Chapter 269: Bidding Farewell to the Old, Welcoming the New

Chapter 269: Bidding Farewell to the Old, Welcoming the New

On the morning of December 31st, in the South Borough of the Bridge, Harvest Church.

Emlyn White, wearing a priest’s robe, stood in the kitchen. From time to time, he tossed different herbs into a large iron pot, supplementing the process with a certain amount of stirring.

After all the materials prepared in advance had been added, he patiently waited another ten minutes before using an iron ladle to scoop up the inky-black liquid inside, pouring it separately into the glass bottles and glass cups beside him.

Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty… Emlyn glanced at the emptied iron pot and began counting the potions he had prepared.

After confirming the number, he picked up the large tray and carried bottle after bottle of dark-green liquid into the main hall.

Inside the hall, more than half of the prayer chairs had been dismantled. On the ground lay tattered bedding, in which plague-infected patients either slept unconscious or groaned in pain.

Emlyn and Father Utravsky worked together, each carrying a portion of the potions, distributing them from two different directions.

First in line was a middle-aged man whose face was a sallow yellow. He hurriedly propped himself up halfway, accepted the potion, and gulped it down.

Returning the bottle, he gratefully said to Emlyn, “Father White, thank you so much. I feel much better. I have a little strength again!”

Emlyn lifted his chin and answered disdainfully, “This is only an extremely insignificant matter. It is not worth thanking me for. You people are truly lacking in experience.”

After saying this, he quickened the pace of distributing the potions.

A dozen minutes later, he returned to the altar of Mother Earth and complained to Father Utravsky, “You should find another two volunteers!”

Father Utravsky did not reply. Gazing at those patients, he smiled gently.

“In another two or three days, they should be able to recover.”

“How do you know that?” Emlyn turned his head in surprise.

Father Utravsky, his face benevolent, lowered his head and looked at him.

“Herbs are one of the Mother Goddess’s domains. As one of Her believers, although I am not within the Earth pathway, I must still understand the basic common knowledge.”

Emlyn clicked his tongue.

“I’m not interested in religion. I don’t know much about it.”

Although I’ve been copying Mother Earth’s scriptures often these past few months… he added inwardly, somewhat resentfully. Then he casually said, “Father, I didn’t expect you to accept believers of other faiths. Only two or three of them believe in the Mother Goddess.”

Father Utravsky laughed, not minding in the slightest.

“They are likewise lives. Innocent lives.”

Emlyn froze for several seconds. He exhaled and changed the topic.

“Father, I’ve already found a way to resolve the psychological cue. Perhaps I will leave here soon.”

Wait. Why am I mentioning this? I was actually moved by him for a moment. What if he locks me in the basement again? Emlyn suddenly grew tense.

Father Utravsky’s expression did not change in the slightest. Lowering his head, he looked at Emlyn and said, “In truth, you did not need to search for a method. In a little while longer, the psychological cue would naturally have lifted. You could freely choose whether to come to the church.”

“If I waited a little while longer, I would have become the Mother Goddess’s—no, Mother Earth’s devout believer!” Emlyn blurted out.

Father Utravsky’s brows moved slightly, and he said with some surprise, “I did not force you to change your faith.

“The psychological cue I left only made you return to the church every day. I hoped that through this, you would fully experience the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest.”

“The only effect of that psychological cue was to make me return to the church?” Emlyn’s expression turned blank at once.

Father Utravsky nodded frankly.

“Yes.”

“…” Emlyn’s mouth hung half open. Slowly and…