Mystery: A Spark

“Vina, these things mean nothing to me, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Vina carried a large bag of steaming food in her arms, walking silently with her head down.

“Hey, Vina.” Audrey stopped and squatted down, looking at the little girl earnestly, “You can actually treat me like family, you don’t have to be so careful.”

Vina pursed her lips and after a long while said:

"I'm just a little scared, scared that you'll hate me, sister."

"No, I won't hate you. I'll always take care of you like an older sister." Audrey smiled and patted the little girl's head.

She was the youngest in the family and had always been pampered by her parents and brothers. This was the first time she had ever experienced having a younger sister.

Vina was also very lovable, so Audrey doted on the little girl just like her parents doted on her.

Upon hearing Audrey's words, Vina's eyes reddened.

Seeing this, Audrey joked:

"Little Vina, am I the most important person in your heart now?"

Vina paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"Sorry, sorry, I asked the wrong question. I meant to ask you, besides your family, am I the most important person in your heart?" Audrey cursed herself inwardly, then said with a smile.

But Vina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

Audrey was a little puzzled at this point, and she asked:

"So, besides your family, who is the most important person to you?"

Vina paused for a moment, then said:

"It's Mr. Heller."

"It's him?" Audrey asked curiously.

"Why?"

She hadn't seen Mr. Heller and Vina interacting before.

“Because Mr. Heller promised that everyone would have enough to eat,” Vina said earnestly. “Sister, the feeling of being hungry is very unpleasant.”

I promise I won't let you go hungry again... Audrey's smile returned as she said:

"Then, besides your family, the second most important person in your heart should be me, right?"

“Yes!” Vina nodded emphatically.

Audrey smiled happily.

She stood up, suddenly feeling the air was a bit pungent, coughed twice, and said:

"Vina, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Thump!" The sound of something falling to the ground came from behind.

Audrey turned around in a daze and saw Vina fall to the ground, spilling the food she was holding all over the floor.

"Food...should not...be wasted..."

Vina tried to gather the food together, but her hands quickly fell limply to her sides.

Chapter 219 A Grand Overture

On a street in the East District.

A veiled woman with a graceful figure strolled leisurely through the mist.

Wherever she passed, the fog would imperceptibly thicken, taking on a slightly iron-black color, further reducing the already poor visibility.

After she left the street, a homeless man wearing an old jacket and with a sallow complexion suddenly coughed violently and eventually collapsed to the ground.

Two poor people who were very close to the homeless man stepped back in horror, then covered their throats and made hoarse sounds, as if they had a serious lung disease or bronchitis and could not breathe.

Along the route she walked, one homeless man after another collapsed, like weeds blown by the wind.

Unfortunately, that damned Triss tricked them, causing the plan to be launched ahead of schedule, before the smog was at its worst... Lady Despair's eyes held a hint of anger.

It's as if you see cracks appearing on the artwork you've created, making it less perfect.

Just as she was pondering how to discipline Triss, a sense of unease suddenly arose in her mind.

Lady Despair lunged forward nimbly, dodging a blow from behind that could have severely injured her, but she was still grazed by the suddenly appearing blade.

"Oh? Interesting. This is the first time I've failed at backstabbing someone." A slightly hoarse middle-aged man's voice rang out.

"Who are you?" Despairing Panatia asked coldly as she looked at the black-haired, scarred middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared before her, feeling the burning pain in her back.

First Triss, then this scarred middle-aged man in front of her—the plan kept going awry, casting a shadow over Panatia's heart.

"You actually ask me who I am? Don't you recognize me?" Arthur took a potion from the emblem, drank it, and then swung Salamani at it. "I'm your father! Have you forgotten those unforgettable nights we spent together, you unfilial daughter?"

Arthur usually maintains a certain image, so he rarely utters vulgar language and almost never curses during battle.

However, he was using a fake identity today, and his enemy was Despair Nightingale, a scumbag who had no mother to teach her, who ran to the big city to spread the Wenyi disease, and who had been violated by countless people.

Then Arthur naturally stopped talking about civility and started swearing.

While using the exquisite swordsmanship he had honed in the Dark Temple to attack Panadia, he continued to hurl insults at her without stopping.

"Who let you out, you piece of trash who's been fucked by countless men, to run around in the street and release poison gas?"

"Is it because you've served too many men in the past that you've contracted a lot of diseases, and this is the only way you can release them?"

How many men have you served at the same time?

Arthur's attacks were fierce, and his words were equally venomous. He beat and cursed Panadia until her face turned pale and then red.

Moreover, his insults are particularly vulgar, using all sorts of things he wouldn't normally say. Luckily, Arthas wasn't here, otherwise this kid would definitely have gone astray.

Of course, Arthur himself was also affected by the Panadia disease.

But that's alright, the medicine he just drank was kindly provided by Bishop Raman, and it will make him less susceptible to disease for a certain period of time.

Even if infected, it will not affect combat effectiveness in the short term.

In this situation, Panatia, a mage, is being attacked by Arthur in close combat, and she will definitely be caught off guard and overwhelmed for a while.

However, Arthur also gradually developed many wounds, but he had the ability to heal himself, so he could hold on for the time being.

And he only needs to hold out for a short while, because the situation will soon change dramatically.

……

South of the bridge, inside the prayer hall of the Harvest Church.

The church was filled with believers, who listened attentively to the sermon delivered by Bishop Utravsky from the platform.

A month ago, there wouldn't have been so many worshippers at Harvest Church.

Because the belief in the Earth Mother Goddess is marginalized in the Loen community, large-scale missionary activities are impossible.

Furthermore, there is only one Bishop Utravsky, and even with Emlina, there are only two of them. It is simply impossible for him to maintain the daily worship activities of the church while also promoting the faith of the Earth Mother.

However, this situation was alleviated a month ago.

One reason is that the arrival of Bishop Raman and his entourage replenished the manpower here.

On the other hand, after receiving the initial batch of food aid, the Workers' Mutual Aid Association would always emphasize that the food came from the Church of Mother Earth Goddess whenever it distributed or sold food at a low price.

As a result, the number of believers of the Earth Mother Goddess naturally increased in the East District and the Factory District.

After their lives improved, they would also come to the Harvest Church in their spare time to participate in worship services for Mother Earth.

Furthermore, after conducting joint experiments with the Church of Mother Earth, the Steam Church naturally found it difficult to exclude the other party and began to turn a blind eye to the missionary activities of the Church of Mother Earth.

The reduced pressure and the encouragement from the Workers' Mutual Aid Association have led to a significant increase in the number of believers of Mother Earth Goddess in the past month.

This is why the Harvest Church was filled with believers.

After Bishop Utravsky's sermon ended, Emlyn White began to deliver communion with practiced ease.

The communion was quickly served, and Bishop Utravsky looked at the believers below with a kind smile on his face.

He said gently:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us give thanks to our Lord Mother Earth for the gifts, and give thanks to our Lord for the Holy Communion."

After saying this, Bishop Utravsky drew a simple baby on his chest and then began to pray with an extremely devout expression.

"Thank you, source of life!"

Praise be to you, Mother of all things!

……

The believers below, like Bishop Utravsky, began to draw a simple baby on their chests and then prayed in unison:

"Thank you, source of life!"

Praise be to you, Mother of all things!

……

Peace Tavern in the East District.

Although it was still daytime, the tavern was already packed with people.

Because in addition to its main function as a tavern, this Peace Tavern also serves as a restaurant, teahouse, and other functions, making it a popular spot for many people in the East District.

There are also some residents from other areas of Backlund, such as the neighboring Hillston district.

In their spare time, they would also choose to come here to sit and order a cup of tea or wine that was reasonably priced according to their income. They would chat with others while drinking or sipping tea to pass the time.

In an era where entertainment options are extremely limited, this can be considered both an economical and enjoyable form of entertainment.

Arthur's decision to have Hugh expand the space here now seems remarkably prescient.

As the Workers' Mutual Aid Association grew, the Peace Tavern, which was roughly twice the size of other taverns, gradually became too small to accommodate everyone.

So Arthur is considering whether to build another restaurant next to the tavern, or even create a whole food street.

Of course, these are all things for later; let's focus on the present for now.

Inside the tavern, people were drinking alcohol, tea, or chatting, creating a lively atmosphere.