The night wind blew through the window sill, past the three-note nightjar on the tree branches outside the mansion, which was on alert, and past the headless horseman who was hiding behind the wall of the front door, doing his duty...
The fire is crackling in the fireplace, and Mr. Shawshank Rogers, nestled in the deep purple velvet sofa, is enjoying a wonderful rest...
Suddenly, he opened his gray eyes.
Taking away the cashmere blanket covering his body, he carefully placed the "Night Wind Poem" he had been holding in his left hand on the gorgeous coffee table at hand. Shawshank Rogers stood up and put on his shoes, waving the black robe hanging aside. He flew up, landed on himself, and walked towards the door of the room in one stride - the next step was to step into the basement of the mansion.
However, he did not teleport directly to the temple located on the central axis, but walked quickly inside with pious steps...
He saw it from a distance - at the foot of the goddess holding a torch, a candle lit itself, emitting a quiet, gentle, and permanent light that was different from ordinary candles.
Shawshank Rogers stood in the temple, looked at the goddess's resolute face, and then stared at the first lit "Candle of Faith" with joy.
At this moment, a hundred kilometers away in the lower city of New Testament City, Henry Hart had just finished his "confidence" to Ms. Hershey and fell asleep peacefully.
The first believer is born...
Like a very thin stream of water, it merged into the underground river.
No matter how small it was, Sean felt it—like a small point of light that gently blended into his soul.
As a product of this spiritual world, the existence of "Shawshank Rogers" has become more substantial and stable, and his personal charm has also been imperceptibly improved.
Outside the window, the shrubs, cherry trees, apple trees, and pine trees covering the black mansion are all rising at a speed visible to the naked eye - this symbolizes the power of faith and the nourishment of this place.
The pottery statue of Lost, which is placed in the center of the second floor of the mansion, is continuously effective. The power it releases also requires spiritual expenditure. After the first power of faith was connected, its "power" increased, and its scope of influence extended a few steps outward...
There are many such small changes - the entire spiritual world is like an organism, growing slightly.
Shawshank Rogers stared at the quiet candle for a long time, with a smile on his face.
——
The rooster that someone kept in the chicken coop in the corridor crowed again in the early morning.
Usually, the sad and troubled Henry Hart would feel depressed and irritable when he heard the cockcrow in the corridor because he had not slept all night.
And today...
He was awakened by the crow of the rooster - he had just enjoyed a night of dark, sweet sleep.
"Grateful to the goddess!" He sat up with hot eyes, "Thankful to Ms. Hershey!"
Sometimes, just a good night's sleep can rekindle your passion for life.
He picked up the black classic on the bedside and pressed it to his face gratefully.
"Of course, I would also like to thank Mr. Rogers!" Henry Hart pursed his lips and clenched his fists, recalling the appearance of the wise and elegant gentleman last night, and his heart was filled with gratitude and trust.
Jenny Hart opened her big hazy eyes and woke up from her sleep. She got out of bed with some doubts and looked at her father who was busy in the kitchen...
What happened to dad today?
Usually, he is silent in the morning, but he is singing and making breakfast at the same time?
Jenny Hart looked at her father's cheerful back in disbelief, and the clouds in the child's heart dissipated a little.
——
The lighting of the first candle of faith gave Sean great confidence - throughout the missionary process to Henry Hart, Sean did not use his function, but only used the most sincere tone to tell "Night". The story in "Feng Chang Shi"...
I didn’t expect that I could gain my first believer so smoothly!
"Maybe it's because..." Sean, who was in a good mood, chose to brew his own coffee, thinking while preparing filter paper, "Ms. Hershey's image and story naturally make people feel amiable.
"I'm going in the right direction!"
Aaliyah, who was wearing pink pajamas, walked out of the room in a daze. Seeing her brother with a smile on his face, and Olivia who was walking lightly and obviously in a good mood, she frowned suspiciously: "Sean, there's another one. What good happened?"
Sean shrugged - I don't know why, although he now has a lot of readers, and the income from the explorer is also considerable...
But this harvest made him feel inexplicably excited.
Maybe because of the push for "pepper shakers"? Because the road to "The Dark Knight" has finally taken its first step?
"Every day is worth celebrating, isn't it?" Sean poured hot water into the cup and tilted his head with a smile.
Maybe it's something Sean was busy with a while ago that finally came to a good end?
The clever sister immediately guessed the reason why her brother was in a good mood.
Today is the weekend, and she doesn't mind spending time with Sean who is in a beautiful mood. So Aaliyah, whose hair was slightly longer, also hummed a song, took the newspaper still on the floor mat by the door, went to the kitchen, and prepared breakfast with Sean that they could enjoy while chatting.
This euphoric mood lasted until the sun went down.
When Mr. Shawshank Rogers came out again, Sean had already adjusted his mood to a relatively stable position——
"Don't be too proud, don't be too optimistic." Deliberately hitting the vigorous feeling in his heart, Shawshank walked into the streets of Lower City again with steady steps.
Sure enough, caution and stability will always pay off.
Shawshank, who had been spreading ectoplasm as thin as hair around him, felt that some serious power was approaching around the corner——
Two correctional officers patrolling the streets at night.
Shawshank Rogers is not a resident of downtown. Even though they will not question such a kind middle-aged gentleman, if they can see his face tonight and meet him again and again in the future missionary process...
It is conceivable that there will definitely be suspicion.
Therefore, Sean's current principle is to maintain an absolutely low profile and not even let the correction officer see Shawshank's face even once.
So, before the two correctional officers turned the corner, Shawshank ducked into the alley and hid his figure behind the raised corner.
Hold your breath and concentrate, as if it doesn't exist.
Soon, two officers wearing black uniforms with diamond-shaped shield logos on their uniforms passed by...
"The less you encounter them, the better." Shawshank continued walking along the alley and emerged from the other side. "After all, there will definitely be unavoidable situations...
"In short, it's about leaving as little impression on them as possible."
After calming down his slightly accelerated heartbeat, Shawshank continued walking leisurely - he chose the eastern part of Lower City today, which is quite a distance from the northwest corner he visited yesterday.
Soon, he saw a cafe still open at the end of the street - Rebecca's Corner Coffee.
Following some mysterious guidance, Shawshank pushed open the door and entered.
He chose a seat by the window and ordered a glass of hot milk. As soon as he took off his coat and was about to sit down, he saw a woman wearing a sweater sitting next to her with a sad face.
Her eyes had deep dark circles, and she absentmindedly turned the cup on the porcelain plate with a pair of fingerless gloves...
Mr. Rogers sighed, with a warm smile on his face, and sat closer to the woman: "It's another peaceful night, isn't it?"
The woman was obviously worried. She raised her helpless eyes and saw the kind eyes of Shawshank Rogers.
What Mr. Rogers didn't know when he started a new conversation was that about four kilometers away, Henry Hart, who had been enjoying a good mood all day, had a guest at his home.
That was Henry Hart's friend, the tall Raymond.
He saw the brand-new Hart today and felt that his old friend was exuding a peaceful and happy light...
So, he asked curiously.
The cautious Henry Hart chose to keep this secret during the day when there were many people watching.
When night fell, he brought his friend Raymond home, took out the book "The Long Poem of the Night Wind" left by Mr. Rogers, and began to tell the story of a woman...
