. Those who cannot resist material desires will ultimately not be able to pass through hell to reach heaven."

"Well, at least we have reached a consensus on the question of where exactly hell is."

Father Solger realized he had misspoke and quickly shut his mouth.

Fang Zheng Yi slowly said, "Father, have you ever thought that seeing the wonderful life in my Taoyuan County is precisely a blessing from the Holy Father to loyal believers like you? But you mistakenly regard it as a trial. Otherwise, why would smiles appear on the faces of apostates?"

Father: ".....?"

"In my opinion, you can't figure out this problem because you mixed dogma when listening to the Holy Word. Dogma is a lie fabricated by the upper echelons of the church to maintain their own interests. It is the shackle on you, and for a true believer, there is nothing left to lose except the shackle."

"You have been working in Taoyuan County for so long, and you have brought blessings and love to the people of my Taoyuan County, creating happiness. I believe you have already put God's will into practice. To show respect for your pure faith, I hope you will join Taoyuan County, and I will give you a house, hoping that you will work harder in the future to create real happiness and continue to put God's true meaning into practice with your hands."

It seems what he said makes sense. So, I have already put God's true meaning into practice? He even gave me a house....

Father Solger's heart fluttered, and he said after a moment of silence, "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you are a truly pure believer. I believe you are trustworthy and have high morals. And I don't want to stop you from going home. My Da Jing's fleet will return to Fica, and I need a reliable person to build relationships. I don't think anyone is more suitable than you," Fang Zheng Yi said frankly.

"I..."

"Don't rush to answer. There will be a good show today. It's rare to come out and relax, so feel the atmosphere of the world a bit more before giving me an answer."

......