Grantham

As an absolutely devout follower, Little Ox never wavered in his faith until his death. If loyalty had a numerical value, he would surely be at 100%.

Therefore, even though his heart was already set on something, Little Ox didn't choose to sneak away halfway to go calculate Hooke's problems. Instead, he planned to continue to Grantham for the gathering.

And so.

As Hooke's carriage gradually drove away, the group repacked their belongings and set off once more.

Three hours later.

After resting twice more along the way, the eight of them finally arrived, dust-covered and weary, outside the entrance to a town.

It was a small town surrounded by walls about four meters high, with a stone tablet at the entrance.

An English inscription was carved onto the stone tablet, which translated to Grantham.

During the two years Xu Yun spent as an exchange student in England, he had visited this town once, staying for three and a half days.

After all, this was Little Ox's hometown, and in a sense, it could be considered a physical "holy land." Most people involved in physics who had the chance to visit London would come here for a pilgrimage.

At the time, Xu Yun, being short on cash, stayed at a hotel called Huameida, located right near the Grantham town wall entrance. You could see the entrance as soon as you entered the town on the right-hand side.

The hotel was rated four stars, but the room rate, including tax, was only a little over 290 yuan in Huaxia currency, which was incredibly cheap.

However, the hotel's soundproofing was rather poor; you could hear some "applause" in the middle of the night.

Back then, the hotel owner had even patted his chest and told Xu Yun that their hotel was over four hundred years old, though it had been renovated several times, making it not look that old.

There was even a four-hundred-year historical plaque certified by the John Bull government hanging on the wall then, so Xu Yun foolishly believed him and even paid three euros to take a photo with the plaque.

But now, arriving in Grantham, he really wanted to spit on the owner's bald head, which was almost as sparse as a programmer's hair:

That hotel had a 400-year history? No way! The location where the hotel stood back then was now a fruit stand!

Indeed, when traveling these days, you can't believe anything anyone says. Some people even question local history, yet they fabricate so much themselves. (Note 1)

Besides the hotel being replaced by a fruit stand, the architectural condition of the entire town of Grantham also differed greatly from later times:

In later years, although Grantham still maintained its classical decor, both the buildings and streets were very clean, somewhat resembling local celebrity homes, focusing on the sense of historical atmosphere.

But at this very moment...

As far as the eye could see, the town was almost entirely made up of two- and three-story brick houses, with no discernible architectural style. The exteriors were damaged and blackened, and moss grew on the shaded sides.

Xu Yun could spot several patches of filth in the street corners that could be pixelated with just a casual glance.

The main street of the town was relatively cleaner, paved with stones to form a street seven or eight meters wide, with pedestrians and vehicles constantly coming and going.

But if you looked closely, you would find a strange, slightly yellowish viscous fluid clinging to the gaps or edges of some of the stones.

Judging by the flies that occasionally buzzed past, this fluid was most likely not something pleasant.

What surprised Xu Yun at first glance, however, was that there were quite a few thin, ragged poor people in the town who seemed oblivious, sitting or even lying directly in the filth.

Their eyes were vacant, letting flies, rats, and cockroaches crawl over them and their surroundings.

Xu Yun sighed slightly at the sight.

Whether it was the early colonial period or the future industrial revolution, the lower classes on the British Isles had a difficult time.

Some might have luckily prospered, but many more became the denominators of certain fractions, turning into a dark cloud over London with tears and hatred, unable to rest in peace to this day.

Then, guided by Mr. and Mrs. William, the group headed directly southwest.

Grantham was not large. It took only a little over ten minutes for everyone to arrive in front of St. Titus Didymus Church, the tallest building in Grantham apart from the bell tower.

St. Titus Didymus Church was about twelve to thirteen meters high, with a square overall shape. The columns were grouped in threes, the bays varied greatly in width, the facade was extremely three-dimensional, and a red cross stood atop it.

Noble and solemn, imposing and magnificent, it exuded a powerful sense of pressure.

Clearly, this was a standard Baroque style building. Early European churches were Romanesque, which later developed into Gothic, and by this time, Baroque decoration had become popular.

However, by the 18th century, architectural styles would come full circle again:

At that time, Gothic style would experience a resurgence, enjoying a hundred years of popularity and even influencing the local architectural design field.

At the entrance of the church stood a kind-faced pastor, about sixty years old, dressed in simple but high-quality clothes, with his hair slicked back shiningly.

The pastor greeted everyone with an enthusiastic hug, showing no aversion to their body odor or dirt.

Perhaps because it was the only gathering place in the town, a long queue had already formed at the church entrance, and people were constantly arriving from all directions, filling the empty spots at the end of the line.

Xu Yun's group waited in line for about ten minutes before finally reaching the pastor.

The William family were clearly old members of this church. The moment they saw them, the pastor unhesitatingly spoke William's name:

"Hallelujah! Mr. Escu! It is a joy to see you. May you be anointed with God's grace, and may your family receive His favor!"

"Hallelujah! Pastor Yarlin! Thank you for God's guidance!"

William gave the pastor a warm hug, followed by Mrs. William, Lisa, and Lilani.

When it was Little Ox's turn, Pastor Yarlin became even more enthusiastic. After all, he was the only student to receive a reduced tuition fee from Trinity Seminary in over a decade:

"Little Isaac! Praise God, your arrival will surely bring joy to our Lord! May God guard your heart above all else, for all that you do flows from it."

Facing Pastor Yarlin's praise, Little Ox displayed an unusually rare humility and respect, an expression rarely seen in his daily life:

"Hallelujah! Mr. Yarlin."

Yarlin clapped him heavily on the shoulder before turning his gaze to Xu Yun:

"Oh, my lord, and who might this be?"

Little Ox gave Xu Yun a nod to come forward and introduced him:

"Mr. Yarlin, this is my friend from the East, his name is Fat Fish, and he's come to worship and serve with us today."

Hearing this, Xu Yun stepped forward and nodded to Yarlin:

"Hello, Mr. Yarlin."

Yarlin looked him over carefully and said:

"Welcome, child, may God bless you."

Note:

I was chatting with others in a group about revising the story when I suddenly remembered that the original title I planned for this book was The Tech Empire Starts by Exterminating Cockroaches, but many people rejected it. I'd like to ask everyone here if you really think it sounds bad?

If you think it's bad, leave a 1 here.

If you think it's okay, leave a 2 here.

Let me see if my naming skills are really that terrible.