"Joy." Uriel pinched Roma's snowflake ring. After the owner of the garden handed him the ring, he politely asked them to leave. Now they were floating on the Gorge River, the rapid current leaving the Scarecrow Field behind them early. "You're not going to give the Confessions to the School Wizard, are you?"
"Yes." The young man sat on the side of the boat. He did not need a rudder to control the course. Even the oars were considered extra weight and were thrown into the river. Only the sails on the small boat were up, propelling them down the river. Somehow there was wind on the river, and in the exact direction they wanted.
"Is this what you were thinking before going to Ms. Mabel's cabin?"
The instructor turned his head, glanced at him, and then turned back indifferently. He didn't say a word and acquiesced.
Ever since Uriel turned on the magic of the Scroll of Oath at any time, few people could deceive him, with the exception of Joey. The key is that the instructor knows all about the parchment's capabilities. "Why did you lie to me?"
"You've got the wrong person. It's Mabel Magdalen I'm trying to trick."
"I don't understand." The apprentice was annoyed, "Why do you lie to me when you lie to others?"
"You don't have to understand."
"Why don't I understand?" Uriel was determined to ask the question this time.
"Fearlessness comes from ignorance. I remember that your god bless the brave. If you have brains and courage, you will live longer."
Quoted out of context. Was he too lazy to explain, or did he not want me to understand? Uriel couldn't figure it out. But what is certain is that the things Joey doesn't let him know are always well hidden. He lay glumly on the deck and continued to study that damn healing spell.
They walked along the river for two days without seeing a single ship on the road. The river course has also become rugged and crooked, and it is exactly the same as the two rivers marked on the map. Sometimes they accidentally sail into a tributary, or get stranded in the reeds, which are new features. Even worse is passing through the original town or village. The houses became reefs, and their chimneys jutted out of the water, as if to indicate that there was an entire army of malicious men hidden beneath the water. Several times Uriel heard someone calling for help, but they either disappeared suddenly, or gradually became quieter after becoming clearer, and finally disappeared without a trace, which was worrying.
But to be honest, he was probably the only one who was worried. Joey sat on the bow of the boat instead of the carved wooden figure of "Ethel", unmoved by any screams, howls, and pleas. He used the temperature difference to create strong winds, making the sailboat travel thousands of miles in a day, speeding through the Garden of Flowing Waters, the Wilderness of the Scarecrow, and the Silver-Dome City. He did more than enough for the Eastman people and went well beyond the call of duty. But there are reasons why people don't love him, and he doesn't bother to please them. He will never be distracted.
Uriel always hoped that he could have such a good attitude as his mentor, but when passing by Silverdome City, he couldn't help but think of the woman who was washed away under the beam.
"I killed a monk here." It ended up being about something else. "But I don't seem satisfied."
Joey didn't respond, so just pretend he was listening.
"He was loyal to the Archbishop of Eastman," Uriel said, "along with my former traveling companions. They traveled from church to church for the House of Charity, trying to eradicate this hidden danger that threatened the credibility of the church. At first I thought We were like-minded, and for once it turned out that I was right.”
The young man tilted his head slightly.
"Iaconi Fairwin. A cross knight from Iron Claw City. He searches the beginning and end of the industrial chain with the same purpose as us. He is the kind of person who is overly cautious. Roma and I are here I met him in a church in a small town behind the redwood forest. At that time, a team of vampire warlocks and mercenaries were coming here to obtain their 'alchemy raw materials'. Iaconi set a trap, but did not expect that the local The fellow knights were all drunkards, thieves and scoundrels, and the defense line they formed in the backyard of the monastery collapsed, so Roma and I rushed to help."
"To be honest, I didn't have much faith in the Gaia Church when Brumnot learned about this matter." The apprentice put the ring on the map scroll. "After I met Iconi, I trusted him... I had no reason not to believe him. I made excuses for myself. I wanted to trust him. I hoped that the church was not full of people like Dunbar Fielding. This feeling Just like the child of a prostitute on the street hopes that his parents will be decent judges. Uh, what do you think I'm doing? Well, I'm not saying that he doesn't love her, and I'm not saying that judges don't have the right to go to brothels. I don't mean that at all. . But that’s the thing, I originally viewed the Church of Gaia as a family, and everyone wants their family to be... not so mean.”
"It's ridiculous. We have no way of choosing our parents and family. I grew up healthy and smoothly in the church's monastery, but I don't want to attribute it to luck. The appearance of Iaconi proves that Knox's church is not It sucks, there are just a few bad apples - in the small town I met a cross knight who was the least like a knight. His name was Germo, a jailor and a drug dealer. Iaconi believed that the existence of people like him was The shame of the church, I thought so too at the time. But after all, Gemo's kind are in the minority, and the goddess cannot guarantee that her followers will not make mistakes all the time, can she? The maintenance staff of the tower can also donate their daughters to the church. Gods... They cannot interfere with mortals in the inner and outer worlds. We believe in Him for each other, isn’t that the truth?”
At this time, the sailboat had sailed past the chimneys of Silverdome City. Some people on the high ground were yelling at the boat, but Joey easily turned the bow of the boat and made them cry bitterly.
"It is undeniable that I am not a knight of the Church or a priest now. The nuns who raised me decided that I was not a man suitable for a job like serving the goddess. She was wiser than I thought. They used smooth words to shape me into what I am today. This look, in turn, forces me to accept all the bad things they do to maintain their superficial glory. I don't understand the meaning of it! But I'm afraid I can figure out how Knox is sure that the gods are gone. If Gaia really looks at mortals, and the demons and ghosts under His banner will never be so arrogant."
"Some people think that the gods don't care about the actions of mortals because their souls will be reckoned with. Iaconi believes that the Knights of the Cross have the same mission. That's why. Joey. You understand? What disappoints me the most It was not Iaconi’s choice, even if I did use him as evidence without permission.”
Uriel pulled the map out of the ring again, and then stuffed the scroll of oath into it. "I still believe that the church is not all scum, not because I hope so for personal reasons, but because I find that my hope in them is useless. In a group of people, there are good people and bad people. Which group of people It's all like this... This is the truth and it's the truth. But who the hell wants this? Whose idea can work?"
The messenger looked at him. A silence rolled among the waves, the wind, and the swaying masts. The river became wider and wider, and the sky seemed to get lower and lower.
"He said he believed me." Uriel told him in a low voice, "before that letter revealed Roma's identity. We knew from the beginning that this state of affairs could last until Knight's Bay at most, and that was the end. One stop. I thought about what to say to him then. I was indeed a liar. My reason warned me, but it was dragged down by unrealistic wishes. You are right, I was stupid enough to put my fantasy on reality. .”
"The church doesn't need me, let alone trust me. I'm insignificant to them. In fact, a tower apprentice's inexplicable involvement in the church's internal secrets is already suspicious: What does he want? What is he spying on? He said He has the same beliefs as us. Oh my God, what a ridiculous guy! Who would believe his nonsense? No one knows his own nature better than me. I am not a Knight of the Cross! I am not qualified to serve Gaia. I am not anyone Anyone...anyone..."
"You're Chloe's apprentice," Joey said.
Uriel accepted his awkward reassurance. He leaned limply against the side of the ship, watching the cables dangling on the empty deck.
"Now, you know everything about me. A terrible story that has not changed in any way due to my efforts. The only good thing is that it is not over yet." This is my story with the poor girl in the flood. difference. He grabbed the knot as it swung over.
"Brother Azby wanted to burn me to death. He said you were dead and claimed that I was a devil. I'm afraid he still doesn't know that the truth and lies he believed in happened to be reversed. But to be honest, I have never been so desperate. I have passed. I feel that what betrayed me was not Iconi and the Church of Gaia, but the whole life." The parchment was neatly rolled up, and Uriel held the part where the ring was fastened. It dug into the palm of his hand, like a piece embedded in Inseparable bones in flesh and blood. "Joy? You said you wouldn't die, right? I won't think so next time."
The young man turned his head back and looked at the bay in the distance. "I'll try my best to die behind you." He seemed a little guilty. What a rare revelation. "Do you still insist on staying in Knight's Bay?"
"I just gave up my imaginary funny family and my unfounded mission. I promised Manet that I would find her son."
This seemed to be a weak excuse for his persistence, but he couldn't think of what else he should continue to insist on. His Gaia was not Knox's goddess, and it was not Knox's monastery that made him what he was. He will fight for the things he holds dear, and so far, these things are gradually increasing.
When the sailboat sailed into the Sea of Singing, a fleet blocking the bay soon approached. The horn sounded across the sea, but Joey still sat motionless on the bow. "Rewrite the fate within your reach, Uriel." He whispered. "Gaia bless you for finding him."
