Afternoons in the countryside are always leisurely.
Housewives who have finished their housework, the elderly and children who have had lunch, and even young laborers during the slack period gather in a circle in the open space inside and outside the town, chatting about topics of interest, or playing with each other.
Yuffie and Lin were wandering around the town as usual, stopping from time to time to listen to the conversations around them, and occasionally adding a word or two. Most of the townspeople had lived here since childhood, and had only heard a little about the war being waged by the empire.
But they are also an indispensable part of the empire and the source of a lot of gossip.
"Little girl, do you know the god Ada?" A fat middle-aged woman held her child and asked after chatting with the two for a while.
Yuffie couldn't help but look at her hands. The power of Ada was flowing in her blood, but her intuition told her that the Ada her aunt spoke of was a little different from what she knew. She blinked and pretended to be curious.
and ask the other party for specific details.
"I don't know yet. Let my aunt talk to you." The woman cleared her throat, "You know that there are gods in this world, right?"
She nodded. This was an unquestionable fact. Divine magic and less common miracles could all prove this.
"The god Ada is the god who created life. In other words, he created all the trees, flowers, plants, animals, and us." The woman nodded and looked at the sky, "Since we were born, we have
I am receiving his blessings, but many people don’t know this.”
In ancient times, the Lord of Heaven may have been the creator of the human race. However, every new human being relied more on the rules of this world rather than the grace of a certain god - except for special cases like Lily. In Yuffie's heart
There was some confusion, but there was nothing unusual on his face.
"Now, we are aware of this. Therefore, we must repay His kindness. Only in this way will He continue to favor us and let us continue to share His glory." The middle-aged woman waved her free arm vigorously, looking a little excited.
"Life is just within easy reach for Him. As long as you devoutly believe in God Edda, you can not only live freely while alive, but also go to a new world after death and gain eternal life!"
As if they heard the woman's words, several passers-by stopped and praised Ada's benefits one by one.
"That's right, little girl, think about it, what could be more wonderful than not having to worry about death anymore!" A gray-haired old man said with a smile, "Maybe young people like you are not very good at it.
Understand, after I believe in God, I am not afraid of death at all, after all, after death comes new life!"
"Not only that, I believe in God and after praying persistently, I feel more energetic at work, my appetite increases, and my cough and asthma problems are cured. And... when I do that at night, I feel dozens of years younger.
!" The middle-aged man with a broad build patted his chest and said, "Such a good god, if you don't believe in Him, who are you to believe?"
"But... Saint Leonos is also protecting us, right?" she asked tentatively. As expected, only a fierce rebuttal awaited her.
"Saint Leon? That god who doesn't care about anything?" A young man said with disdain, "My dad is sick, and the nuns in the church can only make some strange herbs. Drinking them is useless! What else do you call yourself?
The Lord of Light is just like a Lord who just collects money and doesn’t do anything!”
"That's right, what does that say? Where there is light, there is a shadow. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow." The young woman leaning next to him continued, "Saint Leon is just using the banner of light.
It’s just to make money, otherwise how could those churches be built? Those monks and nuns got the good things, and the bad things naturally belong to us country people."
Yuffie sighed in her heart. She had never believed in Saint Leonos, and there was no need to continue to excuse him. The benefits obtained by the townspeople were not abnormal - the power gained from prayer came from the magical network, or the entire
In the El Continent, with Ada's tendency towards magical arts, it is not difficult to achieve these benefits in a short period of time. However, compared to the hidden Ada, she is more willing to believe in the kind and gentle man she met in Paradise Mountain not long ago.
middle-aged man.
"I'm telling you, this is a secret. Don't go out and talk nonsense." The aunt holding the child came closer, with a serious face, "Our continent will be destroyed one day. By then,
Everyone who believes in God Ada will be resurrected by God and enjoy eternal happiness in the new world! As for those who do not believe in Him..." She shook her head and sighed, "Then I don't know."
They finally managed to deal with the townspeople who wanted to recruit them to join the religion, and left the seemingly leisurely open space. Various voices came from behind, including regrets that they could not understand Edda's teachings immediately, and everyone's opinions on the teachings of Edda.
Sharing and expectations of a better life.
"How do you feel?" That evening, after returning to the hotel, Lin poked her with a smile.
"I seem to have believed in a wrong god." She shook her head slightly, "Leonos is right. I don't understand what Ada wants to do at the moment. It's just...
I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
"Do you regret it?"
"How is that possible?" She spread her hands and looked at her palms, and answered without thinking, "This power has helped me a lot. There is no reason to be obedient even if you take advantage. As for the future... wait until we get closer to the truth." She said.
He said with certainty, "Ada is still alive and is the same "god messenger" as Leonos, so we will definitely have a chance to know what he is planning."
…
"This is what we experienced in the last town." After Yuffie briefly recounted what she had seen, she added, "The situation here is slightly better, but there are not a few people who believe in Edda anymore."
"When did this strange sect arise?" Eskar pinched his face, a little unbelievable, "What do they want to do?"
"The last time I passed through the empire, I didn't notice this - but I was in a hurry at that time." Lin stuck out her tongue, "In other words, it only took nearly a month to establish this sect of God Ada.
As it has spread to this point, their missionaries are really working hard."
"Perhaps longer." Yuffie analyzed calmly, "Saint Leon's Church has a higher reputation in big cities, but the small towns we have visited are more susceptible to the influence of this sect - after all, it
The benefits are tangible." She thought of the incident she encountered in the light rail town at the beginning of her trip, and couldn't help but be silent for a moment. "In order to promote their beliefs, people can use up their motivation several times to do things they shouldn't do.
Things. With the current situation in the town, it’s probably only a matter of time before the big city takes on the color of Edda.”
"So, I can only hope that those church members will work harder?" Lin spread her hands.
"The Theocracy will definitely take action." Yuffie said with certainty. "No matter how peaceful they are, they cannot ignore the infringement of faith. The remaining questions are how they will intervene, and... this
How will the new sect, or rather the empire, respond?"
"This is the message I want to bring to Shireenfeil." She concluded in the end, "Perhaps the Theocracy of Saint Leon will become our ally."
Eskar nodded, drank all the milk in the cup, turned into a white falcon again, and flew into the sky from the window.
She rarely stays here for more than half a day. On the one hand, there is just one more person, which can easily arouse suspicion; on the other hand, in her own words - "Lord Shireenfell is still waiting for me to come back!"
Yuffie watched the white falcon go away, then withdrew her gaze and put away the cups and plates on the table.
"Where are we going next?" she asked her friend. The Empire is Lin's hometown, and even though she has been away for more than five years, everything here is still more familiar to her.
"It's time to go to the big city." The blonde girl trimmed her hair and showed a nostalgic smile, "Although my mother is no longer there, I can't use Lin's identity... accompany me home first."