Unlike most villages in southern Intis, Belon Village relied primarily on growing grapes and making wine, with almost no traditional farming or livestock raising. What greeted Angel was therefore not vast fields or pastures, but stretches of vineyards and houses scattered among them.
This made the entire village compact and orderly, unlike villages that grew conventional crops or raised sheep and cattle, where the land stretched beyond sight yet hardly anyone could be seen.
It was somewhat like Shayo Town in Trier's western outskirts, but without the bustle of a large city. It had a relaxed atmosphere, as though even time flowed more slowly here.
With this holiday-like feeling, Angel and Bernadette stepped onto the dirt road leading into Belon Village.
They had barely taken a few steps when a man pushed a cart loaded with wine barrels past them. The creaking of its axles accompanied a rush of smells: fermenting wine mingled with the aged aroma of oak barrels.
The man pushing the cart had rough skin and vacant eyes, his mind clearly dulled by excessive physical labor. Yet as he passed Angel and Bernadette, he stared fixedly at them, whether captivated by their disguised faces or simply because their clothes were so rarely seen in a rural village like this.
After stopping and starting several times, the man finally disappeared reluctantly into a wooden house. Angel said softly:
"Come on. Let's visit the village church first and ask the local priest about the situation."
Before coming, Angel had already obtained basic information about the village from Julian of Element Dawn. But to avoid overlooking anything, a visit to the local church would be safer.
As for churches belonging to Intis's other major religious organization, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, those were usually built in