Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 177 Miracles Attention, Arrival in Hongdu

The magic-eyed seagull flew up from the window and came to the study on the second floor. Lin Bo noticed that the furnishings here were more refreshing and simple. There was a comfortable armchair, and there were ink bottles and pens on the table.

Kechen Ancher walked in quickly, turned on the light, and saw the three-eyed seagull on the desk. He knelt down gently and asked in a low voice: "Merchant of the Lord of Miracles, what have you brought me?"

The envelope held in the seagull's mouth was blown off by the wind and floated in front of the Duke, who reached out to take it.

A ball of ink flew out of the ink bottle on the desk, smeared on the blank manuscript paper, and then was blown into the Duke's hands by a gust of wind. He read the contents of the letter and nodded in agreement.

"I'll do it right away."

The Hongdu residents who had come to Shita Town to pick up their goods gathered at the Wenshe Hotel on Tiaohai Street in Jinbei City. Their flight was scheduled for around 9 a.m. tomorrow, though the exact departure time would depend on the tides and weather. They could relax tonight, perhaps drinking mulled wine and chatting in the lobby, or even playing cards together, but most weren't in the mood.

They would rather drink alone in their rooms or visit familiar fellow believers to talk about their inner thoughts. Everyone has a lot to say about what they have seen and heard today, but apart from these fellow religious who have had the same experience, there is no one else they can open their hearts to.

That small town seemed to have some kind of magic. From the moment you entered it, you were affected by a strange atmosphere that made you irrational and impulsive enough to choose to change your beliefs in just one hour.

The middle-aged butler saw off his visiting companions and curled up on the sofa to drink. He recalled how he knelt in fear and trepidation under the painting of the Five Gods, gazing up at the portrait of the old man in the center. His gaze, through the smoke of incense and the flickering flame of candles, seemed to have substance, becoming heavy and burning.

As the old priest anointed his forehead, he felt genuinely reborn.

But now, after leaving Stone Tower Town, the urge to convert gradually cooled. What happened during the day seemed like a mistake that he couldn't bear to look back on. He really hoped that this absurd thing would stay there forever and not haunt him anymore.

After returning to Hongdu, he was still the assistant steward of the Duke of Cardi's family. His living conditions were not very good, but definitely not bad. He had worked his way up from the poorest male servant to where he is today. He would no longer suffer from hunger and might even inherit the position of chief steward in the future.

He was thinking about severing ties with the Tower Guard Order, but he unconsciously murmured, "But what's wrong with worshipping miracles?"

When he said this, he was shocked, as if a part of him had broken free and was out of control, no longer tamed by the rules of the nobility and the church.

The middle-aged butler had been influenced by the Five Gods since childhood and never doubted the authenticity of the Five Gods. It was this part of himself that was extremely eager to pursue the path of miracles and fully agreed with the preaching of the priest of Stone Tower Town.

The old man stood above the Holy Father, and the mortals he protected were no less powerful than the nobles he protected. He didn't need to belittle himself, nor did he need to dream of joining the upper class. This shouldn't be his life's goal.

After realizing his true thoughts, he suddenly felt that he had lost the motivation to struggle, but he also felt relieved and regained his dignity. Then he was hurt by his humble status, and then fatigue and sadness, along with the intoxication of alcohol, flooded into his mind.

"Alas, Miracle Walker, you see us, a bunch of unknown people. But as great as you are, haven't you only spread miracles in that small town? How can you save us who are so far away in Hongdu?"

He fell into a deep sleep in drunkenness.

Until a knock on the door woke him up.

"Coming soon! Who is it?"

Outside the room, there was a continuous knock on the door. The corridor was filled with Jinbei's city guards, who asked the Hongdu people to come out one by one and gathered them in an empty room.

Such a scene shocked the people of Hongdu, but they were not nervous, after all, these patrolmen were quite polite.

"Good evening, officer, may I help you?"

"You are Mr. Shanti, the Duke of Hondocardi's steward, right?" The patrolman's fleshy face had a gentle expression. "Two guests would like to see you. Don't worry, just follow me."

"May I ask the distinguished guest's name?" The middle-aged butler stayed in the room vigilantly.

The patrolman raised his head and lowered his voice, "Duke Kochen Ancher, and... a seagull."

The people of Hongdu poured into the empty room. Several rows of chairs and benches were placed in the room. They were all moved in temporarily. There were two single-placed armchairs facing the audience.

The Duke of Ancher, dressed in light clothes, sat in the second seat, while the main chair had a cushion on it and a white three-eyed seagull sat on it.

"Fellow believers of Hongdu, welcome to White Rock Island." Duke Anche smiled. "Come and meet the Messenger, for the Miracle Worker is watching you and me."

The door of the room had been closed by the patrol police. The people of Hongdu looked at each other and finally knelt down one after another.

The sorcerer at the lighthouse chanted incantations softly. The people in the inn rooms involuntarily stood up. This feeling of losing control of their bodies lasted only a few seconds, but it made them tremble with panic.

After everyone sat down anxiously, Duke Ancher took out the envelope from his arms, pulled out the black copper paper, and explained its function.

Then he asked these parishioners, “Who among you is willing to shoulder the burden, spread our ideas in Hongdu, unite our parishioners, work for the Order, and dedicate yourself to the path of miracles?”

Everyone looked at the middle-aged butler.

Even Duke Ancher smiled and said, "Duke Cardi and I have always exchanged letters. You would be a suitable candidate."

"I can hear my own heartbeat now, Your Excellency."

"Don't be nervous, Miracle won't abandon you. So what's your decision?"

"I..." The middle-aged butler looked around at his fellow travelers, hesitated for a moment, and waited for the heartbeat in his ears to calm down. "I am willing to give everything. May the glory of our Lord soon cover Hongdu."

Duke Ancher smiled and handed the copper paper to him personally, then took out another thick envelope from his bosom, which contained the activity funds for the branch of the order.

After completing his task, the Duke stood up and said goodbye to everyone. He had to go back to host the banquet.

Patrolmen escorted Governor Shiraishima's vehicle off the street.

The wizard of the lighthouse covered the communication crystal ball with a piece of cloth, and Lin Bo continued to do his own thing.

The Hongdu people in the room talked until late at night. They were already fellow believers, and now they felt even closer to each other than brothers.

Housekeeper Shanti carefully lifted Seagull's cushion and took the miracle messenger to her room, noticing that the third eye on Seagull's forehead had been closed at some point.

Miracle Walker seems to be not paying attention here?

He let out a sigh of relief, but immediately realized that the seagull was staring at him, which made his back tense.

Being so close to the messenger of God made his breathing become manual, and he always felt that everything he did was wrong.

Shanti, the housekeeper, slept restlessly that night. Every time he woke, he could see the seagull observing him from the bedside table. Later in the night, he even glimpsed a few wireworms that seemed to have grown from the seagull's chest and reached into the lampshade. Arcs of electricity crackled between its feathers, like lightning outside the window during a summer night rainstorm.

Early in the morning, feeling dispirited, he carved a few words onto copper paper for the first time, a short message explaining his impending departure by boat. A reply quickly appeared on the copper paper: "I understand. May miracles protect you and me. The journey will surely be smooth, my brother in the church."

Shanti looked at it and suddenly felt excited. She stroked her forehead and bowed her head to the seagull as a sign of respect.

At 9:15 in the morning, the ship set sail for Hongdu.

A seagull as white as a dove stood on the top of the mast, opened its amethyst-like magic eyes, and stared at the waves of the sea.

The ship sailed across the ocean and arrived in Hongdu that night.

The wizard of the lighthouse lifted the veil and observed the most prosperous political heart of the empire from the image displayed in the crystal ball.

The city, cut through by a network of rivers, was lit brighter than anywhere else in the archipelago, and the night stars faded above the heads of the people of Hongdu. Imperial palaces and noble residences clustered in garden-like urban areas, while the rivers of the slums were choked with garbage, and fat rats roamed the streets with impunity.

The lights of vehicles flow among the apartment buildings that are as silent as stone monuments. Colorful hand-painted billboards are erected on both sides of the main road, and the dim blue street lights illuminate the beauties in gorgeous paintings.

The seagull landed on an unfinished billboard, with only a line of cursive slogans on the screen: Cifu Pharmaceutical Company presents you with epoch-making metal limbs!

A few listless disabled homeless men stood in front of the billboard, holding bottles of wine, staring at the poster drunkenly, their mumblings indistinct.

A seagull looked down upon them, its feathers like high clouds in the daylight beneath the dreary streetlights.

(End of this chapter)