Todd thought to himself, what a joke! To offend everyone in the monastery for the empty title of a third-rank assistant exorcist, which might eventually prevent him from even getting close to his residence and laboratory, how could he possibly agree to such a consecration at a time like this!

“Father, I’m sorry, I cannot accept this consecration book.”

Todd's words elicited varying reactions from the crowd.

The onlookers gasped in surprise, while the monks nodded approvingly. Some members of the church questioned loudly and glared angrily.

Father Paul's face remained expressionless as he placed the parchment back against his chest, as if he had expected such a response.

Standing by the monastery gate, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Todd leaped onto a large rock. Seeing everyone's gaze fixed on him, he hesitated for a moment, then organized his thoughts and began to speak: "Martyrs, resolute and courageous, sacrificed their lives, their souls praising the Father! Preachers, following His holy command, bless all beings, spreading God's glory throughout the world! Servants, devout in their service to the Lord, are disciples of the Almighty on earth! I… yet what have I done? Believing in God's justice, bringing joy to the flock—this is the duty of a servant, the responsibility of the chosen people. What merit is this? If I are to be blessed with such a reason, I will be ashamed, I will be utterly humiliated."

These words left everyone speechless.

These words made some people feel guilty.

The public saw a devout believer, the monks saw a humble ascetic, and some of the church visitors were ashamed of their narrow-mindedness.

Of those present, only a few were unaffected by these words, Father Paul being one of them.

Having weathered the storm of ten years ago, this exiled avenger has experienced and seen too much. Like Todd, he clearly understands what it means to advance and what it means to retreat on the stage built by faith.

“Fellow believer Todd, I admire your pilgrimage. I still have half to say about the ordination of the Church; please allow me to finish.” Paul reopened the scroll and addressed the crowd: “The Kingdom of God needs preachers, and it also needs exterminators. The Third-Rank Auxiliary Exorcist is authorized to establish an Exorcism Corps, manage the Church’s assets at the Port of Moses, and is not subject to the control of the secular kingdom, nor pay secular taxes; it is directly under the jurisdiction of the Third Inquisition.”

The Exorcist Order? Twilight Harbor?

What does this mean?

Somewhat confused, Todd remained silent, a silence that Father Paul interpreted as a sign of wavering resolve.

The priest chose this moment to continue adding his own weight to one side of the scale.

“Fellow believer Todd, you save lives and eradicate evil, you have the power to shine your true light upon all beings, yet you choose to use humility and prayer as an excuse to ignore the cries for help from believers…” Father Paul paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips: “You once told Father Rupert that if someone cries for help while you are praying, you should go in peace and offer this act as a prayer to the Father. Now, why are you denying yourself?”

Todd narrowed his eyes; his instinct for danger made him extremely alert.

The Father Paul before me was logically rigorous and meticulously reasoned, unlike the taciturn monks in the monastery.

A difficult guy.

The monk silently formed this definition in his mind for the priest before him.

To his surprise, the opponent's real killer move was yet to come.

A man squeezed through the crowd, knelt down, crawled to Todd, and, trembling with excitement, gently kissed the tip of the monk's shoe.

"My savior, I praise you with my mouth, my heart is filled with joy!"

Todd lowered his head and looked at the person at his feet: "You are...?"

The other person looked up, and the familiar face made the boy gasp.

He turned out to be the craftsman he had saved by exorcising the demon.

"Come and see, everyone, this lucky man, this soul that survived the exorcism!" Father Paul opened his arms to the crowd and said loudly, "Without Brother Todd, his body would now be mute and unable to walk, nothing more than a rotting corpse lying in a coffin waiting to be eaten by worms."

"you!"

Paul pointed to a middle-aged farmer.

"you!"

He then pointed to a young village girl.

"Or it's you!"

This time, it refers to an elderly person in their twilight years.

“Who among you can guarantee that you won’t become the next one?! Who among you can guarantee that the devil won’t target you next?!” Paul stretched out his palm towards Todd: “Yet your Savior chooses to sit within high walls, ignoring your cries for help, copying scriptures, and keeping to himself. Can you… agree to that?”

The crowd was outraged, and their cries were deafening.

"cannot!"

Todd looked pale and felt a headache coming on.

I promise you, grandpa!

With your talent for stirring up trouble, you might as well quit being a priest and become a bard!

This guy is so eloquent, did he really lose a debate and get kicked out back then?!

Todd's mood grew heavier and heavier. The monastery was the foundation of his livelihood, and if he fell out with the monks, he would have to start all over again to make his experiments, which was definitely not the outcome he wanted.

However, looking back at what Father Paul just said, he not only stirred up the emotions of the crowd, but also forced himself to make a decision on the spot, and finally subtly belittled the monks of the monastery.

This guy is a real talent.

The monk, caught in a dilemma, glanced at the restless crowd in front of him and then at the ascetics behind him, pondered for a moment, and knew that he had to make a decision immediately, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Father Paul, I accept the consecration from the Church…” As the crowd cheered, the angry expressions on the faces of the monks in the monastery told Todd that, due to the Church’s instigation, a rift had finally appeared in his relationship with the monastery’s ascetic faction.

In a desperate attempt to remedy the situation, the monks put forward their conditions: "But the exorcism and protection group must be located outside the monastery and must not interfere with the daily lives of the monks."

Paul remained expressionless, and after a moment nodded in response: "No problem."

Taking the consecration book from the priest, Todd looked at the gloomy-faced man before him and sighed inwardly. He thought to himself, "A former associate professor who made a living in university by his words and brains has actually been tricked and lured into a trap by a priest."

He was still unclear about the future.

But in this very first game between the two, he knew he had already lost.

Todd had a premonition that Paul was someone he had to defeat in this other world, an obstacle he had to overcome...