Holy Spirit Society

"Holy Spirit Society..."

"The Lord said I had carried out His will and spread His holy name..."

Little George had originally been caught up in his emotions, but Ivan's words interrupted him, leaving him slightly stunned for a moment.

"In the name of the Holy Spirit Society, does that mean I should spread the Lord's church?"

"But I'm only a street urchin..."

"No, Little George. The Lord has always been watching you. You cannot disappoint Him..."

"The Lord means that by helping others and punishing those who slander Him, I am carrying out His will. So I've done well!"

He clenched his fists, raised his head toward the empty night sky, and murmured.

"Lord, I understand. I will continue helping others and spreading Your kindness."

Beside him, the faces of the people suspended in midair had turned purple-black.

Their hands clawed uselessly at the air as they convulsed nonstop.

All they could force from their throats were pitiful whimpers of "Ugh..."

Only then did Little George realize they were about to stop breathing, and he hurriedly withdrew the vines.

With a clatter, the few people fell to the ground and gulped down the long-missed air.

Their hands had left bloody scratches across their necks.

Now, they all trembled as they stared at Little George as though they had seen a demon.

"The gift the Lord has bestowed upon me is meant to help even more people..."

"In the name of the Lord's Holy Spirit Society, I have already forgiven your actions. Now get lost!"

"Cough, cough... Praise... praise the great Lord! Thank the great Holy Spirit Society!"

After catching their breath, those people hastily knelt in worship before scrambling and crawling away from the street.

"Tsk, tsk. Little George really has excellent comprehension. He understood what I meant."

Ivan had no choice. As a "god," his revelations could not be too straightforward.

No god would tell their followers exactly what they had to do.

He had to speak in riddles...

The surroundings fell into another strange silence.

A trembling old man stepped out from the crowd, breaking the atmosphere.

His sparse hair clung strand by strand to his scalp, and he wore a tattered coat. He was Old Harvey, who lived deepest within the Poorhouse.

Old Harvey walked very slowly, pausing for a long time after every step.

"Child, thank you."

He stopped before Little George, closed his eyes, and slightly raised his head, as if recalling something.

"You have let me see again... the kindness of the Lord from long ago."

Old Harvey tightly grasped Little George's hands. His sparse hair became even more disheveled with excitement.

"You must be a messenger sent to save us!"

"I want to join the Holy Spirit Society and once again believe in our merciful Lord!"

With a thud, Old Harvey knelt before Little George, his voice carried by the night wind into everyone's ears.

Little George hurriedly tried to help the old man up.

"No, no, I only did what the Lord wished to do..."

Only after saying it did he realize something seemed off. Didn't that make him a messenger sent by the Lord to save them...

"Praise the merciful Lord for releasing my family from the Poorhouse and allowing us to reunite."

A woman in a coarse cloth dress stepped forward with a child in her arms. She knelt on the ground together with the child.

"Thank the merciful Lord! Thank the Lord's messenger for releasing me from the Poorhouse!"

"No more being bullied every day, no more carrying stones that can never be finished!"

A somewhat younger man also stepped forward and bent his knees. His rough arms were covered in scars.

Thud, thud!

More and more voices rose around them, until words of gratitude and the sounds of kneeling blended into one.

Little George was still holding up Old Harvey as he stared blankly at the sight before him.

"Praise the great Lord! Praise the Lord's Holy Spirit Society!"

Their Lord, meanwhile, floated in midair, his tentacles once again pinching an imaginary chin.

"The former church?"

Old Harvey's words made Ivan sense something unusual.

The Church of Divine Grace was so unpopular with the people, yet it had managed to rule the kingdom so steadily. Ivan had always found that strange.

"When was the previous church replaced by the Church of Divine Grace, and why?"

Judging from Old Harvey's nostalgic expression, the former church's policies toward the destitute had probably been rather friendly.

It was most likely still peddling that mercy-and-ignorance routine, but at least it had not been like this.

"How strange. I really want to have Little George ask directly."

"But as the Lord, I should be omniscient. I shouldn't have played the riddle man..."

Ivan was filled with regret, but for the sake of developing the church, he had no choice but to maintain the Lord's image.

He did not dwell on it any longer. There would always be a chance to find out later.

In the night sky, a gigantic transparent Jellyfish glowing with an eerie blue light slowly emerged.

The gigantic Jellyfish floated in the air, countless blue specks of light slowly drifting from around it and falling onto every believer's head.

The people on the ground sensed the change in light and could not help looking up.

When they saw the mysterious, holy Jellyfish floating in the sky, they all lowered their heads even further, their voices becoming even more devout.

"Praise the great Lord! Lord's messenger, please allow me to join the Holy Spirit Society!"

Countless strands of faith energy drifted toward Ivan. He luxuriated in the energy, his tentacles swaying in relaxation.

"I never expected what Little George did to have such a good effect."

"Pope! He will definitely become the Pope of the Holy Spirit Society in the future!"

Noticing the changes in the crowd, Little George raised his head in surprise and looked back.

When he saw Ivan in the air, he hurriedly lowered his head again and knelt at the front of the crowd.

"The Lord's spirit has manifested again?"

"Does He think my performance just now was not good enough? Is He warning me not to casually agree to let others join the Holy Spirit Society?"

"No, the Lord told me to spread His name. He must want me to use this opportunity to recruit everyone as believers of the Holy Spirit Society."

"The Lord's mercy embraces all people, and the Lord's power is infinitely great. Even if so many people become believers, the Lord will surely be able to fulfill everyone's prayers!"

Little George's mind raced as he analyzed the reason for the Lord's appearance.

Watching his thoughts constantly collide, Ivan could not help adding in his heart.

"Although you're heading in the right direction, whatever you do, don't say that I can fulfill everyone's prayers!"

"I'm begging you, Little George!"

At last, Little George rose amid the crowd's voices, patted the dirt from himself, and said solemnly:

"Everyone of the Poorhouse, the Lord's spiritual form has appeared here precisely as a response to our devout prayers!"

"The Holy Spirit Society welcomes every devout person!"

"From now on, every one of you will be brothers and sisters of the Holy Spirit Society."

In his heart, he recalled that prayer.

"O Lord, You are the myriad, and You are the one. You are the spirit of all things and all things of spirit."

"All spirits, all natures; all natures, all spirits. You are the Lord of All Spirits, the source of all natures, the origin of spirit, and the resting place of souls."

"May our souls follow the Lord's spirit through this filthy age and find a pure resting place."

The kneeling people began chanting along with him.

Their voices resonated before the South York Poorhouse, and even the damaged iron railings trembled faintly in response.

As the prayer was spoken, more faith energy gathered around Ivan with greater precision.

Ivan in the sky gradually became transparent amid the voices.

He felt that he should not remain manifested for too long. It would not help preserve the Lord's aloof image.

What surprised him most was this.

The prayer Gais had used to deceive people could actually become a channel for faith energy for the Holy Spirit Society.

"Gais really is talented. Maybe I should bring him over as a Missionary..."

Ivan glanced at the believers below in satisfaction, then gradually floated into the distance, preparing to search for Gais.

Just then, a childish voice rang out from the crowd.

"Lord Pig's Foot, are we believers of the Holy Spirit Society now?"

"Of course you are!"

Although Little George had not yet adapted to his change in status, his words already carried the confidence of a bishop.

"Then, Lord Pig's Foot, when... when can we have Holy Communion?"