Together with Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Asakusa, this is a bustling district in Tokyo. In recent years, it has been frequently used as the stage for TV series and novels. Especially young people who pursue fashion have turned their attention here.
Ikebukuro is bounded by Jr Ikebukuro Station and is divided into the west exit area and the east exit area. There are about one million people flow every day, and the church in Ikebukuro area can be said to be one of the famous attractions, with an endless stream of people visiting every day.
But among the fashionably dressed crowd, there was a person who was incompatible with the noisy atmosphere around him. The flow of people passing by unconsciously bypassed him, just like running water separated by rocks.
He is tall and burly, but slightly stooped, with a high nose and deep eyes. His exposed skin is yellow. He is wearing a long white shirt from the neck to the ankles, and a red and white plaid cloth on his head, showing a few strands of black.
Broken hair.
There is no doubt that he is a foreigner or a foreigner from the Middle East, because only people there would dress like this.
But compared to the average person's impression of wealthy Middle Easterners, the man in front of him seemed to be particularly down and out.
The long white shirt on his body has turned dark yellow, and there are patches on it. It can only be seen that it is clean. It must have been worn for a long time.
His face was aged due to the weather and the sun, making him look to be about forty or fifty years old. A hideous scar cut across the left cheek, lying on it like a centipede, with his skin exposed.
The same goes for the arms, the thick palms are covered with calluses.
The only thing that can leave a deep impression on people is the pair of dark eyes, which look so tired and numb, but also sparkle with hope for life and the future.
After walking along the street for a while, I came to an intersection.
He took out the map he had prepared in advance from his pocket, and after observing it carefully, he chose the road on the right.
Walking along this street, about two streets away, there is a quaint church standing at the end of the street, with many tourists going in and out.
This church, built after the Meiji Restoration, can be said to have witnessed the rise and fall of this country in modern times. The slightly gray marble tells the imprint of time on it. It has become one of the famous tourist attractions in this area.
, tourists who come to Ikebukuro area come here to take photos and check in.
The man put away the map. His destination was the church in front of him, but he didn't come here just to take pictures and check in. That kind of thing was insulated from him.
Standing at the door of the church, looking at the crowds coming and going, he did not enter the church immediately, but patiently observed it for a while, and finally followed the crowd into the church.
After passing through the gate, you are faced with a spacious auditorium, but it is already overcrowded. On the podium of the auditorium, a priest is preaching.
He was a tall man, wearing traditional black clothes, with neatly combed white hair, and an ordinary face. There was nothing special about him, and he would not be recognized even if he was thrown into a crowd.
Perhaps the only commendable thing about him is that he looks relatively honest and kind. The bright sunlight shines on him through the stained glass, creating a solemn religious atmosphere and making the people around him quiet down.
………
"One of the two prisoners who were crucified together mocked him and said, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us."
"Then the other responded and rebuked him, saying, 'Don't you fear God, since you are also being punished? We deserve it, for our sufferings are worthy of our works.'
"But this man had never done anything wrong. But he said, Lord, remember me when your kingdom comes."
"The Lord said to him, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
………
………
The man simply listened to the content of the sermon, a disdainful sneer subconsciously showing on his face, but it disappeared in an instant, and soon returned to his previous calm expression.
The people around him didn't have any change in his expression, and of course they wouldn't say anything even if they saw it. After all, most of the people at the scene were just tourists, not devout believers at all.
He stood up, left the auditorium, and walked along the corridor to the building at the back. No tourists set foot here because the building at the back was not open to tourists.
As the man walked over and stood in the corridor, the priest in white uniform walked up with a smile, trying to persuade him to leave.
The man stopped and stared at the priest's young face with his dark eyes. He opened his palm, and invisible ripples spread out, enveloping them and isolating them from the noise outside.
"Magic Association."
He whispered, as if it was a secret code.
"magician?"
The smile on the young pastor's face froze, and a hint of hostility flashed in his eyes. Although he concealed it well, he was still seen by the man.
The man was not surprised by this situation. He was not an ordinary person, but a magician from the Magic Association. The Magic Association and the Holy Church had always been incompatible with each other. At most, they could only maintain a superficial harmony when people from both sides met.
It would have been lucky if there hadn't been a fight.
If he could, he would not step into the territory of the Holy Church. Unfortunately, he had a reason to come.
The young pastor led the man into the living room, then bowed slightly, expressionless, and said in a cold voice,
"Father Fawn is preaching, please wait a moment."
Before he finished speaking, he turned around and left, without giving the man any time to ask questions.
The man looked at the young pastor's leaving figure, shook his head slightly, and did not take it to heart. After all, he was still a young man and could not hide his inner thoughts at all.
[But is that the so-called Father Faun? 】
He thought about the white-haired priest in his mind, and then glanced around. The decoration of this living room did not look luxurious, it could even be said to be simple. Not only were there no snacks on the coffee table, there was not even tea.
It is estimated that the young pastor was deliberately unprepared. He had no way to deal with the magician and could only disgust him in these small ways.
But even if hot tea and snacks were prepared, men would not dare to enjoy them.
He activated the magic seal, used the magic of detection, and searched the entire living room, but found no other means. At the same time, he also took out a technological instrument that could block the signal and turned it on.
After doing this, the man breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the soft sofa to relieve the fatigue caused by the long journey.
This approach may be a bit redundant, but the man is used to it. After all, in his country, if people like him are not cautious at all times, they may have gone to see Allah long ago.