Chapter 226: The Cold Church
After finishing the journey in Burning Sun City, the sampling in the North District 2 also came to an end.
In the last few days, Tilan and her companions overlooked the scenery on the highest rampart of Burning Sun City. She sat on the edge of the rooftop, her legs and skirt swaying gently in the air, and the wind under the setting sun blew across her young cheeks.
"When it's quiet here, the scenery is quite good." Looking at the red earth dyed by the setting sun in the distance and the purple-red clouds like fire, the group sighed.
The wind in May is very comfortable, without the cold of winter or the heat of summer. The breath that poured into the sleeves soothes the tired body, and it is very gentle.
After their long sampling trip, the originally noisy and chaotic North District 2 has gradually calmed down. Most of the big gangs have been dealt with. After losing the environment where they fished in troubled waters before, the small wandering elements have been gradually controlled by local forces and have to settle down.
"Although the economic situation cannot be changed in a day or two, as long as the public security is good, people will gradually settle down and have the heart to work and fight for what they want." Tilan said her simple and plain thoughts.
"A chaotic environment cannot give birth to civilization, and it is difficult to change and progress. If change is to achieve something, then aimless chaos and killing will achieve nothing."
"There will definitely be people who hate us and dislike our behavior, but if we are afraid of such things and shrink back, then all dreams are empty talk. The world is unreasonable. Even if you do the right thing, you will be questioned and slandered."
"True fairness and justice will not change because of the size of the voice. Many people do not speak up, which does not mean that they do not exist. Those ignored voices are also voices, and they also need to be recognized and seen." Some of the words were said to her companions, and some were said to herself, in order to make herself more determined and not easily shaken.
Two days later, a gray aircraft landed in the wilderness outside the Burning Sun City. Tilan and her group boarded it, and finally looked back at this quiet world on the stairs, and then walked into the aircraft.
After sitting firmly, the bottom of the aircraft spurted out a blue hot airflow, then slowly rose, faster and faster, and finally entered a supersonic flight state.
"Next is to go to the North District 9, but there are not many points that need sampling there, and it is estimated that it will take less than a month to complete." Compared with the abandoned North District 2, the North District 9 is still under the control of the Federation, and some sampling points are also maintained by personnel, and not all samples are required.
"Yes, the next journey will probably be much more stable and simple." Tilan looked at the floating clouds and the earth outside the window and answered softly.
"Speaking of which, Valk's hometown is the North District 9, right? Can you tell me about the situation there?" Guluo leaned back in his seat, twisting to find a suitable posture, with a chocolate bar in his mouth.
"The situation in the North District 9..." Valk fell into memories and talked about some things in the past.
Generally speaking, the North District 9 is relatively poor, many towns are abandoned, only some places are inhabited, and they are relatively scattered, with very few large cities.
"Although North District 2 is desolate and declining, it was once the capital of the Jade Skirt and has some foundation and industry. However, North District 9 has nothing but some mineral resources and has never prospered." Valk is no longer the ignorant person he was when he first entered the school. After more than half a year of study and his careful reading of materials, he gradually understood the past of his hometown.
"I went to Valk's hometown a few years ago. It was really quiet there. There were only a few hundred households in a town." Jin Senke also spoke at this time.
"But I also encountered some interesting things." He grinned and looked very happy.
"Maybe I bullied people well." Ruby said jokingly. During this period of time, everyone became familiar with each other. With Jin Senke's personality, he was so happy. It was probably because he vented and fought well at that time.
"Ahaha, they started it first. I even left time for them to call people." Jin Senke retorted.
"As for the process, I just had my men airdrop a simple mecha, and then beat these guys to a pulp." He said, attracting the attention of his companions.
"I'm alone, and the number of people on the other side is obviously more than me. I'm a hero, okay? Don't look at me like that."
...
"Okay, I won't laugh at you anymore. After all, it's a good thing. I hope those bad guys will learn a lesson and be honest, otherwise we will have to teach them a lesson this time."
After several hours, the high-speed shuttle passed through several areas and began to slowly descend, approaching the equally cold and lonely land. The light green grass covered the field of vision, and the gray roads were like clear and sparse circuits, leading to all directions. After jumping
off the aircraft, the group walked towards the town not far away. This time they did not drive, because they didn't have to go too far, and they also wanted to take a closer look at the surrounding scenery.
The roaring engine started again, and soon the aircraft took off. They also slowly saw the tallest church in the town. Its colored glass windows reflected a little flash in the morning sunlight. The cockerel weather vane on the top of the tower turned, and the rusty parts occasionally made sounds.
"Baa, baa, baa~"
The corrals of the ranch on the outskirts of the town were opened, and white sheep crossed the street in groups and headed for the grassland in the distance. Several sheepdogs ran around the flocks of sheep, and occasionally one or two low-flying autonomous units circled by.
Driving a single-seat car that could be loaded and unloaded at any time, a fat uncle passed by the street and stopped.
"Valk, you're back. Are these your classmates?" He waved his hand, his tone familiar.
"It's me, Uncle Hood." Valk also walked up and the two began to talk.
"It's rare for you to bring your classmates back to your hometown to visit. I'll talk to Old Xike later and ask him to prepare a hearty meal to entertain them." Old Xike is the owner and chef of the only restaurant in the town.
"Thank you, Uncle Xike." Valk nodded, seeing that he couldn't refuse the kindness. Although he was a big man, he always gave people a simple and honest feeling.
"It's okay. I have watched you guys grow up, just like my own children, haha." After saying that, the uncle waved to Tilan and his group, then drove the car to follow the flock of sheep.
"Very good uncle, it seems that this town is not bad." Ruby jumped forward lightly and took out the camera to take pictures of the sheep and grass in the morning light.
"It's really good now." Valk wanted to say something, but finally shook his head and didn't mention some things in the past.
"Come with me, Pastor Boyce is probably still doing morning lessons now."
Valk walked in front of the team, and walked through the streets with ease, greeting the residents, and then walked into the courtyard where the church was.
A group of children saw Valk coming back, and they leaned out of the church window, waving and greeting him. They were noisy, but after the church door opened, the children's voices stopped immediately.
A man in a white priest's uniform came out. He looked to be about 40 or 50 years old. Although his face was not too old, his hair on his temples was a little gray.
"You're back, my child." Seeing Valk, he walked down the stairs and opened his arms.
"I'm back, Reverend." Valk accepted his hug and patted his shoulder.
After a few seconds, the two let go of their arms, and Reverend Boyce looked at the group behind him, "You are Valk's classmates, right? You are really a group of good kids."
When he said this, his eyes with dark circles under his eyes were full of joy.
"Very good, Valk, you have made new friends too."
"Oh, yes, come in with me, you don't have to stand outside." As he said this, he remembered something and stepped aside to let Tilan and his group enter the church.
The decoration of the church was a little simple, the floor was washed very clean, and some places felt white from being rubbed many times. There were several transparent glass holes on the wall in the middle, and the light passed through them and fell into the church, which looked quiet and solemn.
"Please sit down for a while, I'll go prepare something." He asked everyone to sit down, and then walked quickly to the side room.
Looking around, everyone asked Valk about some local conditions. Not long after, the priest came out with a dining cart with a teapot. Judging from the angel pattern on it, this should be the dining cart used to distribute communion during worship.
"There is not much good tea, I hope everyone can be patient." He knew that Valk's classmates were either rich or noble, and they probably didn't like the things here, so he tried to be humble.
"It's okay, priest." Ruby took the tea and helped him distribute it to everyone. She looked virtuous and sensible, and she didn't look like a little devil at ordinary times.
After a few simple words with everyone, Pastor Boyce seemed a little impatient. He stood up again and said goodbye, walking to the room on the side of the church, where there were many young children.
"The priest seems to be a little afraid of us, probably because he is afraid that we are not doing well enough." Iyepel said softly.
"In fact, we don't feel neglected, but I guess among ordinary people, the students in schools like Edes Academy are probably very arrogant." Ruby complained while holding the teacup.
Tilan was also drinking tea slowly, looking at the walls and various facilities in the church, and finally stopped at the empty main seat.
"Is there no specific angel enshrined here?" Although gods do not exist, those sages who shine in history have become the objects of faith in the new era, that is, the angels after canonization.
"There used to be enshrinements, but later the carvings of angels were graffitied by children, and then the pastor simply removed them." Valk recalled.
"The local residents are also used to this. Originally, everyone's faith was not focused on a certain angel. Without a specific image, it has reduced the occurrence of conflicts."
After the group sat for a while, Valk stood up, asked Pastor Boyce who worked in the side room, and walked to the other side of the yard with the group.
The church is also an orphanage, where more than a dozen children aged 8-15 live. They are sitting in the house to study, and Pastor Boyce is answering some children who ask questions.
Basic teaching will be provided by remote AI, and no specific teacher is required. Only when they encounter complex and life problems will these children ask the pastor.
The black desks seemed to be made of stone and were a little cold. Although these children were studying, most of them were obviously not focused on it. Some sat in a daze, some secretly played with toys, some randomly tapped the projected keyboard, and some looked around, thinking about other things.
When Tilan and his group walked in, these children suddenly became serious. They pretended to love studying, but some of the details still exposed the fact that they did not learn.
"You are here. I'm sorry to let you see such a simple scene." The pastor seemed a little embarrassed, and his hands were clenched from time to time.
"It's nothing. We embarrassed you." Tilan shook his head and led everyone out of the classroom.
Halfway through the walk, she sighed and explained to her companion, "In fact, children are not as innocent as they are portrayed in the news media. Many of them are naughty or even bad."
"Pastor Boyce must have spent a lot of energy raising these children."
"Tilan is really considerate."
Then they came to the grass in front of the church and sat down, watching the slowly rising sun, and then Valk talked about the difficulties of this orphanage.
"Although Pastor Boyce is very dedicated, the children may not understand. Many of my childhood friends were also very naughty. I didn't think there was anything wrong at the time. Now looking back, I realize that it is not easy for the pastor to do this."
"Every child has his or her own ideas and different situations. Many of the abandoned children are due to congenital reasons, or they are sick, or born with defects, or their personalities and mentalities are not normal. Raising them is not only energy-consuming, but also difficult to get positive feedback."
"Before I graduated, or when I was discovered by the teachers of Edes Academy, the pastor was already mentally haggard. He occasionally had to drink to relieve anxiety and stress." "
When the teachers of Edes Academy came to me, the pastor's mental state improved a little. Not only did the academy subsidize the church with a large sum of money, but he also felt that his hard work over the years had yielded good results." Valk said and shook his head.
"Although the pastor's past, or his occasional words and deeds, were not so perfect, I will not blame him. I also try my best to understand his difficulties for some helpless mistakes and misunderstandings."
"The reason I say this is because I once had a friend who grew up with me. His ideas are different from mine. He resents the pastor's injustice and wrong original intentions."
"I don't want to say that he is wrong, because I am lucky enough not to suffer the same situation as him, and I can't easily judge his feelings." After saying this, he sighed. It was precisely because he had experienced various miserable situations when he was a child that he particularly understood that in such situations, people's morality must give way to survival at any time, and they cannot ask too much.
"Later, how did your friend become?" Guluo on the side spoke.
"He is now in the prison of the South District. After returning this time, I will visit him. I hope he is still alive." Valk clenched his fist, wanting to grab something, but he also felt deeply that in the face of the times, the power of individuals was small and powerless.
When he was a child, he thought that as long as he became a superhuman, he would be able to live a good life with no worries about food and clothing. But now he finds that even powerful superhumans can only serve various financial groups in the city, and sometimes it is difficult to say that they are free.
It's not so easy to change some things. Maybe he is not strong enough at the moment. If he can reach the position of Sequence 7 step by step, he can probably make the priest and his friends get along well. He can also create an environment where everyone can live in harmony.
That's all for today, 0 0/~Good night
(End of this chapter)
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