Chapter 54: Changes in the World

On the way back, there was no need to follow any traces, only to identify the direction. In addition, the weight was reduced a lot, so the church team's speed of marching at night was not much slower than that during the day.

Crown saw the light from the oil lamp in Savas's hand suddenly shoot forward, and was surprised to realize that he had walked out of the area covered by the gray fog.

The few of them quickened their pace and walked out of the area. He looked around and recognized that Zarudo Village was just a few hundred meters down.

Nico placed his hand on the holy symbol and said loudly: "Praise the Lord of Fire, the gray fog has not yet spread to the town."

They ran down the mountain quickly, entered the village, mounted their strong horses, and galloped away.

On the way, Nick kept whipping the horse's butt with a whip and ran in the front.

The sound of horse hooves shattered the silence of the early morning. They galloped all the way and arrived at the church before the sun rose.

"Boom, boom, boom"

The priest pounded on the door with his fist: "Quick, open the door, Quasimo."

"Here I come"

As soon as the door opened a crack, Nick pushed it open and walked in.

"Father, what happened?"

The gatekeeper couldn't understand what had happened to make the usually mild-mannered priest so impatient.

. . . .

"Is what you said true?"

After listening to Nick's story, Hamfa, who was still sleepy just now, woke up completely in an instant, muttering to himself: "How is it possible? How could the gray fog spread out from the mountains? Didn't the cities of the Old Ones sink to the bottom of the sea?"

The Old Ones, the city, the seabed. Crown caught these words, and his keen intuition told him that the church knew what was going to happen and was also taking measures to deal with it. But now things have suddenly changed, catching everyone off guard.

He chose his words carefully and said, "What exactly is hidden in the gray fog? Can the priests tell us now?"

Hamfa glanced at his old friend: "You haven't told them yet?"

"I was in a hurry to get on the road, so I didn't have time to tell you." Nick nodded slightly, and glanced at a few warriors: "There is a prophecy that says that when the stars return to their positions, R'lyeh will rise from the bottom of the sea, and the Old Ones will return to the world. These Old Ones are demons that came from outer space to our world."

"In the last era, the coalition of gods defeated these evil creatures, but they did not have time to completely destroy them. The spiritual tide receded, and the world could not accommodate such strong supernatural powers. The gods could only return to the kingdom of God. The old rulers also fell asleep in the fortresses they built, and these fortresses eventually sank into the ocean."

"How long is an epoch?"

"It must be tens of thousands of years."

Clown said, "I once heard the Gisai tell a story about the sea changing into farmland every few thousand years. So it's not inconceivable that the mountains were under the sea tens of thousands of years ago."

"This explanation is novel and makes sense. The Giselles can actually tell such a philosophical story," Hamfa exclaimed.

Nick interrupted his old friend and said, "Don't think about that. I have already passed this information back to Rhine City. According to our scriptures, the gray fog will hide under the sun, and the town will have one day to prepare. I will notify the townspeople and nearby villagers to gather at the church. We have tested that kind of oil lamp, and it is still effective against the gray fog. We need the church to provide more oil lamps."

"I'm leaving now and will inform other churches on the way. Rhine City must be prepared, otherwise a city with hundreds of thousands of people will be in complete chaos." Hamfa looked at Nick and said, "Old friend, you can only rely on yourself here."

"I'm used to relying on myself. I hope the church can respond quickly. I won't see you off. We must make arrangements before dark."

The fair-skinned priest bowed and said, "May the Lord of Fire light our way forward." After that, he strode away, followed closely by Savas and Marshall.

Nick turned around and said, "Time is running out for Zak Town. Go notify the patrol team and help them inform the surrounding villages. All residents must come to the church. No one should be left out. Otherwise, they will be killed by the mutated beasts."

"Understood," Crowne turned and left.

. . . .

As the sun was setting, a huge fire broke out on top of the church bell tower.

The outer flame of the flame is golden, this is the holy fire that can resist the gray fog.

There was a lot of noise and discussion nearby.

"Why did the priest gather everyone together?"

"How could I know? I didn't want to come here, but those damn patrolmen pointed guns at me."

"We are asked to gather together and bring enough dry food. Isn't this asking for trouble?"

Crown came to the door of Nick's room and knocked gently.

"Come in."

He pushed open the door and saw the priest sitting at the desk looking at some documents.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"Father, all the townspeople have been gathered together."

"Are there any troublemakers?"

"Yes, when they are pointed at with a gun, they behave themselves."

"Come on, let's go out."

The two walked to the church square, and Nick walked onto the carriage parked in front of the church. Beside the carriage, there was a group of patrolmen.

Crown drew his revolver and fired a shot into the air.

"Bang", the sound of gunfire suppressed the noisy buzzing sound, and the people stopped talking. Occasionally, the crying of children was heard, but their mouths were covered by adults.

Nick shouted: "The Lord of Fire sent down an oracle. When the gray fog comes, he will give believers the holy fire to resist the evil hidden in it. The holy fire of the church will always be lit to protect the lambs who believe in our Lord."

"Now, the gray fog is pouring out from the mountains and will reach Zak Town tonight. The gray fog will last for a very long time. We must gather here every night. Those who want to survive must stay within the range of the holy fire."

The crowd suddenly exploded, and even louder discussions were heard.

"I believe in God, but people have to eat, right? If I don't work and stay here, won't I starve to death?"

"Winter is coming soon. Won't we freeze to death if we stay here at night?"

Nick didn't explain anything further, got off the carriage and returned to the church.

"I should have explained it more clearly, but I didn't. Do you know why?" Nick turned around and asked the person following him.

Crown shook his head. He had a guess in his mind, but it would damage the image of the priest, so he didn't say it out loud.

Nick sneered, "People cannot appreciate the blessings they enjoy unless they experience despair themselves. The light of faith of the church cannot last long. There must be enough devout believers praying to achieve a balance between production and consumption. Some people will definitely leave at night. Don't stop them. I want to set a living example in front of those who are not devout enough in their faith."

These few light words will determine the life and death of many people.

(End of this chapter)