Alvin never gets tired of the green fields, windmills, mills, and farms that can be seen everywhere along the way. It seems that the beautiful scenery of the northern countryside is more attractive, but the refreshing cold wind tells him about the hat. The importance of it, I think it is acceptable to fully enjoy the high altitude and high altitude of the North Country and have a headache caused by the strong wind.
Onian had long given up her fancy magic hat and obediently buried her head in Alvin's arms to hide from the wind. Alvin looked at her little face that had been baptized by the cold wind. It was extraordinarily fair. Her golden eyes were still looking around restlessly, so he couldn't help laughing and teasing: "Why don't we just put up a magic circle, so the wind can't blow in." ”
"I just want to feel the cold north wind." Onian said dissatisfied.
"Then what are you pushing into my arms?" Even though Alvin said this, he still opened the robe at the chest a little to cover the person in his arms.
"Don't tell me, this outfit is a bit expensive, but it's quite warm. It seems that the materials are quite sufficient." Onian said while looking at the sky in his arms.
"If I have a chance in the future, I will definitely demolish that old guy's shop." Alvin said angrily, obviously deeply dissatisfied with the old shopkeeper of the tailor shop's behavior of "raising prices on the ground."
"Pfft" O'Nian couldn't help laughing, "You are very neat when you pay."
"Don't tell me you weren't embarrassed at the time? Aren't you just worried that I couldn't pay for it?" Alvin glanced at her and said.
"This is the first time in my life." Onian stuck out her tongue, "Besides, who told you that you are so good-looking and can't pay back the price?"
"Oh, this is the first time I heard the word 'counteroffer' from 'you'." Alvin leaned close to her ear and said with a mocking tone.
"Humph" O'Nian tilted her head and ignored him.
"I'm telling you, Elder Riya, this half-day has almost passed. How far is Zantz City?" Alvin straightened up and asked the old man and the young man driving the car, "I'm so stupid. It’s about to be blown out of commission by the north wind.”
"Forgive me, forgive me, Sir Alvin." Elder Riya came back and said with an apologetic look, then pointed to the northwest horizon, "Look, Zanc City is over there."
Alvin sighed with relief, "We're finally here, and it can warm my head. It's really getting ruined by your open-air carriage."
Elder Riya smiled helplessly and said that this was the only treatment the church could offer.
I always felt that Elder Ria was too cowardly as an employer. He always nodded and bowed to Alvin with a kind look. You must know that he was the one who paid.
Maybe this elder is really the kind of person who serves the church devoutly and doesn't care about the so-called face. It's more likely that his vision is much more profound than ordinary people's.
Not only him, but also the young missionary named "Ji'ao Wabner" he brought with him didn't speak much along the way, and didn't care at all about Alvin's rather arrogant attitude.
When the city of Zantz, which belongs to the Principality of Boer, came into Alvin's sight, he couldn't help but look at the city wall and arrow tower and was stunned. "Is this the first city you want to go to after coming to the north?"
In fact, looking from the outside, it didn't look much different from the cities he had seen before.
Of course, a medium-sized city like Zanc City pales in comparison to a centuries-old king's capital like Salyuhi.
Sure enough, as Elder Leah said, the Principality of Boer has not fought a war for several years, and the city defense of Zancz is also quite lax. The guards are dozing there with their spears in hand, allowing the cars and horses to come and go like this. out.
Alvin thought that if a monster ran into the city now, the guards might not be able to notice it, as long as passers-by didn't scream.
As soon as the carriage entered the city, Riya drove the horses along the road directly to the church of the Universal Church.
Alvin and Onian looked sideways as they browsed the shops and houses on both sides of the stone brick road. In fact, I can’t explain why. Looking at the styles of the buildings around me, they are not much different from those in the cities in the south. But listening to the locals’ rough accents and loud voices, it seems that everything is different. , everything is so fresh and free.
Freedom is the most profound realization the two of them have had since coming to the north.
Seriously speaking, how different are the biting cold winds and the rotating windmills from those in the south? To be honest, it's just some differences in climate. The north is drier, and the wind is really blowing into my head, so that my scalp hurts a lot, and there is also the risk of chaffing on my cheeks that have been blown by the wind for a long time.
If you are in the south, the wind at this time of year should bring a chill that penetrates through your clothes and goes deep into your bones.
As the carriage drove by, Onian's snow-covered hair swayed in the wind. She turned her face sideways and stared at the passing street scene in a daze, completely unaware that she had added a touch of scenery to this northern city. Many men standing on the street couldn't help but tiptoe to look at the carriage when they saw this scene, wondering where this girl came from. . .
Alvin remembered his experience in Belama, and seriously considered whether to let her wear a veil.
"Well, sometimes having a stunning girl by your side is not necessarily a good thing." He thought sincerely.
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The carriage stopped in front of a classicist church.
In Alvin's impression, most of the popular religious buildings today are in the Gothic style. There are not many churches that adhere to the classical style based on domes and large columns.
"Looking at its size, the Universal Church is really quite wealthy." Alvin thought to himself as he looked up at the church.
Onian raised her face and looked at the church, feeling a little surprised at the architectural style of the church. Apparently she and Alvin had the same doubts.
"Your Excellencies, this is the Holy Feather Cathedral of our Universal Church." Elder Riya introduced with a smile.
After Alvin and Onian got out of the car, Elder Riya dug out two brand-new copies of "The Admonitions of the Universal Master" from the pile of debris in the carriage and handed them into their hands.
"Let's go, Your Excellencies, I will lead you in." Ria half-bowed, made an inviting gesture, and entered through the main entrance of the church.
Alvin and Onian followed him, and the young missionary packed up the carriage and drove in the other direction.
Alvin doesn't understand the rules of the Universal Church. He doesn't know when they usually worship, or whether there is any worship part. However, at this time, there are not many people in the church. It seemed very quiet and ethereal, and it felt like even whispers could be heard clearly.
But what surprised Alvin was that Elder Ria was quite respected in the church. When the missionaries at the door saw him, they immediately saluted respectfully and were talking to a couple in the main hall. When the priest saw him, he immediately nodded. Obviously, although this elder of Lia no longer holds a position in the church, he is still an important figure. At least in this diocese of the universal church, he should be considered a person who can speak.
Elder Riya was not at all dissatisfied. He smiled kindly and responded one by one.
Then he and Alvin explained that the religious paintings on the glass were actually mostly related to various allusions to the "Universal Lord".
Alvin flipped through a few pages and realized that this "Universal Lord" is the core of the Universal Church's faith, and this so-called admonition is actually a biography of "Universal Lord", roughly describing the story of his life. . Of course, no such gods exist in reality.
Why do you say that?
Because while Alvin was flipping through it, he read a detail that made him most strange. This "Universal Lord" has no gender, or it can be said that he is sometimes male and sometimes female. There is a chapter in the book about the "Universal World Honored One" who passed by a place called Quemena and saw that male adultery was common here, so he turned into a beautiful prostitute. Her (his) purpose was to inspire these people. Men who committed evil deeds and succeeded in the end. Those men who made peace with the Universal Lord actually became good people later on. . .
Although Alvin didn't read it carefully, this story still had a great impact on him. He didn't read these religious classics very much, but when he read it today, his scalp was numb and it was an eye-opener.
And listening to what Elder Liya said about the deeds of this "Universal Lord", Alvin felt more and more ridiculous. It seemed that among all the religious propaganda he had ever heard, this god was the funniest. He has unparalleled divine power, but he is unwilling to use it in front of people. Even though he is often persecuted by unreasonable people, he still has no regrets and always walks through the world with the mentality of saving all sentient beings. What is it about this magnanimous god that makes him so hoda? Not only does he not hold grudges, he even feels a sense of suffering for the general public in his heart.
Alvin thought amusingly: "Could it be that this god has an inherent tolerance for the unique stupidity of us mortals?"
However, he did not show the sarcasm in his heart, and still listened attentively to Elder Riya's explanation of these paintings.
Onian followed the two of them and listened to their conversation. When she saw Alvin's serious expression, she knew that this guy must be full of complaints, so she pursed her lips and chuckled.
"So, what exactly are you hiring me to paint?" Alvin waited patiently for Ria to finish talking, and then asked, "It's been a circle, aren't the walls and glass covered with paintings? "
Elder Riya smiled and pointed to the huge dome in the center of the church.
Only then did Alvin realize that there was still nothing under the dome.
"This church seems to have been built for a few years. Why has such an important location not been filled with paintings?" Alvin wondered inwardly.
"Because we haven't found a suitable candidate." Ria seemed to have seen through what Alvin was thinking, so she explained, "Most of the painters nowadays can only paint dull mythological themes, and the ones in our hearts The 'Universal Lord' has suffered a lot in the human world and should not be like that. Therefore, the most important painting in the church has never been painted."
Alvin didn't expect Elder Riya to be such a pursuer of art, so he laughed and joked: "The paintings on the glass and the ones hanging on the walls are still mythological paintings."
Elder Ria didn't pay attention to Alvin's direct displeasure, and said with a wry smile: "These can only be regarded as adding to the atmosphere at best. After all, such a big church cannot be without a single painting."
Then he looked up at the blank dome and said, "As long as you can paint this well, these inferior paintings in this church can be replaced with your works in the future."
Alvin was shocked by Ria's great power. Shouldn't it be the bishop of the diocese who has the final say on such matters? It seems that Riya is not only important, but also feels like a very important figure.
"Is there a specific chapter you want to draw?" Alvin pointed at the book "The Admonitions of the Universal Master" in his hand and looked at Riya and asked.
Riya shook her head, "You make your own choice, I will not interfere with your creation. As long as it can convey the truth of Universal Lord, any picture is acceptable."
Alvin nodded, but he was complaining in his heart, "Don't you have to ask me to read this thick book..."
"What's the time limit? How long does it take to complete?" Alvin then asked.
"Half a month." Riya finally looked like an employer at this time. "I gave you two hundred runis as a deposit earlier. If you can complete it within half a month and the bishop is satisfied after acceptance, there will be another five One hundred rupees as a reward."
"Then... what do you mean, if I'm not satisfied during the acceptance check, my work for the past half month will be in vain?" Alvin joked, "I won't have to stick it in by then." With this amount of paint, how much paint do you need for a large dome?"
"No way, Sir Alvin, I am very confident in your paintings. Don't worry, the bishop will definitely be satisfied after seeing it." Elder Riya comforted him, "Of course, you You have to pay attention to your time, it must be completed within half a month."
Alvin thought to himself that he didn't know where this man got his confidence. However, he always had the illusion that as long as the painting caught the eye of the retired priest in front of him, he would be able to get the subsequent remuneration.
After chatting with Elder Ria about some details, Alvin and Onian went out of the church. The two of them were going to take a stroll around Zanci City and find a place to stay.
