Sean didn't expect it to go so smoothly.
In five days, he distributed seven copies of "The Long Poetry of the Night Wind"...
At this moment, there were eight burning candles of faith in front of Ms. Hershey.
Five days, eight believers.
"In the initial stage, it is really rare to be able to gain eight people who are truly willing to believe in Ms. Hershey in such a short period of time..."
After all, New Landal is a "theocratic country", and religious beliefs have the same high status as the founding constitution.
Therefore, this country is full of people who believe in "Salvationism" and "Holy Father Keen".
Although the people in Xiacheng District, who live in poverty, have lost trust in the Holy Court, which has been closely intertwined with trusts and the wealthy class, resulting in fewer people who believe in the "state religion" than the middle class and the wealthy class...
However, various legal or illegal minority beliefs have almost divided these people at the bottom.
In an age of mystery, people have become more superstitious.
Therefore, in five days, Sean used Shawshank's personality charm to talk to more than 20 people, and selected suitable people among them for further evangelism. Until today, he has harvested eight people...
Only he himself knows how rare this is.
It was already late at night, and Sean himself was already lying in bed sleeping. Shawshank Rogers was still standing in front of the statue of the goddess, meditating. This state was no different from ordinary sleep for Sean. Secondly, The sky is equally refreshing.
Shawshank stared at the long and short candles clustered together at the feet of the goddess...
They are like helpless little creatures in the darkness of this underground temple. The weak candlelight gathers together to comfort each other and also illuminates the skirt of the goddess...
This picture made Shawshank feel inexplicably peaceful and content.
Suddenly, the leader of the Esoteric Cult discovered that the originally warm and bright flame of the shortest candle suddenly began to sway, as if it was the only one being eroded by the wind, and the flame became dim and oppressive...
"A huge amount of negative emotional energy..." Shawshank narrowed his eyes, "A nightmare that may shake the stability of the soul."
The leader of the Tantric Cult walked forward boldly, performed a "self-supporting salute" to the goddess at the highest point of the temple, lightly pressing his hands on the opposite shoulder, and then hovered his hand over the invaded candle... …
“Night is a time for peaceful sleep, but the devil also chooses this moment to knock on the window to disturb...
"Thanks to the kind lady's listening and sheltering, we are fortunate enough to have a peaceful and sweet sleep..."
The palm of Shawshank Rogers emits the same warm light as the goddess's torch.
The power of faith flows into the spiritual world, and the divine power in the spiritual world feeds back to its believers...
A hundred kilometers away, a black woman was sweating profusely because of a nightmare. Her breathing gradually subsided.
It can be seen that her face, which was distorted due to muscle tension, gradually calmed down.
It's like a baby crying at night has been properly comforted and finally returns to a sweet sleep.
In the underground temple, the candle light returned to stability.
Shawshank let out a breath and returned to a meditative state: "I didn't expect that the divine power unlocked by the seven people's faith would actually come in handy..."
When the number of people who believed in Ms. Hershey increased to seven, Sean's independent spirit gained new divine power.
There is no doubt that these divine powers are derived according to the will of the Lord of the Spirits.
Just now, the magical power Shawshank used on the woman who was attacked by nightmares was called "Her Comfort".
It can exert a soothing effect on a believer, and obtain a sleep that can even heal the soul - a nightmare can tear a person's soul, and a period of peaceful sleep can also heal a person's heart...
The prerequisites for activation are "naturalized" and "Night Wind Poem" placed in the same room.
The second effect is actually similar to "Her Comfort" and is called "Night Breeze Blessing".
After transferring the power that can regulate dreams to the outside world, Ms. Hershey can protect a believer for a period of time and have a chance to escape from a mysterious encounter with a Jack-level target...
Of course, the current power of faith is still limited, so unless it encounters a spiritual attack that can be restrained, the current deterrent effect of "Night Breeze Blessing" against physical evil is still limited.
The activation conditions are similar to "Her Solace", it can only be at night, and it can only be a believer, and the believer must carry "Long Poem".
There are also some other small gains. Shawshank believes that they will definitely come in handy in the days to come...
Looking at the eight equally peaceful and bright candles, Shawshank's heart returned to peace again.
He is recuperating for tomorrow...
Because tomorrow is the first "gathering" he has agreed with the eight believers.
——
After winter arrives in Northern New Zealand, the sun sets earlier and earlier.
The color of the sky becomes darker, and Mr. Rogers appears again on the streets of the New Testament.
Tonight, he did not go into the lower city, but strolled on Piris Street.
The residents here have a higher social class than those in the lower city, and there are even some middle-class people who have lived a decent life.
During his previous missionary work, Sean was very lucky to use Ms. Hershey’s story to attract a couple who lived on Piris Street.
"It would be too easy to be exposed if you convert believers alone in the downtown area," Sean thought, walking slowly to a street door and tapping the door with his fingertips in a unique rhythm. "It is best to ensure the composition of believers. From all walks of life.”
When the street door opened quietly, Sean quickly entered the room, turned around and closed the door.
At this moment, there was a couple standing in front of her. The man was tall and thin, wearing a pair of round glasses; the hostess had long hair tied up, and her skin color and lips were slightly pale.
Mr. and Mrs. Hopman, residents of Piris Street who have been converted to the faith of Ms. Hershey.
Two nights ago, the couple listened to the story of Mr. Shawshank Rogers and prayed to the goddess together at night...
Originally, their sleep, which had become bad due to the failure to have children and work pressure, turned out to be peaceful and sweet after confiding in the goddess, making them feel as if they had been reborn.
At this moment, when the two saw Mr. Rogers visiting their home again, they took two steps back in awe.
As if seeing their favorite character coming, both of them couldn't take their eyes off Mr. Rogers' face.
Suddenly realizing something, the two of them put their hands on the opposite shoulders a little unfamiliarly, made the "self-supporting ceremony" designed by Sean, and said softly: "Thank you for listening to her."
"Thank you for listening to her." Seeing the reverent attitude of the two, Sean was inexplicably moved and responded with a self-congratulatory gesture.
The host welcomed Shawshank into the living room, made a pot of black tea, and began to wait for other believers to arrive.
Compared to the slightly nervous Hopmans, Sean was much more relaxed. He asked cordially about the lives of the Hopmans and patiently explained to them the allusions in "The Long Poem"——
"...The cave actually symbolizes the night. In the section 'Refuse to come out of the cave', Ms. Hershey sealed herself in the cave, which symbolized a transformation process of the goddess at that time - she also used the silence of the night to ask questions Should I submit to the fate of being dominated by other gods, or should I walk my own path..."
Sean thought while explaining the obscure metaphor: "This is too simple...these words are from my pen."
While explaining, he could even recall the passionate emotion that inspired him to write these words that day.
Under the guidance of Mr. Shawshank Rogers, the Hopmans apparently suddenly understood.
The two looked at each other with expressions of surprise, and then looked at Mr. Rogers with more admiration and respect.
There was a slight knock at the door of the room again, with a special rhythm.
This is the knocking method that Shawshank has agreed on before - not only will it not disturb the neighbors, but it can also instantly determine whether the person coming is one of them.
Mrs. Hopman quickly walked to the door, opened it, and welcomed the two men in.
Shawshank stood in the living room to welcome him - followed by Mr. Henry Hart and his friend Raymond who worked as a security guard in a shoe factory in downtown.
Shawshank could see that after entering the house, there seemed to be black "feathers" falling from their shoulders, and they disappeared before they landed.
Ordinary people cannot see this detail. This is the "night curtain" effect given to believers by the spirit, making them move faster and harder to detect at night.
"You didn't attract anyone's attention on the way here, did you?" Mr. Hopman asked with concern after the door closed.
"No, the journey went very smoothly!" Henry Hart saw Shawshank from a distance, happily walked over, and sincerely made a self-supporting salute to Sean: "Thanks for listening to her!"
In this quiet night, everyone communicated in low voices, and the atmosphere was somewhat mysterious.
In fact, in the early days of the establishment of the religion, the education officers would not pay attention at all, so there was no need to be so careful.
However, to be on the safe side, Sean still asks believers to be secretive.
He knew that due to Kluwetan's return and his influence on New Landel, the Divine Court had been very strict with "evil" beliefs recently.
Foreseeing that the scale of the sect will increase in the future, Sean hopes that the sect he created can avoid excessive attention until it reaches a scale that can strive for "legalization"...
Only in this way can the spiritual growth be ensured.
In addition, "action under night" is also in line with the characteristics of this belief. Let believers keep silent under the wrap of night and rush to a safe place of refuge as soon as possible - this is an experience often mentioned in teachings.
It is also good for them to understand the artistic conception in "The Long Poem of Night Wind".
The host arranged for the new guests to sit down, and the party announcement could not begin until everyone arrived. Shawshank began to talk to Henry.
The night is getting deeper and deeper, and in the city, people begin to fall asleep.
However, in this hidden corner lit by candlelight, Shawshank is still waiting...
