thefictionvixens Chapter 343 Storm Church
Chapter 343 Storm Church
Chapter 343 Storm Church
Stepping into the front-line city of the river region, Tang Zijun finally saw the real scenery of the city-state in the other world.
The Black City before could hardly be considered a city-state. The refugees and mercenaries there lived in tents. Calling it a city-state was an understatement; it was more like a makeshift shelter, the kind that could be breached by monsters at any moment.
The roads in the city on the front lines of the river basin were very wide, and the air was filled with a fishy smell, the source of which was unknown. On both sides of the road, there were many people with shabby clothes and haggard faces.
These people were mostly women and children, along with some elderly people. They were so hungry that they were skin and bones, and their eyes had long lost their zest for life. They gathered by the roadside, some sitting and some lying down.
Noticing Tang Zijun's gaze, Gloland whispered, "Those are basically refugees from other places. The population on the front lines of the river basin is already far beyond capacity. There simply aren't enough resources to feed everyone, unless they actively go out hunting, but these people... don't have that kind of strength."
"What about their families? Don't they have any able-bodied young adults?" Chang Lei glanced at a little girl in the crowd and asked casually.
"They're probably dead," Gloland replied. "After the War of the Gods began, the various races lost control of their territories. The wilderness is dangerous, and even experienced mercenaries cannot guarantee their safety."
She paused, then continued, "Of course, this is only one possibility. The more likely scenario is that those young adults abandoned them. It sounds unbelievable, right? But it's actually quite normal."
"During their escape, everyone was in danger, so they had to stick together and fight for survival. Now that they've arrived at the front lines of the river, they're safe. Rather than risking their lives to hunt and take care of their families, the men prefer to exchange their extra spoils for fine wine or go to the cattery."
"Cat shelter?" This was the first time Tang Zijun had ever heard this term.
"It's... an entertainment venue, that's what we call it here."
Gloriam said generously, without showing any signs of being a timid woman, and then continued.
"At first, some people would condemn them, but everyone knows that every time these young men leave the front lines of the river basin to go into the wilderness, they are very likely to never come back."
"Merchants make money, churches have believers, those men are self-sufficient, and even if they die outside, it won't affect the front lines in the river basin, so gradually, everyone accepted and got used to their way of doing things."
"What about these children and the elderly?" Chang Lei asked in a low voice.
“As you can see,” Glolando sighed. “Sometimes the various churches and lords on the river front will provide some relief, but that’s barely enough to keep them alive. As for food and shelter, that’s impossible. No one has enough resources to support them, especially when they can’t provide any service.”
She paused, then continued, "That's why we're living with the refugees in Black City. In Black City, at least our mercenary group can afford it, but here, they only have one path: death, or to live a life of aimless wandering like these people."
"Pfft." Chang Lei withdrew his gaze, forcing himself not to look at the refugees.
"Actually, we really have to thank you. If it weren't for your and Lady Hyacinth's help, we probably wouldn't have been able to hold on either. Now that the land can be cultivated and the refugees can also contribute, this is the kind of life that so many people dream of."
"No need to be so polite. We've only provided an opportunity. To accomplish all of this, it's up to you to do the work yourself," Tang Zijun said in a deep voice.
Greland smiled and didn't continue. She knew when to stop and understood the proper boundaries in communication.
During the time she got to know Tang Zijun, Grelando felt more and more how mysterious and powerful the man in front of her was. At the same time, she was constantly looking for the best way to communicate with him.
Learning how to get along with Tang Zijun, reviewing Tang Zijun's expression after each time she spoke, and reflecting on her own small actions and behavior—although these may seem somewhat inferior, for Grilando, these are the only necessary conditions for her to bring her closer to Tang Zijun.
She wanted to live, and to live with the entire mercenary group, and she was willing to give anything for it.
Meanwhile, Tang Zijun was contemplating the relationship between the dream world and the real world. Although he had some hidden thoughts, they were merely a kind of compassion for suffering that comes with being human, a part of human nature.
Tang Zijun did not plan to have Katie bring a truckload of food from the real world and deliver it here, although he could do so, and he believed that Chang Lei would solve all the problems.
There is no doubt that the dream world is dangerous.
The gods are currently fighting on a battlefield of unknown location, but if another dimension is involved, Tang Zijun cannot guarantee whether the two sides will experience a second dimensional war.
Especially in today's real world, there simply isn't enough combat power to contend with the gods here.
If my actions actually lead the gods or the Great Old Ones to discover the passage to the real world ahead of time, then at that point, it will probably come down to whether the radiation from nuclear bombs or the pollution from divine power will be more destructive.
It seems I might have to reveal more information to the Bureau of Demonic Oversight, at least let them know that there is a bomb detonating internally above the real world, and it will most likely affect the real world.
As they walked and pondered, they continued on for a while until several enormous buildings came into view.
These buildings have bizarre shapes, resembling some kind of church. The exterior is adorned with strange stone statues, some human and some other races, while the windows are multicolored, giving them a magnificent appearance.
It's hard to imagine that after witnessing a group of refugees struggling on the brink of life and death, they could see such exquisite architecture; it felt like they were in two different worlds.
"This is the Storm Church, dedicated to the god of storms and rivers. They believe all rivers flow into the ocean driven by storms," Glolando explained, then added quietly, "It was separated from the sky god worshipped by the Feathered People."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zijun nodded calmly.
He was used to the fact that humans in this world plagiarized the gods worshipped by other races, but he was curious whether these churches could really communicate with the gods.
"Would you like to go in and take a look?" Grílando suddenly asked.
"Is it alright?" Tang Zijun asked, somewhat surprised. "Isn't this the church's premises? Will the believers let us just walk in?"
"As long as you're willing to spend the money," Gloriand said, shrugging. "The church members also need to live. Besides sending members out to hunt demons, they also welcome donations from others."
"Is that even possible? But isn't allowing non-believers into the realm of the gods disrespectful to them?" Tang Zijun frowned.
“That’s how it used to be, but… the world keeps changing.” Gloriand shrugged. “And who can say that someone who’s willing to pay to come in under these circumstances isn’t a devout believer?”
"That's true." Tang Zijun hadn't expected such a plausible explanation, but he didn't dwell on it and continued, "By the way, you said before that there's more than one church on the river front, right?"
“Yes, Storm Church is just one of them. There are three more churches ahead: Sunset Church, Nature Church, and Earth Church.” Gloriand nodded. “Besides these, there are more than a dozen other church organizations here, but they don’t have the resources to build churches.”
"So many..." Tang Zijun exclaimed in surprise.
No wonder the Riverfront is known as the largest human settlement; if judged by the number of church members, it is home to people from at least twenty city-states.
I just wonder what those church members, who were originally scattered and isolated, are now all crammed into a city-state. What will they think?
"Let's go in and take a look. I'm quite curious about the church here." After a moment of silence, Tang Zijun made her decision.
As she spoke, Tang Zijun turned to look at Chang Lei, whose face was filled with anxiety. "You wait for me outside, I'll go in with Gloriand and I will check."
"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Chang Lei, fearing that Tang Zijun might change her mind, quickly nodded. "I promise I'll wait for you right here, I won't take a single step."
Tang Zijun was speechless at Chang Lei's cowardly appearance, but he didn't say anything. After all, Chang Lei's current state was indeed quite special. His deception technique might be able to fool the Void Realm Runes, but it was hard to say about the Church of the Gods.
If an evil creature is detected to have infiltrated this place, things will get really messy.
On her first visit here, Tang Zijun wasn't planning on making any big splash.
After a slight pause, Tang Zijun and Gloria walked straight towards the entrance of the Storm Church. As they approached, the runes on the door lit up briefly, but quickly faded away.
Then, a woman in a blue robe walked over. Tang Zijun didn't look at the woman's face, but observed her robe. It was a very strange material, faintly radiating some kind of energy—quite similar to that of a magical girl.
"Gentlemen, this is the Church of Storms."
The woman spoke, her voice devoid of emotion. Gloria stepped forward and bowed humbly. "Your Excellency, the Herrscher, we have brought some meager offerings, hoping to receive the blessing of the Storm God."
Upon hearing this, the woman lowered her head slightly, and then Grelando immediately understood, taking out a gold coin and several silver coins from her satchel.
The woman's indifferent gaze swept over the coins in Grelando's hand. She slowly reached out, picked up two silver coins, and then turned around. "Come in."