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A glint of greed flashed in the captain's eyes, but just then, a younger-looking guard beside him, who appeared to be the vice-captain, nudged him and whispered, "Captain, the Duchess's mission..."

In that instant, the greed in the captain's eyes was instantly replaced by fear. He instinctively straightened his back and slapped the guard who had suggested robbing the food hard across the face: "Damn it!"

"Go and greet the distinguished guests first, or you will fail to meet the master's orders and you will never see the sun rise again!" he said coldly.

After saying that, he directed the troops to rearrange their formation.

Seeing that the passersby were about to gather again, Reed calmed down and thought of a plan. He shouted, "This is communion at church. If anyone wants some, please go to the church and wait!"

"The Lord's Supper?!" Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"Hurry! Hurry to the church! If you're late, you won't get any!" someone shouted.

"Yes! Let's go to the church!" The crowd immediately stirred and turned around, rushing towards the city church.

Needless to say, ordinary people who were just passing by were also drawn in, as were a few merchants and respectable people who were just curious and had some savings. They couldn't help but follow the crowd.

The captain of the guard was about to leave when he heard Reed's words again and approached him: "You said this is communion distributed by the church? Well then, remember to keep a copy, or you'll lose your head."

After saying that, he led his guards away.

Having survived the ordeal, Reed breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly returned to the church, where hundreds of people had already gathered.

The bishops and priests, who were preparing to distribute communion, were stunned by the enthusiastic crowd, including some merchants and minor nobles who usually kept their distance from the church or merely maintained superficial courtesy.

"What...what's going on, Reed?" The bishop strode to the door, staring in astonishment at the young apprentice. "Why are there so many people? And this smell...is it spices?!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Panting, Reed quickly put down the soup bucket and excitedly explained, "Your...Your Excellency! It's...it's from the new eatery on the corner. The owner generously donated these...as today's Holy Communion!"

"On my way back, the aroma attracted everyone... and they all... followed me..." He carefully lifted the lid slightly, and the strong fragrance burst out instantly.

The bishop looked at the steaming, fragrant soup pot in front of him, and then at the eager crowd at the door, especially a few respectable people who were usually indifferent to the church. His heart skipped a beat.

Since the Duchess ascended to the throne, the local church has faced increasing difficulties and its influence has gradually waned. Never before has it been like this.

"Holy Communion...this...this..." The bishop couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fragrance that seemed to cleanse his soul.

"Quickly...quickly prepare to distribute! Thanks be to God, and thanks to that generous shopkeeper!" the bishop instructed the priests.

"But there are just too many people! There's simply not enough communion!" a priest said, stepping forward.

The bishop sighed helplessly and said in a low voice, "We can do it this way...and this way...this is the only way we can do it."

His tone was full of helplessness, and Reid and the other priests immediately understood the bishop's deeper meaning, feeling a mix of emotions.

But they quickly sprang into action.

The bishop then ascended the church steps and proclaimed in a resounding voice, "By God's grace and gift, we are fortunate today to receive a precious communion! A selfless offering from the new shop owner on the corner!"

He pointed to the stew pot, and the crowd's eyes immediately turned to him, a chorus of swallowing sounds filling the air.

"However, God's grace, though abundant, is also limited," he said with regret. "This divine feast we have today... is probably not enough for every brother and sister to enjoy."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd:

"What? Not enough?!" "So many of us have been waiting in line for so long..." "Your Excellency, please think of something!"

The bishop immediately raised his arm, using his past prestige to temporarily quell the commotion in the crowd.

"But will God's love let us leave empty-handed?" he continued, pointing to the bean soup that the church had just brought in, which was distributed daily. "This delicacy will blend with our bean soup, allowing its sacred aroma to permeate every drop!"

The public's temperament is always moderate; if it had been suggested from the beginning that the stew be diluted, the public might have strongly opposed it.

However, if there's a possibility that people won't get any stew, they'll feel that diluted stew isn't unacceptable.

This is known as the broken window theory.

—This quote comes from Zhou Shuren (Lu Xun).

As soon as he finished speaking, the commotion subsided considerably. Although a small number of people still felt regret, most were able to accept it.

Seeing that his strategy had worked, the bishop breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained solemn as he said, "Please be patient and line up. Every one of God's children will receive a share!"

With a long-handled ladle, Reed scooped out spoonfuls of the thick red soup and slowly poured them into the large bucket of bean soup.

With just a few spoonfuls, the originally bland bean soup was tinged with an enticing light red color, and a unique aroma mixed with the fragrance of beans gradually filled the air.

Although the crowd was disappointed, they were quickly drawn in by the mixed aroma and burst into cheers.

Soon, the distribution began, and those who received their share eagerly began to sip. Although it was diluted many times over, the taste, which they had never experienced before, still far surpassed anything they had ever tasted before!

"It's so delicious!"

"Thank God!"

"Thank you to the store manager!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

"I feel warm all over!"

......

Praises rose and fell.

At the same time, just as Chi Que was preparing to rest, a series of notifications popped up in front of him:

[You have successfully impressed a diner with your culinary skills; your chef proficiency has increased by 0.1 points.]

[You have successfully impressed a diner with your culinary skills; your chef proficiency has increased by 0.1 points.]

You have successfully used your culinary skills...

The ringing sounds were exceptionally pleasant, and the proficiency level broke through the ninety mark, climbing towards the maximum of one hundred points at an undiminished speed.

"It seems I can promote the chef to cyan level today." Chi Que had expected this, and remained calm and composed.

suddenly.

[You have successfully impressed a special diner with your culinary skills; your chef proficiency has increased by 1 points.]

Ok?

Chi Que flipped it over and looked at it, confirming that his eyes had not made a mistake, and was immediately surprised.

Everyone else only provides 0.1 points of proficiency, but you alone provide 1 point of proficiency?

Whose general is this, that he is so brave?