As usual, Howard stood under the high circular dome of Hagia Sophia, watching the believers filing in to pray for God's blessing.
Whether they are well-dressed dignitaries or poor residents in ragged clothes, they all stand side by side under the tall statue of the Goddess of Light, looking equally humble and insignificant.
These days, Howard has become accustomed to such scenes.
Silent, monotonous, solemn, boring.
Here, everyone looked at him with the same respectful, timid eyes, curiosity mixed with awe, as if they were afraid that Howard would see through some dark secrets in their hearts.
In comparison, the previous life of studying magic spells in the Mage Tower, Destiny Star, "Spell Modeling", Dormitory 601, Sandwiches... seemed like a lifetime ago. Whenever he recalled it, Howard felt that it was particularly unreal.
It's like being in a dream.
Sometimes, he even forgot that his original dream was just to get into the Mage Tower and become a magician who ate, drank, and cheated money. Unexpectedly, his fate took a turn, and he ended up becoming the auxiliary bishop that attracted much attention.
A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.
At this moment, he suddenly saw a familiar figure in front of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral.
"Alan?" When he saw the man's face clearly, he felt a little surprised.
Then he glanced at the big clock on the roof of the building next to him.
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Today is Wednesday.
He finally understood the meaning of Allen's gesture that day.
So, he walked forward without thinking and said to Allen:
"You come..."
Allen raised an index finger to stop him from continuing.
Allen smiled slightly and said, "Auxiliary Bishop, I am here to confess to you today."
Hearing this, Howard glanced to the side and saw Archbishop Yaconelga standing not far away, and many believers were looking this way curiously. It was really inconvenient for the two of them to reminisce about old times.
So Howard nodded: "Come with me."
After he finished speaking, he took the lead and led Alan towards the low and narrow confessional rooms at the back of the church.
When he walked to the donation box, Alan took out a five-penny coin from his pocket and gently threw it in.
Howard narrowed his eyes slightly.
He just felt that Allen's performance today was very inconsistent with the York family's usual style.
Soon, Howard heard a "boom".
It was the sound of coins colliding with the bottom of the wooden donation box.
In the quiet church, this sound seemed particularly clear, echoing endlessly under the empty dome.
Everyone looked over.
Allen lowered his head and smiled, laughing at himself: "I came here in a hurry today and didn't bring any money. I made a fool of myself."
"Don't worry," Howard recited the lines awkwardly, "The great goddess never cares about the amount of money. She...she only cares about whether the believers are sincere."
He had said these words countless times in front of others and thought he knew them by heart. But saying these words in front of Allen made him feel embarrassed.
Allen looked at him seriously.
It could be seen that Allen was trying hard to hold back his laughter.
"Let's keep walking!" Howard resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands, turned around and strode toward the confessional, leaving Allen far behind.
After a while, the two of them entered the small and hidden confession room one after another.
It was extremely quiet here. Even though there was a baffle, Howard could still clearly hear the breathing of the two people.
After a short silence, Howard heard Allen chuckle from the other side of the barrier:
"I have to say, Howard, you look quite energetic in your bishop's robes."
Howard was stunned for a few seconds. He didn't expect Allen to say such an opening statement.
However, before he could answer, he heard Allen continue:
"But I didn't expect that the church's collection box would actually be empty."
Hearing this, Howard's breathing stopped for a moment.
He suddenly understood Alan's intention of throwing the five-penny coin into the donation box. It turned out that he wanted to use the sound of the coin falling to judge the situation in the donation box!
But if he remembers correctly, the donation box is only emptied every Friday. It's only Wednesday now, so why is the donation box empty?
"Also, Howard, have you noticed? I just saw a faint trace of blood on a floor tile at the foot of the statue of the goddess. Do you know where it came from?"
"Blood stains?" Howard shook his head, "I really didn't notice it."
At the same time, his mood unconsciously became a little nervous.
Bloodstains... What exactly happened in the hall of Hagia Sophia?
"By the way, Howard, I have another question to ask you," Allen said after a moment of silence. "Teacher Merlins called you away at first and chose the morning star as the star of destiny, but he still refused.
What did he want to do by giving you the meditation method? Could it be that he had already seen through the river of destiny that you would choose to join the Church of Light?"
"Alan, don't get me wrong, the real situation is this," Howard explained, "After I established contact with Morning Star, Mr. Merlins told me that in fact, the most suitable meditation method for me in the world is the true meditation method.
"Lighting Scripture"."
"The real "Light Canon"?" Allen's voice sounded a little confused.
"Yes," Howard replied, "Mr. Merlins said that the "Light Canon" now circulating in the outside world is no longer the original "Light Canon". The original "Light Canon" contained works written by the goddess of light.
It is said that the "Secret of the Gods" is recorded in it. However, to this day, all the original "Light Canon" has been destroyed, and only one copy has been preserved and is stored in the papal territory. Under normal circumstances, only the pope can read it.
permissions."
"I see."
Then there was another brief silence.
Through a barrier, Howard couldn't see Allen's expression, let alone guess what Allen was thinking. But he could feel that Allen seemed relieved after hearing his explanation.
Then Allen asked: "Howard, what are your plans for the future?"
"Intend?"
"Do you plan to be an auxiliary bishop here for the rest of your life?" Allen chuckled, "If my guess is correct, maybe the archbishop of Braden Diocese will be replaced soon."
"I...I really haven't thought about this issue."
"Then you have to think about it carefully," Allen said. "The real light is never when there is no darkness, it is just never covered by the darkness."
After the words fell, a "crunch" was heard.
Allen pushed open the door of the confessional and left.