When the next day ca, Jiang Li had already been healed back to his optimal state and returned to doing charities while preaching in the na of the Goddess. It was if nothing happened yesterday. He passed food rations to people lining up in front of him and directed priests in healing the sick. Once in awhile, parents carrying their newborns would approach him and he would always smilingly agree to na the baby for them.
One ti, when a baroness who cut in line approached him for a na, a thought flashed in his mind.
'Hmm, I see, the last na is Park...
In this world, only those with noble titles had the right to have a last na. And among these minorities, the last na Park was quite rare. Thinking of its English aning, a famous movie from Na Yu's world popped up in mind.
'Ah A place where kids could play around and adults could stroll or have a date... Yeah, Park, surna Park So how about we give him the na Jurassic?'
For a mont, he felt like it was very fitting and that he was quite a genius.
A second later, he had to shake off the ridiculous thought. With a smile, he bestowed a proper given na to the baby so he could chase away the slightly overbearing madam.
"Madam, the eyes of your lovely child shows intellect and wisdom. I feel like he is destined for greatness. He might be a great scholar or a governnt official in the future. So let's call him by the na Plato!"
Looking at the kind expression on Jiang Li's face, the baroness felt like the na sounded nice to the ears, so he repeatedly nodded in satisfaction and kept mumbling the word. "Plato. Oh, Plato... What a wonderful na! It has been decided, my son blessed by the prophet should be called that!" After exclaiming this, she curtsied with the baby still in her arms. "I thank you, Your Excellency! I promise to tell my son of your favor to him once he grows old enough."
"It's natural for a little treasure to get a good na. You're exaggerating my contribution, Madam."
"No, not at all. We won't forget your kindness, Honorable Sir. I'll make sure to raise my Plato into a devout follower of the Holy Church. Once he's old enough I'll make sure he personally pays you a visit too."
'I might be long dead by then,' he almost laughed out loud.
She curtsied and said with a bowed head. "Praise be to the Goddess!"
His smile turned into a happy grin. "Praise be to the Goddess."
Inwardly, he told himself, 'That's right. Praise her more, glorify her more, and be more devoted to her. Make her more powerful...so she can escape and see in person.' In the last part, Jiang Li's eyes darkened for a mont. He expended so effort to ignore the irritation in his heart.
The man sitting in a wheeled chair was pushed up a raised platform in the middle of the town's square. He exchanged pleasantries and words with other people.
Even though the platform had a shed, his white hair and clean skin glistened under the sun's warm rays that fell onto him. The face he wore was as warm. And his hands were rarely free. For helpless citizens wanting guarantees to a better future, the prophet's hands were what they strived to touch. They were probably hoping that miracles from the Goddess could happen through those hands. Or maybe they were thinking he could pass to them so luck and good fortune.
Jiang Li never showed reluctance to hold the hands of those reaching out to him, no matter the age and appearance. He had to do this. After knowing a part of the truth, he knew he had to do sothing, hence he made this trip, and even deployed people to the other cities and regions. Those places already had branches of the church. The faith of the people there had already reached a bottleneck. So in order for them to get results, he made the guys lent to him go to public squares and plazas, and hand out vials of holy water, boxes of food, and so clothes 'She' personally blessed through him. Of course, the blessing part was a lie. But he reckoned many would fall for it.
As a mortal, this was all he could do. To be honest, he felt remorse not doing this much earlier. He only realized sothing was wrong when he couldn't hear from her for more than a week. It was hard to entirely shift the bla to the system who refused to tell him about the Goddess' whereabouts. It was he who beca negligent and complacent.
The realization had given him a few sleepless nights. This persisted even if he knew she should be okay. A week ago, the church publicized that the Saintess saw the Goddess in her dreams and gave her the ability to speak the Baler language.
According to the Pope, Su Luxi did not hear her voice. Maybe there was really sothing preventing the girl from directly speaking with anybody from the material world. But if she could show herself to people, why not to him?
Plot again?
Ti passed. When the rays falling onto his skin beca a bit too hot to take, he subconsciously looked up. He saw that the sun was already only a few degrees away from the center.
A cleric walked towards him and said, "Sir Prophet, it's already past eleven. Please take a rest and have your al. I will bring three brothers in faith to take over here until you return."
The man nodded. When he smiled and excused himself from the sea of people, he pretended to have not noticed the few suspicious individuals mixing in the crowd, eyeing him with either curiosity or aggression.
The mont he got to the tent set up behind the raised platform, he told one of the knights, "A few unwelcod eyes are observing from various corners."
The other man, dressed in white plate armor with a seven-petaled flower symbol on the chest part, bowed and replied, "Don't worry, Your Excellency. Our brothers are already looking into it. We have actually already tracked so and discovered where they ca from."
Jiang Li nodded at the commander, his gaze conveying appreciation. He then drove his wheelchair towards the table and laid a white clothe skillfully on his lap. The place was small and had the bare minimum amount of furnishings inside. In front of him, there were already various dishes arranged, each giving off a pleasant and appetizing sll. He lifted a corner of his mouth. Bringing a group of chefs with them had been a great decision.
"Putting the monks aside, which factions are the others dressing up like normal civilians from?" he asked as he began eating.
"Sir. There are informants from each ducal Houses and so other lesser noble families. But we can see that they are not really hostile. It seems their only goal is to check on your movents and report them to their masters. They are also to spring into action if ever a few fools threaten your safety. It must be a plan to get to your good side."
"Good side?" The idea sounded ridiculous and so the question ca out sardonically.
Should he be happy that everyone was now treating him like a weakling? Also, about their actions, the spies would defend him if he ever landed in a thorny or life-threatening situation so it was okay to disregard that they were obviously spying on him? He he.
"Don't pay them much attention. Ignore those from the Emperor too. " He quietly savored his al for a couple of minutes before inquiring, "How about the hostile ones?"
The burly knight glanced down. "It's only the monks, and so lawless and common people from the slums and the mountains..."
"I see. And the crown prince's people?" Jiang Li lifted his head up and watched the commander's change in his expression.
The leader of the holy knights was a big person in his mid-thirties. He had seen quite many things and types of people and thus was usually smart. Despite no rumors arising about the stiff relationship between the prophet and the future Emperor, he had long inferred about it. Although a bit torn inside due to being a citizen of the empire, he was still ultimately a person from the church. He only hesitated for a couple of seconds before giving a reply.
"We have captured one of the n sent by Prince Ro."
Jiang Li showed an interested expression. The older man first wandered his gaze around, double-checking for prying eyes and ears. He then said in a low voice. "The crown prince has given them orders that are not favorable to Your Excellency. The Pope is already aware. However..."
The pause made the young man wait for his continuation, but it didn't co. It seed the leader did not dare say things out loud. Jiang Li voiced it out on his behalf, of course, in a nonchalant manner. "The Saintess will be the future Empress so since the crown prince has yet to do anything to , despite that hit order, the Pope won't raise this matter to the imperial family. Correct?"
It had been days since he departed from the capital. The announcent about the new fiancee of that idiot prince made way into his ears while he was still on the way to the territory. It ca as no surprise to him as it was a major event in the plot. Rumina Bolden was rumored to have fallen sick. A few were saying she fell ill due to the crown's heartlessness, but the majority claid she contracted an incurable disease first so she was removed as the primary fiancee candidate. Anyway, it was a matter he hardly cared about for now.
Inside the tent, silence reigned for a full minute. This made him think the holy knight was guilty, or perhaps, feeling bad and conflicted on his behalf.
"I'm already away. What else do they want?" Jiang Li couldn't help but click his tongue.
The other people present maintained a stoic expression, but they too were feeling puzzled in their hearts.
Why does the crown prince keep acting against the prophet? Shouldn't he be doing the opposite instead?
For a mont, they wanted to doubt whether the brain of the heir to the throne was working correctly. If they were him, they would surely draw an influential and useful man to their side, especially if it was a person who could predict calamities and huge events and had a whole House standing behind him.
...
Jiang Li chose to personally travel to nearby cities after the charity works in the fief. Along the way, he passed by many towns and villages. He t all sorts of people of course. At dayti, he wore a smile all day long, playing the role of a saintly but fragile noble. At night, he would lead the people of his ducal house into raiding the monasteries of the Creator, collecting information, and also sending so fake or misleading news back to the capital.
'A holy text was uncovered from a cave in this mountain.'
'An old sculpture of the Goddess from the dark ages was recovered from that river.'
'Both the stele and sculpture had the sa content. A warning from the Goddess of Light was etched, stating that the evil god who caused the disappearance of many gods would be reappearing in the near future. Everyone should prepare.'
'The Saintess' summoning is related to the evil god.'
Jiang Li went to as many places as he could. But on the fourth day of his third week of being away from the central region, he led the whole group back, then t up with the pope again.
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