It is quite a distance from the Quill Avenue where Miss Louisa lives to the Dawn Square where the Dawn Church is located. In order not to miss the time, Xia De took a taxi at the intersection. Send Mia home first before heading to church.
Tobesk in midsummer is also smoky, because of the high temperature, the burning smell in the air is becoming more and more unbearable. On the way to the church, Shad stuffed the leaf into the decorative pocket watch cover (Note), while looking out the car window at this steam age.
Fast-moving street scenes, decent gentlemen and barefoot children, low walls clinging to weeds and imposing aristocratic mansions, densely covered steam pipes and porters carrying sacks, all of these are explained to Shade The balance and imbalance of this age.
But outsiders know that this is a node in the development of civilization. For civilization, there has never been an absolute balance, only a dynamic relative balance.
He thought about these things so wildly that when he got out of the car, he almost forgot to pay the driver the fare. For this reason, he was quite embarrassed and gave two pence more. The hunchbacked middle-aged coachman did not dislike him but thanked him happily. Two pence is also valuable to the poor.
It is now Thursday of the second week of the Thunder Moon, and the Holy Prayer is getting closer, and the clergy of the Dawn Church are getting busier. But Priest Augustus still took the time to welcome Shad at the door of the church, and hugged him with exaggerated enthusiasm:
"Remember to pretend to be hurt."
This was the priest's whispered reminder when the two embraced, and then asked in a very natural tone of concern:
"Xia De, is your injury okay?"
"Cough cough."
Xia De didn't know what symptoms the so-called internal bleeding should show, so he pretended to be weak and coughed a few times:
"The doctor said I was lucky, and the young man is strong, so it's probably fine."
"Very good, very good, Mister Liming will bless you."
With that said, he took Xia De into the church.
Regardless of whether it is a world with God or a world without God, functional buildings like churches will always be built magnificently and solemnly. Even though it was not the first time to enter the Church of Dawn, when both feet stepped into the building, I still couldn't help lowering my voice and slowing down my steps.
Of course, this is also related to the power of the church itself. In this world where ideas can affect reality, the church itself is blessed by the power of righteous gods, coupled with the protection measures set up by the ring warlocks, and the power contributed by believers' years of longing. The safest place in Tobesk is actually the Church of the Five Gods, not the Yodel Palace.
One in front of the other, the two quickly passed the main hall of the Church of Dawn, and then entered the position behind the church from the side corridor. Priest Augustus kept greeting people along the way, and a few of the clergy seemed to know who Shad was, and shook his hand enthusiastically.
It seems that what happened at noon yesterday also had an impact on the church itself.
Soon he came to Bishop Owen's office. After knocking on the door, Shad entered the room with Priest Augustus.
The old bishop was wearing reading glasses to read documents just now, when he saw the two people coming in, he temporarily put away the things on the table. He took off his glasses and adjusted his expression, then said to Xia De very kindly:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hamilton, please sit down. I invite you to come today to discuss with you about... the topic of faith."
Xia De raised his eyebrows, it really was this topic.
The conversation this afternoon was very pleasant. On behalf of the Liming Church, Bishop Owen asked Xia De if he would convert to Mr. Liming. This is not only because Bishop Owen appreciates Xia De, but also because of the silver coin that was hit yesterday morning.
With the help of the church and the acquiescence of the royal family, this matter has spread. The church wanted to use this to promote the faith of the Dawn Church, while the royal family wanted to show that they were indeed blessed by the righteous gods.
For the Church of Dawn, this kind of coincidental and dramatic event is definitely a good material for Holy Prayer and even for the future publicity of the church. The key point is that Shade Hamilton, the protagonist of the story, must become a believer, so as to illustrate Mr. Liming's love and protection for believers.
"Mr. Hamilton, last time you said that you were only a shallow believer in [Ms. Creation]. So, what do you think of [Mr. Dawn's] belief?"
"very nice."
To be precise, the values of the Church of the Five Gods do not conflict with Shade. The church plays an enlightened and progressive role in this era.
"If you would like to join us, I can baptize you myself."
This is the condition proposed by Bishop Owen.
After all, it is a church, and it also involves faith. You cannot use conditions such as gold pounds to lure people into the church. The clergy have such a bottom line. But having a baptism performed by the bishop of the archdiocese in person means a lot in itself. To put it simply, Xia Dewei will consider him "one of his own".
For example, Room 2 on the second floor of No. 6 Place Saint-Andrés has been waiting in line for exorcism, but if it is "one of my own", then there is no need to line up at all. For example, Mr. Liming's belief groups are widely distributed. When Shade is dealing with detective commissions, if he encounters something he can't handle, the church doesn't mind helping his own people.
Of course, the premise is that Xia De really becomes a believer.
"no problem."
Bishop Owen gave Xia De time to think, but Xia De did not answer immediately. I had thought about this matter before coming here, but I must not agree to it outright, as this would make me appear unreligious. Pretending to be struggling, he hesitated for ten minutes before giving an answer. The bishop showed a gratified expression:
Becoming a believer means a lot of convenience, but what Xia De needs is to spend some time, learn the religious scriptures that must be memorized, and then have time to come to Dawn Church, attend some prayers, and listen to some lectures. Compared with the benefits obtained, the price paid is completely acceptable.
The only thing that needs to be considered is whether a "hypocritical believer" like myself will attract the attention of righteous gods if he joins the church. But if you think about it carefully, in such a large church, there must be more than one so-called false believer. Since others have no problems, of course there will be no problems.
After all, compared with real high-dimensional existence, mortals like little ants think everything is superfluous.
Bishop Owen was probably afraid that Xia De would go back on his word, so he arranged for him to be baptized that afternoon.
The so-called baptism is the initiation ceremony. The baptism ceremony used by the Dawn Church is a relatively traditional water ceremony, that is, under the holy emblem, the high-level clergy who is qualified to be the officiant will recite the scriptures , pour or sprinkle with water, and drop the water on the forehead of the person to be baptized.
The Church of the Five Gods often uses such rituals, but each church has its own characteristics. [Mr. Liming] is the [God of Light and Shadow], so baptism requires that in addition to the holy emblem, the body of the recipient must be able to be in shadow and light at the same time.
This was not difficult in the era of gas lamps, but being surrounded by a large group of people and being illuminated by a high-power movable gas lamp at close range made Xia De feel that the sweltering afternoon was even hotter.
Of course, people who are baptized in the traditional sense must also pass the faith test and be recommended by three clergy who are familiar with the situation before they can be baptized. But with the presence of a veteran clergyman like Priest Augustus, and the miraculous event at noon yesterday, Shad skipped this link directly.
"It's a good thing you don't have to write an application or report."
This was Shade's exclamation when he wiped his face with a towel after the christening ceremony. In this era, writing reports is already a normal part of life.
"Xia De, how high do you think the literacy rate is now? How many people can write their own names?"
This is the helpless rhetorical question of Priest Augustus.
In short, outsiders have a verbal belief in this world. St. Byrence, far in the far north, was equally powerful, but could not influence Tobesk's detectives in their lives. But the Church of Dawn is rooted in a civilized society, and joining a church means that life will become more convenient.
As a token of gratitude, Shade gave the commemorative coin inlaid with the warhead to Bishop Owen after the baptism. Of course, Bishop Owen was not stingy, and he took out a stack of books from the bookshelf and gave them to him. They were all religious classics. Now that Xia De has become a believer, he can't do without them.
In addition, Shad also got a small bottle filled with clear liquid. When Bishop Owen handed this thing to Shad, even the priest Augustus on the side was surprised:
"Holy water No. 3?"
Even though the whole bottle of liquid in his hand was very likely to be diluted, the value would definitely not be less than 100 pounds.
"Yes, Mr. Hamilton. This is a special product of the church, a magical liquid that can heal wounds. I know you are injured, but there is a banquet on Sunday night, so take this back and sprinkle it on the wound Bar."
The old bishop winked at Shad:
"The gods really exist, the church is not as simple as you think...you won't regret today's decision."
He gestured a few times on his chest, and then silently prayed to the gods.
Xia De nodded, then looked at Priest Augustus again:
"Priest~www.mtlnovel.com~ I remember that Dawn Church accepts donations, right?"
"Yes, part of the donated money is used for church maintenance, and part is directly used to help the poor."
Xia De has not forgotten what he said at noon yesterday:
"Well then, I'll donate... £10."
In any case, in an age where mystery and steam coexist, there is no harm in being a follower of a righteous god. Sometimes, Xia De would also imagine that if he was recruited by the church instead of Dr. Schneider, his life in this strange world would probably be completely different from what he is now.
"But this world doesn't have what if..."
The church arranged for a carriage to take Shad back to Saint-Andrés Square, and Shad looked out the window. As the sun goes down, a busy day is coming to an end.
"It's better to consider some more realistic issues."
He leaned lazily on the back of the seat.
[For example, what should I eat at night? 】
Xia Guang sprinkled his face, Xia De was amused by her, but shook his head:
"No, for example, the exorcist from the church who will come to confirm the situation tomorrow morning, what exactly can they find in Room 2 on the second floor?"
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