After delivering the materials to Fu Qingyan and others, Li Wen left the hotel. She was in no hurry to go to "Black Reef Bay" and "Sunken Horn" immediately. Although Sea Chart had revealed the coordinates, the danger of that sea area Fu Qingyan had already been mentioned. And, Sea Chart itself also revealed extraordinary secrets. It is definitely not wise to act rashly without being fully prepared, such as finding a reliable ship and a guide who is familiar with the sea area and can avoid the reefs.
What's more, the organization calling itself "Eternal Life Blessing Cult", its interest in these two locations, and the strange abilities they displayed in Tavern, made Li Wen feel the need to investigate first. This organization exudes a sense of dissonance that is incompatible with Port Belen, and the doctrine of "eternal life" it promotes makes her instinctively wary.
As the night grew darker Port Belen, she was like a silent shadow, walking through the damp streets that smelled of fish and bad wine. The missionaries mentioned during the day that their church is located in the port area. The port area is not small, but buildings like churches are usually more conspicuous, so Li Wen is not worried about not finding them.
She avoided the brightly lit and still noisy Tavern and casinos, and instead headed towards the more secluded back alleys. The moonlight was cut into irregular fragments by the staggered eaves, and cast onto the slippery stone road, reflecting her lonely figure.
Not long after, a building that was incompatible with the surrounding low shacks appeared at the end of her field of vision. It was a church built with gray-white stones. The style was simple, even a bit crude. Compared with the magnificent churches of the Glow Church in the Kingdom of Arthur, it was pitifully shabby. However, the huge cross made of red wood at the top was extremely eye-catching in the night, showing an almost provocative publicity.
The area around the church was unusually quiet. No believers came in or out, and there were no guards patrolling. Only a few dim oil lamps hung at the door, barely illuminating the closed wooden door.
Li Wen did not approach rashly. She stopped in the shadows across the street and observed carefully. This church gave her a strange feeling. It was not like a place for people to pray and seek spiritual comfort, but more like a temporary stronghold, showing a sense of haste and incoordination.
She noticed that the windows of the church were tightly blocked by thick dark curtains, not allowing any light to shine through. This deliberate covering only added to the mystery inside.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the side door of the church suddenly opened with a creak, and two men wearing the same gray robes with red crosses embroidered on their chests came out. They walked in a hurry, chatting in low voices, and soon disappeared into the darkness around the corner.
Li Wen's eyes flickered slightly. She did not feel any breath of extraordinary power from those two people. They looked just like ordinary townspeople, but the fanatical piety on their faces made her a little concerned.
After a while, several groups of people came out of the church one after another, and some people entered from outside. Most of the people who came in and out showed enthusiasm and anticipation, looked in a hurry, and rarely talked to each other, as if they were all performing some kind of secret mission. The composition of these people coming in and out is quite complex, including poor boatmen in ragged clothes with expectant faces, sailors with broad shoulders and strong bodies and alert expressions, and some men and women dressed simply but with calloused palms, like local craftsmen.
However, what caught her attention the most were several figures who were obviously more elegantly dressed. They were in groups of twos and threes, and although they were also wearing ordinary coats, judging from the silk linings they inadvertently exposed, the exquisite money bags hanging around their waists, and their slightly shrewd and arrogant demeanor that was completely different from the dock coolies, most of these people were Port Belen businessmen with some wealth.
When these businessmen came in and out of the church, they were not as fanatical as those low-level believers. Instead, they looked more like they were having some kind of business talks, with a bit of shrewdness and calculation on their faces. They entered and exited through the main entrance of the church, and occasionally whispered a few words to members of the cult who were standing at the door of the church and seemed to be in charge. Their attitude seemed quite familiar.
"It seems that the penetration ability of this divine religion is not weak." Li Wen thought to himself that if a new sect can attract such different classes of believers in a short period of time, especially those profit-seeking businessmen, there must be unusual means behind it.
She decided to focus on these wealthy businessmen. Compared with the fanatical low-level believers, these businessmen may have better access to the core secrets of the sect, or at least, the content of their conversations will be more valuable.
When the carriage of the wealthy businessmen drove away, Li Wen followed like a ghost. The carriage passed through the twists and turns of the alley and finally stopped in front of a high-end Tavern with a Blue Whale sign. This kind of place is completely different from the rough Tavern in the dock area. The two uniformed waiters standing at the door show its consumption level.
After the wealthy businessmen entered Tavern, Li Wen walked around to the side of the building, opened Witch State and flew directly to the second floor. She pressed against the gap in the stained glass window and could clearly hear the chatter and laughter inside as people were changing glasses.
"If you ask me, that Cult of Eternal Life is just a thing to deceive the poor." A hoarse male voice sneered, "Eternal life? Resurrection from the dead? I have never seen such a ridiculous thing in my forty years of life."
"What do you know?" Another slightly shrill voice retorted, "Did the church's merchant ship sink in a storm a while ago? You didn't see that scene. All the sailors on the ship drowned, and the bodies couldn't be found. After a while, those people appeared on the dock alive again!"
The muffled sound of the wine glass hitting the oak table was heard, followed by a third voice with a strong nasal voice. "Old Potter, you don't really believe this nonsense, do you? The dead are resurrected? Ha! From my perspective, those guys didn't drown at all, they hid under the boat and swam back!"
"I saw it with my own eyes!" the shrill voice became excited. "Those sailors still had signs of drowning, but they were moving cargo as if nothing happened. The foreman on the dock was so scared that he wet his pants on the spot!"
Li Wen pressed against the window, his fingertips unconsciously touching the edge of the cloak. Resurrection of the dead? This description sounds like a player resurrection mechanism. So there are still players in the membership of this church? It's really strange.
"Let me tell you, regardless of whether he is really dead or fake, if he can help us make money, he is a good teacher." The hoarse male voice lowered his voice, "Last month Cult Leader revealed the spice market, which made me earn this amount." The wooden table made a muffled sound of being knocked, "This is much better than those priests who talk about Radiance all day long."
"Tsk tsk, that's true, let alone other things... the price of spices in which region will increase, the whale oil in which region will plummet, when should I stock up on goods, and when should I sell them... Damn, there is not a single mistake. I have never seen such a wicked person in my life. This is a living miracle. Cult Leader is really our savior, a cash cow!"
The man with a nasal voice suddenly sneered, "You idiots, do you really think that the leader is a philanthropist? He has more handles than the fish in the port. How come old Coleman's fleet is missing, don't you know?"
The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Li Wen heard the sound of liquid pouring, followed by the crisp sound of wine glasses clinking.
"Drink, drink." The hoarse male voice smoothed things over, "There are still batches of goods to be inspected tomorrow..."
The conversation drifted toward inconsequential shipping trivia. Li Wen quietly retreated and fell back to the ground lightly, his cloak dragging tiny water marks on the wet stone slab.
I thought it was just an ordinary country Evil Cult, but now it seems that this so-called "Eternal Life Blessing Cult" is obviously not simple.