"The priest has arrived!"
When such shouts erupted from the audience, everyone turned their attention to the church doors.
Dressed in a long white robe symbolizing the purity and innocence of the soul, and draped with a sash representing the yoke of God, Todd slowly ascended the steps to the platform. Looking up at the hundreds of faces with varying expressions before him, he felt a slight dizziness.
Todd closed his eyes, steadied himself, and secretly pinched his palm with his fingernails. Then he opened his eyes and shouted to the crowd at the top of his lungs: "Lambs of God, Most High Children. Today we gather here for this 'tea party' to proclaim the goodness and love of our Savior God!"
Some people in the audience whispered among themselves, realizing that the "tea party" was just a church evangelistic meeting with food and drinks. But the priest's next speech quickly overturned their assumptions.
"I have examined the history of this land beneath my feet, and what I see is appalling! The increasingly frequent wars, the ever-rising piles of bones, the desolate wilderness—the powerful and wealthy ignore the Father's admonitions and the Church's warnings, treating power and life as a game, using soldiers and weapons as bargaining chips. Before the light of the 'Radiance of the Father,' they deliberately feign blindness and indifference. How desolate, how tragic!"
The priest's words stunned everyone; this was completely different from the sermon they had imagined. There were no Bible stories, no prayers for salvation, and he immediately turned his attention to the Silver Ring Kingdom.
Todd's speech was not yet finished: "Some of you fled here because of unbearable taxes, some were forced to leave your homes because of oppression. Who took you in during your time of distress, gave you shelter and food? It was the good and loving Father! And who freed you from taxes and corvée labor, and gave you this paradise of 'Mossey'? It was the Father's servant—the One, Holy, and Catholic Church!"
The believers in the audience recalled their experiences in their hometowns, where lords waged wars and imposed heavy taxes, and nobles abused their power to oppress the good. Some wept, while others echoed their sentiments loudly.
Raising his hand towards the distant east, the priest faced the sunlight and said, "Almighty and exalted Lord, all who believe in Him will have love and obedience, and all will be equal. Amen!"
The people of Muxi Town bowed their heads in reverence, made the sign of the cross, and said in unison, "Amen!"
For Todd, this speech was a difficult "choosing sides".
The growing rift between the Church and the Silver Ring Kingdom was an undeniable fact. Two events hinted at this: the struggle for control of the Saint Sidlow Monastery and the theft of the Crystal Relic upon its initial arrival in Silver Ring City. In his view, these events were merely superficial; the true source of conflict between the Church and the Kingdom lay in the silver mines of the North Stone Mine. According to the monastery's library, the Silver Ring Kingdom was one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the west. The North Stone Mine's revenue accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Silver Ring Kingdom's total income, while the kingdom's annual tribute to the Church was less than one percent of its total revenue. How could this not infuriate the Church?
While in the monastery, Todd, as a monk, was able to navigate between the "ascetic" and "ecclesiastical" factions without offending either side. This was because, firstly, he was of low status and his voice carried little weight, so neither the Silver Ring Kingdom nor the Church of the Father paid him much attention; and secondly, the monastery itself did not participate in the struggle between the church and the secular world, thus playing a certain buffering role.
But in Muxi Town, the situation was completely different. With the advent of the Crystal Relic, the increasing population concentration, and the expanding industries, this coastal town would undoubtedly become the focus of attention for both the Church and the Silver Ring Kingdom. The old approach of hedging against both sides had become extremely impractical.
After careful consideration of his background, position, experience, and power dynamics, Todd ultimately decided to choose the church as his ally, and this tea party speech was the first step in that decision.
Having finished discussing the "choosing sides" issue, he decided to get down to business.
He gestured for Sassoon, the farmer's representative, to walk onto the platform.
The old man climbed up shakily, looking at the densely packed crowd below, his lips trembling and his legs shaking. He had repeatedly reviewed and prepared his lines with the priest, but on stage, he was so nervous that he couldn't recite a single word.
Todd frowned deeply. He had originally planned to have the old farmer recount his tragic circumstances to gain the sympathy of the residents of Muxi Town. Now it seemed he would have to do it himself.
"Residents of Muxi Town, while you are enjoying your lives, there is a group of poor people living beside you, struggling between survival and death. A few days ago, they borrowed money to buy seeds, and the crops they painstakingly planted all withered and died in the fields." Todd pointed to Sassoon, who had buried his head in his chest, and picked out one or two representative cases of the farmers' tragic events.
Amidst the surprised, pitying, and sorrowful sighs of the crowd below, Todd's next words nearly made everyone jump out of their seats.
"But I don't think they deserve any sympathy!"
The crowd stared wide-eyed, some clutching their foreheads, others gaping in disbelief. They could never have imagined that the priest, known for his kindness and humility, would utter such harsh words to a group of lowly farmers!
After a pause, Todd glanced around at the expressions of the audience, nodded, and continued, "Because while they were working, all they could think about was food and sustenance, forgetting the duty of a believer—piety, forgetting what kind of place 'Twilight Town' is. This is a refuge granted to believers by the church, and a miraculous place given to children by the Father!"
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