Chapter 053: The Small Church of Xilan City
Xilan City was the largest city near Redleaf Town.
This city was located at a transportation hub, connecting the main roads of several important cities. In the recent region, Xilan City was the most prosperous and populous city, with a total population of over eight hundred thousand.
A week after leaving Redleaf Town, Chen Ran finally arrived at this rather famous city.
The streets were filled with pedestrians and merchants, a bustling scene of traffic, which showed its liveliness and prosperity.
Upon his first arrival in this city, Chen Ran was attracted by the liveliness here and moved with the crowd. Looking at the scenery on the street, the peddlers hawking their wares, the merchants coming and going, the fashionable noble ladies, and the spirited mercenaries, you could see people from all walks of life here, giving one a strong sense of human culture.
For a moment, Chen Ran didn’t know where to go. Perhaps he just wanted to learn more about the style of this city.
Perhaps because he had been on the road for several days, after a tour, Chen Ran’s spirit was obviously a little tired. He felt that he needed to find a place to rest and eat, and then find an inn to stay in. He touched his pocket, but suddenly realized that he had no money with him. This was a very awkward problem…
Alright, then he would first try to find a suitable place to get through this difficulty.
Chen Ran had a lot of materials from the jungle in his spatial ring. Besides, looking at the equipment of the mercenaries passing by, it was very ordinary. If worst came to worst, he could sell the Tiger King tunic in his bag, which should earn him some capital. He was not in a hurry. What he needed to do now was to find a few shops that bought magic cores and the like to sell his junk.
Chen Ran observed the shops around him. As he was looking, he found a building that gave him a strong sense of belonging.
A church…
Alright, although he was a priest without an official license, Chen Ran still felt that he should go in and say hello, and get on good terms with the priests or high priests inside.
When you come to a new place, the first network of relationships must be established as quickly as possible to facilitate future actions.
As he got closer, Chen Ran couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong.
This church seemed to be a bit lacking in popularity. Although the door was open, there were no people coming in or out, and there was no one to welcome or receive guests outside. Chen Ran led his horse into the church grounds. Seeing the overgrown weeds and moss inside, he was speechless. He suspected that no one lived here at all.
“Is anyone here!” Chen Ran shouted loudly.
No movement…
“Is anyone here!” Chen Ran shouted again. After a long while, an old voice finally responded.
“Yes! Yes!”
Before long, an old man in his sixties or seventies hurried out. He was wearing a low-rank high priest’s robe, his face was old, his hair was graying, and his steps were a bit unsteady.
What was creepy was that when he saw Chen Ran, a bright light flashed in the old high priest’s eyes, and he said excitedly, “Sir, are you here for a service?”
Chen Ran looked at his own clothes. He was dressed very ordinarily at the moment, not in the few high priest’s robes he had picked up before. He looked like a guy with no money. Why was this old guy looking at him like that? What was he up to?
However, Chen Ran quickly revealed his identity.
“Hello, I am an ascetic priest, passing through this city from another. I saw the church and wanted to come in and say hello, and also to ask for a bowl of water to drink (scrounging for food is scrounging for food…).”
Chen Ran didn’t boast and directly impersonate a high priest, but chose the vague rank of ascetic priest. This type of priest, in the classification of the Holy Codex, belonged to a category that strengthened their own abilities and cultivation. They were the vagrants among priests. Many places not covered by the holy light were where these ascetic priests went to spread the teachings, not for fame or fortune.
Chen Ran felt that although he could fool ordinary people, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn’t be seen through when he was with a group of genuine, licensed high priests. He didn’t have that charlatan’s tone. It was better to be safe and use this identity, which would be easier to get by with.
After hearing Chen Ran’s identity as an ascetic priest, the old high priest was surprised and confirmed again, “You are a priest?”
“Yes,” Chen Ran said with a bitter smile. “After my teacher taught me some light spells, I began to travel and practice to improve my abilities. Because I’ve been outside all this time and haven’t received systematic priest training, I’m a bit of a mess.”
To prove his identity, Chen Ran casually cast Heal and a few support spells on the old high priest. The old fellow’s stooped figure immediately straightened a bit, and his eyes became more spirited.
“He really is a priest… Such abundant light power… No! You’re not an ordinary priest. With your light power, you have at least the ability of a mid-rank high priest…”
After confirming Chen Ran’s identity, the old high priest looked him up and down again, his face filled with disbelief.
“To have at least the ability of a mid-rank high priest, and to be so young, my God, you are a genius!”
Chen Ran was unmoved, his face righteous.
Old fellow, so dramatic. But your judgment is not bad. I’ll reluctantly accept the title of genius. If you have any other nice words, I’ll take them too.
However, Chen Ran still answered humbly, “Not at all, Your Excellency, you’re being too serious. I’m just a young man, traveling around. I’ve just arrived in this city and don’t have a place to stay yet. I wonder if you can take me in here, Your Excellency?”
“Come in, come in! We’re all clergy. Why be so polite? Just make yourself at home,” the old high priest said, almost enthusiastically leading Chen Ran into the church.
After entering, Chen Ran glanced at the furnishings inside the church.
As he had expected, this church was extremely desolate…
The tables and chairs were empty, and there was no one else inside. Walking down the aisle between the chairs, only his and the old high priest’s footsteps echoed in the empty church. The statue of the Lord of Light in the center of the church stood there alone, looking helplessly at the empty hall.
Chen Ran’s expression was a bit strange as he asked, “Is there no one else here?”
“Ahem…” Hearing Chen Ran’s question, the old high priest looked embarrassed. “It’s shameful to say, but a few years ago, with the expectations of the Holy Court, we came to this city that had not yet been covered by the holy light, wanting to show our talents. We worked hard to get the people of this city to accept the teachings of the Lord and to respect the rites. But this process was a little more difficult than we had imagined…”
At this point, the old high priest was heartbroken. “No matter how hard we tried to help the people of this city, the people here were not moved by our wonderful teachings. Except for the initial liveliness, fewer and fewer people came to the church. Disheartened, this church went from dozens of people at the beginning to only a few in the end. Until a few months ago, the last priest left on the pretext of illness, and I was the only one left to run this desolate church. And because the income here couldn’t cover the expenses, the church didn’t have enough funds to support it, which is why it’s in this state now… I have failed the Lord’s expectations of me…”
