At noon, the rare winter sun shone down on the streets of Tivian. After several consecutive days of gloomy and drizzly weather, the citizens of Tivian finally welcomed a day suitable for going out.
North Tivian, Church District, taking advantage of the sunshine, an exceptionally large number of people came to the Church to pray. On the square of the Church District, people were coming and going, mostly well-dressed and colorful, primarily from the local, slightly wealthier citizen class of the North District. Lower-class citizens generally went to the many small Churches located in the South District and Sitivian for prayer.
On the square of the Church District, among the crowds coming and going, a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, wearing a brown suit, a small hat, and a small mustache, was also walking. His eyes were focused on the St. Yong Cathedral ahead, and his steps were firm.
After climbing the long steps one by one, the man arrived at the open tall doors of the Cathedral. After pausing to look at the doors before him, he walked inside.
Upon entering the St. Yong Cathedral, the man was greeted by a grand space. Stone pillars ten meters high were arranged forward in sequence. The wide arched ceiling, and the areas between the arched stone beams, were filled with lifelike frescoes depicting religious stories, one after another. At the end of the hall, at the furthest point of sight, on the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, stained glass pieced together abstract giant images, depicting the scene of Light Descending to expel evil. In front of the glass giant painting were three altars symbolizing the Three Saints. Behind the Three Saints altars was a smaller Save the World altar, further away from the public. On both sides of the hall, rows of long benches were arranged from front to back, and citizens who came here for prayer and confession sat on the benches. At the edges of the hall, priests and Sisters were on duty.
This is Saint Chant Church, the largest chapel in the North Tivian Church District, and also the main part of the Church District open to the public. In addition, there are special Saint Father Halls, Holy Mother Halls, Saint Child Halls, and other administrative and military facilities of the Tivian Church, but most of those parts are not very open to the public.
The man came inside the Saint Chant Church, then he found an empty seat on a long bench and sat down. Then he clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and seemed to be praying devoutly.
Just like that, the man prayed seriously on the bench for a while, then slowly opened his eyes. After slowly standing up, he came to a corner of the Church. Here, there was a simply decorated large box with an opening, on which the words "Donation Box" were written. From time to time, people walked over and threw a few coins or banknotes into it. Upon seeing someone giving money, the Sister standing by would look at him with a smile, and if he gave a lot, she would say a few words of blessing, and even give a small gift or token.
After finishing his prayer, the man slowly walked towards the "Donation Box". Standing in front of the box, the man took out his wallet and took out six large 50-pound pound banknotes, the largest denomination, and stuffed them all into the donation box at once. Seeing more than 300 pounds of banknotes go into the box, the Sister next to him was slightly stunned, then immediately beamed with joy and said to the man with an absolutely brilliant smile.
"This Mr., Captain's devout heart is so radiant. It is likely that no matter which of the Three Saints is the Lord in Captain's heart, Captain's light of faith will definitely be seen by them. Please leave Captain's name on this donation register. We will pray to the Lord daily, praying that the Lord's Light is with Captain."
The Sister said this to the man, and then pointed to an open thick ledger on a small table next to the donation box, which densely recorded the names of the donors and the money donated. At a glance, it could be seen that only those whose donation amount reached a certain level could leave Captain's name on it. Those with names written on it were donors who had contributed at least fifty pounds or more to the box.
Listening to the Sister, the man walked to the small table, picked up a pen, and wrote down his name, John Evans, followed by the amount he donated, three hundred pounds. This amount was already considered very large on the entire ledger page. The Sister next to him saw this and continued to say with a smile.
"Mr. Evans? Devout followers like Captain are rare. If Captain has needs, Captain can feel free to mention them. We can specially arrange for someone to arrange confession, prayer, and even exorcism and other faith-related assistance for Captain..."
The Sister said this. For a patron who donated several hundred pounds at once, their service attitude had to be good. Listening to the Sister's words, the man named John chuckled, and then said.
"Hehe, I'm afraid I won't have the opportunity to enjoy this assistance for the time being."
"No opportunity for now? Mr. Evans, has something happened to Captain?" Hearing John's words, the Sister asked doubtfully, while John calmly replied.
"Nothing, to be honest with Miss Sister, I am a businessman. Due to business reasons, I will be going to the New World for long-term business soon. As it will be for a long time, our whole family will move there then."
"New World... But I recently heard that the situation in the New World is turbulent. Mr. Evans, Captain is going there to do business now... will there be some risk?"
"Risk and opportunity coexist, Miss Sister. It is precisely because of the risk that the business opportunities there are worth me moving my entire family over. To deal with potential dangers, I also hope to receive the Lord's protection. To be honest with Captain... my purpose for this donation is to ask for a Saint Emblem of the Saint Father. I often hear people say that as long as you carry a Saint Emblem with you, the Lord's Light will be with me..."
John said this to the Sister, and the Sister also nodded in response after hearing it.
"Oh, so Captain wants to ask for a Saint Emblem. Then Mr. Evans, please wait here for a moment. I'll be right back." Hearing John's words, the Sister said understandingly, then quickly ran away in small steps. After a while, she came back, but this time she was followed by a priest in his forties wearing a priest's robe.
"Priest Miller, this is Mr. Evans. Because he is going to the New World for business, he specially came to ask for the Saint Emblem of the Saint Father."
The Sister introduced him to the middle-aged priest named Miller. Priest Miller's mouth also curved into a smile upon hearing the Sister's words, and then he said to John.
"The Lord's Light will shine upon every devout follower, no matter where or when they are. For devout people like Captain, it is natural to want to receive more of the Light's illumination. May this Saint Emblem allow you to feel that Saint Father is with Captain."
Saying this, Priest Miller took out a small metal badge and gave it to John. On the badge was a pattern of two parallel lines within an abstract sun, which was the Saint Emblem of the Saint Father.
"Thank you..."
Bowing slightly, John took the Saint Emblem of the Saint Father from the priest's hand. After examining it carefully, he put it away. Then he looked at the priest and Sister before him and said quite solemnly.
"Priest Miller, I actually have one small thing I want to tell Captain. As Captain can see, I am a businessman. I have drifted around doing business for half my life, so I have often neglected my family. Therefore, in order to take better care of my family, I plan to take them with me to the New World this time. My wife is a devout follower of the Holy Mother, so I hope to obtain a Saint Emblem of the Holy Mother for her... so that she can also more closely bathe in the Lord's grace from afar. May I ask if that is possible?"
With an earnest tone, John said to Miller. After hearing John's words, Priest Miller showed a hint of difficulty, and then said.
"Captain also wants to ask for the Saint Emblem of the Holy Mother... That is not impossible, but Mr. Evans has just asked for the Saint Emblem of the Saint Father... and now immediately comes to ask for the Holy Mother's. Although it is on behalf of someone else, it is still too frequent. This might make others think Captain's devoutness..."
Priest Miller spoke slowly and hesitantly. Listening to his words, John remained silent, and quietly took another 300 pounds in cash from his wallet and put it into the donation box next to him. Priest Miller's eyes lit up when he saw this, and his hesitant and slow tone immediately became fluent and rapid.
"We don't need to care what others think. In our eyes, Captain's devoutness is guaranteed to be firm and reliable no matter what. For devout people like Captain, how could we not agree to ask for a Saint Emblem for Captain's family for peace?"
With a smile, Priest Miller took out a new Saint Emblem from his clothes and handed it to John. After John took it, he examined it carefully and found that it was very similar to the previous Saint Father badge, with an inverted triangle inside an abstract sun symbol. This was the Saint Emblem of the Holy Mother.
Smiling, John put away the Saint Emblem, continued to look at Priest Miller, and then spoke again.
"I represent my wife in thanking you, Father Miller, but I'm afraid I still have a few things I need to trouble you with. My son is fourteen this year, a time when he is extremely curious about the outside world. After arriving in the New World, my precious son will definitely run around because of his curiosity. I am worried that if he does not have the Saint Child's protection during his adventures, he will encounter danger."
John said this to Father Miller, and at the same time, he took out another 300 pound in cash and continued to stuff it into the offering box. After Father Miller stared intently at several large banknotes being put into the offering box again, he took out a Saint Emblem from his body.
"Ah... a child around fourteen in the New World, it is indeed possible to encounter some unknown dangers, but I think as long as you have this Saint Emblem, the Saint Child's protection will always be with the young master. Under the Saint Child's protection, the young master who has grown up through tempering in the New World will definitely achieve a great career in the future."
Saying this, Father Miller handed the Saint Child Saint Emblem in his hand to John, who gladly accepted it and then said with emotion.
"Thank you very much for your gift, Father. With the protection of the Three Saints Saint Emblems, our family will definitely be able to live a peaceful life in the New World."
"Hehe, it's nothing. The Saint Emblems are originally prepared for the most loyal and devout believers. The devout heart you just showed, Mr. Evans, is enough for you and your family to receive the protection of the Saint Emblems. It is also a blessing for us to have such devout believers as you."
Father Miller responded, and just as John was about to say something, he saw the three Three Saints altars under the stained glass in the distant hall, as well as a smaller, farther altar belonging to the Radiant Savior on the Three Saints altar. After a slight pause, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said.
"By the way, esteemed Father Miller, since I have already obtained the Saint Emblems of the Three Saints, I can set up a small, complete Light Saint field at home in the New World in the future. I heard others say that these three Saint Emblems can be used as small Three Saints altars. Now, as long as I can have another Saint Emblem of the Save the World, then I can meet the requirements for setting up a Saint field and make it complete."
John said this, and from his tone, it seemed that he originally did not intend to get the Saint Emblem of the Radiant Savior. Since he already had the three Saint Emblems of the Three Saints in his hand, he might as well make it a complete set.
Hearing John's words, Father Miller nodded and then responded.
"Hmm... you have a point. Since you have already obtained the Saint Emblems of the Three Saints, you can imitate the Church and set up a Saint field at home with another Saint Emblem of the Save the World... Mr. Evans, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."
Father Miller said this, then turned and left the scene. After a short while, he returned, and in his hand, he held a new Saint Emblem.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, this is the Saint Emblem of the Save the World. It hasn't been issued for a long time, and it took me a while to find it."
Saying this, Miller handed the Saint Emblem in his hand to John. The Saint Emblem was a simple abstract sun with nothing inside. Miller handed it directly to John without waiting for him to stuff more money into the offering box, as if he was just giving away the Saint Emblem of the Save the World.
"Thank you so much, Father Miller. On behalf of myself and my family, I sincerely thank you." After receiving the emblem, John thanked Miller, and Father Miller also replied with a smile.
"It's nothing. For a loyal believer of the Lord, these are what you deserve, Mr. Evans. I wish you and your family a smooth journey in the New World."
Father Miller said his final words, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries with John, John bid him farewell and walked out of the Church. After descending the long stairs to the square, he walked out of the Church District.
At the entrance of the Church District, John waited for a while, stopped a carriage, and got on. After turning left and right in the North Tivian, he finally stopped by a bridge. After getting off, he looked around and walked up to a young man he saw, giving him all the Saint Emblems on his body.
Afterward, this young man walked alone on the street for a period of time, and finally stopped by a carriage on the roadside. After the carriage windows were opened, he put his hand in, and after retracting it, he quickly left.
Inside the carriage, Dorothy, wearing a ladies' suit, sat inside, looking at the four Saint Emblems in her hand. After examining them one by one using Spirituality vision, she frowned slightly and muttered.
"Damn... the Spirituality in these four Saint Emblems combined is less than one point. How can they sell for 300 pound each? These Fanatics are really f**king scams. With this money, I could buy one or two storage items from a profiteer."
Checking the Spirituality inside the Saint Emblems, Dorothy complained like this. She knew before that the Saint Emblems had Spirituality but didn't expect it to be so little. Originally, she planned to use the extra Saint Emblems she bought as storage items, but now it seems that plan is ruined. The "Light" of these four things combined is not as much as one storage item.
"It seems that for the Shining Light Church, the Saint Emblems that ordinary people can get are just advanced placebos, just something to swindle money... This little piece of junk cost me nine hundred pound... Hmm..."
Saying this, the angry Dorothy couldn't help but puff out her cheeks, but finally, she let out a sigh and spoke.
"Phew... forget it... Although it cost a lot of money, the main goal was achieved after all... The first Saint Emblem... is in hand..."
Muttering, Dorothy picked up the Saint Emblem of the Radiant Savior among the four Saint Emblems and examined it. Although the Spirituality was weak, it was still a genuine Saint Emblem made by the Church itself, belonging to the Radiant Savior, and was one of the essential items for Dorothy's promotion ceremony.
To obtain this Saint Emblem, Dorothy spent a lot of effort today. The Saint Emblems of the Shining Light Church are not out of reach for ordinary people. As long as they make contributions to the Church, they can obtain Saint Emblems. This is the rule of the Church. For ordinary people, the Saint Emblems of the Shining Light Church are equivalent to symbols, talismans, and advanced objects of faith.
And for ordinary people, the most common way of contributing is naturally through donations. As the saying goes, "When the offering box clinks, the soul ascends to heaven." In terms of using faith to extort money from the public, the Shining Light Church has a long history, and in many cases, it is even more ruthless than the profiteering capitalists of the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild.
Because Vanya had just gone through the Smith incident and was under the attention of both the An Yin Bureau and the Church, for her safety, Dorothy did not ask Vanya for help in getting the Saint Emblem of the Radiant Savior. Instead, she used the method of manipulating a Corpse Puppet to act as a donor, and hard-donated money to get the Saint Emblem.
Dorothy had investigated before that to obtain a Saint Emblem through donation, one or two hundred pound was possible, but the most stable amount was three hundred pound. For stability, Dorothy donated this much in one go, and she donated three times.
The reason why Dorothy did not directly specify the Saint Emblem of the Radiant Savior at the beginning is that the faith in the Save the World is an absolute minority in the Shining Light Church. Almost no ordinary person bypasses the Three Saints to directly believe in the Save the World. If Dorothy had the Corpse Puppet John directly ask for the Saint Emblem of the Save the World, it would arouse suspicion.
Because this might involve the otherworld of the Shining Light Church, the "Savior Descends Faction," which is a branch of the otherworld that preaches that the Three Saints are false and only believes in the Save the World.
So after careful consideration, Dorothy had John take a big detour when donating and asking for Saint Emblems. She started with the Saint Father, asked for the Holy Mother and the Saint Child as well, and finally, using the reason of being one short of a full set, she had the priest give her the Saint Emblem of the Radiant Savior without any suspicion. After all, being one short of a full set of Light series Saint Emblems allows for an achievement, so it makes sense to help with this.
If she had directly asked for the Saint Emblem of the Save the World, she would likely have been considered influenced by otherworld ideas, and at that time, she would probably have been subjected to a key inspection, which would expose Dorothy's Corpse Puppet.
Even at the entrance of the Saint Chant Church, which is a publicly open area, the Church has arranged powerful Hui Jian Lamps to work. To get John past the Hui Jian Lamps, Dorothy consumed a total of 4 "Shadow" this time, which was more than she consumed when she went to the An Yin Bureau.
This is still the public open area of the Church District. If it were other confidential places in the Church District, who knows how strong the detection ability would be. Therefore, Dorothy's Corpse Puppet would inevitably be exposed once inspected. The 10-odd "Shadow" on Dorothy would be just a drop in the bucket when facing the Church, and it would be impossible to resist. So, when asking for the Saint Emblems, Dorothy definitely could not let John be suspected, and she finally succeeded, but the price was nine hundred pound.