CH-007

Shu Li clearly felt that Elder Jager was exaggerating his actions.

Back when Shu Li had the conviction of a charlatan, he felt he could continue playing the mystic. But as soon as he returned to reality, he felt that what he was doing was actually a bit embarrassing.

Regardless, Shu Li still couldn’t show weakness in front of the Elder.

He followed up by naming the crop yield increase plan the “Savoy Sacred Agricultural Project.”

Elder Jager indicated he “didn’t understand.”

Shu Li waved a hand and said it didn’t matter; that wasn’t the point.

“It’s just an expression to enhance one’s own momentum.”

Now, the most critical item for starting the project lay in “salt.”

Shu Li needed a large amount of salt to support his plan.

The productivity of the Western fantasy world Shu Li was in was comparable to the Medieval period, and one of the most crucial points was that “salt is a rare item,” expensive and valuable. Ordinary people could hardly afford the consumption of salt.

However, for Father Shu Li, “obtaining salt” was unexpectedly not a particularly difficult task.

Because the vast majority of the salt industry in this world was monopolized by the Church.

And salt, just like in the Middle Ages, was also considered a tool that could defeat demons and the Grim Reaper.

People tended to sprinkle salt to purify souls or drive away bad luck and disaster.

In the Church, clergy members would hand-make auspicious salt bags to give to their believers.

The reason why Elder Jager’s family was treated kindly by those around them, besides their down-to-earth personalities, was that they would occasionally use their convenience as clergy to gift salt to the neighbors.

However, since they were not priests, and to prevent low-level clergy from privately selling salt for profit, collecting salt from the Church required an application on their behalf by a Father. When there was no Father in the Savoy parish, they also had to write letters asking Fathers from neighboring villages or towns to handle it for them.

Despite this, they could only collect one pound (less than 500g) of salt per month.

If Shu Li was present, he could collect 10 kilograms of salt every month used by the entire parish for religious rituals such as baptisms, consecrations, and exorcisms.

“I will use the salt to make holy water. And use the holy water to treat the seeds.”

Shu Li was the type of person who didn’t easily reveal his thoughts.

If he spoke out, it usually meant he had done enough investigation or relied on experience to provide a solution.

He wouldn’t throw the problem to others to do.

Elder Jager had never heard of any special holy water that could make plants take root and sprout early. A point to mention here is that their agricultural knowledge was all learned from the “Book of Hours” dedicated to believers’ prayers. The Church would describe and depict the process of agricultural labor in detail with text and illustrations. And this hidden agricultural knowledge was also revered by everyone as a gold standard; for the time being, there was no agricultural writing more detailed than the “Book of Hours.”

“Was this learned in the metropolis?” Elder Jager looked thoughtful and asked, “I see it’s not written in the prayer books.”

Shu Li was unwilling to easily reveal his trump card.

After all, this knowledge was the foundation of his standing.

He smiled and said: “You do as I say first. If everything goes smoothly, and if there are still questions, you can ask me anytime.” By then, Shu Li would have prepared a more thoroughly considered answer.

After hearing this, Elder Jager did not press further, but continued on the topic of collecting salt, “If we are to collect salt, I’m afraid we must go to the nearest large cathedral. I will have my son Raymond go to Carson City; it will take two days for a round trip. Lord Alis, you may need to write a letter of introduction and an application to collect prayer salt.”

Shu Li only knew the rules and regulations; he didn’t know that going to the nearby cathedral institution took two days round trip. For a moment, just going to get salt seemed too much of a hassle. Therefore, he asked again about the religious ritual supplies, and simply asked for holy ointment and spices as well. Besides this, he also listed another seed list, including alfalfa, red clover, sweet alyssum, tomatoes, soybeans, peanuts, and chili peppers.

“For seeds, other than the sweet alyssum, buy some of the others if you can, but don’t buy them in the metropolis; just buy some in whatever small village or town you pass along the way. If you can’t buy them, don’t worry about it.” Shu Li spoke as he wrote, which was also intended to draw out the other party’s thoughts.

Elder Jager asked: “Alfalfa and clover are herbs, but sweet alyssum is a flower?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to make a church flowerbed?”

“No.”

Elder Jager expressed confusion: “Hmm?”

Shu Li clarified his thoughts once again, “I noticed there’s a small piece of land behind the church leading to where I live; I plan to develop and utilize it. If no believers come to the door, I can also find something to do.”

He had another idea, which was to try not to consume the products of the Church’s farmland.

Although winter was still eight months away, it was time to start thinking about storing food for winter.

After all, Shu Li didn’t want to bring a burden to Elder Jager’s family because of his arrival.

After Shu Li finished writing, he folded it naturally, “If there are no other questions, I’ll stamp the written letter and prepare a bit of travel and seed-purchasing expenses.”

Elder Jager gave an acknowledgement, and only reacted a beat late, “You have already prepared the letter?” He only saw Shu Li listing the procurement list.

“Yes, I see Raymond is still here. You tell him first. I’ll get the things ready.”

After the words fell, Shu Li stood up, walked to the Father’s office, and found the small box containing the seals that had been placed there earlier.

When he first arrived at the church, he had done a classification of items; things like seals that represented identity but were not commonly used had to be locked up.

At that time, he had only roughly looked and seen there was a seal in the small box, so he didn’t pay much attention.

But after he took out the seal this time, Shu Li found there was a hidden compartment at the bottom of the seal. Hidden in the compartment was a brown paper envelope. The opening of the envelope was sealed with wax, indicating it had never been opened until now.

Flipping the envelope, Shu Li’s fingertips touched the unique texture of the paper, smooth and resilient. There were no decorations on it, nor any extra marks.

This seems to be for Father Alis himself?

Could it be related to his life history?

In fact, Shu Li had no memory of Father Alis at all.

Say Shu Li is sharp.

He indeed had very strong observation skills. Things others couldn’t find, he could always see through at a glance and keenly discover where something was wrong. But most of the time, he was exceptionally light-hearted. Many things were not taken to heart by him; he always had a “take things as they come” spontaneity, doing things without haste, and was very dull toward the outside world.

Like now, the light-hearted Shu Li only realized that not having Father Alis’s memories in this world seemed a bit off.

Therefore, realizing this letter might be related to himself, he hurriedly tore open the envelope.

The letter inside actually used expensive parchment paper, and there were only a few words on it, enough to see the importance the sender placed on it.

However, the content was very abstract and had nothing to do with Alis’s life history—

“To the honorable Lord Alis”

The use of “Lord” was a formal document term, and “Excellency” was not used, which meant there was no extra identity information inside.

Shu Li thought as he read.

“To ensure the long-term development of the Church, we hereby remind you that after you arrive in the parish, once you discover that the legitimate son of the Duke of the North, Leslie Forrest, who has already become a son of the devil, has actions that harm others, please immediately report to the Holy Cathedral in the metropolis. At that time, the Paladin army will take immediate action to clear all obstacles and troubles for you, so that the Savoy parish can return to the protection of the Church as soon as possible.

May the Holy Light be with you.

Cardinal of the Holy Cathedral, Deroy Kyle”

You should know, Shu Li usually didn’t look at the plot when playing games, usually doing game tasks directly, resulting in his head suddenly not turning when he saw this Church text at first glance.

However, when he read it a second time and then combined it with the plot he knew, he began to understand the meaning in the letter—

At first, Shu Li thought that in the original book’s story, because of the Ander family massacre incident, the young Leslie was mistaken by people for a devil, and because his identity was the son of a Duke, no one dared to really do anything to him. As a result, there was a bold priest who publicly said he was a devil, so the male lead’s father killed his way over from the North’s central city and locked the male lead in the basement to shut people up.

But now, this letter opened up new thoughts for Shu Li.

From the letter paper, the Holy Cathedral had already pre-inputted an authoritative, preconceived idea to “Father Alis” in advance—”Leslie is the son of the devil.” Without a doubt, a “white, sweet, and silly” priest loyal to the Church would surely bravely seize the opportunity to prove the young Leslie was a devil.

People who understand history should know that this step by the Church was actually similar to Cao Cao’s public opinion campaign of “holding the emperor to command the lords.”

To put it bluntly, the Holy Cathedral’s purpose was only to strengthen the Church’s power in the North.

According to previous rumors, the Lord of the North didn’t like the Church’s power intruding into his territory. However, this Church came over under the banner of eliminating devils. As the saying goes, “the expedition is for a good cause,” and it is perfectly justifiable; if the Lord of the North wanted to block it, he couldn’t. If the Lord also shielded his own son, it would be even easier to give people something to talk about.

But if the Paladins really came, they surely wouldn’t be easy to evacuate.

This was the Church’s foolproof plan.

As for whether the priest in the book died of a malignant disease because of the Duke’s hand or the Church’s arrangement, it wasn’t the point; after all, this result wouldn’t change the fact that the two sides were at loggerheads.

Shu Li pinched the letter paper, tilted his head slightly, his eyes frozen, silently weighing the next choice in his mind.

At this moment, in his mind, two paths intertwined:

One was to attach to the Church, following the guidance of the “Holy Light.” Although dangerous, at least his life could be preserved, and he could even obtain the management rights of the Savoy parish;

The other was to throw himself into the Duke’s embrace, taking this letter for him to see, using it to touch power. He could obtain trust and also quickly live a better, more comfortable life.

These choices flashed through his mind quickly, like meteors streaking across the sky, bright yet extremely brief.

Both paths were full of temptation, yet also full of crisis.

A slight mistake would become digging one’s own grave.

Thinking carefully, regarding the former, to put it bluntly, he wasn’t any important figure. If the Church really achieved its goal, this parish would surely be managed by core members of the Holy Church. Where would there be room for him? Perhaps he would be sent off to manage a church in some even more deserted place, or even be silenced.

As for the latter, although many movies, dramas, and novels arranged relatively good endings for this kind of surrender where a person’s “awareness of the times makes them a hero,” what was more common, and a more realistic ending, was just like Princess Scylla who helped Minos win the war against Athens in Greek mythology—King Minos “solemnly and righteously” publicly punished this disloyal, unrighteous, and unfilial princess and dragged her into the sea to drown.

One day, if the Duke of the North became ambitious and wanted to fight the Church, obviously the previously surrendered “Father Alis” would become the first sacrificial soul under the blade, an excuse to start the war.

Shu Li curled his lip, planning to pretend he couldn’t understand this letter, thinking that when Elder Jager and the others were not at the church, he would find time to burn it.

But just as his thought appeared, a sudden unexpected rustling sound came from the doorway.

This sound was extremely fine and small, stopping abruptly, but it was like an ice needle piercing into his brain.

This sound was not natural at all.

Obviously, someone was standing outside the door.

Suddenly, Shu Li’s fingers began to grow stiff and cold, even his chest was going numb.

Why peek at him in secret? Who is it?

Is it intentional, or accidental?

Who else could be in this church right now besides Elder Jager’s family?

Could he look up and take a glance?

Indeed, because of realizing he was a pawn in the torrent of power struggles, Shu Li was a bit too “startled by the sound of wind and the cry of cranes,” yet he couldn’t cover his various guesses.

Maintaining the head-down posture for three or four seconds, Shu Li looked up again and naturally shouted toward the door, “Raymond, come and give me a hand.” The echo in the hallway was sufficient; if he was nearby, he should be able to hear. If he didn’t hear, he would naturally walk out.

Anyway, Shu Li was pretending not to have noticed the movement just now.

Moreover, with this shout, Shu Li would have a chance to observe the crack of his office door.

Although he himself didn’t think the seal was a very precious thing, it was an object that proved identity after all. Therefore, when Shu Li entered the room, he had still slightly pulled the office door, but it wasn’t closed tight, leaving a crack.

He noticed the crack was about half an inch wider than before.

Shu Li was sure it wasn’t the wind because the office had a sliding door that moved left and right.

Did the person leave?

Or are they hiding nearby?

This was the end of the hallway; where could they hide?

The heartbeat in his chest suddenly became restless.

And hearing Shu Li’s shout, Raymond’s footsteps drew closer and closer, and soon he poked his head through the doorway: “Lord Alis, is there anything you need help with?”

Raymond didn’t notice anyone, so they should have left…

Shu Li’s expression remained unchanged, “I discussed it with your father and entrusted you to go to Carson City to get salt and buy seeds along the way. I’ll give you the letter of introduction and the application form.”

Because of long-term carpentry work, Raymond had a sturdy build, but because of a habitual hunch, he didn’t appear particularly tall. But he looked very reliable and had a loud voice: “No problem. Dad already mentioned it just now; I’ll go home now to get the ox cart and set off immediately.”

Taking advantage of his movement to enter the room to get the letter, Shu Li also naturally took the Church’s letter and walked toward the nearby candle.

Parchment paper was very resistant to burning; this characteristic made it a carrier for preserving various important classical documents and materials. The fire resistance of this parchment was a bit ridiculous; it had been burning for over twenty seconds and only just made a start, with the smell of scorched protein permeating the air.

He originally wanted to act openly, but this slow act of burning the letter made the scene a bit awkward.

Shu Li had to steady his mind, looked back at Raymond who was still standing by the desk, and said: “Both letters are on the table.”

Raymond naturally looked at Shu Li’s parchment roll and asked curiously: “Lord Alis, what are you burning? I see the letter paper used is still parchment; it must be a very important letter. Isn’t it bad to burn it like this?”

“It’s a letter saying that if I can’t stay in the Savoy parish, I should return to the metropolis. I have already planned to spend my whole life here, sharing fate with you; this letter is useless to me, so I want to burn it.”

Gratitude was immediately written all over Raymond’s face, “Lord Alis! We have waited for over 20 years, it was truly worth it! You are truly the God-chosen priest come to save the Savoy parish.”

Shu Li finished playing his part and turned toward the eternal lamp, letting the parchment roll soak in the lamp oil.

The original flame was like a greedy snake, immediately licking the edge of the letter paper with excitement, and a slight creaking sound came from the air. The paper melted and carbonized much faster than before.

It was hard to imagine that this precious parchment paper vanished just so easily in the flames!

As the firelight flickered, Shu Li saw the letter paper curling in the fire, watching the parts with keywords slowly burn to ashes, and finally threw them into an iron container.

At the same time, the thoughts in Shu Li’s heart became increasingly formed. Previously, he indeed drifted along, but now every whiff of scorched smell was reminding him—this new world belongs to him, and no one can destroy the peaceful life he cherishes.

No matter how the outside world surged, only he could decide his future path.

Shu Li would also absolutely not get involved in any relationship with Leslie.

He took a deep breath, looked up, and looked at Raymond, who was silently waiting aside, with feigned calmness.

The determination behind that flame was still burning in his heart, but Shu Li’s eyes were as calm as water, and his tone was full of unshakable resolve: “The letter has been burned. Please set off.”

Before departing, Shu Li’s hand brushed over Raymond’s temple. Raymond soon realized what he was going to do, so he naturally lowered his head and bent his waist, and finally Shu Li’s hand fell on his head as it hung down.

Raymond was obviously receiving such a blessing for the first time.

His mouth opened slightly in surprise, but he resisted the urge, not speaking, not moving, but his face couldn’t help but turn hot.

Father Alis’s spring-like voice fell by his ear.

He said, “Raymond, may God’s protection go with you and grant you a safe journey.”