Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 301 In the Interval of War

613
Different from the outside world which is increasingly ravaged by war, life in the East Continent remains peaceful and has not been affected at all.

Derrick Berg, like all the residents of Silver City, has a natural liking for the warm sunshine and its power of purification. The sky gradually brightens, dispelling the darkness and terror. This is the legendary daytime. The sun reaches the zenith, and its slightly warm temperature falls on the earth, slowly purifying the barren soil and turbid water. This is the mythical noon.

A week had passed since the sun rose, and the people of Silver City had gradually developed a new habit.

Gradually, in their spare time, they spontaneously gathered in squares without any roof obstructions and in empty streets, sitting or lying down, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunlight shining on their bodies, as if the uneasiness and coldness of the night were gradually expelled from their limbs.

Likewise, waiting for the sunrise has become a popular activity.

Derrick was holding a tin box in his arms. The rust on the box had just been worn off, and the uneven lid and bottom showed its age, probably older than Derrick. The box was originally used to store sundries at home, but now, a "picture album" from outside was placed in it.

A picture album is a special book that binds many pictures together.

The album was a "tourism brochure" of the outside world specially selected by Mr. "World". It included many famous scenic spots in the countries of the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent, such as the bay scenery of Disi and a corner of the Dusk Palace of the Feysac Empire. Derrick struggled to decipher the introduction written in the common language of the Northern Continent while carefully looking at every picture, not wanting to miss even a single detail.

Before I knew it, I had been watching for most of the night.

During this process, Derrick was overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery and historical sites. He couldn't help but start to think about whether there was a similar "tourism" prospect in the Eastern Continent. The "Twilight Palace" of the Feysac Empire was obviously the style of the ancient giants. It was very likely based on the "Giant King's Court" in mythology. The Eastern Continent obviously had a Giant King's Court, but it couldn't be used for tourism... Speaking of historical sites, uh, the relatively well-preserved Afternoon Town? And those weird cities with people living in them... No, these are too dangerous. Are there any safer ones? The ruins of a destroyed city that has been explored? The inverted mausoleum of the former chief... ?
Derrick stopped thinking with a heartache.

As for picture albums, Silver City also has them, but the paper is not as thin as this, the colors are not as bright, and the brushstrokes are not as delicate as this.

After Derrick got the album, he flipped through two pages and decided that it was an extremely precious gift. He immediately prepared to find something suitable to pack it up and hand it over to the Council of Six.

After wrapping the animal skin, Derrick cleared out a box for the herbs, carefully put it into the iron box, and took it out.

He had been up all night, but he was in good spirits, full of energy, and even a little excited.

"Good morning, Derrick!"

As soon as he left home, someone came to greet him on the street ahead.

"Good morning! Antina!"

Everyone in the City of Silver liked the current greeting. Derrick couldn't help but smile, and waved vigorously to the companion who passed by in front of him, and watched the other party leave with her husband who had just got married.

It was so nice, walking in the sunshine... Derrick couldn't help but want to stretch his body and stretch his muscles, but he was still reading the picture album in his arms, so he didn't delay any longer and headed straight for the round tower in the city.

He trotted through the residential area where his home was located and saw that people with free time spontaneously gathered in two houses near the Silver City Square - both were newly vacated. The smaller one was a chapel for the new god "The Fool", and the larger one next to it was the mushroom collection point.

There is a church dedicated to the "Almighty Lord" in the Silver City, not far from the "Fool" Church. There is also a priest, a warrior 2.5 meters tall. His main job is to be a member of the hunting team, but he also serves as a priest because of his faith and is quite loved.

There are still many people going to the Lord's Church to worship, and His Highness the "Angel of Destiny" is there all the time except for eating and sleeping.

But at the same time, this small church, which is only one-third the size of the main church, also has a lot of traffic.

Derrick slowed down his pace and looked secretly at the Church of Fools.

……

"I'm here to exchange for mushrooms!" A deep and deep voice sounded, with a somewhat awkward word in Feysac mixed in with the fluent ancient giant language (considering the same roots, Klein chose the Feysac translation for Silver City). "The meat I brought is enough to exchange for ten meat-flavored mushrooms. I have a child at home, so I can get two more milk mushrooms--"

The pharmacist of the City of Silver stood at the mushroom pick-up area next to the Church of the Fool. He scribbled on the notebook in his hand while reaching out to pick up the plump white mushrooms from the large sacks in front of him. He asked:

"Nice meat! Put it aside. What flavor do you want? Fish, beef, or lamb?"

These creatures had not existed in the City of Silver for at least a thousand years. Now, along with the mushrooms of the Fool's grace, these ancient words were turned out of the dictionary again.

"Half fish and half beef! The one with mutton flavor is not very tasty..." The thick voice muttered, and the tall warrior put the contaminated meat in his hand into the warehouse behind the pharmacist, and happily took away twelve fist-sized mushrooms.

"Remember not to eat them raw! And don't let the mushrooms come into contact with blood or flesh before they are cooked!"

The pharmacist gave a few reminders and then started a conversation with the next person who came to pick up the mushrooms.

Mr. Frank, a genius who had never met, provided a mushroom that could absorb the toxins in the meat of contaminated beasts. This mushroom, together with the mushroom that could quickly purify the toxins and pollution in the human body after taking it, amazed the medical clinic in Silver City. Therefore, the first priest of the Church of the Fool would be the pharmacist. When he saw that both mushrooms were effective and successfully saved two companions who were dying due to years of toxin accumulation and were about to be sent back home, he was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes and converted to the Fool on the spot.

At present, the production of mushrooms is limited, so the form of barter is adopted. People who want to try new flavors can exchange their prey and some merits, and the meat will be planted with mushrooms that absorb toxins and provided to others.

However, the yield of these two types of mushrooms is even smaller. The former can be mass-produced through the research of pharmacists with relatively inferior effects, while the latter is equivalent to expensive medicines, and it is too luxurious to take them directly. The medical center decided to provide mushroom soup to patients with mild symptoms.

Also, get more sun exposure. The sun itself has a purifying function, which is particularly evident in the Eastern Continent.

“This mushroom is really delicious! It’s fragrant and sweet. Once you eat it, you will never forget it!”

Derrick looked over from afar and saw that the warrior who had just taken the mushrooms was enthusiastically recommending them to others. Many people were quite interested in the mushrooms that looked good, but not many were willing to exchange them for prey. Most people were still living on the black grass rations from the City of Silver.

"No toxins, no pollution, no side effects, such food is simply unimaginable!"

"Just like the sun reappearing, the myth is gradually becoming reality. All this should be praised by the great Lord and the 'Fool'..."

Such words are now widely recognized in the City of Silver. Through the new thing "mushroom", people have initially accepted and supported the "Fool" who came to help with good intentions. It is like the sun, a good thing that the City of Silver could not have imagined. In addition, the "Fool" has the Lord's endorsement, is an old friend of the Lord, and has the promise of salvation. Although most people will not blatantly convert for a while, they will not mind going to the "Fool's" church for a few simple worship services for the sake of delicious food.

The faith in the two gods spread harmoniously in the City of Silver, and the Council of Six also expressed their acquiescence and support for such behavior - they were the ones who determined whether the mushrooms were safe, and no one cared about the City of Silver more than they did.

so good……

Derrick looked at it for a long time, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.

He obtained these mushrooms and items from the outside world from Mr. World through Mr. Fool, but the Council of Six asked Derrick not to disclose his connection with the Fool's followers for the time being, and instead claimed that the Fool had established contact with the Council.

This was a kind of protection. At least Derrick didn’t know what he would do if his friends suddenly came up to him and asked him questions.

After watching the third person leave with the mushrooms, Derrick finally took a step forward and ran briskly towards the round tower.

614
"The abyss is another name for hell. It is the collection of sins in the world and the reflection of heaven?"

"Can those extraordinary powers be used by humans?"

"Those who do good go to heaven, and those who do evil go to the abyss. Oh my God, isn't this a judgment based on piety of faith?"

"This is simply a denial of theology, no, a total denial!"

A devout sun believer burst into tears as he watched. Several steam believers who wore decorative gear ornaments on their bodies remained silent. Near the announcement, two or three church members with silver crosses on their chests glanced at the crowd.

With them around, the crying wasn't too loud.

This announcement directly overturned the orthodox doctrine since the Fifth Epoch - originally the most important pass was piety, and good deeds and donations were icing on the cake. But now it is different. God said that the Kingdom of God requires not only piety, but more importantly, good deeds!
People couldn't help but discuss it in a low voice, and those who couldn't accept it simply turned around and left.

Ordinary people could just read it, and they could even show off to their neighbors because they could read and understand the announcement.

They don't care about what the academic and theological circles think, they only care about whether they can have peace after death.

Most people felt that their evil deeds were nothing more than petty thefts and fights, which were not enough to send them to prison, and they would certainly not be taken away by the abyss - or hell. Moreover, they had enough time to do more good deeds, go to church to confess, pray, and donate some small money to make up for their minor evil deeds. Not only were they not afraid, but they also discussed some of their neighbors who were tyrannical with gloating. The people who were really uneasy were not the common people. Many of the great nobles had not yet realized what kind of changes this clause would bring to their lives. Even if they knew, they were confident that they could get some amnesty through their relationship with the church or the demigods in their families.

Instead, it is some groups with some money who bully others by taking advantage of their power, such as small nobles and small wealthy businessmen who abuse their power to participate in many underground industries.

They were well aware of the source of their money, and of their sins that could not be redeemed even if they gave away all their money. Having escaped punishment in the human world with privilege and money, they began to fear that they would not be able to escape judgment after death.

"It's unbelievable. If the church hadn't posted the notice, I would have thought it was the dream of a madman."

In the crowd, a white-skinned man of Intis descent stood on tiptoe to read the announcement that was surrounded by people, and then said excitedly to his shorter female companion:
"The church actually encourages wild Beyonders to register, claiming that they will make new arrangements based on individual circumstances. What kind of crazy talk is this!"

"Could it be possible for a wild Beyonder who has never done anything bad or killed anyone to sneak into the church? I don't believe it."

The female companion pushed up her glasses and frowned:

“What if it’s true? We’ve been wandering around for a long time and want to settle down in Trier, but if we don’t use extraordinary abilities, we can’t even save enough money to open a small shop.”

"Then there's no need for us to take the risk. Who knows if we'll be caught and locked up in the basement until we die as soon as we get in?"

The man of Intis descent rubbed his arms and made a frightened expression: "I heard that many churches treat wild Beyonders like this! They will also force wild Beyonders to test the negative effects of various Beyonder items. This is more painful than death. I would rather make a living outside."

"But our sequence is so low and our abilities are so poor that we can't have a decent life at all... Even if you go to school to be a teacher, you will be noticed because of your excellent learning ability. But if you don't engage in education-related work, your sequence will be useless..."

The female companion looked at her companion in distress and couldn't help but ask the young man of Southern Continent descent who was standing on the other side and remained silent:
"Mace, what do you think? Can you trust what the church says?"

A young man from the southern continent named Mace Sherolte wore a brown soft hat with a brim and hid his eyes in the shadows. He stared at the notice closely, reading the contents related to the "abyss" over and over again like an obsession, and kept muttering praises to God in the Tutan language.

"Hell is the place where sinners go, and the devils go with them."

"This is God's promise. We have a place to go after we die, and we can still do evil as we please..."

He muttered to himself for a long time before noticing that his companion was talking to him. He smiled and said, "I think this is trustworthy."

"However, I suggest that only you go."

The girl with glasses became nervous when Mace pointed at her, and asked with some stammering:
"Why, why?"

Mace smiled calmly and said, "Because you are a universalist, I heard that the members of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery are also universalists. If you go to register, you may be able to get a position in the church. Where do your characteristics come from?"

The girl with glasses became a little bolder after hearing what he said: "Yes, I took it from a fallen church member a few years ago. I thought it was a gem..."

“Yes, you just need to tell them all, and then claim that you believe in the God of Steam and Machinery, and express your piety and goodwill, and maybe you will be accepted by the church.” Mace persuaded his companion with a smile, “Your chance of being accepted is the highest. If you succeed, you can find out what the attitude of the church towards wild Beyonders is…” He looked at another companion, “Maybe you can help Dido too.”

"I-I'll think about it."

The girl reached out and pushed her glasses again, and the sadness between her brows disappeared a lot: "Maybe you are right, no, you are always right!"

"Is this really possible?"

The man named Dido couldn't help but get excited after hearing this. He looked at his companions excitedly, as if he had seen the day when he would become a half-official Beyonder and no longer have to live in fear every day. Then, he coughed, looked at Mace, and quickly asked:
"What about you? What are you going to do? Are you going to continue to be a hired killer?"

"Perhaps, it's time for us to say goodbye."

The two of them widened their eyes at the same time. Without this powerful and calm companion, it would be difficult for the two Low-Sequence Beyonders to deal with the danger. Turning to the church for a gamble might become their only option.

Mace pulled up the brim of his hat and smiled casually, "My companions and I separated and followed the guidance of our hearts to come to the Northern Continent in pursuit of power and opportunity. I guess there are many people in Intis now who need someone like me to do dirty work, such as the rich and the minor nobles."

"Let's say goodbye here. We probably won't see each other again." Without waiting for his two companions to answer, he immediately turned around and left. After walking a few dozen meters, seeing that the two companions had not caught up with him, Metz couldn't help but smile.

Just two Sequence 9s, neither of whom are good at fighting. If he hadn't found a more trustworthy snakehead, he wouldn't have needed to play along with them for so long... After getting rid of the burden, he felt a lot lighter, and his hand was playing with the newly bought blade in his pocket.

As usual, he planned to go to the lower streets, to the most chaotic and dirty corners filled with sin, hallucinogens, and death, to kill a few people, take a few assassination commissions, earn some money, and then take advantage of the chaos to go to Loen, where the Demon Family was, and it had already reached a considerable scale and influence. Backlund had all the hopes of the demons for promotion, and life could be easily bought with money.

Mace didn't find it strange at all, and even thought it was too expensive for people from the Northern Continent to charge several hundred pounds for each.

How could the poor people in the northern continent be so noble? Why should they demand hundreds of pounds each? In the place where he and Wen Xia were born, in that small village that had prospered for a while because of the coal mine, there were people who sold themselves and their children for a few pennies and soles.

Those who captured slaves kidnapped them from their hometowns without spending a penny, and then sold them to human traffickers in the northern continent for one pound per person or even less. The traffickers then selected, trained and packaged the slaves. Excluding those who were sold at a low price, the best slaves could be sold for tens or hundreds of pounds.

This is the huge profit gained through violence.

Wen Xia stayed in the Southern Continent, in the Rose School, while he followed a female saint and boarded a ship to the Northern Continent.

They boarded the ship as civilians of the Intis colony, and learned from their ID that the female saint's name was Hilda. She was a high-sequence prisoner, and seemed to be able to change herself into many forms. Mace still remembered that voyage vividly.

Although criminals and prisoners are adjacent paths, the low-sequence ones are either lunatics or cold-blooded. Ms. Hilda looks a little crazy, and happens to have a pretty face and "inferior" skin color, so there are always people with ill intentions on the ship trying to do something to her. After Ms. Hilda smiled and dug out the eyes of a low-ranking crew member with her fingers, these people gradually became fewer.

During long voyages at sea, the crew would eat some fruit regularly to prevent diseases and supplement some vitamins. The low-ranking crew member was trampled on by everyone, cowardly and incompetent. He couldn't even get a whole orange, and could only secretly pick up some orange peels left by others after licking his own orange slices.

This is the kind of person who wouldn't dare to ask for an orange slice from others, but dares to use a dagger to pry open the door of a crazy woman in the South Continent late at night.

But these people were still there. Lady Hilda liked to torture them and to see their madness and malice unleashed. But she acted like a madman. Mace remembered clearly that she deliberately injured herself and made herself look weak. She had a high fever on the boat like an ordinary weak woman and acted as if it would be difficult for her to get ashore alive. So those people started to target her again. The crew member who lost an eye clamored to make her lose her eye too so that they could enjoy the bleeding eye hole.

There were more foul language as Mace smoked one cigarette after another on the deck. Although he had been completely transformed by the "Cold-Blooded Man", he still felt doubtful. He wondered if he had made a mistake. In fact, nine out of ten people on this ship were his peers.

In the end, their body parts piled up like a mountain.

Fortunately, the world was quiet, but sadly, no one came to drive the boat. Ms. Hilda ended her indulgence and quietly turned into a ghost and floated away. Mace watched her leave, not daring to shout, so he could only lower the lifeboat and row more than ten nautical miles to reach a coast.

Then he walked and stopped along the way, entered the port, followed the two men into Intis, and came all the way to Trier.

Without the burden, Mace felt much happier. He walked straight down the street. Along the way, he glanced in another direction for some unknown reason and saw a man in black standing in front of the notice that had just been posted, looking at its contents carefully.

The Loen people... Mace didn't look at them any more and left quickly.

"I'm a little dissatisfied."

After reading the notice, the gentleman with the blood-red ruby ​​on his cane sighed dejectedly:
"Justified by faith, condemned by evil, and then sin devouring each other, how normal it is."

"Why do you describe the abyss as a garbage dump on earth?"

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? I have good taste - but it's so hard to understand that my subjects are food!"

He muttered angrily for a while, then turned and left.

TBC
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OK, I'll let you guys see my learning results in a couple of days.

I found it very interesting to see that everyone was fooled in the last chapter and thought that Ms. D’s eldest brother was Hibbert No. 2…

(End of this chapter)