Church

Of course, before that, Lu Yuan needed to eat first.

Grim Port was already bustling in the early morning. Quite a few laborers in gray shirts had taken to the streets, chatting with friends around them while gnawing on brown-black bread.

After leaving Mrs. Green's bakery,

Lu Yuan had two freshly baked loaves of bread and a small bottle of milk in his hands.

"To the church." Lu Yuan hailed a light-blue rickshaw.

The driver was a dark-skinned young man squatting by the roadside, chewing on black bread.

The moment he heard the words "the church," his eyes lit up.

He swallowed the bread in a few bites and wiped his mouth. "Sir, that's the central district. It's a long way—fifteen Copper Plates."

Lu Yuan did not haggle and got into the rickshaw.

The rickshaw passed through the crowded, noisy slums, and the fishy, moldy stench in the air gradually faded.

As the uneven bluestone streets gave way to neat black avenues, the surroundings changed dramatically as well.

The low shanties vanished, replaced by detached villas with private gardens.

Neatly trimmed plane trees lined both sides of the street, and even the sunlight seemed brighter.

"Sir, you'll have to walk from here." The driver stopped at an intersection and pointed ahead.

"The church requires everyone to walk the final mile to show their devotion."

"But it's very close. Just follow this road ahead, sir, and you'll see the church." The driver pointed toward the middle of the three roads.

Lu Yuan nodded, paid him, and set off alone along the broad white avenue paved with marble.

At the end of the avenue, a grand Gothic spired building pierced the sky.

Its gray-white walls reflected a sacred radiance beneath the sunlight, while its enormous stained-glass windows were covered in intricate religious patterns.

Yet beneath that holiness, Lu Yuan sensed a faint feeling of rejection.

"Is Strange Dream rejecting the church? Or..."

Expressionless, Lu Yuan continued forward. As he drew closer, he saw that quite a few people were already waiting outside the church.

Before Lu Yuan could enter the gates,

a Nun in white robes emerged holding an enormous horn.

"Woooo—"

As the Nun blew the horn, a sound like the low growl of some enormous beast spread outward.

The people who had been lining up in the square all stopped what they were doing and lowered their heads in devout prayer.

Only Lu Yuan immediately felt a tightness in his chest, followed by a surge of nausea.

"That obvious?" Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly. Forcibly suppressing his discomfort, he approached a man standing in line.

"Friend, do you know what's going on?" Lu Yuan struck up a conversation with the man nearby.

"Hm? You don't know?" The man was somewhat surprised by Lu Yuan's question.

But when he looked up and saw the black-haired, black-eyed man before him, he immediately understood something.

"Brother, you just arrived in Grim Port? Then it's normal that you wouldn't know." The man continued.

"The church stationed in Grim Port is the group that worships the Angel. Every day when they open their doors, they do this." He pointed at the enormous horn in the Nun's hands.

"It's basically a daily prayer. After that, you just line up and go in as usual. But brother, you don't look like a local either. Are you here to see a Doctor too?"

The man looked at Lu Yuan and asked in return.

"I only arrived recently. I'm here to buy some Holy Water and medicinal herbs." Lu Yuan frowned at the line that had already formed before him.

"Head over there. That's where they specifically sell medicine and Holy Water."

The man pointed Lu Yuan in a direction, while he himself stood at the very end of the line.

"I'm here to see a Doctor, and to pick up this month's Holy Water while I'm at it."

Lu Yuan thanked him and headed in the direction he had indicated.

After walking some distance to the left, he indeed found a small door that was already open.

Inside, before a wooden counter,

a Nun in white robes sat upright in her chair, reading a scripture with her head lowered. Her lips moved slightly, as though she were praying.

Only upon hearing footsteps did the Nun raise her head, her eyes carrying a trace of confusion.

"Lost lamb, what do you need?"

"I need some medicinal herbs and Holy Water." As Lu Yuan spoke, he took out a sheet of paper. "The types and quantities of herbs I need are listed on this."

The Nun stepped forward, took it, and glanced over it a few times before looking up. "These herbs aren't common. Are you a Doctor?"

"Yes. I'm Laisen's friend, here to take his place for a while." Lu Yuan gave the prepared answer.

"Doctor Laisen?" The Nun's smile froze for a brief moment, and her gaze became somewhat inscrutable. "He hasn't come to confess to the Angel in a long time. I hope he... is well."

"You know Laisen?" A trace of wariness rose in Lu Yuan's heart.

If she really was Laisen's friend, he had to be extremely careful with his words. Once he exposed a flaw, his identity might be at risk of being revealed.

"More or less."

The Nun did not seem to want to discuss it and took the initiative to end the topic.

"But since you've taken over Laisen's clinic, you're considered a Doctor of Grim Port. According to the rules, you can purchase different grades of Holy Water."

"So what grade of Holy Water do you need?"

"What grades are there?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced." The Nun flipped through the booklet on the counter, then added, "You may purchase Primary Holy Water without limit. You may still purchase three bottles of Intermediate Holy Water this month, and one bottle of Advanced Holy Water within the next six months."

"And the prices?" Lu Yuan was immediately interested.

Holy Water really was divided into different types. He just did not know what the specific differences were.

Of course, if the prices were right, Lu Yuan wanted to bring back one bottle of each to examine.

"One Silver Shield, ten Silver Shields, and one Gold Shield," the Nun stated.

"Two bottles of Primary, two bottles of Intermediate. No Advanced Holy Water for now."

Lu Yuan decisively gave up on buying Advanced Holy Water. There simply were not enough Imperial Shields in his pocket.

Unless he gave up buying the other medicinal herbs, but those herbs were meant to raise his skill level, so he could only temporarily forgo the Advanced Holy Water.

After a quick calculation, the Nun quoted the final price.

"Eighty Silver Shields."

Lu Yuan handed over the Gold Shield from his robes.

"Thank you for your generosity."

The Nun accepted the Gold Shield, then led Lu Yuan into a deep, secluded corridor.

The interior of the church was far more spacious than it looked from outside.

Straight Roman columns stood at regular intervals along the outer edge, while the stained glass between them cast dreamy colors across the corridor beneath the sunlight.

The Angel patterns carved into the walls wore smiles, appearing somewhat sacred beneath the colored light.

Lu Yuan followed behind the Nun until they stopped at a room. Only then did he learn what Holy Water truly was.

"Holy Water must be drawn from the Holy Spring by believers themselves. Only then can they receive the Angel's Blessing," the Nun said softly behind Lu Yuan.